Archive of Our Own ^beta

"I hate him."

"I know."

"I'm going to murder him."

"I know."

"Seriously," Oikawa insists, fists clenched, voice low with frustration. "I'm just gonna like—throttle him, with my bare hands, and no one would even blame me."

Iwaizumi laughs. "I know, asshole. But murderers can't become starship captains, so just. Cool it, okay?"

Oikawa sighs heavily, flopping back onto the grass. "Hey," he says, and he sounds slightly calmer. "Don't you think that cloud looks like Ushiwaka?"

Iwaizumi lies back and looks in the direction Oikawa's pointing. He tilts his head. "Hmm, I don't know." He doesn't bother mentioning that he's never met the guy, and only has Oikawa's stories to go off of. "I think it looks more like a cow."

"Exactly," Oikawa says, and Iwaizumi snorts and pulls out a clump of grass, shoving it in Oikawa's face. "Hey!" Oikawa splutters, pushing his hand away. "Iwa-chan, that's insubordination!"

"I'll insubordinate you," Iwaizumi grumbles nonsensically, holding his other hand over Oikawa's mouth while Oikawa laughs and kicks.

Oikawa licks his palm, and Iwaizumi makes a wounded noise, pulling it back immediately. Oikawa cackles.

"Careful," Iwaizumi threatens, "you can't murder Ushijima if I murder you first." And then he pounces on top of Oikawa, wrestling him to the ground and aiming for his ticklish sides.

Oikawa yelps, kneeing Iwaizumi in the stomach before squirming out of his grasp and scrambling to his feet. Then he's off like a shot across the quad, laughing like a hyena, yelling over his shoulder, "Can't murder me if you can't catch me!"

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes. "What a pain in the ass," he grumbles, getting slowly to his feet. See how long it takes Oikawa to realize he's not being followed, and come back to find Iwaizumi.

At least his mood seems to have improved.

"Do you think he'll make it?"

"I don't know."

"You're the fucking CMO, if you don't know, then who—"

"I'm trying, but I have to run some tests first, I have to—"

Oikawa stills Iwaizumi's shaking hands with his own, his eyes wide enough for the whites to show. "Iwa-chan," he says. "Hajime. You have to save him."

Iwaizumi snatches his hands away. "I know, okay?" he snaps. "Fuck, Tooru, I—" He rubs his tired eyes, takes a deep breath, exhales it. "I know. I'm doing everything I can."

Oikawa stares at him for another long moment, his gaze urgent and searching, before he steps back. "Okay. Do you know which pollen did it?"

"We've narrowed it down to a few possibilities," Iwaizumi says, and when he pulls out his PADD, his hands are steady. He shows Oikawa the lab results on the screen. "These three. Tendou's running more tests on the samples now."

"Damn." Oikawa shakes his head and laughs, hollow. "The one time we could actually use his useless plant trivia, and he's fucking unconscious."

Iwaizumi sighs. "We know that whatever it was, it didn't affect you, so it must be something toxic to his Vulcan side. We've contacted his mother's side of the family, and they're looking for anything relevant that could help us."

"And his father?" Oikawa asks, hushed.

Iwaizumi shrugs. "I left a message at his workplace, but I'm not sure he's seen it. I think his boss was blowing me off." He looks at Oikawa. "Can you—"

"Yeah, I'm on it," Oikawa says, voice and expression steely. Iwaizumi feels for the bureaucratic ass who's going to face Oikawa's wrath, except for how he really doesn't. "Just—heal him, okay?"

"Yeah," Iwaizumi says hoarsely, and closes his eyes when Oikawa kisses him.

He smacks Iwaizumi gently on the cheek and then goes to stand over the occupied biobed next to them. He stares down at it, almost angrily, and Ushijima's impassive face stares back. Looking at how smooth, how expressionless it is in sleep, Iwaizumi realizes just how open Ushijima's been around them lately. He knew, of course he knew, but still; the difference is jarring.

Oikawa leans over Ushijima, so close that their noses touch. He's glaring as he hisses, "You better wake up, asshole."

There's no response. Obviously.

Iwaizumi watches as Oikawa deflates, until the biobed is supporting most of his weight, his forehead pressed against Ushijima's. "That's an order from your captain," he says, shaky, before he straightens and walks out of the sickbay, not looking back.

