The Deer & The Owl [Haikyuu x OC]

September - I

The men's gym locker room was noisier than usual that morning, but strangely enough, the team captain seemed to have nothing to do with it, at least not directly.

"Whaaat?! Are you sure, Komi?"

"Absolutely, I know Yaku, he would never make up such lies!" Haruki Komi, the team libero replied, wiping his sweaty face with a towel "He really saw Bokuto and Shikako alone together!"

Konoha looked at him, still shocked by the revelation, while in the background, the rest of the boys made assumptions and scenarios.

"But that's not all..." Haruki continued "...Bokuto was leaning against the wall in a very strange pose... the kabedon!" he said, finally letting out a laugh.

Konoha and Sarukui burst out laughing, imitating him, while the rest of the team couldn't help but smile in amusement at the thought of their captain in a similar situation.

"Wait... are you trying to tell me that he was a wreck today because..." Konoha tried to say, catching his breath.

"Nooo! Don't tell me she turned him down..."

"Ahem..." Akaashi coughed, entering the room, trying to get the team's attention.

Kotaro appeared behind him like a shadow, his face dark and absent, his expression dull and distant.

His teammates followed him with a glance until they saw him reluctantly drag himself to the showers, where he disappeared in a cloud of steam.

After a good half hour, Keiji, the only one left waiting for him, worried and impatient, decided to go get him.

He knew that Bokuto needed time to process what had happened the night before and that he would seek him out to vent and ask for advice as soon as he did.

He had always acted like this since she had known him, but this time it seemed different.

"Bokuto-san, it's late, we have to close the gym..." Keiji said, absent-mindedly looking at the screen of his phone, waking up when he finally heard the shower stop.

Kotaro went out and grabbed the towel that Akaashi had handed him, shuffling his feet towards the lockers where he began to mechanically get dressed without saying a word.

Keiji continued to stare at him thoughtfully, unsure of what to do.

This was a new situation for him as well.

They weren't talking about volleyball, games, competitions or opposing teams, no, these were much more delicate matters where his intuition and reasoning lost the power he had always relied on.

He knew how to comfort Bokuto after a defeat, though fortunately for him, it had rarely happened, but in this case, he felt as useless and inexperienced as the captain moping in front of him.

After all, the concept of defeat in sports is fleeting: sooner or later, there will always be an opportunity for losers to become winners, and vice versa, in a universe of constant challenge where no one ever really has the last word.

But in relationships it's different, sometimes there are no second chances.

"Do you want to stop at the konbini and get something to eat?" Akaashi suggested, determined not to let up and looking for the right way to get him to talk after they had closed the gym.

Bokuto just nodded and followed him all the way to the store without adding anything.

"Oh, there's nikuman on sale. Do you want to..."

But Kotaro was staring at the onigiri shelf, his gaze lost and distant.

"You're thinking of Nori-san, aren't you?" (nda, Nori in Japanese means seaweed, the same that is used to make onigiri) Keiji asked him, turning and scrutinizing him with a frown. Bokuto winced, as always impressed by the brazen and brutal honesty of his friend, who never had too much trouble touching his raw nerves and telling things as they were.