Work Text:
Practice had just ended for the Karasuno team. The players were all busy. Some of them were picking up their belongings to finally go home and rest after a long day. Others were cleaning the gym’s floor or giving each other feedback about the last match. A few of them were still stretching. It had been a tiring training session, and Sugawara was looking forward to a good night's sleep without school to worry about the next morning, since it would be Saturday.
The boy sighed, exhausted, while he headed to the supply closet to put away the broom he’d been holding. When he got there, he carefully placed it inside. Once he was done, he closed the door, dusting himself off before aiming to go pick up his own things and leave. By the time he was done with everything, he was the only one left in the gym. Already halfway through the court, he passed next to an open window when something made him stop, catching his ear.
“Hm?” He exclaimed in confusion, his brows furrowing at the sound that was coming from outside. He could have sworn everyone had already gone home. Attempting to listen more closely, he approached the window and focused. It was almost imperceptible, but he thought he heard someone crying right outside the gym.
His maternal instincts kicked in, and, not thinking twice, he rushed to the door, opening it gently as if not to startle whoever was crying outside and didn’t know they’d been heard. Suga had thought it was most likely one of his teammates, but when he peeked outside the doors he didn’t find what he was expecting to find.
What the boy caught sight of was a girl, sitting on a nearby wooden bench, under the light of one of the light posts in the area, completely alone. Her knees were pulled tightly to her chest and her face was hidden between her arms. Her shoulders trembled. It was evident that the sobs were coming out of her. Judging by her frame, she looked like she was still in middle school. Strange. What was a middle schooler doing there at that hour?
Sugawara slowly walked closer to the bench where the girl sat, suddenly feeling very drawn to her in a protective way. The boy was the type of person to always worry about how others were feeling and he didn’t like seeing his friends down. And although he didn’t know the girl, he surely didn’t want her to keep crying by herself.
“Um… Hey…” He started, trying not to startle her but seeing her tense up anyway, her gaze turning to look up at him immediately. Suga raised his hands, attempting to show the poor girl that he meant no harm “Easy, don’t worry, I’m not here to kick you out, haha” He chuckled softly, rubbing his neck and slowly setting his duffle bag down on the ground. The girl seemed to relax somewhat at his statement.
Knowing that he had her attention, he dared to ask.
“Can I sit?” He motioned to the empty spot next to the girl. She looked at her side, then at him, then back at her side, and nodded, wiping her face, sniffling. Sugawara made sure she agreed before slowly sitting beside her. There was a moment where neither of them talked, the girl still trying to get it together. Her cheeks and nose were red.
“S-sorry” She said, looking up at the sky and taking a deep breath, followed by a shaky exhale. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on her thighs. “I didn’t think there was anyone else here”.
“Yeah, I lost track of time cleaning up again” He smiled softly, kind of embarrassed about it. She gave him a weak side smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. He tilted his head slightly “I, um… I heard you crying from inside, sorry to intrude but… Are you okay?”.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. It’s stupid, really… I argued with my classmates” Looking away, she played with her hands a bit. He gave her a knowing look and shook his head as a response.
“Well, that doesn’t sound ‘stupid’ to me at all.” He reassured her “What did you guys argue about?”.
“It was actually them yelling at me, but whatever” She mumbled nervously “They got mad at me at P.E because I suck at everything and it was my fault we lost the match!” Crossing her arms, her voice hitched.
“Whoah, hey, don’t talk about yourself like that! Nobody can suck at everything…” He tried for her to stay calm “What were you guys playing?”.
She got silent, and glanced at the gym a couple of metres away from them. Then she looked away again and sighed, not very amused by the coincidence "...Volleyball".
He paused, thinking about what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. He knew the feeling all too well. He’d felt it himself in the past and had seen others get discouraged because of it. Some of them even quit playing.
“I’m gonna tell you something, volleyball is a team sport. If your team lost a match, it’s no one’s fault, and even if it was, it’s not yours only! What kind of team puts the fate of a game on a single person’s shoulders?” He shook his head. When she remained quiet, he continued “If I’ve learnt anything through all the years of playing this sport, it is that it’s pointless playing if your team won’t have your back when you mess it up”.
Her lip quivered “There is no team in my school. And my classmates won’t back me up because they know how useless I am” She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.
“Don’t say that. I don’t think you can be that bad-”.
“Well, I am! If I wasn’t, why am I always picked last when forming teams? Why do they roll their eyes when the teacher puts me with them, or complain like they already know we’re going to lose for the single fact of having me with them? I can’t even do one single reception right… They look at me like they expect nothing from me, AND THEY STILL YELL AT ME IF I GIVE THEM JUST THAT” She covered her face with her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her shoulders trembled as the sobs took over once again.
Sugawara was shocked by her sudden outburst, and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. That situation, being disrespected to such a point that you ended up crying alone on a bench, was something no one should have to go through, no matter how bad they were at anything. So the boy didn’t minimize her pain, and didn't aim to stop her tears from flowing.
Instead, he moved barely an inch closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. When she felt the contact, her breath hitched and she glanced at him sideways, her face still hidden behind her hands but her eyes peeking through her fingers. Knowing that she was now looking at him, he slowly reached out and took her hands away from her face, securing them in his, resting against her lap. His thumbs circled over her knuckles softly in a repetitive motion.
“Listen” He said calmly when she had calmed down slightly. Looking at the gym before them, he meditated his words for a moment before continuing “I don't care if you’re good at volleyball or not, it doesn’t matter” He shook his head “It means nothing if you can’t score or receive, or if you fail every service” He gave her hands a tiny squeeze “But please, don’t ever think you’re at fault for how they’ve been treating you. You don’t deserve it in the slightest”.
“But…” Her voice broke “But they say I do… Why would they mess with me so much if I didn’t deserve it?” The vulnerability of her voice made his heart ache. How many times had this girl suffered all alone?
“No, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re being selfish and egotistic. Alright, fine, they’re good at volleyball because they have a knack for it. So what? It’s egocentric to stay with that and never try to improve, and it’s even worse if they attack those who are not like them just because” He looked disappointed at their attitude. “You know, the best players I know didn’t get to the top due to talent, but because they built their way up there. You? You’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. Messing up and trying again, striving to get better”.
He paused for a second, letting her take his words in. She was silent for a moment, giving it a thought, before frowning.
“I… I actually did one good pass today. We ended up scoring…” She admitted, looking down at her hands, still in his. Sugawara smiled.
“There you go! See? That means they're wrong. Thanks to you, your team scored. That doesn’t speak of ‘Useless’ to me” He tilted his head, giving her a comforting smile. She seemed to believe a part of it, tears were no longer rolling down her cheeks. “And even if you hadn’t made a good pass, each failure means you’re closer to success. Do you know just how many times I’ve messed up?”.
“You?” She raised her eyebrows in surprise, and he chuckled.
“Yeah, me! I make a lot of mistakes. Everyone does. Even your classmates do, I’m sure of it. So…” He reached out and wiped a remaining tear from one of her eyes “No matter how many times they tell you that you shouldn’t mess up, remember how closer you are to achieving your goals than them, okay?”.
She finally lifted her head fully up and looked at him, a feeling of warmth spreading through her chest at his kind reassurances. Then she reached out and hugged him tightly, burying her face on his jacket. Sugawara was taken aback for a moment, but then he sighed, relieved that she was no longer thinking of herself as stupid and useless. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. She closed her eyes, letting herself sink into that moment, because in less than an hour he had treated her better than any of her classmates had in years, and, for a moment, that was all she needed.
- The end -