The price of truth (Sleepless Town season 2)

Chapter 11

Atsumu's arms were shaking from the effort of holding onto the parallel walking bars. He was grateful for the calluses on his hands from so many years of volleyball because, if it weren't for them, his palms would have been covered in blisters. He was also grateful for being so stubborn by nature and wanting to improve himself every day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached the end of the bars 12 times in a row in his second rehab session.

"Don't force too much, Atsumu," Sakusa said next to him. "You're shaking, take a break. Two minutes."

"I can do it..."Although physical rehabilitation should've started long ago, it was delayed for weeks to focus on psychological rehabilitation. His brain injury subsided very quickly; although he still had a long way to go, his life had improved a lot since he woke up. It was still difficult for him to form thoughts, he was easily overwhelmed, but the difference was impressive. He could hold relatively long conversations, had regained almost complete control of his words, and now remembered the attack they suffered that summer day.

His parents, Osamu and Sakusa were by his side throughout the entire process, Komori visited him every other day and Suna requested the transfer of the university from Hyogo to Tokyo so that he could visit him whenever he had the opportunity to do so. They were the ones who pushed him the most to strive, to move forward, the ones who made it possible for Atsumu to be himself again in a short time. Even his doctor was stunned.

Hinata and Kageyama also visited him from time to time, even Oikawa had deigned to show up at the hospital. The support he was receiving from all his teammates and former rivals was also helping him move forward. The last one to visit him had been Daichi, because both he and Sakusa asked him for help in filing a complaint against their attackers.

"How are things with you? You need to rest?" Sakusa asked with a hand on the small of Atsumu's back.

"Hm... I need a-a... kiss," he responded with a little smile.

"Here?"

"Reward, Omi."

Sakusa rolled his eyes. He looked around to make sure no one was in the rehab room and then looked at him. Atsumu's lips curved into a smile when he saw the urge Sakusa was trying to suppress.

"Come on," he urged.Sakusa looked around once more. Then he leaned over him quickly and gave him a chaste kiss before separating and looking again for anyone who had seen them.

"It's not... fair, Omi!"

"You asked for a kiss," Sakusa replied with a self-satisfied smile. "And I gave you a kiss."

Atsumu growled. "It's okay... It's only fair. B-but I'll get my kisses back... when I get out of here."

Atsumu took a deep breath and turned around very carefully, always leaning on one or both of the parallel bars. He had been walking up and down for almost an hour. The first laps were done completely naturally, without any difficulty. The problem came when he strained his legs more than he had during the months he had been unconscious, which usually occurred around the eighth or ninth turn. The first day he was only able to do 10 laps, this time he wanted to do at least 15.

When he finished lap number 13 his knees gave out. He wanted to force himself and keep going, but his body was begging him for respite, so, with a huff, he obeyed it. "Omi?"

"I've got you, don't worry," Sakusa said, holding him by the waist.

Atsumu put an arm over Sakusa's shoulders and with slow but steady steps they reached the wheelchair that Atsumu used to move around the hospital when the journey from his room to wherever he went was too much for his recovering legs.