guitar picks - semishira angst

3~nice kill

Everyone arrived at the gym at 10:30am, awaiting the arrival of Nekoma. Some paced, some were calm, but everyone was determined to win this match. It wasn't just a practice match to any of the members of either teams. It was a battle of ability, talent but mostly, pride. Both teams had been playfully teasing the other, but this playfulness melted away as soon as either one of them stepped onto the court.

Semi saw Shirabu fiddle with his fingers and dig his heel into the floor. 

This cute, shy action threw Semi off completely. Shirabu didn't usually get nervous before matches- instead he was usually trying to calm Goshiki down. But now, as his bottom lip snagged by his teeth and his hands fiddling with his bangs that fell imperfectly- Semi stopped himself from staring before he started looking too deep into his friend's eyes.

"Calm down Shirabu! You look like you've seen a dead person. We've got this" Tendou said happily, his hands behind his head as he pranced around.

"They're here" Ushijima stated

Coach Nekomata stepped into the gymnasium, his nose turned upwards in a sneer.

The two old coaches approached each other, both looking at each other with flippant but condescending expressions. 

"Oookay let's get this over with shall we?" Said a passive aggressive but assertive voice

Kuroo shook hands with Ushijima as all members stepped onto the court. 

***

"Goshiki nice" Tendou said, affectionately ruffling Goshiki's jet black bowl cut. Goshiki jumped high into the air, squealing like a child and gripping his left hand with a toothy grin.

"It was risky, but I wanted to be like Ushijima-san and try with my left hand" Goshiki said, staring at Ushijima with stars in his eyes.

"Well done" Ushijima said, stoically, but his bluntness didn't stop Goshiki from leaping up and trying to pull everyone into a group hug.

On the other court, Nekoma stared at them with beady eyes, sending daggers into Goshiki who seemed like he was in his own world. Tendou picked up on this and began smiling back at them.

The match had been going on for what had felt like ages, with both teams having won a set. However Shiratorizawa was 4 points ahead of the Nekos, and only needed 1 more to win the match. Nekoma's morale was low, even their libero Yaku was struggling to match Goshiki's enthusiastic and tenacious plays. 

"Semi Semi MOI PON" Tendou yelled

Semi smiled to himself, serving the ball with no hesitation or worries. The ball soared, and when it looked like it was about be a no touch ace and thus the end of the game, the ball was hit up by Kuroo. 

"Shit. It's long. I'm sorry guys" Kuroo said, never once taking his eyes off of the ball

"I got this" Shirabu said as the ball spun in his direction. This was perfect, the velocity, the position, the way he felt so in control of every aspect of his body. This was right. Every moment had led up to this- he could almost taste the ball on the tip of us fingers as he adjusted his feet and smirked haughtily to himself...

...until a weight smashed into the side of his body.

***

A crack echoed throughout the gym, bouncing off the walls like the ball which now rolled meekly on the floor.

Goshiki stood, rooted in his spot, his dark eyes widened in horror.

"I'm-

"Shirabu!" Tendou yelled, Semi cursing after him.

The two third-years leapt to their team mate, sprawled on the gym floor as he clutched his side. 

"Goshiki you fucking idiot" Semi yelled at his kouhai, who had guilt and fear etched on his face

"I didn't mean to! I promise I just didn't see- I didn't know he was going to set it- I wanted to win" Goshiki cried, tears rolling down his cheek

"Semi stop. Reon call an ambulance this is bad." Tendou said, clearly worried. A break of his calm and collected composure just made Semi even more uncomfortable.

"Let me see," Kuroo said, walking up to the injured boy while the rest of Nekoma remained rooted in their positions. "You're right, he's broken something. We just need to wait for the ambulance to come" Kuroo said, sympathy oozing from his voice

This really pissed Shirabu off

***

The ambulance took far too long to arrive, but when they finally did, they acted fast enough.

Two people lugged Shirabu onto a stretcher while some others started to take notes on what had happened. Shirabu's eyes were screwed up in pain, and his team stood by him, worried for their friend. The stretcher was pulled into the ambulance, but Semi and Tendou were stopped as they tried to enter.

"We're coming too. We have to" Semi said, annoyed and growing more and more stressed out as the woman kept pushing him back.

"We understand what's going on, but we're going to have to ask you to step off. We need to notify this young man's parents about the issue. You're welcome to visit at the hospital but we cannot take you as well."

"Semi.." Shirabu rasped, his voice inaudible to everyone around him

The ambulance drove off, leaving the other members in the dark about what had happened.

"Game's off. Go home everyone. "Coach Washijo said, worry clearly in his voice.

"Fuck this. I'm going to the hospital" Semi said to his team

"Semi don-

"Get off Reon-

"Semi, Jesus I'm saying let's go in my car we'll get there faster." Reon said, frustrated

"Oh. Yeah, okay" Semi said

Reon drove Tendou and Semi to the hospital. The radio played in the background but no one felt like listening to it. It didn't feel right to enjoy themselves when they knew their friend was in pain.

They drove up to the hospital parking lot, and the three of them rushed out to the main reception.

"That's fine Miss, we can defi- I'm sorry please hold" The receptionist said into her phone "Hi Semi is everything okay? Your mom-

"There was a guy that just arrived here. Um, Kenjirou Shirabu. Yeah, we're his friends. What room has he been sent to?" Semi blurted, overwhelmed by the adrenalin sprinting through him. He tried his best to ignore how Shirabu's pained expression was burned on the inside of his eyelid. He couldn't get it out of his mind as much as he tried.

The receptionist gave them the ICU room number, but warned them that they probably wouldn't be allowed in. They all rushed up the floors and sprinted to the room number scribbled on the piece of paper.

The hall stretched so far down. A lonely bench sat outside the room Shirabu was in, but the sign on the door told the three boys to stay outside. 

They waited, and waited, drumming their fingers on the bench with an awful paint job. They had already been waiting for a ridiculous amount of time, so what was a few more hours? All of them knew that even if they decided to go home, they wouldn't be able to feel relaxed at all.

More and more time passed, but it become dark outside- sunlight no longer illuminating the dull sheen of the hospital wards.

And soon the three boys had fallen asleep, their bodies all contorted, to fit on the small hospital bench.