#chllengers

WE ARE NOT KINGS....WE ARE CHALLENGERS!

chllengers ( previously athleticsm )

ind. multimuse featuring muses ( adored by dee ) from daiya no ace and haikyu!!

of course, they weren’t really. it’s matsukawa-san who likes bones, shimizu thinks. even if he doesn’t really like bones, the pictures in the book are interesting enough—it doesn’t feel like a reference book so much as it does a picture book or an art album. when she’d thumbed through it in the store, shimizu had even seen old pictures of medical drawings from medieval europe—worn from years of age and moth-eaten papyrus scrolls—but still interesting. she doesn’t think matsukawa-san needs to learn anything about bones. he can just look through the pictures like she did, if he wants.

the book is a hardcover. the front shows a perfectly-shaped human skull, and is covered with a protective glossy sheen. it’s so large that shimizu has to carry it with two hands, and she hides the front by pressing it against her chest when she approaches him. it takes some effort to flip around, with two hands that stumble from the size and the weight, but when she does, shimizu presents it to him with a proud look on her face. “ happy… bonesday. ” ( shes taking after him with the puns make it stop )

ISSEI’S fascination with Osteology can be stemmed back to his childhood. Being the curious child that he was, he’d gotten into his mother’s impressive collection of books ( most of which were scientific text ) where he found a book about anything and everything bones. At the time, most of the words were too long and complicated for him to understand, but the pictures were captivating enough to keep him engaged. It was when his mother found him that his interest in the topic was solidified, when she’d bundled him into his arms and interpreted the text for him in a way he’d understand. 

SEVERAL years later, he reflects back on the bonding moment he’d shared with his mother and how it had impacted his interests growing up. Issei’s fascination with bones would be strange or off-putting to most, evident by their bewildered reactions when he’d share this interest with them. So when he brought it up to Shimizu, he was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t recoil in disgust.

HE can’t help the snicker that escapes his lips, amused by her admirable pun. ‘ For me? ’ Issei takes the book ( now noticing how heavy it really was ) into his hands, running a thumb over image on the front. It’s by an author he doesn’t recognize ; the realization is exciting, as it means this was a book he’d never had the pleasure of flipping through before. It was a very thoughtful gift, he thinks to himself.

' Oh? ' His brows raise, eyeing the gift box she presents to him. Not only had she worked late into the night preparing his favorite foods ( from scratch, he assumed ), but she'd also gone out of her way to get him a gift. Though he's not complaining, he wonders what he may have done in his past life to deserve such a caring friend.

ISSEI shifts from his position ( laying on his stomach ) to sit upright and take the box into his hands. Pulling at one of the ribbon's ends, it easily comes undone. When he opens the box to reveal what's inside, his lazy smirk melts into something softer as memories of the day the photo was taken resurface.

THE two of them had been dressed to the nines for the birthday of a mutual family friend ; Peach in her pretty, white dress and Issei in everything but a blazer. The photo, he remembers, had been taken moments before she'd made the promise to marry him when they grew up. Of course, Issei had done what he deemed to be the most logical choice in that situation: run away. He can't help the amused laughter that spills from his lips at the memory.

' Thank you. ' He draws his gaze back towards her. ' I love it. ' As he takes the frame out of the box, he notices the ticket she mentions. It's only then that he feels a pang in his heart, the realization that the two would be parting ways soon. And though it's not permanent, he can't help but feel sad that he won't have his best friend around all the time anymore.

THE music playing through the speakers of his earbuds was enough to drown out their loud whispers, but certainly not enough to deafen their thunderous greeting. The birthday wish is loud and clear, prompting Issei to unceremoniously pull the earbuds by the wires, dislodging them from his ears and shoving them into his pocket along with his phone.

APATHY is replaced with enthusiasm, lips tugging into a broad grin ; his eyes nearly squeeze shut, forming crescent shapes and crinkling at the corners. ' And here I thought you'd all forgotten my birthday. ' Though he's mostly joking, knowing his friends were unlikely to forget such an important date. However, the later in the day it got, the more hope he'd started to lose. But considering the gift they'd presented him with, it's no wonder they'd wait until after their late practice was over.

TAKING the envelope into his hands, Issei wastes no time in ripping it at the end, revealing four tickets for the movie event Iwaizumi mentioned. He'd nearly planned to go alone, a birthday gift to himself after having been denied by everyone he asked to join him.

“    no way.    you’ve said that 3 times,    now.    ”    yukako speaks lightheartedly and with inflection,    her hands starting to unravel from the joysticks so that she may instead lead on the arcade machine.    her lips are forced apart by a triumphant grin to the point where one would assume she wasn’t the one on a winning streak    [3-2-0,    if you must know!];    really,    she’s surprised that he’s so hellbent on beating her.

it’s satisfying when someone ends up eating their own words.    he was talking so high and mighty about going easy on her and letting her win earlier!

still,    it gets less fun when the outcome stays the same.    overlaid by you win    [bolded and in uppercase letters]    is the fierce glare of mishima kazuya,    a player on tekken.    he holds the kuramochi’s character by the collar,    regarding them with a contemptuous stare all the while.    “    don’t you want to play something else?    ”

PERHAPS his frustrations stemmed from the disappointment he was feeling, brought on by the failure to live up to his confident boasts from earlier. Yōichi believed ( truly ) he’d be the one to impress Yamagishi tonight, but it looked to be the other way around. It had been a long time since he’d met anyone that rivaled his skills ( or surpassed them in this case ). 

