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ragewerthers · 4 years

Text

Romance In Bloom

Summary: Daichi never thought he'd end up roommates with one Ushijima Wakatoshi. No matter how hard he tries he just can't seem to forge a friendship with the former Shiratorizawa Captain.

But Daichi is anything but a quitter and it's always surprising what will bloom with a little work, a little love.

A/n: This is for the HQ Rarepair Bang 2020! I chose Ushijima Wakatoshi and Daichi Sawamura because they are just... one of the best pairings in the world! I love the stoicness, but also the silliness that can be found there.

I would like to thank @springpalettes-art for her amazing comic that she made for this fic! And thanks to @hqrarepairbang for hosting the event!

You can find her at: https://springpalettes-art.tumblr.com/ and also: https://www.instagram.com/spring_palette/

And you can also read at AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561251 Enjoy! :)

Word Count: 6483

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Walking up the last few steps toward his off campus apartment, Daichi had never been happier to see his front door.

School had only been in for about a month, but this week had been beating him up since Monday. There had been impending papers, a biology test and volleyball practice all vying for his immediate attention. He was always more than willing to give everything his all and was more than capable of taking on whatever workload was pushed his way, but even he had his limits.

This week was definitely pushing them.

Fishing his keys out of his pocket he unlocked the door before carefully shuffling his way inside the small apartment. It was by no means fancy or frivolous. The word cozy fit it better. It consisted of a little living room, one bathroom, two bedrooms and the world’s smallest kitchen. Though to be honest that tiny kitchen was one of the places Daichi appreciated most in the small housing unit. There was just something nice about cooking that Daichi had enjoyed since he was young. Working through a recipe, following the steps and reaching an end that could be enjoyed was satisfying whether he was cooking for himself or others.

The little smile that had appeared over his lips as he thought about finally taking a little break and possibly making himself something to eat fell slightly as he saw that he was not the only one home. Right next to the door, lined up nice and neat alongside the wall were the black gym shoes his roommate generally wore. Sighing slightly to himself he toed off his own shoes and set them next to the others before carrying his backpack toward his room.

Glancing around he could see that his housemate was most likely in his own room as well. There was literally no way for Daichi to miss the man anywhere else in the apartment. How could anyone miss Ushijima Wakatoshi?

Now, it wasn’t that he disliked the man. It was just… apart from volleyball they really didn’t have that much in common. When Daichi had moved to Tokyo for college he had been prepared for all sorts of fresh starts. He was even excited at the prospect of getting to meet someone new when it came to the living arrangements.

Imagine his surprise when he’d entered into the apartment, arms full of boxes, and walked directly into “Mr. Perfect” as Suga had called him. If it hadn’t been for Ushijima’s quick reflexes the entire box he’d been carrying would’ve clattered to the ground. Not the smoothest meeting to have ever happened, and Daichi could feel his face heating up instantly as the olive green eyes looked him over.

It hadn’t helped when Bokuto and Kuroo had followed up behind the stairs with a few more of his things and seen who he had almost run over and who had saved him in equal measure.

The other two former captains were also attending the same college and over the past summer they had all started talking a bit more. While Daichi had been excited about the new things that would happen in his life he also knew that it would be important to have other people there that he was familiar with and that he could rely on. Hopefully they could rely on him as well.

As it was, right then the only thing he could rely on the mayhem twins for was giving him teasing looks, though they were at least kind enough to keep their mouths shut during that whole exchange.

Ushijima hadn’t even said anything after handing Daichi his box back, merely giving them all a nod as he stepped out of the apartment to go… wherever people like Ushijima went.

Since then their interactions had been few and far between. The most Daichi could remember talking to him was when they had both been heading to practice. Since they were heading the same direction he thought perhaps he could start up a conversation on a sport they both enjoyed.

The most he got were one word answers or a nod here and there. Apart from that he might as well have been talking to a statue. By the time they’d made it to the gym Daich thought he knew the man less than before if that was even possible.

