Lead Wings | Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖓𝖊

You are here, in Tokyo. Around you are people of different ages and heights, coming from all over Japan to win. The boys look huge, some of them might even be 2 meters tall. You are not that short either, but compared to them, you seem like a first year. Whatever, they are boys, of course they'd be giants. As you look around to spot some of the female players, it feels like your knees are about to give up at the realization you have when you see a girl talking with a boy, both the same height: they are huge too! Before you can deepen too much in your depressive state, a hand is placed on your shoulder, bringing you back.

"Are you okay?" The vice-captain of your team asks you with a worried look on her face as she noticed how you were eyeing around.

"Y-Yeah...!" You say after inhaling and exhaling. "Just a bit nervous. They are super tall," she giggles and pats you gently on your back.

"Don't laugh at me! Our high-school hasn't been to the nationals in forever! It's normal to be scared!"

"And thanks to whom are here today, captain?" Another girl says in a teasing tone, behind her being the rest of your team. "You are our captain, our ace! You have us and we have you so we'll win to matter what!" Seeing the large smile on her everyone's faces, you feel the weight on your shoulders lifting up. She's right, as long as you have their support, nothing can bring you down. If you don't win today, this will be your last official game as this team, as a third year and you cannot let that happen.

You've come this far to win. Nothing is going to stop you. This team has everything that it needs to win. You trust their abilities and their teamwork. With some you've played since the beginning of your days at the club and others joined just a few months ago. But the time you've spend together doesn't matter because you all wish for the same thing: to make the name of your high-school be known in all Japan as you win the nationals.

After all the teams get in the big court, the matches start officially. As you are warming up, you look around at the other teams and the uneasiness is back in your stomach, making you feel like you are about to throw up. You quickly slap yourself across the face with both palms, turning to your team that looks at you mortified.

"That was a bit... extreme..." You smile at her, but her worries don't go away. Everyone can tell that you are more nervous than usual, but something feels off about you too. Your coach calls you for one last talk before the match begins, giving you words of encouragement, but also instructions and advice.

"The floor is harder than the ones we usually play on. You'll hurt yourselves if you play like you usually do, so be careful" He looks at you while saying that, but you roll your eyes.

Walking to the court to face your opponents, you are glad that the color of their uniforms isn't the same as yours. You love the black of yours, fitting the name of your school, so changing it would have made you a little sad. You played in these clothes for 3 years.

As your setter goes in the back to serve, you get in position. Closing your eyes for a second and taking a big breath, you yell:

"Hit them with a killer serve!" She throws the ball in the air and jumps to hit it; the tournament finally begins.

The first set goes to your team; score was 25-17. After their teasing and badmouthing, the other girls still couldn't win, no matter how hard they tried to intimidate you. You won't fall, you won't submit to them. This is your game to win. In the break, the coach talks again about strategy and what to do in order to win again.

"You need to calm down!" He tells you. "You are all tense and violent. You'll end up hurting yourself or the others if you keep playing like that!"

"Yes, sir," you mumble, but you know very well that nothing is going to change. You collided a few times with your teammates, but no serious injuries were caused. Tomorrow you'll take it easier, now you just have to show everyone how good you are so they won't look down on you anymore.

As the ball is coming in your direction, you jump high enough to hit it. Even though your position is a bit off, the ball still goes over the net and is seems that nobody is there to catch it. Paying so little attention to your surroundings, you don't realize how your foot is going to touch the floor and so you slip on the side of your shoe. You don't have time to react or to move your hand to stop your fall.

The pain you shortly feel in your ankle is nothing compared to how hard the right side of your head hits the cold floor. You lose you consciousness immediately; the last thing that comes to your mind are your coach's words as you hear a first year that was close calling your name:

"Ukai-san!"