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Tsukki pushes up his glasses as he walks down the halls of Karasuno High. Despite being held back in class till five minutes after volleyball practice started, he’s not in any rush. So, he continues to casually head towards the gym. It’s loud when he gets in there. They’re running through drills with much more excitement than they should reasonably have. Coach turns to Tsukki with a frown.
“You’re late.”
“I know that. I got held back after class.”
“You did?” Yamaguchi asks.
“For what?”
“My personality. The teacher wasn’t a fan of it.”
Coach shakes his head.
“Were you being disruptive?”
“No, not really,” he says flippantly as he starts his warm ups.
“Ridiculous,” he mutters.
Tsukki keeps his shoulder straight even though he wants nothing more than to run away at Coach’s tone.
I’m sorry. I know that I cause problems, but I’m sorry. I wasn’t doing anything.
The idea that the comment was pointed at his teacher and not him doesn’t even cross his mind. Instead he sneers at his shoes, his defenses coming up. Yamaguchi watches him cautiously. Tsukki ignores the look, shifting his focus back to his warmup. Practice is full of odd looks and anxiety. Most of the looks are in his head, but he can’t help but see them everywhere he goes. This is only reinforced by the fact that Yamaguchi doesn’t approach him after practice like he always does. He just puts a grumpy frown on his face as nausea boils in his stomach.
“I’m heading home,” he says over his shoulder, not turning to look at Yamaguchi.
“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tsukki nods, calmly walking towards the door.
“Tsukki,” Coach says.
“Yes?”
“Do you want to talk about what happened in class?”
“No.”
He turns and walks out before Coach can say anything else. He rushes home as soon as he’s out of view. The rest of the afternoon is spent with his headphones on and a study book open. He silences his notifications on his phone, leaving it in a drawer. Dinner is skipped, and he doesn’t climb into bed until midnight. It’s a little better the next morning. His heart isn’t beating quite so fast even though he still can’t stop thinking about what Coach said, and what Yamaguchi didn’t say. He can’t force down any breakfast, so he heads straight to school after dragging himself out of bed. He stops by Yamaguchi’s house, knocking firmly. Butterflies flutter around his stomach, getting worse as he waits. Yamaguchi’s mother opens the door, confusion fluttering across her face for a moment.
“Tsukki, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to pick Tadashi up.”
“He already left. He said that you guys were just going to meet up at school. I’m sure he just forgot to text you.”
Tsukki nods.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, come by soon. You know I love having you.”
Tsukki nods again.
“I will.”
Probably not, he thinks as he pulls his phone out of his bag to see if Yamaguchi texted him. The only texts were from last night, and it was just letting Tsukki know that he got home safely.
“I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
He takes a deep breath before walking to school. It takes all of his willpower just to get through the day, especially since Yamaguchi hasn’t spoken to him by the time the school day is over.
I might just skip volleyball. Text Coach and tell him that I’m not feeling well. No, that’s not fair. Man, I hate myself.
He shakes his head, walking to the locker room to change. No one says anything, and he stays quiet too. No snarky remarks, he’s even too anxious for that. Coach seems to pick up on the quiet and slightly somber mood, staring at all of them critically. He tells them to go home half an hour early. Yamaguchi walks up to him for the first time that day. Starting the only contact he’s gotten other than a wave and a small smile this morning.
“Tsukki.”
“What do you want?” he demands, turning to glare at him.
Yamaguchi takes a step back, surprised by the hostility in Tsukki’s voice.
“I’m sorry about today. I’ve just been really busy.”
“Whatever, it’s not like we’re joined at the hip or something.”
“Yeah, but I should have said something to you. Why don’t we go somewhere?” he asks, his eyes glinting.
Tsukki’s half tempted to say no just because of the look in his eyes, but he sighs.
“Fine, what are we doing?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
Tsukki shrugs, walking to grab his bag. That’s when he realizes that they’re alone in the gym.
“Everyone left really fast,” he comments, his brow furrowing.
“Yeah, I guess. Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
He follows Yamaguchi out of the gym, letting him lead the way as he jogs ahead. Tsukki indulges him, increasing his stride to keep up. It’s not far before he stops in front of someone’s house.
“Where is this?” Tsukki asks, looking around for anything that he recognizes.
“A friend’s house.”
“We have those?” he asks as Yamaguchi knocks on the door.
Noya opens the door excitedly.
“Come on in. I’ve got everything set up in the living room.”
He races back inside leaving them at the door. Tsukki is only more confused now, but Yamaguchi leads him inside. Everyone, the whole team except for that one weird kid who never plays, is in the living room. There are snacks and games scattered around. Despite how lively they usually get, the atmosphere stays very calm and peaceful. Tsukki feels very at home, and everyone is surprisingly nice. With his anxiety under control, he’s able to talk to everyone without making fun of them, or being mean. Yamaguchi keeps giving him thumbs up, but makes sure that he socializes too. Once dinner is nearing, and almost everyone goes into the kitchen, Kageyama walks up to him.
“Hey, I thought that you should know that Yamaguchi put this together with the others. He explained your anxiety issues, and everyone thought that this would be a good way to help. Everyone here is on your side, and I wanted you to know that.”
Tsukki stares at him even as he disappears into the kitchen. Tsukki walks in too, grabbing Yamaguchi’s arm to pull him outside.
“Thank you for all of this. I never realized that things could be this way, but I do have to go. My mom is having friends over, and I’m late already. Is that ok?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll let everyone know. Also, you don’t have to thank me. I just want everything to work out for everyone. Have fun, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe you can continue talking to them tomorrow the way you did today.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you Tadashi.”
He nods, waving as Tsukki retreats down the driveway. He feels lighter than he has in a long time as he walks home. He even manages to get a full night’s sleep.