A Co-Captain's Doubts

I Believe in You

Sugawara jogged lightly down the florescent lit hallway, the soft tapping of his sneakers the only sound as he passed very few people in search of the bathroom he'd only visited once all day. It was odd how different a place could look without the constant stream of people flowing through it, and corners cluttered with teams discussing strategy, but even though Tanaka and Noya mourned the loss of bleachers filled with spectators, Suga was okay with the quiet it brought.

As the third year looked about for a sign to point him to the restrooms, he contemplated what he might say to the nervous boy he'd volunteered to retrieve. It really was better that Daichi stay back to warm up with the others, he might not be as good at diffusing anxiety riddled first years, but it was obvious there was no other person who could corral and pump up the team like their captain. The way he spoke with such honest integrity commanded the attention of even their most aloof players. Suga just didn't have that kind of solid presence, maybe that was why he'd been replaced. He gritted his teeth.

"Stop that." Suga chided himself, shaking his head to rid himself of the intrusive thought, and looking up just in time to catch a glimpse of a sign that hung from the ceiling.

A blue arrow pointing to the left told Sugawara where to find the bathroom, and he took in a deep breath to clear his head as he rounded the corner. Maybe telling him the story about the time Daichi was so nervous he forgot to wear underwear would get his mind off things, he bet it would at least lighten the-

The setter's eyes peeled back in shock as he took in the scene before him, Hinata backed up against a wall by three guys, one of them grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and about to let a fist fly. He reacted before he even knew what he was doing, sprinting forward and shoving the large boy who was gripping his teammate with one hand, and yanking Hinata to safety with the other. Turning to face the bigger, black haired, boy with scary thick eyebrows, Sugawara glared venomously.

"Aren't you players from Kita Wasaki? Why are you ganging up on a little guy who's by himself, what kind of person does that? You should be ashamed!" He yelled as the other two players seemed to straighten to their full height, and flank their teammate.

Suga expected some kind of angry response about how Hinata had somehow instigated the altercation, but what he hadn't expected was the fist that suddenly seemed to sail out of nowhere, and slam right into the beauty mark below his left eye. The silver haired setter had never been punched in the face before, but he could definitely say it was an experience he could have lived without.

"Sugawara! Are you okay?!"

Hinata's voice came to him almost as a background noise, his head ringing from the hit, and he stumbled back only managing to run into the bricks behind him. As he reached up to clutch at his face, he was roughly grabbed by his shirt and thrust against the wall, just as Karasuno's decoy had been.

"Sugawara from Karasuno? Hmm, unlike your famous little ten, I've never heard of you... Oh wait...That hair color..."

The boy still gripping him grabbed Suga's aching face with his free hand, and turned it forward to better look at him.

"Oh yeah... You were the official setter for a brief moment there, weren't you? What happened, got benched by a first year?" He sneered, the two beside him snickering behind their hands.

Glaring up at the member from Kita Wasaki, the cornered third year smacked away the hand that had his face, but wasn't able to pry the fingers off his jersey.

"Let go of me."

"Oh I think you hurt his feelings, Kanda. Maybe you should apologize." The boy with green in his hair taunted, a light pink flush appearing on Sugawara's face from both anger and embarrassment.

"Let Sugawara go, he's twice the volleyball player any of you jerks could ever hope to be!" Hinata yelled, beginning to approach the foursome with clenched shaking fists, but then stopped in his tracks as his senior called out to him.

"Stop, Hinata! Go, go now."

The first year had never heard the setter speak in such a commanding tone, and it was enough to startle him into staying where he was, but only for a moment. The red head shook his head with a frown, looking torn between doing what his upperclassman told him, and attempting to help in some way.

"I-I can't just leave you!"

"Yes you can, I'll be fine. Go get someone, Hinata. I know you can do it, they'll never catch you." Suga grinned, encouraging his teammate even as he grunted in his attempts to unravel the fingers from his uniform, only to be pushed up against the wall even harder.

Karasuno's number one decoy stiffened with pride as his upperclassman told him he believed in his abilities, his eyes sparking with tears as he gave a single nod.

"How touching, I wonder how much damage we can do before he gets back though... Let's find out." The black haired boy murmured, cutting off Suga's cry of;

"Get goin-!"

And laughing when his silver head fell forward as he double over.

"I'll be right back, I promise!" Hinata yelled, disappearing in a flash of black down the hall.

Suga hoped it was true, and braced himself as the fist slammed into his stomach once more.