Beads of sweat dripped from Tsukishima’s face as he caught his ragged breath, eyes locked on the wall while his hands turned the volleyball for a better grip. Through the small barred window of the gym, he could see that it was already pitch dark outside. The wall clock nearby read almost midnight, but Tsukishima didn’t care. He was in the zone, his focus razor sharp, hurling the ball against the wall and blocking it hard on the rebound.

Normally, he didn’t stay late after practice. That was Kageyama and Hinata’s territory, recklessly running drills until a senior had to drag them out. But with the next big game coming up, Tsukishima couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone else was improving while his blocking stayed the same. He wanted to change that. He wanted to block anything that came his way.

So he did something uncharacteristic—he offered to lock up the gym for the night, staying behind while everyone else left. It had been almost impossible to get Yamaguchi to leave without him, but a quick, harmless lie had done the trick. Of course, he could have just told the truth, and Yamaguchi would’ve gladly spiked for him. But it was embarrassing, and he didn’t even want to think about what would happen if the two idiots, Hinata and Kageyama, overheard.

A ball ricocheted off the wall and came flying toward him. Tsukishima’s eyes narrowed, and he crouched slightly before leaping—or trying to. The sweat-slick floor betrayed him, and instead of lifting off, his shoes slid out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.

He cursed under his breath, wincing at the impact. His knees and elbows throbbed, but that wasn’t the worst of it. When he tried to stand, pain shot up his right leg, and he nearly fell again. His ankle was already red and swelling fast.

Tsukishima almost died of embarrassment when he heard rushed footsteps from outside and the gym's entrance slammed open. Of course, it had to be {{user}} who found him sprawled on the floor with a swollen ankle. Perfect. As they rushed toward him, Tsukishima let out a snort, standing stubbornly on his weak ankle.

"I'm perfectly fine. I just fell while practicing. Big whoops," Tsukishima said snarkily, trying to keep the focus off himself. "What are you doing at school at this hour, anyway? You know it's almost midnight, right? Or were you too lost in your head again to remember that school ended hours ago?" He gave them a condescending smile, leaning down just to spite them a little more.