Contents: angst to fluff. sad ushijima but happy ushijima + reader stuff j3KL
AN: this song is actually so sweet and fits toshi so well tysm :( and this is not at all linked to my tendou angst in any way shape or form /s
Even though I can't compare
And I'm sorry if I stir
I just want to do everything
Maybe I could learn how to love
Ushijima had never expected someone like you to even notice him. He had had little luck in friends, minus his association with Tendou Satori. When that ended all of a sudden, he didn't have anyone to lean on but you. And yet, somehow, you seemed more than willing to be by his side.
Ushijima had never been good at reading social cues. He knew that he’d always been different in some way. But he thought Tendou had been different, too. Tendou said things as they were. Tendou wasn't afraid of acting like himself. Tendou was good at volleyball and could be depended on as a teammate.
It didn't make any sense that Tendou would just… stop talking to him. Ushijima assumed it had been because of something he had unknowingly done. He was worried, but he had no intention of bothering his ex-friend. It was none of his business.
Despite all the things he had told himself, there was still an empty ache when he thought about it. He found that he couldn't control how he felt about this. It was a nuisance — a painful one. It was similar to how he felt when he thought about his mother, but… stronger. More invasive.
You were one of the only things that could more or less fill the space. You had saved him just a few days after Tendou began to avoid him. You told him you loved him — it had been so out of the blue, but he definitely hadn't been unhappy about it. He told you he wasn't sure how to respond, because he had never considered he would ever have the opportunity to have someone like you in his life. But the more he thought about it — the more time you spent assuring him you would wait, and that you wouldn't stop being there for him — the more he realized he wanted to have someone to rely on.
Compared to the pain he felt, compared to the way Tendou had treated him, you were so selfless. You were kind, and you always told him he was more beautiful than he knew. You told him he deserved the world. He couldn’t think back to when he had been without you; memories without you seemed dead to him.
Today, when he looked at you, smiling next to him without an ounce of hesitation in your eyes, he felt a strong pull towards you. He didn't know where this came from. It was new to him. He quickly looked away, hoping the strange urge would leave.
“Wakatoshi?”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
He gazed at you again. He wanted to hold you and never let go. He wanted you to stand next to him forever. He wanted to protect you, he wanted to love you the way you loved him.
He reached for your hand. It was smaller than his, but your fingers fit perfectly together.
“I'm okay,” he said. “I think I'm probably in love with you.”
The subsequent look on your face was enough for him to momentarily forget the ache in his heart.
AN: j the timing of this request 😀 like i had no choice but to release it today bro (THANK YOU TO @serenitycushing FOR SENDING ME THE REQUEST)
