seems_fishy: (ease)
Flayn ([personal profile] seems_fishy) wrote in [community profile] synergetic2024-03-16 04:44 pm

Doubling Down

Flayn was still looking forward to this match.

From the way he smiled when he described his plan, she knew he meant for her to feel excited and confident in its success. She'd done her best to meet his expectations, and she was still excited about getting to play with him. She would see even more of his playing this way; she would have much to learn from!

At the same time, for him to generally say leave most of this to me, feels... well. She doesn't quite want to name the feeling and make it real, she'd rather hold on to the way she felt when she opened his drawing of the yellow rose. Because she was sure that the same heart was behind both decisions. One just felt better than the other; that was all.

With practice winding down, she helps the first year girls put away the unneeded balls (it was only fair), craning her neck constantly to see if the boys were ready. They were at least easy to spot, being so tall...

She waved hopefully when it looked like they were putting things away, too.
senseskill: (02)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-17 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura doesn't bother helping with the cleanup; he's using this time to warm up after spending practice overseeing from the sidelines. Sanada and Fujimiya weren't going to give them an easy match, but the strategy they decided on should prove advantageous on multiple fronts. Several other more senior members are collecting behind the baselines in anticipation of the match. Niou quietly steals the referee's chair while Akaya and Marui are preoccupied fighting for the privilege over a game of janken.

Catching Flayn's wave, Yukimura returns it in a signal that she's free to come join them anytime. Aya, Nami, Usagi, and Makoto also begin making their way over, the latter two branching off to join Marui, Jackal, and Akaya. Nami trades a silent nod of acknowledgment with him and assumes a place near Yanagi (Yanagi always knew where the best view would be).

Aya greets Sanada with unusual professionalism, then pulls a few pins from the waistband of her skirt and wraps her braids across her head, securing them in place like a fancy headband. Hm...
shirobara: (I can has a straw hat too)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-03-17 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
Aya's seriousness is for both their sakes. Yukimura would afford them no leeway for less than full focus, and this was an important match for Sanada, given their rivalry. They had to be at the top of their game! Teasing him was great fun, but it wouldn't help anyone but Yukimura to throw Sanada off his game before they'd even served.

Besides, this is a good chance to show Flayn how tall the sky is. She's really being thrown into the deep end this time! But it will be a good experience for her. It's quite the treat to be so involved in a match between Rikkai's two strongest players and greatest rivals.

"I didn't even have to ask for volunteers," Yukimura confesses with a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, then meets Niou's eyes. He doesn't think Niou will pull any surprises from up there, but one small look for insurance doesn't hurt. He's satisfied that Niou's returned expression reflects every bit the seriousness his post demands.

Looking back to Flayn, he tips his head at the hairbrush in her hand. "It looks like we're thinking the same thing. Would you like a hand?"
senseskill: (53)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-17 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
Is Flayn okay? Why is she blushing so much and sounding like a mouse? That's a bit concerning going into the match that they are. Maybe he should pep talk her a little before they start. Sanada-Fujimiya pair certainly deserved any nervousness they caused.

"It's fine; I've got one in my bag."

After accepting the brush, he walks over to his tennis bag and unzips one of the side pockets, pulling out a pocket mirror, a pink bow clip, and a simple elastic hair band.

"These belong to my little sister, but I don't think she'll mind lending them out. Just a minute..."

As Yukimura steps behind Flayn and begins gathering her hair up using the brush and his hands, Aya's attention (and most everyone else's) momentarily shifts to the impromptu hairdressing, and in contrast to the art class, instead of silence becoming a sea of whispers, the sea of chatter turns to silence.

Sanada's question pulls her attention back to him, and her eyes are bright and lively as she smiles back. "Are you asking to test me?"
senseskill: (51)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-17 08:08 am (UTC)(link)
"Then I guess it's a good thing we don't need one," Aya banters back.

"Yeah. When we play tennis together, she likes to wear her hair up. I've gotten lots of practice." He secures the band high on the head, adding one extra twist to the tail in the fastening, causing it to arch high before cascading down. He gives it a light fluff and secures the bow in front, then passes her the mirror to check his work.

"How is it?"

Marui grimaces from the sideline; it's certainly gotten warm all of the sudden.
senseskill: (55)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-21 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
It's probably easier to do someone else's hair than your own, especially with their respective heights being what they are. Yukimura will allow her to think it a fair comparison, though. She seems pleased as it is. He smiles at her, partly in fondness over her elated twirl, and partly with an edge of fighting spirit for the approaching battle.

