It was a Friday evening at Kitagawa First, and practice had been happening as usual. Oikawa was being his boisterous, know it all self, Iwaizumi was practicing his serves and occasional receives, and everyone else was focusing on their personal moves and tactics when it came to volleyball.
With a quick and steady breath out, Iwaizumi hit the volleyball he threw into the air with all his might. Soaring over the net in front of him, the ball bounced and rolled onto the whole other side of the gym. Although Iwaizumi liked practicing his serves to see how hard he could really push himself, the balls were almost always flung far away from him, making him jog to get them almost as much as he actually practiced.
As he walked under the net and over to pick up his ball no one seemed to give a damn about, Iwaizumi was pleasantly surprised to find the first year Oikawa hated so much offering it back.
"It landed closest to me, and I saw you were coming over, so I thought I could at least bring it halfway," Kageyama told the third year towering a couple of inches over him in a monotone voice.
"Thanks, Kageyama," Iwaizumi replied, grabbing the ball from Tobio's hands.
Getting hold of the ball, Hajime accidentally grazed the young setter's fingers. He didn't think much about it, that is until he realized Kageyama's hands hadn't dropped after taking back the ball.
Confused, Iwaizumi looked to the boy's face to try and figure out what was happening. What he was greeted with was eyes filled with terror. Iwaizumi tried to ignore the sensation making his skin crawl. Obviously, something was wrong, he reasoned, but what could've happened to make the first year so sensitive to touch? By the looks of things, Kageyama was nowhere near snapping out of it to inform him, so he took matters into his own hands.
"Kageyama, look at me," Iwaizumi said to the young boy in front of him, who trembled as a response. Kageyama looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and his swallows were extremely audible as if he was trying to keep something down. That was the last straw. Iwaizumi knew the signs of an oncoming panic attack, as much as we wished he didn't. All Kageyama was missing was the hyperventilation, which would be best avoided.
Iwaizumi placed both hands on Kageyama's shoulders, dropping the ball, which thudded against the floor.
"Tobio, look at me," Iwaizumi whispered, knowing that drawing attention would only make things worse, "I don't know what's going on Tobio, but you're in volleyball practice right now. I'm Iwaizumi, remember? I'm your upperclassman,"
Iwaizumi paused for a second, waiting for a response, or at least a reaction to his words. As he got nothing from the stunned boy, Iwaizumi quickly contemplated saying something that may or may not work. He had a hunch, based on nearly zero evidence besides his instinct, but he couldn't stop himself.
Better to be safe than sorry
"I'm not gonna hurt you Tobio,"
Tobio's flinch was all the confirmation Iwaizumi needed. He decided to not force Kageyama to talk about it at the moment, knowing now was definitely not the right time, but the hard part was deciding what was. Iwaizumi now stared at the top of Kageyama's head, who was now looking down, refusing to let Iwaizumi look at his face.
Kageyama shook violently away from Iwaizumi and went straight into the locker room, running to the toilet and kneeling right in front of it unless his dry heaving turned to actual vomiting.
Iwaizumi was left speechless and scared.
'Should I tell somebody?' He thought, 'No don't be ridiculous. What are you gonna tell them? He flinched at something I said so now I know he might be getting bullied or hurt' Iwaizumi mentally scolded himself for almost thinking as stupidly as Oikawa.
Remembering Oikawa, Iwaizumi decided to head over to his friend who was setting on and off the wall.
"What the hell did you do?" Iwaizumi asked violently, grabbing Oikawa's right arm from behind.
"Ouch! Iwa-Chan stop! Whaddya mean? Jeez, let go ow!" Oikawa whined, making Iwaizumi loosen his grip.
"I mean, did you say or do something to Kageyama that may have seemed or been a little, yknow, over the top? I know you like bullying him and stuff but seriously dude, if you-" Iwaizumi was cut off by the irritated and surprised voice of his friend.
"Woah woah woah slow down. The hell do you mean? Every time I make fun of that annoying runt you're right there with me, you know that" Oikawa spit, replacing his annoyed tone with a curious one.
"Why? What happened to the brat? He's probably overreacting anyway, whatever it is, so calm down," Oikawa said to his childhood friend, who, although he hated to admit this, couldn't really disagree with Oikawa.
Iwaizumi was probably making a big deal out of nothing, and even if something did happen, it's Kageyama. He probably just took a hurtful comment the wrong way.
"It's...It's nothing, he just seemed really scared when I accidentally touched his hands, and he trembled a little when I touched his shoulder," Iwaizumi informed him. Oikawa pushed down the feeling of unease he felt at that description, and shrugged Iwa's hand off his arm, picking up the ball he dropped and continuing to set against the wall.
