#someone give me a pep talk like a high school gym coach

[krikidilly]

Urgggrrrrgrgrgerrrrrgrrrrrrr rgrrgfr

I'll bring ruin upon this world

[nonstop-haikyuu]

Social Media Apologies

This is my first fic with the Haikyuu Headquarters server! And it's my first Daishou fic, as much as I love that snake bastard!! This month's SFW prompt was "meet ugly" so this is about Daishou serving a ball into reader's face which leads to him groveling on social media. Honestly, I hope you guys like this!! Here's the link to the masterlist!

-

For years, I had a string of bad luck that seemed to follow me around no matter where I went or how I acted. My parents cited bad karma or a curse placed upon me when I was a child. I simply called it life being an asshole. When I gained the job as the Sendai Frogs trainer, I knew the dangers of what I was getting into. Volleyballs were constantly flying across the gym and it wasn’t uncommon for someone to catch a spiked ball to the face.

For the most part, I had managed to avoid any strays that came my way, whether it be me blocking the hit or the players that I worked with saving my ass.

That changed the day that we played Yotsuya Motor Spirits. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting the day to be anything special, especially since Kyotani, Koganegawa, and Kei had finally started working as a team, with their fellow players supporting their talents both as a trio and separately.

“Hey, don’t let them in your head, okay, Kyo? And Tsukki, please don’t rile them up too much. I really don’t want to deal with their coach coming to rip our heads off cause you want to be a dick.” I encouraged, crossing my arms over my chest. The two rolled their eyes at my usual pep talk then mumbled their agreement, turning towards their opponents. Kanji bounced eagerly in front of me and asked, “What about me?”

“Just take it slow, okay? Don’t rush your sets,I know you can do this.” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. He grinned at my words of wisdom and they soon walked away to line up, prepared to take their stances on the court. The first set passed without anything too out of the ordinary, with snide comments and smug grins exchanged between the net.

It was the second set that seemed to make the match all the more interesting.

Daishou Suguru, an outside hitter from the Spirits, was the man responsible for the shift of the atmosphere. I was returning from the trainer’s room with a bag of supplies, knowing that at the next timeout, Tsukishima and Kanji would need tape for their fingers. Along with that, our libero would likely want his knee braced better, due to an old injury.

I was walking on the corner of the court when the whistle blew and Daishou took his stance for his serve. I glanced up for a brief second to see who would take on the receive, only to realize that the ball was hurtling towards my face at a pace much too fast for me to hide from. Shouts and gasps filled the stadium as I slammed to the floor. Blurry faces crowded around me and I faintly acknowledged the fact that my three friends were looming over me, waving their hands in front of my face.

“Hey, hey, easy. Just lay back, okay?” Kei encouraged, pressing a gentle hand against my shoulder. I groaned at the pain in my head and nose then mumbled, “Hurts. It hurts. What the hell happened?” Kyotani masked his snarl and bit out, “Bastard snake nailed you in the face with a serve. Might wanna hold still, Coach thinks you have a concussion and a broken nose.”

“You realize that I can hear you, right? It’s not like I meant to hit them. I was shooting for a service ace, give me a break.” Daishou replied, rolling his eyes.

“Shit, this hurts.” I grumbled as Tsukki pressed a wad of tissues under my nose. Daishou knelt beside me and murmured, “Hey, I’m really sorry about hitting you in the face. I didn’t see you there.”

“I’m kinda pissed that you serve bad enough to hit someone on the sidelines.” I snapped, pushing myself up. Kogane’s eyes widened at my bitter tone and harsh words, then Daishou spat, “You were walking in front of the barrier. You should have enough brains to know to walk behind it.”

I jerked my head towards the wing spiker, groaning at the sharp jab of pain and bit out, “Maybe you should learn how to serve properly then. If your serves are that high, then you’re not doing something right.” Kyotani helped me to my feet then I heard the snake hiss, “Bitch just needs to learn where to stand during a game.”

An argument between Tsukishima and Daishou began to rise with Kogane attempting to coax his teammate out of the fight. Kyotani braced against me then grumbled, “You never know when to stop talking, do you?” I let out a bitter laugh and mumbled, “He’s the one who will have to deal with the backlash. And I’m the one with a broken nose!”

He patted me on the shoulder and replied, “I’ve learned that you usually get screwed by what you say in the end.” He was right but shit, I was really hoping that I would escape any trouble that followed.

-

I, in fact, did not escape the results of Wednesday’s game. Kyotani, Kogane, and Kei came to visit me in the trainer’s room on Saturday, my first day back from my concussion, and they showed me the results of my broken nose and bitter words towards Daishou.

“Sendai Frogs’ Trainer and Motor Spirits’ Wing Spiker in the midst of a social media battle? Daishou Suguru has gone to social media to publicly apologize to the Sendai Frogs’ trainer after a stray serve broke the trainer’s nose and left them with a concussion. As of right now, the Sendai Frogs have not addressed the situation. The wing spiker seems to be desperate for a response and his fans seem irritated with the lack of acceptance from the trainer. ” Kei read off, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I scoffed at the ridiculous headline then snapped the first aid kit shut as I bit out, “Give me a break. He’s the one who won’t stop tagging me in his stupid apology. I mean, why should I accept his apology twice?”

“Because it’s good publicity and if you don’t accept on social media without a single ounce of sarcasm in it, I think you’ll be finding a new job.” our PR manager answered, entering the room. We twisted at the statement and I snapped, “What are you talking about? I could be fired over this?”

“Not my idea but the Motor Spirits’ manager is pissed that you’re not replying to him publicly so the fans of his team say that you’re being a stuck up bitch.” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. I groaned and flung myself on the trainer’s bed, whining, “This isn’t fair! I’m the one with the broken nose and he’s the one gaining the sympathy? Ugh! Fine, I’ll tweet him now.”

Yanking out my phone, I opened the Twitter app and constructed a tweet, “Daishou-san, I accept your apology. I’m sorry for taking so long to accept publicly.” I clicked send on the public message and grumbled to myself as Kei chirped, “You think the public will leave your little feud at that?” A simple chime followed his question and I glanced down, surprised to see that Daishou had privately messaged me.

“How about dinner on me? I’d really like to make it up to you.” Kei blinked in surprise at the statement then laughed, “Are you going to accept? It’s been a while since you’ve been on a date. I mean, people already think you guys are a thing.”

“Seriously?! Who asked you anyway? Hmm. I mean, I guess I could go out with him?” I asked, tapping my chin. My best friends continued to laugh as I thought over Daishou’s offer then mumbled, “I guess it can’t get worse than it already is.” Typing a quick response, I hovered over the send message then Kyotani huffed, pushing the button himself. We loom over the phone screen, waiting for his response, then a new chat appears with an address linked and a simple, “Tonight, 9 pm. I’ll see you there.” I tilted my head back then asked, “What am I thinking?”

“You need a boyfriend, that’s what you’re thinking.” Kei supplied, patting me on the back. I came to a stand then stated, “I guess I should go get ready for this date, then.”

“You’re gonna have a great time!” Kanji called out, laughter following me out.

9 pm came surprisingly slow, likely due to my repeated glances at my watch. The ramen shop was actually a ten minute drive from my apartment and I often frequented it during the weekends. I was thankful for the familiarity and lowkey manner of the shop. It would provide some comfort to me.

Bowing briefly at the shop owner, I glanced around and spotted Daishou in the corner. He smiled at my appearance then pulled out the stool across from him. I settled down on the seat and he admitted, “I’m not going to lie, I kind of thought you weren’t going to show up.” I laughed at his statement then replied, “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come. Tsukki definitely wasn’t confident in you showing up.”

“Well, Four Eyes is best buds with Kuroo and that cat hasn’t liked me since middle school. You look beautiful by the way. I really am sorry about breaking your nose and giving you a concussion.” he remarked, scratching the back of his neck. I pressed a gentle finger to the bridge of my nose then stated, “Don’t worry about it. Neither of us could really do anything about this. You’re a persistent asshole, though. Why did you ask me out for dinner?”

He paused at the question and answered, “I thought you were pretty. And I like that you didn’t let me be an asshole. At least, not without a fight.” I laughed, shaking his head, and chirped, “You thought I was hot while I was being a bitch? Are you a masochist or something?”

“More of a sadist, if I’m being honest.” he blurted out, playing with my fingers. My eyes widened at his bluntness then he leaned forward with a remark, “But that can wait until after dinner. What would you like?”

We glanced over the menu and I found myself studying Daishou. His hair was relatively short, barely hanging on his forehead and it looked soft until the ramen shop’s lights. Green eyes flickered back and forth over the options and my gaze continued down to petal pink lips. His tongue flicked out and I’m surprised to see that he has a tongue ring, with fangs in place of normal canines.

“Snake bastard… I thought Kyotani was being a dick, not being serious.” I mumbled, reaching to cup his face. He startled at the sudden touch and his eyebrows furrowed together, asking, “Can I help you with something?”

“Fangs… you have fangs.” I breathed, focused on his mouth. He laughed at the awe in my voice then replied, “I was born with them. I got my tongue pierced right after college on a bet.” He wiggled his tongue afterwards and returned his attention to the menu as the server approached our table.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” I turned with a smile as I gave my order then dropped my hand away from Daishou’s face so he could answer. Once she wrote down our selected meals, she gave a small bow and informed us that our food would soon be out.

“I’m sorry. You must think that I’m a crazy person for grabbing your face like that.” I apologized, burying my face in my hands. He laughed at my embarrassment and tugged my hands down before he chimed, “It’s okay, I thought it was cute. Honestly, a lot of people are turned off by the fangs. Something about how it’ll hurt if I kiss them. So it’s nice to have someone fascinated by them.”

“I really like it actually. It looks really good.” I murmured, a shy smile stretching across my face. He smiled in return then asked, “So how did you end up as the trainer for the Frogs?” I let out a laugh and answered, “I used to go to Aoba Johnson with Kentarou and went to college with Tsuki. When they joined the Frogs, I heard they were hiring an athletic trainer so I put in an app. Now I’m here and stuck with three blond idiots.”

“Hey I’m not an idiot!” a growl interrupted, jerking our attention to the table behind us. Three men sat there with awful disguises and I could feel my fury beginning to bubble.

“What the hell are you three doing here?” I spat, jerking out of my seat. Daishou started at Kyotani, Kanji, and Kei, the two glaring at Kentarou for blowing their cover.

“Idiot! They haven’t even had dinner yet and now they know we’re here!” Kei hissed, slapping his teammate on the shoulder. I slammed my hands on their table then demanded, “Why are you here?! Which one of you morons thought of this bright idea?”

“Group effort?” Kogane supplied, ducking his head to avoid my glare. Our server returned with our food, with concern across her face then Daishou stated, “Could we get our food to go? Please? We had something come up and can’t stay to eat.” Kei turned with a bitter expression then asked, “Do you think that I would let you go on a date with him by yourself?”

“Yes! I’m a grown adult and I figured you would at least trust me enough to watch over myself! Daishou-san, I am so sorry for this! I didn’t think these three would be this dumb. My apartment isn’t too far from here if you’re still wanting to go on this date?” I asked, turning my attention back to the wing spiker.

He gave a grin and answered, “I would love to. I’ve already paid so I’m ready to go when you are.” The trio began to protest as we walked out of the shop and I shot a glare over my shoulder, hissing, “You follow us and I will end you.” They settled back in their chairs and sighed, shaking their heads.

I turned back to Daishou and he wrapped an arm around my waist, murmuring, “I think we make a pretty amazing couple, what do you think?” I leaned into his side and said, “I think you’re right.”

[omgjasminesimone]

Cheer

Logan x MC

Follow up to this AU

Word Count: ~3,000

Logan rips the bandage with his teeth, tenderly looping it around Ellie’s knee multiple times. He makes sure it’s tight enough to provide ample support, but not so tight it’s cutting off her circulation. “There, how does that feel?” He asks, placing a gentle kiss to Ellie’s knee before looking up at her from where he’s kneeling on the gym floor.

Ellie tests it out, bending her knee a little. “That feels good, thank  you Logan.” She’s about to turn to head back to practice when Logan grips her hand.

“Hey, take it easy out there, alright? You don’t have to go full out every practice.” Logan suggests.

Ellie smiles, looping her arms around his neck. “Aww, are you worried about me?”

Logan’s hands go to her waist, hugging her to him. “Obviously. It’s pretty nerve wracking to watch my girlfriend get thrown around like a rag doll.”

Ellie smirks, absentmindedly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Well, us real athletes have to do some pretty dangerous stuff. Not all sports are as easy as basketball.” She teases.

Logan frowns and pulls away from her a little, but he’s not doing a very good job of looking believably upset. “Well damn, way to make me feel bad about myself. And so soon after Canyon Crest not making it to the State Championships too. You can be so cruel. Good thing you’re so pretty.” He teases right back.

Ellie would have continued with their flirty banter, but the star crossed couple is interrupted. “Logan! If you keep distracting one of my most important flyers, I’m banning you from coming to practice. We’re trying to win a national title here!” Ellie’s cheer coach yells.

“Yes ma’am! Sorry about that, won’t happen again!” Logan yells back apologetically, getting to his feet. “You got me in trouble.” He quietly, and playfully, complains to Ellie.

She smiles at him. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

Logan grins, pulling her to him for a quick kiss. “I’m holding you to that troublemaker.”

“Ellie!” Her coach yells again.

“Coming!” She quickly replies, scurrying back over to the squad to keep working on the pyramid.

...

A week later in Orlando, Ellie is still distracted at a Logan free practice session. “Come on, stick it!” The coach yells as Ellie is tossed up onto the bases’ hands. Ellie wobbles, tightening her core to try to save it, but ultimately crumbles down to the ground.

“Oh my god, I told you not to replace Gia with Ellie.” Ingrid complains. “She’s about to cost us Nationals!”

Ellie never expected to make mat for the biggest cheerleading event of the year, and she certainly wasn’t expecting to be made a flyer, one of the most challenging and revered roles. But when Gia broke her leg after over flipping on a basket toss, it just made sense to give the spot to Ellie. Ellie is tiny and easy to lift, she works hard, and her technical skills are unbelievable for someone who’s been cheering less than a year.

But now, with only 2 days before the competition, the pressure is starting to get to her. Ellie doesn’t want to let anyone down. The squad has been working for months, for this two and a half minute performance that has to be perfect.

“Where is your head at Ellie?! You never drop this much. I took a big chance on you, because I believed in you. And right now, I’m starting to question my judgement.” Their coach critiques. Ellie fights back tears, nodding to show she’s listening. The coach turns her attention to the group. “Take 5. I want better attitudes from everyone when you come back in here.”

Ellie practically runs out of the gym, heading straight for her phone in the locker room. She sniffles as she dials Logan’s number from memory, leaning against the locker.

“Hey troublemaker, how’s Orlando?” He asks, sounding happy to hear from her.

“Logan.” Ellie replies, voice already breaking.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Logan immediately switches to comfort mode.

Ellie starts to cry as she explains that she’s not hitting any of her stunts. That she’s barely throwing her full. That she doesn’t think she can do it.

“Ellie.” Logan interjects when she finally lets him get a word in. “Everyone knows that you can do it besides you. You have to believe in yourself. That’s all it is babe.” He sighs. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

More tears well in her eyes as she tries to take in his sweet words. “I miss you.” She mumbles, rubbing at her eyes to try to keep her tears at bay.

“I miss you too. And I love you. You can definitely do this Ellie, so go back to practice and kill it.”

“I love you too, and I’ll try.” Ellie promises.

Practice goes a lot better after her Logan pep talk. Ellie is always amazed at how effectively he can instill confidence in her, even from over 2,000 miles away.

She’s feeling a lot better by the time she heads back to the room she’s sharing with Riya. And Ellie’s mood brightens considerably when she opens the door, and finds Logan sitting on the bed.

“Surprise trouble- humph.” He’s cut off when she tackles him onto the bed, kissing him soundly.

It’s several long moments before she can tear herself away. “What are you doing here?!” She questions.

Logan smiles, his hands coming up to rest just under her cheerleading skirt, squeezing her thighs. “Like I’d miss your big competition.”

“But what about school?” The cheerleaders all have permission to miss a couple of days for the competition. She doubts Logan has any such agreement over at Canyon Crest.

“Troublemaker, we’ve got like 3 more weeks until we graduate. I doubt they’re going to rescind my Langston offer for missing a couple of classes where we’re most likely just watching movies.”

“You never know though. You worked so hard to get your grades up to qualify for that Langston basketball scholarship. I’d hate to see all that go to waste.” Ellie insists.

Before Ellie, Logan didn’t really care about school. He probably would have dropped out if not for basketball. But now, he just wants to be wherever she is. So when he found out Langston was her plan, it became his plan too.

He needed straight As in all his Fall semester classes to raise his GPA enough to meet the Langston athlete minimum. It was hard work, but Logan was motivated. He might not have been serious about school, but he’s sure as hell serious about Ellie Wheeler. It also helped that his beautiful girlfriend is a great tutor.

