Spray-paint and Skateboards (SakuAtsu Dancer AU)

Chapter 21: Round Four

Sakusa had to admit, Manic was absolutely amazing, and the energy they brought to the club was downright unhinged.

How it was possible to get a crowd to cheer so much that Osamu actually had to lower the volume of the television, Sakusa didn't know.

However, with Ice's announcement of round four, Saku found his eyes drawn to the screen again.

Manic had stepped back to allow Relentless the stage first as the song Unholy by Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras began to play.

Manic watched quietly from the sidelines, and Sakusa respected that. Manic, by however much they won, were still good sportsmen and really humble too.

It wasn't long before Relentless had finished, their dance for round four being a lot shorter than the other rounds.

Manic got into their positions for their performance with Fireball being up front and center, with Frenzy on his right and Wildcard on his left. Behind them, Livewire was in the middle with Delirium on his right and Hysteria on his left.

It was the first round of the night that Manic would be dancing with their whole group, and they definitely didn't disappoint.

(Video at the top: First group -
Front middle = Kuroo
Front left = Akagi
Front right = Atsumu
Back middle = Bokuto
Back left = Komori
Back right = Yaku)

They danced in perfect sync to the chorus of Unholy. Their movements were sharp and strong, and some of more them teasing and coy, eliciting high-pitched screams from the fans in the crowd.

Each move they did blended perfectly into the next, and, while the choreography was less dynamic than the performances before it, the routine was a lot longer in duration, extending into Kim Petras' part of the song.

Right before her part though, they shifted places. Livewire stepped out of the formation and off to the sidelines while the others moved around so that Wildcard was in front and center with Frenzy on his right and Hysteria on his left. Behind them, filling in the gaps, was Delirium, in between Frenzy and Wildcard, and Fireball, in between Hysteria and Wildcard.

(Video above: First group -
Denim jacket = Atsumu
White crop-top = Akagi
Black and white pants = Yaku
Long sleeves = Komori
Blue pants = Kuroo)

This half of the choreography was much more dynamic, and it was obvious why Wildcard was put in front when they all dropped to the floor - he was definitely the most flexible, by far. The way he swung his legs around and moved so fluidly and easily gave it away completely.

When the dance was finished, and Sakusa was in disbelief about this, the crowd roared even louder than they ever had before, especially since Wildcard had flicked his hair back and ended the dance on his knees doing a body-roll.

"YES!!!" Suna exclaimed suddenly, "You show them how it's done, Wildcard!!" He cheered.

Osamu just shook his head with a fond smile on his face while Lev tried his best to laugh quietly.

Sakusa stifled a laugh with the back of his hand as Suna pounded his fists into the air in celebration.

Sakusa returned his eyes to the screen as it switched back to Ice and Hero at the DJ booth with Mimi.

"Is anyone else sweating right now?" Ice asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Manic has truly brought a powerful energy to the club tonight," Hero nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Sakusa was hit with another flood of memories.

It had been a day since their arrival at training camp, and Sakusa had quickly discovered why Atsumu had looked familiar and his name had rung a bell.

He'd seen Atsumu on the cover of Volleyball Weekly halfway through the season in his first year of high school, except Atsumu was wearing the white, grey and gold uniform of Fukurodani Academy, and he had the brightest smile on his face while he was hoisted up into the air on the shoulders of Bokuto Koutarou, the third best high-school level ace at the time. It was clear in the photo that Fukurodani had just won a match.

The caption on the cover had said, "Fukurodani Academy's first year setter, Miya Atsumu, takes the title for the top high-school level setter in Japan."

It had been evident enough when the blonde had set the ball to Sakusa for the first time in their training session. The ball had been set with utter perfection, and the blonde had flawless form. Not only that, but he'd also been dubbed 'The Dual-Wielder' for having both an immaculate jump-float, and a lethal jump serve.

However, it was the way he moved that made Sakusa sweat.

As soon as Sakusa got home, he'd blame the effect that Miya Atsumu had on him on being a hormonal teenage boy, but, damn, did the blonde do things to him.

From losing focus whenever Atsumu was on the opposing team, to staring everytime they were given warm-up and cool-down stretches - Atsumu had always been sinfully flexible, even in high school - by the coaches, Sakusa had been confused.

The blonde had always seemed weary, and stuck close to Komori, who, in turn, would always allow him to hold his hand, or sleeve, or the hem of his jacket - or Komori would keep an arm around him at all times.

Sakusa had seen this as odd, since Atsumu seemed like he didn't like being touched at all. In fact, Atsumu had always flinched whenever Sakusa complimented his sets, and had always been hesitant when others initiated high-fives or something of the sort.

The only people that Atsumu had seemed comfortable around was Komori and Kageyama, who he'd often sit and talk to whenever Komori was nowhere to be found.

It was only at the age of twenty, when Osamu had explained their abusive father, that Sakusa had finally realized why Atsumu had been so weary around others, and also why he had mostly changed in the stalls instead of the locker room at training camp.

Sakusa would admit, he had seen the bruises on Atsumu's arms, but when he'd asked Komori if he knew where they'd come from because he didn't want to be insensitive, Komori had said that it wasn't his place to tell.

Snapping back to reality, Sakusa wondered why the dance competition was triggering so many memories.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*sighs* Only one last chapter of this dance competition... Thank you! 😭

Anygays, byee!
-CrackshotReaper

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -