A Co-Captain's Doubts

Good and Bad Timing

The first thing Daichi did as the score was changed to reflect their winning point was give out a triumphant yell and turn around to find Suga, his eyes searching for a couple of seconds before he remembered he wouldn't find him. Shoulders sinking as his mood dipped, he turned to find Asahi who was reaching up to rub his neck and giving him a soft knowing smile."I was looking for him too, feels wrong without Suga yelling and beating up on us." He admitted, eyes growing thoughtful as he looked over to the painfully empty bench.Nodding his head with a soft sigh, the captain glanced across the gym and sought out the black-haired player responsible for their missing vice-captain. He didn't have to search hard as number four was in the center of the court with fists balled up and a glare so heated, Daichi thought the net between them might catch fire. Squaring his shoulders, the brunette raised his chin defiantly and crossed his arms, he dared the other boy to throw a punch at him, he was more than itching to give that bastard a black eye to match the one Suga sported."Daichi, that receive was badass!" Nishinoya bellowed, springing into the air with an enthusiastic jump but then dropping his hands to his hips and leaning forward to interrogate their red-headed middle blocker. "Hinata, man, why didn't you jump that block? You're lucky our big shot captain saved your ass!"Spinning around, Hinata pleaded his case."I would have jumped, but I was doing what Daichi-san told me! He said; 'The next time you have to block a spike, squat down like you're going to jump, but don't.' So that's what I did!"Brow hitching in confusion, Nishinoya turned his attention back to the brunette."Really, what for? Wait- I know why you had him do it!" Noya said, crossing his arms over his chest and then gripping his chin while he nodded as if he were a wise old man.Impressed the libero had picked up on the reasoning, Daichi blinked."You do?""Hell yeah," Noya grinned wolfishly. "You wanted to pull off a sick stunt to stick it to Wasaki's number four, didn't you? You're not as modest as everyone thinks, Daichi, but I don't blame you. I'd like to knock his teeth out for what he did to Suga."Cracking his knuckles, Nishinoya looked over his shoulder and sneered at the boy almost twice his size. Following his gaze, Daichi happened to catch eye contact with the captain of the other team again and realized he was a little grateful for the other player. He couldn't condemn the entire team for the actions of some of them, and he had reason to believe the other third-year hadn't agreed with the dirty approach his teammates took. Holding the captain's stare for a moment, Daichi watched as he maintained a disappointed expression, but then gave the barest hint of a nod and turned around to follow his teammates toward their coach.'Thanks,' Daichi thought in his direction, and not because he thought they needed the help to win, but because it gave him a chance to protect his teammate."I guessed right, didn't I?" Nishinoya prodded, pulling his attention back to their side of the court and making Daichi raise his eyebrows as he thought about how to respond. He didn't think it would be good for the other captain if word got around he'd helped the opposing team, even if it was only to prevent injury, so he gave a weak laugh and rubbed the back of his head."Uh, yeah, you figured me out." He admitted as his eyes drifted to the other captain for a moment and then back to his teammates. "Sorry about that, Hinata."Not looking put out in the least, the first year still smirked largely at his upperclassman."That's okay, Captain! I totally got to make the winning point so it's alright with me!""Hinata boke, without my toss you wouldn't have scored anything," Kageyama muttered but it was with much less enthusiasm than he normally exerted.Daichi wondered if the young setter was feeling tired after the game considering he stalked off the court without waiting for a rebuttal, Hinata stammering and chasing after him with refutes. Even after they'd won the match, he noticed Kageyama seemed a bit off.Setting the thought aside for the time being, he looked up as Coach Ukai called out to the team with his hands on his hips and a large smile."Alright alright, nice work guys! Get your stuff cleaned up and grab Sugawara from the infirmary, it's late and I want to get the heck out of here." He called, taking in a deep breath, and letting out a sigh. "Right after I talk to Kita Wasaki's Coach, that is. No way in hell I'm leaving without giving them a piece of my mind.""C-Coach, what do you plan to say to him?" Takeda asked alarmed, tossing his clipboard to the bench as he followed after the narrow-eyed blond who was stalking in the direction of the other coach."I'm sure I'll come up with something..." Ukai muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as players from the opposing team strode past to catch their own ride home.Letting out a tired breath Daichi clapped his hands to round up his teammates and headed to the bench to collect his things."You heard him, let's go!"The sound of running water filled the restroom as