Title: don't fall apart Ship/Character: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Kotarou Fandom: Haikyuu!! Major Tags: none Other Tags: spoilers for last match of Nationals, angsty Word Count: 444 Remix Permission:See Permissions Sheet
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Akaashi is used to keeping Bokuto from falling apart on the court. In fact, that’s one of his biggest roles as vice-captain. The other players, while immature at times, are able to manage themselves on their own in most cases. And it’s not like Bokuto isn’t independent or reliable - their entire team is built around him, after all, and he’s more than proven himself to be the cornerstone of their entire team. It’s only when small, insignificant things start to go south when they all go wrong, and suddenly Fukurodani is short a spiker that’s also their ace, and oh shit, Akaashi’s got to figure out how to best do damage control before it’s too late for them to make a recovery.
Of course, there are a variety of tactics Akaashi employs to make sure they’re still a functional team, while Bokuto’s having one of his moments. The path he opts for most often is the let Bokuto relax for a little while before giving him an easy shot to win back his confidence. Akaashi is particularly fond of that one, even if it can get a tad risky for the higher-intensity matches.
He’s not as fond of the get a substitute for Bokuto until the end of the set if they’re not in a dire situation, because that usually never works out. They can replace Bokuto with another wing spiker, sure, but Bokuto’s as good as out for the remainder of the game. If he’s not in the middle of the action, he’s bound to lose his confidence entirely, and that’s even worse than trying to start back at square one. It’s as if they’re playing the board game that is Bokuto’s mind, they’d be starting at space negative twelve, at the very greatest.
There’s also the let Bokuto play through his mental blocks option, but that might be Akaashi’s least favorite of all. Seeing Bokuto under extreme duress isn’t exactly something Akaashi wants to bring onto the court, much less have to witness for an extended period of time.
Akaashi’s never been that scared of losing, though, even when Bokuto’s having a moment. And he certainly wouldn’t have expected to lose in a game he was sure they could win, where Bokuto was playing at his 200 percent.
“You can’t fall apart,” Bokuto had whispered to him, once they’d gotten on the bus back to Fukurodani, “next year, when I’m gone. Promise me you’ll be every bit as good to them as you were to me?”
FILL: Team Seijoh Third Years, T
Ship/Character: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Kotarou
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Major Tags: none
Other Tags: spoilers for last match of Nationals, angsty
Word Count: 444
Remix Permission: See Permissions Sheet
***
Akaashi is used to keeping Bokuto from falling apart on the court. In fact, that’s one of his biggest roles as vice-captain. The other players, while immature at times, are able to manage themselves on their own in most cases. And it’s not like Bokuto isn’t independent or reliable - their entire team is built around him, after all, and he’s more than proven himself to be the cornerstone of their entire team. It’s only when small, insignificant things start to go south when they all go wrong, and suddenly Fukurodani is short a spiker that’s also their ace, and oh shit, Akaashi’s got to figure out how to best do damage control before it’s too late for them to make a recovery.
Of course, there are a variety of tactics Akaashi employs to make sure they’re still a functional team, while Bokuto’s having one of his moments. The path he opts for most often is the let Bokuto relax for a little while before giving him an easy shot to win back his confidence. Akaashi is particularly fond of that one, even if it can get a tad risky for the higher-intensity matches.
He’s not as fond of the get a substitute for Bokuto until the end of the set if they’re not in a dire situation, because that usually never works out. They can replace Bokuto with another wing spiker, sure, but Bokuto’s as good as out for the remainder of the game. If he’s not in the middle of the action, he’s bound to lose his confidence entirely, and that’s even worse than trying to start back at square one. It’s as if they’re playing the board game that is Bokuto’s mind, they’d be starting at space negative twelve, at the very greatest.
There’s also the let Bokuto play through his mental blocks option, but that might be Akaashi’s least favorite of all. Seeing Bokuto under extreme duress isn’t exactly something Akaashi wants to bring onto the court, much less have to witness for an extended period of time.
Akaashi’s never been that scared of losing, though, even when Bokuto’s having a moment. And he certainly wouldn’t have expected to lose in a game he was sure they could win, where Bokuto was playing at his 200 percent.
“You can’t fall apart,” Bokuto had whispered to him, once they’d gotten on the bus back to Fukurodani, “next year, when I’m gone. Promise me you’ll be every bit as good to them as you were to me?”
Akaashi wishes he could make that promise.