trashcan (literal trash)

Phoenix ( oneshot )... + theory

     He never felt so motivated and excited. This was his last year, and his last chance to beat Shiratorizawa for all he was worth. He would never let this opportunity pass by, not after all the effort they had put into this. He wanted to see everyone cheering as they scored the last point which would draw a close to the match, he wanted to witness tears, this time of happiness, fall from his teammates' eyes. He would make sure he would give them a reason to do all of that. He would make them win. He surely would.

     As the last spectator entered the court and as they moved from a warm-up drill to another, he couldn't help but get a feeling that something was... something bad was going to happen. Though involuntary, he reached for his ankle and stopped doing the current drill. His teammates and coach called out to him and told him to resume the activity, but his brain just couldn't help but block the sounds out.

      "Please... hold out..." he took a deep breath and stood up straight before giving them an apologetic smile. He ran back to where his team was and did as the coach had said, taking their insults like always and having fun witnessing their reactions. That's right. He shouldn't think about it too much, but that didn't mean he should forget about it. "... until the end."

      The whistle of the referee blew, telling him it was finally time to do a serve. This was the fifth set, and they were on par with a score of 19-19. Oikawa looked at Ushijima, who stood infront of the net paying attention to the court and the entirety of his surroundings. He let the ball leave his hand as it flew up high into the air. His eyes followed every movement of the volleyball and prepared to perform another flawless jump serve which he had worked so hard to polish over the years.

      It shouldn't fail now. It could not fail. He and his teammates worked so hard for this. It was their last year; Mattsun, Makki, Iwa-chan... he wouldn't forgive himself if he failed this. As the team captain, he would never forgive himself after seeing the tears of his friends who had experienced loss because of one simple, lame mistake. As he took the third step and felt the impact of his right heel against the floor, the world around him started to go in slow motion. He jumped. He hit the ball with all the force he could muster. Somehow, he had a feeling that this would be his last jump serve, and channeling that feeling towards his palm, he managed to get it to the other side of the court following a sharp direction.

      And as soon as it hit the floor, he also did. He lost sight of what was supposed to be kept in his mind. He successfully pulled off a service ace, but without him even noticing, their manager was already running towards him as he lay on the floor, right foot twisted into a sick curve. The fangirls who had supported him all the way were panicking on the spectators' seats, but instead of being concerned about them, the other people simply stared at the fallen player. That's when he knew he had made a stupid mistake. A very stupid one, indeed.

     "Call the medics!" Aoba Johsai's coach directed the command towards no one, in particular, as Oikawa's teammates gaped at the scene unfolding infront of them in confusion. Once the stretchers arrived, the brunette sat up and pushed the guy in white away.
"I can still play." He looked at the net furiously. "Let me do it. If I won't, I will never forgive myself for the loss." He attempted to stand as he said that, forcing the coach to yell at him, telling him he was doing something unreasonable. For a few seconds, confused murmurs flowed inside the gymnasium like a river, only to be put into silence by the sound of a fist landing against someone else. It was Iwaizumi.

     "What do you think you're saying, Shittykawa?" He bellowed, standing infront of Oikawa whom he had just punched square in the jaw.
"You mean if you're out of the team, we'll lose? That's an insult! Do you really dismiss us as people that weak? You never fail to brag about your skills, do you?"
"But that's not what I meant, Iwa--"
"Then what? Tell me your thoughts in three--"
"Iwaizumi, that's enough." A voice interrupted, which turned out to be coming from the coach.
He nodded at the player as the medics took the setter away. The black-haired ace returned to his spot on the playing field as they all looked at the substitute player who ran nervously to the assigned post.