"Show me in the match."

He puts the mirror away and, after a smile from luck in the right to serve first, moves to the baseline to start the game with a flawless high-speed serve to the outside corner of the deuce court service box, not unlike that of the one Echizen used to begin his counteroffensive in their Nationals face-off.
senseskill: (20)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-21 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura is in perfect position for that return, an equally soft drop volley to Aya's side.

"Says the one who opens with Forest!" He taunts back.

Aya rushes forward and manages to snare the drop shot's miniscule bounce, just barely hefting it back over the net. Yukimura is dashing for it even before Aya reaches the ball, and bunts it with the end of the handle back into their court, avoiding the chance of a penalty from touching the net with his racket.
senseskill: (09)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-21 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura braces his feet and though he seems to struggle a little to return the power of that ball, he does send it shooting back to Aya's territory, who grips the racket with both hands to send it flying with her full speed and power to Flayn's backhand. It's a tricky shot to return in bounds without making a chance ball.
senseskill: (55)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-21 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
"How unusual, Sanada," Yukimura comments coolly, his eyes sharp as they glance to his rival, and just the slightest knowing smile at the corner of his mouth. "This is the first time I've heard you tell a girl you want her watching you. What do you have to say about that?"

He punctuates the question with a volley back to his less strong side. There was, of course, no such thing as a weak side for Sanada.
senseskill: (45)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-03-22 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
Yes. It affected him, even if only a little. Yukimura scans the court for an opening. Sanada at the net is making that difficult; his range doesn't leave space for a passing shot. In that case, Yukimura lobs high to the baseline behind him, the furthest point away from both Sanada and Aya.

Aya puts forth a dash of speed and manages to return it, but it hits her racket just slightly askew from the scramble, and flies high over the net.

Yukimura, already in place, leaps up and smashes it to the corner Aya just vacated. She managed to cover the distance with the slower speed of a lob, but there's no hope of her reaching this one.

From the sideline, where he watches with his arms casually folded, Marui's brow furrows in confusion. That... should've been Flayn's ball, right? Why didn't she go for it?
shirobara: (coy)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-04-05 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Somewhere in the back of the crowd at the sidelines, Tamagawa ducks his head, his cheeks hot with shame from the memory of that match.

"Sorry, Sanada-kun!" Aya says with a renewed determination to cover her half of the court better for Sanada's sake. Yukimura was as skilled and ruthless as ever; she hadn't been ready for him to steal that smash. What was he doing coming into Flayn's area like that?

As the match continues (along with the boys' banter and occasional taunts at their female opponents rather than each other), it becomes increasingly clear that this move wasn't a fluke, either. Yukimura was exploiting their assumptions about territory to throw off their game and maximize the span of the court he's defending, making it even harder to score points off them. Aya is at once begrudgingly impressed at the evil genius of it and sorry for Flayn because she isn't getting to play much at all like this! It didn't look like much fun. But then, fun and tennis never did really mesh together when it came to Yukimura, did they?

It's the last thought she has before a volley that fails to clear the net, and she realizes she didn't feel the ball hitting the racket. Yukimura smiles darkly at her from across the court.

"From the looks of it, you've lost your sense of touch."

Oh no...
emperoroftennis: (hat shadow)

[personal profile] emperoroftennis 2024-04-05 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
Sanada is briefly surprised he hasn't lost a sense yet-- but the way Yukimura has been covering for Flayn, it's lessened some of his domination. Sanada keeps waiting for her to unleash something, but that doesn't seem to be in Yukimura's plan. Still, all the attention he pays to her is time Yukimura can't work his wiles on him.

"You still have four other senses," Sanada said, eyes still on Flayn. Not for long, perhaps, if he remembered correctly, but until then, here and now...

Aya misjudged something, but Flayn judged it correctly, and moved, decisive, to hit it back to her. Yukimura was still commanding attention, and something about him seemed less like the boy who set this up for her and more like someone people avoided, but it wasn't heavy on her mind at the moment, as she intercepted the ball and hit it back at Aya, impulsively cheering at having managed it!
senseskill: (26)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-04-05 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura's plan is working exactly as intended. The unbalanced formation confused the opponents and created openings in their combination. Giving himself almost a full singles court's worth of territory limited their ability to target Flayn and forced them to hit more balls to him, hastening the onset of yips. They were his now.

He runs two steps towards the returning ball and throws to a stop to avoid colliding with Flayn, who's also running for the ball and closer to it. It's... outside where she was supposed to have to defend, a fact that leaves him briefly surprised. Surprised and confused. Oh well. Yukimura can't complain; he's already achieved his primary goal in their initial set-up.

