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“I have a spare ticket. Are you sure you don’t want it?”
Tendou waved the ticket in front of your face, and it took every ounce of self-control not to snatch it from his hand and rip it into tiny pieces.
“Why would I want a ticket to my ex-boyfriend’s game?” you asked flatly, poking at the cake in front of you.
Tendou leaned across the counter, chef whites already stained from a long shift. A suspicious red smear near his collar made you hope it was strawberry.
“Maybe because it’s the finale and it means a lot to him,” Tendou said with a shrug before casually stealing your spoon and taking a huge bite of cake. “Also, I don’t wanna go alone.”
“Then ask someone else. Have you tried Semi?” you asked, snatching your spoon back.
Tendou nodded immediately. “Obviously. You weren’t my first choice.”
You frowned at him, though honestly, you understood.
You and Tendou had become friends through Ushijima, and after the breakup there really wasn’t any reason for the friendship to continue. The problem was that Tendou worked at your favourite bakery, one of the only places in the city that stayed open late enough for you to visit after work. Unfortunately for your emotional wellbeing, stress made you crave sugar, which meant you ended up there far more often than you should.
At first, you’d tried avoiding him entirely. Unfortunately, subtlety had never exactly been Tendou’s thing. The second he realised you kept coming in regularly, he started talking to you again like nothing had happened. And honestly... you appreciated it more than you wanted to admit.
You missed Ushijima so much that even staying loosely connected to Tendou made you feel like you were still orbiting the edges of his life somehow. You got little updates without asking for them directly. How he was doing. Whether he was eating properly. Whether volleyball was going well.
Though Tendou had made it very clear you’d completely ruined his best friend’s life six months ago, he never actually hated you for it. He understood why you’d ended things, even if he thought both of you were idiots. Mostly, he just enjoyed making you suffer a little for hurting Ushijima. But Tendou’s wrath would never match the hatred you already carried for yourself.
You sighed, spooning the rest of the cake into your mouth. “Would he… hate it if I came?”
Tendou glanced down at you. “Why would you say that?”
“I just don’t want to throw him off his game, especially if it’s the finals.”
A dangerous smirk spread across Tendou’s face. “Nah, don’t worry about it, pretty girl. On the court? Nothing else exists to Wakatoshi. Not even you.” He leaned back lazily. “Volleyball’s his one true love, remember?”
The cake caught in your throat. You slammed a fist against your chest, trying to force it down. It burned painfully as you swallowed, the sharp ache in your airway matching the one currently ripping through your chest.
Tendou’s smile faltered for the briefest second. Then he tilted his head again, studying you carefully. “Plus, he’s getting over you. I doubt he’d even recognise your face in the crowd.”
And just like six months ago, something inside you cracked all over again.
“Alright…” you spluttered, half angry, half devastated by what he’d just said. “As long as it won’t harm him, I’ll come.”
“Great.” Tendou smiled brightly, like he hadn’t just driven a knife between your ribs. “I’ll see you at the station after my shift.”
You nodded weakly.
An hour and a half later, you stood waiting for him at the train station. The evening air had turned colder, making you grateful for the hoodie pulled over your frame. You felt ridiculous wearing it. You shouldn’t even still have it, let alone be wearing it out in public. But you’d spotted it lying on your pillow that morning after sleeping in it the night before, and the familiar ache in your chest had returned before you could stop it. So you’d pulled it on without thinking too hard about it.
You already knew Tendou was going to tear you apart for wearing it, but honestly... you’d let him. What kind of person still wore her ex-boyfriend’s favourite hoodie six months after the breakup?
You spotted Tendou’s bright red hair weaving through the crowd toward you on the platform. Thankfully, the train arrived before he could say anything. It was completely packed. At least that spared you from whatever comment he was definitely planning to make. Though judging by the look in his eyes, he had plenty to say.