Sugawara hung his head over the sink, his skull throbbing and making him nauseous as the blindingly bright lights made him squint. His escape from the infirmary was meant to refresh, but as he gripped the cold porcelain with shaking fingers and struggled to remain upright, he conceded that wasn't going to happen. His best bet was to blame his poor mood on his many injuries, hopefully, it was enough to disguise the melancholy.He was disgusted with himself if he were being honest... There was a part of him that almost hoped they hadn't won without him, and he couldn't deny that. It felt as though it would really finalize his friend's words, that they would be fine without him... And even if Daichi just meant this certain circumstance, what was preventing it from being true of others? He was jealous of Kageyama getting to stand where he once stood, of his fellow third years who still held their position on the court. He was mad at himself, for being too easy to replace and then not good enough to offer much else as an upperclassman... He was inconsequential, and he felt empty.As much as he wanted to scream or fall apart right now, he'd have to wait until he managed to make it home, another problem he should be thinking about because he needed a ride and his parents weren't picking up their phones. Taking in a slow and deliberate breath, Sugawara straightened at the sink and looked at the sorry excuse for a third year reflected at him. His usually fluffy silver hair lay limp and lifeless, his skin paler than normal and making him appear sickly. His eyes were red-rimmed, the left partially swollen and sporting a brilliant purple and red bruise that nearly concealed the beauty mark below it. He sighed as he took in the sight of his split lip and the blood that marked the orange collar of his now wrinkled jersey. Altogether his appearance was quite atrocious, but it didn't compare to the pain in his eyes, the sadness. His external wounds would heal, but he wasn't so sure about his heart or pride.Tired of looking at his pitiful self, Sugawara hastily twisted the water off and pushed away from the sink to begin an unsteady walk to the door. He'd kept Kiyoko waiting long enough, although he knew she'd never complain. Taking in one more deep breath as he reached for the handle, the setter let it out quietly and tugged the door open. The black-haired girl stood just outside the bathroom entrance, her hands clasped neatly behind her back as she waited, and she turned to look at him as he emerged, expression even."Feeling better?"Finding it hard to lie to her face, Sugawara paused before he responded, and then reached up to place a hand over his aching eye."Uh... No, not really.""You don't look better, either." She told him, taking his arm and pulling it over her shoulder once more as her other arm snaked around his waist."Thanks..." He murmured, not sure if it was for her assistance or the conformation he looked awful, but not thinking too hard on it as they made their slow progress back to the infirmary.They remained quiet as he gingerly took each step, his head still aching and causing his vision to blur now and again, making him grateful for Kiyoko's patience and her insistence she accompany him. They were about halfway to the infirmary when something suddenly blocked their path, and then Sugawara's blood ran cold before he even had the chance to look up."Well well, look what the cat dragged in." Came a deep and irritated voice, simmering with hate.As the two froze where they stood, the silver-haired setter slowly turned his gaze up to see the speaker and filled with dread. Kanda from Kita Wasaki accompanied by his two friends. Groaning internally, Sugawara cursed the horrible timing and swallowed thickly. Of course, this would happen just when he thought this night couldn't get any worse."Excuse me, you're in our way." Kiyoko said in her usual even tone, apparently trying the polite route."In your way?" Kanda scoffed, sneering at her indignantly as he began to stalk closer. "More like you're in my way, hand over your useless bench warmer, four eyes, or you'll have bigger problems than your vision to deal with."Stiffening as Kiyoko made an alarmed noise beside him, Sugawara straightened and shrugged out from under her arm. He still felt like a pile of garbage someone had set on fire, but now he was furious and pumping with adrenaline. Stepping forward and pushing his classmate behind him, the setter stood his ground, even if he was moments from toppling over."Don't speak to her like that, you greasy ape. Get away from us." Sugawara said darkly, his voice low but dripping venom."Suga-Kun..." Kiyoko murmured, gripping the back of his jersey as he stood in front of her."It's alright, just stay behind me." He instructed, his eyes on Kanda and the others as they laughed and continued toward them.Shit, this wasn't good."Get away, or what? You'll fall over and cry for that captain of yours? The asshole hit me in the forehead with a spike, I wonder how he'll feel if I use my fist to do the same to his boyfriend." Kanda snarled, his lip curling in contempt as he grew ever closer.A fleeting sense of pride ran through Suga