𝐓𝐊𝐎 (𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐓) • kuroo x reader

008 | 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈 𝐯𝐬 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐎 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐝.

DAICHI vs KUROO contd.

The floor vibrates beneath your feet as the crowd goes wild. A small pool of blood forms on the blue platform in front of Daichi's face, his eyes fighting to stay open while his arms scramble to pick up his weight.

Kuroo jogs to the opposite side of the ring, his fists raised in victory. He acknowledges his team with a small nod, his eyes skimming over yours before flicking up to the crowd around him.

"The fight isn't done yet," Kenma leans on one foot to get a better view of Daichi, "It's just the first knock down of the night. It's not a knockout."

"Knock down?"

"Wow, you really don't know anything about this stuff," he shakes his head, "Knock down is when a fighter is only knocked down. The referee gives them ten seconds to stand back up and assess if they are able to continue. It's pretty self explanatory."

"And a knockout is when a fighter is completely knocked out."

"You're getting it. If it was a knockout, then the fight would be over. And from the looks of it," Kenma nods his head towards Daichi's rising figure, "The fight isn't done yet."

Kuroo raises a brow when the crowd starts clapping. He turns to find the referee holding his hands up to a swaying Daichi, counting down to ten and assessing his stance.

Daichi wobbles and stabilizes before nodding to the referee. You expect to see anger, to see an onset of punches, but... he's smiling?

Kuroo waves a glove to Daichi, welcoming him back to the centre of the ring. No serious looks, no threats, just small banter and smiles as they touch gloves once more.

Once the referee waves a hand through the air, both fighters are back on their toes with their guards up. The red streaks on the platform itch at the corner of your vision, wanting you to look — wanting you to see how violent Kuroo can be when he wants to be.

"Don't worry about that," Mori joins you and Kenma near the ropes. "Blood doesn't really mean anything. But, I should probably assess him once the round is done."

"What do you mean?" Your voice is raised, "Blood is a clear sign of injury. Someone has to stop the fight before something serious happens!"

"We can't just stop the fight." Kenma defends, "The people want to see blood. The only times someone can actually interrupt a fight is when an illegal move happens."

"Illegal move?"

"Hitting below the belt is one of them. Also punching the back of your opponent's head isn't allowed. Can't kick, bite, trip..." Kenma starts to trail off, too busy observing Kuroo's guard.

Mori pats you on the back. "Basically no dirty play. The fighters are given a warning, and if ignored, they can be disqualified."

Your thoughts are interrupted when Lev and Kai shout to their captain. Looking over, you find Kuroo's back meeting the ropes once again. He uses his momentum to bounce off, raising a hand in the process to punch Daichi's face.

But Kuroo misses. The pain behind his patch pulses and spreads to the back of his head where it lingers, messing up his stance.

Seeing an opportunity, Daichi swings his right hand into Kuroo's jaw. When he staggers, Daichi sends a left jab into the other side of his face. Kuroo doesn't respond with a countermove, too distracted by the radiating pain in his head.