Tadaima [Sugawara x reader]

Chapter 1

Being a third year sucks. Final exams, entrance exams, harder-than-ever lessons.. and volleyball. Yeah, that thing.

One may not think like it, but being the setter puts a handful of pressure on you. What if your set is too high? Too low? Too close to the net? Eventually all that headache caught up with me and I lost my passion for the game.

I'm still playing though, but not as enthusiastically as before. There's just no helping it.

Like that one time we played in the preliminaries and lost in our first match. The whole team was stressed out and we couldn't get a grip on ourselves and our emotions. Man, if only I didn't mess up those last sets we could of won the damn thing!

"Ayase? Are you listening?" Sensei's voice snapped me back to the present. "Please, read the paragraph out loud."

Kuso.

Dang, which paragraph? I haven't even opened the book! Dammit, what do I do, what do I do? I can't let myself get distracted from my studies or my sensei will literally kill me.

"Uhm-" I heard a male voice starting to speak beside me, "I can read it, Sensei," a boy with silver hair said as he stood up with the book in his hands and started to read.

~

"Hey, wait up!" I shouted while trying to catch up with the guy. He did save me back then, after all, so I at least owe him a thanks. And an apology, too.

I ran up to him and bent over to my knees, trying to catch my breath.

"Woah, slow down," he smiled at me. "What are you so worked up about?"

"I-uh-I.." I tried to speak through my panting and couldn't help but smile back up at him in embarrassment of my lack of words. "I just wanted to thank you for earlier. You really saved me, so yeah, thanks a bunch," my smile widened as I straightened my back.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," my classmate said, scratching the back of his neck.

"And I'm sorry too. You didn't have to step up for me or anything, it was my own fault for not being able to concentrate and I was just too caught up in my own thoughts, and when I was asked to read I went completely dumbstruck, and-"

"Shhh," he put his index finger in front of my mumbling mouth, making my eyes widen in surprise and my cheeks turn a light shade of crimson. "It's okay, I don't mind it in the least," his eyes sparkled and he gave me a cheerful look.

"Gomen'nasai," I chuckled, "I started rambling again."
"It's Sugawara, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Ayase, if I'm not mistaken?"

"That's right. I know this may sound dumb but I really appreciate what you did for me.. A-and I'd like to repay you somehow. The truth is, if I had spaced out for one more time this week, I probably would have gotten detention. So please, let me at least treat you to some ramen!" I bowed my head to him.

I have no idea why, but my body was insanely tensed up right now and I could feel my cheeks burning up. I really need to calm my nerves.

"If you insist to," Sugawara laughed, "and please, don't stand like that, it makes me feel really old."

"Oh, sorry," I straightened up, scratching the back of my neck. Man, I can't seem to do anything right being around him.

For a couple of seconds we both stood there, me looking at the ground and Sugawara looking through the hall's window. It's like time has stopped and there were only the two of us, two third years standing in the hallway who didn't know each other at all, yet at the same time, for a brief second there, felt a strange connection.

"I-I have volleyball practice today, so we could meet up after that," Sugawara brought me back to reality, "of course, if you don't mind waiting," he quickly added.

Don't tell me. He plays valleyball too?

"It's not a problem, I can wait."

"If you want, you could come to watch our practice, since it may drag on a bit long and I don't want you to catch a cold because of me," my classmate smiled cheerfully squeezing his eyes and turned around.

I froze in my tracks after hearing that. It's not like the offer shocked me or anything; I don't even know myself why my mouth wouldn't move. It's probably because I have absolutely no intention of getting more involved with that game, I thought. Yet, I couldn't give Sugawara an answer for my body didn't respond.

I saw him turning his gaze to the ground, probably embarrassed about what he said, since I didn't reply. Y/N, get a grip on yourself! I'm putting him in a troublesome situation once again, dammit.

"Give it some thought, okay?" he smiled with a.. a hint of sadness, his head over his shoulder and walked away.

"Gah, what is wrong with me?" I though as I laid my back against the wall and looked up to the ceiling. "I've never felt like this before. Never in my life have I experienced something like a lack of words or heated up cheeks while talking to a guy. Could this be just a concequence of my tension because of volleyball? I hope so."

~

"Ayase-san, you made it!" A familiar voice struck me as I opened the doors to the gym.

Turns out, I got here just when they started cleaning up; all that time I was in the library, pretending to be reading books while actually I couldn't help but worry about Sugawara's sad smile before he walked away earlier.

"Give me a second, I'll be right back," Sugawara now acted as if nothing happened and after a couple of minutes stepped through the door with his school uniform on.

"Shall we?" I asked, turning around on my heel, ready to start walking.

"We shall."