Work Text:
One would think that Ushijima Wakatoshi, Miya Atsumu and Sakusa Kiyoomi of the Men’s National Volleyball Team would be financially well-off.
After all, it should make sense. They were professional athletes that had represented Japan in the Olympics more than once and they lived under one roof so their finances were split amongst the three of them.
What most people did not account for was the current economic status and the lifestyle the men lived. They weren’t struggling , per say, but having a few extra dollars in their monthly income would not hurt.
With their busy training schedules, they had to apply for flexible, part-time positions. Working at Osamu’s or Tendou’s restaurants would have been their first choices if either of them were hiring. Unfortunately, none of them could use any of their connections so they had to apply to every possible part-time job in their neighbourhood.
Ushijima was the first to get hired at their local florist. The lady recognized him as the man that would come in every so often, stay there for a few hours to talk to her about gardening and leave with bouquets for his two beaus. Despite not having any professional experience in the field, he clearly had the knowledge and passion so she hired him on the spot.
Atsumu and Sakusa’s job search was not as smooth compared to their partner but they eventually managed to get hired at the same cafe two months after Ushijima started working at the florist. The cafe was close to their training gym, which meant that their fellow JNT teammates enjoyed dropping by and making good use of their employee discount.
After some time, the three of them started to earn more from their endorsements, stipends and various collaborations. There was no longer a need for all three of them to continue working at their part-time jobs but they had found themselves attached to their workplaces (Ushijima, especially) and decided to keep it going.
Their bosses were understanding of their situations as well. At the cafe, Sakusa and Atsumu were only called in whenever someone could not come for their shift or during holidays when their workload would double.
Meanwhile, Ushijima would find himself going to the flower shop even on days he did not need to go. His love for gardening was strong, not even his boss could get him to stop. She liked to joke how there was no use in paying the man when she felt like Ushijima ended up using most of his salary to buy houseplants and flowers back home anyway.
Their friends and family often ask them how their busy schedules affect their relationship. In their eyes, the three men worked all the time . They knew that the three of them lived and trained together so it meant that they saw each other daily, but that was different from actually spending time together as partners.
What others failed to realise was that they did spend more than enough time together. They actively make time in their schedules to have dates, be it indoors or outdoors. Ushijima often went to the cafe when either of his partners had a shift and Sakusa enjoyed sitting with Ushijima’s boss while the Adler’s player was working. When they were home, no matter how late one of them was, they made an effort to have dinner together so that they could catch up on their days.
Even during their times apart, they thought about each other constantly. The biggest evidence of that was the growing pile of preserved flowers in their house, Ushijima’s increased pie intake and the drawers of post-it notes they would leave for each other whenever one of them left for work.
They did admit that it would be a good idea to slow down. All three of them enjoyed their active lifestyles but looking at Hinata and Kageyama’s Instagram posts where they would laze around on their days off made Atsumu feel a tad bit jealous.
Despite that, they never really took time off to stay at home and do nothing.
Not until Sakusa fell ill.
Sakusa rarely got sick. The tabloids liked to assume that Sakusa’s ‘germaphobic tendencies’ were a result of some kind of weakened immune system but in reality, Sakusa’s immune system was stronger than most. He simply preferred a clean environment.
Ushijima and Atsumu got sick all the time, but having Sakusa fall sick caused the household to go into a frenzy. This was uncharted waters for Atsumu and Ushijima but they wanted to make sure they did this right .
“What are his symptoms?” Ushijima asked Atsumu through the phone as he scanned the aisle in front of him. He dashed out of the flower shop the moment Atsumu called him to let him know their partner had a fever and immediately went to the pharmacy nearby. He had forgotten to take his apron off but he figured Tsuya-san would forgive him for taking it home.
“Uhhhmmm…” Atsumu sounded frantic on the other line, pots and pans clattering in the background. Ushijima figured the setter was trying to make lunch. “He’s sweatin’ buckets, babe. His skin’s all warm and he’s talkin’ like he’s dreamin’.”
“Cough? Sinus? Can he keep his food down?”
“No, no and he hasn’t eaten yet. I just got home and I don’t think he left the bed once.”
Ushijima grabbed some fever meds and cooling pads before rushing to the self check out machine. Thankfully their apartment was not too far from the florist so he did not need to catch the bus.
“Okay. I’m on my way back. Is he still in bed?”
“No. I carried ‘im to the couch. Bed’s soaked. Poor baby must have been feeling so hot under the blanket– Goddamnit .” Ushijima heard a hiss on the other end and the sound of something dropping.
“Atsumu? Are you okay?”
“Burnt my fuckin’ finger on the pan. It’s nothin’ bad. I just– I wished I noticed he wasn’t feelin’ so good before I left for work today.”
“So do I but we shouldn’t fret over what has happened. Rather, we should focus on helping him feel better. He’s a strong man, Atsumu. He will be okay.”