as he learned of Daichi's retaliation, but it only lasted a second before he realized it spelled disaster for him now. Even if he weren't injured, there was no way he could take on three guys who were far larger than him, that theory was tested earlier... But there was also no way he wasn't going to try.Taking a step back and feigning intense fear, Sugawara appeared to cower before the trio as they came right up on him but bided his time."Last chance... Leave us alone." He murmured in response, his head down but his eyes turned up to the hulking boy who now stood before him, his size dwarfing Sugawara."And I said, or what?" Kanda demanded, his voice a whisper as he leaned down and got in the smaller player's face.Clenching his fists, Sugawara steeled his nerves and made his decision, no going back now."Or... THIS!" Pulling his arm back, he swung with all his battered body had in him and punched Kanda in the mouth, his knuckles cutting on teeth and then connecting with the larger boy's nose as well.Yelling profanities as Kiyoko gasped from behind, Kanda clutched at his nose while Suga shook his hand out with a wince. He'd never punched anyone with the intent to hurt them before, but damn did it hurt!"I'm going to fucking KILL YOU!" The black-haired boy bellowed, releasing his now bleeding face to grab Sugawara fully by the front of his shirt, and heft him onto the air.Kicking frantically, he could hear Kiyoko scream behind him but couldn't see much as he struggled to pry himself free. Clawing at the hands that gripped him, he gave a noise of disgust as the other boy spit blood in his face, then grunted as he was forcefully thrown to the ground. Hitting the tiles painfully and landing on his back, the setter groaned as he wiped the spit from his face. Through sheer willpower, Suga managed to roll to his knees and slowly staggered back to his feet. He hadn't planned to die tonight, but if it meant he got to punch Kanda in the face one more time, he might just be okay with it.Just as he thought this, one of the guys from earlier grabbed him beneath the arms and nearly yanked him off his feet, trapping Suga against his chest. He hardly had the strength to hold his head up, let alone fight off the guy cutting off the circulation to his arms, how was he going to defend against whatever Kanda had in store for him? Holding his breath, Suga squeezed his eyes shut while the fuming boy stomped toward him and prayed he didn't lose any teeth."I'm going to end you, you worthless-"*SMACK*The sounds of skin hitting skin ricocheted off the hall walls and then Suga was falling to the ground as the person gripping him suddenly let go. It took a second for him to get his bearings but when he felt a hand on his shoulder and blinked his blurry eyes mostly clear, he found Hinata crouching protectively over him.Up against the wall, Daichi had his fists tangled tightly in the fabric of number five's jersey and was forcing him into the bricks with a wrathful expression on his face. What the captain really wanted was to bury his fist in Kanda's face, but Asahi had beat him to it.Daichi was furious, no, he was beyond that. There were no words to express the loathing he felt coursing through his body, and it ignited as soon as the team rounded the corner to find Sugawara cornered and throwing a punch at the dark-haired wing spiker from Kita Wasaki. It really couldn't have been better timing, but the whole team initially froze at the sight until their manager's terrified scream brought them quickly back to reality as their setter was picked up and thrown down the hall. Daichi wasted no time ripping his and Suga's bag over his head and tossing them to the floor, but Asahi was faster. In seconds he'd managed to spin Kanda around by the shoulder and plant a powerful punch to his jaw.Disappointed he'd missed the chance to deck the black-haired boy, Daichi did the next best thing and ripped number five off Sugawara and slam him against the wall. The other player seemed to know his current position was not a good one and remained still with his hands in the air to indicate surrender. A couple of feet away, Tanaka and Noya had tackled the last boy to the ground and were holding him hostage against the floor as Kanda who lay moaning at Asahi's feet.Trying to reign in his murderous rage, Daichi pushed the boy up against the wall even harder and let his eyes bore into the weary ones before him."Listen to me." He seethed, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "You and that other guy are going to scrape number four off the floor and get the hell out of my sight. You won't speak a word of this to anyone, you will get on your bus, and go on with your repulsive existence... Got it?"Eyes wide with fear, the other player nodded his head quickly as he gulped at Daichi's ferocious glare. Not satisfied, the captain yanked him forward and thrust him against the wall once more."I said, got it?"Wincing, he nodded his head once more and stammered fearfully."Yeah, okay! Got it!"Narrowing his eyes, Daichi stared at him for a few seconds longer, but then thrust him in the direction of his friends on the ground."You have five seconds." He growled.