Aren't I a Good Child?

Act 1

――――――――――――
Once upon a time, there was a collar.

"I want people, I want people."

It screamed, it was a cursed collar.
――――――――――――

"Kageyama, nice kill!"

"One touch!"

"Asahi-san, nice serve!"

The squeaking of shoe soles and the wild yelling of the teammates echoed in the sports hall. Members of the Karasuno volleyball club shouted enthusiastically at each other, encouraging one another as they trained for the upcoming practice match against Seijoh. Yamaguchi was practicing his serves with Nishinoya, and Tsukishima had been eyeing them while blocking spikes from various teammates. All in all, it was a pretty busy practice session, the sort that left everyone with sweaty clothes clinging to their damp skin, even Tsukishima.

"Thank you very much!" The students chorused after Ukai dismissed them from the intense practice session. Hinata had taken off running at top speed out of the sports hall, Kageyama following him closely while shouting "That was a foul start, dumbass Hinata!" Daichi sighed and rubbed the back of his head, heading out with Sugawara and Asahi. "I thought that Hinata would be tired, after all that spiking." His hands were red and still warm from handling the ball so much. Sugawara shrugged, his usual warm smile plastered on his face. "He has a lot to learn, but he's a good player. He seems really happy when he spikes Kageyama's tosses." He strolled on, his arm around Daichi.

Are you jealous?

Sugawara snapped his head back to Asahi, and then at Daichi again. "Did you guys say something?" He asked, his smile faltering for a split second. Asahi shook his head, surprised. "I don't know what you're talking about." Daichi answered truthfully, shrugging. "Did you practice too much to the point where you're hearing things?" Asahi's voice was filled with worry. Daichi chuckled at Asahi's ridiculous suggestion, which mildly irked the teen. "I was only worried!" He sighed, although he seemed glad that the mood was lighter now that his theory had been put down easily. He would never admit it, but Asahi had been genuinely concerned about Suga's hearing.

"My house is this way, see you tomorrow!" Asahi waved at his schoolmates, skipping off into his estate. "All right, see you tomorrow, Asahi!" Sugawara and Daichi said in unison, continuing their journey to their houses. "Suga, are you sure you're fine? I'm not suggesting that you're having auditory hallucinations. Just wondering if you might have practiced too hard." Daichi kept his tone light, although there was a hidden uneasiness. Sugawara giggled coyly, what he usually did when he was teasing Daichi. "Aw, come on, it's nothing! I have to go home now, Daichi." Daichi was about to say something else, but something about Sugawara's expression told him not to question it any further. "All right, then. Bye! Don't push yourself too much!" Daichi grinned and adjusted his school bag before parting ways with his teammate.

Sugawara's pace accelerated as soon as Daichi left. He wasn't alone, he knew that. The whispers in his head that he had tried to pass off as a figment of his imagination was getting impossible to ignore, the volume of the voices reaching a crescendo and the words becoming easier to understand.

Fake.

The word rang in his ears. His entire world flashed between hot and cold, his heart rate accelerating and his breath hitching. It's okay, take deep breaths, no one is talking to you. Sugawara knew how to treat panic attacks, since Asahi, Yamaguchi and sometimes even Hinata had them, for a variety of reasons. He had never experienced it before, though he knew about it due to research. He didn't even know why he was feeling this way, although he speculated that the voices in his head were a contributing factor. He wanted to scream at whatever it was to shut up, but there was no way that would help. Even worse, the neighbours would think that there was something wrong with him, that he was a lunatic. They might be right, he thought for a split second, but immediately brushed it off. He carried on bolting across his estate like a madman, that he had claimed not to be. The wind rushed past his face, as the views around him changed faster and faster.

You're hiding again.

Sugawara almost ran into a pole. He desperately looked around himself, begging for someone to jump out at him, yelling out "You just got pranked!" No one was there for him. He didn't know how to make himself better, despite always cheering up everyone in Karasuno. It was honestly ironic. He almost slammed into the door of his house, fumbling frantically for his keys and unlocking the door after much effort. "I-I'm home!" He choked out, dashing towards the strains while almost tripping over the rug. "Koushi?" His mother called out in a worried tone as he bolted up the stairs, skipping over the steps and hurled himself into his room with the last of his strength.

Don't push yourself too much.

There was a much softer voice this time. It took Sugawara a moment to realize that it was Daichi, although when he did, his eyes widened with confusion and fear. He looked around the room for his bag, but realised that it was downstairs, tossed onto the floor. His phone was in there, which meant that he couldn't look up how to make auditory hallucinations disappear. A part of him didn't want to google that, anyway. It was as if he was admitting that there was something wrong with him. No, there was nothing wrong with him, he was the perfect role model, the star pupil. He had to get over his insignificant problems. Shaking his head like mad, he held his hands over his ears to get some peace. The fear was swallowing him up, like a monster with a gaping maw. He shuddered, biting down hard on his lip. He wasn't going to scream, cause commotion. It was all fine.

The voices died down after several minutes. Sugawara couldn't make out most of the words, but they were mostly things that he had never heard anyone say to him before. He wasn't a liar, or fake. Even so, the statements were still ringing inside his ears, stabbing into his chest with each syllable. He inhaled slowly, remembering what he told some of his teammates when they were panicking. Deep breaths, exhale slowly. The worst was over, he knew. Sugawara collapsed onto his bed, burying himself underneath the covers as if they would protect him from the voices.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Sugawara groaned, holding his head in his right hand. He couldn't hear any talking anymore, just an irritating ringing noise. He was a college prep student, he couldn't waste his study time because of a simple headache. There was homework due the next day, too. Somehow, for the first time in Sugawara's life, he was too tired to take into account all his worries and responsibilities. He had fought a battle with himself, he needed rest.

Sugawara didn't even bother to take a look at the time or even change his clothes before laying down like a wounded soldier in an infirmary. Though his expression was still solemn, he gladly welcomed the waves of fatigue crashing over him. Within a few minutes, Sugawara was passed out under a heap of covers, his bag left in the kitchen and homework incomplete.

The consequences he would face could suck it.