treehouse - alex g., emily yacina . minor nsfw
for the very first time, monday night after volleyball practice, which was as normal as usual, y/n and ushijima walked home together.
the team shouted and called and made suggestive remarks to their friends. y/n jokingly glared over her shoulder at the boys she had learned to love as of late. to her side, ushijima sent very real and very menacing glares at his teammates, having known that the probability that most of them weren't entirely joking was a lot higher than he was comfortable with.
recently, ushijima was struck by a sense of doubt.
after all that kawanishi said, ushijima had begun to wonder how real his feelings really were. of course, he's not going to pretend like it wasn't her looks that drew him in in the first place. but it felt like more than that now.
ushijima had known almost from the start who she really was. the anxious and tiny girl that confessed to him at the end of his second year. and at first, ushijima wasn't all that interested just because he had no care for dating at that time. but y/n was mousy and insecure, and with the way he'd been at the time, he thought that she was pathetic.
but now... since her first day, she'd proven to be anything but. her confidence wasn't baseless like the kind that he hated. the knowledge that she retained, both academic and volleyball-wise could sometimes be marvels to behold. she was a natural leader, something that ushijima admired a lot about people, and as much as he couldn't see a reason for the trait in the first place, he found that y/n was as kind as she was beautiful. she had a sense of humor, one that made him smile secretly to himself.
it was just a shame that it took something as shallow as physical attraction to make ushijima realize it. there's nothing about her now that made him even slightly regret his feelings. it seem like she changed from when they first truly met, but maybe ushijima just hadn't had the chance to get to know her. or rather, he had never taken the chance.
as ushijima became less and less hyper focused on nationals as he grew more and more confident, he realized how lonely he'd been throughout the day. his father had been long gone, his mother was busy with her business trips and too distracted to call, and he'd always be an only child. ushijima had friends but they weren't the kind of friends that would be together forever, no matter how much some of them might want to be. but ushijima knew what relationships could do. he knew how they look, and what went on.
his idea of relationships were only ever what he'd read, but recently ushijima had been thinking up his own fantasies.
ushijima wanted to hold her hand to class. once they graduate, he could hold her hand in public, too. ushijima never imagined it before, but now almost all he thought about was kissing her. whenever she bit her lips while taking notes or watching through plays at practice, his vision would completely cloud.
there had been a moment where he was so distracted that a volleyball almost gave him a concussion. he was fine, luckily, but y/n had a flurry of words for him after, and ushijima was just as entranced there, too.
ushijima was sure that no matter how much he hated how the other guys at school stared at her, he'd look at her the same way.
ushijima wanted to be with her, but all these doubts made him question how much he deserved it.
-
monday night, they began to work on his living room floor with papers and notebooks and pens scattered around ushijima's glass coffee table. they collaborated with a shocking anount of ease, and they were able to work out the script for the project before the night was over.
one thing that y/n had learned about ushijima was that he was a pretty spectacular cook. though neither of them were all that hungry, by the time ushijima presented a larger plate of curry rice for them to share, neither of them could refuse it.
as y/n complimented ushijima's cooking, it made him want to cook for the rest of his life. it made him want to quit volleyball and open a restaurant just for the sake that she'd be around forever.
as the night ended, y/n reluctantly walked home with an unknown smile plastered to her face.
-
tuesday night had ended a bit shorter. y/n brought snacks for the two, and they'd managed to start building up their real project.
unfortunately, an hour before y/n planned to leave, her sister called. ushijima didn't hear all that much of the phone call, however it sounded like y/n's older brother had gotten hurt.
y/n packed away her things as quickly as she could, barely sending ushijima a second glance. he wanted to offer her help, however she seemed upset enough that she was even called.
as ushijima held his door open for her to leave, she turned to him at the last second and smiled. she took a step closer to him and stood up on her toes, pressing a chaste and light kiss to his cheek.
his face was warm, and ushijima zoned out as y/n sincerely apologized to him. all he could do was nod, and as soon as she was gone, ushijima was laying back in bed with a slight smile.
-
wednesday was a quiet day, with few words shared between the two. but what had shocked ushijima later that night was when y/n left, and she stopped to press another kiss to the tall male's cheek like she had the night before.
y/n wasn't entirely sure what had compelled her to do so, but she remembered leaving ushijima's home with a thumping heart.
-
by thursday their project was completely finished. against her better judgement, y/n chose not to tell ushijima. she had said that edits and revisions still needed to be made and ushijima trusted her.
so thursday was a day where hours flew by slowly, listening to the same recording over and over again, looking for mistakes that weren't there. they sat close enough to the point where the presence of the other's body could never quite leave their mind, and any chance they got they'd shuffle just a little bit closer to each other until they were shoulder to shoulder and could barely turn their heads.
it was a comfortable week for them both, despite it being under the circumstances of an english assignment.
that night, after y/n reached to platonically kiss ushijima on the cheek for the last time that week, instead of walking out like she normally did, she stood still. she watched ushijima, staring into his eyes with her hand clasped on his shoulder. it was a short moment between them both, and while the thoughts ran through y/n's head of what she could say to thank him for his hospitality, ushijima couldn't hold back the urge to confess his feelings all right there.
