Chapter Text
Ushijima had arrived at his first class early, taking a seat in the third row and setting up his books, ready to begin. He was satisfied with how his day had gone thus far; he was already comfortable with the layout of the school, having memorized when and where his classes would be held, so as to be on time. He'd also already signed up for the volleyball club, and he was looking forward to his first practice session later this afternoon.
The bell chimed, signaling that class was starting, and the room suddenly filled with noise as students began pouring in, still holding conversations and laughing together. Ushijima observed quietly as people took their seats, and his attention was caught by a boy with spiked fiery red hair. Ushijima blinked, interest piqued as he watched the red haired student shuffle past, his head ducked as if to avoid anyone's gaze as he took a seat in the far back. His face was twisted into such an unhappy frown that it made Ushijima want to ask him what was the matter, but just then the teacher walked in, smiling and telling her students to settle down.
Ushijima turned to face the front again, only half listening to the teacher's lecture as he wondered about the sad-looking redhead, unsure why he was even bothered. It wasn't as if he knew the guy. Still, he was concerned, and so he told himself he'd check up on the redhead once class was dismissed.
°•○●○•°
Ushijima didn't see the red haired boy again until lunch hour. He had been looking for a place to sit, not quite comfortable with joining any of the large groups seated around some of the center tables, but also unwilling to sit alone. As he glanced around, he noticed a solitary figure bent over what looked like a manga and he realized it was the redhead from earlier.
He wondered if the boy would mind if he joined him, or if he actually preferred to be by himself. Ushijima shifted on his feet, indecisive, until he remembered how crumbled the redhead had seemed during class, and suddenly he found himself taking the seat just across from the other boy.
“Hello,” he greeted when the redhead failed to notice him. The boy jerked, his head snapping up and his eyes meeting Ushijima’s. His irises were small and a deep red, wide and so expressive, Ushijima felt lost in them.
Snapping himself back to the present, Ushijima stuck out a hand, “I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi.”
“Tendou Satori,” the redhead--Tendou (Ushijima liked that name)--took his hand, giving it a tiny shake, his fingers brushing Ushijima’s as they both pulled away.
“So…” Tendou began after an awkward moment of silence, “Uh, you a first year?”
“Yes,” Ushijima replied quickly, scrabbling for any conversation.
Tendou seemed to be searching for something, his eyes roving over Ushijima’s face for just a second before he visibly relaxed, an easy smile coming to his face. “I'm a first year too,” he said, “So maybe we can help each other out sometime, or whatever. Hey! Are you gonna join any clubs?”
“Volleyball.”
At that, Tendou blinked, and his smile grew into a huge, excited grin as he leaned forward to prop his elbows up on the table top. “Really? Me too! What position are you hoping for?”
Ushijima’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly in surprise and he also leaned in. “Wing spiker,” he replied, and Tendou whistled appreciatively.
“I'm not sure what I'm going for,” Tendou began honestly, “But I think blocking is really cool. It must feel awesome to just smack down an opponent's ball! So maybe I'll try for middle blocker, then.”
“That's a good position,” Ushijima told him, more than a little distracted by the excited gleam in Tendou’s eyes and the quirky smile on his lips.
“Right? So I guess I'll see you at practice later!” The redhead enthused, practically bouncing in his seat before he stood, holding out a fist. “We're going to be great friends, Wakatoshi,” he stated firmly, “I know it!”
Ushijima gently bumped his fist against Tendou’s, his lips turning up into a tiny but incredibly pleased smile.
°•○●○•°
Ushijima stood in the doorway of the gym, watching the second and third years practice their drills. The sound of balls slamming into the floor and shoes squeaking echoed throughout the room. Shouts of nice receive! and don't mind, don't mind! floated in the air, each player encouraging the other, and the entire atmosphere was just comfortable.
“Wakatoshi!”
Ushijima turned towards the voice, seeing Tendou waving him over from the entryway of the locker room. He grinned cheerfully as Ushijima approached, bouncing on his feet in a childish way that made Ushijima smile, just a little bit.
“This is so exciting!” Tendou exclaimed, “I'm so ready to start! C’mon, let's hurry and get changed.” He grabbed Ushijima’s wrist, his fingers strong but gentle at the same time as he dragged him towards into the changing area. “They've already assigned our lockers,” he informed Ushijima, “And check it out; we're neighbors!” He dropped Ushijima’s wrist, opening his locker and pulling out a pair of gym shoes and a practice jersey. He quickly slipped the jersey on over his shirt, practically glowing with happiness. Ushijima had to look away and remember how to breathe.
“I like the colors,” Ushijima said once he got ahold of himself again. He held up his own jersey, admiring the pleasing contrast the white had against the maroon accents before pulling it over his head, smoothing down the front. He heard Tendou oooh, and looked up to see his friend smiling at him.
“We look good,” Tendou stated proudly, giving Ushijima a quick thumbs-up, and Ushijima’s brain definitely did not stutter over We. “Time to practice! Let's go, let's go!”
°•○●○•°
“I've never… never... felt this exhausted in my entire life,” Tendou gasped out, lying down on the cool linoleum floor, limbs splayed out and his head lolling lazily to the side. His face was red and beads of sweat rolled down from his hairline to trail across his temples, but he was smiling, a satisfied expression on his face.
Ushijima nodded his agreement as he twisted the cap of his water bottle and took a long drink. He was hot and his muscles were sore, and he really wanted a shower, but he was also proud of how well his first practice had gone. Spiking came naturally to him; he felt like he'd been doing it forever. There were a few mishaps, like when he accidentally spiked the ball straight into Tendou’s face (resulting in a nosebleed and a very worried Ushijima), and his aim wasn't as perfect as he would like, but he was having fun and he enjoyed the sport. He looked forward to the next practice, he couldn't wait to get better and better until he became Shiratorizawa’s ace . He was set on becoming the best, whatever obstacles might be in his way notwithstanding.
“We're gonna be one hell of a team,” Tendou murmured suddenly, “I can feel it, Wakatoshi. We're gonna be the best.” He grinned from ear to ear, lifting his arm up and stretching out his fist. Ushijima leaned in and bumped Tendou’s fist, snorting softly when the redhead whispered pow! as they pulled back.
“The best,” Ushijima repeated seriously, as if he was sealing some sort of oath.
The best.