He didn't exactly want to go to school, but Suga knew what would happen if he skipped. It wouldn't exactly be skipping since he did have a broken nose, but he knew that's not how his parents would view it. Suga sighed in defeat as he opened his eyes.
The morning went both fast and slow. Since he wanted to avoid as many questions as possible, Suga decided he would get to class as soon as it started. He took his morning slow, trying to drag time out as long as he could, but school still came too quickly.
The walk to school was uncomfortable to say the least. It wasn't the walk itself that had Suga on edge, but what waited for him at the end. His teammates would definitely be waiting at the gate for him if he got there too early. They no doubt had questions for him. The rest of the school would have questions too, seeing the gross purple color on his face. He timed his morning specifically to avoid these confrontations, yet he knew he could only run for so long.
Luckily for him, Suga arrived at the gate just as the first bell rang. Not only did that mean nobody was waiting for him, but it also meant nobody would stop him in the halls. He would still get weird or concerned looks, but that was to be expected.
A fresh wave of doubt rushed over Suga as he entered the school building. Would anyone actually care he was hurt? Did anyone even notice he had missed the day before? Did he plan his morning around something that wasn't even a problem? Similar thoughts circled around in his head as he made his way up to the third year classrooms. As soon as he entered, all these thoughts vanished.
Time froze as he locked eyes with Daichi. Suga could read so many different emotions flowing through him; happiness and relief, followed by worry. Before he could get up to talk to Suga, the second bell rang, signaling the being of class. Suga walked up and sat in his usual spot in front of Daichi.
Suga tried his best to pay attention to the lesson, but he couldn't help but feel eyes burning into the back of his head. When the school year had started, Suga chose to sit in front of Daichi so that he wouldn't be distracted during class. He did it to prevent himself from staring at Daichi all class period, yet he never thought Daichi would stare at him all class. Any other day and he would have been overjoyed, but today it was just annoying. Why did he care anyway?
As the clock ticked closer to the end of class, Suga was putting together an escape. There was only a small window of time for him to get out of the classroom and avoid Daichi, but the trouble didn't end there. He couldn't go to the roof, Daichi and Asahi would definitely check there first. He couldn't go to the gym, Hinata and Kageyama would most likely be there. Classrooms wouldn't work either, he would surely be noticed. He could probably find a secluded spot outside, but Suga really just wanted a nice, quiet place to hide. The only other option would be the basement. It was dark and dingy, but nobody would look for him there. It also helped that very few people knew the door by the east staircase was the only unlocked door to the basement. All Suga had to do was make it down the stairs without being seen.
Right as the hand struck twelve, Suga was gone. He was able to reach the east staircase before many people had left their classrooms despite it being across the school from his classroom. As he rushed down the stairs, voices began to fill the hallways. One more flight and he would be safe. He held his breath as he pulled the basement door open and thrust himself inside, hoping that no one had seen him.
Suga sighed as he walked down the last flight of stairs to the basement. It was dark, the only light coming from a few old light bulbs. The basement was just a large square room with cinder block walls. Shelves lined the room, filled with forgotten supplies. A few extra desks here, a broken basketball hoop there, it was more of a dumping ground than a storage area. Suga weaved through some shelving units before finding an old couch to sit on. Only 45 minutes before he had to go back to class.
"...are you sure he came down here?" A familiar, innocent voice asked. As much as Suga didn't want to be followed, hearing Yamaguchi put him at ease, he felt like he didn't need to run.
"I'm sure." A deeper voice, no doubt Tsukishima, replied. For whatever reason, Suga was okay that those two had been the ones to follow him, glad even.
"Sugawara-san." Yamaguchi said as he turned the corner, the couch and Suga in clear view. Looking up at Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, he didn't fake a smile like he normally would, instead he just looked. Yamaguchi clearly grew uncomfortable, yet something in Tsukishima's eyes showed understanding. Without saying anything, he led Yamaguchi over to the couch, where he sat between Suga and the other boy.
Although he was clearly uncomfortable, Yamaguchi sensed that the silence was welcomed, so he sat and ate his lunch. Tsukishima did the same, not looking at either boy. Suga appreciated how Tsukishima was acting normal and how Yamaguchi was reading the atmosphere. He wasn't sure why, but he was glad they were there.
"So." Tsukishima said, breaking the silence. Yamaguchi looked up, but didn't say anything.
"I don't know." Suga answered, feeling an odd sense of trust towards the younger boys.
"You don't know what?" Yamaguchi piped up, earning a look from Tsukishima.
"Why I'm running, what I'm running from, I just don't know." Suga said, shaking his head. While he had an idea of what he was running from, he didn't have a clear enough grasp to share it with the two boys.