"Oikawa," someone calls from behind them, and Oikawa stiffens.

"Iwa-chan," he hisses, turning around and then yanking Iwaizumi in front of him as a shield, "protect me, please."

He shrinks behind Iwaizumi, and Iwaizumi scowls down at him. "What the hell are you doing, Shittykawa?" he demands.

Oikawa just glares over Iwaizumi's shoulder, and Iwaizumi turns back around to look at the tall, imposing figure coming toward them. "I hate him," Oikawa hisses, and Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows.

"That's Ushijima?" He whistles, low. "Damn, Tooru, you really had to pick a fight with someone whose arms are bigger than your head?"

Oikawa straightens and turns the glare on him. "He's not going to beat me up, Iwa-chan," he snaps. "He's a Vulcan, he's too logical for that."

"Huh," Iwaizumi remarks. "He doesn't look much like a Vulcan."

"I'm half-human," Ushijima says, suddenly right next to him, and Iwaizumi's heart almost stops.

"Jesus," he says, whirling around, "don't do that."

Ushijima tilts his head to the side, analytical. "My apologies," he says, and then bows slightly. "I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi. I don't believe we've met."

Iwaizumi blinks. "You're Japanese." Of course he already knew, could tell from the name, but it's still surprising to be faced with it in real life.

"Yes," Ushijima says. "On my father's side."

"Iwa-chan," Oikawa whines, "let's go eat."

Ushijima's gaze lasers in on him. "Oikawa," he says. "I've been looking for you."

"I've been avoiding you," Oikawa replies baldly, and tugs on Iwaizumi's wrist. "Bye, Ushiwaka-chan."

Ushijima's brow furrows imperceptibly. "I just wished to discuss the classwork with you."

"No, thanks!"

"I noticed you were struggling with Risan verb conjugations, and believe I could be of some—"

Iwaizumi winces, just as Oikawa grins, sharp, and says, "Nope! Let's go, Iwa-chan, come on."

Ushijima huffs quietly. "I also would like to ask for your guidance on studying vocabulary."

Oikawa stills with his hand around Iwaizumi's wrist. "Because I'm better than you," he says flatly.

Ushijima expression flickers with something that, if he were less Vulcan, Iwaizumi would call consternation. "At memorizing vocabulary, yes."

"Hmm," Oikawa says thoughtfully. "No." And then he turns around and walks off by himself, Ushijima staring after him helplessly.

"Hey," Iwaizumi says, and Ushijima focuses back on him. "I'll have him message you later."

Ushijima's mouth opens, and then he closes it, like he's unsure how to respond. "Thank you," he manages finally.

Iwaizumi snorts. "Don't hurt yourself," he says dryly, and then takes off after Oikawa.

Ushijima's family does their best, but they can't find any useful information for them. When he gets the call saying so, Iwaizumi sits down heavily at his desk and drops his head into his hands.

"How is he?" Ushijima's mother asks quietly.

"Stable," Iwaizumi responds, lifting his head only as much as necessary to respond.

"I regret that we do not have more information for you."

Iwaizumi smiles briefly. "I should be saying that to you, right?"

Ushijima's mother returns the smile, and Iwaizumi finds it too comforting to be shocked. "Respectfully, Dr. Iwaizumi," she says kindly, "pretending that I don't know how much you care about my son would be...illogical."

Iwaizumi laughs, then, and then keeps laughing until his throat hurts, his face buried in his palms by the end. Ushijima's mother keeps him company in comfortable silence, and finally Iwaizumi coughs wetly and wipes his eyes dry. He sniffs. "Thank you," he says.

"Thank you," she echoes back to him. "Have you informed his father?"

"Tooru—ah, the captain is doing so now."

"What about me?" Oikawa asks from the doorway, eyebrow raised. Then he catches sight of the projection on the far wall, and his eyes widen. "Ushijima-san," he says, and then blurts out, "I'm sorry."

Iwaizumi frowns, but before he can say anything, Ushijima's mother asks, "Is my son dead?"

Oikawa blanches. "No. But—" He swallows, expression guilt-stricken. "He was infected while on an exploratory offshore excursion with me. Because I failed to protect him."

"Dumbass," Iwaizumi says tiredly. "You couldn't have done anything."

Oikawa avoids his gaze, tight-lipped.

