Sunshine...?

94

You stare at the court, watching the winning team celebrate their hard earned victory. A smile etched itself onto your face. You turned to your fellow manager, who looked like she couldn't believe what had actually happened. "They won, Hitoka."

Yachi nods, slowly turning to face you. "I can't believe it. They actually did it." Tears built and fell from her eyes. She quickly throws herself at you, engulfing you in a hug.

You chuckle, patting her back. "Come on, let's go down to congratulate the boys. They earned this victory, we should celebrate accordingly, don't you think." You watch her nod as she backs away from you, drying her eyes. Hand in hand, the two of you race down the stairs and rush onto the court. You let go of each other and run in different directions.

Yachi ends up crying again, this time with her arms wrapped around Kiyoko. You head straight for Shoyo, wrapping your arms around him as a smile spreads wider on your face. You lean in, kissing him.

A huge smile stretches across his face as he looks at you. "We won, Y/n-chan."

"I saw. I knew you could. Even though there were a few bumps on the road, you finally made it to your destination. I'm so proud of you, Shoyo. I love you so much."

He kisses you, holding you closer to him. He sighs when he pulls away. "I love you too, Y/n. I don't think we would've been able to do any of this without all of the support you've given us. You won this game just as much as we did."

You glance behind him, making eye contact with a certain ace that now wore a defeated look on his face. "Yeah. This feels a bit personal now." You shift your focus back to your boyfriend. "Mind if I say a few words to someone real quick?"

Hinata looks confused, but nods. "Sure." He lets go of you, allowing you to move away from him.

You walk directly to the net, standing on the opposite side of the third year ace. "I told you we'd win. My talents haven't gone to waste. They helped others."

Ushijima sighs, looking at the ground for a moment. He looks back at you as he prepares himself to speak. "So you did. I still think it's a shame you and I couldn't be together longer. It would've been nice to know what it's like to have someone reciprocate these feelings I have. Unrequited love is... not good."

You offer a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. You can't change how you feel, and feelings aren't exactly something you can control. If it makes you feel any better, you played really well. I thought you would win for a while there. Good job. And... don't get hung up on me. A day will come when someone better comes into your life. I'm not the one for you. I bet you'll meet your soulmate soon. Don't change, Ushijima-senpai. You're perfect as you are. I'll... I'll see you around, maybe." You give him one last smile before turning away, walking back to your teams they wrap up their celebration.

Ushijima lets a small smile appear on his face. "You really are amazing, L/n Y/n. I hope one day, I'll find happiness like you." He turns, walking to join his sulking team. The smile disappears from his face. It would be a new day for him.

***

"We're going to nationals!" Hinata cheered the moment the team got inside of the bus.

You were the last one inside the gym, just quietly following the others. You hadn't said a word since you spoke to Ushijima. You felt bad for breaking his heart, that and for taking away the little pride he had in what he does. I took everything away from someone in the blink of an eye. Twice. I'm feeling genuinely bad for Oikawa and Ushijima. I took away their last chances at going to nationals, and turned them down when they wanted a relationship with me. No, don't think about that now. We need to be happy. We're going to nationals. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

Hinata looked at you curiously. "Y/n? Is everything alright? You look upset. We won, so shouldn't you be happy?"

You look at everyone, seeing all eyes on you. You laugh nervously. "Uh, yeah. Don't worry about it. Something personal, it's not a big deal." You join them, remaining silent.

Coach Ukai was congratulating the team on their victory, but reminded them that their fight isn't over yet. Nationals will be coming up within the next few months, so there will be a lot of practice. The team needs to get just a little bit stronger in order to be on the same level as the other teams they might face in Tokyo.

You sit through the meeting, thinking about everything that happened to you since yesterday after the matches. Your interactions with Oikawa and Ushijima stuck in your head, playing on repeat. You felt bad, but that wasn't something you could control. You're in a good relationship with the only person you've ever loved. Your team just won the biggest match they've ever had. They have a shot at winning in Tokyo. So you should be happy, right? You let out a quiet sigh, feeling like there were gonna be so many problems for you to deal with.

Kiyoko walked over to you as the rest of the team started heading to the club room. "Y/n, what's going on? You've been down ever since we left the court. Talk to me."

You look at the ground, not standing up. "I had a few talks with Ushijima. It kinda put me down a little. I thought I'd feel better for our win, but it doesn't feel right to see someone I worked with a lot get upset over things."

The older girl hums. "I guess I can't really help with that. Just, go home and think things through. You should be fine after a good night's rest. Sorry if I couldn't really help. I never been close to many people."

You nod. "I get it." You stand up, stretching your limbs out. "You're probably right. I'll get over this after getting enough sleep. See you tomorrow, Kiyoko."

"See you, Y/n." She watches as you leave the gym, letting out a sigh. "Looks like you're already taking other people's feelings into consideration. I was thinking something was up when she and Ushijima kept talking to each other. To think, a former senpai is in love with her. Well, can't do anything about it. I'll just be the one to keep it secret from the rest of the team." She leaves the gym, turning off the lights and locking the door.