Running a hand over his face, Daichi shook his head, refocusing on the here and now. Maybe this was just how things were supposed to be between them? Maybe the former Shiratorizawa captain still held a grudge? Maybe he was as shallow and unfeeling as people said? Daichi never wanted to assume anything about a person that he didn’t know, but… he had tried, hadn’t he? He’d made the effort and Ushijima had practically rebuffed it? Maybe he really was a monster. Unfeeling and unable to connect to the world?

As Daichi continued on with these thoughts he had to walk past Ushijima’s room to get to his own, when he heard quiet mumbling. It was so startling to him to hear a noise in the apartment that he couldn’t help but pause, turning his head to see the door slightly ajar giving him a view of Ushijima’s room.

The man was standing near his window, his back facing Daichi. He appeared to be leaning over something and murmuring a few things that he couldn’t quite make out. For a moment Daichi wondered if perhaps he was watching a monster perform some sort of ritual to make himself stronger? But then, Ushijima was standing and in his hands was a small potted plant, little vines hanging over the edges and looking like they were trying to tangle around whatever they could.

“You can’t keep doing that to the succulent,” Ushijima’s deep voice murmured in a tone that was so soft Daichi wouldn’t have believed it if he wasn’t hearing it for himself. “You will hurt it and yourself. Here…,” gently he placed the little plant onto his desk in a more shaded part of his room, carefully moving one of the vines to twine with a cup full of pens and pencils. “Now you can stretch out without causing more unnecessary trouble. I can get more pencils tomorrow.”

The longer Daichi watched the more he felt his entire world view shifting. Ushijima had spoken actual sentences! And he’d been so soft and open in a way that he would never have thought possible! Quietly Daichi moved away from the door and continued on to his room, not wanting to bother the other man and with a little smile on his lips.

The smile didn’t last long as he realized just how unfair he had been being to Ushijima. He had told himself that he had attempted to forge a friendship with the other and when faced with one rebuff he considered it a failure. And really the only thing he’d tried to talk to him about was volleyball. While he was sure it was a good starting point it was also just one facet of who the other man was. Hell, he didn’t even know what Ushijima was going to school for!

Entering into his room, Daichi set his backpack next to his own desk and resolved that starting here and now, he would stop his assumptions. He would try again to get to know Ushijima and not just as a formal rival, but as an actual person. But how could he start? Was there something he could do to try and start opening up those lines of communication?

Suddenly a very simple idea popped into his head and after glancing at his watch he realized that there was just enough time to set his plan into motion.

------------------------

Daichi was just clicking off the rice cooker when the sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. Glancing at the small setup he had aligned on the counter he smiled to himself before turning around to see Ushijima staring at him curiously.

“Everything okay?” Daichi asked, wiping his hands off on a kitchen towel as he watched the taller volleyball player glancing around the small kitchen. Almost looking like a predator zoning in on the kill.

Perfect. Stage one, luring Ushijima from his room, was complete. Now to see if he could actually get the man to enjoy a meal with him without seeming either creepy, desperate or overbearing.

“I see you are making dinner. I… it smelled… good,” the man said awkwardly and Daichi’s smile only grew at the slight uncertainty he could hear. Ushijima was always certain when he spoke. Hopefully this meant that he had guessed right in that the way through Ushijima’s armor was through his stomach. It was his own weakness, to be honest, so he figured why not try it with the ace?

“Thank you. The last thing I want to hear when I’m cooking is ‘what is that smell?!’ But believe me, it’s happened… a few times,” he said with a little chuckle, though the other man only gave a little nod at the comment.

“Well this time it smells good. You have nothing to worry about,” he stated as simply as a fact. “I shall leave you to eat in peace. I apologize for the intrusion.”

“No, no! I mean... I made enough for both of us,” Daichi quickly amended as he saw Ushijima turning to leave. “You can’t survive on protein bars and eggs all the time.”

This did make Ushijima pause and he turned back to look at the former Karasuno captain.