He’s really looking forward to being at Langston together starting in the Fall. It will be nice to have Ellie cheering for his team, for once.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll get the assignments from a friend, okay?” He offers.

“Okay.” Ellie readily agrees, resting her head on his chest. She yawns, settling in for a nap. “Wait, are you trying to stay in here? What about Riya?”

Logan gently massages her back, lulling her to sleep. “She’s planning to stay in the room me and Darius are technically splitting.” He reveals.

“Perfect.” Ellie mumbles, almost asleep now. She doubts the Mar Vista Prep athletics program would sanction opposite gender room sharing, so they’ll have to be sneaky. Luckily, the couple has gotten pretty good at sneaking around due to Ellie’s dad forbidding her from dating Logan in the first place. Detective Wheeler has a strict ‘no athletes’ rule Ellie has chosen to ignore.

...

“....are you running through the routine in your head again?” Logan asks, playfully splashing her with salty Atlantic Ocean water.

“Am I that obvious?” Ellie returns, attempting to splash him back, but he weaves. Damn those quick basketball reflexes.

“Yep. I can practically hear you running the counts.” Logan quips, pulling her to him for a kiss.

With only one day left before the competition, their coach has instructed the cheerleaders to take the day off. It’s not worth risking injury when the routine is probably as good as it’s going to get at this point.

They do have a final early morning practice before the competition tomorrow though. And Ellie is determined to have a better showing than at their last practice.

“I’m just a little nervous, so I feel like I can’t relax. Sorry, this probably isn’t the Orlando vacation you wanted.” Ellie apologizes.

“I came to see you. I wanted to cheer on my favorite cheerleader. And to keep you from psyching yourself out because I know how you get.” He concludes with a small smile.

Ellie pouts up at him as he absentmindedly plays with the ties of her bikini bottom. “I’m trying not to get in my head.” Ellie knows how she gets too.

“Would it make you feel better to get some more practice in? I can be your base.” Logan proposes.

Ellie quirks a brow. “You?”

“What? I’ve seen how cheerleading works. I know how to do it.” Logan insists. He turns her around, placing his hands on her hips. He pulls her back a few steps into slightly deeper water, she assumes to break her fall when he no doubt drops her. “Let’s do that one where you go from the ground into Ingrid’s and Riya’s hands.”

“A hand toss cupie.” Ellie corrects.

“Yeah, that. Ready?” Logan replies.

“Ready as I’m gonna be.”

Ellie is expecting a countdown, but Logan throws her high in the air without one. She instinctively tightens up and Logan manages to grip her heel above his head, but that provides basically zero support so she crashes back into the water.

Ellie surfaces, sputtering a little. “Sorry troublemaker. But that wasn’t bad for a first try, huh?”

“Yeah, not bad. I’m actually kind of impressed. You put way too much power in that throw though. It’s supposed to be more of a gentle toss.”

“Noted. I’ll try to tone down my athletic prowess. But if you think about it, this is good practice for college cheer. Those male Langston cheerleaders will probably toss little old you like.....10 feet. Hey, you think I have what it takes to make the Langston cheer squad if the whole basketball thing doesn’t work out?” Logan teases, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he walks them deeper into the ocean.

“Honestly? I think I have a better chance of making the basketball team.” Ellie retorts with a smirk.

Logan laughs, gently running his thumb in circles on her thigh. “Teach a girl to shoot free throws and suddenly she thinks she runs the world. You’re gonna have to learn to dribble before you make the team babe. Also, your defense could use some work, tiny.”

“Hmm...maybe it would be easier to get you on the cheer squad then.” Ellie continues to play along.

“That’s the spirit! Want to try the cupie again?”

“No, I think I want to make out with my super athletic boyfriend instead.” Ellie buries her hands into the long wet strands of his dark hair.

Logan grins, leaning in close. “That can definitely be arranged.” He murmurs just before capturing her lips.

...

Ellie shakes Logan awake, causing him to groan and try to roll away from her. “Logan, you’ve gotta get up. Riya is coming to do my hair and makeup.” Ellie informs her sleepy boyfriend.

“You want me to leave?” He murmurs, stretching his arms out and yawning.

“No, but you have to put clothes on.” Ellie replies. She’s already dressed in her cheerleading uniform, ready for that early morning practice.

“I can do that.” Logan agrees, reaching down to the floor for his duffel bag. He pulls out some clean clothes, throwing them on.

Ellie quirks a brow when he pulls a Mar Vista Prep t-shirt over his broad shoulders. “Wouldn’t you never be able to live it down if you were photographed in that?”

“I definitely wouldn’t be able to show my face at graduation, but I love you more than I hate Mar Vista.” Logan quips, pulling her back into bed to get his kisses in before he has to worry about ruining her cheer makeup.

Riya arrives much too soon for Logan’s liking, using her key card to enter the room. “Alright, break it up you two. We can’t afford for Ellie to be sore before our big performance.” She insinuates with a grin.

...

Ellie stretches her quads as Mar Vista waits in the wings as Riverview High performs their routine. Ellie is unbelievably nervous. She can’t help but wish she started cheer earlier. Maybe she’d be feeling more confident if this wasn’t her first ever High School Nationals. 

She shakes out her arms, and tries to simultaneously shake out her nerves. Things went fairly well during practice, but now, staring out at the large crowd and watching other teams complete their routines flawlessly has Ellie a little bit in her head. 

She searches the crowd for Logan. Before she left for practice, he promised her he would be in the front row cheering her on. It takes her a few moments to spot him, standing with Darius in the front row on the left side. He laughs at something Darius says, and Ellie feels herself automatically calm down a little at the familiar sight of his bright smile. 

“Okay, Mar Vista, bring it in!” Ingrid yells, bringing Ellie’s attention back to the task at hand. All the cheerleaders put their hands into the circle. “Let’s bring it home, Mar Vista on three. One, two, three!”

“Mar Vista!” The squad choruses, lifting their arms. 

Ellie lets out a deep, calming breath. She’s got this. 

“And now coming out of Los Angeles, California, Mar Vista Prep!” The announcer introduces. The team walks out to polite applause from the audience, and fervent applause from the Mar Vista alternates, family members in attendance, and Logan and Darius. 

Ellie gets into her starting position, taking another deep breath before pasting on her cheer smile. She automatically looks to Logan, who smiles and winks at her. ‘You’ve got this.’ He mouths at her. Ellie’s smile becomes a little more authentic. 

Their routine starts with the cheer chants, the easiest required element for the competition. They shout loudly, and in sync, using their poms and signs as they cheer on the Mar Vista Bulldogs as if they’re at a game. 

The fast paced dynamic cheer music comes on as they transition to the dance and tumbling section. Ellie takes off across the stage, performing a round off into two back hand springs for momentum before throwing her full. She can feel her rotation is perfect in the air, and she lets out a quick sigh of relief when she lands on her feet and snaps upright, going right into the synchronized jump section. 

Ellie can see out of the corner of her eye that everyone’s toe touches and pikes look great. So far, so good. But now, it’s the part everyone is most worried about. The stunts and their big finale pyramid. 

Ellie cheer jogs over to her stunt group, placing her hands on Ingrid’s and Riya’s shoulders as they bend to brace her feet when she jumps. She crouches as they rotate so she’s facing the audience, and then back flips when they toss her in the air. 

She’s caught, and placed back to the floor. They immediately go into their next stunt, Ellie launching back into the air for a scorpion. Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie sees another stunt group’s bases having to take a couple of small steps to keep their stunt in the air, but she’s relieved to see them recover. 

Ellie spins, falling back into Riya’s and Ingrid’s arms. The squad tightens their formation for the final pyramid, and Ellie is placed back on the ground. Ingrid and Riya launch her back into the air for her next trick, and when she’s caught and lifted back up, Ingrid’s grip is absolutely terrible, but Ellie refuses to go down, over correcting in time for another cheerleader to fly overhead and for Ellie to catch her left foot like she’s supposed to. 

She releases her teammate’s foot, crouching as Riya and Ingrid carry her further back. “One, two, and up!” Riya counts out, and the bases launch Ellie over the middle of the pyramid. Ellie makes sure to smile brightly into the audience before she flips and is caught by another stunt group. 

Ellie winces when the catch is a little off, probably bruising her rib. But there’s no time to worry about that now. There’s just one more stunt standing between her and a perfect Nationals routine. 

She’s placed back down so she can jog back to Riya and Ingrid. “Whoo, let’s go Mar Vista!” Ingrid encourages. Everyone knows that if they can pull off this last move, the championship is all their’s due to their increased skill difficulty level.

 Ellie launches up into a bow and arrow, drops back into her bases’ hands as they scurry to the pyramid, gets into pyramid position, lifting her foot from Riya’s strong grip to perch on another airborne teammates thigh, and finally another flyer lands on her outstretched leg, Ellie gripping her firmly so she doesn’t fall. 

“Bulldogs!” They shout when the pyramid is complete. Ellie is finally able to breathe. Ellie looks out at Logan, who’s whooping and whistling loudly. And in that moment, everything is perfect. 

...

Mar Vista knew they won the moment that pyramid hit, but it’s still nice to hear it officially and be awarded a huge golden trophy, as well as individual gold medals. 

Ellie hops off the stage into Logan’s waiting arms, giggling when he spins her around. “You’re incredible.” Logan praises, capturing her lips and completely ruining the lipstick Riya had applied so painstakingly. 

“How does it feel to be dating a National Champion?” Ellie quips when they finally break apart for air. 

“Hmm...kind of indescribable troublemaker. Maybe next year you’ll get to find out.” He kisses her again, burying a hand into her hair so when he pulls away her bow is all askew. “So, what do you want to do next, champion?” He asks. 

Ellie smiles. “I’m going to Disney World!” 

...

A/N: Things I regret, attempting to write out that cheer routine, and then being too stubborn to cut it after all the googling I had to do. A mess. haha. 

taglist:  @choicesarehard @brightpinkpeppercorn @regina-and-happiness @drakexnadira @flyawayboo @fairydustandsarcasm @alesana45 @maxwellsquidsuit @god-save-the-keen @mrsmckenziesworld @paisleylovergirl @iplaydrake @sinclaire-made-me-sin @choicesgremlin @lovehugsandcandy @desireepow-1986 @blades-of-light-and-shadow @justdani14 @emceesynonymroll @emichelle @badchoicesposts @client-327 @riverrune @liamzigmichael4ever @princessstellaris​ @mskaneko​ @anxious-arliah @zaffrenotes​ @iam-ankita​ @ohsnapitzlovehacker​ @n-whas

[nishikuroo]

home.

/həʊm/

in which Daichi and Suga figure out the true meaning of home. 

[TW : mentions of s*lf h*rm, bl00d and su*c*de !!!! read at your own risk; below the page break]

Daichi chuckled as he heard Suga groan and drop his head onto his textbook again. “Careful Suga-san. If you keep doing that, you might not have a brain anymore,” he joked. He realised that Suga had been exceptionally quiet and exhausted lately, but he knew that if he wasn’t feeling well, he’d let Daichi know. After all, they are best friends. 

Daichi’s smile fell a little when Suga picked his head up to look at him. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent and his skin was paler than he remembered. ‘Maybe he really is going through something,’ Daichi thought. Suga let out a soft laugh and stifled a yawn.

“Suga-san, are you okay?” Daichi questioned. His concern for his grey-haired best friend only grew when Suga brushed it off. “Yeah, yeah. I haven’t been able to sleep well recently, but don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!” he flashed Daichi his signature, pearly-white smile and gave him a thumbs-up. 

Before Daichi could interrogate any further, his best friend jumped up and pointed out that it was time to head to the gym for volleyball practice. The two made their way to the club room to change out of their school uniforms. The weather was warmer today, which confused Daichi even more when he turned around and saw Suga wearing the Karasuno jacket zipped all the way up. They barely left the room before Daichi felt himself starting to sweat a bit.

“Suga-san, aren’t you uncomfortable? It’s really warm outside,” he asked as they made their way down the stairs. Suga stuffed his hands into his pockets and tried to pull his sleeves down further. ‘If he finds out, it would break him,’ Suga thought. ‘But he deserves to know.’ 

‘Crap. I’m not ready to tell him yet. What do I say?’ Suga started to panic and blurted out the first excuse he could think of. “I’m anemic.” Daichi paused and stared at him, processing what he just said. ‘Maybe that explains the dark circles and pale skin,’ Daichi thought. “We’ve been best friends since first year, Suga-san. Why are you only saying this now? Are you sure you can still play?” Worry was written all over his face.

Suga looked away, his guilt immediately consuming him. ‘Damn it, why did I say that? Why didn’t I tell him the truth?’ He took a deep breath before turning back to face Daichi and shooting him another signature Sugawara smile. “Yeah of course! I wouldn’t play if I couldn’t handle it,” he reassured.

Before any of them could say something, a loud voice cried out from behind them. They turned around to see Tanaka running towards them. “Daichi! Suga!” he screeched in excitement. Suga giggled and he didn’t even need to turn to the captain beside him to know his expression. 

“Oi, stop being so noisy!” Daichi chided when Tanaka finally reached them. “Ahh, don’t be like that, captain! I know you missed me,” Tanaka smirked, throwing his arms over the seniors. The three continued to make their way to the gym, all secretly wishing for the same thing. Daichi slid open the doors, already knowing what they’d see, or who they wouldn’t see.

No Asahi, no Nishinoya.

The three all slumped their shoulders at this realisation, but suddenly got distracted by two other voices. They whipped their heads to the foreign voices, but somewhat familiar faces.

Tobio Kageyama.

Shoyo Hinata.

They were both arguing, completely oblivious to the seniors watching them. Suga continued observing with an amused expression as Daichi nicely tried to break up the argument. When that didn’t work, Tanaka jumped in.

Well, this should be interesting.

_____________________

It was finally the qualifiers. 

Their first match against Tokonami High was about to begin. Everyone was completely nervous. Suga was shaking, even though he was wearing his jacket. He rubbed the bandages wrapping his forearms, thankfully hidden by the sleeves. No one had found out the real reason yet, not even Daichi. The guilt was starting to eat at him, so he made a promise that he would tell him soon.

Hinata was the first to ask about his bandages, but Suga managed to convince him it was because he fell and scraped his forearms on a run.

Coach Ukai and Mr. Takeda gave their pep talks, leaving Daichi to speak last. He turned to the rest of the team, his smile radiating confidence. Suga couldn’t help but smile as he watched him. He thought about how far they’ve come ever since joining the club as freshmen. 

The whistle blew, and the team gathered in a circle. Suga watched each of his teammates’ faces, before shifting his focus to Daichi. The confident smile he wore never faltered. 

As Suga watched the captain of the team, his best friend, he had never felt more proud.

‘Karasuno, fight!’

_____________________

Karasuno lost to Aoba Johsai in the third round.

The entire team ate their dinner in silence, with tears streaming down their faces. Nobody knew what to say. Daichi and Suga looked at each other with solemn expressions. Even after all that, Suga still managed to give Daichi a soft smile before turning back to his food.

Daichi felt at peace whenever he was with Suga. Even through all the bad times. They were always by each other’s side no matter what. He continued to stare at Suga a little longer, taking in everything about him.

The way there was always a soft smile on his lips, the way his eyes sparkled, the way his hair was somehow always perfect, the little mole below his eye.

He always knew he had feelings for Suga, but he was too scared to admit it.

Daichi and Suga made their way home when everyone was done with their meal. They walked in silence for a couple minutes before Suga spoke up. “Hey, do you wanna take the long way home? The route we used to walk back in first year?” 

Daichi smiled and nodded his head. He knew it was Suga’s favourite route because of the garden that had the swings, but they stopped walking there because of how tired they were after practice. They continued to walk in silence as they walked straight instead of taking the usual right turn. Daichi looked at Suga only to find him staring up at the stars, his hands stuffed in his pockets as usual. 

It was then that Daichi realised he rarely saw Suga without outerwear anymore. In school, his sleeves would be rolled down instead of up to his elbows, and during practice, he would wear the beige sweater or his Karasuno jacket. 

‘Maybe he just gets cold easily because of his anemia,’ he thought. Just as he was about to ask Suga about it, his voice cut the silence first.

“Hey Daichi, what does ‘home’ mean to you?” he asked softly. Daichi stopped and watched Suga’s back as he continued to make his way to the swings in the middle of the garden. Suga may be the nicest and the mother of the team, but it was usually Daichi asking the deep questions whenever they talked.

“Oi, are you just gonna stand there and wait for a red carpet?” Suga joked. Daichi shook his head and laughed as he sat on the swing beside Suga. 

‘What does home mean to me?’

Daichi thought about it for a while before answering. “Well, to me, home is wherever my family is. Wherever my comfort zone and safe space is. Wherever I’m happy,” he looked at Suga, realising that he was looking at what he just described.

He opened his mouth to continue, but immediately stopped when he registered Suga’s appearance. He was shaking despite the air being still, his jacket suddenly looked more oversized on him, his skin was almost snow-like, the dark circles under his eyes were getting worse, but what broke his heart was seeing Suga trying to hold back tears as he continued looking up at the stars.

