Chapter Text
Ushiwaka breathed out deeply as he readied a serve, glaring as the libero received it on the other side of the net. He called for a set as the ball flew back over the net, spiking it hard as Oikawa sent him a perfect set.
"Good one, Oikawa." Ushiwaka said in his usual monotone way. Oikawa rolled his eyes lightly.
Tendou smiled softly as he heard the loud smack of the ball against the court. He'd missed it. Missed watching 'Toshi play. He moved into a high corner of the stands so he wouldn't be noticed.
"That was a killer serve, Ushiwaka." A voice said, and Ushiwaka turned to look at the new libero who had returned the serve. He had been on Karasuno's team. What was his name?
"Nishinoya, right?" Ushiwaka grumbled. Noya grinned at him, nodding. "You were from Karasuno."
"Right." Noya grinned wider.
Tendou smiled to himself as he watched Ushiwaka chat with the Karasuno libero. He'd been one of the few liberos who'd been able to return Ushiwaka's killer spikes.
"Oikawa, I want you to practice your serve next." The coach called out and Noya winked at Ushiwaka, getting back into position to receive. Ushiwaka was impressed. Noya was a freshman but he'd beat out the old libero for the regular position on the team.
Tendou sat for a few more minutes before he decided he should leave before he was noticed. He stood up and started down the stairs, stumbling and barely catching himself before he face-planted.
"Hey! Are you alright?" A voice asked, rushing over to help. "Tendou? I thought you were gone?"
Tendou looked up at Iwaizumi as he came over.
"Oh, heh, I'm back now."
Ushiwaka froze as he heard Iwaizumi say Tendou's name. He turned to look, his eyes widening as they caught sight of the vibrant red hair and gangly body of his ex-best friend.
"Ushiwaka!" Oikawa called out, and Ushiwaka was broken out of his thoughts by the volleyball hitting him square in the face. He got knocked onto his ass, blood dripping onto his hand from his nose.
"Shit." Ushiwaka murmured, frowning deeply.
Tendou gasped and rushed onto the court, his long legs getting him there faster than Iwaizumi, who started running at the same time to help.
"'Toshi! Are you okay?" Tendou cried. Iwaizumi pulled a cloth from his bag and held it to Ushiwaka's face as soon as he got there.
"Just lean forward and hold this to your nose."
Ushiwaka ignored Iwa, turning his soft brown eyes to Tendou, looking hurt.
"Where have you been?" Ushiwaka asked softly. Tendou blushed deeply.
"I... I had things to do," Tendou murmured. Iwaizumi sighed heavily and helped Ushiwaka stand.
"Come on. Let's get you off the court before you bleed all over."
"Things to do." Ushiwaka said dangerously. "Leave it, Iwaizumi!" He yelled, pushing Iwaizumi's hands away and stumbling a bit. Iwaizumi blinked in shock and took a step back, holding up his hands. Oikawa looked livid.
"Don't you talk to him like that!" Oikawa hissed. Ushiwaka growled softly, turning to leave the gym without another word. Tendou hurried after Ushiwaka after a moment of shock.
"'Toshi, please, you need to rest."
Ushiwaka scoffed, sighing deeply and leaning heavily against the wall outside the gym.
"What are you doing here, Satori?" Ushiwaka asked sadly. Tendou stopped and stood awkwardly near Ushiwaka.
"I wanted to see you play again. No one was supposed to see me." Tendou pulled a tissue out of the bag he was carrying and hesitantly reached out to help clean the blood off. Ushiwaka sighed heavily, closing his eyes and letting Tendou do what he wanted.
"So you're just going to disappear again." Ushiwaka said softly.
"Not again. Still." Tendou finished cleaning off what he could, refraining from stroking Ushiwaka's cheek. "I'm sorry I disappeared and didn't contact you though. I... I didn't think you'd take it like this."
Ushiwaka laughed bitterly, opening his eyes to meet Tendou's gaze.
"How did you expect me to react, Satori?" Ushiwaka asked. "You were my best friend. I thought it was just a mistake. I thought every time my phone rang it would be you, explaining everything." Ushiwaka swallowed hard, his eyes watering.
"'Toshi," Tendou said tenderly. "I... I'm sorry. I should have called or... something. Sent you a postcard or two."
"Forget it, Satori. I don't want to stand in your way." Ushiwaka grumbled, pushing away from the wall. "I hope you have fun doing... whatever it is you're doing out there."
Tendou put his hand on Ushiwaka's chest and gently pushed him back against the wall.
"I'm back now. I'm going to college here. I'd like to come to watch your games if that's okay."
Ushiwaka frowned deeply as he looked at Tendou critically.
"I can't stop you. The games are open to the public." Ushiwaka said softly.
"But do you care if I come? If you don't want me there, I won't come. You're the only reason I'd come watch." Tendou said softly, leaving his hand on Ushiwaka's chest for a moment too long. Ushiwaka sighed softly, looking into Tendou's eyes for a long moment before shrugging.