It actually made Daichi shift a bit under the gaze. It was literally like watching a bird of prey weigh and measure your worth. And all he had done was offer him food!

“You’re sure it’s alright?” Ushijima said after a moment, starting to turn back around and Daichi let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Yes, I’m sure. Here… if you take a seat I can make up a bowl for you,” he offered and after watching the way Ushijima’s eyes flickered to the slightly bubbling pot on the stove and the rice cooker he nodded and went to the table.

Stage two complete.

“I hope you like hayashi rice. I haven’t made it in awhile so I hope I’ve done it justice,” Daichi said with a bright smile as he watched the other players eyes widen a bit.

“That’s actually a favorite of mine,” Ushijima replied, once more allowing a little bit of his emotion to leak into his voice. This time instead of awkwardness it was perhaps a little excitement.

Thankfully Daichi’s back was now facing him and the former crow captain was able to hide his smile.

“Oh? I had no idea,” he said like the lying liar he was. Of course he knew! It had been stated in that Volleyball Magazine he and the other players of Karasuno had read a few years ago. In it he could remember reading that this was the players favorite dish. Why this had stuck with him all these years he honestly had no good answer for. Maybe it was because it was food related? Yeah… that seemed like a good answer for now.

Turning back around he had two bowls in hand heaped with the rice and hashed beef and mushroom mixture. “Since it’s a favorite I hope that I did it justice,” he said as he set the two bowls on their tiny table and took a seat on the other side.

Daichi watched as Ushijima looked over the meal that was presented to him. For a moment the mask of stoic indifference was replaced with something that could almost be described as softness.

“It’s been quite some time since I had this,” Ushijima stated quietly after a moment and Daichi gave a little smile at that and nodded, reaching for his chopsticks. He almost dropped them when Ushijima continued to talk. “My grandmother was the first one to make it for me. I believe I was no more than three. I’m told that I fell asleep trying to continue eating what was on my plate. My mother has a picture of it somewhere.”

Daichi sat there dumbstruck.

He had assumed that after offering the meal he would try and implement stage three and ask a few simple questions to get the ball rolling. What classes was he enjoying? Did he have a favorite professor? Did he still keep in touch with former players from his team?

But this… this was something he hadn’t expected and it almost gave him the same rush as getting a perfect spike.

Sadly his lack of a response must have been interpreted wrong as he watched Ushijima glance up and the softness that had been there a moment ago was instantly locked back behind that stony facade.

Oh no.

“I’m sorry, Sawamura. I’m sure you don’t want to hear abo-...,”

“I fell asleep in my birthday cake!” he blurted out, both men sitting there in a bit of a stunned silence at the sudden exclamation, but Daich would be damned if he was going to lose the thread he had been given of forging a friendship with Ushijima. “... and there’s video.”

Daichi waited… wondering if perhaps he had only made things worse. Maybe he had missed his spike? Missed the one opening he had been given?

And then… a small smile and a quiet chuckle rumbled in Ushijima’s chest and Daichi;s lips twitched up into a small smile of his own.

“That is worse than a picture,” Ushijima agreed, reaching for his own chopsticks as a smile stayed on his lips and Daichi couldn’t help a little snort of laughter from escaping.

“Well… a picture is still pretty bad. I can see it now… The Lefty with tiny fists clenched around rice as he nod’s off in his seat,” Daichi teased, only momentarily wondering if perhaps it was too soon to do so before hearing Ushijima chuckle once more.

“And I can visualize a small crow napping in a pile of cake and frosting. I’ve seen you eat before,” the larger man said before taking a bite of the meal before him.

Daichi’s eyes widened.

Was he actually bantering with Ushijima? Was this actually happening?!

“I’ll have you know that I’ve only fallen asleep while eating three times in my life,” Daichi shot back before taking a bite of food as well and watching as Ushijima glanced at him.

“So you didn’t learn your lesson the first time?” he asked simply making Daichi chuckle..

“I’m a glutton for punishment?”

