Work Text:
Shirabu never really admitted it out loud, but there was always something nice about sitting in Ushijima's shadow. Whether it be figuratively in the way Ushijima stood above them all as their captain, as the super ace, as someone who was simply the best at what he did.
Or literally, like now, when he was swathed in a blanket on his couch with Ushijima sitting close beside him as they watched some kind of documentary on eagles. Shirabu wasn't paying much attention to the program, though he played like he was while he moved himself closer to the brunet's side.
It had taken him a long time to gather the nerve to invite Ushijima over for dinner. Or, at least that's what it felt like to him. Maybe the others on their team thought he was jumping the gun a but, because when he'd posed the question at lunch a few days ago Tendou and Semi acted as if they were surprised he, of all people, would suggest such a thing. Shirabu didn't see anything wrong with it. Was a setter not supposed to do these things with their ace?
Perhaps not, he thought, arching his back against the back of the couch and stretching a little. He'd never done something like this in middle school. Maybe other setters didn't feel the need to be close to their ace. Maybe they didn't even -have- a good ace. The thought brought a little smile to his lips and his shoulder brushed against Ushijima's upper arm.
“What is it?” Ushijima asked and the deep rumble in his voice made a little shiver down run Shirabu's spine.
“Nothing. Why?” he responded. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, but now that their arms were pressed together, he didn't want to move away.
“You were smiling,” Ushijima replied. Shirabu felt his grin widen a little at that.
“You were watching me,” he accused in return. The ace grunted softly and turned back to the television for a few seconds. Shirabu had enough time to ponder over why eagles needed such big nests before Ushijima spoke up again.
“I wasn't watching you.”
“Then how did you know I was smiling?”
“You kept wiggling so I thought you were cold. When I looked over you were smiling,” Ushijima said and now he was watching Shirabu again as the blond pressed himself further into the couch, further against Ushijima's side.
“I might be a little cold.” He said that without much consideration, something to just toss out there to see what he would do.
The ace lifted his arm and slid it behind Shirabu, pressing it between his back and the couch. Shirabu huffed under his breath, a veiled sound of surprise as strong fingers dug into his side and tugged him into Ushijima's chest.
“There,” the brunet said. Shirabu thought he sounded somewhat pleased with himself and chewed his lip to keep from saying anything. Shirabu's heart lurched in his chest, but he tried to take it all in stride, and rested his head into the crook of his ace's shoulders like he was meant to all along.