“Koushi…” Daichi had never called him by his first name before, but Suga couldn’t ignore the butterflies. “What does home mean to you?” Daichi continued, keeping his voice soft. Despite being best friends for three years, he had rarely seen Suga cry other than losing a match.

Suga let out an empty laugh as he finally let the tears fall. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before taking a breath and smiling sadly at Daichi.

“I don’t know. I’ve never felt it before.”

Daichi was absolutely heartbroken. It hurt him seeing his best friend like that. Suga was always so positive and light hearted, always encouraging the team no matter what. Hell, Suga was even proud of Kageyama instead of getting mad. To Daichi, Suga had the purest soul in the world who didn’t deserve hurt or sadness.

As he followed his instinct to hug and comfort Suga, he noticed something. Tiny red stains at the bottom of Suga’s white shirt, near the side. They were barely noticeable, but he still managed to catch a glimpse before pulling Suga in. As Daichi embraced him, everything started to click in his mind.

The dark circles, the pale skin, losing weight, always covering his arms.

He decided not to address it because he trusted that Suga would tell him when he was ready, but he hugged him tighter and whispered, “hey, you know I’m always here for you no matter what. If you need someone to talk to, just come to me. Just come home.”

_____________________

After that day, Daichi became more observant towards Suga. Whenever they walked to school together, he always made sure to bring bread for Suga in case he hadn’t eaten breakfast. He would constantly check up on him and try his best to cheer him up.

Suga was slowly opening up to Daichi about how he was feeling, which he was thankful for. But whenever they parted ways, Daichi’s mind would linger with Suga. He was starting to get frustrated because he didn’t know how to help him. He didn’t know how to make him feel better.

He felt like a useless best friend.

That night, as he was about to fall asleep, Daichi’s phone buzzed.

Suga [11:42pm] : hey, you awake?

Daichi [11:42pm] : yeah, what’s wrong?

A minute passed by and still no answer. Daichi started to get worried, and all possibility of falling asleep disappeared. 

Did something happen to Suga? Is he okay? Does he need help?

Daichi’s mind was running wild with questions and possibilities when his phone buzzed again. 

Suga [11:45pm] : can you meet me at the swings in 10 minutes?

Daichi [11:45pm] : yeah of course. I’ll see you there. Stay safe alright?

Suga [11.45pm] : thank you, daichi. I will, and you too.

It took Suga 3 minutes to reply, but Daichi felt like it had been hours. He quickly got up and threw a jacket over his pajamas before quietly slipping out of the house. He wore his shoes and made his way to Suga’s favourite garden. On the way, he started to remember the memories they made there.

It was nicknamed as ‘The Garden of Hope’, because every time they went there feeling down, they would always leave feeling happier. Suga came up with the name after they found the place. It was after their seniors had lost their last match.

That day, they spent hours just talking on the swings, laying on the grass, admiring all the flowers surrounding them. They talked about their future, about how Suga wanted to be a teacher and how Daichi wanted to be a policeman. They talked about how amazing it would be to play at Nationals, or how much ramen Daichi could eat in one sitting. By the time they had to leave, they felt a new sense of hope; like things would get better soon.

It wasn’t long before he reached the garden and saw Suga already sitting on the swings with his knees up to his chest. When Daichi got closer, Suga suddenly shot up and whipped his head around. His eyes had an alarmed look, but he relaxed the moment he realised it was just Daichi. 

Suga gave him a tired smile after he got comfortable on the swing. They sat in silence for a minute before Suga turned to him again and said, “Thank you Daichi, it really means alot to me.”

“Hey, when I said I’m here for you, I mean it,” he replied. The silence surrounded them once more. Daichi didn’t know what to say or do. Suga could feel his worry and frustration. He felt horrible because he knew Daichi wanted to help, but Suga also wasn't letting him in.

[TRIGGER WARNING]

He finally turned to Daichi and removed his sweater. Suga looked him in the eyes, trying to hold back tears, as he said, “I’m three days clean.”

That was when Daichi finally saw them. Suga’s arms. They were filled with lines. Some short, some long, some healed, some fresh, some thin, some thick. Daichi felt a stab to his heart as he looked at each scar.

“Suga…” Daichi was speechless. For each scar, Suga went through something horrible alone. Tears threatened to fall from Daichi’s eyes, but he held them back. ‘I have to be strong. For Suga.’

He didn’t say anything, but instead pulled Suga into a hug so tight, he hoped all of Suga’s broken pieces would come together. At that moment, Daichi made a promise to the both of them. 

He promised that Suga would never feel like he’s alone, no matter what. 

Neither of them wanted to let go. They stayed in each other’s arms, even when Suga broke down crying. He gripped Daichi’s arms, silently begging him. 

‘Please, please don’t leave me’ 

And for the first time in years, Daichi said a silent prayer.

‘Please, I’m begging you, please take his pain away.’

_____________________

Ever since that night at the garden, Daichi suddenly felt hatred towards the world and everything beyond. He couldn’t explain why, but he refused to notice how beautiful the world was around him. 

It’s just a cruel place that’s unfair to the most kindhearted people.

It had only been two weeks. Daichi noticed Suga falling asleep in class more often, neglecting his studies more, and losing weight rapidly. The only time he ever saw Suga lively was during practice. 

He knew that Suga was only putting on an act in front of the juniors and freshmen, and so far, it was working. Nobody questioned his use of jackets and sweaters, or whenever he went to the toilet to change instead of the club room. 

Daichi checked Suga’s arms whenever they walked to school together. He felt like an asshole whenever he saw Suga reluctantly roll up his sleeves. It was difficult for Suga at first, but he gave in because he trusted Daichi. He promised himself that he would try his best to stop, because seeing Daichi’s expression that night broke his heart.

After practice, the pair walked to the garden again. This time, Daichi noticed something different. Suga’s eyes were sparkling, and they weren’t the stars reflected in them. They were genuinely sparkling. 

A tiny smile appeared on his face as he nudged Suga. “You seem to be in a better mood today,” he pointed out. Suga chuckled and Daichi felt his heart leap. He always loved hearing his laugh. 

“Yeah, I actually feel okay. It’s been forever since I felt this way,” Suga kicked a pebble as they crossed the road. Suddenly, he turned to face Daichi with a grin. Oh, that smile. It could melt even the coldest heart. 

“Race you there!” Suga sprinted ahead, leaving Daichi stunned as he processed what happened. “Oi, dumbass! Don’t cry if you fall down!” He jokingly called after Suga as he chased him. 

When they finally reached their hideaway, they both plopped onto the grass as they caught their breath. After a couple minutes of calming down, they made eye contact and burst out laughing.

Neither of them knew why, but that was the moment that Suga realised he only felt genuine happiness with Daichi, especially when they were playing volleyball together. 

They laid down on the grass and stared up at the stars in silence. Suga’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper, “the world is so beautiful.”

Daichi turned to look at him, studying his expression. Suga looked peaceful for once. The way his chest rose and fell steadily comforted Daichi. He was ready to retort with his hatred for the world, but stopped himself as he continued resting his eyes on Suga’s figure. 

‘He’s still here. Thank you for still holding on. I know it’s tough, but you’re the strongest person I know.’

He switched his position so he was fully facing Suga. “Why do you think so?” he questioned him instead. Daichi had never said it, but he loved the way Suga’s mind worked. He loved hearing his thoughts, good or bad. He felt like Suga saw the world differently, that even at his lowest, he could still find silver linings. 

They spent hours talking again. From the moon and sun to aliens to volleyball to their insecurities. By the time they ran out of things to talk about, it was past midnight. 

As they got ready to make their way home, Suga turned to Daichi. “I promise I’ll stop, for you.” Daichi was shocked. ‘He… He would do that for me?’ He knew that it wouldn’t be easy for Suga, but he was willing to stay by his side every step of the way. “Koushi, you don’t have to promise me. I know it’s difficult,” he replied. 

Suga smiled at him once more. “As long as I’m with you, I can get through anything.”

Daichi knew that healing and recovery was never easy, but he didn’t expect everything to go downhill so quickly.

_____________________

A week before the Tokyo training camp, the entire team was in high spirits, even Suga. He was getting more rest and he started to eat more each day. His skin was starting to gain more colour and he slowly stopped using his jacket. Both Daichi and Suga felt like he was making good progress.

Suga was 27 days clean.

Daichi had been so supportive, always checking up on Suga. He always gave Suga space whenever he needed it, but he never left his side. Everyday, Daichi never failed to let him know how proud he was.

Friday night, Daichi was studying, but none of the material was entering his brain. He felt like something was off. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. ‘Maybe it was something I ate earlier,’ he reassured himself.

His mind then wandered to Suga. ‘I wonder if he…’ He didn’t finish his thought before mentally scolding himself. ‘No! Don’t think that way, Sawamura. It’s like you don’t trust him. He’s okay. If he wasn’t, he would’ve texted me,’ he continued to reassure himself.

As if the world was mocking him, his phone buzzed. He grabbed it and as his eyes scanned the message, his heart stopped.

Suga [1:04am] : Daivhi.. hrlp

He didn’t hesitate before jumping up and running out of the house. He didn’t even think to wear his shoes or a jacket. All he thought about was Suga.

‘No no no no no. Please be okay, please be okay!’

He ignored the cold wind biting his exposed arms. He ignored the gravel digging into his feet. He pulled out his phone and tried calling Suga. 

It went straight to voicemail.

‘I’m almost there. Hold on Suga, I’m coming.’

After what seemed like forever, Daichi finally saw the familiar house. He forced his legs to keep going. He burst through the front door and called out Suga’s name.

No reply.

He ran around the house frantically until he finally found him in his bed. Daichi continued to walk into Suga’s bedroom, but he just laid motionless.

[TRIGGER WARNING]

His eyes scanned the room until he saw the tissues on the floor and scattered on the blanket. They were all red. He immediately rushed to Suga, checking his pulse. ‘It’s weak, it’s barely there. But it’s still there. I can still save him,’ it was taking all of him not to break down.

He shook Suga, begging him to wake up. When he didn’t respond, Daichi looked at Suga’s arms. The bleeding hadn’t stopped. Tears fell as he took off his shirt and put pressure on his arms. He prayed again that it would stop, that Suga would wake up.

‘I can’t lose you. I know it’s selfish, but you keep me going too. So please, please give me a sign that you’re still here. Please come back to me,’ he silently begged.

Nothing. After 5 minutes, there was still nothing.

Daichi couldn’t hold it in anymore. He let the tears continue falling as he loosened his grip on the shirt around Suga’s arm. 

At the same time, Suga was slipping in and out of consciousness. He felt cold despite the thick blanket covering the rest of his body. He could hear Daichi, and he felt his heart break.

‘I’m sorry, Sawamura. You don’t deserve this,’ he thought.

He wanted so badly to call out to Daichi, to wipe his tears away and hug him. He felt guilty that Daichi had to go through the pain of seeing his best friend in this state. Suga never meant for this to happen. He thought he was getting better, he really did. He wanted to make Daichi proud, but some things just get heavier the longer you carry them. 

He knew he should’ve talked to Daichi when it got too much, but he didn’t want to burden his best friend. At that moment, he thought about how selfish he was really being. He constantly pushed his best friend away despite him always waiting with open arms, waiting for him to come back home.

Home.

Suga tried one last time to open his eyes, move a finger, let out a whisper, to do anything to let Daichi know he was still there.

And Daichi felt Suga squeeze his hand.

He shot up from the floor and he saw Suga slowly cracking open his eyes.

‘You’re still here, thank God you’re still here.’

Suga’s voice broke, “I’m sorry.” Daichi smiled through his tears and didn’t say anything as he hugged Suga tightly. “There’s no need to be sorry, I understand.”

Suga’s heart ached. ‘He’s not mad… Even after I broke my promise, he’s not angry, he’s not blaming me.’

Just then, Suga felt everything at once. The cold wind coming in from the window, the pain in his arm, the tears from Daichi wetting his shoulder, Daichi’s heartbeat against his own. His body started shaking and he started crying as well.

After a few minutes, Daichi helped Suga clean and wrap his arms up and get rid of the tissues around the floor. Once all that was done, Suga weakly tugged at Daichi’s shirt. “Sawamura, can you stay?”

Daichi smiled as he got into bed beside Suga. “Of course. I’d never leave you.”

He wrapped his arm around Daichi’s torso and laid his head on his chest. Suga could still hear Daichi’s rapid heartbeat. 

“I’m sor-” Daichi cut him off. “If you apologise again, I will push you off your own bed.”

The both of them let out soft chuckles and Daichi tightened his grip on Suga.

‘I broke my promise. I’m sorry Suga. I’m sorry if you felt alone again.’

“You don’t have to apologise, Koushi. I understand that it’s not easy recovering and staying clean. I can’t say I know how you feel, because I don’t. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling now. But I just want to remind you that I’m always here for you no matter what,” Daichi whispered as he played with Suga’s hair. “You don’t have to tell me why you did it if you don’t want to. I’ll stay for as long as you need me to.”

After that, they laid in silence, and eventually, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

_____________________

Suga stayed home for the entire weekend with Daichi by his side. They watched movies, ate their favourite food, stargazed on Suga’s roof, and just talked.

By the time they reached the school Sunday evening to go to Tokyo, Suga had begun to feel better, but Daichi was still wary and continued to keep an eye on him. Coach Ukai, Mr. Takeda and Kiyoko were already waiting by the bus.

As the Karasuno team made their way to Tokyo, the bus was full of noise instead of silence. Obviously, Nishinoya and Tanaka were the loudest. Daichi would shout at them a little here and there, but gave up when Suga joined in on the banter.

“Stop being such a strict dad and loosen up,” Suga jokingly nudged his shoulder. 

Daichi couldn’t help but notice the way Suga’s eyes crinkled whenever he laughed, how it sounded like the most comforting thing in the world, how being beside him just felt so right. 

After a couple hours, the bus fell silent as the noisy duo succumbed to their exhaustion. Suga was sleeping on Daichi’s shoulder, soft snores escaping his slightly open mouth. 

“I hope you’re at least having a good dream,” Daichi murmured as he rested his head on top of Suga’s. He listened to the sound of their heart beats slowly syncing with each other until it was just one sound. 

No matter how hard he tried, Daichi couldn’t stop thinking about how he could help Suga. He didn’t want to push his boundaries, but he also didn’t want to just sit back and watch Suga slowly break down. 

He then tried to remember the things they did together; things that could calm Suga down, things that brought a genuine smile to his face. 

Thinking about Suga smiling brought a smile to Daichi’s own face. He chuckled lightly as he played with Suga’s hair, thinking of the stupid things they did as freshmen. 

And in that moment, Daichi made a promise to always be there for Suga, no matter what. 

During the training camp, Suga was way more positive than usual; complimenting and motivating the team even more. 

Despite losing the majority of the practice matches, Suga’s optimism never failed to boost the team’s morale. He constantly praised everyone’s efforts, especially Kageyama’s. 

Daichi saw this as a good sign, or so he thought. 

He finally found out the real reason a week before the Spring Inter-High. 

_____________________

The pair had agreed to meet for an all-nighter at a cafe to study. When Daichi reached, there was no sign of his chaotic yet soft best friend. There wasn’t a text, either. 

He thought that Suga was just running late or his phone had died, but as the seconds ticked by, an uncomfortable feeling started spreading in his chest to his stomach. It was all too familiar, and all too alarming.

‘The last time I felt this… It was before he messaged me for help. Please be okay,’ he thought to himself as he pulled his phone out, as if another text for help would pop up. 

He glanced at the time. 

10.45pm. 

Suga was 45 minutes late. And he was almost never late.

Daichi’s instincts told him to run. To run all the way to Suga’s house. Because Suga wasn’t okay, because he needed help. 

So that’s what he did.

He ignored the stares from others around him as he grabbed his stuff and rushed out of the cafe. The only thing he could hear was his heartbeat syncing with his feet hitting the ground. He ran faster than he ever did.

He tried to call Suga’s phone while trying to figure out the fastest way to get to him.

When his calls were sent straight to voicemail for the third time in a row, he felt his heart threatening to jump out of his mouth. He continued sprinting towards a familiar house that wasn’t his, not being able to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

As he burst through Suga’s front door, he felt a sense of deja vu, and the house had suddenly become colder. Pushing the memory aside, he made a beeline to Suga’s room, praying that it wouldn’t be a repeat of last time; that maybe Suga just fell asleep from exhaustion and that’s why he wasn't picking up the phone. 

[TRIGGER WARNING]

As he cracked open his bedroom door, Daichi tried to prepare for the worst. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw next. 

Suga was on his bed, but no sign of red tissues. Just a pool below the arm hanging off the edge of the bed.

Daichi felt his heart stop. He couldn't move. He couldn’t process the scene in front of him.

He wanted to call out his name, to beg him to wake up, but his voice was caught in his throat. He wanted so badly to hold Suga in his arms, to shake him, to see his eyes open and hear his laugh again, but he was just frozen at the doorway.