"All right!!!" Marui punches his fist in the air with a cheer in tandem with Flayn's, the quiet, grim expression he'd been wearing as the match progressed evaporating in an instant.

Aya, still with her sight and hearing for the time being, makes good on the opportunity Flayn opens up for her and shifts her focus to the green-haired girl across the net. Sanada is counting on her. She can't afford to fall to yips here.

It's that very thought that becomes the seed of fear Yukimura's tennis feasts on. She returns the ball with success but lacking her usual control. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Yukimura repositioning himself, stealing her attention.

It's the last thing she takes in before the world goes pitch black.
senseskill: (37)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-04-11 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura catches Marui sending her an approving thumbs up and an infectious grin back, and something uncomfortable settles in the pit of his stomach. There's something he's missing here. Is it because they're doubles partners all the time? Of course Marui would want to support her; that's like him. The timing is what he has to stop and think about, because it wasn't like Marui to cheer about a break in formation, and he surely understood by now what their set-up was. It wasn't like Yukimura couldn't have reached it, either. That aside, what was this camaraderie of energy between them that had Flayn looking so much happier now? Was it just Marui's usual mood-making at work? And if that was it... shouldn't Yukimura be feeling it too?

It's a thought he'll have to come back to as he hears Sanada's change in strategy. That isn't good; if Sanada is going to start hitting to Flayn's area, that's going to cost them points, and absolutely mean less chance of Sanada joining Aya in yips. It's the correct choice for him.

The foolish part, of course, was announcing his intent in advance, but it's an endearing flaw. Sanada is being quite personable to their newest player. Well, it will be a good experience for her to face Sanada's incredible prowess herself for a couple of shots. But if they're going to win, they can't allow him to continue hitting solely to her.

It's incredible that she even manages to return Wind. Even with its being announced first, the shot is nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. Her kinetic vision must be exceptional. For a split second, he considers moving up to intercept Forest, but that truly would be a break in formation, and Sanada is absolutely skilled enough to do a last-millisecond course change to an opening he leaves. And absolutely intent enough to face off against Flayn for now that any interference will piss him off. Yukimura holds his place, and allows the lost game.

"He's not joking," he warns Flayn as Sanada moves to escort Aya to the court change. "Fire will put too much strain on your wrists. Don't overdo it."
shirobara: (Open Your Eyes)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-04-11 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
Aya can't see what's happening anymore, but she can still hear. She hears Marui and Flayn cheering, hears Nami yelling at her from the sidelines not to forget her objective, hears Niou calling the point. Ironically, the one voice she should be listening for most, Sanada's call to her, is the one that fails to register, and it leaves her feeling so isolated on the court.

But as she listens to him speak to Flayn across the court, a fluttery warmth spreads through her insides, and she remembers all over again why she fell in love with this man in the first place: his earnestness; his integrity; his kindness; his dependability. He didn't have to tell Flayn how his tennis worked or what he was about to test her with, but he did. And it keeps Aya in the game, too, aware of what's happening, and the simple fact that Sanada was indeed still standing there beside her, carrying them both while she can't fight herself.

And Flayn! There she is in this match, completely out of her depth with Sanada and Yukimura on the court with her, and just listen to how she's pushing forward, undeterred by the point scored against her. Aya is so proud of her determination. And if Sanada called Forest, that meant she'd managed to return Wind...!

Aya becomes vaguely aware that her feet are moving, and pieces together that it must be Sanada. Right, it's time to change court... Sanada secured that game for them. His determination is something else, too. It's a little shaming, isn't it? Was she the weakest spirit in this match? In that case, maybe Flayn wasn't the only one with some things to learn here.

She thinks again back to the cheer of success Flayn cried with her return, how happy she sounded even as she lost the point. That's right, it's not about winning the match for her. It's about the chance to play with friends, and to become stronger in this shared sport. Flayn would rather lose as a participant than win as a bystander.

What's her objective? What does she want most from this match?

She wants to savor this chance to partner with Sanada and directly support him. This is such a rare chance to play tennis with him! It made her so happy when she realized Yukimura was setting them up to be the opponents, happy like Flayn sounded now to simply be out here.

How funny, that warm feeling is surfacing at her skin now, and concentrated with a gentle pressure around her shoulders. Sanada...

She draws in a quiet gasp, and her hand reaches up, covering Sanada's at her shoulder and squeezing.

