Guarded (Sugawara x OC)

Chapter 26

Suga wrung his hands nervously, twisting the dish cloth he was meant to be using to dry tonight's dishes into a tight knot, "I get that, I do. But," he met her annoyed glare from where she sat across the room, "those are professional athletes making a decision that still puts their health at risk. As talented as you are Machi, you shouldn't be taking that same risk as a fifteen year old."

"Sixteen." Machi added, as if it made any difference.

"He's right you know." Kaido muttered quietly, placing a freshly cleaned plate into the dish rack. "Why are you pushing yourself this hard? There will be other chances to compete in the Olympics; this isn't your only shot." Beside the kitchen counter, quietly stacking cups to return to cupboards, Tadashi nodded silently. Rather than fight a losing battle alone, Suga had enlisted both Yamaguchi and Kaido to tag team it Friday evening. Hoping to help, Tadashi had invited them all to dinner with the sole purpose of one last ditch effort to convince Machi to back out tomorrow. Each had been useless on their own, but their combined efforts seemed to have struck some sort of nerve, as Machi's glower slowly faded into a tired looking frown the more the evening progressed.

Machi sighed, shifting her weight around in her chair and rolling her right leg sideways on the stool it was propped on. She could feel all of them watching her, each set of eyes burning a new hole through her resolve like a flame to paper. Their arguments made sense of course; she wasn't stupid. And she hated to think it was her fault that both her cousin and boyfriend were so on edge with anxiety. Of course there would be other chances to make the Olympic team, but this was the first one she actually had a real shot at. The one where she could show off how hard she'd been working. And besides, it wasn't like Machi could simply just give up and walk away; there was one voice in the back of her mind that made sure of that.

"You're pathetic. I didn't raise you to give up all because of a bit of pain."

Clear as a bell, Reo's words clamored in her mind until they were the only ones she heard. Weak. Pathetic. Failure. If Suga and Kaido's concerns had been the warm glow to burn through Machi's heart and make her question her decision, Reo's were the freezing chill that snuffed out even the hottest flames. With each of her father's invisible attacks, Machi could feel her resolve tightening. The frown on her face pulled into a sharp line, steely cold icing over her once bright eyes. It must have been evident to her friends as well because each of them watched the regression with their own growing horror.

"I appreciate you guys. But I'm not backing out now. Not when I'm this close." Machi determined roughly. Knowing they'd only further try to talk her out of it, Machi snagged her crutches from behind her chair and hobbled out of the kitchen and towards her room. An unsettling gurgling started in her stomach as she climbed the stairs, which could only be from nerves. This was it. This was the chance she'd been working towards for years, and she wasn't going to let it go without a fight. Both for herself, and to once and for all shut out that one voice in her mind. She wasn't weak, and she'd prove it to him. Pain wasn't real anyway, not as a stopping force. That was the one lesson Reo taught her that Machi could never seem to forget.

***

"Stress eating, I see?" Kaido took the empty bench next to Suga, Tadashi and Daichi, motioning to the large bag of licorice candy clutched in the vice-captain's hands, matching the extra large popcorn in his own. "Thought I'd be the only one."

Saturday afternoon turned out as dark and gloomy as they each felt. Machi had left early that morning, her uncle and Tadashi joining her on the drive to the next town over where the Qualifiers would be held. The ride had been quiet, only Machi's uncle brave enough to wish her good luck as she had strode into the arena, purposefully leaving the crutches in the van. Suga caught a ride with Daichi a bit later, and while it didn't quite feel like the occasion to partake in a plethora of snacks, Suga couldn't help it. "I want to be supportive, but all I can think is how this can't end well." He murmured through a mouthful of snacks. And the more that thought raced through his head, the more licorice he ate until he'd polished off an entire bag before the matches began and Daichi had to buy more from a vending machine.