I shouldn't enjoy writing Suga injured as much as I do… But what can I say? XD You're all just as bad as me for reading it! LMAO I'm excited to get to some comfort real soon, and have some more fun things to add to this story, it won't all be angst! Hopefully I could make you laugh a little at the beginning of the chapter haha As always, thanks so much for commenting and following! :D

"You might feel some pressure, but the numbing gel should have taken care of any pain. Let me know if this hurts at all."

From his place in the corner, Daichi had a good view of the process and was grateful he wasn't squeamish. Sugawara gave a small nod as Dr. Asada hovered over his hand sitting on a cart she'd pulled between them. Unfortunately, he didn't look thrilled as the doctor drew out her curved needle and threaded it, his eyes shifting anxiously before meeting Daichi's. Although he'd been informed of what happened by Hinata, and told of Kita Wasaki's motives by Suga, hearing how it played out made everything somehow worse. The flames of fury were fanned within him as his vice-captain struggled to speak with the doctor, and he vowed to punch Kanda on the spot if he ever saw him again. He hated to think Sugawara spent even a second believing a word of what that disgusting thug said to him, but he was starting to think he did. From the way his shoulders hung, and his eyes constantly dropped to the floor, it certainly made sense.

Daichi thought this as he watched the doctor work, but when Suga flinched with every poke of the needle, his eyes flashing to his hand and away, he had to put it to the back of his mind. A distraction, it was the least he could do for Suga right now.

Eyes going to Yuuto, Daichi grinned easily and turned to the setter.

"Hey Suga, I've got a question for you."

He hesitated before answering as he looked to the needle that poked through his skin, but Suga swallowed and met Daichi's eyes again. "Yeah?"

'That's right.' The captain thought to himself, 'Keep your eyes on me.'

"I was just wondering if you had any dirt on your brother? If he keeps tormenting me, I could use some leverage to even the playing fields."

Beside him, Yuuto snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned back in his chair as he leveled Daichi with a dangerous stare. "I told you, Sawamura, he knows better than to give you that sort of information."

Grimacing as Dr. Asada nimbly pierced Suga's hand with the needle and tugged the thread through, the setter gave the barest of tired smiles.

"Do I?" He asked, looking at Yuuto and then back to Daichi.

He was pleased Suga was playing along, even if he did look feint and on the verge of passing out.

"Koushi, I'm warning you."

Suga managed a weak smile but wasn't dissuaded. "You guys know why… We don't have pets, don't you?"

Yuuto sat up in his chair and narrowed his eyes. "You're playing with fire, little brother. I don't care if your brain is scrambled, you'd better stop while you can."

Grin pulling up the corner of Suga's split lip, his eyes held a glimmer of the amusement they usually did. Daichi wanted to draw more of that to the surface, so he sent the other teen a mischievous grin in return as Asahi whined beside them.

"Guys, we shouldn't antagonize… He's the one who drove, what If he leaves without us?"

"Yeah, what if I leave you lovebirds here? What'll you do then?" Yuuto said, he smiled as he looked between them, a challenge hanging in the air.

Plowing forward, Sugawara didn't bother to even look at Yuuto as he continued.

"When I was born…" Suga began, still struggling to focus as he talked but determined to answer Daichi's question. "We had a Golden Retriever… I think his name was… Tomodachi?"

Yuuto glowered, shaking his head back and forth in a warning. "Koushi, I'm serious- I swear to god."

"Long story short… We gave him to family friends after Yuuto came inside covered… Head to toe in dog poop. He and the neighbor kid… We're throwing it at each other."

Daichi spluttered and snorted a laugh before he slapped a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle his reaction as the doctor worked and smiled to herself. Letting out a heavy sigh through his nose, Yuuto clicked his tongue and continued to shake his head. Suga chuckled lightly, unable to help the smile that made its way to his bruised face.

"Go ahead and laugh… Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I-I just want to say I wasn't part of any of this, please leave me out of whatever you're going to do…" Asahi pleaded. Daichi rolled his eyes at the chicken they called Karasuno's ace but was happy to hear Suga's soft laughter.

"Asahi… Told me to do it, Yuuto."