"How's your nose?" Tsukishima asked, sensing that Suga didn't have answers.
"Hurts like hell. Hinata managed to dislocated it, I had to put it back myself." He shared.
"I, um, forgot. I have to go talk to Yachi about something. I'll catch up with you later Tsukki." Yamaguchi rushed, gathering his stuff and quickly exiting the basement. Suga looked after him with a confused expression while Tsukishima just sighed.
"You don't need to defend yourself or say anything, just listen." Tsukishima said. Suga focused his confused expression away from where Yamaguchi had disappeared and over to Tsukishima.
"Somethings been different about you recently, the entire team has noticed. Nobody knows what caused the change or why, but it seems like it started after we beat Shiratorizawa. The rest of the team may think it has something to do with volleyball, but I'm not so sure. You're in your head more and more, and you've been drifting from the team. You've been in conversations less and less, and now you're flat out avoiding everyone. I'm not saying you need to go back to how you were or anything, I just thought you might want to know what it looks like to us." He finished. Suga looked at the floor, taking it all in. His head was spinning, trying hard to come up with varying excuses.
"There's a lot I'm still trying to figure out myself to be honest. My head is full of my own demons and I feel like I'm drowning. I'm giving in to them, so I'm not sure how much longer the Suga you all know and love is going to be around." Suga responded, not meeting Tsukishima's eyes.
"I'm not exactly one to talk, but if you think talking will help at all, I'm willing to listen. Yamaguchi is too, he's probably better at it than I am." Tsukishima said, a bit flustered. For the first time in a long time, Suga smiled a genuine smile.
"I might take you up on that sometime." He smiled, finally looking at the taller boy. His face didn't show much emotion, but his eyes were kind. Something about Tsukishima being there made him feel at ease.
"I, uh, I know what it's like to have your whole world crumble around you. When I was younger, my world revolved around my older brother. He was the ace of his volleyball team in junior high and was really good. He decided to go to Karasuno for high school, it was just reaching its peak of being a powerhouse. I always looked up to him and thought he was so cool, but it turned out he lied to me for his three years of high school. He told me he was the ace of Karasuno. He would make up excuses for why I couldn't watch his games, but when I finally went to one, I found out the truth. He wasn't the ace, he wasn't even on the bench; he was cheering from the stands. I understand that he lied to me so that I wouldn't think any less of him, but it didn't lessen the blow." Tsukishima shared. Suga looked up at him with wide eyes, he never expected Tsukishima to share that much.
"Is that why you don't take volleyball all that seriously?" Suga found himself asking.
"My brother put everything he had into volleyball, and it broke him. I'm aware my situation is different than my brothers, but I'm still hesitant." Tsukishima answered.
"This was around the time Karasuno had the Little Giant, wasn't it?" Suga asked.
"He was a year younger than my brother. That's another reason, I guess. Hinata and the Little Giant have many similarities, and at first I just decided not to try and win that battle. Something's changed in me recently though, I'm going to fight against Hinata, I'm not going to let myself fade. I'm not going to fall apart." Tsukishima said in a proud tone.
"I'm glad you've decided to fight. You're a great volleyball player Tsukishima, and an even better blocker. Even though you and Hinata play the same position, you each play it so differently. I'm sure you won't have a problem standing out with your abilities." Suga praised. Somehow, Tsukishima sharing more about himself had put Suga in a good, almost normal mood.
"It will take some time for your world to begin piecing itself back together, but it will happen. If it wasn't for the training camp, I'm not sure I would be any better off then you right now." He said, looking at Suga gently.
"Something in my head is telling me I have farther to fall before I can climb back up, and that terrifies me." Suga said, looking at the ground.
"If there's anything I can do to soften your landing, I won't hesitate to do so." Tsukishima said, also turning his gaze to the ground. A small smile appeared on Suga's face when he heard this.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn't feeling quite so alone.
"Go on back to class, I'm sure Yamaguchi is waiting for you. Tell him thanks, by the way. I'll most likely be here for lunch again tomorrow if the two of you wish to join me." Suga said. Tsukishima nodded and stood up, walking along the shelves and out of sight, leaving Suga alone in the dark basement.
Suga had a new found respect for the tall middle blocker. Sure, he was quiet and stubborn, but Suga really appreciated this side of him. He really was a caring guy, Suga would have to make it up to him somehow. Yamaguchi too. Though he may not be the most confident or social person, Yamaguchi was rather good at reading people and situations. Suga had a feeling he knew that Tsukishima was going to share that story with him before even Tsukishima knew.
He would make a great captain someday.