“      . . .       ”                       @vctrye​​ . 

staring contest:  commence!   not a quitter,  never a loser,  those are the  [charming!]  reviews said about mikoshiba seijuro.   (his mom even said so,  that’s the law of the land where he comes from.)   there’s not any way he’d lose something as simple as this,  even though his eyes kind of burn,  and he’s kinda restless,  and his feet hurt,  and he’s kinda hungry.   but,  y’know!   keiji better not pull any tricks out of his sleeve,  loss is not on his agenda for the day!   unless…   

there’s an uncivilized,  barbaric classification of stupidity solely existing for people like kageyama:   and to a short extension of hinata due to the freak nature of the freak duo,  that puts kei into a consistent loop of misery.   a cycle of cruel and unusual punishment.   a sequence of   ──well,  no matter how he twists his agony,   it’s not as if kageyama had the wits to comprehend it.

 “   if you don’t have the decency to listen in the first place,   ”   kei has to start slow,  aggravation spicing up his words,  just so he’s certain whatever cinderblock kageyama picked up this morning,  to hopefully use as a brain,  can understand it.   [it’s aggravation today,  not irritation.   there’s a difference.   this one is categorized by the pounding headache already forming at the base of his skull,   by the rising blood pressure he can actually feel in his veins.   this stress will kill him one day,  he’s sure of it.   make a note before it happens:   karasuno can foot his medical bills.]   

dear generic search engine,  what’s the fastest way to get rid of a parasite?   not those of the blood-sucking category,  but the sort that appears to pop up like a bad,  unfortunate,  dreadful penny.   right in the midst of you enjoying the breezes of your young life with nothing particularly awful happening to you?   oh,  you don’t know?   neither does kei,   and that seems to be the issue.    or rather,  yamagishi is the issue.

but whatever!   he’ll give her the benefit of the doubt,  lend an ear to be the nice person that he is,  a saint really.   what medal will he be awarded after this interaction?   /   what praise will be showered upon him?   /   what statue erected in his honor?   /   what therapy will he be needing...

you,    someone possessive of instinctual knowledge    &    perception just the same,    has no comprehension as to why she’s asked you to hold something that’s clearly non-existent:    her hand,     limp in the space between the two,    has nothing to indicate that something is necessary for you to take.     (    the pinched expression on your face,     all encompassing over your usual disposition,    is the only evidence of your confusion.    )

“         i’m sorry,    did you need me to    ──    [      …     there is a pause,    something about the exposure of her skin catching your eye.       ]    takamaki-san?    have you forgotten your gloves?         ”

are all boys this…  empty-headed?   or is ann’s advances,  as well-executed and completely-totally-100% foolproof as they are,  not something that knocked into keiji’s head specifically?   wait,  no,  no,  no,   /    that couldn’t be it,  akaashi was smart,  yeah!   she had listened to him talk before,  willingly,  and seen firsthand his intelligence.   [as someone with stupid little hearts in their eyes and an one-track mind could according to ryuji,  but he was a moron,  so.]   it wasn’t the case that keiji was stupid,  it was just that boys were idiots.   no.  matter.  what.     

but   ──what a great transition!   she could use this,  flirt a little more,  to get what she wanted.   “  oh well,  i did, actually!   not on purpose,  you see,  but yeah…  i forgot them…  “   she smiles at him,  in the same manner she’s read how-to in all those magazine she has;  the real glossy ones that tell her to use strawberry lip balm and have clothes she could never afford.   [she doesn’t bat her eyelashes like they tell you to,  she hasn’t mastered that yet.] 

step  one  is  pretty  easy:     commonality  must  be  founded  amidst  the  two  prospects.     for  someone  as  stuck  in  a  routine  like  nanase,     and  whose  water-obsessed  nature  is  an  aspect  of  permanence,     seijuro  has  this  in  the  bag.     [or  in  the  pool,     mind  you.     don’t  worry,     you  can  bask  in  his  intelligence  when  it’s  all  said  and  done.]

“     hey,     hey,     nanase!     ”     oh  yeah,     look  alive  and  loud,     mikoshiba!     make  sure  all  eyes  are  on  the  infamous  same.zuka  captain!     take  a  load  of  this:     if  nanase  ends  up  looking  at  him  with  heart  eyes,     you  can  consider  him a  genius  and  a  winner.