I've Got Hajime for Days [DISCONTINUED]

Husband & Wife; She's a Mess.

"Tadaima,"

Upon returning, Iwaizumi raised his brow in confusion. The house was quiet and he wasn't greeted as soon as he opened the door. Usually, his wife would screech his name at the jiggle of his keys on the other side of the door, running towards him Aberrant Titan style and tackle him. She would throw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck into a CHOKE SLA – I mean, a loving embrace.

Oddly, the ravenette received no such treatment today. "Rae?" He called out to her as he put his shoes away neatly. I wonder if she went out... He thought to himself, making his way to the living room while loosening his tie.

As he turned into the living room, he found his wife sitting by the low coffee table. With her head hung low, she pressed her forearms on the table, staring at the blank page before her. Her usual bright smile that hid all her sadistic intentions was replaced by a solemn expression, brows knitted and lips pursed. She had her back against him, not realizing that he had returned home. As he approached her, he could feel the tension radiating from her.

"Hey," He called out to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, whipping her head around only to find him looking down to her in concern. Almost instantly, like a flick of a switch, she snapped out of her trance and smiled brightly, throwing her hands around him.

"Hajime-kun, okaeri!" She giggled. Iwaizumi returned the hug, crouching down next to her. Pulling away from her hug, she looked into his eyes, tilting her head to the side. "I didn't hear you come in,"

"What are you up to?" He asked, motioning his head at the blank sketchbook on the table.

She turned to the table for a moment and he could sense a certain fear in her eyes as she did so. "Oh, it's nothing really." She shrugged it off, cupping his cheeks for a quick peck on the lips.

With their lips pressed against each other, Iwaizumi picked up a foreign scent in her breath. Was that... Coffee? He raised a curious brow as they pulled away, his wife still smiling brightly at him. Knowing his wife, it was unusual smelling coffee off her. After all, she is allergic to coffee caffeine and suffers from migraines and nausea if she did.

"Apparently, Tooru's going to have a match tomorrow." She began talking, pulling away from him. Iwaizumi barely took in her words, scanning the living room. At the leg of the coffee table were several empty cans. He quietly reached out to them, picking them up.

Instant Coffee.

"And he might be coming over –" She froze when she saw him holding onto the empty cans of coffee. Iwaizumi turned to her worriedly, putting the can down. Immediately, she stood up, giving him a strained smile.

There were times where she would do things like this; drinking coffee, stuffing herself even though she didn't have any appetite, doing some sport even though she clearly isn't from a sport anime like he was. And Iwaizumi knew when she did things like these, it meant that there was something wrong, that she is growing increasingly anxious and stressed, to the point where she is about to blow.

"Ra –"

"Well," She cut him off, obviously trying to change the topic before it could even begin. "Shall we head out for dinner?" She suggested. "Kagura-chan was telling me about this restaurant downtown that serves some killer shouyo ramen."

"Rae, did you finish all of this?" Iwaizumi asked, standing tall by her side. However, instead of answering, she continued to ramble on, ignoring his question.

"It's been a while since we had ramen, huh?" She tittered, pacing around the living room. "Remember the last time we had it? Tooru sneezed and the ramen just shot out of his nose!" She forced a laugh.

"Stop," Iwaizumi said, grabbing hold of her wrists. He held her in place facing him, stopping her from walking around. She looked down to her feet, avoiding his eyes. "Were you drinking coffee?"

"H-Haha..." She managed in a slightly shaky voice. Iwaizumi could feel the tremble of her fists. "You don't want ramen? What about udon then? I really don't mi –"

"Please," Iwaizumi cupped her face, tilting her head to look up to him. Her chestnut brown eyes were glossed over with tears, ready to spill any moment. Her lips trembled as she attempted to keep it in a smile, but her knitted brows her away. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"H-Huh? What are you talking about, Hajime-kun?" She tried to smile but couldn't contain her tears any longer. "I'm fine... I'm..." Soon, they began to run down her cheeks, going against her will. She whimpered, shaking her head. She hated how she was crying now.

Iwaizumi's heart broke as she just broke down right before his very eyes. She was no longer crazy, hyperactive, bright and cheerful. She was stripped off of that mask of hers, revealing someone so frail and pathetic, someone so unlike who she usually is.

"I'm sorry..." She wailed. "I wish I could tell you what's wrong but I don't know too. I just feel like absolute garbage, completely useless and a burden. I'm trying my best but it's never enough! I can't do anything right anymore and it's so frustrating! I'm so tired of this... I hate this..."

Iwaizumi wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his chest. He snaked one hand around her back with the other stroked her hair to comfort her. She nuzzled closer to him, sobbing into his shirt as she clung onto them tightly. He could only kiss the top of her head as she cried. Though it sucked to not be able to do anything but to just be there for her, he was glad she was no longer bottling them up, releasing all her pent up frustrations.

He picked her off her feet, hooking his arms behind her knees and her back, and carried her to their bed while she continued to cry into his shirt, her wailing finally slowing down. Sitting upright on their bed, he sat his wife on his laps, rubbing circles on her back as she nuzzled close to his chest like a child seeking their parent for comfort.

Eventually, she was down to just slight hiccups and sniffles. Her eyes were puffy and red from her heavy crying. She was worn out and on the verge of falling asleep. Iwaizumi wiped the last of her tears, kissing her forehead gently.

"Hajime-kun?" She finally spoke in a quiet voice after all that crying. She tugged onto his crumpled shirt softly. "Gomenne..."

"What are you apologizing for?" He asked.

"For doing this again. Not knowing what's wrong with me." She shrugged, feeling exhausted.

"Hey," Iwaizumi cupped her cheeks, planting a kiss on her nose. "Nothing's wrong with you. Things like this happens every once in a while to everyone. Maybe we can't tell what's wrong and maybe we don't know what to do, but it's okay." He rested his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes.

"I'm by your side. We can take our time to figure it out together. I'm never going to let you go through it alone." He smiled. "We've got a lifetime with each other, after all."

Finally, a smile appeared on her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulders. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess," She apologized.

Iwaizumi's lips curled into a deeper smile, returning the affectionate squeeze. "If you're a mess, then it's my duty to clean you up."