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Chapter Text

Kageyama could feel his arms getting shakier with every set and his legs getting weaker with every serve. His head has been pounding for hours and for once, he cannot wait for evening practice to end.

Over the past few weeks, the temperature has dropped substantially causing Tobio to catch a cold and his serves, sets, and spikes have been much more inconsistent than normal, yet nobody has seemed to notice anything too off.

"Great work today guys, go home and get a nice meal and some rest." Daichi says, and most the team begins heading towards the door to leave after exchanging their goodbyes.

Kageyama takes a sip of water and sighs, he isn't sure if it's relief or exhaustion, at this point, it's probably both.

"You coming Kageyama?" Hinata tilts his head and smiles at his best friend, reaching out a hand to help him to his feet.

"No, I think I'm going to stay and practice a bit more.." He takes Hinatas hand and stands up slowly.

"Can I stay with you and hit a few?" "Uh.. no sorry.. I kind of just wanted to practice alone." He looks towards the ground, hoping the latter won't see through his lies.

"Ok, see you tomorrow then." The smaller boy walks out the gym door defeated, leaving Sugawara, Daichi, and Kageyama remaining in the empty gym.

Tobio approaches his chatting captains and awkwardly waits for them to finish their conversation.

"What's up?" Daichi smiles and turns to face his underclassman.

"I was wondering if I could stay and do some extra practice? I promise i'll lock up the gym and everything." He corrects his slouching posture and tries to make himself appear as awake as possible, but Suga squints suspiciously which quickly turns to a concerned expression.

"This is like, the tenth time you've stayed extra long to practice alone, in a row. And you're already sick, don't you think you should go home and rest?"

"I'll be fine, I promise I know what's best for me." The two oldest exchange looks for a moment, and then Daichi hands the gym keys over to the raven-haired boy.

"Don't stay too long and don't overwork yourself, I'm trusting you. Also, take some medicine and drink some warm tea once you get home, you've been coughing a lot today and you're looking paler than normal." Daichi says sternly.

Kageyama nods at the pair and they leave the gym, he contemplates locking the door behind them but figures there's no point. If Tobio had a home to return to or some warm tea, he would definitely be taking his upperclassmen’s advice. But he doesn’t.

He grabs the ball cart and goes to the end line, serving a few weak ones until he feels like everyone has gone then sluggishly collects the balls and walks over to the wall by his bag, pressing his back against it and sliding to the ground.

His hands, like the rest of his body, are shaky, cold, and getting thinner by the minute. The first year can barely remember the last time he's had a hot meal, let alone any meal that wasn't milk or a protein bar.

When you don't have a job or a family to provide for you, scraping money by for food is difficult so lately he's been stealing little things from Ukai's store when he wasn't looking.

Sure, he feels terrible, but it's not like he really has any other options. Plus, it's not like he's been taking too much advantage of his oblivious coach. He's only been taking enough food for him to eat one bar a day and uses the little money he does have for a milk from the vending machine.

Yes, he is still starving all the time and has to deal with hunger pangs from all the exercise he does on little nutrients, but it'll be fine.

Tobio switches to lying on his side and grabs his backpack, pulling out a thin, gray blanket and draping it over himself and a small book he rests under his head as a pillow.

His gut churns uncomfortably and the teen grabs at his stomach, unsure if the pains are from starvation or guilt from lying to everybody he cares about. If any of his teammates found out he doesn't actually stay after practice to practice, but to have a roof to sleep under for the night, he’s sure he'd be kicked off the team.

Still, the risk of getting caught is definitely less stressful than sleeping outside in the blistering cold in some sketchy alleyway.

His phone lights up with a message from some spam and he decides to open his camera app to see how rough he looks, and if it is noticeable enough to cause worry. The brightness on max almost blinds him, but once the setters eyes are adjusted, he is met with an unfamiliar face that makes his heart crack a little.

Once vibrant blue eyes are dull and underlined with heavy dark circles, a sharp jawline and full face had become hollow and frail looking, and his skin had paled many shades.

