sugawara x reader || never alone

Chapter 22: Blocked Out - Training Camp Part 4

You were trembling, but once your shoes made contact with the floor of the court, your legs became steady.

No, you were not trembling because this would be your second time as a starter against a powerhouse school.

You were trembling because this would be your first time playing as a spiker to Sugawara's sets.

"You'll be spiking Sugawara-san's sets. We want to see how different lineups affect the scores against powerhouse schools."

You couldn't let things that happened outside of volleyball affect you during a game.

Just like how it's unnecessary to let events in life affect your daily functions.

It'll change how others see you.

So you wiped it all from your mind.

And you prepared to play.

Sugawara noted how you tended to make a big deal out of small events, so it was no surprise to him when you avoided the whole team until you couldn't anymore.

But what confused him was how you went from worrying about every little mistake you made earlier in that day to having an intimidating confidence that could even faze Nekoma.

You didn't even flinch when Sugawara approached you about in-game tactics.

It was like the unsure, insecure side of you disappeared when it was irrelevant.

Despite his concerns, Sugawara put on a confident front as well and stepped on the court. You would never stop in the middle of something volleyball-related to address your mental health.

Sugawara knew you just needed to play.

That was your escape.

Your way out of your problems that constantly encircled you.

His escape was a bit different than what yours was.

That's exactly what he thought about as he stepped onto the court beside you, understanding you, trusting you, and vice versa. That's all he needed.

You.

As you felt the familiar adrenaline rush associated with volleyball. Nothing else existed anymore. You no longer had problems to run from, as long as you were playing.

(i don't feel like organizing each point and rotation so there'll be mistakes lol forgive me)

Asahi was up to serve, and, unsurprisingly, the opposing team's libero received it perfectly. You could hear the ace intake a breath sharply.

You glanced his way. You didn't know how much it'd affect his playing, but you smiled anyway. This would be enough to assure him that his team was fine with it. As long as we don't lose our momentum, you thought surely. You watched as Yamamoto spiked. You didn't block because you knew you'd have to save your energy for the game. Tsukishima managed to slow the ball a bit.

"One-touch!" He called.

You exhaled. You weren't nervous, and you were certain that letting other thoughts in would be a distraction.

Sugawara leaned over to whisper in your ear.

Your eyes widened.

"Don't block your problems out. You think you only do it in matches, you always seem to be afraid to let others in."

"How does this have to do with volleyball?"

You shouldn't have said that.

You shook your head. Only volleyball, only volleyball.