Daichi didn’t feel the tears running down his face, he didn’t feel his legs give up, he didn’t feel his knees hit the floor, or the shouts leaving his mouth.

All he could think about was that Suga was gone.

He crawled to his lifeless body, taking his hand in his. Daichi let his head fall onto Suga’s unmoving shoulder, letting the realisation hit him.

Suga’s gone.

His home was gone.

He didn’t get to say goodbye.

He didn’t live up to his promise, about how he made sure that Suga would never feel alone again.

It might’ve been minutes, even hours since Daichi had his head on Suga’s shoulder, his knees to his chest, the love of his life’s hand in his. He didn’t care how long it had been, he didn’t want to leave Suga’s side even if he left Daichi’s long ago. 

Through the tears, he noticed a small piece of paper at the foot of the bed. It was small, but still big enough to look out of place.

Without letting go, he reached over and grabbed the thin piece of paper. It was an envelope, addressed to him.

His heart stopped as he took in Suga’s familiar handwriting. Every stroke, every line, every curve. 

After a few minutes, Daichi finally got the courage to carefully open it. His mind was racing with a million questions. Was this going to be a letter full of hatred? Sadness? Hurt?

He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as he tore open the letter carefully, trying his best to avoid creating the jagged tears. He swore his heart stopped beating as he pulled out the folded piece of paper. 

He noticed the small, wet splotches scattered here and there. 

Suga cried while writing this letter to him. 

Despite all the memories the pair had made over the past 3 years, Daichi felt like this was truly the only thing from Suga he had. He knew he would never let it go. 

He drew in a shaky breath as he prepared to read Suga’s last words. 

Dear Daichi,

Stop crying! If I was there, I’d definitely hit you while screaming ‘negativity begone!’. I can’t say I understand how you’re feeling. Mad? Upset? Hurt? Maybe even betrayed? But whatever you’re feeling, I hope you don’t blame yourself. None of this is your fault. I know you did your best to be there for me, even at my lowest; and for that, I’m forever grateful. You stood by me through the good and bad. You never once gave up on me. When I said I wanted to quit, it was because of your faith in me. Faith that I could actually get through this. Faith that I was stronger than I thought I was. I never understood what home meant until that night. All my life, I thought home was a place with four walls. A place where you live, and whenever you’d leave, you’d have someone waiting for you. I finally realised that home doesn’t have to be a place; because your arms weren’t four walls. Your arms would always be there waiting for me to come back if I ever left. So Sawamura Daichi, thank you for being my home; my lifeline. I never meant for this to happen, for you to go through this, but I finally decided that there’s another home that I want to go back to. I’m sorry Daichi, I got tired and I wanted to rest. I want to thank you and everyone else for making my last week so amazing. Seeing you guys grow at such an incredible pace assured me that you’d all be fine without me. Thank you for always being there for me, for loving me when I couldn’t even love myself, for always being a reminder that life was worth living. Don’t worry, I’ll always be watching over you and the team, and I’ll always be cheering you guys on no matter what. Please, make it to the nationals; not for me, but for yourself and Asahi. 

I love you, Sawamura Daichi. 

Koushi Sugawara 

The last line was the final straw; the final punch to the gut. It registered that he’d never be able to say those three words to Suga, nor would he ever be able to hear the same words from him. 

Daichi thought back to all the chances he had, but never took. All those nights at the garden, walking back home, the all-nighters at the cafe, the study sessions at the library. 

If he could go back in time, he would take all those chances to look Suga in the eyes and say “I love you”. He would create more chances for the both of them to utter those three words. He would spend as much time as he could, and hold him as close and as long as he could. He would run his fingers through Suga’s hair and spend countless nights falling asleep together. He would find a way to go to space and capture all the stars just for Suga. 

It was probably a few more hours before Daichi finally decided to get up and clean the mess before doing whatever else was necessary. 

As he watched the love of his life get taken away on a stretcher, he made one last promise to Suga; they were going to nationals even if it’s the last thing they do. 

_____________________

Daichi mentally prepared himself before entering the gym. He had no idea how the team would react to the news. Once more, he hoped for the best but prepared for the worst as he slid open the doors. 

The noise and banter immediately halted as the rest of the team took note of their captain’s red, puffy eyes and defeated demeanour. They also noticed the lack of his other half trailing in beside him. 

Five. 

They counted five seconds of silence and no Suga. 

Five seconds and no chaotic energy. 

Five seconds before Daichi’s weak voice echoed throughout the gym. 

“Suga… He… He’s gone.”

Five more seconds passed. 

One ; Daichi’s words bounced off the walls. 

Two ; The words entered everyone else’s ears. 

Three ; They tried to comprehend it. 

Four ; It finally registered. 

Five ; That’s when it hit them, all of them, all at once. 

Asahi was speechless. The juniors broke down in tears. The freshmen were stunned, not knowing how to react. It was clear on Kageyama’s face, but before he could blame himself for being one of the reasons, Daichi gave him a look. 

A look that said, “it wasn’t your fault, if anything, he was extremely proud of you.”

That was all it took for Kageyama to let his pride crumble and finally let his emotions take over. He couldn’t help but feel like he was one of the causes why. He still couldn’t help but blame himself.

No one said anything as their cries echoed throughout the gym. 

They knew that nothing would be the same again.

_____________________

Karasuno finally made it to the nationals.

As the whistle sounded signifying the end of the Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, both Daichi and Asahi hugged each other in tears.

‘We did it, we made it to nationals for you, Suga. I hope you’re proud of us.’

Ever since the team received the news on Suga, they collectively made a pact to continue fighting for him.

As Daichi and Asahi continued hugging, they swore they felt one more person joining the duo.

And they knew he was watching over them, no doubt having his proud, motherly smile occupying his lips.

Before each and every match of the Spring Interhigh Qualifiers, the team would take a moment to honour Suga.

And as soon as it was time to start the match, Daichi would let his voice and his words be heard by the audience.

“Karasuno, fight! For Suga!”

_____________________

It was the end of the first day of nationals. Daichi sighed as he glanced at the barely visible clock hanging on the wall. His eyes could barely make out the hands pointing to 12:03. He turned to his teammates who were sleeping peacefully despite the uncertainty that the next day would bring.

Giving in to his impulsive mind, he got up soundlessly and threw on his jacket and slippers before sliding out the door, being careful not to wake anyone up. He decided that a walk would be able to clear his head and help him fall asleep faster.

As he started to pace aimlessly, his mind brought him back to Suga. Would things be different if he were here? Would everyone still be on edge even with Suga calming them down? Would Coach Ukai have been able to think of different strategies with Suga’s help? 

Daichi felt like he was walking for a good few minutes, but as he took in his surroundings, he realised he was lost. He was so consumed by his thoughts that he hadn’t realised that he probably made a wrong turn.

He let out a huff as he started to think of retracing his steps when a tiny garden caught his eye. He contemplated for a few moments before he felt himself slowly grow closer. Maybe it was because he missed the Garden of Hope, but he knew no other garden could replace it. 

Either way, he took a seat on one of the benches and continued to reminisce his fondest moments at the Garden with Suga.

Daichi plucked a flower that Suga was busy admiring. Too busy admiring to even listen to what Daichi was ranting about. The moment the delicate object was removed from Suga’s eyesight, he gasped and looked at Daichi with a playful pout.

The latter just laughed as he tucked the flower behind his best friend’s ear as a joke. “Suga, what a pretty boy you are,” he joked as Suga’s pout remained. Right after that, Suga chided Daichi on how he was killing flowers and how ‘heartless’ he could be to the flower’s family members.

At that moment, all Daichi could think about was how truly pretty Suga looked.

“If you were a flower, I’d kill you first because the prettiest always get plucked first,” he’d laugh.

And he wanted to freeze time when he saw Suga blush and stutter. It was the first time Daichi had finally seen some colour in his partner’s face after weeks.

If only he told him he loves him instead of saying that.

“Well, all I know is that flowers can cheer anyone up, no matter who they’re from. I mean if I got flowers from my worst enemy, I’d still hate them, don’t get me wrong. But it would definitely make me feel better somehow,” Suga trailed off as he laid back down on the grass.

Daichi hadn’t realised that Suga was already talking about something else other than ‘killing flowers’.

‘Only you could turn something so ugly into something beautiful,’ he thought as he continued staring at the figure laying beside him, eyes twinkling from the stars.

Daichi was taken back to reality as he felt the salty tears rolling down his cheeks and falling onto his fingers.

Fuck. Why was the world so unfair?

He didn’t hold back as he finally let his pain and anger out. He shouted at the moon, seemingly mocking him.

The same moon they used to gaze up at.

The same moon he talked to about Suga.

The same moon who knew the words that Suga never got to hear.

The same moon right in the middle of the stars.

The stars that Suga joined.

Daichi felt his heart ache as he continued to question the world. Why did it have to take Suga away from him so soon? What did he do to deserve this? Was it because he wasn’t doing enough to help him? Was it because he didn’t deserve to have so amazing beside him?

And it finally hit him that he never got to tell Suga that he loves him. He knew it all along, but he only comprehended it now. He felt his heart tear even more as he gripped the edge of the bench, trying to pull himself back to reality.

He felt overwhelmed, like he needed to get it out of his system, so he shouted into the dark that he loves Suga; that he’s sorry.

He shouted until his voice gave out, until his throat burned and begged for water, until his vision went blurry. He shouted as loud as he could, hoping the moon and stars would hear him one last time, hoping that one of the stars was Suga listening.

As his voice quieted to soft sobs interrupted by hiccups, Daichi felt the wind around him pick up. The cold he initially felt was replaced by warmth. The same warmth that Suga’s hugs brought. 

The same warmth that felt like home.

The same hugs that felt like home.

He continued sitting there, trying to remember the way the warmth wrapped around him, silently reassuring him that things would be okay. 

Once he’d finally calmed down, he made his way back to his room at the accommodation. He silently slipped in once again, avoiding all the creaks and unstable boards. 

Before he could get past the first few beds, he noticed something sitting on the desk by the door. As he tiptoed closer, he realised it was a bunch of flowers arranged neatly, with a folded card right in the middle. He didn’t have to open it to figure out who it came from.

His eyes welled up with tears as he slowly made his way to the desk, his hand shaking as he picked up and opened the card. After his eyes scanned over it, he couldn’t hold back the tears once more and let them fall freely.

‘Good job for making it past the first day, my love. It only gets harder from here, but I believe in the team, especially you, captain :). Thank you for fighting for me, now get some rest and prepare for tomorrow; I bet you’re exhausted. I love you Daichi, and good luck <3 - Suga’

What Daichi or the rest of the team didn’t know was that before he left, Suga had a feeling they would make it to Nationals. So he went to the florist in advance and arranged for certain bouquets of flowers with corresponding cards at the end of each day.

As he clutched the card in his trembling hands, Daichi finally realised what home truly was.

Home is where you feel safe; happy. Home is where you feel love, healing, comfort. Home can be a person, or place, or thing. Home doesn’t have to be four walls. Home doesn’t have to be the place you live in. 

And so Daichi softly smiles as he accepts the fact that Suga was truly home because he wasn’t suffering anymore.

That even though Daichi lost his home, he knew he’d be okay because at least Suga finally knows what home truly feels like.

[balledjely]

Rotten Work - Part Five

Haikyuu X Reader -  Part One, Part Four

It’s the end of the training camp, and you can’t help but feel anxious as you step off the bus with your teammates. Although, the Karasuno jacket pulled around you brought you some comfort. It made you feel like part of the team. 

You’d gotten it yesterday, when Kiyoko was handing out uniforms for the Nekoma game. When you got it you felt kind of disappointed. Unlike the girls’ uniforms, the guys’ uniforms felt baggy and made you look like a rectangle. But it can’t be helped, the uniforms weren’t meant to make you look pretty anyway. 

As your team started to make their way towards Nekoma high, you kept towards the back of the group. With this being your first game, you were nervous. And despite knowing that you were part of the team, you could help but feel out of place. 

“Aw sweet!” You hadn’t even noticed a kid from the other team looking over towards you. Instinctively, you step closer to Kiyoko. “Two female managers.” You eye the boy, seeing that he’s got a curly blonde Mohawk. He kind of reminds you of Tanaka. 

“Um, actually…” You try to think of a way to correct him without being awkward. Anxiety swirls in your chest, and you shrink lower into the jacket. It was one of the first times that someone’s height was making you nervous. “I’m not a manager…” How do you explain this situation without it getting weird? 

“Yeah,” Tanaka suddenly appears behind you. He gives the other boy a hard glare. “What do you want with our libero?” As the two boys glare at each other, Kiyoko gently takes your arm and leads you away. As you two walk away, you hear something about a ‘rumble’. 

After following Kiyoko into the school, you split off from her to go find the bathrooms. After wandering around for a couple minutes, you finally find one. Only, once you’re finished, you can’t seem to remember the way back. You start to panic, trying to map out the way back in your head. After a moment, you calm yourself down. You can just text Daichi, right? He’ll find you and bring you back. 

When you reach for your phone, it’s not there. You mentally curse the uniforms for not having any pockets. Who’s idea was that? The panic comes back and it comes back hard. What if you were late to the game? How the hell would you explain that?

In the midst of your panic, you hardly notice the boy walking up behind you. “You okay?” You jump at the sound of his voice, quickly turning around to face him. He looks down at you, “Ah, my bad. Didn’t mean to scare you.” 

You recognize him as the other team’s captain. Dear god, how did you manage to fuck up so horribly every time you go somewhere new?

“I’m fine, just uh, just lost.” 

He tilts his head, “Yeah, our school’s probably bigger than what you’re used to. Want me to take you back to the gym?”

You ignore his little jab at your ‘county’ school, much to anxious to try and bicker with him on that. You’re just happy that you’re not lost anymore.

“Yes, please.”

As you follow him down a maze of hallways, you feel the need to apologize to him. “I’m sorry if this made you go out of your way…” You mutter, fiddling with your hands. 

He glances back at you with a wide grin, “I’m always willing to rescue a damsel in distress.”

You’re feeling more comfortable now, so you finally respond to his teasing. “A damsel?” You question. He shrugs, and before you can question any farther, he swings open a door to reveal the gym. As you walk away you thank him again. 

When you arrive back to your team, Tanaka rushes up to you. “Was that guy hitting on you? Just say the word and I’ll teach him a lesson.” He does that thing where his face gets all serious. Somehow you don’t notice when Noya appears behind him. “Yeah, he can’t be flirting with you! You’re our cute girl.”

“Um, thanks for the compliment…” you trail off, deciding not to think about that too much, “Anyway, I got lost when I went to the bathroom. He was only helping me get back to the gym.”

Noya leans In close to you. “He didn’t say anything weird to you, did he?”

“No, I-” 

You’re saved when Suga drags the two away by their collars. “We’re supposed to be warming up!” He scolds, “You’ll make Daichi mad.”

When you start to warm up, you can feel eyes from every corner of the gym watching you with curiosity. It makes you feel anxious and kind of self conscious. As you’re handing Suga balls, he noticed your apprehension. 

“First game’s always hard. Once it starts though...” He trails off, staring out towards the stands. “It feels totally different.” You definitely knew what he was talking about- the rush you get when the crowds gasp in surprise. You can’t help but smile, “I know, but…”

“Hey,” Suga places a gentle hand on your shoulder, “You’ll be fine.” Even though it’s not much, it definitely does calm you down, even if it’s only a little bit. 

You know he’s right, but you can’t stop the images of you face-planting in the middle of the game running through your head. “Yeah,” What’s worse is you'll be starting. Normally that’d be great and all, but that just means that everyone’s going to be watching you. 

You talked to Noya about it. When Coach announced it, you immediately felt guilty. You were taking the place of a really good second year, how could you not? But, when you brought it up he pretty much laughed at you. He was just excited to see you play. 

Daichi calls the team together to give a little pep talk. Though, it doesn’t do much to calm you down. Just before you walk onto the court, Noya grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you. “Fuck ‘Em up!”

“Nishinoya.” Daichi warns, glaring at him for manhandling you. 

“Ah, right sorry. Sometimes I forget.” He takes his hands off your shoulders, looking guilty. You shake your head, giggling, “It’s fine, really. Kinda makes me feel better. Makes it feel less serious…”

“Then I’ll touch you more!” He grins proudly before realizing what he said. Once he processes it, he flushes bright red. “I didn’t mean- I would never-” You laugh as he stutters, waving as you walk off onto the court. 

The game does not start well for you. Your revives are decent, but they aren’t great. You’re growing frustrated despite the constant reassurance from your team when you switch out. What really got you was a spike that you could’ve easily gotten, had you not been so focused on a different player. 

At that point, you locked eyes with the other team’s setter. You just knew that he could tell you were getting flustered. Once he knew that, it was pretty much over for you. Spikes were getting sent to you over and over again, until you lose the set. 

When the team gathers around for a water break before the next set, you take the chance to talk to Coach Ukai. He and Takada glances up at you as you make your way over to them. 

