ushijima x reader

2

     Yet you couldn't help but feel bad for the opposing team. Shiratorizawa. You knew exactly what it felt like, to have a reputation and a promising future, only to have it torn from you like it was nothing at all. 

 Daichi, Asahi, Sugawara, and Kiyoko all came over to you a few minutes after the game. You congratulated them on their win, and made up an excuse as to why you were gone for more than half of the game. You hugged them all goodbye until you'd next see them Monday. You couldn't help but feel the joy that filled the room, the pride in your school that seemed to re-surge in everyone after a long time. 

   As you had sworn to make a friend in that red headed boy, you composed yourself to the best degree you could and went over to say hello. But, as it so happens, your Japanese isn't the best when you're like this at this time of night. Also, you had no idea what you were going to say. You realized these things as you stood in front of him, looking at the ceiling and pointing at it to pretend like you're thinking to buy time.

Perfectly timed, his friend Ushijima also decides to come over to where he is. Maybe the universe was still against you after all. 

"Do you need something?" he asks, in a slightly defeated deep voice. 

You start to chuckle to yourself but try to mask it with a cough, "Hi, I wanted to say hi to you," you look at the boy with the red hair.

"I'm not sure why, I just moved here today and I guess I wanted to introduce myself, I'm really not sure," you looked at both of them now and they were also both now staring at you and it made you increasingly uncomfortable. 

"Where are you from?" the red head thought and then spoke.

"New York," you still couldn't stop giggling like a child.

They started to walk outside, your best guess was to catch some air, and you walked with them. It wasn't really awkward or anything, silence wasn't as awkward in Japan as it was back home. 

"What's it like there?" you learned his name was Tendo, asked. 

You described it as most people from New York would, pretty but not what people idealize it to be. The city is magical but not fairy tale magical in the way you want it to be, it's realistically breathtaking. Everyone there is someone, a unique person. There is no blending in where you are from, and that's why you weren't sure if anyone would even remotely like you here.

"I'm sorry that you guys lost today too," you said after a silence, "I'm new so its not like I'm loyal to a team or anything. Losing always sucks." 

Tendo shot you a somber smile, but Ushijima remained quiet. Silent, stoic, looming. He was scary, or was trying to give off some scary aura, you couldn't tell. 

"You should learn better Japanese," he finally said after not speaking at all. 

You laughed, he was funny, you thought to yourself. Although maybe it was only funny to you in the moment, because they weren't really laughing. His solemnity was too unintentionally hilarious. You tried to mutter words but it came out in broken Japanese-English between laughs that they struggled to understand. 

"What?"

"I'm sorr-, I'm sorry," you composed yourself once again and mustered your most fluent and eloquent Japanese, "I just lose the ability to speak so freakishly beautiful and correct sometimes." 

You and Tendo both chuckled, finally. At least you were glad that you got along.  

"Sorry," Ushijima muttered. 

"Do you play volleyball?" Tendo broke Ushijima's stupidity silence. 

"In eighth grade I did. I was terrible, but I have to admit it was fun."

You realized you had walked in a complete circle, and you were right back at the school. One of the last buses of the night was about to leave, and you completely lost track of time to make friends. 

"Oh shit," you mutter in English, "I have to go! Nice meeting you guys," you smiled and ran to the stop across the street.

Tendo shouted out and waved before you hopped on, "Meet us here tomorrow and play with us! Three o' clock!"

You shot him a thumbs up and paid the bus driver. Maybe you weren't so bad at making friends. Tendo seemed like a nice, genuine person to you. Ushijima on the other hand, he was a complete mystery. You couldn't even tell if he had a semblance of emotion within him, but you were sure you'd figure him out someday. 

Finally, you allowed yourself to cry for the first time in years. You sat behind your door just as you had before you left. The tears weren't happy or sad, they were just something you needed even though you didn't understand why. Everything was still suffocating you, no matter how hard you tried to avoid it. The weight of every decision you have made up until now was on your shoulders, and you had no choice but to accept it and move forward. The tears were the weight trying to lift itself. 

You moved yourself to your bed within the hour and put on a show to distract you from the last 48 hours. It wasn't long before absolute exhaustion took over. With makeup stained on your cheeks and your same clothes still on, you fell into the deepest sleep of your life. 

(a/n: it's been two days + i've written six chapters i'm so bored lmao bye)