When the train finally reached your stop, you stepped out with the crowd and started making your way toward the stadium beside him. It was unbelievably busy. Practically everyone from the train seemed to be heading to the match. For the first time all evening, the hoodie didn’t feel out of place. If anything, you blended in perfectly among the sea of Schweiden Adlers merchandise surrounding you. Except yours wasn’t fan merch: it was official training kit. And across the back, stamped in bold lettering above is number, was Ushijima’s name.
“Now that’s just cruel,” Tendou said with a grin as he fell into step beside you.
You frowned at him. “Why is it? I thought you said he’d moved on.”
Tendou considered that for a moment before shrugging. “Guess you’re right.”
You reached the security entrance, and Tendou pulled out the tickets. After they were scanned, you followed him toward a separate entrance line. Your stomach dropped. Were these VIP tickets? Your horrified expression must have caught Tendou’s attention because he immediately started giggling.
“What?” he asked innocently. “Were you expecting anything else? You’ve been to his games before. He always gives us VIP seats.”
Tendou led you down toward your seats, and your panic only worsened the closer you got. Three rows from the court. As a wing spiker, Ushijima would start in the front rotation. Which meant you’d be able to see him perfectly. Fuck.
“I thought you bought the tickets,” you hissed.
Now it was Tendou’s turn to look offended. “Why would I buy tickets for my best friend’s game?”
“I don’t know,” you muttered. “Because it’s the finals? Tickets are impossible to get. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to give them away this time.”
Tendou sat down in his seat and folded his arms dramatically. “Now you’re just being stupid. Unlike one of us, he actually wanted me here.”
Tendou’s vicious honesty was starting to wear your emotions dangerously thin, so instead of responding, you just sank lower into your seat and ignored him completely.
Gradually, the stadium began to fill. By the time warmups started, there wasn’t a single empty seat left in the arena. Thankfully, the Adlers were warming up on the opposite side of the court, which meant you could avoid looking at him for a little longer.
Then the whistle blew, signalling for both teams to finish warming up and prepare for the start of the match. Your heart immediately leapt into your throat. Maybe this had been a terrible idea. You spotted the Adlers moving toward their side of the court, and suddenly your hands wouldn’t stop trembling. This was a mistake.
“I need to go,” you blurted to Tendou, half-rising from your seat. “This was a mistake.”
Tendou grabbed the edge of your hoodie and shoved you back down into your chair. You stared at him in disbelief. His eyes were sharp, but the corners of his mouth softened into a small smile.
“It’s not a mistake,” he said quietly. “Trust me.”
You weren’t entirely sure what he meant by that. Trust him? Why would you need to trust him? Still, Tendou must have noticed how badly you were shaking because he reached over and patted your arm gently. You forced yourself to take a slow breath before finally turning your attention back toward the court. You couldn’t run forever. Eventually, the two of you would have had to see each other again.
Ushijima was already in position. Bent slightly forward, hands braced against his knees, he waited calmly as the two captains shook hands at centre court. He looked good. Unfairly good. Your body was a mess, shaking with nerves yet warming at the sight of how good your ex looked. Memories immediately flashed through your mind, private moments between the two of you that absolutely should not have resurfaced right now. God, why would your brain do this to you now?!
Then his eyes found yours. At first there was no reaction, then recognition hit. You saw it instantly in the way his eyes widened slightly, his mouth parting just enough to break his usual composure. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. You really didn’t want to throw him off before the biggest match of the season. Trying to reassure him, you forced a small smile and gave him a thumbs up. But Ushijima kept staring at you like you weren’t real.
“Eyes forward, Ushijima, they’re about to serve!” his coach barked.
He blinked once, snapping out of whatever trance he’d fallen into, before immediately forcing his attention back to the court.
You hadn’t seen that coach before. They must have gotten a new one. Tendou started giggling beside you almost instantly. You elbowed him hard in the side.
“A thumbs up?” he snickered. “Really?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” you snapped, heat flooding your face.
Tendou only laughed harder while you tried your best to ignore him.
Then the match started, and the entire stadium erupted with noise loud enough to shake the floor beneath your feet.