You shift your weight from side to side anxiously, “I think that Noya should take over as Libero for the rest of the game…”

Coach Ukai only looks at you with confusion, and Takada is the first to speak. “I may not know much about volleyball, but I do know that everyone has it rough during their first game, especially with a new team.” 

“It’s not just that though,” you glance over towards the other team, gaze resting on their setter. “I’m not very good with teams that focus on strategy…” you confess, “It trips me up, and I can’t follow like I normally do. I’m better with teams that just use raw power. I think Noya could handle the situation better than I can…”

Coach Ukai nods. He can tell you thought about this a lot, and he trusts that you know where your weakness lie. “That makes sense…” he trails off as he recounts how you’d been trying to follow the movements of the other team. Deep down, he’s a little upset that he didn’t pick up on that sooner, though he’s only seen you play for a couple of days. “Alright…” 

You smile and walk off as he calls Noya over. You can tell that your team is curious about your conversation, but everyone has enough sense to not question you. Everyone except Hinata, who tilts his head with curiosity, “What was that about?” 

“Noya’s better at this kind of thing, so he’s taking over for me.” You give them the simplest explanation, hoping that they won’t worry over you too much. 

Hinata gasps dramatically, “But I thought you were doing so good!” You smile and shake your head in response. He frowns, but lets it go. Everyone can tell you’re already tired of talking about it. You just hope they know that you know your worth. 

You spend the rest of the match on the sidelines, cheering for your team. But, it doesn’t seem to do much, as they end up losing the second set. Even though you know it’s not entirely your fault, you can’t help but feel that you’re to blame. 

Hinata manages to persuade Nekoma’s coach into playing two more games - both of which were lost in straight sets. By the time you were getting your stuff packed away, your voice was aching. 

Your team lined up outside the school, waving goodbye to Nekoma. Tanaka and his counterpart are sobbing, Daichi and Kuroo are staring each other down, and you’re quietly hanging out with Kenma. 

He apologized for targeting you so hard, which you shrugged off. “That’s  just the game. You’re a really good setter for being able to take advantage of situations like that.” 

He hums in response, and the two of you just sit together in a comfortable silence until Daichi calls the team together to get on the bus. You wave goodbye to Nekoma’s team from your window. Tsukki ends up being your bus buddy, and he rolls his eyes at your childishness. 

Even though the bus ride isn’t long, you end up drifting off. When the team sees you sleeping on Tsukki's shoulder, they immediately begin to tease him. 

“What do you want me to do, shove her off?” He mutters. 

At that, Noya nearly jumps out his seat. “You would never-!” He nearly yells, to which Tanaka slaps him upside his head. “Shut up, she’s sleeping!” 

Noya immediately regrets getting so loud, and leans over his seat to check to make sure you're still sleeping soundly, which you are. Tanaka and Noya spend the rest of the bus ride making sure no one gets too loud. 

When you arrive back at the school, Tsukki wakes you up. Though his voice is harsh, his gentle nudges are the complete opposite as he shakes you awake. 

You yawn, apologizing for falling asleep on him, to which he just huffs. The team continues to tease Tsukki as he and Tadashi split off to walk you home.

[junker-town]

Paige Bueckers and Jalen Suggs were BFFs long before dominating March Madness

The duo went from grade school friends to basketball legends.

As fulfilling as success can be, it’s even better when you get to share it with someone else. One of the best feelings is knowing you’re on top of the world, while getting to watch one of your best friends do exactly the same thing in their field. This is the case for Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs, and UConn phenom Paige Bueckers, two lifelong friends, now supporting each other from across the country, while their stars are shining on college basketball’s brightest stage.

Their roads to the Final Four might have split the two Minnesota natives onto opposite coasts, different timezones, and divergent basketball cultures — but their shared brilliance, honed against each other in backyard games of 21, have turned Suggs and Bueckers into household names overnight. An incredible article from Katie Barnes over at espnW detailed their early friendship.

At 10 years old there was nothing Paige Bueckers loved more than basketball. She’d already been playing for a couple of years, often teaming with kids older than her, and maxing out her rec league time to the point she had to be pulled from games due to league rules. Paige hated it. She’d cry on the bench, begging to be put back in, because all she wanted was to play more basketball. Off the court people remember her as reserved, shy, but the sport lit a spark in her.

Playing in a rec league wasn’t enough. She needed to be around basketball more, so Bueckers began tagging along with a friend to his basketball practice. It didn’t matter that she was hesitant to put herself out there — any kid would be when put into a social situation where they don’t know if they’ll fit in. Learning more about basketball and being close to the game eclipsed any awkwardness. Paige watched from the sidelines as kids ran drills on the court, and it was too intoxicating to resist. She began running them on her own, mimicking what she was watching. Soon watching wasn’t enough. The once-shy girl was pushing her way onto the court, taking part in the drills. Sometimes she’d finish practice with her rec league team, run to the other practice, and take part in that one too. Desperate to get her reps in.

Jalen Suggs fell in love with basketball from a young age. His dad remembers him as a toddler, tossing shots into a Fisher Price hoop, standing behind a line his dad drew on the floor. At an age most kids have attention spans measuring seconds, Jalen would just keep shooting, over, and over, and over again. It was his favorite thing to do, and this love of the game never waned.

The boy never stopped loving basketball. He’d practice at home on the small hoop, and when he outgrew that began playing in rec leagues. When he was 10 years old he arrived at practice and began running drills on the court before noticing a blond haired girl he hadn’t met before running drills by herself, eventually diving in and practicing with his team. It was at that gym that Jalen Suggs and Paige Buecker first met, and immediately became friends — basketball being the common thread that linked them together.

It’s almost impossible to keep in touch with people you meet in grade school. We all change, evolve, and just tend to have those one-fast friends dissolve into fond memories. This wasn’t the case for Suggs and Bueckers. Their bond was always basketball, and it was impossible to break.

Even as league structure dictated they couldn’t formally play together, there was no stopping the duo from having a healthy rivalry. The Suggs and Bueckers families bonded as their children did, having family gatherings and cookouts, Jalen and Paige wolfing down burgers and brats with speed, just so they could get back to the court and play more one-on-one. Brought together by basketball, Suggs and Bueckers became the closest of friends.

Their friendship endured. Even though Suggs and Bueckers didn’t get to spend as much time together with the pressures of their high school careers mounting, they’d often meet at AAU tournaments to give each other pep talks, watch each other’s games, and play fierce games of five-on-five, Suggs’ team vs. Bueckers’ — organized by the two players.

“Just amazing stuff: back and forth, trash talk on both sides,” said Tara Starks, the coach of Bueckers’s Metro Stars AAU team, whose idea it was to invite Suggs’s boys team to scrimmage her girls ahead of the July championship tournament. “Paige would knock down a shot and talk a little trash. Jalen would come down and dunk. They would always go after us hard — running through the middle of the lane and dunking and talking trash. No letup at all. But it would push our girls and get them ready to play.”

The two players defined high school sports in Minnesota while they were playing. Suggs was a Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year in football and basketball at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Bueckers won three Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year awards at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka. A 20 minute cross town drive separated the duo, but the results were identical: Both were dominating.

College drove them apart. Suggs was heavily recruited from across the country, but eventually settled on becoming the highest ranked player to attend Gonzaga, choosing the Pacific Northwest over Florida, Florida State, Iowa State and local Minnesota. Bueckers was so highly coveted that teams began offering her scholarships from the age of 14, ultimately picking to join UConn and become the next great in the program’s astounding history.

A 22-minute drive became 2,700 miles as the two friends began their college careers, but they never lost touch. Avidly following each other from across the country, Suggs and Beuckers followed each other’s games, called each other after big performances and held each other accountable in bad performances to ensure they’d reach their full potential.

Now that potential has been reached. Suggs and Bueckers are in the Final Four, leading their teams in hopes of cutting down the nets at the end. While their primary concern is taking Gonzaga and UConn to victory, they spend their remaining free time catching each other’s games and facetiming each other. In fact, this influence is so great that Suggs credited Bueckers for being a key part of his success in the tournament.

“I texted her after, and we FaceTimed and talked for a little bit,” Suggs continued. “Last night, she said some things that really helped me. I’ve been kind of struggling, trying to get my footing in these tournament games. Of course, seeing her go out there and play great like she did and then talking afterwards, she kind of said some words, it kind of got me uplifted. It got me going. Definitely helped tonight. ... She’s the GOAT for a reason.”

Regardless of what happens from here out, the friendship fostered in Minnesota between two basketball-loving kids has turned them into stars. Suggs is expected to be taken the top five picks of the NBA draft this summer, while Bueckers will have to wait until 2023 or 2024 to enter the WNBA, but will unquestionably be the favorite to be the No. 1 pick when she enters.

There’s no doubt they’ll keep supporting each other in the pros too, ensuring these friends will make each other better for the rest of their careers.

[trashfor-imagines]

Being best friends with Daichi, Sugawara, and Asahi:

What’s the backstory and what would it be like to be best friends with the trio throughout high school?

WARNING: Ft. S1-2, so don’t let yourself get spoiled if you haven’t gotten very far! :)

D A I C H I

You met during your last year of Izumitate Junior High.

Moving to Myagi from Tokyo, you had joined the school year late. It was a strategic move on your father’s part. He was a volleyball Olympian in his prime and when he saw your affinity for the sport, he dedicated himself to making sure you could make it to the top as well, going so far to even hire an Olympic trainer. The girl’s competition wasn’t as competitive in Myagi at the junior high level so that’s how you ended up there.

With a glowing recommendation from your previous school’s coach, you easily became a starter, despite Izumitate’s girl’s club already having a line up. You earned your starter spot easily though and it didn’t matter much to you that the other girls weren’t huge fans of yours. There was a brief moment after winning where you felt part of the team and that was enough.

“Do you mind finishing clean up on your own? My relatives are visiting and my mom wants me home early,” Michimiya confessed to you after practice one day. She was the only one relatively nice to you - most likely because she was the captain - so you didn’t mind this once.

You were the last one to leave and locked up the girl’s gym. Putting on your shoes, you looked up, surprised to see a boy leaning against the wall, waiting.

“Are you the last one?” he asked, smiling brightly. It was kind and honest; his smile affected you. “Where’s Michimiya?”

“She had to go home early. Aren’t you the boy’s volleyball club captain?”

He blushed and laughed. “Yeah, I’m Sawamura Daichi, and you must be the new team member. You’re really talented.”

It turned out you lived down the street from him and he walked with you home. When you made it outside of his house, you weren’t sure what made you ask, but you invited him over to play volleyball. It was probably because the entire walk home was filled with conversation about volleyball, something you understood inside and out. It was nice to finally be able to talk to someone seriously about the sport. Faster than lightning, he ran in and out of his home to drop off his stuff, telling his parents he was going to play volleyball at your house.

This became ritual. You’d walk Michimiya to the bus stop with Daichi then walk home with him.

You were there for him when the boys lost in their last junior high tournament. His determination to continue playing led to the two of you spending more time together and briefly dating through the end of the third term.

The two of you broke up during the break before high school where you both enrolled at Karasuno. You had qualified and been selected to join the women’s national U-18 team which meant you had even less time to spend with him.

S U G A W A R A

After waiting for Daichi to meet you at the entrance ceremony, you decided to go on without him and line up.

A cute boy with a sweet and gentle smile approached you asking if he could sit by you during the ceremony.

“Hi, my name’s Sugawara Kōshi. Mind if I sit with you?”

Please do. “I don’t mind.”

“Aren’t you on the National U-18 team?” he asked, a light bulb seemingly going off in his head. “Wow! It’s my lucky day!”

Up until the first years had to make their entrance, the two of you chatted about volleyball and you learned that he was a setter.

After the ceremony the two of you went to find your classroom and it turned out you were both in class 1-5. You guessed the two of you scored quite high to make it into the university prep class for your year.

“What luck; we’re in the same class! This is going to be the best year!” he beamed at you.

The two of you became quite close because of how much time you spent together in class.

Since he was a setter it was natural for you to invite him to your house to practice together.

A S A H I

The two of you first met a few days after the entrance ceremony during club recruitment day. You signed up for the girl’s volleyball club and went to find Daichi or Sugawara, who you assumed were probably at the boy’s volleyball club table.

Out of nowhere a boy bumped into you. He was tall, looming over you; it almost made you uncomfortable.

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?! I didn’t mean to! Please don’t be hurt!” he bowed deeply, rambling on and on about how he was so sorry.

A smile bloomed on your face and you gently placed your hand on top of this gentle giant’s head. “It’s okay, I’m fine.”

He looked up from his bow and he had such determination in his eyes. “I’m Azumane Asahi and I promise to never let anyone bump into you!”

It turned out he was there to sign up for volleyball club and you introduced him to Daichi and Sugawara.

T O G E T H E R

They were your best friends.

Any of your free time was spent with the boys, playing volleyball or studying for school.

“If you learn the material in class, then you don’t have to go to cram school or take extra course study lessons. You can play more volleyball.” You lectured that thought into their heads.

You always cheered the boys on to do their best. You knew they were disappointed that Coach Ukai had to retire. It always made your heart flutter when they would score a point and look right at you sitting in the stands. And when looked at you after they won a set, or the match for that matter? You’re swelling with pride.

“Those are my best friends!” you’d tell anyone in hearing distance.

If you didn’t have a national game or national team practice, you played with Michimiya and the rest of the girl’s volleyball club as a started. You knew your lack of consistent participation affected the team, but the boys always knew what to say to you.

“Don’t worry. As long as the girls get to play, they’re happy!”

“You can’t carry the whole team. If they want to win then they’ll work hard for it like you.”

“Just have fun while you can. We know you have a lot of pressure for being on the national team. Do your best and enjoy the game.”

After practices, you and the boys always went to the Sakanoshita Store for meat buns. Whenever the boys lost a game, you were always there waiting for them at school with meat buns in hand that same evening.

Since the boys didn’t really have a coach, Daichi and the boys were cool with you joining them for their practices since the girls didn’t practice as much. The power behind the boys’ spikes and serves were much better for you to train with and pushed your limits.

Whenever you had national games, the boys would host a viewing party to watch you play and when you won there was always a celebratory dinner.

During second year after the loss to Date Tech during the Spring High Tournament, you did your best to be there for the boys, Asahi especially. Your heart broke when he quit and it was difficult when he stopped hanging out. You then started splitting your time between hanging out with Daichi and Sugawara at practices and studying with Asahi for school.

Asahi confided in you about wanting to rejoin the team the evening Daichi had spoken to him. You gave him encouragement and reminded him that his friendship was important to the boys. He didn’t have anything to worry about. Needless to say, you threw a small party when Asahi officially returned.

You went to all the boys’ practice games as often as possible and even visited them at their training camps.

Because of national team responsibilities, you couldn’t be there to play during the Interhigh Tournament. It didn’t stop you from racing back to the school to meet them when they returned. It had been a long time since Daichi had cried on your shoulder. He was so frustrated at how close they had been.

You gave them a pep talk and encouraged the third years to continue with their dreams. If competing in the Spring High Tournament was what they wanted to do, then they had to give it all they could to see their dream through. As long as they were having fun, that’s all that mattered.

“Do your best and enjoy the game,” you repeated Sugawara’s words to you from your first year.

It was pure luck that you could miss school for the Spring High Tournament. You had to get promotional photos taken for the national team and attend a few interviews. Immediately after, you headed straight to the tournament to cheer the boys on for the semifinals, being another loud and supportive presence.

When Daichi was hurt, you immediately met up with him and the coach to take him to get medical attention, staying by his side until he rested up.

“I’ll be with him to make sure he’s okay. You guys keep fighting!”

You couldn’t miss school again so you weren’t able to be there, but you stayed after school to listen to the tournament broadcast. When they announced that Karasuno had won against Aobajōsai you cried. A lot. You’d never been more proud of them.

You made good luck charms for the boys to wear for the finals and stayed to cheer them on.

“I believe in you!”

[boyfriend-cal]

The Jersey - Calum Hood

I still have one request in my inbox but this was in my drafts so don’t think I’m ignoring your request! I’ll get to it soon.

Description: In high school, it’s a fact that if you’re a guy on a sports team, a girl of your choice gets to wear your spare jersey to the game. What happens when the star player, Calum Hood, only has one game left in his soccer career and hasn’t given his to anyone, ever?

Word count: 3.1k

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+++

“Okay Cal, out of all the girls that ask to wear a jersey just to be petty, I’ve chosen one.” You sigh, leaning against the couch and looking behind it to where he’s standing.

You two go through this every week. Calum is #1 on the team and he’s the only guy who’s never given his jersey to anyone. Most guys on the team give them to their girlfriends or whoever they’ve been talking to that week. Others find girls that are only trying to wear one to make someone else jealous.

So many girls come up to you and Calum at school asking to be considered for this weeks game. He always took note of her name which led to this.

“What’s her name?”

“Ashley, the girl who came up to us after Chem a couple of days ago. I’ve asked around and as far as I know, she doesn’t have any issues with anyone else. You wouldn’t be caught in the middle with this one.”

