sugawara x reader || never alone

Chapter 6: Join??

The rest of your class period consisted of exchanging smiles between you and Suga, zoning out, and doodling in your notebook. When the bell rang, it felt like someone had released the chains that bound you to your classroom, and finally set you free after years, and years, and years...

(author-chan apologizes for rambling, she's not feeling well)

RRIIIIIIINGGGG (oh shoot i think it rang already doe- oH wELL)!! You launched up out of your seat (and your little zone-out session lmao), groggily grabbing your backpack and making a beeline for the door. You weaved through the crowds, excited to return to your bed after the most exhausting first day ever. (yes, it was your first day)

"(L/n)-san?" You turned around but continued walking speedily in the other direction.

"Eh? Suga-senpai?" You yawned and slowed down, trying to sound less dead. "What's up?"

"Oh, uh," He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and lowered his voice the slightest bit. Aww, you thought. He's embarrassed~

"I thought that... maybe you were joining practice?" He gave you an unsure grin, and you widened your eyes in realization.

"O-oh! I completely forgot, I'm so sorry, senpai," You bowed a bit, trying to wake yourself up.

"Ah, no, it's fine. You shouldn't feel obligated," Sugawara replied. "Er, um... why do you keep calling me senpai? Suga's alright. And... we're in the same year."

"Suga. Okay. Sorry, I transferred here from the U.S. so iI'm not quite used to honorifics yet," You informed, trailing off as you tried to remember what you were going to do. "Right, change. I... I will go do that now," You fished out the uniform that Kiyoko had lent you from lunch and headed towards the bathroom slowly. "I'll be there soon. Gosh, I'm so tired," Then you walked away, mumbling about going to sleep and using the volleyball net as a hammock. (would that be comfy? or... not..? (ah, (y/n) is a bit ooc, don't mind that too much pls, i'm a bit ooc today, too~))

You emerged from the stall minutes later, dressed in the spare jersey and short-shorts that Kiyoko had lent you. Your pupils dilated at the sight of the oversized jersey with the number 13 printed on it. You knew you technically were not on the team, but it felt good to feel wanted for once. (ouch)

You walked over to the gym once again, only to be greeted by two new faces. You felt your skin color wash away as you shivered from the intimidating adults that stood before you. Wait a second, is that-

"T-Takeda-sensei?" You stammered, bowing clumsily.

"(L/n)? What are you doing here?" The teacher asked. He had been the first person to help you get started at Karasuno.

"The b-boys asked me to p-practice with them?" You said, your answer sounding more like a question.

"(Y/N)-CHAN!" You cringed at the sudden volume change as Tanaka and Nishinoya rushed towards you with sparkling eyes. You knew why they were staring. You grabbed your backpack from your shoulder and pulled it front of you, blocking your body from their view. They looked at you with sad eyes, and you sighed.

"S-Stop staring...!" You flushed and turned back towards your sensei. "I could leave if you want... I was considering applying for a manager position, but today's still my first day, so I'm not too sure yet."

"No, you're welcome to stay," Takeda offered. "You should introduce yourself to the team!"

"O-Oh! I kind of did already-" You started to say, but Karasuno High's boy's volleyball team was quick to surround you. The older guy- the one from the supermarket! Stared at you, causing you to tremble a bit. (OOC a gh idk how coach ukai acts rlly)

"U-Uh, as you may know, I'm (L/n) (Y/n). You can call me (Y/n) or (N/n) if you'd like... I'm a third-year. I'm 15 years old... and today's my first day at Karasuno! Um. I've never played volleyball before earlier today, but I know everything there is to know about the game, techniques, plays, you name it! So I'd be happy to help out the team in any way I can!" You said, getting more confident in your words as you continued. The coach approached you. You bowed out of panic.

"We should get started with practice soon," You heard him say, surprised at how quickly he changed topics. "You guys have Spring Interhigh Preliminaries coming up, and it's important to be ready," He turned towards you. "Welcome to the team, (Y/n), I'm sure another helper would be great. I'm Coach Ukai, and that's Four- Takeda, the club advisor. Daichi will help you with the application forms."

You stood there, wide-eyed, as the team cheered at your acceptance. You walked towards him as the boy started stretches. "Uh, Coach Ukai, sir?" He glanced at you. "W-What do I do? They told me that I could practice with them, and... practice games are a lot of fun..."

"Hm? Sure, there's no rule against having a girl practice with us. We may need the organization's approval if you want to play in official matches, though," Ukai replied nonchalantly. You froze in place. Official matches? You had never considered playing alongside them before. You had no problem with it, except for the fact that your anxiety was bubbling over again.

"P-Play? In... in the Prelims? Maybe even Nationals?" You mumbled in disbelief.

"Yeah, if you'd like. The boys seem to love you, and they told me that your technique was extraordinary," You smiled a bit.

"I... I'd like that very much," You grinned even wider, knowing that the girl's team wouldn't be the same.

"I'll give the tournament organizers a call, see what they'll say. It's a very controversial topic, so it'd be hard for them to say no," He looked over at Takeda. "Four-eyes, give the Interhigh organizers a call, see if they'd mind her joining."

Your heart fluttered with excitement. Joining the team? On your first day of school? Everything seemed so surreal.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind, there's not exactly a specific rule against it..." The club advisor responded in surprise, flipping through the rule book that was issued to each team.

"But you're going to have to train hard. Our practice match against Nekoma half a week ago didn't go so great, and we all have to work harder since Interhigh is right around the corner. And if you're approved, you still need to submit your applications and permission slips. We have to work diligently and productively," He continued. You smiled again, nervousness erasing itself from your mind.

"Anything to play," You stated, a newfound confidence washing over you. You swore you saw the coach grin. "And I'll start practicing today."

You then walked to Daichi and Sugawara, who were talking about different playing strategies to accommodate the new first-years' quick attack. They were quick to end their conversation and turn towards you welcomingly.

"Uhm, Daichi? Do you think I could get the paperwork after practice? Coach told me that I could... Um..." You got nervous. What would they think of a girl joining the team? Replacing someone? Practicing with them?

"Huh? (Y/n), are you okay?" Sugawara met your eyes, which were darting around as you tried to think of something to say.

"Y-Yeah, sorry," You said, stumbling over your own words. You twisted your fingers into your oversized jersey nervously. Speaking as fast as you could, you spilled the tea. "I'm going to join the team!"

"E-Eh?" The captain and vice-captain said simultaneously.

Sorry this chapter was so short! I decided to move the story a bit quicker since i'm starting to get writer's block. i have some fun one-shots ready, too! should i move them to a new book?
also, i may be posting a bit less starting this week bc finals are coming up (im taking accelerated courses to get the credits for highschool ahead of time) and im going to spend some family time with...
family...
Basically, I'm trying to get as many chapters as i can out before i lose my motivation to finish this book kek
luv u all <3

~~~author-chan~~~