"It won't bother me." Ushiwaka answered finally. Tendou nodded.
"Thank you." Tendou hesitantly stepped away. "I should let you get back to practice."
Ushiwaka sighed and shook his head gently.
"I'm not going back to practice today. I need to cool off. Besides, oikawa might punch me if I go back in there now. I've never taken a day off, I think they can live without me for today."
"I can't believe you yelled at Iwaizumi. I thought Oikawa was going to blow a gasket." Tendou giggled softly. Ushiwaka's lips twitched slightly into a soft smile.
"Well, they are dating." Ushiwaka murmured. "I'm surprised he was as restrained as he was."
"What? Officially?" Tendou’s eyes widened. Ushiwaka shook his head gently.
"Iwa told me. And... I think the team knows, but I don't know if they're official."
Tendou nodded and mimed zipping his lips shut and locking them.
"What about you? Are you dating anyone?"
"It's hard enough for me to make friends. I doubt anybody would ever want to date me." Ushiwaka shook his head gently. Tendou blushed softly and smiled.
"I know people would. I can help now that I'm back, if you want? Find a nice girl worthy of my miracle boy."
"Okay." Ushiwaka said softly, blinking in his usual bored way.
"Do you want to get dinner later? You can show me around campus."
"If that's what you want. I don't want to get in your way." Ushiwaka nodded. Tendou blushed and looked down.
"No, it's fine. You're probably busy. Don't worry about it. I'll see you at your next game, I guess."
Ushiwaka gently grabbed Tendou's arm, hesitating for a moment before pulling Tendou into his chest for a hug.
"I missed you, Satori." Ushiwaka murmured, his chest rumbling. "I want to be around you. You're the one who left me."
Tendou buried his face in Ushiwaka's shoulder and hugged him tight.
"I missed you so much, 'Toshi. I thought about you all the time. I'm sorry I didn't call. Forgive me?"
Ushiwaka buried his face in Tendou's hair, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Come to dinner with me and I'll consider it." Ushiwaka murmured, smirking lightly. Tendou nodded eagerly.
"Yes, please. Do you know any good places nearby?"
"I've gone to a few places with Iwaizumi and Oikawa." Ushiwaka smiled gently, nodding.
"Are you friends with them?" Tendou asked, hesitant to let go of Ushiwaka.
"Iwaizumi, yeah. Oikawa just comes because Iwaizumi makes him." Ushiwaka smiled gently. Tendou giggled.
"I'm glad you're friends with Iwaizumi. He always seemed more like the rational of the two."
Ushiwaka smiled gently, running his fingers through Tendou's hair as he pulled away.
"Did you change your phone number?" Ushiwaka asked softly. Tendou blushed softly.
"I don't actually have a phone right now. I need to get one. I didn't have one while I was in Europe."
Ushiwaka frowned slightly. Europe?
"Oh. Okay. Meet me at the Tipsy Fox at six?
"I'll see you there. I'll see if I can get a phone before then and we can exchange numbers then." Tendou smiled and nodded.
"See you then, Satori." Ushiwaka murmured. He turned to leave, pulling out his phone to text Iwa. Tendou grinned happily as Ushiwaka walked away.
"See you, miracle boy," Tendou murmured softly, just barely stopping himself from twirling.
/Can you come over?/ Ushiwaka texted Iwaizumi, frowning and groaning as he reached his dorm room, getting undressed.
/Sure. Where are you? Everything okay?/ Iwaizumi texted back, looking over Oikawa's knee in the locker rooms after practice.
/my dorm room. I don't know. Just need to talk./ Ushiwaka sent back.
"I thought you were looking at my knee, not texting your boyfriend." Oikawa smiled, gently kicking Iwa's phone playfully.
/I'll be there soon./ Iwaizumi texted and stuck his phone back in his pocket. He smoothed his hands up Oikawa's leg and stood up.
"No one else is as much of an ass as you." Iwa pulled Oikawa to stand and kissed him softly. "That's why no one else is your boyfriend," he teased. "I have to go see Ushiwaka. I'll see you tonight?"
Oikawa frowned deeply.
"You're gonna go see him after the way he talked to you today?" Oikawa asked softly.
"He was upset. I've never seen him yell like that before. Not even during a game. He wants to talk. Maybe he'll tell me what's wrong,” Iwaizumi explained. Oikawa sighed softly but nodded, gently running his fingers through Iwaizumi's hair.
"Okay. But if he yells at you again I'll kick his ass."
Iwaizumi chuckled and kissed Oikawa gently.
"I'd like to see you try. I'll see you later. Maybe you can have a surprise waiting for me," Iwaizumi said with a smirk. Oikawa couldn't help but smile at Iwaizumi's smirk.
"I'll be at your place, then."
"We can get takeout. Whatever you want." Iwaizumi stroked Oikawa's cheek. "Thank you for sticking up for me."
Oikawa blushed lightly.
"You'd have done the same for me." Oikawa murmured shyly. Iwaizumi nodded.
