𝐓𝐊𝐎 (𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐓) • kuroo x reader

019 | 𝐎𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀 𝐯𝐬 𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐔 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐝.

OIKAWA vs ATSUMU contd.

You watch Atsumu keep his face down as he stands back up, hiding his shame from the audience and from his team. Osamu watches with worry, and as if the twins have some form of telepathy, Atsumu raises a glove to his brother, telling him that he's alright.

When the referee asks Atsumu to join Oikawa at the centre of the ring, Kuroo and the rest go back to their seats. "Damn, the first knockdown just like that," Kuroo says as he snaps his fingers. "Atsumu must be scared, and I honestly don't blame him."

"Same here," Kenma's voice almost makes you jump. You quickly turn, finding his face inches from yours. He'd rather stand for the rest of the night than take his spot at the other end of the row where Bokuto and Bea — the two loudest people in the entire stadium — are seated.

You offer your seat to him but he shakes his head. "You sure?"

"Mhm," he keeps his eyes on the two fighters in the ring, more specifically on the Oikawa's gloves. They haven't left his face, still guarding the one part of him that he values the most. "Don't you find Oikawa's strategy a bit silly?"

"Strategy?"

"More like his signature style," Kuroo uses air quotes. "People often ridicule him for it, only because they know how much he values his looks."

"Landing a hit on his face would definitely excite the crowd and rile Oikawa up," Kenma adds, "He'd rather take as many hits as he can to his body, as long as it means that his face won't get touched or marked up."

Glancing back at the ring, you watch Atsumu try to break through Oikawa's guard with a jab. He follows up with a cross, but it doesn't work in his favour.

Seeing a weak spot in his opponent's guard, Oikawa quickly steps forward, ducking and aiming for Atsumu's body. He lands a blow to his stomach, distracting him from his other arm that's swinging up to form a hook.

Atsumu finally notices when he opens his eyes, just as Oikawa's glove collides with his cheek. The impact is hard, nearly knocking him off his feet for the second time. But he quickly pivots around and brings his guard up around his face.

"Atsumu's flaw is that he doesn't really know how to defend himself," Kenma bends closer to you, speaking over the cheers so you can hear him. "He kinda just backs away quickly, which causes him to lose his balance most of the time. That's how Oikawa got lucky with the first knock down."

"It's a good thing there's no blood yet," you mumble as you look around, hoping to find a familiar face with glasses and a blunt bowl cut. "Mori-sensei still isn't here."

"Your father is probably keeping him busy," Kuroo says, just before the rallying suddenly gets louder.

The three of you turn to the ring, watching as Atsumu comes back for revenge. He's fast, using his left glove to jab and create the smallest break in Oikawa's guard. Atsumu quickly sees an opportunity, raises his right gloves, and sends an uppercut to Oikawa's chin.

The crowd screams when Oikawa's head is thrown back. He can feel his mouth snap shut but thanks to his mouthguard, his teeth don't make direct contact — but the impact of the single hit sends a shock throughout his whole body.

With a clenched jaw and sharpened eyes, Oikawa quickly recovers and regains his confidence. Atsumu's lucky that he hit under his chin. Though it was a hit strong enough to leave a bruise, it's not a spot that will be as noticeable as his eye.