insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟞𝟞

Their match against Kakugawa is not without challenges, but it ultimately folds down in Karasuno's favor.

Somewhere in the middle of the match, Mamoru notices Hyakuzawa's stoic behavior shift into something with pent-up energy, eyes widening slightly with thrill. He understands him a little more then, understanding why he admire's Teiko.

But whether he thinks volleyball is a simple game or not due to his height, it changes when Hinata shows him what he's capable of.

Instead of aiming to blow past their block, Hinata presses just enough power to ricochet off their hands and it lands just outside the court, giving them their final point.

It doesn't come without some consequence, as Hinata's jolted his balance off in midair. Without anything to stabilize himself, he begins to tilt backwards. Mamoru reaches out, ill-prepared to catch him, but attempts all the same. At the same time, the crowd erupts into cheers at their victory.

They both end up colliding on the floor after a stumble, Hinata cradled between his knees and his back to Mamoru's chest. He frowns, realizing he's only risked injuring both of them.

But Hinata tilts his head back with an awed look, shaking with excess adrenaline. There's no sign of his nerve-wracked self two hours ago. His breath catches in his throat as he stares down. "We did it! Mamoru!"

He huffs, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "You did it."

Hinata springs from the floor, pulling at his hand. Asahi hauls Mamoru up to his feet at the same time, face as bright as can be. He squishes them both close, face scrunched up with elation. "We made it past the first round of preliminaries!"

Euphoria runs high, bolstered by leftover adrenaline and the relief at having gotten such a good start. He leans into Asahi's touch, his hand being occupied by Hinata, who doesn't seem to even realize he's still holding on.

They clamber into a line after the referee gives a whistle. Shaking hands with everyone, Mamoru comes to Hyakuzawa at the end. He looks up at him and shakes his hand firmly. "I truly enjoyed this match."

Although Hyakuzawa's face is tight, he gives a genuine smile. That was good enough for both of them.

They file down the hall, talking loudly. Mamoru ends up walking next to Ennoshita, who watches the group ahead with an amused expression. It's mainly the four louder boys of the group (read: Hinata, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Kageyama). It's not often he includes Kageyama in the "loud" category, but when he's with Hinata, they tend to be a bit rowdy.

Ennoshita leans towards Mamoru with a surprisingly mischievous look on his gentle face. "I bet I can freak all four of them out in less than ten seconds."

"Shouldn't be that difficult," Mamoru remarks dryly. He's feeling a bit drained now that the adrenaline has fizzled away. He shrugs lightly. He wants to see either way.

"That reminds me," Ennoshita says loudly to catch their attention. "You guys finished all your summer vacation homework, right?"

Nishinoya and Tanaka let loose an unearthly scream while Kageyama goes pale in the face. The answer becomes very obvious.

"Remember how I said I wasn't going to help you?" Ennoshita continues, relishing in their looks of despair.

"You're surprisingly formidable," Mamoru comments under his breath, two parts amused and one part concerned for the other party. He's actually more concerned with Hinata, who doesn't show a reaction to being reminded about summer homework.

It's not that he believes Hinata did his homework (he has faith in Hinata's character, not in his academics), but he seems to be lost in his thoughts. Mamoru watches him out of the corner of his eye from his position.