HER question, along with the feeling of the tokens running low in his pocket, bring him back to his senses. That’s right, he’d invited her here to have fun ; not to blow his entire allowance on one game. So -- at last -- he too releases his grip on the joystick, admitting defeat.

‘ One more match! ’ Something he’s been saying for the last few rounds, and yet he refuses to accept defeat, knowing very well how he feels about ending on a loss. He rummages around in his pocket to retrieve another token, fully intending to reset the game.

congrats, man. you & your unfortunate events ? make you one of a kind. maybe being caught in the rain like this … karma? if tanaka were the type to waggle his own eyebrows in praise of his own thought process, he would. & in most cases, he’d surge forth & do so anyway. 

— but he isn’t a prick ( by his own self declaration ), & that sort of trash-talking body language is reserved for the court. in theory, the most dramatic & well-formulated rivalries are majestic in their own ways. you know, like scenes in the movies — full of monologues of mutual respect & anticipation for a final confrontation. but that’s pretty high praise to give at random, even to an aoba johsai player.

let the record show: talk of movie rivals aside, tanaka isn’t exactly the type to walk around with his head in the clouds. he’s committed to boisterous behavior &  pushing energy levels off the scale. it comes naturally to him ( & to his sister, for that matter ) — because it’s  a methodological approach to building confidence & sharing momentum & building momentum & building momentum & –

the tanakas ( & ryu ) are people with things to do. 

‘ of all the places you could have picked ? ‘ he repeats & leans forward over the restaurant bar, flabbergasted & a little indignant. 

eyebrows arched, tanaka continues, ’ i’ll have you know the other places near by don’t like people drippin’ everywhere on their floors - i know. i’ve tried, so you’re lucky to burst your way in here. & beyond that, we got good food. even you should be able to appreciate that, if you’re playin’ like you’ve been.  anyway, grab a seat or something. it’s gonna be raining for a while ( probably). last time it rained like this, local dogs had to swim to get around. ‘ 

an exaggeration, maybe, but tanaka’s not exactly lying.

AS unfortunate that it had been that the restaurant he chose to take cover in was owned by the family of a ( rather annoying ) rival, Issei had to agree with him that he was in fact lucky in the sense that this guy seemed kind enough to allow him to walk into their business in the state he was ; sopping wet. This could be the silver lining ( yes the bar was that low ) to the awful day it had been thus far. 

HIS comments prompt him to peer out of a window, taking note of just how hard the rain was coming down ; it certainly didn’t look like it was going to let up soon. A sigh slips from his lips, accepting his fate and deciding he might as well sit down to have a meal while he was stuck here. 

‘ S’pose I’ll have to try it if it’s as good as you say, then. ’ But first... He glances around the restaurant, looking for any sign of--- aha! ‘ You don’t mind if I use the restroom, right? ’ Though he poses it like a question, he’s not asking for permission. In fact, he doesn’t wait for an answer before making his way towards the door and slipping inside. There he changes out of his clothes and into a new outfit ( i.e., the pair of joggers and Aoba Johsai practice shirt he’d worn as pajamas the night before ).

the amazing spider-man starters // accepting

GRADUATION was a bittersweet moment in time. It was something he'd been looking forward to, yet something he'd been dreading as well. It was thrilling to finally be done with high school ; to be moving on to new beginnings and ( hopefully ) bigger, better things. It was a whole new world he'd be stepping into at his university. The university he'd worked so hard to get into, spending countless nights studying for his entrance exams.

THOUGH as exciting as it all was, graduation marked the end of an era. Though he wasn't sad to leave behind his high school, he was sad to leave behind the people he'd met along the way. Or perhaps -- a better way to put it would be -- he was sad to part ways with his best friends. Oikawa was off to Argentina, Iwaizumi would be heading to States, and Hanamaki-- Well, Makki wasn't jetting off to a foreign country but... they wouldn't be going to the same school.

' Stuffed with chum... flung out airplane.... ' Issei repeats as he takes notes of the other's final dying wishes, writing them down on one of the leftover napkins he'd pulled from the bottom of the paper bag. It was stained with some of the grease from the burger he'd finished eating only moments ago. Not the ideal item to take notes on, but it's not like he carried a notepad with him. Heck, he's surprised he even had a pen lying around.

“The arcade?” He repeats, interest instantly piqued before they even make their way out of the classroom. God, he hasn’t been there in ages - in-between college prep classes and volleyball practice, he just hasn’t had the time, no matter how much he may miss it. That, and it has been a while since he had spent any kind of time with Matsukawa (or Hanamaki, for that matter) outside of the club. The chance to change that right about now is more than welcome.

“Sure! I’m super rusty though - dunno how I’m ever gonna beat your record on Donkey Kong before we graduate at this rate.” A promise he had made to him the very first time they had all hit the arcade together, and Iwaizumi had met a resounding defeat against the middle blocker. He had sworn to make a comeback, and for sure had drastically improved, but - for now, Mattsun remains the better man. The undefeated champion (compared to him, at least). “Has Makki managed to gain the upper hand against you yet?”

ISSEI had been a lover of video games for as long as he could remember, having spent much of his free time as a kid at the arcade, emptying the small bag of coins his mother had given him. Now that he was older, it was harder to find the time to visit. Just as Iwaizumi, Issei too had academic responsibilities and practice on top of that. Still, he would save any spare change that would come across his way. That way he’d have something to spend should the opportunity come up, just like today.