WARNINGS: Unhealthy coping mechanisms, overworking to the point of self harm, vomiting, mentioned neglect
My mom is, once again, being a bitch so I am, for the second time today, making an underrated blond suffer and having a father figure come help him. This time, Haikyuu edition!
Sloppy, his brain said after his serve. Weak, unfocused, off-center, the other team could receive that without effort. Technically, his sloppiness could be attributed to the fact that this was his, forty-something? Fiftieth? Consecutive serve. He'd come to the gym once the two dumbasses had finally left, wanting to distract from his thoughts and self hatred.
He should've known it would follow him.
He'd worked on sets, dives, receives, and blocks already, at least a hundred times each, and he'd vomited twice from exertion. Not that he let that stop him, not in the slightest, he just rushed back from the bathroom and continued where he left off. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here, just that it was pitch black outside and that Akiteru had called (to which he just texted back "I'm still practicing, I'll text you on my way back," much to the older's disgruntlement. If he'd known just how hard Kei was working, he'd be there in a second to drag his ass home, but he thought it was just a few practice drills and then watching other games to check strategy).
Kei heard a ringing in his ears, black darkening the edges of his vision and bile starting to creep back up his throat, but he just ignored it until two voices called out at him, angry and concerned.
"TSUKISHIMA!"
~*~
"I can't believe I let you talk me into leaving the car here."
"A walk is good for us!"
"Koushi, I love you, but we're athletes. We don't exactly need extra exercise, especially not with Hinata and Kageyama on our team."
"Shut up Daichi, the walk made it romantic."
The taller hummed, "I suppose it did." He grinned and kissed his boyfriend, nipping at his lip and going to tangle his tongue with the grey-haired man's, when something caught his eye. He pulled back, snorting a bit when the other whined, before furrowing his eyebrows. "Why are the gym lights on?"
Suga turned around then to see the high windows illuminated next to them, tilting his head. "I dunno, Hinata texted me hours ago that he and Kageyama were on their way back so I told him to keep it unlocked, do you think they just forgot to turn off the light?" A brief flash of a volleyball proved that theory wrong, and the couple looked at each other before entering, seeing perhaps the last person they expected, face pale and sweaty, entire body hunched forward and bags heavy under his eyes. They didn't even think before yelling out, angry and concerned that he looked about ready to pass out, or puke, or both.
"TSUKISHIMA!"
~*~
As soon as he stopped moving, the adrenaline wore off and he felt saliva fill his mouth once again. He bolted to the locker room, team captains close behind him. Suga followed him to the toilets, where he once again vomited, the older man rubbing his back and bringing hair off his sweaty forehead, while Daichi went to get some water.
When Kei sat back on his feet, nausea finally passing, both his senpais were behind him. "Why are you still here, how long have you been here, what happened, are you okay?" Suga quick fired questions at the younger.
Kei took a moment to process and answer the questions. "I've been here since Shrimpy and the King left, whenever that was. I must've worked a little too hard, it's whatever, I'm fine." He reached gratefully for the water bottle that his captain handed him, downing about half of it before he could think past his thirst (he hadn't drank anything since lunch that day, now that he thought about it, save for a sip from Tadashi's water bottle at practice).
"Bullshit." The harsh cuss from the usually well-mannered vice captain made Kei give him a confused look. "First of all, you didn't answer the first question. Second, Hinata and Kageyama left 5 hours ago, and you are not okay. You're too sweaty, even for working normally for five hours, you look exhausted, and this isn't the first time you've thrown up today, is it?" The silence answered for him, leading Daichi to take a sharp inhale of breath. "You're pale, dehydrated, and sick. Tsukishima you are not fine." Kei looked down in shame at the scolding, knowing his senpai was right and that he was being too reckless. A hand on his shoulder made him look up again, this time at his captain.
"What happened, Tsukishima? What's wrong?"
And so it all came tumbling out. All of the feelings he'd kept bottled up, how he felt bad because everyone else took volleyball so seriously and he couldn't, how most times nowadays he felt so much it was like feeling nothing at all, how he's pretty sure he has a crush on Tadashi but he can't because Tadashi likes Yachi and because Akiteru was already dating Tenma, he needed to be straight and date a girl so his parents could have grandchildren, but he doesn't know why they want grandchildren because it's not like they pay him and his brother much attention anyways, and his mom seems to be putting up a constant cycle of "I'm-so-sorry-forgive-me-let's-fix-this" and "I'm-the-mom-you-have-to-do-what-I-say-any-of-your-ideas-are-stupid" and that she constantly lies and he doesn't know what to believe anymore, and he was never close to his dad but they seem to be drifting further and further apart and how he hated himself, just wanted to be able to be a nice, understanding, caring person instead who he was now.
"Tsukishima, can you look at me?" Suga asked after sharing a look with Daichi.
Kei looked up at the grey-haired man, no longer trying to fruitlessly hide his tears and instead letting them fell.
"You are not any less than the rest of us because you have different priorities. You aren't a bad person for having a crush, no matter who it was, or for how long. Never, never, ever." With that, he turned, letting his boyfriend haul his kohai outside to the bench, calling Akiteru to take him home.
No one messed with his kids.
[A/N: Sugamama and Dadchi with possibly rushed ending but I'm literally fall asleep as I'm writing so *shrug*]
