When Dawn Breaks (UshiTen)

ஜ 𝓘𝓘𝓘ஜ

MESSAGE: [9:30pm]

Ushijima: Hello, Tendou. Good night.

The notification of Tendou's phone rang and he stretched his arms to reach the phone. He read the message.

The room was dark, only the dim light coming from his phone caressed his face.

"Wakatoshi? Did he send me a message? He never did that, even back at Shiratorizawa." surprised by the sudden message, Tendou let out a slight chuckle, which was full of sincerity.

"Haha, that's just so like him, even his messages are so short and blunt. That's why I-"

"I- "

...

Tendou brushes carefully the screen on his phone, glancing with gentle watery eyes at the letters Ushijima just sent as if it's his most precious treasure.

Tendou: Hello, Wakatoshi. I enjoyed your match today, and hope you have a good night too!

Message sent!

Tendou sent the message and his gaze wandered off the screen to the ceiling.

Sigh

He didn't know if he did the right thing. Should he fall deeper and bear with the pain once again? Or should he just give up now and draw a line between him and Ushijima? The latter choice was the best, distancing himself from Ushijima was the best way to prevent himself from falling deeper into the abyss of darkness, which haunted him, for the past 6 years.

He didn't want to have his heart broken again, he didn't want to suffer and agonize again, but...he wanted to be with Ushijima, even only as a friend...even if it was just for a second, he wanted to be with him.

Every second he spent with him, his stomach will be filled with butterflies.

Ushijima was the ray of light that once saved Tendou. In his younger days, Tendou was often bullied and being nicknamed a "monster", just because of his looks. All he wanted was to have a normal life, hanging out with friends, goofing together. But his small simple wish couldn't even be granted, due to the darkness of society. This led him to fall into being the villain, wanting to crush the spirits of the people that once looked down on him. He gained the satisfaction to see the desperate faces of his opponents, and eventually, addicted. His teammates couldn't perceive his thoughts or actions. To them, he seemed weird, but since he excelled at blocking attacks, they wouldn't care less.

Ushijima was once the captain and the ace of Shiratorizawa. His passion for volleyball was enormous as if he lives just to play volleyball. His motivation was far from close to Tendou's, unlike Tendou, he just played for the sake of playing volleyball. He shone brighter than anyone else, crushing his opponents with the everlasting confidence spurging within him. He never once doubted he will lose. An overpowering entity with absolute power within his grasp, that's why Tendou called him "miracle boy".

Since the first day he met Ushijima, Tendou was oddly attracted to Ushijima. He found a lingering magnet wanting to pull him closer to Ushijima. Intuitively, he met his fated pair.

At first, he didn't transpire romantic feelings towards Ushijima, it was just pure curiosity. Just like how a baby would be attracted to the fire when first saw one.

Ushijima was also someone that no one ever understands, or even try to understand. People only showered admiration for him, but not understanding. He was claimed as someone who was too out of reach from "normal human beings", therefore nobody felt comfortable enough to even share a simple conversation or jokes with him. He wouldn't get the joke anyway.

Being on the same boat as an outcast, although in different situations, yet Tendou felt that he could resonate with Ushijima.

Once, Tendou had a chance to converse with Ushijima. He felt comfortable talking to Ushijima as Ushijima never once gave weird criticism or anomaly stared at his "abnormal" act. He felt like he was treated as a human, for the first time in his life. His mind felt at ease as if flying between the fluffy clouds in the blue vast sky. Afterward, Tendou tried to approach Ushijima for more conversations. To his surprise, Ushijima wasn't the cold-blooded statue that everyone thought he was, he was just a socially awkward cute bean which was straightforward without any ominous or pretentious thoughts.

Eventually, every conversation planted a seed and watered the bud growing within Tendou's heart, slowly, breaking the seal that binds deep within his heart. Unknowingly, Ushijima has become a crucial part of his life, that he couldn't live without.

...

"Baki baki!" The chime of the notification bell rang once again, knocking Tendou out of his thoughts. Once again, he picked up his phone, and his eyes laid on the screen.

Ushijima: Thanks.

Tendou: Sure thing! :)

Ushijima: Are you sleeping?

Tendou: Mhm~ almost I guess... but I'm still not sleepy.

Ushijima: Sleep.

Tendou: Okay~ if you said so~ Nites! ^^

Ushijima: Night.

Tendou snuggled into his bed and couldn't help but grin. His arched edge of lips couldn't stop mounting. He was so happy. He never felt these feelings for years.

Those few years without Ushijima were tough and dreadful. Just to be able to exchange a few words, was enough for him.

"Yes, it's enough, that's how much I need him."

Silenced swarmed the room like stars in a freckled night sky, but the room that was once cold, was warm for the first time.

Tendou pecked a slight kiss on his phone screen and submerged himself into the world of dreams.

*****