That was really the point of the lists. Calum liked to stay out of the whole “wearing a jersey to make someone else jealous” situation. He’s not one for drama.

“Don’t like her. I’ll wait until next week to pick someone.” He says, uninterested. You roll your eyes at him and sigh.

Honestly, you should’ve given up a long time ago. And you would’ve, but Calum is the one who asks for these lists. It’s been 3 years now that you’ve made one for every soccer game there is, and he’s never said yes.

It’s a little bit frustrating, but you’re his best friend and you like to make him happy. For the first year or so you thought maybe you’d get to wear the jersey, maybe as like a default until he found a girlfriend he liked, but he never asked. Making the lists made you feel a little bit better about that though because if he didn’t want you to wear it you could pick someone that was good for him.

It didn’t stop him from always shooting it down. You’d worn a couple of other guys jerseys before and each time Calum would pout and say he was supposed to be the one you’re cheering on. You saved yourself from an argument and laughed it off.

“Next week is senior night, our last game. The most important.” I throw my notepad onto his coffee table and he pads over to collapse onto the couch next to me.

“I know. I’ll figure something out.” Calum pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his Instagram feed.

“You don’t have to give it to anyone. Let your mom wear it or something.” You tuck your knees under yourself and pull a blanket around you.

“They’re giving us shirts for our parents to wear when they walk us out at the beginning.” He mumbles and you can tell something put him in a bad mood in the last five minutes because he wasn’t like this earlier.

“Okay well I’ve gotta go but I’ll see you in the morning. You good, Cal?” You pat his leg and wait a second for confirmation from him. All you get in response is “mhm” and a sigh.

You decide to leave anyway because if you stay and ask he’ll get defensive and you two already argued about something stupid earlier in the day. It wasn’t worth it.

+

The next days game was pretty uneventful because your school was projected to win by a landslide and they did. Seeing Calum happy and screaming with his team made you happy after this funk he’s been in for the last couple days.

He meets up with you at the fence and you let him know you’re going to skip out on the after party that you two usually go to together. After your goodbyes, you head home and look forward to actually sleeping in the next day. (A tradition you started, no one could bother you before noon every Saturday.)

And that’s why when several loud knocks ring through your house at 10am, you’re more than annoyed. Way past grumpy, you trudge down the stairs and swing open the door. You’re ready to tell this person off, but you can’t once you see Calum. He looks like he’s also just woken up. His hair is a mess and his hoodie sleeves are pulled over his knuckles.

“Calum? It’s not even 11am and you know I sleep on Saturdays so can we-“

“No, I need to come in now. I have a plan. I woke up and I needed to tell someone.” He lifts your arm that’s holding the door open but also preventing him from stepping inside.

By the time you turn around, you just barely see his feet disappearing at the top of the stairs. After you shut the front door, you yawn and amble after him.

Calum is sitting in the middle of your bed, a blanket draped over his shoulders and your notebook in front of him. When you get closer you realize he also has your favorite pen resting between his lips.

“Scoot over.” You grumble, pushing him a little bit so you can sit down too. Your head falls to his shoulder and you knuckle your eyes to keep from falling asleep.

“I have a plan for who I’m giving my jersey to for the last game and it’s going to be big. You want to hear it?”

You weigh your options as you realize this isn’t the first time you heard this. Last night at the game, you’d been sitting being some juniors talking about him but you hadn’t really paid attention because you figured it was just a rumor. News like that was passed around every week, yet he still hadn’t ever committed.

“Sure, who is it?”

“Not telling. Only you and Kyle will know the plan but no one gets to know who. So...”

++

Finally, Thursday came around again. Game days were Fridays but the day before was when the pep rallies and celebrations were. It didn’t make a lot of sense to anyone but the athletic coaches. They were the ones that insisted the soccer boys only attend three of their classes on game day and spend the rest of the time leading up to the event in the locker room or in the turf room.

You were happy that Calums plan was taking place today, but only because afterward, he’d stop talking your ear off about it. You tried not to be bitter, and you succeeded when he was around. When he wasn’t, it was a different story.

You really wanted to not feel bitter about it. You were his best friend, and of course he didn’t have a crush on you like you did him. It was easy to hide until something like this happened. You knew him better than anyone else, so why couldn’t he just let you wear the damn jersey to make you happy? Why couldn’t someone make a grand gesture like Calum was about to?

To be fair, you never asked because you didn’t want to make it seem like it was a big deal when you’d been telling him he didn’t have to give it to anyone for three years.

You were fine until you were in your elective that usually only freshman take, but since you needed an easy A you signed up anyway. Big mistake. She’d approached you with something like,” Oh, you’re Y/N?”

You’d replied, trying to be nice at first but losing all cool once she rolled her eyes. “You’re not thinking it’ll be you, right? He’s had three years to give it to you, what would make him want to know? I’ve seen pictures, you looked better back then.”

After that, it was hard not to think about it. Especially since that was the last class you had to attend before the pep rally. Calum was waiting outside afterward, just like he always was. He immediately noticed that you looked upset.

“Y/N? What’s the matter?” He pulled you to the side and away from the students filing out of the classroom.

“Nothing, but I think I’m going home. The pep rally isn’t really where I want to be right now.” You shake your head and his eyes immediately filled with worry. You kind of hate yourself for ruining his good mood.

“What? No. The plan takes place at the pep rally. You’re my best friend, and I need you there. Without you I can’t do it.” You knew what it looked like when Calum started to panic, and this was it. Wide eyes, hands holding tight to yours, fast breaths, he had it all.

“Okay okay. I’m standing by the door though, not sitting with the crowd. You’re going to do great anyway, with or without me.” You look him in the eyes and give his arms a squeeze before you turn both of you toward the gym.

“Fuck, it’s so nerve wracking and people have been talking about it all day. Kyle must’ve been a snitch. Maybe I shouldn’t do it.” Calum rambled nervously as you two made your way through the halls. This time, all eyes were on him much more than normal.

“No, you can do this. Come on, let’s go.” You tugged on his sleeve and got him to follow.

“Fine.”

We enter the gym and you give him one more reassuring look before you join your favorite teacher next to the door. Usually, only the teachers stand up, but she never minded hiding you with her.

Calum went to join the team on the benches at the side of the court. Your hands were sweaty now, what if the girl he chose said no? What if he got humiliated in front of the whole high school? You knew as his best friend that you needed to support him but you also had to prepare to do some damage control if something went wrong.

You’re almost knocked over by the cheerleaders entering the big room with the dance team following right after. The crowd of students immediately starts to get hyper, rustling in their seats and starting to scream and yell. It’s the biggest game of the season and it’ll be a close one. Your school has only beat your opponent once before.

You never were the biggest fan of the pep rallies, but you were Calum’s biggest fan which meant you had to be there to support the speech he always gave at the end. It wasn’t super important, just rallying up the students and telling them they need to come to support the boys the following night. He was good at capturing the attention of the whole crowd.

So just for him, you sat through the cheerleaders showing off their perfected competition chants and stunts, as well as the dance team doing their choreographed routine. A lump in your throat formed as you were getting closer to what you knew was coming.

“Now your captain, Calum Hood, will give his speech.”

You swore you could hear a pin drop as Cal stood up and took the microphone. Everyone was silent and waiting for what he was going to say. Or maybe just you were, not everyone else knew the plan. It felt like even your heart needed to take a deep breath.

“Let’s go Panthers!!” He screams, fist-pumping in the air. The crowd goes wild, everyone’s jumping and screaming “Go Panthers!” It’s a little bit ridiculous how excited everyone gets.

“Alright alright. You know how this goes, right? We need every one of you to come out and support us tomorrow! Students get in free and parents for only one dollar. Let’s show the Bison that we didn’t come to play!” Calum makes some kind of grunt or groaning noise and cheers erupt again. A smile starts to grow on your face because you notice how happy Calum is. This is the last time he’ll get to hype up the crowd. It’ll be passed to the next senior captain. Although, you didn’t think anyone was ever as good at it as Calum.

“Okay, just one last thing,” Cal raises an arm and points his index finger so everyone is quiet, “I’m sure you all know that I’ve been holding on to this for quite some time.”

He turns his back to the crowd and picks his spare jersey up from his seat. It’s the green one, your favorite. They get to wear the navy ones for home games. The crowd falls silent, everyone anticipating the next move. Even you feel your chest tighten.

“So I’ve decided that there’s only one person special enough to give it to. I apologize for not asking sooner, but Y/N, will you wear my jersey tomorrow?” Calum turns and looks directly at you. You feel like you have tunnel vision and you can’t see or hear anything other than him.

The teacher next to you has to push you forward a little bit to get your feet moving, but once they do they don’t stop. You might look silly running across the court, but it doesn’t matter because Calum’s smile is so big.

As soon as your bodies collide, he picks you up into his arms and spins both of you around. That’s when you hear it, the deep roaring sound of the team behind you hooping and hollering. Unbeknownst to you, everyone had been cheering for you and Calum (give or take the few jealous freshman girls). Everyone knew it was a long time coming and that now it was finally happening.

Finally, Calum sets you both down and you immediately take the jersey from his hands. “I hate you for making me sad all day because I didn’t think it was going to be me!”

You lightly shove his chest and he chuckles. “It’s always going to be you, Y/N.”

Then, from behind you, someone clears their throat and you realize that the principal is waiting for Calum to dismiss everyone like he always does. He looks at you before he brings the mic up to his mouth. “And for the last time from me...”

He holds the microphone between both of you and counts to three. “GO PANTHERS!”

++

Coming to the games was never hard because Calum was good at what he does. You love watching him. It doesn’t matter if he’s on the field playing and communicating with his teammates by calling out play names or if he’s got them in a huddle to hype them up.

Senior night is always emotional. The parents walk each boy onto the field to be introduced for the last time, and then when the game ends you all hold your breaths until the lights are shut out because it’s the last time you’ll ever be here as students.

At the last buzzer, indicating a Panthers victory, the field is flooded with students. Your senior class was one of the best. In the past, there had been classes that hated each other and never did any cool pranks because they couldn’t get along. Your class was the opposite. You were like a big family.

You got caught up in the crowd but soon realized everyone was forming the traditional “senior circle,” so you had to jump in line and wait to find Calum. Together, everyone rocked side to side while you all sang the school alma mater one more time. Even the soccer boys were crying.

As you sang, you scanned the circle to look for the one person you wanted to see. Finally, you found him, directly across from you. Calum smiles even bigger when he sees you and you think he winks at you but it’s a big circle and your eyesight isn’t the best.

The song comes to an end and cheers erupt from everyone around you. Emotion swells in your heart. There’s only one more semester of high school and then you’re out of here. On to bigger and better things.

Truth is, you didn’t know how it could get better than this. The girls next to you broke the chain by letting go of your hands and you took off for Calum. He was coming toward you also. You met smack dab in the middle of the field. You didn’t hesitate to jump into his arms and wrap your legs around his waist.

Calum is laughing underneath you and when you pull away you can see that his eyes are getting misty. You know you have tear trails down your cheeks but you just laugh with him. “You gettin emotional on me, Y/L/N?”

“Shut up. You know you’ll miss all of this.” Calum continues to hold you by the waist as you gesture around to everyone and everything.

“Damn right I will.” Calum sets you back onto your feet and steps back. His eyes trail you up and down and you raise your eyebrows. “Look at you in that jersey. I should’ve given it to you a long time ago, it looks better on you than it ever did me.”

You roll your eyes at him and reach up to hug him again. “You’re right, dumbass, I waited for three years.”

Calum’s shoulders shake with laughter because that’s all the two of you seemed to do when you were together, laugh. “Okay, I deserved that one.”

You didn’t notice that most people around you had turned to watch the two of you. You didn’t know that the whole soccer team had been teasing Calum about not being man enough to kiss you earlier, so they were all waiting for it to happen. It’s silent between you and Calum for a beat, but he starts talking again.

“I know it’s way overdue, but would you want to be my girl?” His cheeks are rosy but not from the game he just played. Your heart soars at him calling you “his girl.”

“Of course I would.” You smile and wipe at your cheeks that were cold now because your tears had dried.

Calum doesn’t say anything else, he leans down with his hand on the back of your neck and pulls you into a kiss. You’d never spent a lot of time imagining what kissing Calum would be like, but it wouldn’t have been able to compare to this.

Whoops and hollers ring out around you and it only pumps you with more adrenaline than you already had. Calum is the first to pull away. “We might’ve won the soccer game, but you’re the best prize.”

++

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[royalprinceroman]

67 - When One Stops The Kiss To Whisper “I’m Sorry, Are You Sure You-” And They Answer By Kissing Them More - (Human/High School AU - Patton (sophomore) is captain of the dance team and virgil (freshman) is a new transfer student who has rumors going around that he hurt someone bc he was expelled from his previous school)

Words: 1,705 - Virgil knew it was wrong. Getting a crush on the kindest, sweetest boy in school while also having a criminal record and rumors tied to your name was a terrible idea. Virgil knew Patton would never give him the time of day since he was always so busy with the dance team. But seeing Patton leading the group of dancers during pep rallies made the rally itself so much more bearable. Patton was so adorable. He always had on the biggest smile, showcasing his dimples. His bright blue eyes seemed to pierce straight into Virgil's heart. Everyone loved Patton. He was always surrounded by friends at school. Even when Virgil would run into him in the bathroom, Patton had at least one person waiting for him. Virgil wondered what that was like. Being the transfer student, with the rumors going on around him, people tended to avoid him. Didn't help he had the emo look to help him look quote on quote "dangerous". Virgil got lost in his thoughts as he walked back to his class from a locker visit. Without even looking up from his phone, something suddenly slammed into him, causing virgil to fall back, slamming his head onto the tile floor. "Its what you deserve." Someone scoffed loudly. Virgil rubbed his head as he sat up, feeling lightheaded. He looked up to see a student he didn't recognize staring daggers down at him. If looks could kill, he'd be dead. "You should apologize for running into me, Mr. Violent. Who knows what the school might do if I tell them you're harassing me?" The bully said. Virgil ignored them, choosing to pick up his scattered papers and binders. "Excuse me, are you listening?" The bully snarled, kicking Virgil in his waist, knocking him back onto the ground. Virgil coughed as the air was pushed out of his stomach. He clutched his torso in pain. "Hey!" Another voice called. Virgil opened his eyes to see Patton standing just outside the restroom door across the hall. "What are you doing, Luke?" He asked hotly. Virgil had never heard Patton so mad before. "Nothing coach." Luke said, shrugging his shoulders. Virgil noticed in that moment that Luke and Patton were similarly dressed. Dance team sweats. "This asshole bumped into me and then refused to apologize." "You can cut the lying, Luke. I saw it all." Patton retorted, pushing past Luke and over to Virgil. Patton helped Virgil to stand after gathering his things off the floor. "I suggest apologizing to Virgil. He didn't do anything to you." Luke glared. "You can't prove he didn't." "Maybe I can't. But that newly installed camera over there can." Patton explained as he pointed to a nearby exit. The camera hung down from the middle and pointing right at them. "If you had listened during the pep rally maybe you would've remembered when Mrs. Chambers told us about the new motion detected and voice activated camera systems." Patton smirked as the color drained from Luke's face. Without a word, the bully pushed past them and down the hall, vanishing from sight. "Hey... you okay?" Patton asked, during all of his attention back to Virgil. Virgil felt a bit dazed but overall felt okay. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Really. Um... thank you, Patton." He felt his face growing hot. "Are you sure?" Patton asked. "Your face is really red--" he reached out to feel Virgil's forehead, but Virgil pulled back just out of reach. "No! No..." Virgil coughed. "I'm fine. I am. Sorry you had to help me. Uh..." he fiddled with his papers, not really looking at Patton. "How did you know my name?" Patton raised his eyebrows a bit as he bit his lip. "Well, I hear the rumor mill a lot being the dance team captain." Virgil's heart sank. "Oh... yeah-- of course you would. Hey um... I'm gonna go." He turned to leave, only to have Patton grab his wrist. "I don't believe what they say about you. I truly don't." Patton said softly. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay?" Virgil shook his head. "You don't want to hang out with me. It'll ruin your reputation around here right?" Patton shrugged. "I don't really care if it does or doesn't." He said simply. "Virgil, being honest, I've been interested in you since you first arrived." It was Patton's turn to blush. "I wanted to say something earlier, but I didn't want to overwhelm you and I tend to be followed around a lot. I don't have many friends." Virgil suddenly felt terrible. All those times he could've said something to Patton and all that time, Patton wanted to say something to him too? "Meet me behind the bleachers in the gym today?" Patton asked. "Our practice starts at 4:30. So I have some time." Virgil nodded. "Okay." Patton smiled brightly and Virgil felt his face grow hot again. "Yay! See you then!" Patton waved and took off down a nearby hallway, his sneakers scooting sound echoing loudly. 

Virgil sat there and stared at the clock on the wall. It was 2:55pm. Classes ended in 20 minutes. In 20 minutes he would be alone with Patton Foster behind the gym bleachers. 

As the blood rushed to his face even worse, Virgil turned on his heel back to his class. 