Flipping the phone upside down beside him, the ravenette really wishes he wouldn't have let curiosity get the best of him and can't believe nobody’s noticed something’s off with how sickly he looks. Or maybe they have and just don't care.

Finally, his exhaustion gets the best of him, and within seconds, shivering Tobio falls into a heavy slumber.

Chapter Text

"Shit."

Tsukishima mumbles frustratedly and begins feeling around his jacket and sweatpants pockets.

"What's wrong, Tsuki?" Tadashi stops walking and gives the latter a worried look.

"I forgot my phone in the club room. I guess i'll just have to walk back." After readjusting the backpack on his shoulders and turning his pockets back in, he turns away from the shorter boy and begins walking the opposite direction the pair had been headed.

"Hey wait! I can come with you!" The freckled teen puts a hand on Tsukishima's arm and follows his direction, only for the blonde to stop in his tracks and gently remove the fingers from his skin.

"Don't worry about it, Tadashi. It's getting pretty late and I know you have a test tomorrow. Plus, it's unnecessary for you to stay outside in this weather if you don't have to. I'll be fine." The stoic expression on his face didn't waiver or offer any reassurance, but Yamaguchi knew he would survive without him.

"Okay then, good night!." A warm smile flashed across his face and he continued walking towards their neighborhood, leaving Kei, who was now walking back in the direction of the school, alone.

Most would be anxious walking solo in the dark, but the nighttime was peaceful and made Tsuki feel calm. He preferred the stars and moon to the sun, something about the way they shine was just so unbeatably beautiful.

His breath was visible and cloudy in the cold air and he watched it come out in small puffs as he strolled. The sound of the rustling trees dancing in the wind and the occasional bird calling provided a tranquil ambiance to the atmosphere and he was suddenly not hating the inconvenience of his forgetfulness.

He didn't realize how lost in thought he had become until his intense focus on the environment was broken by a pair of chatty third years calling his name as they paced towards him.

So much for peace.

Chapter Text

"Daichi, I'm really worried about Tobio. Hasn't he seemed.. I don't know.. different lately?"

"I'm not going to disagree Koushi, he has definitely been off the past few weeks, he has some type of sickness, probably a cold, so it could be that."

"But what if it's more? What if something is actually wrong?"

"Don't you think he would tell us? He knows he can always talk to any of us at any time."

"Do you really think Kageyama of all people would reach out for help if he had a personal problem?"

"..."

"Exactly. Something in my gut is telling me this could be a big deal and maybe I'm going crazy, but he also looks like he's paled quite a bit and lost some weight."

"You aren't crazy.. I've been noticing it too. But what are we going to do? If we ask him about it, chances are he won't talk."

"He's been practicing extra every night alone for a few weeks now, maybe tomorrow we stay in the club room for twenty minutes or so after everyone leaves and then peak through the windows at what he's doing..? Or we could follow him home with disguises!"

"What are we? Stalkers?"

"Nope, just amazingly thoughtful upperclassmen!"

The two teens laugh until spotting a blonde beanpole walking their direction.

"Hey Suga, we could see if Tsukishima is heading back and have him take a look. He isn't the loud type, so I bet he could sneak by and not draw Kageyama's attention."

"Hm.." He shrugs, "Can't hurt to ask."

________

"Tsukishima! Are you going back to the gym?" Suga called, picking up pace as he approached the first year.

"Yes.. why?" He shoots a suspicious glance and squints his eyes at the silver and brown haired duo.

"Well.. I kind of need you to do me a favor." The shortest of the three rubs the back of his head sheepishly and gives an almost pleading look, contrasting the serious faced captain standing slightly behind him.

"It's Kageyama. I know you two aren't exactly best friends but.." His voice trails off, so the captain picks up where he left off, "We're worried about him. He's been kind of off recently and looks pretty.. sickly. We think something might be wrong, but it's really just a hunch."

"So you're asking me to check on him? Me, of all people?" He scoffs and rolls his eyes, "If you think I could hold a meaningful personal conversation with The King, you're insane."

