Hey guys, I hope you all know how much I appreciate you and wish you all good health! I just want to say… I don't know how these chapters keep getting LONGER XD I have a goal I'm shooting for, and always end up a little over haha You guys probably don't mind, so here you go! Thanks again for following! 3

It wasn't a terribly far drive to the hospital, so within fifteen minutes, Yuuto was pulling up the long-paved entrance and into a space. Thankfully, the spot they found was close to the automatic sliding doors and after turning the car off, Yuuto looked to the back seat at Daichi.

"Hey, lover boy. Fetch a wheelchair, will you? I don't think he's walking anywhere."

Sighing heavily through his nose, Daichi gave the brother an unamused glare and pushed the door open to step outside. "I'll get dirt on you from Suga, then we'll see what kind of nicknames you get." He threatened, pushing the door shut and rounding the car as Yuuto got out laughing.

"Good luck, Koshi knows better than to do something that stupid." He said, mirth saturating his reply as he got out of the car and went to the passenger side.

The night had only grown colder since their walk home, the chill of winter turning their breath into foggy white clouds. Asahi shuddered as he got out, wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm and coming to stand beside the passenger door. Rubbing his arms briefly, Yuuto huffed out a breath as he pulled Suga's door open.

"Damn, it's freezing… Alright, time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Placing a hand on Suga's knee, Yuuto gave a little shake and looked into his brother's face as he spoke softly. "Hey, we're here. Let's get you checked out."

Suga's eyelids fluttered, but he only gave a breathy hum and remained unconscious. With a hum of his own, Yuuto moved his hand to Suga's bicep and chaffed it gently. He needed to rouse him so they could get him the medical attention he needed, but he did feel guilty for disrupting his rest. "Hey…" He murmured, "Come on."

Suga's eyelids lifted a little more this time, but when he opened his mouth to speak it was mumbled and made little sense.

"Mmm… Mmwaiting…"

Confused, Yuuto looked over his shoulder to Asahi still clutching at himself for warmth. "You catch that?"

"Uh… It sounded like… he said waiting?"

"Waiting?"

Asahi nodded as Daichi returned with a navy-blue hospital wheelchair, taking his place beside the ace, he cocked his head. Turning back to his brother still delirious in the car, Yuuto gave him another small shake. "Koshi, you're waiting? What are you waiting for?"

Thick grey brows pulling together, Suga made a noise of irritation and clumsily tried to brush away the hand shaking him.

"Mmm… Stop… Mmwaiting."

"For what, Koshi? What are you waiting for?"

Suga's eyes squeezed, and he turned his head away. Everything else he'd muttered was a little slurred and unclear, but the single word he spoke this time was anything but.

"Daichi."

Yuuto blinked, and then he looked over his shoulder at the captain who was surprised to hear his name. Turning back to Suga, he patted him on the knee.

"Sawamura is right here, he brought the wheelchair. Time to go, come on."

Yuuto tugged on Suga's arm, urging his brother to wake up and finding it did nothing. Suga merely groaned his annoyance and made no effort to straighten or even open his eyes as he sagged in the passenger seat.

"Mmm… Stop…Mmm. Mmwaiting."

This was getting them nowhere and Yuuto wasn't sure if his little brother was seriously tired or his brain had turned to mush, possibly both. Giving up, the elder Sugawara turned his hands up in surrender and looked at Daichi.

"He's waiting on you apparently, care to give it a try?"

Daichi gave a coughed half laugh and ran a hand through his short hair.

"I can give it a shot."

Stepping to the side, Yuuto moved over to allow Daichi to take his place. It required Daichi to hunch, but he bent his head into the car and clasped his friend's shoulder.

"Suga, wake up… I'm right here, we need to get you checked into the hospital. Come on."

His words were kind, even as he raised his voice in hopes to rouse Suga. Once again, the setter scrunched his eyes, but then they fluttered as he let out a sigh and a soft groan. "Club room mmm… Waiting."

Daichi knew his injured friend was out of it and that probably wasn't a good sign, but he couldn't help the faint smile that touched his lips when he realized what Suga was going on about. He thought they were at the school. He was refusing to leave, because, in his head, Daichi was lingering in the club room, and Suga wouldn't leave him behind. It was a bit endearing if he was being honest, but also a fabrication.

