Of Coffee, Volleyball, and Flowers

Of Trying New Things

Sugawara had been terribly anxious to move out of his old prefecture and out here into the glorified countryside just to go to university. However, ever since he had been in middle school and saw the Karasuno University volleyball team on TV, he was hooked. He made it his personal goal to succeed enough in high school to eventually have the chance to even just try out for their team. He spent so much time on himself and his setting ability throughout the years that when they gave him an acceptance letter coupled with a volleyball scholarship opportunity, he freaked out. He told anyone that would listen.

But it didn’t become real until he graduated high school, having to say goodbye to his underclassmen, with tears in his eyes and a promise to visit and keep in contact. Koushi packed his life away into a backpack, suitcase and a box or two. He, and his childhood best friend Asahi had made a pact to go to Karasuno together, they had always played volleyball together, it’d feel wrong to separate now. They met at the Sugawara household and set off for their futures, together. Suga could barely stay still for practically the whole drive to Miyagi, he chatted Asahi’s ear off he swore. Finally, all that work had finally paid off.

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Honestly, he and Asahi hadn’t been living here all too long, just long enough to get settled in an apartment close to campus, paying for the down payment with all the money they had saved up over the years. They were better off than most incoming college students, but Koushi still insisted that they move to Miyagi as soon as they graduated, to get settled as soon as possible. Not to mention, his tuition may be paid for, but he didn’t want to be constantly broke, he needed a job. It took him weeks on end of job hunting in the area to finally get just an interview. When he finally did, it was in the cutest little flower shop just a few minutes away from the campus and in turn, his apartment. Genuinely, Suga started to think his luck was running out, the flower shop hired him immediately after his interview was over.

Now, Suga had been working there for roughly a month or so, anxiously waiting for school to start, his schedule was already decided all that was left was volleyball try-outs. Well, a type of try-out. Being given a volleyball scholarship from Karasuno meant that he was an exception from most newcomers to the team, he didn’t have to go through the rigorous process of them trying to shift out all of those who don’t even know how to play the sport and such. Suga got to go straight to finding out if he’d be on the starting lineup, which is extremely rare for a freshman, unless you’re a prodigy or a genius. He was already on the team as far as he was concerned, thank God.

The anxiety of just trying out to be on the starting lineup still got to him though, it messed with his sleep schedule, he had more than a few tough nights. Which is why, on his lunch break, he decided it would be a great time to try out a nearby coffee shop just around the corner from the coffee shop. Suga just hoped the place would be good, it was the perfect distance away from everything to get a cup of coffee in the morning, even though he had never been the type to drink it before.

So, he walked inside, the sound of a charming bell welcoming him inside. The coffee shop was small, with a few tables scattered here and there. The coffee shop itself was decked out in black and orange colours, which made sense given the university was so close, it very well may be the designated coffee shop. Which only made Suga wonder how busy this café would be, come the school year. The crow plushies were a nice touch too, the place was charming. It seemed like a good study spot, which Suga made an instant mental note of, even despite the not-so-quiet atmosphere. Suga was sure he heard some of the workers laughing in the back, but that wasn’t a bad thing, especially with how empty the café seemed to be, apart from Sugawara of course.

Though, the atmosphere and the laughing workers suddenly stopped mattering when Koushi laid his eyes on him. Oh, he was terribly his type; tall, with dark hair and eyes, and terribly handsome. That was all not even considering the man’s strong build, he looked like he commanded authority and it made Suga swoon, though he did his best not to show it so obviously on his face. He was totally screwed if just the sight of the barista took him out, totally and completely screwed. Suddenly, he was questioning why he had never bothered to stop in sooner, honestly, he probably would have if this man had been waiting on the other side of the glass door, decorated with cute drawings of crows.