Iwaizumi sighs. "Did you get a hold of his dad?"

Oikawa looks at him, then, a tiny bit of satisfaction alighting on his face. "Yes, and I also got him a promotion."

"...what?" Iwaizumi says blankly.

Oikawa smirks slightly. "His asshole of a boss was trying to keep personal calls from his employees, so I got him fired, and it seems Utsui-san was next in line to replace him, so." He shrugs casually, but Iwaizumi sees the vindictive light in his eyes.

Iwaizumi hides a smile, and Ushijima's mother says, "Wakatoshi will be glad to hear that, I believe."

Something about it—the barely-there softness to her tone, the way she says will and not would, no caveats—makes Iwaizumi blink rapidly. "I should get back to work," he says, throat tight. "See what Tendou's come up with."

Ushijima's mother nods. "Please keep me informed."

"Of course," Iwaizumi responds, and then closes the connection.

There's a moment of silence, and then Oikawa says, choked, "I should have protected him. I should've done something."

Iwaizumi stands up, pushing his chair back. "There's a bottle of sake in the left drawer if you need it," he says tersely. "I'm going to go do my job."

He's lying on the grass outside the exobio labs, staring up at the starry sky, when Ushijima finds him. "What're you doing here?" Iwaizumi asks, without turning to look.

Ushijima sits down on the grass next to him, crossing his legs. "Oikawa asked me to find you."

"He say why?"

"He thought you might be homesick."

Iwaizumi snorts. "He's too damn perceptive for his own good."

Ushijima hums. "He also said he would come himself, except that he—"

"I know," Iwaizumi laughs. "Who do you think forced him to sleep before his exam in the first place?"

Ushijima lies back on the grass. "It's beautiful," he says. "The stars."

"Must be weird for you," Iwaizumi muses. "They're probably nothing like the view from Vulcan."

"They're familiar enough," Ushijima says, and Iwaizumi turns to face him.

"What do you mean?"

Ushijima looks back at him, raising an eyebrow. "I spent most of my adolescence on Earth, with my father in Japan. You weren't aware?"

Iwaizumi sits up. "No, really? But you're so—" He waves his hands, trying to convey robotic and joyless.

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Ushijima says blandly, and when Iwaizumi squints at him, the corners of his lips are curled upward very slightly.

"You're an asshole," Iwaizumi says decisively, lying back down. "So what, the whole 'logical' act is just for show?"

"No," Ushijima says. "That's just my personality."

Iwaizumi laughs despite himself. "So Ushijima's your dad's name?"

Ushijima shakes his head. "My mother's."

"That's not a Vulcan name."

"It's the closest human approximation," Ushijima explains. "It gave my father comfort to take a family name he could pronounce, when he married my mother."

"Your mom's family must be pretty liberal," Iwaizumi remarks.

Ushijima huffs out a quiet breath. "Not particularly," he says. "But I think they realized my mother loved my father very much. Even after they divorced, she wanted me to know him."

"Tell me about him," Iwaizumi says.

Ushijima is silent for a long moment, but just when Iwaizumi's about to take it back, he says, "He was a volleyball player, before he met my mother."

"No shit?" Iwaizumi grins, excited. "So was I! Tooru was too—actually, he was supposed to go pro."

"Why did he not?" Ushijima asks.

Iwaizumi snorts at the memory. "'Iwa-chan,'" he imitates in a high voice, "'as if I'm going to let you go into space without me.'"

"That's a very good impression," Ushijima says, and Iwaizumi laughs outright.

"You are an asshole," he says, with unabashed delight. "I like that."

Ushijima pauses, and then says, "I also find your company pleasant."

Iwaizumi blinks. "Are you...trying to say that you like me?"

"I suppose that's one possible phrasing," Ushijima hedges. It's impossible to tell in the dark, but if Iwaizumi could see him, he'd bet Ushijima was flushing lightly, the tips of pointed ears turning green.

"Ushijima," Iwaizumi says. "Are we friends?"

Ushijima looks at him, his eyes reflecting bright white in the moonlight. It's a little eerie, but also arresting. "I would find that analysis to be accurate."

Iwaizumi narrows his eyes. "Have you noticed that you get wordier when you're trying to avoid showing emotion?"

"I do not," Ushijima says, his voice slightly higher than normal.

"Sorry," Iwaizumi says, "but it's a pretty obvious tell."

