MANGA SPOILERS!
There is no way in hell that you are missing this match. And yet, here you are, hurrying to get inside the Kamei Arena. You got off of work later than usual since you had more work to do with your last patient.
Ah, it's been so long since you've last been here, but it feels like it happened just yesterday: winning against Niiyama and securing your ticket to the nationals, kissing Ushijima in front of almost all the students from Shiratorizawa. Good times.
As you pass through the hall, trying to find the right entrance, you feel a shiver down your spine. You turn around, but there is nobody behind you, just a shadow of the past.
"We're going to find Wakatoshi soon, okay, (Name)? So, please, stay with me," Tendou's voice was shaking. Behind him, Nari looked down at you with a worried expression.
That happened here too, on the same day, minutes apart. The scar on your body has faded more and more with the passing of years, you even went to therapy. And yet, you still wake up in the middle of the night from time to time because of that nightmare. No matter how tired Ushijima is, he always comforts you back to sleep, telling you that he's here and that nothing can hurt you anymore.
After reaching the stands, you start looking for Semi and Reon since your seat is next to them.
"Coach Washijou! Hi, sir!" Semi says after he notices the old man coming towards them. They both get up and go to talk to him.
"Just the two of you today?" He asks.
"Yeah, Shirabu has classes today and Kawanishi is at work"
"But shouldn't (Name) be here too? I doubt that she—" Terano says from behind her husband before you cut her off.
"I'm here, I'm here!" You're trying to catch your breath as you had to pass through waves of people to reach your friends. "Sorry I'm late, my last patient kept me longer. Did I miss anything important?"
"Just the starting lineup. It should start soon though," Reon answers.
"Then let's each go back to our seats and talk about after the match," the Washijou spouses take their leave, waving at you as they depart.
"Do you want me to carry that for you?" Semi asks, noticing the big bag that you have with you.
"Nope, I'm good," you remove your jacket as you reach your seat and then sit down.
"Are you sure?"
"Eita, I'm pregnant, not disabled. My hands work perfectly fine. Jeez, you act just like Toshi," Semi blushes, embarrassed, and Reon just laughs.
"How's he handling all of this?" You roll your eyes and sigh loudly.
"At first, it was cute, you know? Always looking after me, but then he became suffocating. He wasn't letting me do anything alone, afraid of something happening to me or the baby, like cooking, climbing up the stairs, even taking a bath! We had a talk and I told him to take it easier and that it's more likely for me to miscarry because of a genetic abnormality than by falling down the stairs. He has moments and moments when he still acts like that, but I do tend to be a bit clumsy so I get him," they both laugh at your rant. It's hard for them to imagine their stoic friend being so caring about someone else.
"And how's the baby doing?" The singer asks.
"They're fine. I went to my monthly check-up two days ago and it seems like everything is good. The doctor asked us if we wanted to know the gender of the baby, but Toshi refused before I even got the chance to say anything. But I do feel like it's going to be a boy"
"What? Can you actually tell that?"
"Not really, but this is what my gut is telling me," Semi doesn't seem convinced. "Oh, yeah, Reon! Your wife is due soon, right?"
"Hahaha, yeah. We're very excited to welcome our baby girl. We finished decorating the room and bought all the stuff that we will need"
"Woahh, lucky her," you groan. "I'm only in my second trimester. I can't wait to push this child out of me"
"Aww, and here I thought that you were going to give Wakatoshi an entire volleyball team," Semi teases you, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hell to the fucking no. One child," you pause for a second. "Okay, two children are enough, but no more than that"
Your conversation gets cut off by the whistle, announcing the start of the game. Kageyama serves, but it's received by Hinata. MSBY's setter, Miya Atsumu, tosses the ball to the ginger. He jumps high, leaving everyone speechless and hits the ball at full force, scoring the first point for his team.
People all around you are yelling and talking about this scene that happened in less than 10 seconds. You look at your husband, wanting to see his reaction and he has a huge smirk on his face. He's all fired-up. This game is going to be exciting to watch.
It's Bokuto's turn to serve. Hoshiumi manages to receive it and the ball is tossed by Schweiden Adlers' setter to Ushijima. He clenches his fist after the ball hits the floor.
"Boom goes Japan's biggest cannon, Ushijima Wakatoshi!" Everyone starts cheering for him, you included. Over the last few years you've seen his progress and as much as you hate to admit it, you can't really block him nowadays. You used to play together from time to time before you got pregnant. Still, you can't compare to a professional athlete.