Focusing was, luckily, unnecessary as when Virgil arrived back in class, all of the students were talking. Virgil snuck back into his desk, quickly taking down the few notes he had missed in the notebook he had gone to his locker to get. 

"Virgil."

Virgil looked up to his teacher, Mr. Picani, waving at him to come up to his desk. Virgil took the long way around his classmates but eventually arrived at the desk.

"Yes sir?" Virgil asked. He held his hands together nervously. 

"I passed out a homework assignment while you were going to your locker. Here you go." Mr. Picani said with a smile. Virgil glanced at the math packet and released a breath. Good. He wasn't in trouble. "Also, I just wanted to let you know, all of the teachers are aware of the rumors going around about you. We will take care of it soon. There's only so much we can do unfortunately. But just know we are on your side, okay?" Mr. Picani placed his hand on Virgil's shoulder and squeezed. 

Virgil bowed slightly to his teacher. "Thank you sir..." he turned and walked back to his seat only for the bell to chime as he arrived. 

All of his classmates clambered out of the classroom quickly. Virgil felt his heart start to race as he packed up his last book into his backpack.

He walked out of the class and towards the center of the school to the gym. Upon walking inside, Virgil saw all of the dance team member stretching and getting ready. 

"Pssssst."

Virgil looked towards the bleachers to see Patton waving at him. Virgil quickly walked over and slipped into the small opening between the two sets of bleachers. It was an obvious hangout spot as there was trash laying all over the floor and discarded drinks and bags. 

"I'm glad you came." Patton started as he sat down on his varsity jacket. "I kinda wondered if you were actually going to." He scratched his head. 

Virgil shrugged. "I mean... it's not like I can tell the most popular kid in school "no"?" He meant it as a joke but Patton's eyes drooped.

"Yeah I guess not..." Patton leaned over, grabbed a light blue water bottle and took a swig. "But I'm honestly just a figurehead for it all." Virgil sat down across from him. "I'm the captain because I'm good at what I do. That part is true. But I'm far from being the most popular. Most people say I'm just a goody two shoes, walking around buddy buddy with the teachers so I can get what I want." Patton took another drink. "I'm not Patton to them. I'm Foster, the top dance team member, honor roll, probably will be valedictorian." 

Virgil could see a gloss look cover Patton's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but Patton continued. 

"When you started at school, you were the first person to talk to me like I was just another student. You didnt talk to me to get anything out of me..." Patton smiled. "I admired you for that." He fiddled with his bottle. "Then I heard the rumor. The rumor that you had assaulted someone and had a criminal record." Virgil felt his body tense up. "I'll be upfront with you. I did some digging online and I found what actually happened...and I'm so sorry." 

Patton reached his hand out and Virgil gently took it into his own. "Thank you Patton." Virgil said softly. He felt his hands trembling but he was powerless to stop it. Patton took his other hand and Virgil's, holding Virgil's in between his own. "I-- I have wanted to speak to you for awhile now, Patton. But I... I was afraid." Virgil felt his face grow hot. "But it's great to know you're just as kind as you look."

Patton blinked, his own face flushing a bit. It was in that moment both boys realized how close they were sitting to each other. Their eyes met and without any words, both leaned forward and their lips touched. It was soft and dry. Minty and sweet. 

"I'm sorry." Patton pulled away. "Are you sure you--"

Virgil cut him off by crossing the gap between them and kissing Patton again. This time it was passionate and messy as Virgil held onto Patton's cheeks gently. Patton ran his hands through Virgil's hair. It was quiet as the two parted lips, leaning back and smiling sheepishly at each other. 

"I like you, Patton. Your smile, your laugh, your kind heart." Virgil explained. "I hope... I hope that's okay."

Patton smiled, showing off his cute dimples. "I like you too, Virgil. A lot. Your understanding, strength, and your resilience." 

The boy's leaned together, touching foreheads and laughing. This was their moment and it was just the start of many more moments to come.

(Prompts are closed!)

[jazzyishere]

So this dream starts, as far as I can recall, with me in my house, in my room. The situation is urgent and my dad comes into my room, points out that my window is leaking water vapor along the seam, which would EVIDENTLY flood my room an that we needed to evacuate the house because of it. I look and see wiring along the window. My dad, myself, and another girl get on a boat, but it is rocky and we need to get off because it is going to sink. I try to find my ID card and the girl gives it to me. We exit to my high school gym. I am now a football player, with the rest of the team, and we are being made to lie down face first on the gym floor for some pep rally. I get a medal or something. When I comes time to get back up, I can’t stand on my own. A coach comes over to show me something, and drags me through my school’s evidently massive locker room. I’m back to being myself and it’s time to leave school for the day but first I need to get changed out of my gym clothes. However, since the locker room is so massive I don’t know where I put my things so I recruit my friend to help me find them. We explore the locker room to see different rooms inside, people getting their stuff, and these weird things on the ground that looked like fluorescent orange versions of those plastic rolly things from middle school gym class that you’d sit on, but these ones were on tracks and worked by some kind of lever system. We never found my stuff, but next thing you know I’m back in my house, and there is someone at the door trying to break in. First they try the garage and then the front door, but they don’t get in. I go to share this with the band that is evidently practicing in the family room. I don’t know who these people are but I talk to an old guy with a trumpet about it.

[noona-clock]

Turning Point - Part 6, Final Chapter

Genre: Teacher!AU/Fluff

Pairing: Jisoo x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Almost One Year Later

As to be expected after such a long passage of time, a lot had changed.

Jisoo was now over at your place every single day. Mainly because he lived there. (You were also currently on the hunt for a new place since the closet which had been just barely fine for you was now definitely not sufficient for both you and Jisoo). 

There were some new pictures on your summer vacation gallery wall, including a selfie of you and Jisoo on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

And, although you weren’t quite as excited by this change as your lovely boyfriend was, the basketball team had actually made the playoffs this year.

After the end of the previous school year, you and Jisoo had eight long weeks of freedom. Summer vacation was pretty much the one perk of being a teacher, but it was certainly a good one.

Jisoo had a basketball camp planned closer to the end of vacation, but other than that, you both had been free as a bird.

Obviously, you had invited him to go on your annual vacation with you. You’d decided on New York about a month prior since it had been swimming around in your brain after Jisoo had suggested it. He’d eagerly accepted, of course, and while traveling alone did have its advantages, you found traveling with someone you loved was even better. Now you could share all your amazing memories with someone. But not just any someone. The someone.

Sometime in-between the weekend when Jisoo got punched in the face and your trip to New York together, you’d realized he was most definitely the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. You never brought it up directly, but you were certain he felt the same way. It was just something you knew, as cheesy as that sounded.

As the summer had come to a close, you’d realized Jisoo had spent pretty much every day at your house (you had gone over to his place some, too, of course. Just to be fair). Once school started again, you figured you’d both go back to your regular routine, but... You didn’t want to.

You’d not only gotten used to having him around constantly, you’d loved it. 

When he was gone during the day at basketball camp, you found you kept wanting to call or text him to tell him random things. If for some reason, he didn’t spend the night, your bed felt empty. Plus, he did the dishes. And that was not something you wanted to lose when he went back to living at his own place.

So, after he’d gotten back from camp one day, you’d casually brought up the subject of him just... moving in.

“I mean, you’re already here all the time anyway, you might as well just live here. ...Right?”

You’d been afraid maybe it was too soon to make such a huge decision, but Jisoo had agreed right away. In fact, he’d replied with, “I was actually going to just kind of stay here and see how long it took you to notice.”

So he had officially moved in right before school started back up, which really helped soften the blow of school actually starting back up.

The first day back had been pretty interesting. All of your students from last year had successfully started rumors about you and Coach Kim dating. I mean, obviously, they weren’t rumors because everything they said was true. But everyone thought they were rumors because neither of you ever actually confirmed anything.

So both of you had spent your first day of school telling every single one of your classes “That’s personal information, I prefer not to say.” And when students from your classes and students from his classes got together, they felt your almost identical answers were just too fishy.

But as the year went on, the excitement died down, and you eventually stopped having to field questions about your love life on a daily basis.

When basketball season came around, you quickly realized just how much work Jisoo put into the team. He came home late every other day because of practice, and he often had to travel to other schools during the week and on weekends. Sometimes he didn’t get home until long after you’d gone to bed. And yet he still got up the next morning, same time as you. 

(Speaking of, you and Jisoo had eventually worked out a morning schedule. Meaning... he just learned how to deal with waking up as early as you did. Because you weren’t going to let him be late anymore.)

After a month of near constant practice and games, you had to wonder how he did it. Coaching and teaching at the same time? It was basically like having two jobs! But you never heard him complain, except when it was about the amount of time he got to see you. That he did complain about. Frequently.

You knew he was exhausted, though, so you made sure to let him sleep in as much as he could on weekends. You also did all the chores around the house, and you gave him regular shoulder massages, something for which he never failed to thank you profusely.

When your one-year anniversary rolled around, you figured the season was just about over. Your first date had been the night of one of the last few games, after all. But then the team had made the playoffs.

You’d been happy for Jisoo, of course, because he was so happy. And you were banking on the fact the team wouldn’t make it past the first round. They hadn’t made the playoffs at all last year, so it only made sense they would get kicked out pretty early.

When they won the first game, you were surprised. When they won the next three, you were shocked. And when Bobby made a three-pointer right at the buzzer of the semi-final game... Basically the whole school went wild.

There had been a school-wide pep rally the day of the final championship game, and you honestly hadn’t realized how many people were that into basketball. Or maybe it was just the fact a sports team from your school had finally made it to the finals. Everyone seemed to be pretty pumped, though, and you were excited for Jisoo’s sake.

You were also nervous for Jisoo’s sake. There was a lot of pressure, and if the team didn’t win... He would get the brunt of the blame. 

He didn’t seem that nervous, so you tried to keep as calm and positive as possible before the game. You made sure to give him a really good kiss before getting out of the car, wishing him luck.

Before he opened the door, though, you’d said one last thing.

“No matter what happens, you are an amazing coach. You’re an amazing teacher, you’re an amazing boyfriend, you’re an amazing person. Win or lose, I love you so, so much. With all my heart.”

Jisoo’s cheeks had pinkened slightly, and he had leaned forward to press his forehead to yours. “I think I love you just a little bit more,” he’d whispered.

“No,” you’d chuckled. “Not possible.”

“Well, you love me with all your heart, and I love you with all my heart. My heart is bigger because I’m taller. So...”

“Oh, shut up.” You’d kissed him before pushing him out of the car.

You’d been pretty nervous during the whole game, even though your school took a pretty big lead somewhat early on. You noticed the boys honestly looked like they were just having fun, and Jisoo was also more relaxed and seemed to be having a genuinely good time. You weren’t sure what he’d said to the boys in the locker room, but whatever it had been, it was working.

When the final buzzer sounded, your school had been ahead by twenty points. The stands erupted into cheers, immediately jumping out of their seats and rushing the court. You had wanted to go down there with everyone and give Jisoo a hug, but pretty much every single student and staff member had been there, so you’d simply sent him a quick text saying you would see him at home later. With a winky emoji.

You hadn’t cared how late it would be when he got home. You were going to reward him in a way he deserved.

A bit surprisingly, Jisoo had rushed in through the door only about half an hour after you, quickly explaining in-between kisses there was going to be a huge celebration at school tomorrow so he hadn’t had to stay too long with the team tonight.

“Besides,” he’d breathed, throwing off his suit jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. “I’d much rather be here than out at some Italian restaurant with a bunch of high schoolers and their parents.”

“Me too,” you’d giggled as he’d nipped at your earlobe.

You had found out early this morning the school-wide celebration would take place during the last class period of the day, which was just fine with you. It was Friday, and your final class was always rowdy on Friday afternoons. So you had no trouble standing at your door and directing students to the gym rather than into your classroom.

Jisoo had to speak, of course, so he was already gone by this point. Again, you were nervous for him even though he was pretty excellent at public speaking. You just couldn’t imagine getting up in front of the entire school and speaking into a microphone. It was one of your worst nightmares, to be honest.

When the bell rang to signal the beginning of the last class, you checked to make sure your door was locked before heading over to the gym.

You found Ally, the orchestra teacher, sitting up near the top, so you slid in next to her. She whispered a few questions about how you were doing (and how you and Jisoo were doing), and you managed to answer before the principal greeted everyone.

The marching band played some raucous music, the basketball team did some fun trick shots and drills, the cheerleaders performed their half-time show, and with only about five minutes before the dismissal bell rang, the principal called up Jisoo.

You clapped loudly, trying not to smile too much like an idiot as he took the microphone and began speaking. He talked about how hard they had all worked and how much blood, sweat, and tears it took for them to get there. But he said none of it would mean anything if it weren’t for the support they’d received from the students and faculty and community.

“These boys wouldn’t be champions if their parents hadn’t come to every game. If their friends hadn’t cheered them on. If their teachers hadn’t pushed them to work harder and smarter. A team without support is only a team. But you guys, every single one of you sitting here, made it possible for us to become a winning team.”

The crowd cheered, and you shook your head a little. Man, he was good.

“And, before we go, I just want to take a minute to thank someone who not only supports the team and the students, but me, as well.”

You rested your chin in your palm, your brow furrowed slightly as you waited to hear who he was going to talk about. Most likely the principal.

“She’s one of the most incredible teachers I’ve ever known,” he began.

You froze momentarily. Okay, not the principal. He was a man.

“She’s actually one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. She’s smart, funny, generous, and a genuinely nice person. I know she’s made an impact on every student she’s taught, even if she doesn’t know it because she’s too humble to admit anything like that. But I think she can own up to the fact she’s changed my life. For the better.”

Okay, you were fairly certain he was talking about you now, and you felt your cheeks warming considerably.

“I...” Jisoo let out a soft chuckle. “I wouldn’t be who I am today, I wouldn’t be where I am today, without her. And I just... ”

He sighed as he looked around the audience. “I can’t even put into words how much I love her.”

You heard the gym fill with ‘ooooooh’s and whoops, and you bent your head to hide your face. Now everyone knew he was talking about you.

“And... I know she’s going to hate me for this, and I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, but... Go big or go home, right? I’m going to need Ms. Y/L/N to come down here.”

Your head snapped up, your brow furrowed deeply. Excuse me?!

Jisoo was looking right at you now, smiling angelically as everyone around - and even everyone far away from you - started cheering you on. Ally forced you to stand up, pushing you toward the bleacher steps.

Your heart pounded, and your face was most definitely bright red as you made your way down the stairs to the gym floor. You focused on your feet so you wouldn’t fall and so you could hide your immensely blushing cheeks from everyone.

When you reached Jisoo you gave him a look. “What are you doing?” you muttered through your teeth.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and you could tell he truly meant it. He had already handed the microphone off to someone, so thankfully no one could hear you.

...Turns out, no one really needed to hear you. They could tell what was going on immediately when Jisoo reached into his pocket and got down on one knee.

Your eyes widened, and your hands instinctively flew up to cover your mouth. Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god. He was now gazing up at you, a small black velvet box in his hands. You could tell he was nervous, but you weren’t sure if it was because you were in front of the whole school or if it was just because he was proposing.

“Y/N, you can say ‘No’ right now because I know you hate this, but I’m going to ask you anyway.” He opened the box to reveal an amethyst ring encircled with diamonds. Tears immediately filled your eyes as the whole student body erupted into almost deafening cheers.

“Will you marry me?”

You nodded, of course. You wouldn’t dream of saying ‘no’ in any situation, and while you did hate this, you loved him more.

Your hand moved away from your mouth to reveal a wide, bright grin as he slipped the ring on your finger. When he stood up, you slid your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and laughing at how the students were reacting.

“You’re going to pay for this later, you know that, right?” you murmured into his ear.

“Oh, yes, I know. Don’t worry. I’m prepared.”

You pulled back, smirking a little at him. Normally, you would never think to do this. But, right now, you were too incandescently happy to truly care. And now everyone in the whole school knew the dating rumors had definitely been true... There was no point in hiding anything now.

So you kissed him.

He laughed against your lips, squeezing your waist a little.

The dismissal bell rang, but the noise level in the gym was far too high to actually hear it.

“What a way to start the weekend!” you heard the principal’s voice boom over the microphone. “That was the bell folks, it’s time to go home. Go on, get out of here. You two, get out of here.”

He was smirking over at you and Jisoo now, and you nodded, obeying his order almost immediately. You knew it would probably take you a while to get out of the building and get to your car, but you were more than ready to go home.

With your fiancé . 

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - Surprise Epilogue

Thank you so much to everyone who has liked, reblogged, replied to, or sent messages about this series! I had way too much with this one, and I truly appreciate all the kind words. Thanks especially to @sweg-imsorrywhatwasthat for requesting this in the first place, and to @junghoeseokiemain, @yuudru, @daelicious-jongbulge, @junghoeseokie and the sweet anon!! Love to ALL of you!