"tenma, i..." ushijima breathed in and said his words while he breathed back out. "i really like you."
"you... what?"
"i really like you, and kawanishi will probably hate me because he didn't think i'd ever tell you, but i do. i really, really, like you. painstakingly so."
""like," as in romantically? like, feelings?" y/n attempted to make her words as clear as possible. she wanted to be one hundred percent sure that she understood what ushijima was telling her.
"i believe so, if tendou was right," ushijima nodded.
"taichi does as well?" ushijima nodded again. "that's crazy... i had no idea."
ushijima was rather confused by y/n's neutral reaction. she didn't seem too upset, which was good, but she wasn't as happy or "ecstatic" as the articles made it seem like she'd be. she was just confused and looking for answers.
"how do you feel?" ushijima asked. "about me?"
"me?" a sweet smile grew on her face. "i feel that... well, you've been a complete idiot, wakatoshi."
"w-what?" ushijima was more than just taken aback. he was almost offended.
"seriously, 'toshi. how convenient for you that the girl that you brutally rejected is that girl that you seem to fall in love with. did you really think i'd forget something like that so easily? i've hated you since that day, and after taichi told me everything, it all became clear to me. you never even had a chance."
ushijima took a step away from y/n, noticing how kawanishi suddenly appeared behind her with a grin. like he'd been waiting and listening the entire time.
the second year's arms wrapped around y/n lewdly and she leaned back against kawanishi's chest. he dragged his hands up and down the sides of her body until he spun her around to face him.
"y/n, i love you."
"taichi... i love you."
ushijima felt his hands become glued to his silver doorknob, and his feet sink through the hardwood floor.
he stood in place, his body or his mind forcing him to stay and watch as his junior, teammate, and supposedly trusted peer, felt up and passionately kissed ushijima's manager and undoubtedly his first love.
at that moment, ushijima was beside himself with grief, anger, jealousy, and a slight sadness.
why did it all have to end so bitterly? ushijima would've preferred that she just turn him down the same way that he had last year rather than pour salt in all his wounds by finding out that she never liked him in the first place, and that she'd been with kawanishi the entire time.
ushijima couldn't cry or yell. all he could do was sit and stare at his feet, wondering how long he'd been falling for someone who hated him that much.
"oh... wakatoshi. i mean, what do i have that you'd want anyway, right?"
-
"wakatoshi, are you alright? wakatoshi!"
two fingers snapped in front of ushijima's face, suddenly waking him from his daydream. he hadn't moved a centimeter away from the door, and he felt like he'd stood there for another full day.
"tenma... what happened? where's kawanishi?" ushijima shook his head in confusion and finally released his grip on his doorknob.
"taichi? he's not here." y/n raised her hand and pressed it to ushijima's forehead in a motherly fashion while she grimaced, feeling the slight heat that radiated from him. "you suddenly stopped responding to me and you were just staring off into space. have you been sleeping well?"
upon hearing her question, ushijima thought back to the past week, wondering if his sleep schedule had been what he thought it'd been.
"i suppose i haven't been sleeping all of my necessary hours."
it was unfortunately true. ushijima would be up only five hours before school started dreaming or laying wide awake thinking about what y/n and him would talk about or how'd she'd do her hair the next day. his mind would rarely ever be on his tight athlete schedule.
y/n exhaled and smiled. "you really worried me. i thought that ball really did give you a concussion." she sighed and picked her bags up off the floor, seemingly dropping them to help ushijima. "you should really get some sleep. coach washijo will be upset if he ever finds out."
ushijima nodded, though he felt slightly anxious about her leaving now. now that ushijima was sure of his fears, he was scared of letting her go. at the same time, he didn't want it to accidentally slip out that he liked her as much as he did, out of fear that the daydream that he experienced would be a reality.
y/n noticed the slight sweat that stuck his hair to his forehead, so she softly moved his olive green tresses to the side.
"y'know, wakatoshi, you're really handsome," she told him. "it's no wonder the girls love you."
"girls?"
"yeah. in my gym class, the girls ask about you all the time. they want to know if the most popular guy in school is single or not." y/n shrugged.
"i don't have a girlfriend, if you're asking."
"i know you don't," y/n laughed. "you're too focused on volleyball for that, right?"
"no, i..." ushijima grimaced. "i don't have a girlfriend, but there is someone that i like."
"is that so?" y/n grinned. "what's she like?"
ushijima closed his front door and leaned against the wall beside y/n.
"she's perfect in every way."
y/n smiled larger, finding ushijima's infatuation with this mystery girl to be almost adorable.
"she must be if she's got your attention."
y/n was conflicted. though she wasn't aware of her blossoming feelings for ushijima since the day that he had to rescue her from ando, she was still jealous.
despite that, she felt that it wouldn't be best to fall too hard for someone with no interest in love, because, just like last year, she believed that ushijima would break her heart in the worst way possible.
but now that she knew of ushijima's feelings for another person, she thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. of course, she didn't even slightly believe that she would be the girl that ushijima liked so much, but just knowing that he had a mind and heart open to affection, she felt even more comfortable with him.
