Chapter Text
“Ushijima, good luck!” You stopped him with the shout, breathing a little hard from having to catch up with him. He turned and looked down at you, nodding slightly.
“I don’t need luck,” he replied bluntly. “I’ll win anyways. But thank you for the sentiment.”
You smiled and laughed, shaking your head. You reached up and punched him in the shoulder, the glancing blow bouncing right off of him. You shook out your fist with a grimace as he blinked. You then pointed at him with a grin. “Don’t forget that I’m cheering you on from the stands!”
“Right.”
As you turned around to follow the other trainers up, Tendou snuck up beside him and cocked his head as he watched you go. He made a fast clucking noise with his tongue and looked up at Ushijima with hooded, suggestive eyes.
“What is it?” Ushijima asked flatly, not even bothering to look at his friend as they continued forwards.
“So? So? What is it, you two are dating now?”
“No,” Ushijima answered honestly. Tendou merely hooted once with frustration.
“But it sure looks like it, Waka-chan~! I mean, I sure as hell don’t have a cute girl or guy to tell me good luck. What changed? I thought she made you ‘uncomfortable’?”
“We’re merely friends,” he stated. “Nothing has changed. I just found out that she was actually a nice person and that I was overreacting due to my own emotional state.”
“Man, you’re so boring. You sound like our history prof. Can’t you say something like—” Tendou cleared his voice and lowered his voice as deep as he could to impersonate Ushijima. “I think she’s cute.”
“I don’t think she’s cute,” Ushijima said plainly. Tendou opened his mouth to complain before Ushijima added casually, “I am fully aware that she is.”
“Whoaaa! Careful, Wakatoshi! Keep talking like that and maybe I’ll fall for you.” Tendou laughed jauntily as they made their way down the hall to the gymnasium. “But seriously. Are you guys going to date? Please tell me yes. It’ll be nice to be able to make fun of you about something for once. You were in a pissy mood all week, too, but after meeting her…” He made a heart with his hands and Ushijima actually rolled his eyes.
“We’re just friends,” Ushijima replied. And that was the truth. After exposing himself to weaker than the others thought he was, the two of you had left it at that. You’d even told him about your own stresses and worries; things that he wouldn’t repeat, of course, but he felt some small sort of satisfaction with knowing that you trusted him enough to hold your secrets. And there was an immense comfort in knowing that he had somebody behind him to catch him if he fell from grace again, or whenever he needed.
“But who knows?” Ushijima mused aloud. “Maybe we’ll get to know each other better.”
“You’re such a tease!” Tendou groaned as they emerged into the gym. The cheers of the Shiratorizawa student body were already echoing throughout the stadium. Ushijima ignored Tendou as his golden eyes turned up to the stands, searching you out—and there you were, waving to him with both hands. You looked tiny from so far away, but suddenly you pressed both hands to your lips, pushing them outwards to him. Tendou screeched loudly.
“Did she just blow Ushiwaka-chan a kiss?! Tsutomu, quick! Jump in front of him so you catch the kiss!”
“Wh-what?”
Ushijima blocked out the ruckus, focusing entirely on you. He didn’t wave back but he nodded, and he could feel that you understood all the same. A connection like that was immeasurably invaluable and even he knew that he had just found something special.
Maybe he had already fallen. Perhaps not from grace, but into love.
Either way, all he knew for sure was that he liked the feeling of your hands in his hair and hoped to have that again.