[koalataeil]

Basketball Player!Jimin (High School)

Grade: Sophomore

Position: 2nd String Point Guard (comes off bench)

Skills: ball handling, passing, steals

jimin is so motivated by yoongi

like he idolizes yoongi so much

tries to follow him around constantly to bug him to teach him how he reads players and makes plays

bc he’s going to be the starting point guard next year after yoongi graduates

and he wants to be as good as him

yoongi tries to teach him as much as possible but it takes time

so jimin tries to watch the film and come up with his own conclusions and plays and consults yoongi about it

and yoongi gives him tips and soon jimin gets the hang of it

and he’s so proud of himself

during practice he likes to joke around with other players

likes to keep everything lighthearted

usually does partner things with yoongi bc they’re both point guards and again jimin loves how yoongi plays

and because he’s been defending yoongi during most scrimmages, he’s gotten really good at defense

gets very aggressive when it comes to defense

and he’s also gotten really good at stealing the ball

especially when he’s really focused

loves to work on ball handling skills the most

it’s what he’s the most confident in

like during the offseason he’d be on outdoor courts just practicing his dribbling and crossovers

occasionally he’ll put up a shot

but he really doesn’t like taking shots

he’d rather pass it to another player and get the assist then take the shot himself

because of this he often bothers ten, bambam, jaehyun, and jeno

so he can practice his passing to them so they can make the shots

but they aren’t really too upset about it because it helps them get more prepared for games

and more used to how jimin plays the game compared to yoongi

jeno appreciates it most because he’s the newest member of the team and the least confident in his ability bc he’s the only freshman

so jimin is pretty close with jeno to help make him more confident in his skills

jimin is actually pretty close with all the players

he thinks having a close relationship with players helps make the team stronger

and helps make the players more trusting with each other

when he is on the bench

he’s always cheering on his teammates

which is how he got your attention

you’re an alto saxophone player in the pep band

so you always get into the home games for free

and they’re usually pretty fun

but in one of the home games early into the season

you kept hearing a guy cheering loudly

and he had such a nice voice

and also his yelling was pumping you up

even tho you weren’t a basketball player

so you scanned the gym and saw him on the bench, getting so into the game

and it made you smile

so you kept your eye on him

especially when he was on the court

and taehyung, a fellow saxophone player, noticed you looking at him

he started teasing you about jimin bc he was kind of close with jimin

and it made you flustered so you were trying to deny whatever he was saying although he could see right through you

so taehyung keeps this in mind throughout the rest of the game and the next couple of days

he comes up with a plan to set you two up

because he thinks that you two would be really cute together

the day of the next home game he goes up to jimin during lunch

and he says something like

“the girl who sits next to me in pep band is really cute. I think she’s your type. you should talk to her sometime”

and jimin is very confused but nods anyway

and taehyung, very content with himself, goes back to his normal routine

that night while the team is warming up and the band is playing songs, jimin glances at the band and finds the girl taehyung was talking about

and he thinks you really are cute

playing your saxophone and looking like you’re having a great time

but he has to stop looking at you and not get distracted bc this is an important game

so he focuses on warming up again

but as the game begins and he’s on the bench

his eyes can’t help but wander to you talking with taehyung or cheering on the team

and everyone on the bench notices him being more quiet and they start to talk about if he’s sick or something

and he overhears part of it so he snaps out of it and starts cheering on the team

when he gets put into the game they’re losing by a few points

so he has absolute focus on the game

but this team they’re up against is vvv tough

and he cannot steal the ball and struggles with some of the normally easy passes

he starts getting frustrated and gets three fouls early into the game

everyone else, especially yoongi and the coach, get really upset with his attitude and he gets taken out again

he calms himself down on the bench trying to figure out why he got so frustrated over this game

his eyes fall on you and he figures it out

he wanted to impress you

even though he has no idea who you are

and when he gets put back into the game

after being talked to by the coach and assistant coach

he works harder to get steals and makes those passes

and the team starts to catch up in points

and it’s a very intense game to watch and you’re impressed by jimin again

there is only a couple seconds left of the game and they’re behind by a point

the other team is defending so tightly that jimin cannot pass the ball

he must take a shot even though he isn’t confident in the slightest

so he works to get open enough to take his shot

and as the ball is in flying in the air, everyone is watching the ball carefully

the buzzer sounds and the ball bounces off the rim and hits the backboard before missing the basket

jimin hangs his head, upset that he couldn’t win the game for his team

regretting that he didn’t practice his shooting enough

his team tries to make him happier because he worked so hard and he shouldn’t beat himself up about it

and seeing this side of him so vulnerable makes your heart really heavy

you just want to go over to him and hug him

but you don’t even know him

jimin walks to the locker room with the rest of his team while you go to the band room and put your instrument away

taehyung’s putting his saxophone away next to you and he smiles at you

“you should talk to jimin”

“and what would I even say?”

“I don’t know~~~~” taehyung winks at you

you roll your eyes and leave the band room

you check that you have everything you need as you walk down the hallway

and you bump into someone

they mumble a short apology and start to walk away

you notice that it’s jimin so you catch up to him

“hey jimin, great game, you did really well”

jimin doesn’t look up, he just shakes his head and continues walking

you sigh and continue following him

“you can’t beat yourself up about it. no one likes to see you so upset.”

jimin finally looks at you and his eyes widen and his heart starts beating faster and harder

“I like the cheerful and happy jimin”

jimin blushes and hugs you tightly

which surprises you but you hug him back, rubbing his back to calm him down

but he quickly moves away from you mumbling another apology

he quickly wipes at his cheeks and starts to walk away again but you grab his arm

“jimin I like you”

he nods and releases his arm from your grip and walks away

and you, heartbroken, finally go home

you don’t want to see jimin again bc you’re embarrassed

but when you walk into the school you see him standing by your locker looking at his phone

when he sees you undoing your locker combination, he starts getting really nervous but he says

“hey I'm sorry about last night. do you wanna go out sometime?”

you freeze for a second before looking at him and nodding

and then you guys go on a couple of dates

and everyone knows you two are dating

and it’s really cute

like you post cheesy pictures of you with your saxophone and jimin is wearing his basketball jersey and the caption is like “number 10 on the court but number 1 in my heart”

and everyone loves it

the upperclassman love to tease jimin about it bc they love to mess with him

jimin gets flustered so easily so he’d just avoid passing to them during practices to get back at them

game days are your favorite dates even if you aren’t even that close to each other bc you both have your own responsibilities

but you love to cheer him on from the bleachers

just so cute !!!!!!

[svtgot7reactions]

Got7 as dads

A/n: I thought this would be so cute bc who doesn’t love imagining their favs as dads???? Anyways enjoy!!

—

Mark: • soccer/softball Dad™ • will get your kids riding bikes and walking as quick as he can • treasures every single moment with them • if your kid is interested in a sport he will do everything in his power to coach it • doesn’t matter if he likes the sport or not • if your kid likes it he LOVES it • super passionate about making sure your kids do well in school • “if this gets to be too much just know you can quit whenever” • a lovely and understanding Dad • would rather you be the one to drive the kids and friends around bc he can be awk sometimes and you’re “really good at it” • he can sweet talk his way into getting anything from his kids tbh • like you honestly wonder how they listen to him every. single. time. • you start to think he has some magic or is paying them bc WOW • your kids friends like him a lot, he’s “the cool dad” • this makes him v v happy • overall: A+++ Dad that loves you guys so much

Jaebum:

• the Hot Dad™ • I feel bad for your daughter(s)/son(s) • your daughters friends are gonna fawn all over him • and your sons girlfriends are really gonna reevaluate their lives • just a LITTLE overprotective sometimes • doesn’t let his daughter get a boyfriend till like late high school bc “boys are dangerous” • “but Dad you’re a boy” • he’s only protective bc he loves your kids a lot and he doesn’t want anything to happen to them • you gotta talk some sense into him sometimes bc if it was up to him his kids would never leave the house in anything less than a full head to toe suit • especially his lil girl • god bless your daughter(s) • overall a good Dad but just controlling and sometimes can’t control his anger • thankfully he’s been working on it and is much better than before • loves your lil family like crazy and wouldn’t trade you guys for anything

Jinyoung:

• the PTA Dad™ • the one that carpools his kids friends around whenever • also known as the 2nd mom • won’t hesitate to go to the school board if he feels kids aren’t being treated right • not the first time he’s done it • everyone loves him • can be embarrassing • drives around in the minivan with the windows down playing old school music • drops off your kids and yells that he loves them w/ the window rolled down yikes • will definitely run your kids the project they forgot at home so they don’t get an F • has good intentions • def will talk shit about your teachers with you bc he agrees that “Mrs. Lee totally has favorites” • will be very proud of how well his kids do in school and will def brag about them • overall really supportive and loving, you’re lucky to have such an amazing father to your children

you’re mark and coco is your kid

Jackson:

• another soccer/softball Dad™ • SPORTS • really involved with his kids athletics • he couldn’t wait to help coach your sons basketball team and your daughters softball team • for most dads that would be too much to handle but not him • he’s “super dad” as he puts it

• smoothies for everyone after the games

• some of your daughters friends have a crush on him • it’s cute when you notice their blushing, Jackson is literally oblivious to it • H E A L T H Y • y'all eat so damn healthy and organic • he will sign all of you up for gym memberships • when the kids get old enough yall will take family gym trips and it’s so cute • parks are also a big deal • like fresh air >>> • he really is that sports dad • will encourage his kids to do tons of sports in high school • you gotta tell him to chill bc academics are just as important if not more • “oh you’re right, listen to your mom kids” • pretty understanding of a lot • rarely yells/punishes your kids bc “they are just so cute” • you’re the bad cop most of the time sorry • altogether, a very loving, healthy and supporting Dad good job

Youngjae:

• the fun field trip Dad™ • literally EVERYONE wishes he was their dad too • always has snacks at the ready • will feed any child, doesn’t matter if they are his or not • the one that makes sure their group gets all the work done before having fun • helps with big school projects even if they don’t need it • also a lil embarrassing but he really doesn’t mean to be • sometimes you’ll have to pull him aside and tell him to give your kids some time with their friends • “but they were having fun?” • “just trust me babe” • will let your kids date in like the beginning of high school • tries to intimidate boys but sometimes it doesn’t work • takes him a hot minute to actually accept people your kids date bc • “nobody is good enough for my kids” • the innocent Dad too • def won’t hesitate to buy your kids a puppy or three if they ask • your kids take advantage of his kindness sometimes • he really doesn’t notice and feels bad when he makes a decision w/o consulting you • a sweet and sentimental dad, truly one that is worth treasuring bc this man is a dime

Bambam:

• that Dad™ • will pick your kid up from school in the bright red lambo • spoils them to no end bc as he says “yolo” • you hit him when he says that • Christmas is a big deal in your house, like shit yall need two trees bc all the presents “santa” has gotten everyone • if your daughter asks for something she’ll more than likely get it • lowkey highkey tries to outdo the other dads • if someone else brings their kid flowers • he’ll bring his kid flowers and a new charm bracelet • is protective as well but not nearly as bad as JB • lets his kids date in like middle school • will probably have the sex talk with your son, you’ll definitely hit him for how he explained it • surprisingly a really caring dad, he can be strict but not too bad • what a lucky girl you are, people will be wishing they were apart of your family

Yugyeom:

• dance recital dad™ • such a cheerleader for his kiddos • not the coach type but will definitely hype them up in the stands • “babe sit down you’re gonna embarrass them!” • “YOU GO GIRL FAKE EM OUT YOU GOT THIS” • will buy them ice cream after • is so excited when your kid expresses an interest in dance • will sign them up for classes as soon as legally possible • gets so excited when the parents are allowed to stay and watch the rehearsal • will try and keep up with the lil tots but finds it way harder than anticipated

• imagine big ol’ giraffe boy tryna learn baby choreo and literally tripping over his own feet

• will hold little shows in your living room bc he’s so proud • such a stage Dad! • gives your kids pep talks before they go on • brings huge bouquets of flowers to give to them afterwards • doesn’t matter if they can hold them or not • such an amazing dad that loves your babies to pieces and will probably want like a million of them so get ready girl

[ja-blogs]

91-6

When I was 13, I was a member of a fair to poor 8th grade girls’ basketball team. In Haven, KS, sports are something that gives kids an identity. Not academics, not music or band or debate team – smack in the middle of the Heartland, one’s ability to throw a ball into a hoop or tackle someone so hard that their brain bounces around inside their skull is the singular measuring stick with which popularity is gauged. Especially basketball. It’s the land of James Naismith for God’s sake.

The 8th grade girls’ roster was filled with all of my best friends, and we were all exactly alike back then: barely athletic, annoyed at everything in life, much more enthusiastic about food and boys and sneaking sips of Green Apple Pucker and Natural Light in our parents’ garages. We played basketball just because when you live in the middle of nowhere, it was something to do after school besides smoke cigarettes behind the gas station. We did that too, after practice. Our school’s 7th grade team was our nemesis. Yes, we wore the same name on the front of our jerseys, and we practiced against one another every single day, so of course we should’ve been supportive of them, but we hated those skinny, athletic brats. Naturally, they were undefeated and generally just the prize of the middle school. They were prettier, smarter, and dated all of the boys in our class, leaving us to gather at the lunch table and discuss how much we hated them while stuffing our faces with disgusting, Midwestern public school lunches of chicken fried steak with a side of lard gravy and unlimited buttered white rolls. The final game of the season was against Moundridge, a team notoriously good and, unbeknownst to us at the time, with one of the future best high school players in Kansas girls’ basketball history, and eventual WNBA star. You can see where this is going. An hour bus ride later, we arrived at the gym, changed into our uniforms and began the warm up routine of layups, three-man-weave and free throw drills. Down at the other end of the gym, the Moundridge team was running through similar exercises and honestly, looking very similar in ability to us. Okay, we got this! Two by two, our parents filed into the gym, setting up their very large VHS video cameras and finding the perfect spot for their tripods in between the cement bleachers. The 7th grade girls took their seats in the row behind our bench and they began cheering their cute, annoying little cheers as the starting five took the court. I jumped center (because at 5’7” I was the tallest girl, not because I had any sort of vertical whatsoever). The ball bounced to a girl on the other team named Laurie Koehn – a name forever burned in my brain – who immediately ran it down the court for a layup. Moundridge 2, Haven 0. Three seconds ticked off the clock. The rest of the first half was a complete blur to me, and I mean that in the literal sense in that I think I blacked out and truly I don’t remember anything that happened before halftime. The one memory I do have is trying to run an offense of THE STAR DRILL which anyone who knows anything about basketball or geometry knows it’s in fact a warm up drill and not an offense strategy in the least bit because all five players end up in a jumbled mess in the lane at the same time and get called for 3 second violations. So anyways it was a 24-minute muddled mess of layup after three-pointer after turnover after layup. They were full court pressing us the entire first half! Inbound, steal, two points. Inbound, dribble, steal, layup. As we walked towards the locker room, I glanced up and couldn’t help but notice the score was 45-0. (ZERO POINTS.) Our coach had nothing to say so instead she just started sobbing uncontrollably which of course is a great motivator/pep talk and a fine show of leadership from a middle-aged adult woman. Half of the team was crying too. My best friend Gina stood up and began putting on her clothes, saying that hey guys I’m going out to sit on the bus, see you when the game’s over. “LIKE HELL YOU’RE GOING TO THE BUS!” I said, pulling her down next to me as I tried to catch my breath between heaves of breathless hiccup sobs. Somehow we managed to gather enough courage to emerge from the locker room puffy-eyed just in time for the second half to start. Our coach silently sulked at the end of the bench, the 7th grade girls sat in awe of what was happening before their eyes (they, of course, had won their earlier game, probably by 40), and our parents kept those video cameras recording (???!!!) while yelling out really helpful tips like “bounce pass!!”. Gina’s older brother snatched up the tape after the game and planned to distribute copies the next day at the high school. The Moundridge Massacre. A game so memorable that it got its own name like all the other historic bloody battles. The final score was 91-6. Ninety one points to six points. I had two points (a lucky layup). I think Laurie Koehn had 85. Laurie Koehn’s Wikipedia page mentions “she once hit 132 out of 135 three pointers in a 5 minute period.” I googled this it immediately and yep, the proof’s on YouTube. That’s exactly what The Massacre looked like. Now she plays in the WNBA and I play HORSE twice a year with my husband on the playground and then I’m sore for two days. Nearly twenty years later, I cannot pick up a basketball without remembering that awful winter day. The Massacre: the day a small, nondescript 13-year-old girl single-handedly, with one ridiculous jump shot, annihilated an entire town’s psyche. But after years of reflection, I must thank Laurie Koehn for giving me the gift me hope. If I could overcome a brutal moment like that, I can deal with anything else that life will use to pound me down into a pulp. The Massacre is still a conversation topic when I return home to Kansas. It’s folklore, an urban legend; no one believes a team could actually get beat by 85 points, (“Isn’t there a mercy rule or something?”) – until they see the pain on my face at the mere mention of Laurie Koehn’s name. Somewhere, someone has every sad, sad second recorded on VHS. Thank God no one owns a VCR anymore.