“Perhaps just a glutton.”

“Ow… my pride,” Daichi deadpanned, though he knew the smile on his lips betrayed any harshness to his words.

Ushijima glanced up at the statement regardless and after seeing the smile seemed to decide that it was indeed okay.

“This is good, Sawamura,” the former ace murmured after a moment and Daichi felt his cheeks warm slightly at the sincere comment. It felt even more sincere considering that it was coming from Ushijima Wakatoshi, a man who never wasted time with ambiguous words.

“Thank you. Cooking is something I’ve always enjoyed and I’m glad I could share it with you,” he admitted, his cheeks still feeling warm even as he took another few bites.

“Well you are good at it. And I thank you for sharing this with me,” Ushijima said finishing off what was in his bowl with a contented little hum

“Of course. And if you want you are more than welcome to another bowl. I definitely made enough,” Daichi offered, watching Ushijima’s eyes practically light up at the idea of seconds before the man stood and went to retrieve more.

As he watched Ushijima gathering up more of the meal he’d prepared, Daichi couldn’t help smiling a bit more to himself. This had turned out far better than he could’ve imagined. It finally felt like he was taking a good first step toward getting to know Ushijima and as the man returned to the table, looking far more relaxed then he’d ever seen him before, he wondered if perhaps Ushijima had been hoping for the same?

Hopefully they could both continue forward.

------------------------

With the first dinner being such a success, Daichi saw no harm in continuing on with this plan. During the course of the week he found time to make dinner here and there, each time successfully luring Ushijima from his room or from the living room where he was studying. And with each successful dinner it seemed like the great ace continued to open up, at least in Ushijima terms.

They continued to share little anecdotes of their childhood. Spoke about different recipes that Daichi had succeeded in… and failed in. They never really discussed school, though Ushijima did enjoy talking about his plants and Daichi was more than happy to listen. It was exciting to watch the way the larger man brightened up when talking about something he was so passionate about.

In the course of this past week he had filed away facts on tree bark that could be used for tea, the differences between licorice root and marshmallow root and, should he ever find himself lost in the woods in the middle of tokyo, he knew what berries to stay away from lest he wished to spend the remainder of the time in the woods hunched over behind a tree.

Currently, Ushijima was still in his classes and Daichi’s history class had been let out early, so he had decided that tonight would be one of those nights where he would have the time to make them a dinner to enjoy together. To be honest, he was starting to look forward to these more and more and not simply because he enjoyed cooking. It was… nice building up this relationship with Ushijima and had someone told him he would be doing so two years ago he wouldn’t have believed them. However, here he was, music playing from his laptop on the kitchen table as he worked to make up a simple ramen for them to enjoy together.

“Suga pie, honey bunch… you know that I love you… I can’t help myself… I love you and nobody else…,” Daichi sang quietly to himself as the song popped up from his playlist, a little smile flitting over his features as he heard it. Being home alone he found no shame in enjoying a bit of silliness. Before long he was shimmying around the kitchen, swaying his hips a bit as he sang into the wooden spoon he’d been using to stir the broth.

As he continued to cook he allowed himself to let loose a little bit more and more, before long he was pulling ridiculous spins and singing to a crowd of radishes, green onion and braised pork that seemed to enjoy his performance. He had already broken it down to a few songs, and was currently singing his heart out to another fantastic bop.

“I guess, you’d say… what can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl… talkin’ ‘bout my girl… MY GIRL!” he sang out with extra flourish, doing a little slide and spin before pointing his hand out to his invisible crowd… only to find Ushijima standing in the doorway he was pointing at, eyes wide and holding a small potted plant in his hands.

Both men stood there for a moment, each looking just as shocked as the other. Daichi could feel his face heating up more and more the longer he stood there, his finger still pointing at Ushijima as he was at a loss on how to save face in front of the man.

Apparently Ushijima was equally at a loss for how to react as after a few seconds of silence he held his hands out with the small plant carefully cupped in them, offering it toward Daichi.