"We don't want you to talk to him, just.. take a peak at what he's doing for a moment without letting him know you're there. Please, this is kind of important." Normally soft hazel eyes meet golden-brown ones and turn stern, sending a shock through Kei.

He averts his gaze to the ground, "Fine. I guess i'll just text you what he's doing."

"Great! I knew we could count on you, Tsuki!" Suga's orbs go soft again and he smiles.

"I guess we'll see you around, get home safe." Daichi ends the conversation and wanders away, pulling his best friend with him.

Kei pushes his glasses up on his nose and resumes his walk, but goes just a little bit faster.

Hm. What a weird request. But it isn't completely random, The King has seemed odd lately. His eyes and limbs always seem like they're too heavy and his over-aggressively competetive energy has almost completely vanished. Most people wouldn't notice things like that, but it seems Sugawara has spotted it too, with the way he glared at me and said this could be 'important'.

Tsukishima put his thoughts on hold and continued taking in the starlight scenery as he trekked towards the school.

The cold-hearted middle blocker would never admit it, but deep down he was concerned for Kageyama's well-being too.

Chapter Text

Kageyama sat on the floor of his room, pushing his back against the door with all his strength as he heard booming footsteps that shook the small one-floor house come closer and closer, until a banging came from behind his spine and he jumped at the vibrations.

"Tobio, y'a open this door right now.. er.. er else." Though the words were slurred and slow, they still held great power and intimidated the boy.

He looked around his messy room for something to save him, anything, but before he could think through a plan, the door had already been kicked down and he was sent tumbling across the floor into his broken wood dresser.

"I warned y'a, little bastard. y'a can't hide from me.." The large man with bloodshot green eyes and messy hair as raven as Tobio's backed him into a corner and raised the half-emtpied beer bottle in his hand above his head.

"P-please!" He pleaded, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

He wasn't exactly sure what he had done, but in that moment it didn't matter, because regardless of if he knew his mistake or not, the outcome would be the same.

"Useless kid! That's what y'a are!"

The glass bottle went flying, not towards him like expected, but at the wall to their left, shattering loudly and causing alcohol to fly everywhere. The drywall was now stained and had a new dent, but that wasn't an uncommon sight in their household and was definitely not the setters main concern at the minute.

Tobio let out a startled gasp at the sound and could feel his hands begin to shake.

"If y'a weren't such a lazy-ass king expectin' everyone else to do everythin' fer y'a, we wouldn't be in this situation!" He stumbled closer to his son until he was positioned looking down to the terrified teen at his feet. Suddenly, he spat at the boy, causing him to recoil away.

Tobio could've begged once more or tried to escape his fate, but he knew both actions would be useless and could only possibly anger the drunk more than he already was. The setter decided all he could do is accept the situation and put his trembling hands up defensively in front of his face, preparing to try and soften the blow he figured he would be taking.

The older man forced his hands through his sons own and grabbed him by his t-shirt collar, forcing him up to his feet and pinning him against the wall beside the dresser. The teen felt his breaths get shorter and faster as his fathers face neared his.

"Yer a worthless mistake, y'know that?! I came all the way from Hyogo to be with yer whore mother, just fer her to die and leave me with an apathetic piece o' shit son like you to provide fer!" He shouts angrily at Kageyama, his voice raising with every word. The scent of alcohol on his breath is pungent and Kageyama can practically taste it.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that." The teen snapped. His words were quiet, but sharp and dripping with venom.

Insults about himself were one thing, he was used to them and could take it, no matter how badly they stung. Slander against the only person who ever loved him was another.

The room went quiet. It was like time stood still and everything was frozen in place.

Deep down, Tobio was terrified of what he had just done, but on the outside, he fronted an assertive demeanor. In an instant, the whole mood of the room had changed. It was like the venomous words had sobered the alcoholic up.

Green eyes widened in disbelief, then stayed wide with firey rage, and suddenly a firm hand slapped the setter across the face. A shriek escaped his lips as he was sent flying to the cracked wood ground, leaving him lying helplessly on his side.

