𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘜𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘪𝘮𝘢 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳)

CH 19

Aunt Yumi called you and Ushijima down as dinner was ready. Sitting next to Ushijima, Aunt Yumi sat opposite of you with Uncle Fuki next to her opposite of Ushijima. At the start of dinner, instead of taking his portion, Ushijima scooped a spoonful of fish and checked for bones before placing it on your plate. That sweet gesture made your chest blossom as you gave him a thankful grin. Not only you, both your uncle and aunt had the same treatment. Aunt Yumi could not help but share looks with you, knowing that you were blushing.

"Ehehe, nephew-in-law material." Uncle Fuki snickered. Widening your eyes, your leg from below the table kicked his shin causing him to yelp. Seizing this opportunity, Aunt Yumi shoved her chopsticks in his agape mouth full of stir-fried vegetables. Grumbling under your breath, you glanced at Ushijima to see the tip of his ears red. You instinctively grabbed his hand and held it with a few squeezes of comfort. Ushijima assured both you and Aunt Yumi that he was alright causing Uncle Fuki to dramatically thank his fellow opposite hitter.

As dinner progressed, questions were thrown to Ushijima. Though Uncle Fuki has been his coach since Ushijima joined, he was not aware of his family situation as well as the rest team. "So, who does your family consist of, Ushijima?" He asked, not knowing he might have gone over the line of comfort. "You don't have to answer him if you're uncomfortable." You whispered to the man sitting beside you before narrowing your eyes towards your uncle with a few facial expressions, signalling him to zip his lips. Though there were times Uncle Fuki "may be dumb" (quoting from Aunt Yumi), he was still an adult of maturity and thankfully he got your message. "O-Oh, you don't have to answer that. No obligation." Uncle Fuki tried to swerve away from the touchy subject. "It's alright, coach. My family situation is similar to y/n's. Both my parents are divorced and I grew up under my mother's care." Ushijima placed his utensils down to speak.

"Thank you for sharing such personal information with us, Ushijima. I apologize if my stupid husband made you uneasy today." "Yeah- Wait, what?" Uncle Fuki blinked and felt a pinch on his thigh, skin getting twisted by Aunt Yumi as he grimaced in pain. "Please don't apologize. I'll share this sooner or later. Thankfully it's been brought up and now we have got this over with." Ushijima slightly waved his hand to dismiss the situation. "Still, there are some things we should think about asking." You emphasized, placing a hand on Ushijima's arm. It was probably going to be a long time until you bring Ushijima back home. Not until you settle some damage control.

Spending a few more hours at your place, it was time for Ushijima to go. He bowed, thanked and bid goodbye to Uncle Fuki and Aunt Yumi for inviting him to spend the evening and have dinner at your house. "Tonight was really something." You chuckled while both of you made way to his car. "Hm? What makes you say so?" Ushijima tilted his head to a side. You angled your head to the night sky with eyes glancing away from him. "Because you're the first man I've brought home..." You uttered under your breath. Hearing those words made Ushijima's chest full, "I'm honored." "Dummy, why are you so blunt?" You punched his tummy to mask the embarrassment. Your features softened and took a step closer to him, "But I like that about you." You circled your arms around his waist and pressed your cheek against his chest.

"I'm glad to here that, not many people appreciate it." Ushijima let out a sigh of relief. "Those are the type of people who want to hear lies to make themselves feel better." You placed your chin on his chest and looked up to him. From the bottom of your heart, you wanted someone in your life to be honest with you, to snap you out of certain thoughts and pull you back to reality. Not everyone in this day and age had to guts to do that but the man standing before you does.

The sound of crickets chirping was a sign that it was getting late. As much as you didn't want him to go, you knew that he had to wake up early tomorrow for practice. "Thank you for coming, Toshi." You slightly detached from the embrace. If someone were to stare at Ushijima from when you first hugged him to when you let go a few second ago, there was a slight drop in his features. "It's my pleasure, y/n. I guess I've got to go now." He nudged his head towards his ride. Humming, you reluctantly let him go and watched him enter the driver's seat.

The engine roared, indicating it was warming up for the trip back home. It was when the window rolled down to reveal Ushijima. "You should head in. It gets chilly during this timing." Nodding, you lowered your upper body to meet his eye level. "Yeah, I will." You assured him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Toshi." You waved. "Goodnight and sweet dreams, y/n." With that, you left for home. As you walked away, you realized that Ushijima wasn't driving away causing you to wonder if he had left something at your place. Tyres rolled against the cement road as Ushijima's car reversed to where you stood. "What's wrong? You left something?" You approached him and bent to the window's height.

In a swift yet gentle motion, Ushijima placed a hand behind your head to pull you closer and kissed your forehead tenderly. You stood there surprised and dumbfounded, all sorts of sickly sweet feelings seeping through your skin. "Sorry, just thought it was unfair if you were the one who always give kisses." Gosh, this man.