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He doesn't know when it started, how it happened. Wakatoshi had always been an honest man, both with himself and with others, however, when it came to you he found himself stumbling around and unsure. At first, you'd just been another face in the volleyball club, the newest manager after their last had quit from the workload required for helping out for such a prestigious club.
However, you'd never faltered. Maybe that was what had first drawn him towards you, the fact that you hadn't quit after so many others that had been exhausted to the point of breathlessness from keeping up with the tasks coach Washijō had forced upon you. You handled every task, sometimes with grace, sometimes with clumsiness, but you'd handled them nonetheless. Within your first month of working with them, you'd already fallen into a pattern of work, filling their bottles right before they'd need them, always having towels on hand, scooping up the stray balls with fervor, organizing and keeping track of any important paperwork, keeping notes on their improvements. To an outsider, it would look like you'd been a member of the club for months when in reality it had been much less time than that.
Maybe it had been the first time you'd smiled at him that his feelings had begun to change. All of their previous managers had been too scared of him, too intimidated to approach him, much less make eye contact with the man and smile, and yet you had strolled right up to him after a particularly trying practice, towel and water bottle in your hands, and a large smile upon your face.
"That practice was great, Ushijima! Your spikes are absolutely amazing!" You'd excitedly told him as you glanced up at him, and despite having heard those same words hundreds of times before, when they flowed so easily from your lips with that look on your face they had made his heart pinch in a way it never had before.
Of course, he'd just gruffly muttered out thanks and accepted your offerings, although his eyes hadn't strayed from you for the rest of practice, watching as you flittered about, handing out bottles and towels, shouting out your words of praise to the others. He'd felt unusually warm after that practice, although he'd just chalked it up to the warming weather outside and the extra practice time. When Satori had commented on the fact that he seemed distracted, he'd merely just grunted, eyes still glued onto you, and as Satori had followed his line of vision, he'd ended up smiling knowingly to himself with a chuckle, patting the other male on the back and walking away to start the cleanup.
Maybe, if not then, it surely had to be the first time he'd heard you laugh. Satori had invited you to sit at lunch with them, and you'd fit right in immediately, talking cheerily with the other members as he merely sat at the end of the table, observing you from afar when it had happened.
"So you don't think it's weird at all?" Satori's voice had suddenly rung out, snapping Wakatoshi to attention, his eyes landing on the two of you.
"Think what's weird?" He'd run his eyes over the two of you curiously, although the smirk Satori sent him had him wishing that maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all.
"That you're left-handed!" Satori had piped up excitedly, and while he was laughing gleefully, Wakatoshi had frozen in his place, eyes flittering to you as he clenched his left hand subconsciously, awaiting your response to the question.
"Of course not! I think it's really cool! I mean, after all, there aren't very many left-handers in volleyball right? I think it makes him more unique, and he's a damn good player, so why should it matter?" You'd smiled up at Wakatoshi, the same smile that had his heart clenching just a few weeks ago, and titled your head back in laughter at Satori's overdramatic reaction to your words.
While the conversation had continued on for the others, Wakatoshi had stayed frozen at that moment, the second your bright laughter had sounded out, and Wakatoshi had wondered if it was even possible for someone's laugh to sound so beautiful, and wondered why it had sounded so beautiful to him. Wakatoshi had questioned Satori on it later that day, although that hadn't really helped him figure it out at all.
"Do I think they have a nice laugh? Mmmm I guess so? But why are you asking?" Satori had quirked his brows at him as he skipped back to their dorm, twirling back to tilt his head in question.
"I thought their laugh was nice but I didn't know why." That was all he'd said, causing Satori to hum in response while narrowing his eyes teasingly. He, of course, was no fool and could see what was happening, even if his friend couldn't. Although, rather than pointing it out to him, well, he figured he'd just watch and see how far this would go, simply stand by and watch in amusement at the confusing events laying before Wakatoshi.
