effervescent (nishinoya yū)

CHAPTER NINETEEN / the owl captain

"Hey, hey, h--!"

Bokuto's signature shout was quickly interrupted by a yelp of pain. You turned in your seat just in time to see the third-year captain collapse to the ground, clutching his ankle with his face twisting in on itself. The practice match between Nekoma and Karasuno paused for a moment, as did Fukurōdani and Ubugawa's match.

You barely waited for Ukai to give you a terse nod before you hopped up from the bench and jogged over to where Fukurōdani's team was surrounding Bokuto. You murmured a quiet apology as you pushed through the group and knelt next to the captain. Fukurōdani's managers, Yukie and Kaori, stood to your left and right, while the second-year setter (Akaashi, you reminded yourself) crouched near Bokuto's head with a blank yet concerned expression.

"Bokuto, can you tell me where you injured yourself?" you asked, keeping your voice as calm as you could.

He pushed himself into a sitting position with a little groan and put his hand back on his ankle. "Right there," he said with a little whine.

You scooted over to his ankle and gently pushed his legging up, watching his face for any change of expression. Akaashi sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of Bokuto's ankle. Although it wasn't as swollen or purple as your wrist had been when you sprained it, there was still a distinct redness and puffiness around the area. You grazed your fingers against it and saw Bokuto flinch.

You stood up. "Akaashi, right?"

The setter looked surprised, probably wondering how you knew his name, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Can you help me get Bokuto over to the bench?" You turned to Yukie and Kaori. "And while we do that, do you two mind grabbing some supplies from the nurse's office? We should be fine with an ice pack, some ACE bandages, and Advil."

"Got it!" Yukie grabbed Kaori's arm and the two managers ran off. Akaashi helped Bokuto to his feet and you each took one of Bokuto's arms to support him as you walked over to the bench. After making sure Bokuto wasn't mortally wounded, Fukurōdani's coach and the referee started the match up again. Behind you, Nekoma and Karasuno followed suit, although you could see Nishinoya and Kuroo staring at you and Bokuto respectively.

You sat Bokuto down on the bench. "I can take it from here," you reassured Akaashi as he seemed to waver between staying with his captain and returning to the game. "Thank you for the assistance, Akaashi."

"You're welcome." He shot Bokuto a little glare that made the captain wilt. "You better listen to her and not do anything stupid."

"It's like you're my mom," Bokuto mumbled under his breath, but he nodded regardless. Akaashi jogged back onto the court and Bokuto focused on you as you unlaced his shoe and gently took it off his foot. "You're really pretty."

"Geh--" You accidentally tugged a little too hard on his sneaker, the words taking you by surprise, and he squeaked. "Sorry, sorry!"

He shook his head and focused back on you as you worked his sock off and began inspecting his ankle again. "It's okay. But...really. Like, damn."

You rolled your eyes and decided to ignore him for the time being. "Can you move your ankle at all?" you asked.

He seemed a little put out by your tactful ignorance, but he attempted to roll his ankle. You watched both his face and the movement carefully, and sighed in relief as he managed to move his ankle across all planes of motion without too much difficulty. "It's a little stiff," he admitted, "but I should be fine to get back in the game, right?"

"No," you said sternly. "Since it's swollen but not impossible to move, you probably have a Grade I sprain, which is the least severe." He perked up and you shot him a look before any miscommunications arose. "Still, once we get it iced and wrapped, I'm going to make sure none of the players let you put any weight on your ankle until at least tomorrow."