Set after set, you watched Ushijima become the terrifyingly incredible player you already knew he was: precise, powerful, dangerous. The opposing team clearly had strategies built entirely around shutting him down, but Ushijima kept finding ways through them anyway. At some point, despite your best efforts to stay quiet, you found yourself shouting support alongside Tendou every time Ushijima scored.
By the fourth set, the entire arena felt electric.
The teams were taking a short break and for the first time, you could see the exhaustion in Ushijima’s face. Until now, adrenaline and focus had hidden it well, but suddenly the signs became impossible to ignore: the faint shadows beneath his eyes, the slight sharpness in his face from weight he’d lost. You slowly turned toward Tendou, glaring.
“You told me he was fine,” you said.
Tendou leaned back in his chair with a small smirk. “I mean, technically he is fine,” he replied. “You were just kinda naive for believing me.”
Your stomach dropped, cold guilt washing through you so hard it made you feel sick. What the hell had you done?
Across the court, Ushijima tilted his head back and took a long drink from his water bottle. Something on his wrist caught your attention. It had probably been there the entire game, but now that he was finally standing still long enough, your eyes properly focused on it. Your breath caught. Was that... your hair tie?
You’d been looking for that thing forever. It was your favourite one, mostly because of the little charm attached to it that made it look almost like jewellery when worn around your wrist. The last time you remembered seeing it, it had been sitting on top of the boxes you packed while leaving Ushijima’s apartment. It must have fallen off somewhere during the move. But if that was true... why was he still wearing it? You were just about to ask Tendou when the whistle blew and the game resumed.
You barely breathed for the rest of the match. Every time the Adlers pulled ahead, the opposing team clawed the score right back. Everything would come down to this. Finally, Ushijima rotated back to serve. The teams shifted into position while the referee prepared to restart play. Since the sides had switched, Ushijima was now facing opposite you from the other side of the court’s corner.
He looked up and his eyes found yours again immediately. This time, you smiled properly. For a second, Ushijima’s lips twitched upward ever so slightly. The referee blew the whistle. He steadied himself, then he launched the ball. It screamed across the court and slammed directly into the back corner before the opposing team could even react properly. They never stood a chance.
You, Tendou and all the other Adlers fans were on your feet screaming. That service ace meant he had to serve again. He barely reacted, simply catching the next ball from the ball boy and walking back to the service line. This time, he looked directly at you. You smiled wider instinctively. And once again, he drove the ball across the court with terrifying force. The opposition barely had time to move. Another ace.
Tendou actually grabbed you around the waist and lifted you off the ground as the two of you screamed Ushijima’s name at the top of your lungs. Now the Adlers were ahead. One more point and they’d win the league.
The whistle blew again and Ushijima served for a third time, driving the ball past the opposition on the power of your smile it seemed. The opposing libero finally managed to receive it, but the Adlers refused to let the rally end there. Every single player on the court was operating at full power now, pushing themselves beyond exhaustion for the final point.
The ball flew back and forth across the net in a blur. Then Kageyama, Adlers’ setter, jumped and set the ball high toward Ushijima. He launched himself into the air and slammed the spike straight into the opposition’s court. They scrambled for it. But the ball hit the floor before anyone could reach it.
They’d done it. The Adlers had won.
The whistle blew. For a second, nobody moved.
Then the stadium erupted. Tears burned in your eyes as you and Tendou screamed Ushijima’s name with the rest of the arena.
The Adlers celebrated together in a chaotic group huddle at centre court. Despite everything, warmth spread through your chest watching Ushijima laugh with his teammates, genuinely smiling in a way you hadn’t seen in a long time. Across the court, the opposing team remained slumped on the floor, devastated. But after a moment, the Adlers crossed the net and helped pull them back to their feet, congratulating them despite the crushing loss. The entire stadium loved it. Sportsmanship at its finest.
