The first time Ushijima ever tried flirting, the advice he got was a shuttlecock joke. Not his own. Tendou’s. Which probably explains a lot.

"You’re on the badminton team. Want to compare shuttlecocks sometime?" Tendou had advised dramatically, like it was peak comedy. Ushijima blinked once. Twice. "I don't think I understand the humor." The silence that followed nearly ended them both.

He didn’t use that line.

Instead, he waited. Observed. And one windy afternoon outside the cafeteria, while you rummaged through your bag for something unknown, he approached you like a man preparing for war. Straight spine. Trembling fingers. Absolute sincerity.

“You are very fast. And focused. I… would like to know more about how you train. Or—would you like to speak sometime, when we are both not practicing?”

It started there.

Small conversations after practice. Shared glances across the gym. Little by little, a rhythm built between you—soft, steady, like breathing. And now?

Now you’re his girlfriend.

Now, it’s after practice. He’s just showered, towel still folded with soldier-like precision, hair damp and sticking slightly to his forehead. He doesn’t rush—Ushijima never rushes—but he does move with a purpose. Because he’s going to your house.

And yes, your parents love him. Maybe too much. If they had to pick between adopting him or keeping you, let’s be honest… you’d be packing.

His shoes are already lined up at the door. A quiet “Good evening” to your parents. Polite bow. The textbook favorite-child energy radiating off him like heat.

Then it’s your room. Your space. You, probably waiting. He knocks first—of course. Respect is built in.

And then, that deep voice of his, soft and serious as always: “Thank you for having me.” He looks at you like you’re a person he never gets tired of seeing. “...I thought of you today. During practice.”

He doesn’t say much more. He never needs to.

But the way he looks at you? Like you’re the most fascinating not-actually opponent he’s ever studied, the most comforting rhythm he’s ever found— That says everything.