She can feel him.
shirobara: (festive)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-04-12 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Aya breaks into a laugh hearing the smirk in Sanada's voice. How funny, that just a minute ago she was under a blanket of fear and pressure and now she feels like she could simply float away. What a magical day this is.

Light and color filter back into her eyes, and she turns her head to look at Sanada and that wonderful smile on his face, like he's sharing a secret joke with her.

"I remembered why I'm playing... thanks to Flayn-chan. Let's finish this together, Sanada-kun."

Oblivious for now to Aya's returning senses, Yukimura coolly agrees, "Certainly, I don't want him to be allowed to have it either. I have an idea."

He leaned in and whispered an explanation of Australian Formation, in which they would line up at the center with Flayn in the rear, running in the opposite direction of wherever Yukimura went.

"This will protect your wrists from Sanada's strength without sacrificing court coverage."
senseskill: (53)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-04-18 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fire is a maximum power shot that can only be attained from a ball that travels in a straight line. That makes its course easy to predict." It was actually returning it that was the hard part. It might not be impossible in the future for Flayn, with the right techniques and strength training, but for today's match, it was better for him to take those shots.

Yukimura moves into the front position of the formation and readies his racket without answering Sanada's taunt. He stares down the remaining opposition with the full force of his renowned and feared aura: the aura of absolute certainty in victory.

It doesn't change when Sanada speaks of his next plans to Flayn. In fact, Yukimura smiles like it's exactly what he wanted to hear.
shirobara: (being silly)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-04-24 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Yukimura is directing the full force of his menace at Sanada now, who's taking it better than anyone should hope to. Yukimura's reputation preceded him, and no one knew better than Sanada himself just how fearsome and unbeatable he was on the court.

It wasn't impossible; it has been done before. Twice, at any rate.

No, this wasn't the right thing to be thinking about. It wasn't about winning. It was about making the most of this chance to pair with Sanada on the court. They didn't need to win for her to do that.

The rally begins, Yukimura taking the lead in fending off Sanada's attacks, and Aya sees her chance: a return shot to her court, and Yukimura's eyes fill with alarm as he meets her ready gaze, and it's just not quickly enough for him to change plans. She steps forward and fires it back in a clean shot straight past his stunned expression.

"...15-Love," Niou announces.

"Yatta!" Aya jumps in cheer and raises her hand for a high five with an energy of brazen confidence to rival Yukimura's himself as she changes sides with Sanada for the second serve.
senseskill: (09)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-04-25 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura and Sanada weren't the only shocked ones. (Nearly) every member of the boys' tennis club has fallen deathly silent. Yukimura isn't sure how she managed to shake yips so quickly, but the lost point vexes him to an irrational degree. There was no reason for him to have let that past him.

"Yeah, we're fine," he assures Flayn, and feels his self-annoyance melt away. He wasn't going to let Fujimiya get a ball past him like that again.

Something has changed in their opponents' combination, however. Fujimiya's eyes no longer reflect wariness but passion. Yukimura's tennis thrives on negativity, and there's no longer any to be found in his original target. Well, there was still Sanada. He, too, would likely overcome it give time, but for the spell he was affected, that was a period of advantage. They would simply have to use it to seal the victory.
volleygenius: (analysis)

[personal profile] volleygenius 2024-04-29 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
What was the most unbelievable thing about this match? Flayn returning Wind? Aya escaping yips nearly as quickly as Atobe himself? Sanada smiling in a match? Sanada smiling in a match against the never-before-defeated Yukimura?

In truth, it could be any of those, or any number of other candidates, from Yukimura's opening formation to Flayn's moment of breaking out in spite of it. As Marui has watched this match unfold, the surprises just keep stacking up. Maybe the greatest lesson to take here is just how much they all still had to discover, both about their tennis and about themselves, from playing matches with the women's team. Marui doesn't think all that has unfolded today is coincidental to that factor.

Yukimura probably didn't imagine such an outcome when he orchestrated it. It sounded like an indulged whim from what Marui heard. What does he think now that he's actually standing out there with Flayn? Does he realize his partner has taken over as the mood maker of the court?

For a doubles specialist like Marui, it's an amazing combination to watch. For all the wrong reasons. Yukimura and Flayn were both insanely talented players on their own. They were both uncommonly skilled at doubles (Yukimura because he was just that good at tennis, Flayn because she was a natural for doubles itself). As people, they seemed to get on quite well. But their compatibility as a tennis team was unfathomably awful. It was nothing to do with how they got along, or the positions they favored or their ability to read each other's movements. It was all about their respective energies. It's the first time he's seen anything like it.