"I am a Vulcan," Ushijima says flatly, "and therefore do not have emotions, isn't that correct?"

Iwaizumi smacks him on the arm. "No, and you know I know that. Just tell me you like having me as a friend, you nerd."

He watches Ushijima's throat work silently for a moment.

"I am...glad," Ushijima scrapes out, "that you are my friend, Iwaizumi."

Iwaizumi smiles up at the stars. "You know," he teases, "you can call me by my given name if you want."

"I will not," Ushijima says immediately, and when Iwaizumi laughs, he feels like it must echo through the darkened, sleep-hushed campus. He hopes Oikawa can feel it, too.

Iwaizumi's sitting in the chair by Ushijima's biobed, watching his readings. He's doing fairly well, all things considered, but he's struggling to breathe on his own, so they've hooked him up to a ventilator. His pulse is just above dangerously low, but it's steady. He's out of immediate danger, but he still won't wake up, and Iwaizumi has no way of knowing how long this uneasy truce with the poison inside of Ushijima will last.

"I swear to god," he says hoarsely, leaning his elbows on the edge of the biobed, "if you die before keeping your promise, I'm going to be real pissed."

Nothing, just the steady hiss of artificial breath.

Iwaizumi sighs, dropping his head.

The main doors whoosh open, and Iwaizumi turns his head to see Tendou careen wildly into the sickbay, a giddy grin spreading his face. "Found it!" he announces, rushing over to Iwaizumi's side, and Iwaizumi sits straight upright.

"Show me," he demands, and Tendou practically shoves the PADD in his face. It's the second flower they'd tested, a purple, oversized orchid-like monstrosity.

"It took us a while to ID it," Tendou says breathlessly, "because they usually harvest it when it's young, just barely bloomed, and apparently it looks completely different then—yellow, Shirabu said, and almost like a lily, which is just weird as f—"

"Tendou," Iwaizumi snaps.

Tendou shakes himself. "Yeah, right, yeah—anyway, it's a plant that some folks on nearby planets harvest for the pollen, and then they export it to a bunch of different places, including Vulcan."

Iwaizumi frowns. "For what? If it's so dangerous, I mean—"

"They dilute it like, way down," Tendou explains. "Like, one part to a thousand of plain sugar. And then they use it as an aphrodisiac."

Fucking sex pollen. It would be funny, if Ushijima weren't dying from it. "So because it was so strong—"

"He overdosed," Tendou says. "I think the only reason it didn't kill him is because he's half-human, and his heart's a little different than a Vulcan's."

"Lucky," Iwaizumi breathes. "We got so fucking lucky."

Tendou pokes him in the shoulder none too gently. "Hey, listen, I'm not done."

Iwaizumi jerks back into the moment. "Right, tell me."

"Rich people overdose on this shit all the time," Tendou says, "and there's a treatment for it apparently. I found some data on it, and Kyoutani's working on modifying it for Wakatoshi's physiology. If it works, he should recover."

"If it works," Iwaizumi repeats.

Tendou grins, clapping both hands on Iwaizumi's shoulders. "It'll work. Just keep him alive for the next hour, okay?" Iwaizumi nods, and Tendou bolts back out of the sickbay.

The doors close behind him, and Iwaizumi collapses weakly back in his chair. He fumbles for Ushijima's limp hand, still so much warmer than Iwaizumi's own, and clutches at it like a lifeline. "Fuck," he says, prayerful. "Oh, thank fuck."

When they get their first postings, Iwaizumi isn't surprised when he and Oikawa end up on different ships. Of course it would have been nice to stay together, but it was always a long shot. They've planned for it, though, so they video call every day, if they can, and they get very, very good at phone sex.

He is surprised, however, when he ends up on the same crew as Ushijima. They're both busy, so it's not like they can talk often, but Iwaizumi finds himself pulling Ushijima to sit with him in the mess whenever they're both there. It's nice to have a familiar face, all the way out in space.

One time, Iwaizumi has a rare break and no way to fill it, so he wanders the ship aimlessly trying to find Ushijima. Eventually, he finds him in the arboretum, sitting on a little patch of grass surrounded by trees. He's absent-mindedly inspecting a vine wrapped around a nearby trunk, running his fingers over the fuzzy silver leaves.

