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Sugawara thought that he had his future secured. He had been playing volleyball at Karasuno for his first two years of highschool, always being a starter with no questions. He was friendly, caring, loving and a good team mate, which is why he never expected to be replaced as if he was nothing. Suga loved volleyball, and he loved setting for his team. He got to interact with everyone on the court, and despite not talking during the game he always felt closer to the ones he played with. His position at Karasuno was his pride and joy. He would never willingly give it up, but it wasn't exactly his choice.
Of course, Volleyball has always been a competitive sport. If you aren't competing with other teams then you're competing with you teammates for positions. There is never a chance to slack. Suga never slacked. He just simply, wasn't as talented as Kageyama. He hadn't gone to a top tier Junior high such as Kitagawa Daiichi, so it wasn't his fault. The younger setter had better practice and more natural born talent.
“Suga-san? Are you okay?” The mentioned teen shook his head to free himself from his short lived trace.
“Ah....” he let out an embarrassed chuckle “Sorry Yamaguchi,” Suga mumbled. He listened again as Daichi finished calling out the names of the new starters. They were mostly first years.
“Don’t worry about it!” The freckled boy shot him a smile. Sugawara couldn't help but offer a half smile in return. It hurt to be removed from his position, but he couldn't let the other see him down. After all, he wasn't the mom friend for nothing. Suga still had his position as vice captain to lean on, and this recent change in his routine only meant that he had to work harder than ever to redeem himself and become a better player.
The two weeks following the news of his replacement, the grey-haired setter worked harder than ever. He always stayed after practice for up to an hour. Honestly, it was hard for him to practice and grow better without a spiker to run drills with, but he didn't want anyone to know how truly hurt he was about being replaced. It was his job to be happy and positive. He was nearly the mascot of team motivation.
He honestly wasn't surprised when people, his teammates, started to pick up on his weird practicing schedules, but for the time being nobody mentioned anything about it. That didn't last long.
“Sugawara-san?” he hummed a response, his eyes closed as he took a break on the bench. He looked peaceful. “I noticed you’ve been staying after practice.” At this, he did crack his eyes open, only to see Hinata standing in front of him, nearly at eye level.
“Yeah… I’m trying to practice some more drills?”
“Can I help? I mean.. We could practice together, it would be easier for both of us.” The third year should have anticipated this response. He grinned and let out a quiet laugh.
“Okay.” Hinata practically bounded away as Suga stood up and popped his back. He had to admit that he was a bit excited about practicing with Hinata. He knew he may never connect with the fiery first year like Kageyama had, but he would try just as hard. As a setter it was his job to find out what the best tosses for the entire team were.
That evening, Hinata stayed to help Suga clean up instead of changing like the other boys. Daichi passed off the keys to Kōshi as the rest of the team filed out of the gym. As soon as the door closed after the last person, Nishinoya, Suga turned to Hinata.
“Ready?”
“I was born ready!” The setter laughed, and they quickly got started.
It took the third year nearly twenty minutes before he could complete a toss that Hinata could actually hit, but he knew that each time he was learning. As soon as he could match Hinata’s incredible speed, then he would consider himself learning. The two continued the joint practice for almost a week before it happened.
Suga had just missed another toss when he couldn't take it anymore. He ran a hand through his silver locks as he turned away from the short decoy.
“I’m sorry.” The words were hoarse and whispered.
“Huh?” Hinata dropped the volleyball at his feet.
“I know. I'll never be as good as Kageyama, and I don't get you like he does. I’m trying but it just feels so… useless.” The silence weighed down on the two as if soddenly the air had turned into bricks. There was almost a solid 5 minutes passing before Hinata spoke.
“Is that why you've been acting so weird? Because of Tobio-chan?” Suga shrugged.
“I wouldn't expect you to get it.”
“I get it.” Suga looked back at him, his eyes watery.
“You do?”
“Yeah. Remember? I used to have my own team. I felt like a terrible player. Everyone was better than i was, especially Kageyama. But, don't let it get you down… You just have to believe in yourself.” It was cheesy, but Suga couldn't find it in himself to care.
“Thanks… I guess.”
After that, Suga started to slip back into his previous personality and routine. He felt exponentially better, and every time he practiced he remembered Hinata's words. He never stopped trying, and eventually made it into one of the top Volleyball universities in Tokyo.