"Someone's gotta protect you. Even from yourself sometimes." Iwaizumi kissed Oikawa again. "Now go rest your leg and get some food ordered."
"Yes, sir." Oikawa smirked, kissing Iwaizumi back before leaving, smiling to himself. Iwaizumi couldn't help the goofy smile on his face as he walked to Ushiwaka's dorm room. He knocked on the door. Ushiwaka let Iwaizumi in, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a tank top.
"Hey. Thanks for coming." Ushiwaka murmured. "To start things off I'd like to apologize to you. You were just trying to help earlier and I didn't need to yell at you."
Iwaizumi waved his hand.
"Thanks for the apology, but it's not needed. You were upset. You still seem upset. Is that what you want to talk about? Did you want me to look at your nose while I'm here?"
Ushiwaka frowned, fidgeting nervously.
"I'm... not... good at emotions." Ushiwaka murmured, not sure how to start. "But... I always thought..." Ushiwaka sighed deeply, whimpering and going to sit on his bed with his head in his hands. "I thought Tendou was the one person that understood me. He didn't mind that I don't know how to understand sarcasm, or subtlety. But he left me. How... how am I supposed to just forgive him?"
Iwaizumi frowned and walked over to sit by Ushiwaka. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"You don't have to forgive him if you don't want to. It's entirely up to you how you feel. Do you want to forgive him?"
"I don't want to be without him anymore." Ushiwaka whispered. "But what if he leaves again? I... I don't know if I can handle that."
"Tell him that. Tell him you want to be friends, but not if he's going to leave again," Iwaizumi said gently. Ushiwaka swallowed nervously, frowning and nodding.
"I'll try." Ushiwaka murmured. "I just don't want to hurt his feelings."
"He hurt your feelings. If he's really your friend, he'll understand why." Iwaizumi rubbed Ushiwaka's back gently. Ushiwaka sighed softly, breathing out slowly as he tried to calm himself.
"We're going to dinner tonight. I'll try to bring it up then."
"Are you sure you want to go somewhere alone with him already?"
"Should we not?" Ushiwaka asked in confusion, frowning deeply.
"That's up to you. Are you going to feel okay being alone with him?" Iwaizumi asked. "Did you want me and Oikawa to come too?"
"I... can't text him to warn him that you'd be coming. He doesn't have a phone."
"Well, if you get there and feel like you want me there, text me and I'll... pretend I'm just dropping by." Iwaizumi said. Ushiwaka smiled gently, laughing a bit.
"I don't know if Satori would buy that."
"Probably not. Tooru's much better at the espionage thing than I am." Iwaizumi laughed softly.
"How... how did you know that Oikawa was interested in you, romantically?" Ushiwaka asked softly. Iwaizumi chuckled softly.
"He drunkenly confessed to me at our graduation party. We were the only ones really still awake at the time and he just started crying about how much he was going to miss me and that he loved me and I shouldn't go to America." Iwaizumi smiled softly to himself. Ushiwaka blinked in surprise. He'd never touched alcohol before he was of legal age. Maybe if he had been drunk one of the times he had been with Tendou alone he might have been able to confess?
"Wasn't he scared you didn't care about him the same way?"
"Terrified, but I think the fact we were both thinking of going thousands of miles away scared him more." Iwaizumi furrowed his brow. "Are you interested in someone romantically?"
"Tendou." Ushiwaka admitted sadly. "I... I used to think that he might... feel the same way, but..." He shrugged heavily. Iwaizumi sighed and rubbed Ushiwaka's back.
"Are you sure you want to go to dinner with him tonight if you feel this way?"
"I want to see him. Wouldn't you want to be friends with Oikawa even if he didn't love you back?" Ushiwaka sighed deeply.
"Yeah, but he wouldn't leave me for a year without a word either... At least I hope he wouldn't." Iwaizumi sighed again. "I guess go to dinner tonight and see where things stand? You can make your decision if you still want to be his friend after that."
Ushiwaka swallowed nervously at the thought of breaking off his friendship with Tendou. As much as it hurt that he abandoned Ushiwaka, he still loved Tendou.
"What would you have done if Oikawa left you for a year without any explanation?" Ushiwaka asked. Iwaizumi thought for a moment.
"I don't know, but I probably wouldn't talk to him. At least for a little bit."
"Then you'd just be doing what he did and disappearing." Ushiwaka frowned. "Would it just be to get back at him?"
Iwaizumi blushed softly and shrugged.
"Probably, but that's the kind of relationship I have with him."
"I don't think Tendou and I are competitive like that." Ushiwaka nodded thoughtfully.
"Then go to dinner and see how you feel."
Ushiwaka checked his watch.
"Well. I've kept you from Oikawa long enough. I should shower and get ready for dinner, too." Ushiwaka murmured. "I'm sorry to be a bother. Thank you for coming over."
"It's never a bother," Iwaizumi said standing up. "You're my friend and I'm always here for you, okay? Text me after your dinner and let me know how everything went."
Ushiwaka smiled lightly, nodding and letting Iwaizumi out before going to get in the shower.