#Fly High! A Team Karasuno Zine

[blue-likethebird]

Came home from vacation to discover that my copy of @teamkarasunozine had arrived while I was away! I’m super excited to finally have it with me!

[leopah]

Tempo

This was my fic for the @kageyamazine “Prodigy”! Please consider checking out the zine; it’s full of so many wonderful works.

Read: AO3

“Hey, left, left!” Smack.

“Chance ball!”

The sun was already sinking low in the sky and the autumn evening chill was setting in, but inside the Karasuno gym, the boys’ volleyball team was still practicing. Despite their muscles growing tired and the constant wiping of sweat from their faces, they kept grinning as the ball flew back and forth across the net. Every few seconds, the idyllic atmosphere was punctured by the sound of a volleyball hitting skin or a hardwood floor, the squeak of shoes as they dodged to the side, or the sharp noise of a whistle.

They were playing three on three—a third year with two first years on each. The other teams had already finished their matches and were observing the final round with interest.

Tobio was facing off against Hinata, Suga, and Yamaguchi, with Tsukishima and Asahi at his back. He stepped confidently into place, feeling a rhythm to each step as he set the ball exactly right for each of them. This was what he was born to do, and he could do it forever.

The ball came sailing back. Tsukishima received it and Tobio set it for Asahi to spike right through the blockers, scoring them the winning point.

The final whistle blew and Daichi picked up the errant ball from outside the court.

“Great work today, everyone,” said Coach Ukai, standing up and clapping his hands. “The teamwork is really getting there, and I think we’ll crush it during the spring tournament.”

The words “spring tournament” sent a shiver down the whole team’s spine. Tobio was no exception; in fact, the words stung him even more than they did to the rest. He’d failed to prove himself against Oikawa last time. Would he miss the mark again?

“Before we wrap up for the day, though,” said Ukai. He was now staring directly at Tobio, who snapped back to attention. “Can anyone tell me what Kageyama did wrong in that last match?”

Hinata’s hand shot up immediately. “He was being a control freak.”

Tobio bristled, but Hinata continued, ignoring him. “He kept tossing Tsukishima and Asahi what he wanted instead of what they wanted.”

The words hurt even more than the reminder of his failure, so much so that he stared at Hinata with his mouth open, trying to think of a comeback.

Of course I took charge. I’m the setter. It’s what I do. The setter was the most important player on the whole team, no doubt about it. He analyzed the opponent’s weaknesses—in addition to his team’s condition—and adjusted his play accordingly. That was how he had always done things.

Oikawa’s remark about not even trying to think of the tosses his teammates wanted rang through Tobio’s head again. Certainly, he was trying to be more accommodating now, but every toss that went up was still by his design.

No comeback came, so he shut his mouth and shot Hinata a glare that ranked seven out of ten on the ‘mean look’ scale. Hinata responded by folding his arms and sticking his tongue out.

“That’s correct,” said Ukai, glancing between them. “I wanted to see if you’d remember on your own, Kageyama, but it kept happening. Those tosses you’ve been working on are coming along great, but you need to work more closely with your teammates.”

Tobio bowed his head, cheeks burning with shame. He wouldn’t forget again. “Right!”

Ukai continued discussing the other players’ performances in that last match, but Tobio tuned it out, flexing his fingers. Already he was itching to get back on the court and drill the new tosses until they became another lethal skill in his arsenal. Why did he have to go last?

Ukai passed it off to Daichi, who seemed to sense Tobio’s unease.

“I don’t have much to say, except that you did great today, and have a good weekend. I want you all to get some time to relax. Don’t burn yourselves out.” He leveled a stern glare at Hinata first, and then at Tobio. “...And we’ll beat Aoba Johsai in the spring tournament. Then Shiratorizawa. Then we conquer nationals. Yeah?”

“Yeah!” the team roared back.

Tobio was one of the last ones out of the gym, glancing wistfully at the polished floor. Two more days to survive without a proper volleyball court to play on, and then all day at school on Monday...perhaps he would come in on Monday morning just to have some time to think. He thought best on the court—everything happening in the blink of an eye but in slow motion too, his entire body in sync and moving with purpose as he determined the perfect tosses—Right. Focus. Be a team player.

The Karasuno team split up. Hinata charged away into the dusk, the ball of adrenaline that he was. The other boys headed their separate ways in their usual small groups, their minds already drifting to dinner and weekend plans. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi walked off, headphones on and phones out, Tanaka and Nishinoya were already plotting how they would get Kiyoko to notice them during Monday’s practice, Suga whistled a chipper tune, and Daichi and Asahi discussed their classwork. Tobio stayed behind.

In some ways, he wished he could be like them, but another part of him felt almost sick at the thought. Volleyball was who he was. Perhaps it was all he was.

He sank onto a bench and pulled out his phone. He stared idly at the home screen for a minute or so before a text came in from Hinata. He was asking if Kageyama had perhaps seen his wallet because he might have dropped it in the gym and he knew Kageyama hadn’t left yet and he really needed it to buy snacks. Please?

Tobio rolled his eyes but turned on his phone light, checking around the gym. He spotted the wallet a moment later, discarded by the steps. It was a garish green thing with a cartoon character sticker on it. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, Tobio pocketed it and waited for Hinata to come rushing back. He never seemed to move anywhere slowly, but if Tobio was being honest he admired his teammate’s quick thinking. Even though he’d never admit it.