And how far it would go, indeed. It took another few months before Wakatoshi had finally realized the warmth constantly invading his chest wasn't just a fleeting thing from the warmth of the oncoming summer or from the exertion of longer practices. Of course, he was smarter than Satori might have given him credit for, and it was in the fifth month of his friendship, if he could call it that, with you that he had started questioning his feelings for you.
Maybe, perhaps, that had been the day he'd saved you, protected you. It was after a practice match, a match that to nobody's surprise they had won, and as you were filling up their water bottles to deliver to them a few boys from the opposing school had decided to pick on you.
"Look who it is." One of them had drawled out, staring you down, and setting you on edge. You'd done your best to ignore them, focusing on the task at hand, until one of them had laughed, and before you could stop it, ran over and kicked over all the water bottles you'd filled, scattering all of them and spilling open a few.
"What the fuck was that for?!" You'd shouted out angrily, whirling around to face the three boys behind you. That had them all falling into laughter, and your earlier bravado had faded as you swallowed, stepping back from them.
"Aw, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" One of them jeered at you, and you took another step back as they all took a step closer. You'd looked around them quickly, trying to find a way to escape, however as you made to run away, the largest of the bunch had grabbed you, caging you in his arms before you could get away.
"Let me go!" You'd screamed out, thrashing against him and yelling out for help, although the size and strength difference of the volleyball player help him to keep you tightly in his arms. Neither of you had noticed the cease in the laughter of his friends, nor the approaching of another person.
"How about you just shut the fuck up-" He'd went to yell back at you, although he stopped as he noticed the fifth presence in the room, choking on his words as he stared up at Wakatoshi, who stood angrily in front of the four of you.
"How about you let them go." His words were firm and commanding, and the player swallowed before tossing you to the ground and dashing away with his goons, leaving you alone with him.
"Are you alright?" He'd knelt gently to the ground in front of you, his hands hovered in the air, as though he wasn't quite so sure what to do with them.
"Thanks to you." You'd responded with a smile, although it was much weaker than your normal ones, and it had stirred something in Wakatoshi.
Something that made him want to chase down those boys and beat the shit out of them for hurting you like that. Something that made him want to protect you, keep watch over you, care for you so that you never had to look so pained and scared ever again. However, instead of doing that, he'd given you a smile in return, something he had never done before, something that had taken your breath away. He'd helped you rise from your spot on the ground, and helped you round up all the scattered bottles, filling them with you and escorting you back to the rest of the team. After that day, Wakatoshi never let you fill bottles alone if you weren't at Shiratorizawa.
That day hadn't been enough to make Wakatoshi realize he was in love with you, but it had been enough to make him realize he'd cared for you in some way or another. He'd started hovering around you after that point, the giant shadow looming over you. Satori had likened him to a lost puppy, following you wherever you went, and of course, you'd laughed and agreed, much to Toshi's chagrin. Although, when you'd said it was cute in a way, he couldn't help but lose any upset, quickly growing bashful at the comment, not that he'd let it show.
When it had been six months and Wakatoshi still hadn't bridged the gap, Satori had decided he'd need to take matters into his own hands to get the two of you together. He couldn't stand watching his best friend wandering around like a lovesick puppy without even knowing it any longer, and so he'd quickly and easily come up with a little plan to get the two of you together. After all, nobody was immune to the charms of a summer romance.
"So, are either of you going to the summer festival?" He'd piped up one day during your lunch break. Wakatoshi had looked at him in confusion, knowing Satori enough to know that something was up, although you had just looked a bit disappointed.
"I wanted to go, but I don't really have anyone to go with. All my friends have plans or dates during the festival." You'd groaned out, disappointedly playing with the food on your plate. The smile on Satori's face had immediately clued Wakatoshi in on where he was going with this, and the male inwardly sighed for what was coming.
"Why don't you go with Wakatoshi-Kun? He doesn't have any plans that night!" He'd cheerfully offered, gesturing toward the male seated next to you. Your eyes had gone wide, and you'd turned to him, timidly fiddling with your hands in your lap.
"Would- Would that be okay?" Your eyes and tone were filled with eager desperation and excitement at the prospect, and with how you were gazing at him, he couldn't bring it in him to deny you.