"Should've known you'd be here," Iwaizumi says, sitting down next to him, groaning quietly at the way his knees pop. "You like plants, hmm?"

"Yes, very much," Ushijima responds easily. "The diversity in flora was my favorite part of living on Earth."

Iwaizumi tilts his head. "Yeah? Oh, that's right," he remembers, "Vulcan's a desert planet."

Ushijima nods. "My mother's family owned many greenhouses, for agricultural purposes, but it wasn't quite the same. My father, however, used to operate a small farm in Japan."

"Used to," Iwaizumi notes.

"Money," Ushijima says. "He didn't have the business relationships his competitors did, because of his time in Vulcan, and he was too old to manage the labor himself, so his production fell. Eventually, he could no longer afford to keep the farm running."

There's no sadness in his voice, but Iwaizumi finds himself nudging their shoulders together anyway, a small gesture of comfort. "Is that why you picked exobotany as your field?"

"Yes," Ushijima confirms. "Although I will admit, I hope to be a senior officer someday."

"Really?" Iwaizumi blinks, surprised. "You never said."

Ushijima shrugs. "It never seemed relevant."

"Why?" Iwaizumi asks. "Just out of curiosity, I mean."

"Several reasons," Ushijima replies. "The stipend is more sizeable, and my father could retire early, or perhaps buy back the farm. It would also enable me to better serve the Federation, if I have a higher position. And..." He trails off.

"And?"

Ushijima seems to hesitate, and then says, "Pride."

Iwaizumi hides a smile, thinking of how hard it must have been for Ushijima to admit to something so irrational. "You know Oikawa wants to be a starship captain."

"He has mentioned it several times," Ushijima says dryly. "The youngest captain in history, yes?"

"That's what he says," Iwaizumi confirms, huffing out a laugh. "We'll see."

"And you, Iwaizumi?" Ushijima asks. "What were your goals, joining Starfleet?"

"Hmm," Iwaizumi says, looking up at the artificial sky of the arboretum. "I don't know. I want to help people." He thinks, and then adds, "And I want to see as much of the universe as I can. Beyond that, I think...whatever happens, I'll try to embrace it."

When he turns his head to look, Ushijima's watching him thoughtfully. "An admirable ambition," he says, and Iwaizumi doesn't miss the warmth in his tone.

Iwaizumi smiles. "Hey, tell you what—when you get that farm back for your dad, promise you'll take me to visit, hm?"

Ushijima blinks, and then he smiles back, a rare one that creases the corners of his eyes. "Of course," he says. "It would be my pleasure."

He can hear Oikawa's voice even through his office door, animated and sharp. Take a breath, Iwaizumi thinks with weary amusement, after listening to Oikawa carry on for five minutes without pause.

There's no other voice, but that's because the sickbay is nearly empty at this time of night, and Ushijima's still hooked up to the ventilator. He's recovering rapidly, though, and they should be able to take him off of it in an hour.

"I know," Oikawa says, clearly in response to something. "He's been avoiding me too."

Iwaizumi flinches, guilt lancing through his chest.

"Mm," Oikawa says. "That's what you think." A pause, and then, "I'm saying I think he'll listen to you more."

Iwaizumi stares into his sake, spinning it around in the glass. "I can hear you," he grumbles under his breath.

His door opens, and he jumps.

Oikawa leans against the jamb, arms crossed, his eyebrow raised. "Eavesdropping isn't polite," he says sweetly, and Iwaizumi rolls his eyes.

"Did you need something?" he asks gruffly.

Oikawa sighs. "Your first officer told me to tell you to go to bed."

Iwaizumi glares. "You can tell my first officer that I outrank him as long as he's in my sickbay."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that works," Oikawa says blandly, but Iwaizumi ignores him, deliberately turning back to his PADD, where he's been attempting to write up his report for the past hour or so.

He hears Oikawa leave, and breathes a sigh of relief—but then barely a minute later he's back. "He says he's declaring you emotionally compromised."

"I'd like to see him fucking try," Iwaizumi challenges, indignant.

Oikawa snorts. He comes up behind Iwaizumi and puts his hands on Iwaizumi's shoulders, bending down so his chin is resting on Iwaizumi's head. "Get some sleep, Hajime," he coaxes. "Captain's orders."

Iwaizumi tenses up, glancing over his shoulder through the open doorway. He doesn't know how to go out there and act normal, but he also doesn't want to leave.