“... thyme…,” he said quietly, looking completely at a loss on how to react to Daichi’s performance.

However, there was no missing the slight pink hue that was now dusting Ushijima’s cheeks as well and seeing that somehow brought some of Daichi’s senses back to him, the ones that hadn’t died of embarrassment.

Lowering his hand he cleared his throat, setting aside the wooden spoon he’d been singing into and soothing a hand over his rumpled shirt from his dance moves. “Are those flowers for my performance?” he joked as he glanced down at the small green leafed plant.

Ushijima seemed to come back to himself at the simple question, cocking his head to the side and honestly, it was rather endearing. Not that Daichi thought he was endearing or anything!

“It’s… thyme. It does not flower as it is an herb,” Ushijima corrected as gently as an Ushijima could.

Daichi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, giving another little chuckle but before he could explain himself Ushijima spoke up once more.

“But… the plant is for you. I thought you would enjoy having something functional that you can use when you cook. I… wanted to give it to you as thanks for all the meals you have been making.”

Daichi felt a new rush of heat move up his cheeks and to his ears, his eyes glancing from the small plant back to Ushijima who was looking at him so openly and earnestly that he honestly felt something flutter in his chest.

Probably just heart still just calming down from his singing and dancing antics.

Reaching forward, Daichi gently took the plant from Ushijima’s larger hands, his fingers just brushing over The Lefty’s and finding them much warmer than he thought they would be.

“This is… thank you, Ushijima. You didn’t have to do that,” Daichi murmured gently, smiling down at the little plant. “And much better than flowers. I would be happy to get herbs after my performances instead.”

This time Ushijima did chuckle at the comment, the pink still riding high on his cheeks as well, though Daichi knew the kitchen was probably a bit warmer from the broth boiling away on the stove. “I will remember that. Perhaps I will get you all the ingredients to Scarborough Fair?” he said in return and it honestly took Daichi a moment to realize that Ushijima was once again joking with him.

“Oh my god! That was horrible!” Daichi laughed, setting the small plant on the kitchen counter. “So what you’re saying is I’m going to be getting parsley, sage and rosemary considering I’ve already got thyme?”

“As long as the performance is good,” Ushijima deadpanned, making Daichi snort as he turned back to their dinner.

“Then I will definitely be getting them. I’m an excellent showman. Now go and get cleaned up. Dinner is almost done,” he warned as he turned the burners off to start plating.

“Hmm… is this why they call you ‘Dad’-chi? I heard that a few times, but never understood,” Ushijima said as Daichi spluttered and turned to face him only to be met with a teasing grin he never would’ve thought possible on the others face.

“You will never repeat that nickname ever again if you want to enjoy more of my cooking!” he chided, watching as Ushijima backed away with a chuckle and turned toward the hall.

“My apologies. It will not happen again…,” he promised as he set off toward the bathroom, Daichi turning back toward the stove before hearing a quiet,”... ‘Dad’-chi.”

“That’s it! No braised pork for you!” he shouted back, the sound of a deep chuckle the only response he got.

Huffing to himself, but with a smile playing over his lips he began to plate up their dinner. His eyes glancing at the small thyme plant that sat nearby.

A piece of braised pork made its way into Ushijima’s bowl.

------------------------

“-chi…. Daichi? Hey, Sa’amura are you even listening to me?” Kuroo asked, snapping Daichi out of his partial daydream after throwing a crumpled up piece of paper at the back of his head.

Scowling slightly, Daichi turned to face the man who was currently sprawled out on his bed. The idea had been for them to meet up to do a bit of studying, but it had quickly devolved into Daichi studying and Kuroo… being Kuroo.

“Didn’t you have a chemistry test you needed to study for or something?” Daichi asked with a bit of irritation as he turned back to his own economics homework.

