Behind the Screen

They Lost...

Silence claimed the team.

You didn't have any words after watching their match against Itachiyama. There was nothing you could've said to truly cheer them up.

The team went to go back to the hotel, yet you remained at the stadium. You had no desire to go back. As the guys left, they silently watched as you turned your back to head somewhere else by yourself.

"Suna."

The Inarizaki second year middle blocker turned to look at you with semi-wide eyes, surprise evident in his gaze. "Y/n? What are you doing here?"

Your gaze remained fixed on the ground. "Can... can you and the rest of Inarizaki beat Itachiyama? Since Shiratorizawa lost to them... I just don't want them to win this whole tournament. Can you beat them?"

Suna smiled, slowly walking over to you and carefully hugging you, placing his head on top of yours. "Of course. We'll give it everything we've got to win. Itachiyama won't stand a chance against us. I promise to win for you."

A tear slid down your face as you remained against the taller boy's chest. "Thanks... senpai. I'll be cheering for you."

He moved back slightly, using his hands to cup your face and gently wiping your tears with his thumbs. He kissed your forehead, continuing to smile softly at you. "Don't take your eyes off me. I'll fight with everything I've got, just for you, Y/n."

You let out a sob, wrapping your arms around Suna. "Make sure they know they can't just beat Shiratorizawa and continue to win every match! Show them they aren't the strongest!"

"I promise I'll do my best. Now, please stop crying. You look much prettier when you're happy and smiling. There's no need to keep shedding tears, Y/n."

This was the first you had ever felt so upset. You had grown attached to your team since becoming their manager, you even worked hard as a volleyball team's manager. You rooted for them to win, so their loss hurt you just as much as it hurt them... possibly even more than it hurt them.

***

"So this is where you are."

You turn to see Semi walking over to you, Shirabu and Kawanishi following behind him. "I wanted to watch the finals."

Shirabu looked out at the court. "Inarizaki versus Itachyama."

You turned back to look at the Inarizaki team. "Suna and the others can beat Itachiyama."

Semi raised a brow, standing beside you and glancing at you from the corner of his eye. "You sound confident in that. We lost to Itachiyama, how can you be so sure that they'll lose to Inarizaki?"

You kept your gaze locked on Suna from where you stood in the bleachers. "I can't accept our loss. It's not that I'm confident in Inarizaki's abilities to beat Itachiyama, it's more of a matter of I don't want to see a team that beat us win once again."

Kawanishi smirked, enjoying your different behavior. "Well, this is a first. I've never seen you take volleyball personally."

You hum, giving it a thought. "After becoming your manager, I've taken notes and taught myself about volleyball. Even though I'd never show it and dislike admitting to it, I've grown attached to you guys - to this team. I hate seeing you guys lose. So I take the loss personally and don't want the team that defeated us to succeed any further."

Semi smiled, proud to see you changing - even if it's just slightly. "That makes sense. And, we all really do appreciate you being our manager. We all care about you and feel close to you."

Shirabu huffed. "Might as well just watch this match. Not like we have anything better to do."

***

"Oh, no. The poor guys."

You stared with sad, somewhat teary, eyes at the Inarizaki team. "They lost...."

Shirabu began to turn and walk away. "Let's go. We need to get back to Miyagi with the rest of the team."

Kawanishi started walking off with the setter. "Yeah. There's nothing else for us here."

You hadn't moved. "I'll catch up with you guys in a bit."

Semi remained by your side. "What will you be doing?"

"I want to go talk to Suna." You began walking off towards where the Inarizaki boys were, Semi remaining close by.

Suna spotted you once you got close enough to the team. He gave a sad smile. "Hey, Y/n. Sorry... we lost."

You sigh, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze. "It's ok. You tried your hardest. That's the important thing. I'm sad you guys lost, it really looked like you were gonna win."

"Yeah.... But, hey, at least it's over for now."

"I guess." Your gaze returned to the floor.

Suna sighed, walking over to you. "Don't be so bummed out. There's always the spring nationals. We'll see each other then. And the finals will be Inarizaki versus Shiratorizawa. Both our teams just need to work a bit more, but it'll happen."

You looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you then."