Oikawa drapes himself over Iwaizumi's back, pressing their cheeks together. "Want me to set up one of the empty biobeds, so you can nap here?"

Slowly, Iwaizumi relaxes back into the cradle of Oikawa's embrace. "Yeah," he exhales. "Yeah, okay. That sounds good."

After they graduate, they get shuffled around from ship to ship. Oikawa and Iwaizumi end up together for a year and a half, and then after that they're separated again. Ushijima gets his commission and gets posted on the flagship of the fleet, and it's exactly what he hoped for, but Iwaizumi worries for him anyway. Out there alone, fitting in with neither the human nor the Vulcan parts of the crew. Hiding behind his propriety, with no Oikawa or Iwaizumi to tease the fun out of him.

So Iwaizumi makes a habit of including him in his nightly calls with Oikawa, at least for the first year. But then it just...sticks, even after they've all made new friends on their respective ships. It becomes a routine, discussing fleet politics or Vulcan history or xenobiology over dinner in their quarters, playing remote games of chess.

It during one of their calls that it first comes up.

Oikawa's complaining about some wunderkind navigator cadet on his ship—"He acts innocent enough, but he can't fool me, I've seen him eyeing my spot on the bridge"—when Iwaizumi interrupts him.

"Yeah, but you're not a navigator, are you?"

Oikawa pauses with his mouth open, and then his face screw up. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I am!"

Iwaizumi shakes his head. "You're not. You're a captain, you just don't have your own ship yet."

That shuts Oikawa up.

Ushijima clears his throat. "Does this other navigator have aspirations toward leadership like you?"

"No," Oikawa says with a laugh. "No, he's too straightforward for that."

"Then he's no threat, correct?"

Oikawa hums. "I suppose you're right. So let's talk about me, then."

Iwaizumi snorts. "Typical."

"I mean," Oikawa says, ignoring him, "the Captain won't say anything directly, but I'm pretty sure they're promoting me to Lieutenant soon. They'll probably shift me to another ship after that." He stares directly at the camera and says, "I want both of you with me."

Iwaizumi jolts, and hears Ushijima make a tiny noise of surprise. "What?" Iwaizumi asks.

"I'm going to try to get you reassigned to wherever I am," Oikawa explains. "Unless you don't want me to."

Iwaizumi could think about, but honestly...he doesn't have to. "Yes," he says. "Do it."

Oikawa smiles, then his eyes flick to the side—the other screen. "What about you, Ushiwaka-chan?"

Ushijima is silent for a moment, and then he says, "I would rather you not."

"What?" Oikawa asks, his smile falling. "Why not?"

"I want to earn my place," Ushijima replies firmly. "Make my own way, without interference."

"But—"

"Still," Ushijima continues. "Eventually..." He looks down, his cheeks turning pale green. "Having you as my captain would please me very much."

Oikawa gapes at him, stunned speechless, and Iwaizumi stifles a laugh. He had time to adjust to Ushijima's sudden outbursts of emotional sincerity when they were posted together, but for Oikawa, this is all new.

Still, Iwaizumi thinks with a smile, if all goes to plan, he'll have plenty of time to get used to it.

When he wakes up, it's to the sight of Ushijima gazing at him serenely from the neighboring bed. "Hello," he says, voice creaky from disuse, but strong.

"You're breathing," Iwaizumi says inanely, and Ushijima's mouth quirks upward.

"Yes," he says. "Dr. Shimizu removed the ventilator approximately two hours ago."

Iwaizumi props himself up on one elbow and looks around. "Where's Oikawa?"

"He went down to Engineering to...resolve a dispute," Ushijima says dryly, and Iwaizumi snorts.

"Should keep him occupied for a little while," he says. "Hey," he says idly, and Ushijima looks at him expectantly. "You think that biobed's big enough for two?"

Ushijima's eyes widen, and Iwaizumi replays what he's just said, and then wants to murder himself slowly. Shit.

"Sorry," he says hastily. "I—I must still be half-asleep, I don't know what I—"

"Most probably it is not," Ushijima says slowly. "But I believe we can make it work."

Iwaizumi swallows. "Yeah?" he says faintly.