“No. I have a biology test that I was supposed to be studying for, but I had a question and then you blatantly ignored me and now I have lost all will to study. So really it’s all your fault if I fail,” Kuroo said, getting a harsher glare from Daichi. This only seemed to make the former Nekoma captain smile more and Daichi sighed as he sat back in his chair.

“Well… far be it for me to let you fail. What was your question so you can stop bothering me and we can actually get some work done?” he asked, watching as a self satisfied little smile made its way over Kuroo’s lips.

“Such a kind soul. I knew you wouldn’t let me down,” Kuroo said lightly as he sat up and cleared his throat. “Now… as I was trying to ask. What is going on with you and Ushijima?”

The question was definitely not one that Daichi was expecting and he quirked his head to the side. “Uh… nothing? I mean… we’re definitely talking more these last few months and… it’s definitely been nice,” he said, a little smile starting to appear as he talked. Glancing over to Kuroo he noticed the bored look he was being given and furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me!” Kuroo exclaimed, shaking his head. “There is more going on between you two and Bo and I both see it!”

Daichi could actually feel his cheeks heating up and shook his head, turning back to his work. “Well I don’t know what you two are seeing, but nothing is going on between us. We’re just… we’re friends. It’s nice.”

“Mmhm,” Kuroo grumbled and Daichi could hear him shifting as the taller man stood from his bed and moved over to the window. “Then how do you explain this?”

Turning his head, Daichi saw Kuroo standing next to his bedroom window where a little row of small succulents sat on the sill.

“What? My room naturally has better lighting than his and they thrive better here,” he said simply, foregoing to mention that Ushijima had given them to a couple weeks ago after Daichi had seen them in one of the man’s horticultural books that were lying open on the kitchen table.

“Right. OF course. Then explain these!” Kuroo said, going to the shelf he had on the side wall and a few potted vines that were now slowly making their way around a few knick knacks he had.

“Oh! Those are… it’s a funny story actually,” Daichi began, giving a little chuckle and completely missing the narrowed expression from Kuroo. “When we were going grocery shopping the other day I saw them in a flower shop we passed and I said they reminded me of the one he has. I told him I thought it was interesting how they grow and then the next day I found them on the counter with a note from Ushi saying…,”

“Ushi?”

Daichi felt his cheeks instantly warm and he cleared his throat. “Ushijima.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“It’s what I was going to say!”

“No it wasn’t,” Kuroo said, his smile growing all the more.

Daichi opened his mouth to retort when he heard someone energetically banging on the front door.

“Oh! That’s probably Bo. I should… he needs in..,” Daichi floundered, getting up and all but fleeing from his room. However, Kuroo refused to be deterred and followed right behind.

“Don’t think you’re getting away that easily, Sawamura! Your room has literally become its own greenhouse, you call him Ushi, you always get this silly little smile on your face everytime you talk about him…,” Kuroo listed off on his fingers as he sat on the arm of the sofa in their living room.

“What are you getting at?” Daichi growled out, his ears now burning scarlet as he opened the door to a smiling Bokuto who quickly stepped into the apartment.

“What I’m getting at is that you obviously have a crush on Wakatoshi and your poor naive country boy ways are unable to process that he obviously likes you too.”

“Oh! Are we talking about Ushijima and Sawamura’s weird plant love thing?” Bokuto said lightly as he swung his backpack off his arm and went over to take a seat on the sofa. Kuroo’s laughter echoed through the apartment as Daichi sighed heavily, shutting the door and turning to look at his two friends.

“First of all, we don’t have a ‘weird plant love thing’ happening. We’re just… we’re friends! Friends get other friends' stuff all the time!” Daichi tried to argue and was met with two equally unimpressed looks.

“Yeah, but do friends wait for each other outside of classes?” Bokuto asked.

“Yes. Yes they do, Bo,” Daichi said patiently.

“With lunch?” Kuroo added, making Daichi flush up and scowl.

“I was being a good roommate! He left it on the table and I knew he had to work late in the labs for his biology class!”

“........... you make me sad,” Kuroo said, giving a deep sigh and looking at Daichi as if he was some sort of lost cause. “Did you forget what happened because you did that? One moment.”

