Work Text:
“Akito, over here!”
Aktio kicks the football over to his teammate. With the recent traveling by Vivid Bad Squad over the last few months, Akito has not had much time to kick some football with the Football club. However today was one of the few days off the group had, and even if they would usually go practice, An and Toya were busy with committee duties, and Kohane had an outing with Minori. With Akito getting asked by the football club to play a game, he had little reason to deny.
As he ran past the other players, his mind wandered a bit to the name of ‘football’. It was a simple name, wasn’t it? Foot hit ball, football. Why was it different in America? They barely made contact with their feet to the football, so why was it called football? The real football over there was called ‘Soccer’, what does that even mean? You ‘socc’ the ‘er’? It was stupid to Akito.
What Akito should have been thinking about other than how football was a stupid name for the American football was where the current actual football was on the field, as during that time his teammate managed to kick the ball towards the goal, only for the goalie to block and begin to kick the ball back.
Akito’s thoughts were interrupted by a scream of “Akito!”, and he looked up to see if the ball was in the air, ready for a headbutt.
It was, in fact, in the air. However unknowingly to Akito, not in the air high enough as he feels the ball impact directly in the middle of his throat, knocking him to the ground.
…
Akito woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around his roo…this wasn’t his room. This was the hospital. He jogs his memory, and remembers the ball hitting his throat. He rubs his throat in remembrance, a dull pain still throbbing throughout it. His neck felt…weird though. It felt like there were some lines across it, almost like scars.
His thoughts were interrupted with the door to his room opening. In walks a nurse who looked at Akito, stating “Ah, you’re awake”.
Aktio opened his mouth to give a small quip about how he can see he is awake.
…
Akito tries to give a quip about how he can see he is awake.
…
Akito tries to say hello…
…Akito tries to make a noise.
…
…all Aktio does is breathe out. His vocal cords are not working.
He looks at the nurse, who looks back with pity. “I was hoping to let you know before anything else, but I am afraid you won’t be able to talk…probably ever again. Your teammates dragged you into the hospital after you fell to the ground, and told us what happened. We did an x-ray, and found your vocal cords crushed alongside your windpipe, and the only solution that we knew could work on short notice was to remove the biggest obstruction, those being said vocal cords. We apologize.”
Akito just stared at the nurse. He wanted to say something, say that it wasn’t true, but even if he wanted to he couldn’t both figuratively and literally. His voice was gone.
All those years training, trying to make his voice as perfect as it could be. His source of breaking through the crowd, the talent he worked so hard to master. Just like that, it was gone.
While the Nurse could not hear Akito’s emotions, she surely did see his face turn, and tears begin to flow. Akito does not know the last time he cried, but he knew that loss was something that he would excuse the tears for.
The nurse left the room to allow Akito to digest the news. However, Aktio’s mind went to only one place after a while; he let his teammates down. He could no longer surpass RAD Weekend with them, and he is afraid the remaining three never would.
Akito cried himself to sleep.