"I thought y'a would've learned what 'appens when y'a talk back to me by now, but I guess not."

Before he could respond, a kick was sent into his gut, causing him to yelp and curl in on himself, grasping at the already weak and bruised abdomen. Deep ocean eyes filled with tears and whimpers left his lips, not just from the pain, but from the agony of knowing the torture had only just begun.

"I-I've.. learned m-my.. argh.. l-lesson.." He paused to gasp in some breaths, "please.. please stop.."

"No. I'm done with yer shit! First, y'a useless brat tell me y'a ain't quitting school and yer dumb sport to get a job. And now, y'a disrespectin' me!" He reaches into his back pocket and places his hand on something,

"I should be a jerk and kick y'a to the streets, but since i'm so nice i'll do you and the world a favor by gettin' rid o' y'a now!"

Tobio's eyes stop watering and enlarge immediately, followed by his mouth going agape. The man now holds a pocket knife in his hand and bends down to the boys level.

"King? Are you in here?"

"Wh-what.." The boy’s cut off,

"Kageyama..? Kageyama?"

"See y'a in hell." His evil grin stretches as he raises the knife and begins to plunge it into the teens pale neck-

"Tobio! Wake up!"

Chapter Text

Tsukishima began approaching the gymnasium, but stopped for a moment when realizing the lights seemed to be out. He squints towards the windows to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him, and to his surprise, they aren't.

'Huh. That's weird. They said Kageyama was staying late to practice, but I guess he already left.'

He changes his walking direction towards the club room where his cell phone is, but then something deep inside him tells him to reconsider.

'Well.. since i'm already here I could just take a look inside. Just in case.'

He gently and hesitantly slides open the cool metal door. "King? Are you in here?"

The room is almost pitch black, the only light being the pale moon shining into the glassy rectangular panes littered around the wooden walls. The blonde narrows his eyes in an attempt to see clearer, but to no avail.

Quickly, he makes a detour to the club room to kill two birds with one stone. As soon as he grabs his phone and locks up the club room, he turns on his back flash and holds it out as a flashlight.

Kei saunters into the club room and shines his makeshift lantern around the vacant space. Not until he hears soft whimpers does he realize his person of search is laying in plain sight roughly 30 feet from him.

Speechless, he circumspectly paces closer to the sleeping setter, not believing his eyes. Thousands of thoughts rush through his mind at once, some of confusion, some of surprise, and even some of worry.

He stops walking as he stands almost directly above the boy looking down, unsure of what actions to take. From up close, it is clear Kageyama is shivering and wearing a panicked and helpless expression whilst sleeping, an obvious contrast to the calm, serious look he normally sports.

The raven-headed boy mutters something unconsciously incoherent and his eyes aggressively shudder as he tosses around and brings his arms wrapped around his torso closer. His eyes go from dazed to unsettled and a bit saddened at the shockingly pitiful sight the middle never could've imagined he would ever witness.

Tsuki crouches down to Tobio's side and taps a hand on his neck.

"Kageyama..? Kageyama?"

He continues to restlessly stir and another hushed whimper escapes his slightly cracked lips. The blonde moves his hand to thin shoulders and desperately shakes.

"Tobio! Wake up!"

Finally, the dark haired teen awoke with terrified wide eyes and a deep gasp, slapping the latters hand away from his skin.

He looked around wildly and breathlessly panted as if he had just played a 5 set match. He continued mumbling and trembling even harder than before and Tsuki returned his fingers back around his setters shoulders.

"Hey, calm down. It's okay, you're safe." His words were stern, yet still laced with enough sincerity and reassurance to get through to Kageyama.

"Just breathe, in and out, slowly." The ravenette followed the instructions given and shortly, his shaking and fast breathing was minimized.

"Are you okay now? Can you speak?" He allows his grip to loosen on the tense shoulders they were previously latched onto and his hands fall back down to his sides.

"I-I.. yea.. i'm fine." He exhales, "What.. are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Kei looks the latter up and down, studying his thin, slouching frame.

