𝟸 & 𝟺

-fifteen-

The message you had sent to Bokuto never left. It had sent from the keyboard, sat in the chat, had been read, and has been on your mind since.

It never left; your mind kept it in place infront of everything else.

You weren't lying in the text. It was the honest truth in which unfolded all the creases in your plans.

In saying plans, you overlooked the shooken pass from Sugawara, getting underneath the ball and giving a gift in the air, stating the area of the hit.

The new combo play, in which only showcased if the first pass was off course. Luckily matching the name, "Outside the Box."

Box being the ideal area for a pass. The rest added up itself. It needed no other exposition.

All the new plans you had laid out infront of Coach and the teams were read over, Sugawara initially invested in the Outside the Box. It didn't mean anything about his skills, more about how he enjoyed the technical consideration of how a pass was never perfect.

And how the hit he had just followed through with was also not perfect, heading straight into the block.

He eyed Tendou Satori straight in the eye with his launched body, feeling the wrath of being stuffed in the block.

You were too late to dive for the ball, giving them the point. The gap didn't extend any further than how it was before your attempts were blocked out.

19-16, Shiratorizawa.

The game had been some sort of 3 point deficit back and forth. The gal had always been between 2-4 points. Never more or less. Consistent yet poisonous. Being stuck meant the lead never got larger.

But the lead would never change, always being those 2-4 points in their favour. The gap stayed like a constant reminder that this game was heading the wrong way.

So to say as Suga's glance to you suggested just that.

His eyes. Those never change. A constant. Constant reminder of the optimism that you missed. How they locked position with yours, looking through the glass that covered your irises, digging deeper until you saw more than just colour. Until you saw what may be beyond the window to your soul.

He saw you weren't done. You weren't down, for once. Composed. Natural. You had been doing this so many times this scenario felt second handed.

It didn't happen often, but when it did the rut never seemed to form, taking you in it.

"We should do Setter Back!"  You announced as he walked to you in the 2 man huddle.

"Do you even think we have the points to risk for that?" He asked in return, looking to the Shiratorizawa side of the court, them regarding his stare.

You looked over, noting nothing of importance as they were just doing the same thing, plotting the end of this game 2 sets in advance.

"We do. Don't start doubting yourself now..." you say to him, unironically as you patted him on the back, disbanding the huddle.

All he did was watch you, March to the front and get ready for the formation, a straight shot to the back on defensive switch.

It was risky only for the moment in time when no one would be there. The ball had all space to drop to the floor.

But you were fast. So was Suga. No biggie.

They served the ball, the speed more lax than before. Enough time was given to fill the empty, and keep it that way.