Iwaizumi told himself to stop worrying and continued with practice for the rest of the day.
Then dark came, and practice was over. Kageyama started to help with clean up like he had been doing for the past week, as everyone left the gym and headed to the lockers.
"So, what were you saying about the brat again?" Oikawa asked Iwaizumi who was in the middle of changing shirts.
He looked at the stuck-up setter next to him and sighed.
"I don't know, it just looked like he was scared of something," Iwaizumi said as he closed his locker, too deep in thought, to notice the phone that still laid within.
"So he's afraid of messing up, who cares? Humility is what he needs, not everyone can have the amazing natural talent that he has. Plus, Everyone gets afraid during a game, no need to give him your sympathy, Iwa," Oikawa told Iwaizumi as they both gathered their bags and started walking home.
"I...I just thought he looked a little too freaked out for my liking. Let's just forget about it, it was probably nothing," Iwaizumi re-iterated as they walked home together.
Oikawa awkwardly started looking around, trying to find something to change the subject, when his eyes landed on the sky.
"Ooo look at that moon," Oikawa whistled, looking up to the sky at the full moon.
"Oh jeez, it must be pretty late," Iwaizumi said as he started digging through his pockets and school bag for his phone to look at the time and possibly text his parents he would be home late. As veins started popping out of his head, Iwaizumi angrily realized he had left his phone in the locker room.
"Goddamnit Shitty-Kawa! Your blabbering made me forget my phone. Shit shit shit they might have already locked it!" Iwaizumi shouted as he grabbed Oikawa's arm and started running towards the middle school.
"Why are you dragging me along?!"
"You were the one who distracted me, and it's dark out already! I don't know what kinda creeps are hanging around, so like hell I'm walking home alone!" Iwaizumi yelled back at his friend who was trailing behind him.
Finally making it back to the school, Iwaizumi let go of Oikawa right in front of the gym and walked in, all the way to the other side to get to the lockers. Iwaizumi felt blessed to see the lights to the locker room still on, with the door slightly ajar.
"Oh Thank God," he whispered as he jogged to the door and opened it all the way.
The scene he was met with made Iwaizumi's eyes widen, dropping his bag with a loud thud.
Before him was a shirtless Kageyama, whose back was facing Iwaizumi. His gym shirt was on the ground beside him, and he had his regular school shirt hung up on his locker. He was holding what looked like bandages, too, but the thing that scared Iwaizumi wasn't the fact the kid in front of him was shirtless;
It was the fact that his back had been covered all over by painful-looking whip marks, some looking fresh and new, others looking healed, and some even looking infected.
Some of the scars extended to his shoulders and slightly down his arms, but they never reached further than right above his elbow.
Iwaizumi also managed to notice the bloodied bandages at Kageyama's feet and realized that the bandages in his hands were probably going to be wrapped around and over his scars like he suspected the bloodied ones on the floor had been.
The thud of his dropped bag is what alerted Kageyama of someone behind him, making him spin around quickly and stare right into his senpai's eyes for a split second, before he dropped the bandages and took the shirt that hung on his locker, trying to cover himself.
Before Kageyama managed to shove his shirt against his chest in a vain attempt to hide anything, Iwaizumi noticed, blearily, a lot of scars up and down his chest, looking worse than the kids back; and Iwaizumi had only caught a glimpse of the front, while he stared at Kageyama's back for a good 5 or 10 seconds.
"Please leave," Kageyama sputtered out in tears, looking at the ground.
"What the hell!" Iwaizumi shouted as he angrily walked over to Kageyama and ripped the shirt that had been covering some of his wounds out the seemingly small boy's arms. Kageyama tried reaching for it for a split second but quickly stopped as he noticed it only made him more exposed.
Kageyama tried his best to cover himself with only his arms, but it was no use.
Iwaizumi could see basically everything.
"Tobio!" Iwaizumi shouted, ignoring his common sense telling him to calm down for a second and assess the situation.
"What the hell happened?! Or should I say has been happening!" Kageyama flinched at this lowering his head as low as it could go.
"You're bleeding, you're cover from head to toe in scars, and some of them look super infected! Haven't you gone to the doctor or something?! This is serious!" Iwaizumi shouted at the small kid in front of him.
Kageyama kept looking down, his crying starting to become more and more audible the more Iwaizumi shouted.
"I...I can't," Kageyama all but whispered, with an extreme shakiness to his voice.
