Ushijima x Tendou // Mulan AU

5.

Although the day had just begun, Tendou felt exhausted. During training, he couldn't catch up with the other soldiers; especially since Ushijima was there. To make things worse, he assessed all the soldiers to see where they were standing. Now, they were being assessed on their accuracy in archery; Tendou's least favourite thing to do. When it was his turn, he felt nervous.

What if I'm not good enough? Tendou thought to himself. What if the others make fun of me when I make a mistake? What if——

The thought snapped out of his mind when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel so pressured."

Tendou turned his head around to see Ushijima standing next to him. Moments later, he gave him a nod and faced the target.

Tendou got into position and concentrated on the bullseye. When he was ready, he let go of the arrow and saw it flying directly to the bullseye; and moments later, hitting it. Tendou couldn't believe his eyes. For the first time in a long time, Tendou felt proud of himself.

"Well done," praised Ushijima. "Your accuracy seems to be fine but you should work on your posture; no more slouching."

Tendou gave him a confident nod and headed back to the back of the line.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Tendou waited till the other soldiers headed back to their rooms so that he could sneak out. He wanted to have some free time to practice his posture in archery; whatever that was. He found an empty space behind the garden. Luckily, he didn't get caught by anyone.

The place was rather small but it was big enough for him to practice. There was a target that was hung on the opposite wall.

Not too long after stretching, Tendou picked up his bow and arrow and began shooting the towards the target. His first few shots had missed the target and hit the wall. He started to become fed up and tired so he took a break. Not too long after that, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him; Tendou was terrified if he would get in trouble for sneaking out of the palace in the afternoon since it was restricted.

Soon, a figure appeared behind the bushes. Although Tendou couldn't see the person's face, the person's hair reflected the moonlight, revealing short green hair. At that point in time, Tendou knew without a doubt that the person approaching him was Ushijima.

"You shouldn't be here," he warned, making Tendou immediately stand up to greet his sergeant.

"S-Sorry..." Tendou trailed off, trying as hard as he could to avoid eye contact.

After a few moments, Ushijima sighed. "I know I said that you should work on your accuracy, but, you shouldn't have done it now and here; this place is out of bounds for soldiers."

"Sorry sir."

At the corner of Tendou's eye, he saw Ushijima approaching him. Tendou tried to slowly move away but it was no use. Ushijima walked towards Tendou and stopped, picked up the bow and arrow and handing it to Tendou — which completely surprised Tendou. Without hesitation, Tendou lifted his head up but did not see Ushijima. Suddenly, he felt something or someone holding his waist gently; which made Tendou jump a little.

When he turned around, he saw Ushijima's face which was just inches away from his shoulder. Tendou immediately looked down at his waist and saw Ushijima's hand gripping gently onto it.

"U-Ushijima....!?" Tendou said as his face turned completely crimson. Although Tendou was slightly relieved that Ushijima couldn't see his crimson face since it was dark, Tendou couldn't bare to keep a straight face. Tendou was flustered.

"Now, look at the target and get into position," Ushijima ordered. Tendou immediately faced the target to avoid eye contact, lifted his arms
and aimed the bow and arrow towards it.

He felt a little uncomfortable since he was very aware that Ushijima was holding him by the waist and began to shake a little, making him lose his focus. Suddenly, as if Ushijima had heard his thoughts, he placed each hand on one of Tendou's to stabilise him and to correct his position.

"Don't slouch," he said. Ushijima then placed one hand on Tendou's back to straighten it. When Tendou turned his head to the right, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Ushijima's face almost touching his shoulder.

"Look at the target, not me," Ushijima joked. They both took a moment to laugh it out.

Tendou was internally squealing at that point in time. He was too focused on Ushijima that his hand began to tremble.

Just as Tendou was about to give up and put the bow down, Ushijima's hand grabbed onto Tendou's, immediately making Tendou stiff. He corrected Tendou's position by lifting his hand higher towards the target. Then, Ushijima pulled Tendou's hand backwards —an awkward angle for Tendou.

"Just relax. Take a deep breath, and once you're ready, let go of the arrow," Ushijima advised, letting go of Tendou's hand but still standing behind him; one of his hands holding Tendou's waist to keep him in position.

Tendou took in a shaky deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, then exhaled, making Tendou feel less pressured. Trying his best to pretend Ushijima wasn't standing behind him, Tendou pulled his right arm backwards and immediately let go of the arrow. To his surprise, the arrow hit the bullseye within the next few seconds.

"Impressive," Ushijima said. When Tendou turned his head sideways, he saw Ushijima already disappearing into the bushes again but he stopped and turned back around and signalled for Tendou to follow him.

"It's getting late. Since I'm heading back to the dorms, you should too," Ushijima said with a small smile.

Without hesitation, Tendou placed the bow and arrow in a corner and walked towards Ushijima. Together, they both walked back to the dorms.

                                       * * *

The walk back to the dorms had been awkward but still peaceful although both Ushijima and Tendou didn't speak throughout the walk. Ushijima had enjoyed the night breeze and occasionally looked up at the moon which was becoming more visible by the minute. Tendou, on the other hand, was rather flustered. He couldn't get rid of the memory of Ushijima being so close to him. Every few steps they took, Tendou's eyes would end up wandering off to Ushijima and how relaxed he looked.

When they reached the dorms, most of the other soldiers had already eaten dinner and were either laying down in bed or just walking around.

The two ended up standing opposite each other outside Tendou's door. Whenever Tendou wanted to say goodbye first, Ushijima would interrupt him and they both would go silent.

"W-Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning," Ushijima finally said, chuckling.

"Y-Yeah....." Tendou replied, not taking his eyes off Ushijima.

"Goodnight," Ushijima said just before Tendou closed his door.

"Goodnight," Tendou replied once again.

As he closed the door, he heard Ushijima's footsteps getting softer and softer until he finally heard his door shut.

Tendou sat on the floor with his back against the door.

"Why must you be so cute....." he mumbled.

Sorry for the late update 😐