"Sure. That's fine." Was all he could choke out before having to avert his eyes, and when you'd cheered and wrapped your arms around him it took everything in him to try and resist turning red. Eventually, you'd excused yourself to go to the bathroom, and Satori had sat there across from him, smirking knowingly.
"What was that for?" Wakatoshi had asked, and Satori merely chuckled from across the table.
"What? I can't just help my best friends make plans together? Summer festivals only happen once a year, and youth doesn't last forever!"
He'd swooned dramatically over the table, and Toshi simply sighed, focusing on his food, trying to come to terms with the fact that he would be attending the summer festival with you, and alone at that. But that would be fine, right? After all, the two of you were friends, right? Well, he would soon find out that perhaps maybe those feelings of protection and pining he'd been having extended past purely platonic.
Ah, yes. Maybe that was when it was that he realized what his feelings were; the night under the shining fireworks. That night, spent under the dazzlingly bright sky, had become a night of realization for Wakatoshi, in a lot more ways than just one. He had devoted his life to his studies, to his sport. He'd never taken the time to enjoy his youth, and that had become glaringly obvious as he shuffled back and forth outside the festival at your designated meeting place. He'd arrived early, not wanting to leave you waiting, and had missed the mark on just how early he'd planned to have gotten there, arriving 30 minutes early. As the time for you to arrive drew closer, he soon heard your voice shouting over the crowd, and he'd looked up to see you racing towards him.
He'd felt his breath leave him for a moment as his eyes landed on you at your state of dress. He'd seen you in some casual clothes before, sure, but not the ones you had on now. He couldn't call them the fanciest clothes he'd seen before, most certainly not, but they were definitely nice, and they suited you perfectly. It was like all at once, without you in that stuffy school uniform, with the aura of a summer night around you, he'd realized just how attractive you are, and he had to take a few seconds to gather himself to greet you.
"You look nice." He'd told you softly, and you'd laughed that laugh he'd come to crave hearing, dancing back and forth a bit, stretching out to show him your clothes.
"Thank you... I tried to dress up a bit for tonight." Your dazzlingly bright smile on top of everything else had his knees wobbling, and he was quick to gesture to the entrance of the festival grounds, walking along with you into the crowded area.
"So, what do you wanna do first?" You'd eagerly asked him, looking from stall to stall excitedly.
"I don't know. I've never been to a festival before." You'd all but stopped in the middle of the crowd, gaping open your mouth at that.
"You've never been?! Then we've gotta do as much as we can to make it special for you!" You'd eagerly grabbed his hand, dragging him towards a promising looking food stall, ushering through the crowd. He'd glanced down at your joined hands, a warmth flooding his hand and his chest, and he'd comfortingly squeezed your hand, making you look back at him over your shoulder to bashfully smile.
Just as you'd said, the two of you had certainly done as much as you could. You'd tried multiple food stalls, lots of them dessert stalls at your insistence, and you'd gotten him to loosen up a bit and play a few game stalls as well. He'd been quick to learn and had even ended up winning you a prize at one of them, a large stuffed cow that he'd gently handed you and you were quick to wrap your arms around tightly. You'd teasingly told him you'd have to name it after him, making jest at him**, causing him to shake his head in exasperation, although you could see a small smile peeking on his lips.
The two of you had been wandering about, hands unknowingly joined together, when you'd realized that the fireworks would be starting soon. You'd tugged him through the crowd, and he'd asked you in confusion where you were leading him off to.
"There's a really amazing spot at the top of the hill back there! It's a little bit of a hike, but the view is absolutely gorgeous!" And with that, you'd continued pulling him along, leading the way.
A little bit of a hike had certainly been correct, but he had to agree that you were correct about the view. Toshi had never paid any attention to scenery before, but with you next to him on this grassy, tree-filled hill, with the stars above you and the shining, glowing view of the city and the festival below you, he had never seen anything quite so beautiful before. At least, not until what was to come in the next few minutes.
You'd walked up to the fence lining the hill, and had leaned onto it, stuffed cow clutched to your chest, staring up at the sky in anticipation for what was to come, and he couldn't help but smile at your giddy excitement, chuckling as he moved to stand next to you.