Bending even further into the car, Daichi reached out to take Suga's face into his hands. It was more than a little alarming his head lolled forward and Daichi had to support it, but he squeezed his cheeks and tapped them to get Suga's attention.

"Suga, open your eyes. We're at the hospital, not school. I'm right here, you have to wake up, can you do that?"

Finally, Suga's eyes began to open. Clearly disoriented, they roamed around the inside of the car before eventually settling on the teen in front of him. He blinked lethargically and winced as awareness gradually returned. "Dai… Where… Where am I?"

Relieved he seemed able to support the weight of his head again, Daichi released his face and patted his arm. "You had me worried for a second there. We're at the hospital, we're going to have someone look at your hand and make sure you don't have a severe concussion." He said and then straightened. "We're going to help you into a wheelchair, do you think you can stay awake?"

Sugawara was trying valiantly to keep up with the conversation, but instead of responding, he blinked a few more times and furrowed his brow as he let his face fall into his hands. He groaned quietly but nodded.

Sympathizing with his friend's struggle, Daichi looked behind him and found Asahi closer than he anticipated, ready to assist in moving Suga to the wheelchair when he was ready. With a nod, Daichi moved over to make room for the other third year and reached in to take hold of Suga's left arm.

"Come on, we'll help."

With another wince, Suga dropped his hands from his face and allowed them to help him to his unsteady feet, then gently settle him into the wheelchair Yuuto conveniently rolled closer. The chilly air had Suga's teeth chattering, and he hunched in on himself as Yuuto pushed the chair into the hospital, Daichi and Asahi beside them.

The large glass doors slid open with a soft shuffling as the four entered the hospital. They filed in past a section of worn chairs set up for waiting, and Daichi noticed only a couple of people occupying them. As they made their way to the desk that sat at the back left of the lobby, Suga's head returned to his hands. More specifically his left hand, as his right was obviously paining him, the bandages thoroughly saturated in blood.

"Hello," Said a woman behind a tall reception desk. Her skin was deep chocolate, and her dark hair was braided into an elaborate design. "Who have we got here?" She asked, sliding the glass window open to speak to them, and glancing down with empathy to Suga.

"Sugawara Koshi, I'm his older brother, Yuuto."

Pulling out a clipboard, the receptionist loaded it with various papers as she spoke. "And what brings Koshi in tonight?"

Yuuto sighed and looked down at his brother with concern.

"A group of guys from an opposing team jumped his teammate and he stepped in to break it up. I think his hand needs stitches. We're fairly certain he has a concussion too, but a doctor would be more suited to make that call."

Daichi was relieved to see the receptionist's empathy while Yuuto explained, it grated on his nerves Suga's parents were not on his side as easy as this. If he had been the one to get hurt, his own parents would wait for a full explanation before lecturing. He wasn't the type to get into trouble, especially a physical altercation, and they knew that. Didn't Sugawara's parents know the same could be said of their son?

The clipboard the woman had stuffed with paperwork was passed to Yuuto through the window and then a pen as she began to explain.

"A nurse will bring him back in just a moment, go ahead and fill these out with Koshi's information in the meantime. Feel free to take a seat in any of the available chairs."

"Thank you."

The small group made their way to the chairs in the corner and sat down, Yuuto getting to work on the stack of paperwork. Leaning forward in his seat, Daichi rested his hand on the arm of the wheelchair and lowered his voice to a level he hoped wouldn't bother Suga.

"How're you holding up?"

Sugawara gave a weak groan but attempted to raise his head from his hands to look at Daichi. Giving a shiver, he blinked lethargically and tried to focus on the brunette beside him.

"I'm… Alive." Was his reply, low and rough, but Daichi was relieved he hadn't gone back to speaking gibberish.

Resting a hand on Suga's back, he rubbed at it gently as if the slight friction would be enough to give his injured friend some warmth. "Hang in there, they'll call you back any minute. You'll be stitched up in no time."

"You wanna… Tag in for a bit?" Suga asked, the barest hint of a smirk on his split lips.

Daichi continued his soothing motion on Suga's back as he gave a faint smile in return.

"I would if I could, but I don't think it works like that."