Daichi watched as Kuroo got up and disappeared down the hallway, returning a short time later with a larger vase. It was filled with a mix of lilac and forget-me-nots.

“Look, Sawamura! Look with your love blind eyes!” Kuroo said, holding out the evidence. “I’ve literally run halfway across campus to bring Bo his usb drive so he can print off a paper and do you know what he got me as thanks?”

“Nothing!” Bokuto answered, throwing his hands in the air. “You brought him a sandwich and he literally declared his love with plants!”

“.... it was leftover hayashi rice...,” Daichi mumbled, the other two staying quiet for a moment as they waited for him to finish. “...... it’s his favorite.”

“Ah-ha!”

“I knew it!”

“I know!” Daichi cried out, covering his face with his hands and finally giving in to what they were trying to get him to admit. “Okay! I get it! I…. I might have a bit of a… a crush on him, but… you don’t honestly think he feels the same, do you?”

“Forget-me-nots, Sawamura! Forget-me-nots!” Bokuto shouted, as Kuroo held the vase out again and Daichi groaned into his hands.

Kuroo moved to set the vase down on their small kitchen table before retaking his seat on the arm of the sofa, his expression a mixture of soft and smug. “I’ll be honest, Sawamura. I literally would’ve never guessed this would happen,” he admitted as Daichi finally lowered his hands and looked over at the flowers.

“Me neither,” Bokuto said as he leaned back on the sofa, his expression a little kinder as his golden eyes looked between Daichi and the gift. “I mean… you’re both no nonsense types of guys and stuff, but… Ushiwaka always seemed so…,” he waved his hand in the air, trying to find the right word.

“Robotic? Unfeeling? Oh! Scary?” Kuroo tried to supply.

“Stop it,” Daichi said instantly, causing both of them to look over at the former Karasuno captain. Daichi’s expression shifted then from upset to something gentler and he shook his head. “Ushijima… he’s… not like that. Not really.”

Running a hand through his hair he tried to find the right words. “He can be a bit… intimidating, but… I think it’s because people don’t take the chance to get to know him? I know when I first moved in I thought the same, but… he’s actually one of the kindest, funniest and genuinely most interesting people I’ve ever met.” The more he talked the more the smile on his face began to grow and he felt his cheeks flush a bit more as he caught the look Bokuto and Kuroo shared between each other.

Geez. He really did have it bad, didn’t he? Chuckling a little he took a breath, feeling something loosen in his chest as he finally admitted to himself that something really had started to bloom between them.

“People honestly don’t know what they’re missing out on when they dismiss him. I mean… honestly how shallow can a person be when they say…,”

The door to the apartment opened, Ushijima standing there surprised to see the small group as Daichi continued his thought, oblivious to the man standing behind him.

“... Ushijima is unfeeling, stone-hearted and robotic!” Daichi finished with a chuckle, his smile turning to a look of confusion as Kuroo and Bokuto both began waving their arms, their expressions stricken and wide-eyed as they glanced behind him.

Daichi felt the color draining from his face as he turned around, his eyes meeting those of Ushijima and in that moment, he felt his own heart stop. The man’s normally stoic expression showed nothing but hurt and before Daichi could even think to say something Ushijima was gone, not even thinking to close the door behind himself as he tried to get away as quickly as possible.

“No! NO! Wait, Ushijima!” Daichi called, his brain finally catching up to what he’d just done and his legs finally moving to try and catch up to the larger man.

Not for the first time, Daichi hated that they lived on the second floor of the apartments. His thoughts were going a mile a minute as he tried to figure out just how he was going to remedy this! How horrible could a person’s timing be?! As he reached the main floor and saw the front doors closing he sprinted out just in time to see Ushijima turning to head down the sidewalk.

“Ushijima! Wait, please!” Daichi called out, taking a few quick steps and only just grabbing onto the sleeve of his jacket and stopping the taller man in his tracks. “Please… let me explain.”

