Aomine had had a really shit practice. He had always thought highly of himself, but this practice match had really opened his eyes.
Volleyball was harder than you would think.
He had gotten the position of Middle Blocker, a position that fit him perfectly. Here he could use his height to his advantage fully, so he immediately thought, that this match would be a piece of cake.
However, after only ten minutes he had been benched, after failing to block any balls that came near him.
He simply couldn't guess where the ball would hit.
His teammates weren't any help, though..! They all wanted to play themselves, they didn't think about the other players at all! They needed to get their head in the game. Oh, but the worst of them all... The team captain, Daichi Sawamura.
"Tch," said Aomine, grimacing. The Captain was an arrogant bloke who used his power only to position himself on the court every match. Aomine should have been captain. He, surely, would run the team better than Captain Sawamura ever could.
"Good game, huh?" Aomine nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around, noticing none other than the captain himself, towering over him only because Aomine was sitting.
"Hm," said Aomine and turned back around, taking a sip from his bottle of water. Back in the days, he would've been sweaty and stinky, perhaps considering pouring the cool contents of the bottle over him to decrease the heat emitting from him. This time, he hadn't even gotten sweaty...
Daichi sat down next to him. He smile politely (Aomine thought it looked more like a grimace) and gulped down his water. Small pearls of sweat dripped down his chin.
"What do you want?" Aomine asked and unwillingly added, almost spitting out the word, "Captain."
Daichi gazed at him. He looked thoughtful. Aomine hated this look, had seen it various time during the match.
"I know it bothers you to sit on the bench," Daichi said softly. "But just you wait. If you train hard enough, then surely you will become a regular player one day."
"One day?" said Aomine harshly, standing up. He towered over the captain. "One day. Yes, one day I might become good enough to be a regular, but what kind of hope is that to cling onto? One day, I might. That isn't enough of a guarantee... captain." He spat out the last word mockingly. Daichi surely must have known of his thoughts towards his captainship.
Daichi didn't say anything at first. He spun the water bottle around in his hand before standing up. He didn't look Aomine in the eye, rather gazed at a point behind him.
"It isn't just about the individual player, Aomine. Much like a murder of crows, who stay together often until death parts them, we must stay together as a team. We must grow together and learn with each other."
Aomine didn't understand what Daichi was saying, but it pissed him off.
"Let me teach you," offered Daichi suddenly, surprising Aomine immensely. "After all, a crow must learn to fly before he can hunt with the rest of the flock."