Haikyuu!! x Reader AUs

Tolerance {Ushijima Wakatoshi}

This AU is directly tied to Opposites Attract and ushi is still the bartender but you are a frequent visitor
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"Ushiwaka!"

The bartender who was in the middle of cleaning glasses stiffened and he sighed before turning around to face his familiar customer.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he growled as he set a clean glass down on the bar counter.

"As many times have I've told you that I want a bigger glass than this?!" you retorted and pushed the glass away as you took a seat on the barstool. You straightened out your puffy skirts and pushed a loose strand of (h/l) (h/c) hair away from your face.

Ushijima simply scoffed in reply to you comment and slid a glass full of liquor down to a tipsy sailor at the other end of the counter. "You can't hold much, I bet."

You placed your feet on a lower rung of the stool and stood on it so that you could loom over the counter towards him. Well, the guy was over six feet tall so it was difficult to look menacing up against him, but you still tried.

"It's because I'm a woman, isn't it? I'm just some cute and innocent little girl to you, aren't I?" You snatched a large glass out of his hand and set it down in front of you. "Pour me something and I'll show you how high my tolerance is, Ushijima Wakatoshi."

The bartender raised a thick eyebrow at you before giving in and pouring you a glass of your favorite drink. He knew exactly how to prepare it to your liking since you stopped by so often. "It's not so much your tolerance with alcohol I'm concerned about; it's more about my tolerance with you," he mumbled as he wiped off the counter near you.

"You're so mean to me!" you whined before taking a sip of your drink.

Ushijima watched you without saying another word for a few moments prior to turning away. He couldn't look at you without feeling his heart thud in his chest. He didn't know why he felt such a strong attachment to you, but he had to hide it. You were already set to be married.

Maybe it was something about your confidence, or the way you fearlessly looked into his eyes and openly challenged him that made him like you. Whatever it was, it made his heart race whenever your beautiful voice called upon him to get another drink.

While you drank yourself into a happy state, he simply milled around the bar, cleaning counters and glasses and preparing drinks for other customers. That kept his mind off of you until you cooed to him for your next refill, at least.

As the night wore on, people started to leave and Ushijima had given you a glass of water. He'd stopped serving you alcohol after your fourth or fifth glass since you were obviously hammered. You'd definitely downed more glasses than he ever imagined you could.

"You should go home," Ushijima said abruptly and turned around to face you, "You have a man to get back to and you shouldn't be out this late."

He was in the middle of sweeping, but he stopped from time to time to make sure you were still conscious. You watched him through half lidded eyes and tried your best to focus on him through the haze in your vision.

You could clearly see the look of shock on his face when you admitted, "I don't have a home..." The tears welling up in your eyes made you lower your head and cover your face with your hands. "He left me for another woman and took everything."

Ushijima let out a long sigh and put the broom away before cleaning up around the bar area. He put glasses away and washed a few out before walking over to you and lifting your coat off a coat hanger near you.

"Come on, (f/n), let's go," he coaxed you in his usual, brisk manner. His actions deceived his tone, however, and he draped your coat over your shoulders before throwing his on and wrapping his arm around you. He led you out of the bar, guiding you as you hopelessly stumbled alongside him.

You didn't look up or take your face out of your hands until you were ushered inside of Ushijima's modest home and he took your coat off again for you. The drinks you'd had were making you feel warm and numb to the point where you couldn't feel your feet as he led you upstairs to his room.

You silently watched him as he made his bed before offering it to you as a place to sleep. As you looked into his olive colored eyes, you thought about all of the times you'd spent at the bar to escape your tumultuous engagement. Somehow, the banter in which you engaged, as well as the way he watched over you and kept you from drinking yourself to death helped you cope with your horrible fiancée.

"Wakatoshi..." You walked over to him and wrapped your arms around his neck, gazing into his eyes. "I never loved him. I love you."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you planted a kiss on his lips. He could taste the alcohol on your lips, but he didn't mind it.

"I want you to marry me," you added, your voice sounding even more slurred and weary than before. Ushijima watched you wordlessly until your (e/c) eyes closed and you completely passed out. He held you in his arms for a moment before gently placing your unconscious body into his bed and pulling the covers up over you.

He wasn't at all shocked by your confession. In fact, every time you got hammered, you told him that you wanted him to marry you. The only reason why he hadn't was because you'd already been set to marry someone else. Also, you'd never remembered to ask him again when you'd sobered up, and he felt that you'd forgotten your own request, so he'd left it alone.

His heart ached in his chest as he turned off the light and walked downstairs. He picked up some firewood and lit a fire in the hearth before grabbing a blanket strewn across the back of a chair and wrapping it around himself. His entire body ached with the fact that you weren't going to remember a word you'd said, and that thought lingered in his mind as he laid down on the floor and closed his eyes.

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About an hour later, he awoke from his light sleep to the sound of footsteps across the wooden floor. The light that the fire provided was enough for him to make out your figure approaching him, wearing only a dainty chemise.

Without any warning, you plopped down on the floor next to him and pulled part of his blanket over yourself, eliciting a soft grumble from him. He looked down at you as you wrapped your arms around him.

"Why did you leave me?" you murmured gently.

Ushijima placed his hand on your back and sighed, "It's because I couldn't tolerate you when you're out cold from drinking too much."

You chuckled slightly before stopping and glancing up at him for a moment with a pleading look in your eyes. "I still want you to marry me," you begged softly, making his heart stop momentarily. Your nestling your head in his chest made him blush slightly.

"If you remember when you've sobered up tomorrow morning, then I will. If you don't, then I won't," he proposed as he ran his other hand through your slightly messy hair.

You kissed him and smiled, hugging him tightly and saying, "I'll remember."

And, sure enough, you did.