He texted Hinata that he’d found the wallet, and went back to the bench, wishing he’d brought a ball with him to set against the gym wall and get some sort of rhythm going.

What would happen if he failed to refine his tosses and become a true team player? The scenarios were at the very least intriguing to consider.

The team’s rhythm would probably stay stuck at just slightly off, they’d lose to Oikawa again, and the blame would fall on his shoulders though no one would admit it (except maybe Hinata, after the fact). The downside of being the one in charge of the court.

Tobio thought back to their earlier game with a pang. What Sugawara lacked in being the same prodigious talent he was, he made up for in sheer experience. He’d been able to figure out the tosses Hinata needed right away and click instantly into place with him. He kept a calm head no matter how tough things got, and always got along with everyone. And he was a setter too. So why couldn’t Tobio get along with others?

Again he thought about what life would be like if volleyball was merely a hobby for him, a fun after-school club like it was for some of the others. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel like every match was life or death. Maybe then he’d feel more at ease with the rest of the team. His team.

Still, Hinata was as obsessed with volleyball as he was, yet he’d clicked with the team just fine. He was able to breeze from one thing to the next with equal passion. Tobio thought of their match earlier, how that manic grin had never left Hinata’s face despite working with a different setter than he was used to. True, he couldn’t pull off the same crazy quick attack, but he’d done his best anyway and high-fived Suga at the end. He’d taken everything in stride.

As it stood, Tobio’s options were to merge with the team, becoming a better leader but facing the possibility of losing himself in the process, or sticking to his pride and dragging everyone else down with him.

Neither would do. Perhaps there was a way he could become more like Oikawa, a talented player who led his team without bending them to his will.

Then again, what was right for one team might not be right for another. But he could worry about that later. For now, he just needed to get his tosses exactly right so they could show Aoba Johsai, and Shiratorizawa in the future, that Karasuno was a force to be reckoned with. The fallen crows would fly again, and they would go to the Nationals this year. He was sure of it.

Feeling renewed and finally ready to head home for the weekend, Tobio stood up. He hardly made it three steps before Hinata practically barreled headfirst into him.

“Watch where you’re going, dumbass!” he snarled, grabbing his teammate’s shoulder before they collided.

“I came to get my wallet!” Hinata said. “Where is it?”

Ah. He’d almost forgotten. “It’s in my pocket. Was the 500 yen in it worth it to run all the way back here?”

“Hey, claws off! The money’s mine!”

“I didn’t take anything. Not that there was much in there to begin with,” Tobio muttered, pulling it out of his pocket. “Here you go. Don’t lose it again.”

Hinata beamed. “Thanks, Kageyama! Hey, are you heading home now?”

“Why?”

“I was thinking of grabbing a curry bun from Ukai’s shop. Want to come with?”

Tobio shivered slightly in the evening chill. “Well, it is a good day for one.”

“A good day for two! They look lonely if there’s just one, so I always grab two.”

Tobio squinted at Hinata, trying to see if he was joking. But as with everything else, he was completely sincere. Being honest to a fault was something they had in common.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll go,” he relented.

It was good to have this moment with someone else on the team, though it wasn’t exactly peaceful. Hinata chattered his ear off with stories about everything and nothing, never minding that Tobio didn’t say anything in return. He was grateful he didn’t need to, since if a conversation wasn’t about volleyball, it wasn’t very interesting to him.

Even if he failed to completely connect with the rest of Karasuno despite his ongoing efforts, it was a relief to know there was at least one person he could count on.

[carajay1317]

A sneak peek of my fic for @runcharityzine which releases on March 19th! Betaed by the lovely Emma @gilrael (thank you again!)

Summary: Sugawara Koushi is many things –– new to town, an incoming first year, exceptionally blessed with good music taste –– but he most definitely is not a runner. Maybe, though, he’ll make a few exceptions.

***

Sugawara Koushi is not a runner.

In fact, he usually will absolutely refuse to run at all — of his own free will, that is. Today, though, he quietly closes the door behind him and leans down to properly lace up his sneakers.

New year, new school. If he plans to join a sports team, it won’t be so he can warm the bench all season. Better to start now and work his way up to wherever it is that first string players are at, right?

Scrolling through his music, he picks an upbeat English song. Even if he doesn’t know all the lyrics to it, it’s easy enough to hum along to the chorus. He starts walking along the sidewalk, planning to head to the hill behind his new high school, Karasuno, and run along it a few times.

At the crossroad, Suga closes his eyes for a moment and tilts his face upwards to relish the warmth of the sun.

BRRRRRRGHHHHH!

His eyes fly open. There’s a truck barreling towards him, but he’s frozen in place, legs refusing to move. He only just manages to squeeze his eyes shut and brace for the impact when a strong grip on his wrist yanks him backwards. The truck careens past, missing Suga and kicking leaves and dust off the ground in swirls.

Off balance, he spins and crashes into something solid. There’s an “oomph” and Suga steels himself for whatever the afterlife is like.

***

Please support @runcharityzine – it’s a zine compiling the works of some really incredible artists and writers from all over Tumblr in support of @kevinkevinson as they run the Boston Marathon and fundraise for Team For Kids!

Check out the zine @runcharityzine or visit Casey’s blog @kevinkevinson for art prints or to directly donate to their fundrazr!