The Play Off [An Emma Myers x Male Reader Fanfic]

01. The Game and The Draft

The locker room hummed with nervous anticipation as Y/n L/n sat quietly on the bench, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the textured grooves of the basketball in his lap. The air was thick with the scent of anticipation, each player lost in their thoughts as they prepared mentally for the game ahead.

Y/n glanced up at the row of lockers across from him, his mind racing with thoughts of the scouts rumoured to be in attendance. This game wasn't just another match—it was a chance to showcase his skills nationally, to prove he belonged among the best.

"Hey, Y/n," a voice broke through his reverie, and Y/n looked up to see his teammate and close friend, Alex, approaching with a reassuring smile. "You good, man?" Alex asked, sitting down beside Y/n and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you've been thinking about those scouts, but trust me, you've got this. You've been killing it all season."

Y/n sighed, his shoulders tense with nerves. "I know, but... what if tonight isn't enough? What if I don't stand out?"

Alex chuckled softly, giving Y/n a playful nudge. "Come on, Y/n. You're a beast out there. Nobody hustles like you do, nobody shoots like you do... Hell, you're the basketball equivalent of Gaston," He added with a chuckle before swinging his arms from side to side. "No one shoots the ball like Y/n, no one dribbles at all like Y/n, no one had the courage or the gall like Y/n..."

"Shut it," Y/n growled as he gave his dark-haired friend a punch against the shoulder. "But you're right, I just need to take deep breaths and focus on the game, everything else will work itself out..." He trailed off as he ran his fingers under the band around his wrist, rolling the material as he took a deep breath.

"That's the spirit," Alex grinned, clapping Y/n on the back. "Now let's go out there and show them what we're made of."

Y/n nodded, rising to his feet alongside Alex. The locker room buzzed around them, teammates exchanging nods and words of encouragement as they prepared to take the court.

His feet pressed against the polished wood floor as he looked around the court, cheers filling the room as the coach joined them. "Alright, let's show them what we're made of," Coach Rogers cheered, brushing the grey moustache out of his mouth as he nodded, the team all nodding in return as they moved to the court.

Y/n's eyes dragged across the audience, just noticing the two figures in the front, the smaller of the two had her blonde hair tied into a messy bun with an oversized basketball shirt with 11 on it, the same number on his shirt as she cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered. Y/n just smiled as the whistle brought his attention back to the game, watching Alex rise into the air as he reached for the ball and a second later, it was sent flying right towards Y/n.

Y/n grabbed the ball and began dribbling as he took off running, his steps were lightning-fast and the defender that tried to block him seemed to be caught off guard as he stumbled over his own feet to try to keep in front of the young L/n. Y/n took a wide step to the left before the ball was sent between his legs and bounced off to his right he spun his entire body to the same side, curving around the defender as he dribbled past the man, watching him try to recover and only trip backwards, catching himself as he fell to the floor.