Ushijima nods wordlessly, and Iwaizumi swings out of his bed and shuffles the few steps to Ushijima's, lifting himself onto it. It's a tight fit, but by tucking himself against Ushijima's back, throwing an arm around his waist, he secures himself enough to not fall off. Ushijima puts off heat like a furnace, but right now, it's very comforting.

"Iwaizumi," Ushijima rumbles.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Oikawa would be angry if I kissed you?"

Iwaizumi goes very still. Carefully, he says, "I don't think that would be very logical, all things considered." After all, this has been a very, very long time coming.

Ushijima makes a small sound of amusement. "Oikawa is not a logical man."

"No," Iwaizumi agrees. "He's not. But he won't be angry."

"No?"

Iwaizumi hooks his head over Ushijima's shoulder. "No," he repeats. "Except maybe that he wasn't here to see it."

"I can do it again when he's here," Ushijima offers, and Iwaizumi huffs out a laugh.

"Why don't you do it once, first," he says, "and then we'll see."

Ushijima turns his head to the side, and Iwaizumi stretches up to meet him. The kiss, when it comes, is soft and brief, but very warm. It should be anticlimactic, maybe. But it isn't.

"I'm really, really glad you're not dead," Iwaizumi says in a rush. Ushijima stills against him, and then Iwaizumi feels his shoulders start to shake. "Are you laughing at me?" he says, indignant.

"Never," Ushijima says, voice containing a slight tremor, and Iwaizumi digs his fingers into Ushijima's side—gently—in retaliation.

"See if I let you kiss me again now," he grumbles, and has the wonderful, wholly unexpected pleasure of seeing Ushijima fail to hide a smile.

The day Oikawa gets his captaincy, he's told that his first task is finding a new first officer for the U.S.S. Friendship, to round out the senior staff. It can be a promotion from within, Admiral Nekomata says, or Oikawa can begin the process of reviewing candidates from outside.

"No need," he tells the admiral pleasantly, while Iwaizumi stands at his back and tries not to display his satisfaction too obviously. "I already have someone in mind."

He gets a little pushback from the Aquila's captain for poaching their second officer, but Oikawa, being Oikawa, doesn't offer an apology, just a polite smile and a brazen "Thank you for your help!" at the end of the call.

"You did it," Iwaizumi says. "You got him."

Oikawa straightens, his shoulders going back, and he grins wide. "You're damn right," he crows, and hugs Iwaizumi hard enough the they topple over onto the floor, swearing and laughing.

Two weeks later, the Aquila docks on base for refitting, and Ushijima arrives with it. Oikawa and Iwaizumi meet him at the shipyard, and he stops dead when he sees them.

"Captain," he says to Oikawa, his face carefully neutral. He turns to Iwaizumi and nods. "Doctor."

"Don't be an ass," Oikawa says heatedly, and pulls him into a hug. Ushijima's eyes go wide, and he looks at Iwaizumi, panicked, for direction.

Iwaizumi stifles a laugh. "Just stay still," he says, "he'll be done soon, and then you can go back to sniping at each other."

"I do not snipe—"

"He can't be rude to me," Oikawa says gleefully, pulling back from the hug enough to gesture at Iwaizumi, throwing an arm around his shoulders and reeling him in too. "I outrank him now."

Iwaizumi watches, amused, as Ushijima's brow furrows. "I hardly think that precludes me disagreeing with you, Oikawa," he huffs.

Oikawa scowls at him immediately, shoving him away with both hands and then swelling up with indignation. "That's Captain Oikawa, actually."

"I don't believe verbally stating ranks is formally required," Ushijima says blandly, crossing his arms, and Oikawa squawks.

"Iwa-chan!" he demands, whirling around to face Iwaizumi. "Tell him he has to respect me."

"Iwaizumi," Ushijima says coolly, "please tell Oikawa that if he wishes for me to treat him like a captain, he should consider acting like one."

"Oh, you fucking—" Oikawa growls, and leaps for Ushijima.

Iwaizumi grabs him by the back of the shirt, yanking him back. "Oi, dumbass," he says, "you can't fight your first officer, what kind of example are you setting?"

Oikawa sniffs. "I can if I fire him," he says, but there's no heat in his voice. He glances at Iwaizumi, who doesn't bother hiding his smirk, and throws his hands in the air. "Fine! Whatever." He points at Ushijima. "Be quiet and follow me, Ushiwaka-chan," he says primly, and then strolls off for the other end of the shipyard, where the Friendship is being repaired.

