Prodigy || Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

[8] Grounded

The rest of the team were happy to welcome you to sit with them again, which made you slightly emotional, but any time you felt it, Ushijima would always be there to retort, "Don't cry."

"I'M NOT!" you scolded back.

Over dinner, they talked about the upcoming practice match that weekend.

"Ugh, I can't wait to beat Fukurodani!" Semi exclaimed.

"That's if you get subbed in," Shirabu bluntly said.

"Shut up Shirabu!" he retorted back.

Goshiki asked, "Have we played them before?"

Yamagata answered, "Once during our first year. They crushed us."

"I will break their hearts in two!" Tendou exclaimed.

Goshiki seemed nervous. He asked, "What kind of school are they?"

"They rely heavily on their ace, and set up very powerful attacks," Ohira explained.

You narrowed your brows, "So, like you guys."

"Hey, but we're stronger. We have miracle boy, Wa-ka-to-shi!" Tendou exclaimed, gesturing toward Ushijima who barely had any interest in the conversation.

Semi clenched his fists, "Yes, we will not lose this time!"

"It's just a practice match, chill out," you said.

Ushijima who was busy eating suddenly stopped, and his deep voice echoed, "It doesn't matter. Every game is a zero-sum game, and there can only be one winner. I don't intend to lose."

You sighed and argued, "You guys are way too competitive. It's in the name: practice game. It's the only time you can keep playing until you get it right."

You let out a deep breath, "In any case, I hope you do lose at least once."

The boys looked at you confused. You were supposed to be on their side, right?

You explained, "It would keep you grounded."

~X•X•X~

"Wakatoshi-kun," Tendou called that night, in their room after dinner. Tendou had always been a pretty straightforward guy with his roommate, and after a week of observing the change in Ushijima's actions he asked, "What do you think of (Y/n)-san?"

Ushijima tensed at your name, but was calm enough not to show it. He answered, "She's a good manager, although I am still not convinced we need her. I underestimated her, although, she is still very immature. It's infuriating at times."

Tendou laughed, "This is very amusing! Wakatoshi, are you actually affected by some girl?"

"She doesn't affect me," Ushijima argued, "She annoys me. She's very foul-mouthed and disrespectful. It's strange."

"Strange people are scary to you right? Because you don't understand them?" Tendou asked.

Ushijima furrowed his brows, "They're not scary."

"Just a little creepy, right? Haih, I see it though. You act different around her," Tendou said.

Ushijima asked, "How?"

"Well, when you're with her, you seem to be enjoying life a lot more than usual."