For You

The words you deserve? He'll say em'.

slight edit based on a comment made by an insightful reader. thanks!

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Ushijima Wakatoshi is a man of various talent, all of which seemed to be unbeknownst by him due to his lack of attention toward the subject. When mentioned to the teen, he tended to blink in a confused manner while accompanied with silence as he attempted to understand what you tried to get at with such a minuscule compliment. Ushijima blinks quite often in regards to discovering new things or when he finds himself often dumbfounded enough to rack his brain for a quick response, but that isn't to say he possessed quick wit that could easily baffle others. Perhaps it was because Ushijima wasn't so well-versed in the realm of dating, but just as he had mentioned to you during his strange confession, the both of you would be able to figure it out - together that is.

You begin to notice Ushijima's little quirks and equally small gestures when it came to being around you ever since his confession: tended to be near whenever you were close to campus as he liked to spend some time with you before morning practice, he took most of your suggestions seriously and often times reported back to you with a curt text enclosing a small paragraph review of how he felt about your recommendation, and other things that you could ramble about. It was definitely odd to see this new side of Ushijima, but it wasn't as if his personality did a complete turn-around for you.

"______." On the way to school, you encounter Ushijima waiting patiently beside the entrance. He's as stoic as ever, but something in his eyes tells you he's happy to see you as per usual.

"Yes?" The two of you begin the walk toward the main building, bags in tow as a lengthy silence sits between the both of you. It wasn't uncommon to have little to no conversation with Ushijima, but the way he had uttered your name had you slightly concerned for what he had in mind. From the corner of your eye, you watch Ushijima clench his jaw before he opens his mouth.

"Why do you compliment me?" Ah. Now that you thought about it, why did you? It wasn't unusual for Ushijima to receive a mound of compliments from others, most of which were from his teammates or other notable figures within the volleyball world. You decide to sit on the question for a moment before coming to a conclusion: it was because you believed he deserved them. Ushijima was truly a talented individual; the fact he even remotely had an interest in, well, love was something definitely alien. You were always impressed with his athleticism and fame that he managed to achieve in little time. If anything, Ushijima deserved more than compliments, but you weren't exactly what was up to par with well-intentioned prattle.

"Because you deserve compliments for how amazing you are." You decide to look Ushijima in the face as the both of you seem to have arrived at your usual destination: the gymnasium. Ushijima remains emotionless at your response before nodding.

"Then you deserve the same. You are a hard-working person who has the most impressive amount of stubborn-will I've seen. I understand that you aren't one to hold high confidence, but you should pride yourself in achievements you've worked hard to accomplish. Be proud of how far you've flown, for being one of the top ten students in the school is no easy feat."

Ushijima doesn't expect you to walk up to him to bury your face in his uniform. He's twice as confused on what to do, but you pull away far too fast for him to properly react.

"Thank you, Ushijima. You don't know how much your words mean to me." Ushijima stands frozen for a moment due to the moment you've caught him off guard, but regains his composure as he nods in response. Saying your goodbyes, Ushijima disappears into the confines of the gym as you head off toward your classroom. The butterflies in your stomach still won't go away.