Haikyuu Character X Reader Oneshots

10: Wakatoshi Ushijima - Ball Girl Part One

Warning! Ushijima is very difficult to write for so apologies if he's a little out of character!

Note: As made obvious this is a part one of two!

 I loved volleyball, I found it to be such a thrilling game to observe. There annoyingly wasn't a girls volleyball team as all of the girls were expected to become cheerleaders for the boys sports teams, but I didn't want to go down that path and since every student had to do something sports-related, coach Saito let me become a ball girl after learning that I lacked the confidence to become a cheerleader. Coach Saito had always been kind to me, although he was naturally a kind person anyway.

The members of the team that actually spoke to me were kind too, as were all of those that were scouted but simply used as ball boys. The only person who wasn't kind was coach Washijo. I had no idea what I had done to make him detest me so much, but with every single training session he vocalised his dislike for me in the form of calling me 'useless', 'pathetic', and worst of all, 'a waste of a life'. He was a bully, yet coach Saito was too intimidated by him to voice that fact. I was forced to take these horrible words, and I had no idea what I had done wrong.

It was after school training and I stood at the edges of courts with Akakura, a first year who had been scouted but was currently acting as a ball boy for the team. The team were practicing their serving, and the two of us waited to catch the balls on the other side.

The most intimidating member of the team, Ushijima, stepped up ready to serve. I had rarely spoken to him, and if I had it was in the presence of someone else. He made me nervous, and I wasn't entirely sure how to act around him but his volleyball skills hypnotised me. Because of my acknowledgment of his skills, I was terrified to be in the receiving end of his serves. He threw the ball into the air and I readied myself. The next thing I knew, the ball had slammed down onto my side of the court, had flown back up in the air and I raised my hands as quick as I could, trying to catch it but it skimmed my fingertips and bent my fingers backwards.

I let out a muffled yelp as I clutched onto my hand, bending over as the sharp pain spread through it. "Pathetic! Ball girl, you're supposed to catch it! Stupid girl!" Washijo spat loudly, Saito standing next to him awkwardly.

"(y/n), you alright?" Akakura approached me. I was determined to show that stupid old man that I wasn't pathetic, so ignoring the tears in my eyes I stood up and nodded. I tried to relieve the pain by clutching onto my hand tightly, but it didn't really work so Akakura ended up catching most of the balls whilst I just attended to the vests that had been put in the washer. I brought them back to the gym in their basket and noticed that the team were done for the day, so I hung them up on the balcony railings and made a mental note to collect them in the morning. Ignoring pretty much everyone apart from Akakura, I picked up my bag from the bench next to the coaches and headed towards the door.

"(l/n)," the deep voice of the captain sounded, sending chills down my spine. Awkwardly I turned around to see him stood there with a volleyball in his hands. "I apologise for my serve."

"O-oh, you don't need to apologise! Your serve was excellent as always, I-I just couldn't catch it in time- it was my fault!" I spoke rather quickly making Ushijima tilt his head in apparent confusion, apparently unsure on why I was so nervous.

"For once girly, you and I can agree on something. It was your fault, useless as always," Washijo skulked past the two of us and out of the gym. The hurt I was feeling from the old man's words seemed to enhance Ushijima's confusion, but before he could say anything else I walked back to my dorm room.

- Timeskip - - Ushijima's POV -

A week had passed since I accidentally hurt (l/n)'s fingers, but she seemed completely fine now thankfully. She was going about her job as usual, and I watched her as she pulled all of the dry vests from the balcony's railings, keeping her head down and seemingly focussed intently on the task at hand. "Earth to Wakatoshi!" Tendou's voice called out nearby.