There was silence on the line for a brief moment while Ushijima made his way out of the pharmacy and began the short walk home. He listened as Atsumu picked up the item he dropped and turned the stove on, waiting for the setter to collect himself and his thoughts.
“Yer right, babe.” Atsumu agreed, sounding a lot more cooled down. “Omi’s tough. He’ll be aight.”
“He will.’
“But I won’t. Come home sooner, I miss ya.”
Ushijima smiled, glad that Atsumu was back to his regular, flirtatious and pouting self.
“I’m already turning into our street.”
“Turn faster and watch out fer cars. I love ya.”
“I love you too, Atsumu. I shall see you at home.”
The first thing Ushijima noticed when he arrived home was that the lights in their living room were turned off. The second thing he noticed was the delightful aroma of something coming from the kitchen that was definitely not porridge.
As quietly as he could, Ushijima made his way to the couch and crouched over the lump beneath the blankets. Sakusa was fast asleep with a fever patch on his forehead. Ushijima reached out to feel it and noticed that it was already warm and began to carefully peel it off.
“Nngghh…”
Sakusa’s eyes fluttered open and Ushijima crouched lower so that he no longer towered over the man. He placed the bag he had been holding onto the carpet and began to softly card through Sakusa’s curls.
“Wakatoshi?”
“I’m here. How do you feel, my love?”
“Nngghh…” Sakusa groaned and shifted his body closer to the edge of the couch so that he could rest his head against Ushijima’s chest. “Like shit.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do for you?”
“Just… stay.”
“Of course.” Ushijima brushed aside Sakusa’s fringe and gently kissed the sick man’s forehead. “I won’t go anywhere.”
Sakusa hummed in satisfaction and closed his eyes once more. He was not the most affectionate out of the three of them so Ushijima revelled in the level of physical contact Sakusa was asking from them.
Carefully, Ushijima continued the task of replacing Sakusa’s fever patch with a new one he had bought. He noticed that despite Sakusa’s warm skin, he was not sweating as much as Atsumu said he was when the setter got home. Ushijima concluded that Sakusa’s fever must have broken when the two of them were out and that was why Sakusa was working up a sweat.
Once the patch was on, Ushijima leaned in and kissed the patch on Sakusa’s forehead. He smiled when Sakusa’s look of discomfort dissipated.
As Ushijima sat there by the couch with his arms around his sick partner and wondering what he needed to do for the man, he felt two arms snake around his waist from behind.
“Atsumu?”
“Welcome home, Toshi.” Atsumu sighed into his back and kissed the skin closest to him. “Ya were so deep in thought, babe. I called ya out and ya didn’t even turn around.”
“I’m sorry.” Ushijima gently took Atsumu’s hand and kissed the finger he had burned on the stove earlier. “I was just thinking if we should help Kiyoomi with a shower later or skip it all together.”
“Hmm.. Let’s ask him after some food. I made some okayu for our Omi-Omi here and a bunch of katsu curry fer the two of us.”
It was then did Ushijima realise that the nice aroma he smelt upon entering their home was the Miya’s famous curry. Sakusa and him have been begging Atsumu and Osamu to share the recipe with them but they insisted it was tradition to only keep it between parent and child.
Sakusa found it unfair that their future child would know the recipe while Atsumu’s two partners – the other fathers for their child – would not. Ushijima and Sakusa attempted to recreate the recipe multiple times but have never succeeded.
“I want some curry too.” Sakusa mumbled against Ushijima’s chest.
“Ya should stick to light food, babe.”
“Tsumu…”
“Fineeee.” Atsumu detached himself from Ushijima to kiss Sakusa’s head. “I’ll mix in some curry with yer okayu, Omi-Omi. Only cause I love ya so much.”
Atsumu made a move to stand up and Ushijima noticed he was still in his work attire. It seemed as though Ushijima was not the only one that ran out of work with their apron on.
“Your apron.”
“Yer apron’s on too, Toshi. It’s cute, I noticed it once I saw ya..” Atsumu leaned down to give Ushijima a late ‘welcome home’ kiss. “And ya smell like lavender.”
“We had a new batch come in. You… don’t smell like coffee.”
“I was in-charge of bakin’ today. I picked up yer favourite apple pie before runnin’ out and a cup of that gross americano you like so much. I even added my number on the cup sleeve cause my coworker keeps doing it fer customers he thinks is cute and I think yer hot shit.”
Atsumu made his way back to the kitchen but not before turning around to blow a kiss at his two partners before disappearing behind the corner.
“He’s such a flirt.”
Ushijima smiles down at the man, glad that he was cognitive enough to stay awake. He helped Sakusa up into a sitting position before settling beside him and pulling the coffee table closer.
“He is, but we did fall for him.”
“That is true.” Sakusa closed his eyes once more, opting to rest his head on Ushijima’s shoulder until Atsumu came back with their food. “I’m thankful for the two of you.”
Wrapping his arm around the sick man, Ushijima held him close and looked towards the kitchen.
“I am grateful to have you and Atsumu in my life as well, Kiyoomi.”