"Ushiwaka! I'm so proud of you, man!" Leon said through his phone. Ushijima smiled softly to himself, while preparing his morning coffee. He woke up this morning to 206 notifications on his locked screen. All messages coming from a group chat created by Oikawa. All his friends and teammates got on the date train and started to speculate about how he should dress, how he should present himself and where. It made him feel special and weird inside. This was an unknown territory for him and he wasn't even sure if it would officially be a date. They saw each other twice since they officially presented themselves at the coffee shop and Wakatoshi felt at ease to see the man again in a more…romantic setting. The one thing he wasn't so proud of was the fact that he was using this experience to get over a certain someone. But the thing about Ushijima is that he doesn't lie. So, when Kaito asked him if he had anybody, Wakatoshi talked a bit about his currently bleeding heart. Nothing too deep or personal. Simply a vague update, but still very much honest and truthful. He did not hope anything out of that confession, so when Kaito still offered a warm smile and a date proposition, Ushijima did not know how to react. His eyes widened a bit, letting his mind run wild. What kind of date? When? Does that mean he likes me? Am I into him? Should I tell Sat- No. That was not a good idea. Tendo wasn't a part of that kind of thing in his life anymore. Telling him that kind of stuff would only make them both feel awkward and weird. So, he held up on that and decided to go for the closest friend he had, which was still hard to believe…Oikawa Torou, who took a certain pleasure in spreading THAT gossip.

"So, did you decide of a place or it's his job to find it?" Leon asked, ruffling through some metallic objects Wakatoshi could not recognize.

"No and I'm not sure. We are supposed to text each other tonight. So, I guess we'll figure it out then and there." He answered, taking his hot beverage in his hands. Today was another practice day. He had to get to the practice complex by 10am and follow a thorough schedule to get back into his season shape. A few stops here and there before heading down to the practice court.

"Looking good, Ushiwaka! Almost like a dude with a date Friday!" Hoshiumi Korai called loudly when he saw the ace walk in. Wakatoshi looked at him, before turning to look at the taller man beside him.

"You told them?" He asked, letting his bag fall down on the floor. Tobio's face grew scared and anxious.

"Hi-Hinata did." He said, bringing both hands in front of him in defense. Both men turned to face the court, taking deep breaths. All the players present stretched and prepared with their own personal warm up. Tobio took a few serves before taking one last look at his nails, while Wakatoshi stretched with Nicolas Romero.

"Ok team, let's round up." Head coach Banjo Suzaku yelled from the home team's bench. Everybody got closer, taking off their track pants and/or jackets. "Pre-season begins in a few days against the Tachibana Red Falcons. After that, we have two back-to-back games against the Black Jackals. So, for today, let's focus on preparing for the game on Saturday night." He explained, before taking a step back, letting his coaching staff take care of guiding the players through their schedule for the day. Lots of rotation options and attack format were displayed on the board for the team to look over. They took some time to adjust their defensive problems from the last season with Romero, being their primary Dman, coming back from injury.

"Ushijima-san!" The ace heard after practice. He was silently taking his jacket and preparing to stretch on the gym floor when Kageyama jugged right up to him. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked with a respectful yet skeptical look on his face. When Wakatoshi nodded, the setter crouched down to meet the taller man's height. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, before he took a deep breath. "How can I find someone attractive if I hate every aspect of hi- of that person" He asked, almost not slipping a fatal clue out that Wakatoshi clearly heard but ignored anyway. The ace blinked a few times, before frowning.

"I don't know." He answered, before bringing both legs closer to his body, leaning on his back. "Why do you hate Hinata?" He followed up with a question that made Kageyama close his eyes in defeat. A little moment of silence followed, before Tobio started to stretch as well.

"He's so infuriating. I feel like all he does is challenge me and make me go mad. His stupid jokes and stupid laughs." He sighed, cheeks turning red and a small speck of tenderness in his eyes. Wakatoshi could sense the affection in the air, hidden behind the fake hatred and very forced annoyance.

"But you like that too." He said, stretching his arms and watching his friend carefully. Tobio's expression became of glass, while his palms began sweating. "Don't you want to know what your heart really feels? You look confused. Just like I was for a long time. As long as you don't trust your own feelings, I won't be able to help you answer that question." He said, arching his back a few seconds, hearing it crack. When he relaxed, body completely laying on the floor, Kageyama sighed, which rarely occurred. Even now, Ushijima always felt like Tobio was this one-track minded boy who knew where he was going and every single detail of what the path ahead had reserved for him. But now, what he saw was a lost boy with untouched feelings. Stuff he might've wanted to keep deeply hidden in the back of his mind. Which made Ushijima frown. He knew keeping all those unwanted feelings in a cage will only make things worse for the setter. He wasn't even sure Kageyama had accepted the fluidity of his sexuality. He might wanna start there, he thought. "Are you gay?" Wakatoshi asked bluntly, which made the setter choke on air, eyes wide.

