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Y/n took a break from painting to snack on the cookies her mom had dropped off to her room not to long after Tendo had left.

"S-so how is volleyball coming along?" Y/n asked wanting to break the ice in the room. While Y/n was painting it wasn't awkward reason being they were both very focused on the painting. To Y/n, while she was painting she felt like she was the only one in the room.

Also, Ushijima was so quiet it wasn't hard to forget he was watching.

"Good." He gave a dry response as he reached into the bowl to grab another cookie, "I'm certain we'll go undefeated this year." Y/n nodded, happy to have been able to get a conversation going at least.

"You can't always be so sure." She shrugged her shoulders with a small smile, "you may cross paths with a spiker as powerful as you."

"I already have." He confessed, now taking a sip from his water bottle. "The factor that separate talented and untalented is work ethic."

"Work ethic?" Y/n tilted her head slightly, her and the male holding strong eye contact as they sat across from each other on the ground.

"How much effort one puts in to perfect their craft." He put it in simple terms for her to understand, "Talent can only take you so far." Y/n nodded, her smile growing bigger.

"Ushijima-san, I take it you work very hard everyday!" She said before stuffing her face with another cookie. "That's why you're so good."

"I train my body and mind everyday," He watched Y/n pick up two more cookies after chowing down on the first one she picked up, "Except for Saturdays. Today is my recovery day."

"Recovery day?"

"Remember how I explained work ethic?"

Y/n knowingly put up her index finger.

"How much effort one puts in to perfect their craft!" She quoted him with a smile and slightly wide eyes. For some reason, she was starting to feel more comfortable around the male.

"Would you believe me if I told you an athlete who works around the clock every day was a dumb athlete?" Y/n furrows her brows in confusion, "While it's important to surpass your limits every time you step into a gym, it's more important to know your limits. An athlete who works without at least giving his body a day to rest, will be unsuccessful in the long run."

Y/n crossed her arms and let out a small chuckle.

"Are you trying to call me a dumb painter?" She teased, ushijima obviously not showing any reaction.

"Has anyone told you that you're to smart to be an artist?"

Y/n visibly cringed as she stopped chewing on her cookie, shaking her head she exhaled sharply through her nose a bit pained from the thought.

"My late father. He for some reason believed that artist are stupid." Y/n closed her eyes for a second, deep in thought, "I don't understand how this dumb stereotype came to be. We aren't idiots, madmen or drunks."

She tore her eyes around from Ushijima's to glance around the room they sat in, which was decorated by her many paintings she put her blood, sweat and tears into making.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He said which she only nodded in response, "But I'm curious.. Did you ever stand up for yourself?" The second the question left his lips Y/n's full attention was brought back to him.

"I-It w-was the last thing I ever told him." Ushijima noticed how her voice broke a little, her eyes beginning to water. "W-we got into an argument... He had his own drinking issues, it started to get physical.." She choked back on her words.

Art -Ushijima wakatoshi X reader-  SHORT STORY [COMPLETED] ✔️Where stories live. Discover now