The pair sit in silence for a moment as Kageyama averts his far off gaze to the ground and Tsuki reaches for his cellular device and checks the time.

"I came here because I forgot my phone, you're here because you're doing extra practice, or so the captains think."

"I was practicing, I just.. uh.. got tired.." Tobio keeps his eyes locked to the ground and pulls his jacket closer to his body.

The middle easily saw right through the messy lies, not like it was hard or anything, he really was a TERRIBLE liar, but he couldn't quite figure out why he would lie in the first place.

"I'm not stupid, King-" He starts but is quickly cut off,

"Don't call me that!" He stares intensely into Tsukishima's eyes and it seems the distant and quiet teen has now switched onto his normal defensive self, though the blonde senses undertones of fear in his rebuttal, not threat like usual.

"Whatever, I know you are lying. If you were tired you would've just gone-" He stops mid sentence and the world freezes for a moment as all the puzzle pieces in his mind fall into place.

The sickness that won't go away, the weight loss, the staying after practice every night since temperatures dropped.. his thoughts make logical sense, but surely he's just looking into the situation too deep.

Blue eyes widen at the realization the latter might have figured him out. He tries to think of something to say, something he could use to prove his teammates thoughts wrong, but his mouth won't move.

"You.. haven't been sleeping here.. have you?"

Chapter Text

"You.. haven't been sleeping here.. have you?"

His accusations are met with a look that shows shame, disbelief, and defeat all at once. Tsuki brings his hand to his mouth and neither of the pair speak a word for several seconds.

"Please. Don't tell anyone. Just.. keep this between us." He pleads in a hopeless whispered voice. For once, the snarky clever blocker can't find the right words.

"I- Wh- Y-" A shaky breathe leaves his lips as he finds his composure, "How long have you been.. y-you know..". He can't speak the words, aware that as soon as he does, everything becomes real.

"I've been sleeping in the gym for a few weeks now, ever since it got really cold."

"And.. before that?"

"I don't know, just.. in an alleyway like five minutes away from Sakanoshita, or sometimes at a bus stop.." His voice trails off. "It's not that bad when it isn't freezing-"

He pinches the bridge of his nose and shuts his eyes at the appalling information he has just received and mentally curses himself and his team for letting this go unnoticed. "Not that bad..? How can sleeping on concrete be 'not that bad'?!"

"I guess I just started getting used to it."

"And how long have you been living like this?"

Tobio pauses to think and begins counting on his fingers.

"A few months or so.." He winces at his own words and looks away from Tsuki, who's mouth falls agape.

"Kageyama.. please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry, I-" He sighs and wraps his arms around his body, both to keep warm and to hold himself together. "Please, please don't tell anybody about this."

The wearily desperate look on the ravenettes face causes Kei's heart to soften with pity and he ponders through his options of how to handle this moral dilemma.

"You don't have to apologize, and I won't tell the team for now," The latter's previously tense shoulders fall with relief, "but I can't, in good conscious, let you stay here any longer. You're going to end up terribly ill if you keep trying to survive these conditions." Tsukishima begins to stand up and slings his bag over his shoulder.

"What.. what are you implying?"

"You're coming with me, whether you like it or not." He quickly adds, "We can't win games if our star setter is dead".

He tries to play it off as if his generosity and concern is solely strategical and volleyball related, but deep down, this has nothing to do with sports. It's as if his old tyrannical, monstrous teammate has been erased and replaced with a real suffering human.

"That's kind of you, but I can handle myself. I don't need your pity." Tobio folds his arms and tilts his head slightly up, letting his pride overcome rationality.

"Obviously you can't, judging by how you look like a gust of wind could knock you over at any second." He pulls firmly on the setters shirt collar, hoisting him to his feet. "You're. Coming. With. Me."

Kageyama tries to find the words to argue, but can feel the exhaustion overwhelming his mind and body, so he stays silent and grabs his things.

'I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay with him for a night, I could finally get some much needed rest and a warm bed does sound really nice..'