"Not… Gonna even try?"

Daichi gave a soft laugh, but his stare was pointed as he responded.

"You know, you might not feel as bad if you'd eaten something more than breakfast today. Don't think I forgot about that."

Closing his eyes against Daichi's nagging, Suga's lips screwed up.

"Oi, Daichi… Your voice is making… My head hurt."

Rolling his eyes, he patted Suga on the back. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was the concussion making your head hurt, not my lecturing."

Groaning again, Sugawara peered at Daichi from under his lashes. "Nope… Definitely the lecturing."

Before he could respond, a male nurse appeared from behind a thick wooden door and called out into the lobby.

"Sugawara Koshi? We're ready for you."

"We'll continue this conversation later," Daichi promised, and he got to his feet, Asahi and Yuuto doing the same, then rolling Suga toward the nurse waiting for them. Gesturing, the short, bearded man directed them through the door and down a brightly lit hall. Because Yuuto was still busy scribbling away on the clipboard, Daichi pushed Suga with Asahi trailing close behind him. The examination room was on the left and at the furthest end of the hall.

Opening the door to reveal a typical hospital room with a cot and a couple of chairs not unlike the ones in the lobby, the man gave a tired but kind smile and allowed them to go inside.

"You're welcome to remain with Koshi, although we ask you to be courteous and speak quietly while the doctor works. We'll get you onto the cot, check your blood pressure and heart rate, then Dr. Asada will take over. Is that alright, Koshi?"

Suga attempted to smile at the nurse giving a slight bob of his head, but it was more of a grimace, his head giving a throb as the lights caused him to squint. "Yes… Thank you."

The nurse nodded with his smile still in place, then stepped forward to assist Asahi in helping the setter to his feet. Daichi tugged the wheelchair back and out of the way as he stood, pulling it to the corner of the room where he watched as Suga swayed on his feet and closed his eyes.

"Easy… We're just going here... There you are." The man murmured, guiding Suga to sit on the crinkling white paper of the cot. Like the receptionist, Daichi saw the nurse looking at Suga with sympathy as his head sagged forward. Obviously, the teen was in a lot of pain and the last thing he wanted was to be poked and prodded.

Deciding to remain standing beside the wheelchair so that Asahi and Yuuto could have the chairs, Daichi leaned against the wall and retrieved his phone out of his back pocket to send Ukai a message. He typed away as the nurse went to work checking Suga's heartbeat and blood pressure, informing their coach they'd made it safely to the Sugawara's residence, and were now at the hospital. By the time he was done, the nurse was also wrapping up. After hanging his stethoscope around his neck, the man took up a clipboard from the side of a cart and jotted down a few things before placing it back where he found it.

"Alright, I'm finished with my part, you did great, Koshi. Dr. Asada will be right in, you can stay up there for now."

Sugawara wanted to thank the man for his easy kindness, but by the time he made the connection the man was leaving, he was already pulling the door shut behind him. It took a great deal of concentration not to list sideways and fall off the cot, perhaps it was for the best he missed his opportunity.

The nurse wasn't gone long before a light rap on the door sounded through the small room. Without waiting for a response, the door creaked open again, and a woman who looked to be in her late thirties with feathery dark hair brushing her shoulders entered. She held a laptop balanced in one hand while she shut the door behind her, her black-framed glasses reflecting the screen as she read through whatever was pulled up.

"Alright, who have we got here… Ahh, Sugawara Koshi. Good evening, I'm Dr. Asada. You were in a fight?" She asked, her head tipping down as she looked over the top of her glasses at him, her expression was one of inquiry, but not judgment.

Trying to sit up straighter, Suga gave the doctor what little focus he could muster. "Uh… Sort of." He said, his voice gravelly to his own ears.

"Sort of?"

"His high school volleyball club had a match today, and players from the opposing team attacked his teammate. He tried to break it up, so they beat on him instead." Yuuto offered, then got to his feet and held out the clipboard he'd filled with Suga's information.

"Oh, that's awful." She said with brows pulling together.

Tapping at the keyboard with her free hand, she nodded to herself and set it on the counter so she could accept the clipboard from Yuuto. "Why would they attack your teammate?"