"look, wakatoshi. if you ever need help, any at all with this girl, just let me know. you deserve happiness, and i'll do anything to help you get there."
"anything?"
y/n held ushijima's hand to reassure him.
"anything."
-
before classes ended friday evening, thunder boomed outside of shiritorizawa. the clouds were overcast and ash gray, and there was a slight chill to the air.
both y/n and ushijima questioned if it'd be worth it to work together after school, as neither of them wanted y/n to walk home in the rain, especially since they had the whole weekend left before the project was really due. against her better judgement, y/n still followed ushijima home with her arm interlocked with his.
y/n spoke randomly about sports news that appeared on her phone until drops of warm water started to show on her phone screen and in the students' hair. it had even begun to stick their white shirts to their skin, allowing the color of the flesh to show through.
as the rain came down faster and pelted them with more force, ushijima chivalrously lifted his school to shield them from the rain, though it covered y/n more than it covered him.
they walked a little faster until thunder struck again letting loose an all out downpour to the point where puddles formed in their pockets and any fabric that could stick did so. their walk quickened to a full sprint as ushijima's house came into their sights.
y/n laughed while all ushijima could think about was getting out of the rain. after all, he wanted nothing less than to spend his weekend in bed. he thought about that, as well as how y/n's wet clothes allowed him to catch glimpses of her undergarments, not that he didn't feel ashamed for doing so.
he saw how the wet fabrics clung to her soft skin. her black skirt wrapped around her thighs and her white shirt caved in with the valley of her breasts. ushijima felt bad, horrible even, when he stared at her the way that he had. but sometimes... he just couldn't help himself.
-
ushijima and y/n dropped their bags on the carpet and removed their soaked shoes and socks in exhaustion.
y/n quietly cursed as she stared down at her clothes, not seeing the same thing that ushijima saw.
"shit... all my clothes are soaked. at this rate, i'm sure to catch cold." she grimaced. "maybe udai will stop by and bring me some clothes... but he's too far..."
ushijima waited and listened to y/n's spoken thoughts until he had an idea.
"my mother tells me to keep clothes that are too small in case of emergencies. you can use them if you'd like?"
"what will i do with my wet clothes, though?"
"i'll wash them with mine. we also have two bathrooms, so you can shower, too."
"wakatoshi... honestly, whoever you marry in the future is going to be in the best hands."
"marry? who i'd marry..." ushijima pondered y/n's comment aloud.
y/n chuckled in response. "relax." she reached her hand up and pinched his nose, making him blink a few times. "i'm teasing you."
"right..." he nasally responded.
-
ushijima stood out in front of the laundry machines at the end of the hallway right beside his mother's bathroom. he discreetly listened to y/n shuffle around in front of his mother's mirror. he heard her wet feet hit the tile floor, and for a moment all he could imagine was what it would be like if the white door dividing them didn't exist.
the sound of cold water pouring from the washing machine awoke him from his thoughts and he walked away from the bathroom until the sounds went silent.
when y/n finally left the bathroom, the steam from the hot water followed her out. her damp hair was hidden under a medium sized towel and her body was completely covered by ushijima's old clothes that were still baggy on her.
she wore long white socks that disappeared somewhere underneath the red plaid pajama pants. her arms and hands were completely hidden from view by the long sleeves of ushijima's old shiritorizawa hoodie with his name and old number on it that he received at the end of his first year.
"tenma..." he whispered.
"i don't usually wear clothes this big. i probably look awkward..."
"i think you look nice..." ushijima mumbled.
"what was that?" y/n was unable to hear ushijima's quiet compliment over the sounds of ushijima's washing machine behind her.
"would you like some rice?" he replied louder.
"if you don't mind," she shrugged. "i'll go work on our project now."
ushijima's eyes closely followed y/n's small figure disappearing into the family room.
there's been countless close calls similar to that, where he'd compliment her and immediately wished that he hadn't upon finding out that she just barely heard him.
it worried him to no end, but like everything else in relation to y/n, he just couldn't help himself.
-
minutes turned to hours and eventually their laundry was done, though y/n refused to change. when udai eventually stopped by to drive her home, y/n emphatically begged to keep the clothing. there wasn't a single bone in ushijima's body that had wanted to say no, not after the realization that he really liked how his name looked on her back, like she was his number one fan.
udai unfortunately ushered her out the door, not without thanking ushijima for taking good care of his sister. udai returned to his car, leaving ushijima and y/n alone again.
y/n kissed his cheek for the final time that week and pulled away just enough to wrap her arms around him as she squeezed him as tight as she could.
"i had a lot of fun this week, wakatoshi," she said into his chest. "i hope we can hang out like this again."
"you're free to come over any time, tenma."
"really? your mother won't mind?" y/n wondered. ushijima simply shook his head. y/n smiled. "that sounds great."
she pulled away from ushijima finally and followed her brother's path to his car, but she turned around one final time to call at him.
"you can call me y/n, by the way."