He throws his windbreaker on and zips it up tightly, then tosses his bag over his shoulder and begins following Tsukishima towards the door. He locks the gym behind him, aware Daichi might kill him before his illness if someone broke in due to his irresponsibility.

The ravenettes weak figure shudders in the bitter wind as the pair walks. He folds his arms tightly and rubs his hands up and down to try and generate some heat as protection from the night air, and the taller boy takes immediate notice.

Without saying a word, the blonde teen stops walking and unzips his volleyball bag. He sets the black duffel bag on the ground and crouches down to dig through his belongings, clearly searching for something.

After a few moments of silence, he removes a thick grey hoodie and hands it to the latter with a brief, "Here."

Tobio doesn't argue, just places down the bags he is carrying and zips the sweatshirt over his thin Karasuno volleyball jacket, then readjusts his bags and continues following Tsuki.

A quiet falls between the duo as they trek, but it doesn't feel awkward or tense, just calm and somehow ordinary.

It doesn't take long before they reach Tsukishima's house and the shorter boy becomes stiff and anxious like he was before, his shoulders raising and breath becoming quicker.

"Don't be nervous." The sudden stoic voice startles him, but the real thing that catches him off-guard is the normally selfish middle blocker's inate ability to read emotions.

"My mom will love the new company and we have an unoccupied spare bedroom since my brother is in college. Just don't be an idiot and you'll be alright. That part might be kinda hard for you, though."

Kageyama humorlessly laughs and rolls his eyes, feeling the tension in his limbs slightly ease. He follows Tsuki up to the door of his new temporary living space and prays he won't screw this good thing up too.

Chapter Text

Tsukishima gently cracks open his front door, careful not to make too much noise just in case one of his family members are sleeping. He steps inside and sees all the lights are on and can hear the kitchen sink running, so he abandons his plan of keeping quiet and opens the door fully and Tobio hesitantly follows him in like a lost puppy dog.

"I'm home, mother." He shouts as he hangs his bags on the metal coat rack by the door and begins untying the laces of his tennis shoes.

The latter begins removing his sneakers as well and once finished, studies the home with an almost awestruck expression. The two-story classic suburban house wasn't anything crazy to most, but Kageyama had been accustomed to an unclean apartment in the slums, and as a result, the Tsukishima residence appeared like a mansion.

The first floor consisted of a bathroom, kitchen, study, and a spacious living room with a brick fireplace, blue oriental rug, and a grey linen couch larger than anything he had ever seen before. There were all types of plants; catci, succulents, and philodendrons that decorated not just the fire lit room, but the entire downstairs.

A refreshing scent of lavender and home-cooked dinner graced his nose and he looked toward the sound of running water to notice a kind-looking blonde woman staring back at the pair. The setter quickly snapped out of his trance and glanced at the taller boy for guidance as the apron-wearing blonde starting walking towards them.

"Kei, you didn't tell me you had a new friend coming over! And just might who you be, young man?" She said in a tone dripping with honey and a sweet smile.

"M-my name is Tobio Kageyama, ma'am." He offered a small, slightly awkward grin and bowed.

She laughed softly, "No need for the formalities, dear. You can call me Aiko!"

'Aiko? As in her first name?' Kageyama thought, 'I've never met any adult who let me call them by their first name. if I ever did that to my father..' He internally winced.

"Kageyama is my volleyball teammate, he's staying the night to review game film with me and I'm going to help prepare him for the upcoming English exam, if you don't mind." Tsuki lied expressionlessly. 

"Of course I don't mind! I love meeting your friends! You know I love Tadashi, but it's a nice treat to get to see someone other than him hanging out with you." She pats her son on the shoulder, "I just finished making dinner, you guys can eat whenever, the food will be ready on the counter. I will be in the living room if you need anything." 

"Thanks." Kei says and nods his head towards the stairs, hinting for the setter to follow him to his room.

When they get to the middle blocker's bedroom, Tobio notices the cleanliness and organization of it, an unsurprising contrast to his own. It is fairly plain and simple; a desk and chair, a queen sized bed, bookshelves, a floor lamp, and a television make up the room along with minimalist decorations and some dinosaur figurines. 