"What? No. I mean… I don't…" Kageyama stopped himself before saying anything stupid or untrue. "I don't know." Is what he should've said first. But Ushijima was still please to hear the man say it anyway.

"Well, take your time. It's not something you absolutely have to put a label on. But making the difference between a romantic and friendship affection is important. It took me too long to figure that out. You might have some time still." He said, eyeing the setter's reaction. The man simply nodded, keeping his eyes on his hands.

"He wants me to go practice with him tonight." He whispered, doubt in his tone.

"So? Are you nervous? Do you even feel like you want to practice?"

"What? Yes. Always." Tobio said confidently, raising his head up. "But I don't want to practice with him. I think too much." He said, changing position to stretch his legs.

"Why?"

"I think about what he says. What he does. What he'd want to do other than volleyball. I think about what he does alone at home. If he cleans a lot. Or if he speaks to his sister as much as he'd want. I think about useless things other than volleyball." He said, getting up slowly. Ushijima followed suit, taking his water bottle with him.

"You should try to ask the questions you want to ask. You might be surprised. And if you ever get the feeling you want to know more and be emotionally closer to him, you'll have the answer you're looking for."

"Which is what?"

"If you're attracted to him. That's the only question that matters now. You'll figure the rest later on."

Both players walked back to the locker room, finding their other teammates. They talked some more about their plans to get in the right shape for the season. Ushijima would talk about his training/gym sessions with Oikawa, who seemed to be the one pushing the taller man to new extremes every time they meet up. Tobio would train alone or with Tsukishima Kei, who had a high sense of competition with the man. They would push themselves only to beat the other one, which seemed to work for the both of them. The setter took his time to pack up his things, trying to assimilate what Ushijima told him. He thought about doing a pros and con list of being attracted to Hinata. But he felt hesitant, has pros and cons wasn't really the best option he had. More like 'What I like' and 'What I hate', but even then, Tobio has yet to figure out if he really does hate the guy. That's something Ushijima never really went through. His relationship with Satori has always been legitimate and strong, in his opinion, even as platonic friends. They both started with a lot of respect for each other, which is something Kageyama and Hinata do not even fully have now. Maybe I should just go see Satori too. The setter thought to himself, taking his sports bag with him. The exit doors barely had barely closed when his phone started to ring. This loud, annoying, yet unique ring tone that indicated only one thing.

"What." He answered coldly on the phone, bracing himself to hear this annoying voice.

"Kags, you took my water bottle, didn't you?" He heard him say. He frowned, pouting at himself. His free hand went directly to his bag, where he searched for the bottle.

"No. Pretty sure I took mine." He said, feeling the cold metal of the item he was looking for.

"Hmmm hmmm. Pretty sure I have yours in my hands." Hinata said, half gigging. Tobio rolled his eyes, just has his hand retrieved the bottle. His eyes fell on the wanted object, which made him look around carefully. Left to right, then behind him. When his eyes fell back on the big orange face drawn on the bottle, he almost laughed, but coughed up his shame in one subtle try.

"You cough when you're wrong." Hinata said through the phone, enjoying the image in his head of a very shy and somewhat annoyed Tobio holding his bottle. "Wash it before you come back home." He said, before throwing in a chuckle.

"We don't live together, idiot." Kageyama said, holding his phone a little too tight.

"You know what I mean, silly." Hinata said, leaving Tobio with a sudden urge to throw the bottle as far as he could.

"Yes. Goodbye." Tobio said, almost wanting to hang up for real.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Can you bring back some soup? I uh… I think I caught something. I feel sick." Hinata said a bit more seriously.

Tobio listened carefully, before letting his worry show for a rare time.

"What? Any fever? Maybe I should bring some meds with the soup. Do you need meds? I think I should bring some." He said really quickly, letting the bottle fall back in his bag. "Your sister's school is ending, maybe I could call her for help. You know, she could totally help me take care of y-of… you." He slipped, but took the decision to finish what he started. It might actually get me somewhere.

Hinata stayed silent for a few seconds, before clearing his throat. "Uh, I think my mom wanted her to come over for diner. So it's just me… And don't worry. It's just a cold, I think." He said, letting his confusion and sudden shyness show through his tone. Kageyama took a single deep breath, before nodding to himself.

"Then I'll take care of it. I'll be there in a bit." He said, then hung up. Tobio thought about how exactly he could've taken the wrong bottle. He did spend lots of time with Hinata for practices and gym time. Although they kept their equipment to themselves, they did wash everything back at Hinata's apartment everytime they'd get back from training. The reason was simple: Kageyama Tobio was a lazy guy after practices. He likes to keep his space clean at all times but being tired does influence him. He becomes lazy and grumpy. So the best way for him to avoid that state of mind is to follow his little friend back home and help with the cleaning of water bottles, volleyballs, knee pads and uniforms/training jerseys.

