Tendou had noticed it, everyone had.

It wasn't a hard thing to if the entire school – not only team, the school – had to think about it. Ushijima, too stoic and blunt for his own or anyone else's good had never been one to have a large circle of friends and even less so a girlfriend. His mother specially had always been one too strict, too powerful in family decisions specially after his father had owed it up to her in exchange to let Ushijima keep his left handiness, had already stated many times her interest in someday having grandchildren of her own, specially so with an only son.

He was a routine machine, from things as simple as diets, trainings, and studies, down to outrageous ones such as hang outs, free time or vacations. His life revolved around developing further and further each day more his abilities and aspects, he depended on it, on the thrill of volleyball because it was the one time where he could understand people better than at any other given times. Sometimes when passing through corridors to train at the gymnasium he'd even hear whispers of people calling him autistic.

He couldn't even deny it himself that he looked and felt like it most times, Wakatoshi had such low social expectations and even lower social understandings. At most, he had two kisses on the cheek at some bar in an after game when enthusiastic female fans ran towards his team to congratulate and flirt with them and luckily or not some rarely, rarely, had less fear of him than the rest and were bold to hug his neck and kiss him quick before rushing off in fear.

He sometimes did care about it a little when he'd see his friends post about hangouts and events, and think about how he'd actually like having people to go with. But all of them had their according girlfriends or other social groups and were too busy to technically babysit him around fun happenings.

But Tendou? Oh, he hadn't settled for it, he would never exhaust himself until Wakatoshi gave in to his attempts – poor, ultimately poor attempts – at matchmaking and actually tried something. Well, up until the 43th girl when other teammates tapped Satori in the back and he finally gave up.

---

But oh how things changed a few weeks ago, as the old assistant of the team explains her need to resign her post to someone she claimed to be just as worthy and experienced to do her work. Just as she presented the new girl, with a calm unwavering personality and permanent sleepy expression – and what Tendou phrased as marshmallow voice – to the group of boys, just as the new girl held everyone's hands appropriately and even Wakatoshi's, with no disdain or begrudging behavior, just the same as to everyone else.

Ever since then, it seemed as if god knows the fuck what was able to lift Wakatoshi's behavior into a weird setting. The one guy who blinked as if he were some weird machine and talked less than an ant was now marking points and briefly glancing at where the assistant would be, smiling at the entire team in support next to their coach and professor. He'd finish the trainings, friendly matches or oficial ones and walk straight to where she was, and to everyone's surprise, mutter thank yous.

Needless to say, everyone noticed it.

Wakatoshi Ushijima, was at his first crush during the start of second year.

---

"Sooooooo, you gonna admit it or not?" Tendou's lips curled into his usual know it all grin, the team was even already making their striking bets because his spirit of matchmaking seemed to be up at theount everest once more. His shoes stepped on the gymnasium floor, where there only was them two and her – the assistant – picking up the balls and organizing the final touches from the earlier practice matches. "You like the assistant." He was 200% sure, more than he could be of his own name.

But how could someone like Ushijima, who never had a crush on his life most probably – definitely – know what that even meant? It was simple, He didn't. He didn't know nor would admit he liked her because such things weren't in his known feelings vocabulary. "No." It was simple, short, sharp, like Wakatoshi always answered. His arms crossed over his chest and his usual expression there, nonchalant, lackadaisical.

His heart sometimes missed little, very little and subtle beats when talked about her, his body felt squirming and his face tensed up, hotter. But to him that was a heat rush from summer and definitely not, definitely not love. He didn't even knew what it felt like! "Either way, if you want to admit it or not, y'know what we were told right?" Tendou's smile became even more wicked, surpassing what anyone would've described as the impossible. "You need to bring a partner to the guy's beach trip."

Tendou's words couldn't have striked a higher and more sensitive nerve too; Ushijima had been expectant of attempting to go to this hangout, be more social, try to. The beach could be fun, volley at the beach even better. And-

Tendou disappeared.

Of course, he should've noticed, but he was still too sweaty and tired after today's intensive training to notice his friend leaving him be with the one girl he wished he wouldn't – for some definitely unknown reason and totally not because he was in love – as some evil plan. "...Tch." He clicked his tongue.

His eyes trailed, trailed towards the black and dark sage pink bottle with his name stamped on it that the assistant was holding, together with a towel while walking towards him. Offering it so easily like he wasn't a terrifying sight to have when alone in a place in anyone else's eyes– and he couldn't help but just... "Thank you." Fail horribly in talking about anything else.

But no, he was too determined to practice at thr beach with his teammates on this break, so he acted faster than he thought for once in his life. "Would you like coming with us to the beach trip this weekend?"