"Your house is so amazing, are you guys really rich?" The ravenette asks candidly with a genuine admiration and curiosity.

Tsukishima lightly chuckles, "No, we aren't 'really rich', probably slightly above average. My parents do well."

"And your mom, she's so nice.. is she always like this..?"

"Yeah, she's very easygoing and friendly, especially to new people. I told you there was nothing to worry about." He closes his door and unzips his Karasuno warmup jacket, hanging it on a hook on the back of the door.

Tobio looks at the bed, then at Kei, as if waiting for permission or a confirmation he is allowed to take a seat. The latter quickly catches on and nods as he pulls out his wooden desk chair and sits down as well.

A comfortable silence falls upon the two as the shorter boy looks around the room, taking everything in.

"You're really lucky, y'know?" The middle blocker looks up from his twiddling fingers and notices his teammates genuine relaxed demeanor as his deep blue eyes move from shelf to shelf, something he doesn't express often.

"Yeah, you're making me realize that a lot more than I did before." His tone isn't sarcastic or degrading for once, just, human. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly were you sleeping in the gym..?"

Kageyama's shoulder tense up as he takes a deep breathe and focuses his wandering gaze on one spot.

"It's kind of a long story, I guess. My father forced me to make the decision between quitting school and volleyball to get a full-time job and pay the bills, or living on the streets. He was.. abusive to say the least, and my house, if you can even call it that, isn't exactly safe. So I, as you can probably tell, chose volleyball."

His tone wasn't sad or regretful, just blunt and slightly ashamed, which made Tsuki's heart hurt even more than it already was. All the times his setter showed up to practice with random injuries and puffy, tired eyes replayed in his mind. 

"And your mother?" He asked cautiously.

"She died when I was little. She was an angel, though. I would.. give anything to see her again."

Tsukishima couldn't imagine his life without his mother, or without his loving family in general. He was urged to hug Tobio tighter than he had ever been held before, but refrained.

"I'm so sorry, I could've never imagined you had all that going on.. you hid it so well."

Kageyama let out a humourless chuckle. "It's alright, I'm glad it seemed like everything was fine on the outside. I didn't want you guys to worry."

"In all honesty, the captains did ask me to go check on you after practice. But I won't tell them anything if you don't want me to."

The ravenette was silent in thought for a moment. "I'd prefer if we kept this a secret. At least for now."

Kei nodded, pulled out his cellphone and opened Sugawara's contact, typing a brief message into the device.

To Sugawara: 'When I went to the gym, Kageyama was already gone. Sorry.'

Almost instantly, the upperclassman opened the text and began his reply.

From Sugawara: 'no problem! thanks for checking tsuki :)'

He read Tobio the texts and then placed his phone face down on the desk.

"Would you like to go get some food? We can bring it back to my room if you feel uncomfortable eating downstairs. No offense, but you look starved." He offers.

"No offense taken, I am." 

"Then let's go."

Chapter Text

The two boys walk down the stairs, with Tsukishima leading, and make their way into the modern kitchen that smelled of fresh foods and lavender incense. On the white marble counters, homemade udon noodles and pork buns sit steaming on a navy placemat. At the sight of the food, Tobio's eyes widen and his mouth goes slightly agape.

"What, you've never seen noodles before Kageyama?" The tall blonde teases after noticing the latters expression and nudges his shoulder.

"Shut up or i'll kill you." He quietly shoots back, aware Mrs. Tsukishima is just a room away and would probably disapprove of death threats to her son.

"Dumbass, you're all bark, no bite-" Just then, the setters stomach growls loudly and he turns away, blushing in embarrassment. Kei raises an eyebrow smugly and lets out a soft chuckle.

"Sounds to me like you need to do some less barking and more biting. There's bowls in the top left cabinet, take as much as you'd like. Mom hates leftovers."