En route to Hinata's place, Tobio likes to listen to music and jog the last kilometer away. It's probably for the devilish reason that Shoyo hates opening his door to a sweaty Kageyama. So everytime he gets up those stairs and knock, he knows his friend will take a few seconds of panic to give him a once over. He ran his way to him with his bag and can of soup in hand. Two knocks later, he heard some movement coming from the inside.

"Hmmm, come in" He heard, accepting his cue to open the door.

"You look like shit." He said, without even taking a singe look in Hinata's way, who frowned.

"Not true." He sniffed, hiding in a blanket while leaning on the wall. "Got me some soup, Kags?" He asked, yawning in his shoulder.

"Did not." Tobio said, hiding a hand behind his back. But I do have your water bottle."

"Well…" Shoyo started, raising one hand to point the kitchen. "You know what to do, Lazyama." He said, almost giggling at his own words. He felt like Iwaizumi.

"What did you say?" Tobio growled in front of the sink.

"NOTHING!" Shoyo quickly shouted, almost running to the couch, where he wanted desperately to fall asleep. He dropped down on it, bringing the blanket over his body once more. "Thank you." He said softly. Kageyama heard those words but decided not to respond. He smiled a little, washing the bottle quickly, before boiling some water on the stove. It took him a few minutes to steer the soup and add some veggies, but he did it and poured the entire thing in a bowl, before bringing it to Hinata, who fell asleep as soon as his body felt comfortable on the couch. Tobio stared a little, before writing a quick note on a piece of paper. 'Just reheat it, tangerine.' He sat down to look at his phone for a few minutes. Looking at emails and a few videos his teammates took at practice. Tobio wasn't very active in the team group chat, but he did watch the videos and read the messages. He'd glance Hinata's way a few times, making sure the smaller man wouldn't need a bigger blanket or meds. He stayed half an hour, before getting up and taking his bag. Going home at that hour meant he had to make a quick stop to the downtown market for something to eat. It took him a minute to get his things together, before opening the door gently. He smiled one last time, looking at the back of the couch. "See you tomorrow." He whispered, before going away.

Hinata woke up to the smell of chicken broth, feeling no better than he did before. The apartment was silent and empty, something that made his heart sink a bit. Shoyo took a deep breath, before pushing himself up to sit on the couch. With his hair sticking to his face, he leaned closer to the bowl of soup and the handwritten note. He smiled a little, before bringing both hands to his face. A long yawn later, he took his phone from his back pocket and texted Tobio a quick thank you. He tried the soup, seeing the steam was still coming out of it. He must've just left. Maybe that's what woke me up. He shrugged away at the piece of information and began eating slowly. After finishing it, he took his phone again and texted the person who helped him figure out his relationship with Kageyama.

-He made me soup. I think I should be sick more often.

-Or you could tell him, ya know?

-Like you di-oohhh wait…You didn't.

Hinata smirked at his own text, feeling like he got his friend into a corner.

-Imma block your number like I blocked you in the finals, shrimpy.

-Again, you didn't.

Hinata laughed, before throwing his phone on his couch and getting the bowl to the sink. He did all my dishes? He thought, looking around. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Sure, there was only a few plates and stuff, but it was kind of him to clean up everything. His evening would be a slow one in front of the TV. He wanted to watch a TV show but felt like his 2 pre-season games against Kageyama needed a bit more preparation.

Watching old games was the safer/more productive way to go, so he took a quick shower, stretched a little and took two Advil's before turning his TV on. One thing he was looking forward this season was the return of the young gun Yuji Nishida with the Red Falcons. The man tried the Italian League for some time, but unfortunately got injured and missed the second half on his last season. When Hinata heard he was coming back, he couldn't hide his excitement at the thought of a game against him.

It took Hinata two hours to feel the headache clear his mind. A few notes here and there to up his preparation a little bit, then another set of stretching for his head and neck. His evening was uneventful, just like his body clearly needed. Some more rest and then his first pre-season game against the Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets and Ushijima's old teammate Goshiki Tsutomu the day after tomorrow.

Everything seemed ready for Kageyama and Ushijima's first pre-season game. They both prepared well and felt ready for their first challenge. Sure, a win would be good for moral, but right now, both players are focusing on their own game and preparations for the true season, which had yet to start for another 2 weeks. No points on the standings just yet, but players were eager to push their stats up. Kageyama and Wakatoshi were both big fans of advanced stats or analytics. That was something Hinata wasn't very familiar with or even interested in, but he did listen carefully from time to time.

The locker room felt cold and freshly cleaned when Tobio set foot in it after the warmup. He smelled the air and exhaled slowly. He imagined Shoyo saying something stupid about the smell, then smiled to himself.