Appalled, he turned white as a ghost and shook his head. "No! No, I didn't! Don't listen to him, h-he's lying!"

It eased Daichi's mind to see his friend still capable of laughter, and he watched with a small smile as he teased Asahi. It felt wrong to see Suga with the miserable frown he'd worn all evening, especially when he was usually smiling or making ridiculous faces to get Daichi to crack up at inappropriate times. He was far from okay, but his ability to joke made him hopeful the damage wasn't irreparable.

"Alright, we're all done with stitches." Dr. Asada said, her voice calm.

Swiping a cotton ball soaked in something that smelled of rubbing alcohol over the neatly sewn-up gash, she reached for some gauze and placed it gently over the wound. She held his hand steady, then picked up a new roll and began to wrap it around his hand tight enough to bind his fingers and prevent them from being of any use.

"You should keep this from getting wet for at least a week. Tie a plastic bag around it while you bathe if you must and change the wrapping once a day. The stitches will be absorbed by the body, so there won't be any need to return to get them removed."

Sugawara turned his eyes back to his hand and watched with tired fascination as she explained the home care, but if Daichi was being realistic… He knew it was a small chance his battered exhausted brain would remember. He made note of the doctor's instruction because of this and hoped Yuuto did the same.

With the stitches completed, Dr. Asada got to her feet and pushed the cart aside.

"Now that you're not actively bleeding, what's this I hear about a possible concussion?"

Hand dipping into a pocket of her white medical coat, Dr. Asada pulled out a little metal device and stood in front of Suga. Looking right into his eyes, she tapped on her left ear and clicked the flashlight on. "Look right at my ear and try to be still for me."

Complying, Suga shifted his stare to her ear but when she moved the beam of light to shine into his bruised left eye, he took in a startled gasp and lost his balance. Because he was already standing, Daichi got to the cot first and caught Suga by the arm before he slipped sideways off the cot.

"Woah, there… Easy."

Daichi supported most of his weight as he shifted Suga upright again. He could feel his disorientation as his head bobbed, trying in vain to lift it and look straight.

Mumbling, he apologized and gave a faded groan. "Sorry…"

"That's alright, there's no need to apologize. Would you mind helping him sit up while I finish?" Asada asked, her attention was directed at Daichi as he braced Suga's arm and kept him steady.

He nodded immediately. If there was a way to make this any easier for Suga, he would help without question. "Of course."

"Thank you." She said with a kind smile, then turned back to Suga and took his chin to lift his head. "Open your eyes a bit wider for me. I know this is uncomfortable, we just have to get through a few quick assessments."

Whether he was too tired to respond or incapable of it, Daichi wasn't sure, but Suga held still as she bounced the beam of light between his hazel eyes. They watered as she did so, and eventually, tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks. It was hard to ignore the urge to push the doctor's hand away when Sugawara sat there cringing, but he knew it had to be done and so he sat patiently until Dr. Asada's brows pinched and she frowned. When she clicked the light back off, she nodded to herself and dropped it into her pocket before stepping forward and taking Suga's head into her hands. She began to press her fingers along his temples and behind his ears, then slipped her fingers into his silver locks and continued her probing to the back of his head. Another gasp brought her to a halt.

"Hmm…Do you know how many blows to the head you took, Koushi?" She asked, turning his head, and parting his hair where she'd obviously felt a bump.

Squeezing his good eye shut, Suga's breath hitched, and his uninjured hand fell to his thigh where his fingers pressed into the fabric of his pants. "I-I can't remember."

"There's blood here." Dr. Asada murmured more to herself than anyone else then reached over to the cart and dabbed antiseptic onto a cotton ball. Returning to Suga, she pulled his bloodied hair aside and began to disinfect the cut she'd found. "Let's see if we can figure it out together… Once for the black eye, two would be your lip… This must be where something fell and hit you, does three sound correct?"

"Actually," Daichi interrupted. "Our first-year setter accidentally fell on him during the match and knocked him backward off the bench… And now that I think about it…" He frowned. "He was on his way to the infirmary after the game and the same guys jumped him and our team manager. One of them threw him down the hall, he may have hit his head then too."