•••
The match ends with MSBY's victory. You expected the losers to look disappointed, since it was their home game, but they seem... contented, in a way? It was a good game and everyone gave their best, so maybe they're all excited for a re-match. You got to finally see Hinata in action. He changed a lot from when he was a teenager, both physically and playing-style wise.
You heard from Ushijima that he went to Brazil to play beach volleyball and met there with your husband's former rival, Oikawa. You laughed for ten minutes when he described the photo the ginger sent.
People have already left to go get autographs from the players, so, you get up as well, since you want your 'personalized' autograph, especially made for you by Schweiden's opposite hitter.
Ushijima is talking to Washijou and his wife, but immediately turns to look in your direction, like he has a sixth sense for you. He smiles and looks at you with adoration in his eyes. He quickly dismisses himself and walks towards you, wrapping you in a tight hug.
"Hi. Good game," you tell him and kiss him. He's still sweaty and very warm, but you find comfort in this. You hear someone taking a picture with their phone and you look to the right, finding a familiar figure that was not supposed to be here today.
"I forgot how disgusting you two are in real life," Nari says, putting her phone back in her pocket.
"I want that picture, just so you know," you tell her. "And what the hell are you doing back in Japan? Weren't you supposed to be in Turkey for another week?" She's playing for an international team at the moment, but wants to quit and return to her home country.
"Actually, no. I was supposed to surprise you today, but I messed up the time zones. I got to see the end of the match though"
"Oh my God, you are such an idiot," you facepalm yourself.
•••
With the Olympics right around the corner, you found yourself having to ask your mother-in-law if she can take care of your son while you two are in Tokyo, but your husband looked sad when you proposed the idea. He's not that much of a talker, so you assumed that he wanted to have you both there, but didn't want to seem selfish.
So, you abandoned the idea and booked a room for two people at a hotel near the Ariake Arena.
Then, one morning, you wake up with Ushijima's mother knocking on your door. You let her in and immediately notice the huge gift bag she has in her hand.
"What's in there?" Ushijima asks, nonchalant. She grins widely and pulls out a beautifully wrapped box.
"Since you all are going together to the Olympics, I had a good friend of mine make something special for my favorite grandson," she hands it to you and you open it carefully, finding inside a tiny uniform, resembling Ushijima's official one. It's a bright red, having a white number one on the front and on the back, largely printed 'USHIJIMA', under which is another white number one. It even has matching shorts.
Ushijima stares at it in disbelief. You don't wait another second and go and have your son try it on. You return with him, dressed up in that cute outfit, holding him by one hand, while he has a truck toy in the other. Your husband feels like he is about to faint.
You let go of his hand and point to Ushijima. "Go show daddy what clothes grandma got you," he wobbles towards his father, almost falling by tripping on a toy, but Ushijima catches him and lifts him up in his arms.
Since his phone is closer, you snap a picture quickly and then send it to yourself. You have your own jersey too and can't wait to go and cheer for your husband while wearing matching outfits.
Later that day, as you're washing the dishes, you get a notification that your husband has just posted something on Instagram. He's not that big of a fan of social media so he rarely uploads something on his accounts so you instantly click on the notification.
It's the picture that you took of them two earlier. Ushijima is staring lovingly at your son, a bright smile on his face, while the child is preoccupied with his toy.
The caption is simple, but very much like Ushijima's way of speaking: 'My son. My wife took this picture. She's the best. I love them both so much'. No emojis or hashtags. Just his genuine words. You notice that it has been less than ten minutes since he posted it and it already has over ten thousand likes.
You put the dishes on hold and ran up the stairs to find your husband. He's in his gym and you almost give him a heart attack when you appear in front of him out of nowhere, as he has his earphones in and didn't hear you coming in.
"I love you too," you tell him and grab him by his face, kissing him hard.
"Where did that come from?"
"Apparently I'm the best," You giggle and kiss him again.
It was a piece of cake for Nari and Ushijima to get you tickets. You'll be staying in Tokyo for the whole duration of the Olympics, cheering for your husband and your best friend. One of her teammates is from Niiyama and they had a weird reunion when Nari joined the team.
You're here to see them conquer the world and achieve their dreams, while you're also working on opening your own clinic so you can spend more time with your family.
Nine years ago you walked down the aisle and accepted to be Ushijima's wife. Even though your feelings were uncertain at that moment, your marriage has persisted. You found love and peace in each other.
You're eating together with your husband and son at a random restaurant in Tokyo, celebrating your wedding anniversary, laughing and talking about different topics. It makes you realize that you've never felt so accomplished with your life before.