"You're awfully excited, aren't you?" He teased you, and you'd stuck your tongue out at him and laughed.
"Of course I am. After all, I love fireworks!" You'd swung your arms into the air, laughing out, and he'd shaken his head at you again. He'd never really cared about fireworks, but your excitement was quickly becoming infectious to him. The two of you could hear the people in the festival below begin to count down, awaiting the start of the fireworks, and you'd begun counting down with them.
"Ten, nine, eight..." He looked across the town, dazzlingly bright below him.
"Seven, six, five..." He looked out at the open city and the stretch of water covering the distance, shining from the stars above.
"Four, three, two..." Time had started to slow for him as he slowly turned his head back to you, and he inhaled as he finally saw the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.
"One!" You shouted out, basking in the glowing light of the first bright fireworks above you.
It was you, bathed in the light of the stars and the fireworks, the lights reflected in your eyes, your face lit up brighter than he'd ever seen it. He forced himself to look away from you, to look away and up at the sky. He'd never really cared about fireworks, not until he had seen them with you. At that moment right there, with you by his side, upon that lonely hill, fireworks had never looked more gorgeous to him, had never been something he'd longed to see before. All at once, Wakatoshi had understood what it meant to crave and enjoy your youth, to long to slow down and enjoy what was around him. He looked back at you, a soft, innocent, and ecstatic smile upon his lips, and you'd looked back at him, smiling just as happily, and suddenly it had clicked.
The reason this was all so magical. The reason why he'd been so excited to hold your hand tonight. Why he'd been following you around for the last month, why he'd been so protective over you, why he loved your laugh, your smile, your everything. It was because Ushijima Wakatoshi was inexplicably, uncontrollably, uninhibitedly in love with you. He didn't know when it had started happening, but he now knew, at the very least, that he had realized it. In the dazzling light of the night and the fireworks shining overhead, he'd begun to lean toward you, and you'd caught his drift, and had begun to lean toward him, and under the serene ambiance of the summer night, the two of you had shared your first kiss, a kiss that Wakatoshi would call perfect.
You'd giggled timidly when you'd parted, happy, bubbly, and adorable all at once and Toshi couldn't handle how happy it made him feel, so he'd pulled you in kissed you again, and again, and again until the fireworks were no longer resounding around you, and you'd found yourself in a peaceful silence that was more comfortable than you'd ever been in before. When you'd broken apart, you'd stared at each other, chests heaving from the breaths you'd desperately needed, smiles resting upon both of your lips.
"I don't know why, or how it happened.." He'd started, pausing to suck in more air and regulate his breathing more.
"But I am so, so in love with you. I've never loved anyone before, and I've never known what it meant to enjoy the small things but you- you showed me that, and I don't want to have to let go of that feeling. I don't want to have to let go of you." His words flowed out of his mouth quickly, and his face was red, and he looked like he might cry if this didn't work out how he hoped, but he was just as honest as always.
"That is so, so disgustingly sweet and cliche of you, Ushijima." You'd teased him with an embarrassed laugh, shifting as your own cheeks began to warm.
"Wakatoshi." Your eyes had widened at that, but you looked up at him, lashes fluttering, and you stepped closer to him.
"Wakatoshi." You'd repeated softly and his heart had clenched, and he'd leaned down to press another soft kiss to your lips, his hands cupping your face gently.
"I don't want to let go of this, or of you, either." You'd told him when you parted.
"Then, let's stay together like this, forever." He'd said it matter of factly as if it was the most simple thing in the world, as was normal to him, and it made you laugh, face and eyes wrinkling as you leaned into his warmth, wrapping your arms tightly around him.
"Okay." Was all you'd said as he coiled his own arms around you, for no other words were needed at that moment.
He didn't know how long the two of you stood there like that on that hill, and he didn't care. All that mattered to him was that, for once in his life, he hadn't wanted something other than volleyball to last forever, and that thought scared him, but it also made it happier than he ever thought he could be.
For once, he was appreciative of fireworks.