Hand lifting to his bruised eye, Suga gave a soft noise as he worked to remember.

"Karasuno… Needs him."

"I see…" She said, lifting the top page of the stack and looking over them briefly as she sifted through. "And you were the only one who tried to help?"

Suga nodded, "I went to find him. three guys were cornering him. One was about to-" he winced as Dr. Asada set the clipboard down and took his bandaged hand into hers. After a pause, he continued. "He was going to punch Hinata."

As Dr. Asada began to unwrap the bloodied bandages, she kept the conversation flowing. He knew it was likely a tactic to distract him from the pain, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up.

"So, you stopped this other boy from hitting Hinata?"

"…Yes."

"How did you do that?"

Suga gasped as the last of the gauze and cotton were pulled away, his face paling and he blinked rapidly to fight the lightheadedness. As Dr. Asada discarded the soiled bandages into the trashcan beside her, she tugged up a stool and sat before him.

"How did you do that?" She repeated, lifting his hand to better see the cut and turning it back and forth as her fingers gently pressed and prodded.

He had to swallow the urge to curse before he could open his mouth again, but he took in a shaky breath and carried on.

"I-I… Shoved the guy pushing him against the wall… And pulled Hinata out of the way-" He squeezed an eye shut and hissed with pain as she spread his fingers.

Releasing his hand when she was finished, she sat back on her stool and looked between him and a drawer she tugged open, procuring a white bottle and some paper towels from within.

"So, you stepped in to help your teammate, and then what?"

Cradling his injured hand against his chest, as she gathered supplies, Sugawara took a second to remember. "Told them… They should be ashamed."

"What for?"

"Ganging up… On a small first year."

Dr. Asada nodded her head absently as she unscrewed the lid of the bottle, applying it to a large Q tip and turning back to him. She held her hand out, asking for his, and he reluctantly gave it back.

"What did this other boy say when you told him they should be ashamed?"

"Punched me in the face."

Sugawara and the doctor winced at the same time. Him from the stinging of his hand as she dabbed a clear gel into the gash across his knuckles, and her from the retelling of the incident. The distinct scent of disinfectant filled the air, and then it was accompanied by something mild and similar to aloe.

"And after that?" She asked.

"Then…" If his mind weren't so warbled and fuzzy, he probably would have had the sense to summarize, but as it was, he simply answered her question.

"He said… He'd never heard of me… But he remembered my hair." Suga's voice was quiet, but because no one else was speaking, it carried to everyone in the room. "Said… Must be embarrassing."

Using the paper towels to dab at the blood, Dr. Asada's brow furrowed again, her eyes turning up to his briefly as she worked. "Embarrassing?"

Sugawara's eyes dropped from hers and shifted to the floor, but he continued. "Embarrassed… To be the only benched third year on my team… And replaced by a first year."

Earlier, Suga had been overcome by shame and misery, a distraught mess as he endured the rest of the evening trying to keep it together, but now it was like he was stepping in and out of his body. He was upset but detached. Grieving, yet empty. Like he wanted to scream but no longer had the energy to do so.

The doctor shook her head as she dabbed away the blood, but Suga didn't see as he kept his unfocused attention on the ground.

"Was there anything that happened after that?"

Nodding his head Suga murmured in an indifferent tone. "Told Hinata to find help… Punched me in the stomach and ribs… Then threw me into a closet." He said, then lifted a hand to rub at the lump on the back of his head. "Something fell and hit me, I was out for a few minutes."

"What a horribly violent group, I hope there will be consequences for their actions. I assume you attempted to defend yourself, is that where this cut on your knuckles came from?"

Truly exhausted, Suga simply nodded.

Having finished with the numbing gel and cleaning away blood to clearly see his injury, Dr. Asada looked up into Suga's face and placed a warm hand on his knee.

"You've had a rough day." She said softly. It wasn't a question but a statement, and it made Suga hesitate.

Lips pressing into a line, his eyes met hers and it was as if she could see the depth of the pain he felt, not just the physical wounds, but the ones on his heart as well. While he looked back at her, he no longer felt disconnected and distant, he felt aching and raw. She was right, he'd had a rough day. A really, really rough day.

His chin trembled as his eyes swam, and he nodded once more.

"Yeah…"