Prodigy || Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

[3] Pretty Shitty

"Come, (l/n)-san, they are going to have a practice match today. Keep tabs on each player," Washijo sensei said.

You nodded understandably.

As you watched the match, you couldn't help but be in awe of the game, although to be completely honest, you didn't enjoy it much. Shiratorizawa's play was rather monotonous, handing the ball mostly to their ace and ensuring no one gets in his way. This is the kind of team that thrives over brute force, but it was not impossible to beat them at all. All you need is a brave enough team to attack back.

You couldn't deny however, that Ushijima, the captain was absolutely incredible. He scored more than half of the points needed for the entire game and every time he scored, it was pretty cannon. And even better, you noticed his difference.

"He's a lefty," you said, somewhat in awe. Washijo smiled beside you knowingly. He replied, "Just like your father."

"Damn it, why is he so cool?" you whispered to yourself.

Don't falter, don't falter, don't falter. But you did. After the practice match, you approached him like an excited fangirl.

"Ushijima-san," you called him, causing him to turn back to look at you. You continued, "You. Were. So." Taking a deep breath, you finished, "Cool!"

"Your spikes were insane! And even in off receives and imprecise trajectory, you manage to swoop it back to your control! And the block outs you did had so much power and force, you don't even have to circumvent to the cross angles to ensure an out! And your receives were flawless with no unnecessary movements! Just how do you even do it?"

The team was jaw dropped by your excitement. Even Ushijima had his eyes widened. With a demon coach and pretty chill teammates, no one had ever hyped him up the way this girl did. He was utterly confused.

"Why are you crying?" he asked you, noticing tears on your face.

You covered your eyes with an arm and said, "You were too cool!"

He gulped. He had never before encountered a girl crying over his skills, that for once in his life, he actually didn't know what to do.

"Man, I want to get motivated like that too," Yamagata told his teammates.

Ohira smiled, "Then we better keep up."

For some reason, your cries and excitement boosted the team's morale. Perhaps you were exactly the kind of motivation the team needed.

~X•X•X~

After practice, Semi approached you, "(L/n)-san, do you want to join us for dinner?"

And right then, you could feel tears flooding your eyes by the question, which caused Semi to panic a little. "A-are you okay?"

Goshiki mentioned, "Maybe she's on her period."

"I-I just have never had anyone to sit with at dinner," you said, teary-eyed.

Ohira smiled, "Well, you're part of the team now."

"We have each others' backs," Yamagata continued.

You smiled, "Thank you."

As you walked to dinner, you noticed an obvious absence and so decide to ask Tendou, "Tendou-san, where is Ushijima-san?"

Tendou smirked teasingly, "Oh, you noticed?"

"His presence is quite intense, it's hard not to."

"Well, he doesn't usually join our team dinners. He's probably running laps or something now."

You narrowed your brows, "Well that's rude. He's the captain."

"That's just how it is."

You replied, "No offence, but he's a pretty shitty captain."

Tendou laughed, his exaggerated over-the-top kind of laugh with his head snapping back. "Well, you aren't afraid to speak the truth eh, (l/n)-san?"

You shrugged.

He smiled, "Good. About time Wakatoshi-kun got a taste of his own medicine."

~X•X•X~

"So (l/n)-san, how are you enjoying Shiratorizawa so far?" Ohira asked.

You answered with your cheeks still full of food. You were definitely not much of an elegant and decent person. "It's really nice! I love the washing machines!"

"What an odd thing to get excited over," Kawanishi replied.

You continued, "And the food, my gosh, it's a thousand times better than my previous school."

Goshiki took this opportunity, "Speaking of, where did you used to go to?"

You gulped a little, but braved yourself to tell them the truth. "Hanawari Academy. It's um, in Tokyo."

"Wow, Tokyo? So you're a city girl?" Tendou asked.

You shook your head, "No. I live here in Miyagi."

"Why did you apply to a school in Tokyo then?" Shirabu asked.

You cleared your throat, "I didn't. I um, I was offered a place."

"Wow, in Tokyo? What were you, super smart or something?" Tendou asked, eyes widened.

You continued, "No. But I used to be good at something."

The boys looked at each other almost knowingly. They already knew what it was, but the fact that you didn't disclose it meant you weren't really comfortable telling them.

Semi tried to push you anyway, "So, why did you leave Hanawari?"

You gulped. "It's not really something I like to talk about."

"You have problems addressing your own issues but have none when it comes to calling me a shitty captain?" a deep voice called from behind you.

The whole table was shocked.

"You told him?" you exclaimed to Tendou, who only shrugged with a grin, "Someone had to."

Ushijima took a seat at the edge of the table, where she was, placing his tray down gently. "Just so you know, the words of a disrespectful junior mean nothing to me."

"And yet, you're still here," you raised a brow.

"I have to eat too," he replied monotonously.

"Couldn't you choose to eat anywhere else?" you raged.

Ushijima simply stated, "This is my team, and no matter what they've said, you are not part of this team."

You felt your eyes starting to tear up. You are not part of this team. These were familiar words that have hurt you before.

"(L/n)-san, I'm sure he doesn't mean that," Ohira replied, noticing your change in expression.

You chuckled darkly, "I-It's fine. It's nothing new. Excuse me." Like that, with tears falling down your face, you left the table.

Tendou told him, "Wakatoshi-kun, that was pretty harsh."

Ushijima shrugged. Perhaps to many, his stoic expression meant that he felt no remorse for his actions, and often times he didn't. There was nothing wrong with telling the truth, even if it hurts – that was what he believed. And yet here, now, he couldn't help but feel regret for his words.