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, but grabs Ushijima by the sleeve and follows.

They're awakened, along with probably most of the lower level, by Oikawa's unholy screech of indignation.

"I can't believe you," he yells, hands on his hips. "Without me? I was gone for literally half an hour!"

Iwaizumi groans, shoving his face in between Ushijima's shoulder blades to try to escape the noise. "Bed's not big enough for you anyway," he mumbles, and ignores Oikawa's cry of protest.

"Actually," Ushijima says quietly. "I believe I am well enough to be released."

"No," Iwaizumi says, lifting his head and sitting up. "It's been like, ten hours since you got the cure, I need to keep you under observation."

"Oh so that's what we're calling it these days?" Oikawa asks archly, and Iwaizumi flushes.

Ushijima is silent, contemplating. Then he says, "I don't see why you could not observe me just as well in the captain's quarters." Iwaizumi wonders if he's imagining the quotes around 'observe'. He doesn't think he is.

It's Oikawa's turn to blush, then, his cheeks pinking up nicely. "Hey," he says weakly. "Who says I'll let you in?"

Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows at him, and he bets that next to him, Ushijima is doing the same.

Oikawa huffs. "Fine, whatever."

"So," Iwaizumi says, levering himself off of the biobed. "All finished up in Engineering?"

"Mm," Oikawa says. "I am, at least."

Iwaizumi snorts, peering at Ushijima's vitals. He does seem to be doing fine. Damn Vulcan healing. "Kuroo's not dead, then?"

Oikawa shrugs. "Not yet? We'll see how he is tomorrow, after Yakkun's done with him."

Ushijima reaches out, and Iwaizumi obliges by putting his shoulder under Ushijima's arm, taking his weight and helping him off the bed. "Is your shift over?" Ushijima asks.

"My shift's been over for ten hours," Oikawa laughs. "I'm giving us all the day off, Tobio can handle the conn for a few hours. Honestly," he adds, with a mock-frown, "with the amount you've fucked up our schedule over the past couple of days, you're real lucky you're cute."

Ushijima blinks, and Oikawa seems to register what he's said, because he coughs and averts his eyes. "I mean—"

"My apologies," Ushijima says, and then looks at Oikawa from under his lashes. Iwaizumi's breath catches. "I will do my best to make it up to the both of you."

Oikawa stares at him, and then he throws his hands up in the air. "I've created a monster," he mutters, and turns on his heel to leave the sickbay.

"Come on," Iwaizumi says with a laugh, wrapping his arm around Ushijima's waist. "We'd better catch up to him."

"Iiiiiwa-chan," Tooru whines. "Iwa-chan, come here."

Hajime pauses in his attempt to catch a firefly zooming between the bushes. He turns around to see Tooru lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. The moon's almost full, so Hajime can see clearly the expression of intense concentration on Tooru's face. "What's wrong?" Hajime demands. "Did you hit your head?"

"What?" Tooru half-sits up, wrinkling his nose. His tiny, barely-filled jar of fireflies lies abandoned on its side next to him, open. "No! I'm watching for starships."

"You're not going to see any from here, you weirdo," Hajime says, rolling his eyes. "They're too small."

Tooru shakes his head firmly. "Hana-chan says her grandma says you can see them if they're big and close enough!"

Hajime frowns. Tooru is one thing, but if an actual adult said so... "Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Tooru says eagerly. "And she's a—" He frowns, then lights up. "A vice-admiral!"

"Whoa," Hajime says, impressed. He sets down his twinkling jar and flops down onto the grass next to Oikawa, nudging their feet together.

Tooru hums, kicking his legs out and stretching his arms over his head. "I want to see one," he declares. "I want to see a starship."

"Me too," Hajime agrees. He tilts his head back until he can see the stars, the familiar constellations that his dad's been trying to teach him. "Hey, Tooru."

"Hmm?"

Hajime points up at the sky. "What do you think's up there?"

"I don't know," Tooru says gleefully. "That's the best part, right?" He sighs happily. "I can't wait to find out."

He turns his head to grin at Hajime, teeth flashing bright in the dark. The last of the fireflies he caught zigzags its way out of the jar, into the inky expanse of the night.

"Yeah," Hajime says. "Me too."