"My, you really did have a bad day." Dr. Asada murmured as she finished with the back of his head and moved to press at his neck where his spine connected to his skull. "Any pain here?"

Suga winced lightly, but much less than when she was messing with the bump.

"Mmm… A little sore."

"Hmm… Okay." Releasing him, she went to her laptop on the counter and began clicking before she stopped to type something and look at them. "There were a few minutes of lost consciousness when you were thrown into the closet, was there at any other point?"

"Uh… I-… I think so?"

"You don't remember?" Asahi interjected with surprise.

Still working on controlling his breathing, Suga shook his head. "I can't think straight, everything is… Kinda blurry."

Asahi's face reflected the concern he felt, his eyes large and worried.

"Ennoshita said you got sick and passed out when they were walking you to the infirmary. Coach was really freaked out."

Asahi wrang his hands as the vice-captain blinked and looked as though this was news to him.

"I… did?…" Suga muttered, brow furrowing as he tried to remember and reaching up to push his messy hair from his forehead in irritation. "I-I don't remember. How did we get here again?"

He shifted uneasily on the cot and looked around the room with his lips pressed into a tight line. It was the most bizarre thing, one moment Suga was fine, the next he was squirming and muttering to himself. Daichi held onto his shoulders a little tighter, pushing him down to keep him from attempting to stand. Sitting beside him on the cot, he murmured reassurance.

"Hey, easy... Calm down, I'm sure it will come back. Yuuto drove us here, everything is okay."

"I should know this…"

Sugawara looked on the verge of tears, chin trembling, and his face contorting as he raked his hands through his hair again.

Suddenly a hand reached out and stopped Suga from running over his head a third time. Daichi and Suga both looked up to see Asada holding it in her light grasp and then lowering it to his lap.

"Take slow deep breaths." Her voice was even, and her eyes held a steadiness that acted as a sedative to Suga's hysteria. "In… and out. In… Out.

Caught in her stare, Sugawara mimicked her breathing, and after five or six deep breaths, Daichi was relieved to feel his shoulders relax again.

Smiling, she let go of his hand and tucked hers into the pockets of her white coat.

"Very good. I know it's hard to feel confused and muddled, it's very frustrating when you're unable to access thoughts and memories you normally can."

Wordless, Suga nodded his head and dropped his gaze to the ground. Returning to her laptop, she typed in a few more things then turned back to them.

"When it comes to concussions, there are three levels of severity. One is the mildest, while three is the most serious and can lead to permanent brain damage." She turned her attention to Yuuto specifically. "Koshi has a level two concussion. Symptoms include brief loss of consciousness, vomiting, mild amnesia, irritability, and ringing ears."

Nodding and sitting up straight, Yuuto looked more mature than he had all night.

"So, it's not the worst it could be. That's good, right?"

"Yes and no. Koshi exemplifies enough of the symptoms to be on the line, especially with how many blows to the head he's taken. The only reason I've labeled it a level two is he was not unconscious for more than five minutes, and despite his condition, he is still rather responsive to questions. Currently, his pupils are not the same size. That would explain his disorientation, not to mention I believe he has some dehydration. Considering we're not even through his examination, I'd say he was lucky not to have taken an ambulance here."

Yuuto leaned forward and grabbed his knees tightly as he nodded. "That's pretty serious…"

Dr. Asada crossed over to Suga again and tugged his sleeve. "Would you mind taking your jacket and jersey off for me? I'd like to check your ribs and lungs if that's okay."

She still wore her face of mellow kindness, and as Daichi looked to his friend beside him, he saw Suga lift his head slowly and nod. His left hand moved deftly to the zipper, but after fumbling for a moment, it caught in the fabric and stuck halfway down. The injured teen yanked on it a couple of times, but it didn't budge and only served to irritate Suga.

"Here."

Pushing his hand out of the way, Daichi gripped the zipper and tugged it up a few inches before drawing it down with ease. Suga mumbled his thanks, as the captain helped him maneuver the sleeve around his bandaged hand, then tugged it off his other arm. He paused before he removed his jersey, but politely declined Daichi's offer to assist when he asked. "Thanks… I think I can get it."