You waited until most of the celebrations had settled down before finally standing with Tendou to leave. You were just about to follow the flow of people heading back toward the station when Tendou suddenly grabbed your arm.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Back to the station?” you replied slowly. “Why?”
Tendou stared at you like you were the stupidest person alive.
“Don’t you want to see him?”
“No,” the answer slipped out before you even realised you’d said it.
You swallowed quickly and corrected yourself.
“No, I just... he’ll be celebrating with the team. Then there’ll be interviews and press stuff. He’ll probably get man of the match too.” Your voice weakened slightly. “I don’t want to get in the way of that. He should enjoy it.”
You weren’t entirely sure why tears were threatening again, but your eyes burned as you tried to blink them away. Tendou looked genuinely offended by your response.
“Don’t be an idiot,” he said flatly. “Of course he wants to see you. I watched him stare at you every single time he served, not just during the last set. You two need to talk. That’s literally the whole reason I dragged you here.”
“What?!”
Tendou raked both hands dramatically through his hair.
“Please stop being so fucking stupid,” he groaned. “I cannot deal with the two of you anymore. Watching this pathetic mutual pining for six months has taken years off my life.”
Before you could respond, Tendou grabbed your wrist and started dragging you back toward the court entrance with frightening determination. You tried resisting, but Tendou was significantly stronger than he looked. A few nearby people glanced over in concern, but Tendou simply smiled brightly at them while continuing to haul you through the corridor like an unwilling child.
The second you reached the doors leading back toward the court, you finally planted your feet hard against the floor and ripped your hand free from his grip.
“Stop it, Satori,” you begged, using his first name for emphasis. “This isn’t fair to him. I...”
Your voice cracked.
“I’m the one who broke up with him. It’s my fault. He deserves to move on and find someone better. I’m not going to hurt him all over again.”
Tendou looked conflicted. You could practically see the argument happening inside his head. One side of him clearly wanted to slam both yours and Ushijima’s heads together until you finally sorted yourselves out. The other understood there had been a reason you ended things in the first place.
He opened his mouth to reply, then suddenly stopped. His eyes focused on something behind you. Slowly, a devilish grin spread across his face, sharp enough to make him look genuinely terrifying.
“…Satori?” you asked cautiously.
Then someone softly said your name. A voice you hadn’t heard in six months. Your knees nearly gave out beneath you.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Tendou sang cheerfully before immediately disappearing back down the corridor without a shred of guilt.
You didn’t want to turn around. You couldn’t. Because the second you looked at him, you knew you were going to fall apart completely. Tears burned behind your eyes again. You clenched your fists tightly and forced yourself to breathe through it. Then, after one shaky inhale, you finally turned around.
“Congratulations on your win,” you said weakly, forcing a small smile. “You played really well.”
“Thank you,” Ushijima replied quietly.
Then his eyes flicked briefly around the corridor behind you.
“Can we talk somewhere else?”
“I—”
“Please,” he interrupted softly.
Something about the look on his face completely shattered you.
“… Okay,” you whispered.
Ushijima quietly led you toward the changing rooms. They were almost completely empty now aside from his things. Most of the team had clearly already showered and changed before heading off toward interviews or celebrations. But not Ushijima. It looked like he’d dumped his bag down and immediately gone searching for you instead. The tears threatening your eyes returned instantly.
Neither of you spoke for a long moment. You stood awkwardly with your arms wrapped around yourself, suddenly unsure what to do with your hands. Ushijima wasn’t looking at you either.
“Thank you for coming,” he said finally.
“I’m sorry for coming,” you admitted quietly. “Tendou manipulated me. He said he had a spare ticket and... I thought he bought it himself.”
You stopped talking: your excuses sounded pathetic.
“I didn’t want to distract you,” you continued weakly. “This was a really important match for you.”
“It was,” he agreed.
He had never been a man of many words, but right now you desperately wished he would say more. You wished he’d yell at you. Tell you that showing up after disappearing from his life for six months had been selfish and cruel and unfair. Tell you that nearly distracting him before the biggest match of the season had crossed a line. But instead, he just stood there silently looking at you.
