Work Text:
Even after the sun sets, the summer air lingering around Fukurodani Academy is still a hot and stale blanket smothering Akaashi as he lies spread-eagle in the grass. It’s one of the few places he can be alone inside his head, away from the duties of captaincy and being required to have his shit together as an example to the large influx of new players on his team.
Though he comes out here for peace, Akaashi doesn’t mind at all when he hears someone approach and he sees who it is. “So, are the wild beasts penned in for the night?”
Ennoshita snorts and drops onto the lawn to mimic Akaashi’s pose. “Yeah. Hinata and Kageyama were arguing over which one of them kicks in their sleep, so I told them if they didn’t stop, I’d kick them right now and get it over with.”
“Those two are something else,” Akaashi remarks, wondering how so much balled-up energy could be crammed into two people, let alone them existing in a confined space for a prolonged period. However, when he looks over to give Ennoshita an encouraging smile, his fellow captain’s eyes are closed with smudges of exhaustion lingering underneath them. “You okay, Chikara?”
Humming, Ennoshita lolls his head over to meet Akaashi’s gaze. “Yeah, I guess. Why do you ask?”
Akaashi shakes his head and sighs. “When you’re on the court during the practice matches, you look like you could take on the world, but right now, you look like you lost that fight.”
Taking a deep breath, Ennoshita groans and grinds the heels of his palms into his already bruised-looking eyes. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. How am I supposed to be the captain when at any given time, I’m the worst player standing on the court?”
Akaashi sits up and drapes his arms over his knees, perching his chin atop them. Ennoshita’s words remind him of many things he wants to forget — his failure at captaincy in middle school, the debacle that had been his first year at Fukurodani, and his constant struggle to relate to his teammates and know what they need from him.
“I’m not a good captain,” Akaashi admits, unleashing a dark thought that has haunted him since his team’s graceless mid-round exit from the Interhighs. “I was bad at it in the past, and I’m not much better now.”
When Ennoshita sits up to gape at him in surprise, Akaashi chuckles. “I don’t know how you do it, Chikara. You look at one of your teammates and know what they need. I’ve never been able to do that for anyone but Bokuto-san, really. We’ve got seven first years on our team who need someone to kick their asses in gear. How am I supposed to lead them when the only thought in my head is that someone who isn’t me needs to teach them this stuff?”
Ennoshita sucks in a heavy breath, his back straightening at Akaashi’s words. “You’re a good captain, Keiji. You know what you can do and what you can’t, and you spread the load to make sure everyone is doing what they do best.”
“I’ll only believe that if you cut yourself some slack,” Akaashi declared, watching the struggle play out on Ennoshita’s face. “You’re a damn good heir to the way Karasuno plays. Don’t forget that and just do your best.”
A real smile teasing on Ennoshita’s lips, he answers, “Right back at you.”
That matter settled, they lie back in the grass once again, this time finding some peace in the smattering of stars overhead.