𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘜𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘪𝘮𝘢 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳)

CH 13

"She held my hands after noticing I was feeling bad."

"Aye~ Y/n-chan did that? She must be into you, Wakatoshi-kun."

Placing his fork aside, Ushijima looked out the window of the French restaurant he was in. Both buddies were having a nice dinner together in this fall weather. Ushijima watched the leaves piling on the walkway slowly turning into hues of brown and red. It was getting chilly outside and he wondered how this year's fall was going to be like. Tendou took a bite off his steak with a hand on his chin looking ahead to Ushijima who seemed deep in thought. "It isn't as complicated as you think, Wakatoshi-kun." Tendou broke the silence. Ushijima diverted his attention to the red head watching his friend straighten his back to explain himself. "Tell me, what do you feel whenever you're with y/n-chan?" He questioned. "I feel happy." Ushijima replied simply making Tendou laugh and shook his head. "No, no! There must be something deeper than that. Recall if there are any moments where you feel more than happy!" Tendou swung his arms around.

A frown was shown on Ushijima's face as he stared out the window again to ponder. There were definitely times he had his moments with you especially that day when both of you were in a cafe to talk. He realized that the two of you had some things in common and he relates to you. "I suppose a connection suffices?" He cocked a brow, unsure of his response. Tendou let out a squeal and raised his glass of wine to Ushijima before clinking it with his. "That's it! A connection is enough to give you a clear idea, right?" He smirked teasingly. Humming, Ushijima slumped his body against the chair with crossed arms. He wanted to dig deeper into this 'connection' he felt whenever he was with you. Should he do it? Would it make you uncomfortable? Those thoughts circled his mind the rest of the night.

"That's what I'm saying! Eiko should've punched her or something, right?" You were ranting to Uncle Fuki about a group mate who was acting entitled and not contributing to the project. "Did you tell your professor about it?" Uncle Fuki asked while pushing the door to the gymnasium open. "Professors don't care most of the time, Uncle Fuki." You rolled your eyes at the thought. You decided to pay a visit after Bokuto and Hinata spammed you with texts whining that they missed you. Since it's been some time you saw the gang, you decided to bake some cupcakes for them as motivation as a match was coming up. Before you could even take a breath, footsteps scrambled towards you along with squeals of excitement.

"Y/n!!" Hinata skipped towards you. "Hey, boys. Long time no see!" You waved as they gathered around you at the bleachers. "Be nice to my niece, fellas. I'm heading to the office for a moment." Uncle Fuki eyed them. "Yes, coach!" They promised in unison. All of you caught up with each other and the boys shared the shenanigans that happened during your absence. You did the same too and told them that school has been hectic. The atmosphere was lighthearted and you thought it would be the perfect time to give them the cupcakes. Their eyes lit up at the baked treats filled with different colours of cream cheese and sprinkles. "Ya a better baker than ma brother!" Atsumu complimented and licked the cream cheese off his lips. "I'm telling Osamu." "Huh? Don't ya dare, Omi-kun!" Atsumu lightly kicked Sakusa in annoyance.

Giggling, you watched them both bicker and felt a presence behind you. It was Ushijima and he was holding onto the cupcakes just with the first joints of his fingers as if he was afraid to squish them. Your stomach melted into a puddle of goo at the sight and fully turned your body to face him. "Thank you for this. You're really kind, y/n." He spoke. "You're welcome, Ushijima. Why aren't you eating it?" You wondered if he was against cream cheese. "It's too pretty..." He uttered under his breath. The way he stared at the cupcake that looked tiny in his big hands made your stomach flip. Furthermore, he looked adorable with his olive eyes blinking every so often.

"It's okay to eat it, Ushijima." Angling his head, he wondered what you meant by that. Your eyes shifted side to side making sure no one was listening before parting your lips to speak. "I... I made more. Just for you." You confessed. Ushijima subtly sucked in a breath and processed what you said. Motioning him to follow you, both of you found yourselves outside a corner of the gymnasium. You gave him the additional cupcakes and awaited his response. "Please don't tell the others. You know how they are with food." You chuckled awkwardly and scratched your forehead. Nodding as a promise, Ushijima felt his heart full at the special treatment he received from you. Maybe Tendou was right that you had a thing for him.

"Thank you for this, y/n. I appreciate it a lot." Ushijima looked down to the cupcakes. They also seemed bigger and prettier than the others. "Hey, y/n?" "Yeah?" You tilted your head to look at him. Ushijima didn't know where or how to start as he looked at the surroundings to collect himself and composed the right words. "Can I... Hug you?" He requested shyly. Your body froze at that statement and you were sure your heart skipped a few beats. It seemed like you have forgotten how to breathe and all you did was just stare at the man before you with wide eyes. "It's okay if you don't want to. Just thought of asking for consent before anything." Ushijima explained, voice filled with anxiousness. Your eyes darted from his eyes to his fingers which were fiddling again as you reached out and held onto them gently.

Taking this opportunity, you pulled yourself towards him and wrapped your arms around his waist. "Of course, you can." You mumbled against his sturdy chest. The warmth he radiated was comforting in this chilly fall weather as you found yourself melting into him, cheek squished against his chest. "Oh, okay. I'm going to hug you now, alright?" He asked. "Go ahead." You hummed. Still a little unsure, Ushijima's arms hovered for a moment before circling them around your body. Knowing his strength, he was careful not to squeeze you. "You can hug me tighter. I won't break, Ushijima." You assured. "I don't want to hurt you." "No, you won't." You hugged him tighter. Hearing those words, Ushijima found himself squeezing you closer to him and rested his cheek on top of your head, enjoying the silence and touch. This may be a start to progression.