It took more effort than it should and Daichi did end up pulling his collar over the back of his head when it hit the bump there. When he sat slouching shirtless and shivering lightly, the bruises along the left side of his ribcage stood out like ink across his fair skin. Without realizing it, Daichi's jaw clenched and he glared at the marks.

Yes. If he ever saw Kanda again, he would regret ever laying a finger on a player from Karasuno.

Having much more practice with keeping her composure, Dr. Asada's reaction was much more schooled. She spoke casually as she placed her fingers on his right side and pressed along his ribs. "That must ache quite a bit, do you have a high pain tolerance?"

Rubbing at the back of his neck as he watched her hands, Suga shrugged sheepishly. "Not really…I don't like to complain."

"I see… Any tenderness here?"

He shook his head, and she bobbed her hers in acknowledgment as her hand then glided to his right side. "And… Here?" She asked, carefully prodding at the edge of his bruise, and then pressing down on one of his ribs.

Sugawara took in a gasp as his eyes went wide with pain. He couldn't speak, but his good hand jumped up to grab hers. It shook as his breathing halted, and he nodded minutely in answer to her question. Gently, she pried his fingers loose from her hand, and then she moved it to his lap again. Daichi wanted to protest as she moved to press beneath the bruise but allowed it when Suga's wince was less alarming. Done with the prodding of his ribs, she moved to his side and raised the stethoscope around her neck to her ears.

"Okay, Koushi. I'm going to place this on your back, I'll need you to take four deep breaths for me. We're all done after that, then you can rest."

A minute later, Asada had finally finished her exam and was imputing the rest of the information to his file as Suga remained shirtless on the cot. Not sure if it was okay for him to dress yet, Daichi draped the Karasuno jacket over his shoulders to ease the shivers that wracked the vice captain's body. Having completed her typing, she closed the laptop and tucked her hands into her pockets once more as she turned to Yuuto.

"Alright, here is my assessment of Koushi's current condition. We did about 13 stitches in his right hand which should heal and dissolve in the next week or two. He has a level two concussion on the verge of a level three and will require quite a bit of rest with no more exertion than bathing and using the restroom for at least a week, possibly two. I believe he has some deep tissue bruising on his left side, it may even be bruised ribs. Unfortunately, the only thing to do for that is once again, rest and time."

The elder Sugawara took in her words with a serious expression, clearly committing what she said to memory. He likely did it so that he could report to their parents, but Daichi knew enough of his best friend's brother to tell when he was worried. Even if he acted playful all evening, he was Suga's older brother, and he was fiercely protective of him.

"Alright, so lots of rest and don't let him do anything for a good while. Is there anything else we should know before we take him home?"

"Actually," She said, "I recommend he stay a night here. With the head trauma he experienced today, I would feel safer if his next ten hours were spent in the hospital where we can keep a close eye on him."

After the examination, Suga had gone quiet, but his head quickly popped up at Dr. Asada's announcement. His voice was small and defeated as he spoke, and Daichi felt the overwhelming desire to pull him into a hug.

"I- I can't… Go home?"

Dr. Asada's face softened into an apologetic expression, but she shook her head.

"Not just yet I'm afraid. If everything is stable in the morning, you should be more than okay to head home. Mr. Sugawara, will you give your consent to this?"

Daichi didn't envy Yuuto, not when Suga turned the most heartbreaking eyes he'd ever seen on his brother. They shined with unshed tears and anxiety, but it was obvious what choice should be made. He could see the conflict in Yuuto's face as he looked between the doctor and his little brother but in the end…

"I'm sorry, Koushi… It's just for one night. Yes, I give my consent. I have to call our parents to let them know."

As Yuuto avoided looking at his brother and instead continued talking with the doctor, Daichi witnessed Suga's composure shatter. His shoulders quaked and he dropped his head into his hands to cover his face as he sagged defeated. Looking to Asahi with agony in his own eyes, Daichi watched the ace cross the room and slowly sit down on the other side of Suga. He felt useless, there wasn't anything they could do to help their friend, and all he wanted to do was take his pain away.

"I just… Wanna go home…" Suga mumbled into his hands as Asahi and Daichi exchanged regretful looks.

Rubbing his back gingerly, Daichi murmured half to Suga and half to himself.

"I know… I know you do…"