A sandy white beach.
Blue waves and a bluer sky.
Ushijima was standing and found he was looking at himself, facing out in to the waves. He felt empty, like he was waiting for something. The endless ocean in front of him only made the loneliness grow. As he watched himself turn around though, his heart felt warm and full in a second.
What made him feel that way though?
His other self smiled warmly, and walked passed himself without knowing he was there. He tried to see where he was going, and what made himself smile in such a way, but everything around him turned blurry, and a faint music pulled his attention elsewhere.
Ushijima rolled over and blinked the sleep away from his eyes. The dream he was pulled out of was now but a distant memory.
He turned his alarm off and shuffles to his bathroom, beginning his daily routine. After erasing any trace of sleep from himself after a shower and a good teeth cleaning, he strolls naked back into his bedroom.
He begins picking his clothes out for the day and ends up with a pair of navy blue athletic joggers and a dark grey V neck t-shirt. As he brings the t-shirt over his head and settles it on himself his stomach greets him, as if it had been snoozing while he was getting ready and is now wide awake, and very hungry.
Ushijima heads to his refrigerator and furrows his brows ever so slightly at the lack of food on the shelves. He pulls out his phone and is thankful for always waking up earlier than necessary, since he has time to grab himself something to eat before work.
Walking into the restaurant always provides a warm feeling to him. Whether hes here for coffee and a bagel, or drinks and dinner, Asahi's is one of the best restaurants on the block.
As always he is greeted by his good friend, and owner, Asahi. Him and Ushijima met their first year of college and were both quiet, gentle, misunderstood giants, and this led to them being cast aside by everyone else.
After being their only form of companionship, the two of them became quite close after 4 years and ended up continuing their friendship after graduation. Ushijima was never a social butterfly and although hes never known what a stereotypical best friend is, he considers Asahi to be as close to one as hes ever had.
"Well good morning, I take it you didnt buy groceries this weekend, am I right?"
Asahi beams as he starts to pour a cup of hot black coffee. He sets it on the bar and waits for Ushijima to sit himself down.
"What is it for breakfast today then?"
Ushijima hums to himself at how well Asahi knows him.
"Just a bagel today, I have an early appointment"
"Well im glad you can still make time to see me even if it is only out of convenience"
Asahi chuckles to his friend and gets started on his breakfast.
The two of them converse over the bar, Asahi leaving every now and then to tend to a customer. Ushijima enjoys spending his free time at the restaurant, its always peaceful in the morning and smells of coffee and baked goods. At night Asahi transforms himself and the restaurant, to an upscale place with drinks to die for.
Ushijima finishes and offers his goodbye to Asahi and heads to work.
The day moves at an alarming pace and Ushijima is on his way home before his day even catches up to him. When he steps inside his studio apartment the fatigue catches up to him and he rolls onto his futon surprisingly exhausted.
Just as Ushijima is getting comfortable and ready for a possible nap, his stomach arrives late once again, making him far too uncomfortable to sleep. Before he even enters the kitchen though, he remembers this morning and decides maybe he should get groceries before he has to eat at Asahis for breakfast and dinner for the rest of the week.
As soon as he reaches his hand to turn the handle, he hears a forceful pound on the front door. He was startled but proceeded to open it anyways. Ushijima was met with two men blocking his entire doorway.
The first man he noticed was tall and wearing tight slacks and a black button up. His hair was styled in a messy way, with some of his bangs falling into his eyes on the right side. On his right was a tall man with spikey grey and back hair, in grey slacks and a white 3/4 sleeve button up.
Needless to say the sight before Ushijima would make any human being swallow in apprehension. He decided not to make any rash decisions. The man in black curled his lips into a smirk, his cat like eyes paralyzing Ushijima.
"Good evening, Wakatoshi San."
The way the raven haired man purred his name made Ushijima feel like a predator's prey. Whatever this was about it wasn't good and he knew better than to cause more trouble for himself. He simply stood and nodded in acknowledgment. The ravens smirk never faltered.
"Im sure you havent the slightest idea, but its my job to ask before I make any hasty decisions. So, Wakatoshi San, do you know your fathers whereabouts at the moment?"
Ushijima was shocked. Of all things this could be related to he was not prepared to be asked about his father.
"The last I heard he was still overseas."
Ushijima answered flatly. It was the truth, whether they liked it or not, and from the look on their faces they were not too happy to hear about that.
"Well then, I guess I have no choice"
He opened his arms in a shrug and his eyes pierced Ushijimas threateningly.
"We arent going to do this the hard way are we?"
Ushijima didnt need to think about the really. They were too close for him to slam the door closed, and even if he did what then? There was a high possibility they had weapons on them of some sort so running or fighting was completely out of the question.
He quietly sighed to himself and stepped outside. Convenient he thought, he was already wearing his shoes.
The drive took about 30 minutes, and when the car was parked Ushijima was met with that cat's smile again.
"You have been very cooperative Wakatoshi San, and I appreciate it very much. However,"
He held his hands before Ushijima and smiled
"I apologize, but for the safety of my Boss, I will have to tie you up now"
They all exit the car into a dark parking garage that is for the most part empty. Fortunately this is not where their business with Ushijima lied, and for that he was grateful. For what it was worth the man was fairly gentle with him when tying his hands. He was cooperating with everything after all and logically Ushijima understood his current situation.
They entered an elevator and rode up in silence with only the quiet hum of the machine to comfort him. Once they reached their designated floor, the doors opened to a casino style hallway with mirrored walls and black marble tile. At the end of the hallway were 2 large doors.