Almost out of nowhere, Marui wishes he could see a match between Flayn and Echizen. What an interesting sight that would be.

Sanada and Aya, on the other hand, are pairing well. Their mutual respect and trust is evident, and after only a few minutes in the beginning, they seemed to have acclimated to each other's impact on the court, each using their strengths to support the other. When Yukimura returns Fire, Aya is ready with a slice that seems certain to land in the deuce court, but it arcs sharply into the advantage court on its path to the ground. Yukimura isn't fooled and runs to the advantage court to receive it, undoubtedly reading the trajectory from the high spin on the ball. By the time it's returnable, however, Aya is already at the net, forcing Yukimura to either return to Sanada or lob a chance ball.

...Or he could choose a drive shot right at her feet. Just like Yukimura! That's a nearly impossible return standing that close to the net. Only Jirou could manage an angle like that. Aya squeaks and leaps back, letting the ball rebound high into the air, on its way out of the court.

"Sanada-kun!" She calls in prompt for him to cover, already running cross-court to fill the void Sanada's rush to snare the fly ball would leave.
senseskill: (48)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-05-03 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
Yukimura would begrudgingly admit he's impressed Fujimiya could restrain the instinct to try to return (or at least block) a ball coming right at you. One that is clearly your job as the coverage for that area of the court. He flips his racket to ready the butt of the handle for returning Lightning, already aware that was the only hope of Sanada keeping the rally alive from such distance. He reads the path, moves--

The point is over and called before he can fully process what just happened. Sanada....

Yukimura can hardly believe the evolution he's just seen. Lightning double clutch.

Fujimiya jumps and cheers "That was the best!" before turning to him and pulling down an eyelid with a stuck-out tongue. It's playful and childish and completely on-brand. Yukimura doesn't give her the satisfaction of a response. He simply doesn't understand it: how did Fujimiya so quickly go from trapped in the dark void of yips, needing Sanada to guide her to the other side of the court, to brimming with confidence, her eyes bright and focused and alive? How was she ready to return that ball? Yukimura had thought that surely the hope and pressure of wanting to help Sanada have a good match would overwhelm her. What brought her back into the light?

Sanada, too, seemed to be regaining his senses rather than them slipping further away. Fujimiya's entrusting the return to him seems to have rejuvenated his will. Was that even possible? Doubles was no safeguard against yips, even with solid teamwork and complete trust. Where did this second wind come from?

"Look alive, Flayn-chan!" She pep-talks from across the net. "The real game starts now."

Yukimura, as though remembering she's there for the first time since the score changed to 30-0, looks back to check on her.

senseskill: (46)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-05-03 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
For the first time, Yukimura stands on the tennis court feeling more like a sailor left adrift among his ship's wreckage. The setting is equal parts familiar and foreign; when and where (and most importantly how) did he lose control of the match's flow?

Flayn hardly seems to have needed Fujimiya's encouragement. Her utter delight after losing the point is at odds with everything Yukimura associates with tennis and Rikkai's tennis club culture. And it's contagious, if Sanada's behavior is any indication. When was the last time he looked so happy in the middle of one of their battles? The thought is at once endearing and painful. No doubt about it, he's regained his sense of hearing as well. Yukimura can read Sanada's snap by the ear for the sanity check that it is, and narrows his eyes.

...

It's Flayn.

The epiphany hits like a block of ice dropped in the stomach. Everything she's saying to Sanada is anathema to the taunting psychological weardown that heralds yips. She's not rattling their opponents' confidence, she's boosting it.

This match was a terrible idea.

He's stuck, too: Flayn is so happy, he can't crush that, but if he doesn't do something, they're going to... to Sanada... He can't, won't let that happen. And he doesn't have to. This is doubles, after all!

"But I'm not!" He retorts as he rescues the next shot, and feels a rush of satisfaction (and dare anyone say it, joy) that spreads across his face in a smile.
shirobara: (stained glass)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-05-17 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's unbelievable how little power Yukimura has once it stops being about winning a game against him. It's not that he's any less of a tennis player; he is still incredibly strong. It simply doesn't matter that he is. The knowledge no longer feels like a weight slowing her reflexes, or an abyss swallowing her whole. Her mind is as clear as it's ever been, her body feels ready to burst she has so much energy.