Kageyama holds out his fingers in 'L' shapes to figure out which way is left, then opens the dark grey wood cabinets and grabs a ceramic bowl with painted-on peonies. He begins filling his dish as instructed while the middle blocker pours himself a hot chamomile tea. He holds the kettle up, tilted towards the latter as a silent offering, and receives a single nod in reply.

After Kageyama finishes his plating and Tsuki finishes his beverage pouring, the pair head back up the stairs. On a normal day, he takes his meals downstairs, but figures it might be better to dine in his room to keep his teammate more at ease.

As soon as they get seated and shut the door, Kageyama begins eating quickly, unaware of the wide-eyes staring at him.

"Jeez King, you really are a fatass."

Tobio stopped chewing abruptly, as if thrown off by the comment, and began to choke on his food. He coughed for a few moments before taking a sip of liquid to flush out the stuck food in his throat.

He cleared his throat and directed his now hardened gaze to the latter, "Don't call me that." His tone was more serious than ever and tension in the room arose.

"Woah, calm down, I didn't ever think 'fatass' was something you actually took offense to." He tried to snarkily laugh to relieve some tensions, but the ravenettes gaze did not soften.

"No, not that. The.. other word."

"What- ohh, King?" The younger boys shoulders tensed and he wrapped his arms around his body, as if the word made the temperature drop to freezing.

"Sorry, sorry, I won't say it anymore I guess," Kei was slightly annoyed he could no longer use his favorite insulting nickname and his mind demanded a reasoning as to why it made the setters so uncomfortable. "But why are you so unnerved by a word? Is it because of Oikawa? Because if so, that's pretty lame."

Kageyama finally removed his eyes from the boy and averted them back to his meal, causing Tsuki to relax a bit more.

"No, it doesn't really have to do with Oikawa. It's more personal than that, he just called me it once and realized how much it upset me, and Oikawa's an asshole, so he just kept using it."

The blonde could figure out exactly what he meant by 'personal', so he didn't press on any further and the two boys finished the rest of their meals in comfortable silence. Tsukishima then grabbed all the silverware and dishes and took them downstairs while Tobio walked around touching random objects in the bedroom out of curiosity and interest.

When the middle blocker returned, Kageyama was the one to break the silence.

"Thank you, again, for everything. You don't understand how long it's been since I've had a real warm meal and actually felt full." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed his arm
as Tsuki's stoic expression faded and turned into a sympathetic smile.

"Don't mention it. Nobody should have to starve or sleep in the cold. Even if they're annoying, idiotic prodigies like you."

His remark caused Tobio to laugh and his now light demeanor made the latter join in.

For the next half hour, they talked about school, sports, and just life itself, enjoying each other's presence and getting to know each other better. Then they both decided it would be best if they went to sleep because Tsuki had tests the next day and Kageyama was exhausted from life.

Kei lead his setter to his brothers room that was currently serving as the guest bedroom and made sure he was comfortable.

As soon as he laid down in the soft grey-linen sheeted bed, his whole body felt like lead and the sleepless nights caught up to him at once. He could've almost fallen asleep instantly, but he still had one thought keeping him up.

"Hey, Kei?" He murmured sleepily as the latter flipped the rooms light switch off.

"Yes?"

"Can you.. promise me something?"

The tall boy moved to sit on the edge of the bed so he could get closer to the almost whispering teen.

"Depends. What's up?" He looked Kageyama directly in his eyes, not in his normal threatening way, but as if to let the latter know he had his full attention.

"Promise you won't abandon me too.. please?" His voice began to shake, "I-I don't know if I can take another heartbreak.." Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly rubbed them away.

Tsuki shifted closer to the boy and cupped his cheek, smiling at him to ease his worry.

"I promise you. I'm here for you, Tobio, and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. And I don't suppose you plan on leaving me either?"

The setter let out a hushed giggle and laid back down.

"No, of course not."

Tsukishima then left the room and Tobio curled up in all the warm blankets, peaceful and comfortable, for the first time in ages.

That night, both boys fell asleep thinking the same thought.

'I could get used to this.'