Chapter Text
Daichi considered himself a dedicated hard worker. He stepped up to the plate in his second year to help motivate the team, albeit a bit too late. When he was named the Captain for next year, he swore to himself that he will strive to work hard to not let his team down.
The new year started and the first years joined. Tsukishima was good at being a middle blocker and had some talent in it. It seemed like his heart wasn’t into it though. Yamaguchi had potential and hidden talents. If he could figure out what he wanted, then he’d be able to get it down. Then there were the other two first years.
Kageyama and Hinata.
They were double from the beginning with their constant fighting. Daichi didn’t know why they were like this, but they needed to learn that it’s all about teamwork.
.
.
Is what he wanted to say. After witnessing the first years getting stronger and stronger everyday, Daichi felt like he was bringing the team down. Yeah, he was the Captain and kept them in line, but what else was he supposed to do? He wasn’t good at spiking like Hinata (for a middle blocker!!), he wasn’t as good with receiving as Nishinoya, and he wasn’t a good pinch server like Yamaguchi.
He was surrounded by amazing, talented people and here he was being plain and boring. He needed to do better. He-
Could he be better?
Daichi knew that the thoughts plaguing his mind weren’t good for him, but the more he thought about it. The more they wouldn’t leave him alone. He checked the time on his phone.
12:40am.
He placed his phone down on his table and turned around to face the wall.
By 1am, Daichi was out the door and going on a morning jog.
///
Daichi’s early morning routine continued for a while and with each new day a new mile was added to his jog.
(Hinata once saw a guy jogging and rubbed his eyes thinking that it was Daichi, but he brushed off the thoughts. There was no way he’d overwork himself right?)
Daichi was now sitting at his desk at his house and staring at his homework. He was so caught up with the need to catch up to his kouhais that he neglected his homework. Picking up his pencil, he began doing the neglected sheets of work.
His mother became worried when her son neglected to come downstairs for dinner. She knew her son was an avid food lover and would never skip a meal. She looked at her husband and younger children in worry. Shiori and Sato loved their older brother and they loved hearing him talk about his day. They especially loved when he would talk about the volleyball club.
She silently set some food aside for Daichi for when he felt hungry. She was sure that this was going to be a one time thing. Her baby will be back to normal tomorrow.
.
.
Four days later and the mother was increasingly becoming worried for her son. Daichi was looking skinnier and sicker by the day. Her husband and younger children were just as worried about the elder son. She promised herself that she wasn’t going to get involved, but she was getting worried.
She reached for her cellphone and sent a text to someone. Hopefully, they’d keep an eye on her baby.
///
The next day Kiyoko, Suga, and Asahi were standing outside of Ukai’s shop. The three third years stood in solemn silence.
“So, what’re we going to do?”
Asahi looked down at the ground in disappointment. In himself. In the universe. In everything. He didn’t want to blame Daichi cause he didn’t want to. It didn’t feel right to put the blame on him. He only wished that the Captain confided in them before it got to that point. Did he not trust them? Asahi shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
Suga and Kiyoko looked at Asahi and sighed. They wanted to help their friend, but they didn’t know where to start. Suga was thinking of messaging the other Captains, but if Daichi wasn’t talking to them then he doubted that they would know what’s going on.
After Suga had received a message from Daichi’s mom about her son, Suga had a very rude awakening to his boyfriend’s condition. Daichi had been reserved the past two months. He had refused to go out with the other third years, he brushed off the younger ones, and he stayed in the classroom during breaks hunched over his desks doing something. He had even taken the key from Tanaka and was the last one to leave, as well as the first one there.
Suga groaned and ran his hands through his hair, ruffling his silver hair.
‘Damn….just what you gotten into Daichi?’
.
.
If there was ever a time for such regrets, it would be that moment. The Karasuno boys were having their afternoon practice. They were having a six on six. Everything seemed like it was going well. Daichi himself looked like he was doing alright, but in actuality he wasn’t. Daichi kept blinking and nearly missing the ball. Kiyoko, Suga, and Asahi kept a sharp eye on him. Ennoshita narrowly saved the ball from Hinata’s spike sending it towards Suga for a set. Daichi had jumped up and successfully spiked it towards the other side, passing Yamaguchi and Nishinoya. Their half of the team cheered, but it was cut short when they heard a heavy thumping sound. They turned around only to be greeted by the sight of the Captain on the ground, not moving.
Nothing was said, the silence was deafening to the sight of Daichi, the strong, reliable Captain on the floor. All at once, all hell seemed to break loose. The first years (except Tsukishima) seemed to lose any semblance of sanity and started mumbling to themselves while shaking like a leaf. The second years had mixed reactions. Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita were staring at Daichi as pale as the uniform. Tanaka and Nishinoya were running around like chickens without their heads. The third years looked on with horror. Their plan to confront their friend had been shoved in their faces. They should’ve reached out to him in the day and not after practice. The guilt was eating them away.
Suga shook his head and decided to use the one braincell that they collectively shared in that one moment and made his way over to his boyfriend. He hoisted him up into his arms in a surprising show of strength and turned towards their advisor.
“Takeda-sensei!!! Is the nurse still in?”
The spectacled teacher looked at his student in shock and shook himself out of his stupor. He looked down at the time on his phone and nodded his head.
“Yes, she should still be here. If we hurry, we can catch her and have her look over Daichi.”
Suga nodded and lifted the Captain into his arms. Suga’s face was fun of surprise as he felt how light the younger was. He hissed and cursed to himself as he ran after the club advisor.
The rest of the members watched as their Vice carried their Captain away. They didn’t know what they were supposed to do. Daichi was their pillar and they watched him fall. They didn’t know why that happened, but the shock of seeing someone collapsing like that would scare anyone.
A shaky breath was being sucked in and then everyone’s attention snapped when a pair of hands were being clapped. They turned to look at Ennoshita, who looked a little shaky, the source of the sound.
“Hey, I know that everything that just happened was a little shaky for everyone. But, that doesn’t mean that we should neglect ourselves. Daichi-san might’ve overworked himself or he might be feeling ill and pushed himself to come here. Whatever the problem is we have to show him that we’re able to take care of ourselves while he’s away. We-we have to make him see that we’re capable and that we care about his health. S-so we have to keep going and work just as hard.”
Everyone could see how hard Ennoshita was trying to keep himself from crying like the rest of them. He was right. They needed to show Daichi that they would work hard for him. To tell him that he needed to care for himself as well. They could do this. The second year male looked at them then turned to Asahi.
“Tanaka, Asahi, help me?”
The not-bald future Ace and current Ace nodded, determination showing in their eyes.
“Alright, everyone back to practice.”
.
.
Back in the infirmary, Suga was sat next to Daichi and looking down at him sadly. Daichi was malnourished, dehydrated, and had a mild case of insomnia in addition to a fever. Suga looked down at himself in disappointment.
Daichi had always been the pillar of Karasuno. He took care of everyone when it mattered the most. He was the strongest one of them all. He even gained the respect of the different Captains they’ve met over the season. He helped to put the Karasuno team together. He made them into what they were today. And yet….they couldn’t realize that their Captain was hurting himself. That Suga’s own boyfriend was hurting himself.
Suga clenched his fist tightly. He was disappointed in himself so bad. He promised that he was always going to stick close to Daichi to make sure that nothing happened to him. He would be the pillar to the pillar and yet, he had failed in that one job by himself. He swore when Daichi woke up he was going to find out what happened to his boyfriend and how he was going to make it up to him.