It's the adrenaline in both cases. But it's enough. The game is no longer terrifying but thrilling, and suddenly-- it's not that Yukimura has developed blind spots, but his and Flayn's combination is full of them. She can see them all so well now, like glimmers of light across the court. It's almost too easy. She hardly notices the passage of time and their swelling lead. What she sees is the opponents' ragged determination and tenacity. Peripherally, she's aware of Yukimura's frustration and growing desperation to not lose this game, but more in her focus is Flayn's excitement and drive to keep trying simply for the fun of playing. That's right; that's the energy to ride out to the finish.

Match point. Sanada's double clutch sends the ball sharply askew to the corner of the court. A strangled cry tears from Yukimura's throat as he dives and sends the ball whizzing back like a bullet. He skids across the court paving, scraping up his limbs and dirtying his jersey. The ball smacks against the top of the net and rolls along the top, not unlike Bunta's most famous volley.

She knows, before it even happens, it's going to follow the same trajectory too. She moves without further thought. Knows without words that it's hers. Her racket arcs parallel to the ground and taps the ball with the frame back to the opponents' side without touching the net. It feels like slow motion watching it drop, not two inches from the net, and come to rest with barely a second bounce, sealing the outcome of the match at six games to four-- the same score Yukimura suffered to Echizen years ago.

The silence that follows is deafening.
senseskill: (05)

[personal profile] senseskill 2024-05-17 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
They lost.

Yukimura almost feels weightless as reality closes around him and steals a piece of his pride that he'll never get back. It's a milestone in his friendship and rivalry with Sanada, one the selfish side of him wishes never to have seen, even as another part of him fights to remind him: he's also deeply proud of Sanada. How tirelessly he's pushed himself, how long he's strived to reach this moment where he could extend his hand across the net as the victor between them. He can't manage happiness for him, but he has so much respect for how hard it's been earned.

The stinging scrapes on his limbs barely register. Sweat-dampened bangs cling to his face and stripe his view of Aya removing the hair pins and shaking her braids loose.

"Me? This is doubles, you know," she winks at Sanada with an expression so full of warmth and fulfillment even he can't miss it. "I'm glad I could be a part of this with you. Congratulations, Sanada-kun."

Yukimura pushes himself up as Flayn dusts him off, then simply throws her arms around him like this must be the best day of her life. What a strange feeling to be so pleasant after defeat. At least she's happy with it all. That's who it was for, right?

He smiles at her, torn between ruefulness for the outcome and gratification for her pleasure in spite of the fact. "You have good spirit; if you keep playing opponents like Sanada and Fujimiya, your strength will grow rapidly. As for me, that was an embarrassing introduction to my tennis. Come watch me play singles, okay?"

Accepting Flayn's offered hand up, he gets to his feet and approaches the net with her, extending his hand to shake Sanada's with a smile.

"Don't think I'm going to let it end with this. Sanada."

'Congratulations' simply couldn't be voiced. It was too much like saying their rivalry was over.
emperoroftennis: (Default)

[personal profile] emperoroftennis 2024-06-05 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
Elation has never come naturally to Sanada -- too easily it becomes carelessness! -- but in this case, it's as overwhelming as rollercoaster. He did it. (With Aya's help, it would have been impossible without Aya's superb playing and her positive energy to counteract his doomed certainty.)

But for a moment, he wonders if it was worth it, if he hasn't broken something that shouldn't be broken, shattered something that can't be repaired, the last thing he wants to be is a shadow in Yukimura's mind like Echizen or Tezuka. The way that Yukimura has gently oppressed him all this time is something he'd never, ever want to do in return--

"It's never going to end," Sanada promises him, the sun seeming to come out again when Yukimura smiles and takes his hand. Loss isn't defeat; merely an opportunity to come back better, and he smiles back, in spite of himself, because even now he isn't satisfied with merely winning a doubles match. There will be other matches, other wins and even other losses in the future.

Aya is radiant with her congratulations and something in him suddenly feels hot stuck between the two of them. Yukimura is probably faking some of his contentment (he knows what Echizen does to people), but his gratitude for that kind of friendship and rivalry is enough to make his chest burst, and Aya's elation is just as deserving.
shirobara: (ice cream is a food group)

[personal profile] shirobara 2024-06-05 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Sanada is probably going to need some time to digest this milestone. It's a big moment for him and his bond with Yukimura. He should get the space to process it for now, and to revel in his long-fought-for victory. Yukimura, too, probably needs some space to process and have whatever private grieving session is hiding behind his good sport face across the net.

Aya, then, turns her attention to Flayn as they shake hands alongside Yukimura and Sanada. "That energy and spirit of yours out there was the best! Hey, wanna go get crepes? I'm dying for some sugar after all that."