“Why aren’t you mad?” you asked honestly.
A puzzled look crossed his face. “Why would I be angry?”
“Because I’m your ex, Ushijima!” you burst out, exasperated. “I shouldn’t be here. I’m the one who ended our relationship, and then I showed up in your VIP seats to watch you play alongside your best friend. That’s messed up!”
“And yet you’re still wearing my hoodie.”
You pulled your arms away from yourself and looked down. He noticed. Of course he did. He was an intelligent, observant man.
“Yeah, I am,” you admitted.
“Why?” he asked. “If you ended our relationship, why are you still wearing my hoodie?”
“Because…” you couldn’t think of a truthful answer that didn’t admit that you were still in love with him. “I guess it was fitting for the match,” you said instead. It was the best lie you could come up with.
“Don’t lie to me,” Ushijima said immediately. “I know when you’re lying.”
Fuck. Tears blurred your vision so quickly it almost hurt. You were seconds away from completely breaking apart. You needed to stop this conversation before he dragged the truth out of you.
“I’m not,” you said. “I ended things because you needed to focus on volleyball. I was distracting you. That’s what your coach said, and deep down you knew it was true. You weren’t playing your best while we were together, but tonight...” Tears finally spilled down your face. “Seeing you out there tonight, you were incredible.”
Your voice cracked harder with every sentence.
“Your phone hasn’t stopped vibrating since we walked into this room. That means you probably got man of the match, and instead of celebrating with your team you’re standing in here with me talking about the past.”
Your chest ached so badly it felt unbearable. You wiped angrily at your eyes, but it was pointless.
“Let me go, Wakatoshi.”
“No.”
Your mouth parted slightly. Then Ushijima stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of you, towering over your trembling form. You’d forgotten how overwhelmingly big he felt this close.
“You ended our relationship because you thought you were holding me back,” he said quietly. “But you were wrong.”
His gaze held yours.
“These past six months have been some of the worst of my life. At the start, the old coach nearly benched me because my head was a mess. My teammates kept asking what was wrong, so eventually I explained what the old coach had said. That relationships were distractions. That we should focus only on volleyball. Apparently I wasn’t the only player he’d said those things to.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“But it turns out the coach was targeting the ex-girlfriends of the players…” His hands curled at his sides before he took a breath. “So we got rid of him.”
Your eyes widened.
“The new coach is much better,” he said. “He understands that I’m still grieving our relationship. He took the time to talk to me, to understand it, and to help me work through it. He’s been encouraging me to talk to you for months. But it was my idea to ask Tendou to bring you here tonight.”
A small smirk tugged at his lips. Your mouth fell open completely. Before you could say anything, Ushijima kept going.
“Tendou told me you weren’t doing well either,” he admitted softly. “He said he thought you regretted ending things, but that you believed you were protecting me. That you didn’t want to hurt me again.”
He reached down and took your hands in his. “You’d always been so stubborn.”
You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. A broken sob escaped you as tears spilled freely down your face. Ushijima released your hands, then gently cupped your face instead, wiping away your tears with his thumbs.
“I want to try again,” he said. “I’ll be better. You don’t have to carry so much in this relationship anymore. You don’t have to protect me or sacrifice yourself for me.”
You didn’t have any strength left; you folded into him. He caught you instantly, his strong arms wrapping around you and holding you against his chest.
“I’m sorry,” you wept into him. He smelt of sweat, but you didn’t care. He smelt like him, and like a home you’d been missing for six months. “I’m so sorry.”
He hummed softly into your hair. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
You pulled back just enough to look at him. Then, rising slightly onto your tiptoes, you kissed him. He kissed you back immediately. No hesitation or restraint. Just desperate, consuming passion that left you breathless when you finally pulled away. A small smile formed on your face.
“Tendou’s going to kill me,” you murmured.
A quiet chuckle left him. “He’s going to kill me first.”