“It’s fine, Sawamura,” Ushijima’s deep voice answered him though the man still refused to turn and look at him. “You aren’t the first person to think of me like that. And you won’t be the last. It’s fine.”

The way he said it. The way he spoke those words so quietly, broke something inside of Daichi’s chest and he shook his head. Reaching forward with his free hand he grabbed Ushijima’s shoulder and turned him so the man had to face him. The absolutely hurt and embarrassed expression he wore made Daichi curse himself all the more.

“It’s not fine. None of that is fine,” Daichi urged gently, his hand sliding down to rest against Ushijima’s chest. “You are the most… caring, sweet, funny… amazing person I’ve ever met. What you heard back there was… literally the most poorly timed conversation in the world.”

Ushijima watched him curiously, but considering he wasn’t pulling away Daichi decided that it was now or never. “Kuroo and Bo were trying to make me see how… blind I’ve been and… they made me realize how I feel about you. I was saying that I couldn’t believe people would call you all of those things and then you walked in at the worst possible time and… god, I really wish you’d come in sooner so you could’ve heard the not horrible part of that conversation!” he grumbled to himself, his cheeks growing red as he brought his hands to his face to try and cover his shame.

“You… you really don’t see me like that?” Ushijima’s deep voice broke through Daichi’s embarrassment and as he lowered his hands he saw the open and vulnerable side of the man that no one else got to see.

“Not even a little,” Daichi murmured back as he tried to ignore the burning of his cheeks and reached down to take one of Ushijima’s hands. The taller mans cheeks seemed to color at the contact, but the tension in his shoulders seemed to lessen as well and really, if that wasn’t a sign that he was doing the right thing he didn’t know what was.

“Like I said… you are the most… caring… sweet… funny… and absolutely gorgeous person I have ever met and… I consider myself incredibly lucky to have gotten to know you better and… I would love to get to learn even more.”

Now Ushijima was definitely blushing and somehow that made Daichi feel even bolder as he gave the man's fingers a squeeze.

“I… I would like that too. Very much,” Ushijima murmured, giving Daichi’s fingers a small squeeze in return as a little smile began to appear at the corners of his mouth. Daichi’s own smile growing in return.

“Then maybe I can start by treating you to dinner to apologize for your poorly timed arrival back home?” Daichi offered, teasing the man gently and getting a little chuckle from him.

“It’s like you’re both blaming me and seeking absolution,” Ushijima teased back, making Daichi chuckle as he stepped a little closer.

“Maybe I am? Is that a problem?” he murmured softly, his eyes glancing down to Ushijima’s lips before glancing back up and finding the man’s olive green eyes focused on him completely.

“Oh my god, please kiss him already!”

“Do you forgive him?! Kuroo did he forgive him?! FORGIVE HIM, USHIJIMA IT WAS A MISTAKE!”

“Shut UP, BO! They just made up!”

“Oh……. KISS HIM, SAWAMURA!”

Daichi groaned and looked up, finding Kuroo and Bokuto both hanging partially out of their living room window and watching the spectacle from above.

“Don’t you two have anything better to be doing?!” he shouted back though there was no real heat in his voice.

Kuroo and Bo both looked at each other before glancing back down to Daichi.

“NO!”

“God, I’m so sorry, Ushiji-mh!” Daichi began to apologize, turning back to try and salvage this moment again when he found warm lips pressed against his own. The sensation almost completely blocking out the sounds of whoops and hollers from above.

Closing his eyes he happily returned the kiss, standing up on tiptoe as Ushijima’s arms wrapped around his waist.

There was no way, just a few months ago, that Daichi would’ve thought this would be the outcome of moving in with his former rival. Especially not after their slightly jilted start.

But it’s always surprising what will bloom with a little work and a little love.

#my fics #hq rarepair bang #hqrpb20 #sawamura daichi #Ushijima Wakatoshi #fluff #hurt/comfort #humor #myfics #19

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