D1 volleyball was back.

A few stretches here and there, few sips of water and then some high fives were shared. The players were hyping each other before going on the court for the game. They were obviously a little nervous, even for pre-season games, but that's what made this team such a fierce competitor. They were always hungry.

"Alright guys, starting lineup in front, the rest follow with the jackets on. You know the drill. This game is a simple conditioning test. Play your game, follow the concepts and you'll be fine. I have two rookies on the side lines for this game. I'm keeping the rest for MSBY. Get out there and get comfy. Fell the ball, do your blocks the way you're meant to during the season. It's a short stretch before the first game, so be sure to do everything right. Let's go." Coach said, clapping in his hands. Everybody followed behind him, jumping a little and putting on their jerseys. Wakatoshi got out first, followed by his setter and the rest of the team. He felt really good and his usual calm attitude was still visible. When he stepped on the court, he could hear the few people present in the stands cheering for them. A few flags here and there, then the center court's net came in his sight. He tried as much as he could to hide his excitement. I got work to do. He thought, trying to make himself believe this was a regular workday. The entire team lined up on their side of the court, waiting for their opponents. The Red Falcons came out slowly, showing calm and serious faces. Ushijima could see the new player taking deep breaths and ruffling through his hair, nervously looking around. Yuji Nishida was the new star of his team. A young gun ready to show off after his season ending injury last year in Italia. They were the same age, barely a month or two between Ushijima and Nishida, but their height difference was massive, which wrongfully made Wakatoshi believe the star to be much younger than he looks.

Both teams were finally ready for the game, mindfully saluting the refs before getting in positions. The lack of fans in the stands did not alter their focus or excitement. The first whistle blew and the opponent's first server raised his arm, signaling the start of their battle.

Ushijima's game went well. He did everything his coach intended for him to do. They won in 3 sets, the last one ending by 7 points. His first thought was to see if his date was even at the game. Kaito told him they could hang out after the game, to which Wakatoshi replied a big fat 'yes'.

-You there?

-Yes! You won, right?

Wakatoshi smiled to himself, before typing on his phone, still sitting in the locker room.

-Yes. We did. You hungry? I'd eat something in maybe an hour.

-Of course. I'll meet you outside whenever you're ready.

Ushijima threw his phone in his bag, starting his post game routine for the first time this season. Quick shower before changing in his team issued clothes. He walked down the hallway to the main hallway, where he saw a waiting Kaito, looking at his phone.

"Sorry for the wait." He said, making the man jump a little. They both smiled, somewhat shy.

"It's ok, really. I listened to people talking about you. It's pretty entertaining." Kaito said with a playful look in his eyes.

"I hope they liked the game." Wakatoshi replied, putting his gym bag around his shoulder. "Want to walk around with me?" He asked, getting a small nod from his date.

They went along the hallway, passing a few fans here and there. Ushijima wasn't fazed by them or the jerseys with his name on the back. Kaito kept looking around while making the small talk, getting it all in. This guy is kinda famous, here. He thought, feeling a bit out of the loop. They talked about their day, the kind of routines Wakatoshi has to go through when it's game day. Kaito listened carefully, enjoying the way things went with the taller man.

"So you're a pretty busy guy, then." He said, not really sure of the answer he would even consider to be the best.

"Yes." Ushijima said, before looking down at the man. His smile faded a bit, giving the athlete a little hint as to what answer he finally liked more. "I mean no. I can make time for other stuff. I can make time for you." He caught himself, talking a bit too fast with his insecurity getting a bit too loud in his head. "If you ever want to meet up, I can do something about that." He added, winning a small grin in return.

"That's great. So whenever I feel like seeing your handsome face, I can just text you?" The barista said, making the ace blush a little.

"Hm. You can." When their eyes met again, Wakatoshi found himself admiring the little detail in his date's features. A little cloud of freckles on his cheeks, a cute little round nose and some beautiful deep brown eyes. It was a rare moment where Ushijima let himself enjoy physical attribute that weren't Tendo's.

Tendo.

The volleyball player's eyes flickered for a second, before he shook his head.

"You ok?" Kaito asked, getting a strange vibe.

Ushijima felt a little frustrated for a second. Don't think about him.

"Yes. Sorry, I was just looking at you. You're pretty." He said, not fully understanding the effect those words could have on people. His date turned quickly red, almost hiding his face.

"Oh." He said, almost chuckling. "That was…smooth." He added, getting a small nod from the taller man.

Their night kept going. The ate together next to a small bridge by the water. It was dark, but the environment was well lit. They had fun. It was great.

But Ushijima kept thinking about something he'd rather forget.

Will he see me play this year? It was there tradition to have a big diner on the eve of the season opening game. Will he reach out to him? Should I reach out first?