Now that he was finally here, he was starting to rationalize what could possibly happen to him. The closer he was led to the door, Ushijimas heart started beating a little faster. Hes never been quick to panic, but the air was catching itself in his lungs. His cheeks and ears were beginning to tingle from heat as the door was opened before him.
His heart thumped in his chest as he was pushed into the door and fell onto his knees.
The air surrounding Ushijima was bone chillingly cold and he tried to keep his eyes on the floor. His gaze would betray him though, when the silence was thinly cut with a voice that sent shivers down Ushijimas spine.
"My my my, what did the cat drag in this time?"
"This is Takashi's kid. little hard to find since they dont share the same last name, but he was easier to find than Utsui obviously."
Ushijima felt as though he was growing smaller as he lifted his eyes to see the host before him. Lounging on a black couch completely stretched out in front of him was a man with deep red hair, a tousled suit, and he was surrounded by a cold unforgiving aura.
His eyes were sunken and sleepless, painted with dark circles. The rest of his face looked hollow and malnourished you could see ever sharp line of his jaw and cheek bones. His hair was fairly long and messy, and looked as though it had been pushed back and run through many times.
His collar bone peeked out of his unbuttoned and wrinkled shirt. His long arms were wrapped around the back of the couch he was sitting on, a glass with clear liquid in his left hand.
Ushijima noticed that he hadnt been breathing for quite some time, and when he locked eyes with the tall man in front of him, he forced himself to inhale quietly no matter how quickly his lungs were begging for air.
The man swings his leg off the other where it was crossed, finishes his drink, and rises from his seat. He sauntered towards Ushijima, who was still kneeling on the floor, hands tied behind his back.
Ushijima couldnt fight the uneasiness that swept over him the closer this man got, until he stopped breathing again when he leaned down and faced Ushijima at a very close distance. He felt like he was being examined, like a piece of meat meant to be served on the finest silver platter.
The piercing eyes flickered to the rope keeping Ushijimas hands secure. He stood straight and addressed the man behind him.
"Now now Kuroo, were not going to kill the man,"
He turned and smirked to Ushijima before making his way back to his seat
"Were just going to have a conversation"
The man named Kuroo sighed behind him, and untied Ushijimas hands while whispering his apologies. Ushijima didnt notice the predatory eyes that watched closely as he rotated his shoulders to ease the tension in them.
"You there"
His voice penetrated Ushijimas chest.
"Come"
The red head beckoned him with his finger.
Ushijima began to stand to walk towards the man but was stopped.
"Uh uh uh. I didnt say stand, now did I?"
The question itself was just a question, but the underlying bite to it, and the position Ushijima was in, made it seem more like a threat. It was true, the man did not say he could stand, but that would mean...
Ushijima tried to read the intent behind the dark red downturned eyes, as they stared. They said 'I dont ask twice'
Ushijima hesitated, wishing he was home. Maybe if he'd gone to Asahis after work he wouldnt be here right now. He could play through the maybes for hours of what he could have done to avoid this if hed have known.
But he was here, his eyes remained locked with the owner of the house. He couldnt believe what he was doing, but it was something he didnt think he could avoid, so he started forward. Ushijimas stomach turned at the embarrassment he bestowed upon himself as he moved one arm forward, palm facedown on the tile. He slowly followed suit with his opposite leg, his knee sliding accross the floor.
With only a few... steps if you would call them that, Ushijima was on all fours in front of the red head, his expression still unchanging.
"Sit"
Sit he did, and whether it was out of fear, captivation, or simple refusal to back down, Uhshijima still held the mans gaze. Because of this, he noticed the slightest curl of the redheads lips when he slowly sat down on his legs and placed his palms on his thighs.
Ushijima blinked and when he opened his eyes, red pupils were mere inches away from his face. His chin was grabbed softly by long fingers, and his cheek was pet lightly with a thumb. The red head was smiling something sinister.
"What a good boy"
He whispered into Uhsijimas ear, lips brushing past his lobe. He had to suppress the shudder that traveled through his body, but he could not hide the goosebumps that formed down his neck. Undenounced to Ushijima they didnt go unnoticed.
Within a second blink, the man was back to his seat on the couch.
"Now now, you look like a smart man, so I am sure you can guess why you might be here. To keep the story short, your father owes me money, but hes made himself very hard to find."
He pauses for a moment and opens a drawer underneath the coffee table slightly to Ushijimas left. The man pulls out a bottle of Gin, and fills up his empty glass, then leans back again to gaze at Ushijima.
"Ill give you two options. 1. you continue to work as an athletic therapist and starve yourself to death paying back your fathers debt each month. Or 2."
He pauses to take a sip, still watching closely.
"2 is you quit your job and come work for me."
Ushijima remained silent
"Housing and food would be provided of course, you just have to make sure you do everything I ask of you. I'll give you till Saturday to decide"
With a wave of his hand, Ushijima was lifted from his knees and escorted back outside the room. Before the door shut behind him he caught the man observing him on his way out. The entire time out of the unfamiliar area felt like a dream to him. He didnt pay attention to anyone or anything. The passing telephone poles and streetlights were just images passing in front of him.
Ushijima found himself outside his front door, with a hand waving in front of his face. This snapped him back into reality.
"Oi. Well be back on Saturday no matter what you choose, so dont be stupid"
Ushijima could have only been gone a few hours, the sun was just barely setting, but when he walked into his studio apartment, it felt as though hed been gone for months. Everything felt so unfamiliar towards him. He made his way to his bed and lied down without changing, without eating, without thinking. He quickly fell asleep, and in the dreams he would not remember in the morning, all he saw was red.