an angel | sugawara k.

chapter 1

enchanted | taylor swift

"these are the words i held back, as i was leaving too soon: i was enchanted to meet you"

a week had passed since school started, and your anxieties about choosing a college was the only thought that consumed your mind.

you wanted to major with some sort of art, but what? music composition? musical theatre? vocal arts?

you hummed in frustration, strumming the strings on your guitar a little harder than was necessary. the discordant note clung to the branches above you then swept away with the twinkling of the brass wind chime.

"i just can't sing today."

you wanted to cry as soon as the confession left your mouth. singing was the only thing that made you feel whole, complete. and it didn't only connect you with yourself, it connected you with another . . .

placing your hand on the trunk of your cherry blossom tree, you let out a sigh. if only your tree was in bloom. maybe it would help you feel a bit better. but the crisp fall air kept the dark brown branches bare of any petals.

you went inside and packed up your guitar in its case in your room. you grabbed your backpack, put on your shoes, and said goodbye to your parents.

"i just need a little walk to clear my mind. i might swing by keishin's and ask if he needs help."

"sounds good, be back before 8!" your mother called from her office.

you nodded, departing on your walk to sakanoshita market. you'd started working for keishin over the summer just to gain some pocket money, but now sakanoshita had become your comforting spot to go to whenever you needed to clear your head.

the ukai family was close to yours. you'd known them since you were a little girl. they had tried to get you into volleyball, but playing sports just wasn't your passion. that didn't stop old ukai from getting you into volunteering at his volleyball camp, though.

that was your other side hustle. but other then those two things, you didn't do much. sang under your tree now and then. no big deal.

instead of listening to music, you listened for other people walking in your neighborhood. alas, only your footsteps clicked against the sidewalk.

before you knew it, you were in front of sakanoshita market. the bell rang as you opened the door, the warmth and comfort of the store enveloping you as you walked in. keishin was stocking up the shelves of chips in the front of the store.

"hey kid, what's up?"

"nothing much. i just needed to clear my head. need any help?"

keishin nodded, unlit cigarette in his mouth. "man the cashier for me."

giving him a thumbs up, you dropped your bag off behind the counter and sat on the stool. no one was came in for several minutes, so you grabbed a meat bun from the warming oven and munched on it to pass the time.

surprisingly, your peaceful snack break was cut short when a group of boys came into the store. looking at their shirts, you realized that they were from your school. the flightless crows of karasuno: the boy's volleyball team.

"hey hey what's all this commotion?" keishin shouted from the aisle.

"just here for meat buns!" the oldest-looking one said back. his neatly cut hair reminded you of a boy from the third year class across from yours. you forgot his name, though.

he walked up to the counter and asked for enough buns for the whole team.

"does 12 work?" you asked.

"sounds about right!"

he paid for the buns while the other boys walked around the store looking at all the trinkets and decided to keep up conversation as you counted his change.

"so, you're y/n aren't you? i recognize you from the class across mine."

"yup, that's me! i didn't realize you played volleyball, are you any good?"

"he's one of the best, our amazing captain daichi!" a voice interrupted from behind the boy. it belonged to someone with silver hair and hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle.

"captain?"

"it's no big deal, especially compared to our star freshmen. they're monsters," daichi chuckled.

"yeah, like being a captain is just 'no big deal'," the silver-haired boy interjected before adding, "i'm koushi sugawara!"

"y/n l/n," you smiled, handing daichi back his change.

"hey i'm closing up shop, get out of here!" keishin shouted from the front of the store. he held the door open, shooing the boys out.

"well, see you around school!" daichi gave you a wave as he left. sugawara did the same, leaving the shop empty and quiet once again.

"you should head home too, it's getting dark and you have school tomorrow, don't you?" keishin asked, still leaning against the open door.

"yeah, good idea. bye, keishin!"

you grabbed your bag and things, waving bye as keishin closed the shop door behind you. you could see the volleyball boys in the distance, all waving to each other as they walked their separate ways.

you, however, lived on the exact opposite of the town.

guess it's another silent walk home.

but at least this time you had more interesting things to think about.

for all of high school, your single closest friend was tengan rei, a third year in your choral class.

but now that you'd met the volleyball team and worked at sakanoshita market, maybe you'd see them more often!

especially the silver-haired one, sugawara. something about his enthusiasm and zeal for life had captivated you. which was insane because you'd only talked to him for a few seconds.

yet you felt an unexplainable pull to the boy. that couldn't be possible though, especially not when you were enchanted by another.

right?

word count ~ 936