"Why the hell not?!" Iwaizumi asked angrily, not really angry at the kid before him, but angry about what had been happening to him.
"Because...sh-she said it was punishment," Kageyama choked out, causing Iwaizumi to pale.
"And, Y-you have to deal with punishment," Kageyama said as he picked up the bandages on the ground, struggling to unfold them as his hands were shaking violently and tears refused to leave his eyes.
"We're going to the clinic downtown," Iwaizumi said, slightly shakily, causing Kageyama to blanch.
"We-we can't. She'll kill me, p-please, just forget you saw anything. I-I deserved it anyway-"
"Nobody deserves this!" Iwaizumi shouted as he grabbed Kageyama's right arm, which he found was unusually thin, and pulled it upwards, making Kageyama's chest fully exposed, nearly giving Iwaizumi a heart attack by the blood and scars the riddled the boys skin. Iwaizumi quickly let go of Tobio's arm as he heard him squeal in pain by the pulling, causing some of his new scars to re-open.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Iwaizumi said as he grabbed Kageyama's school shirt, put it on the boy gently, wincing at the small gasps Tobio let out, and then covered him with his own blazer.
"Listen Kageyama, these scars and cuts are serious, and if you don't get them checked out, something seriously bad will happen," Iwaizumi told Kageyama, who continued to cry and look unconvinced.
"And," Iwaizumi was thinking of how to convince him, when it suddenly popped into his head, "you won't be able to play volleyball anymore," at this, Kageyama's eyes shot up in disbelief at Iwaizumi.
"No! Volleyball is all I have left!" Kageyama shouted, crying even more now, making Iwaizumi feel a little guilty.
"Well if you let me get you checked out, I could stop what's happening to you, you'll feel better, and you'll get to keep playing volleyball," Iwaizumi told Kageyama with a hand gently on his shoulder.
Looking down, Kageyama gave a slight nod.
"Ok, that's all I need," Iwaizumi said as he opened his own locker, took out his phone and put it in his pocket.
"Alright let's go," he said to Tobio, who looked up, face a mess from crying.
"But what about my bandages and shirt?" He asked.
"Just leave em, I'll clean up tomorrow," Iwaizumi told Kageyama as he gently put his arm around the first year's shoulders, and pulled him close like an older brother holds his younger brother.
After Iwaizumi picked up his school bag, he and Kageyama walked out of the gym.
"Geez what the hell took so long," Oikawa said, ticked off while looking at his phone as he heard the gym door open.
"We're going to the clinic downtown Oikawa, tell your parents you'll be late,"
Oikawa closed his eyes and turned to the sound of the voice, "what?"
Opening them, Oikawa had to take a double-take as he saw Iwaizumi clutching onto Kageyama very protectively, and Tobio holding on for dear life.
"What the? Why are you with my arch enemy!" Oikawa shouted at his childhood friend, who got angry.
"Ok, first of all, he's not your 'arch-enemy', and second of all, he needs a hospital and you're coming with us, it'll be safer that way," Iwaizumi said very angrily, making Oikawa flinch.
"Ok ok geez. Wait, hospital?" Oikawa questioned and looked at the boy in Iwaizumi's arms. He didn't seem to be injured?
"I'll tell you when we get there," Iwaizumi said.
-LineBreak-
The walk to the clinic was mostly quiet and quick, with one exception of Kageyama sputtering something to Iwaizumi.
"I'm sorry if I get your blazer dirty," he whimpered.
"Don't worry about it, it'll wash out," was all Iwaizumi said, while still looking forward.
Oikawa was at a complete loss for words, that his best friend was clutching on to the boy he hated most, acting as a father. He better find out what the hell happened when they get to the clinic.
-LineBreak-
Arriving at the clinic, the three boys walked through the sliding doors.
"Ok, Oikawa go sit over there. I'll join you in a second," Iwaizumi told Oikawa, who reluctantly agreed and sat down angrily, staring at the two boys who walked to the receptionist.
Iwaizumi tried hard to keep his voice down, so no one would hear him.
"Excuse me," he asked the receptionist gently, who simply looked up at him and smiled.
"Hello there sweety. Where are your parents? I can get them a form to fill out so-"
"Actually, this is kind of an emergency," he told her.
"What? What happened sweety?" She asked the young boy, slowly standing up to look at the two boys clutching to each other.
"Um, my...friend here," he said, looking at Kageyama, bracing himself for what he had to say.
"I think he's being abused," Kageyama started clutching onto Iwaizumi even harder, "he has cuts and lacerations all over his front and backside, and he's bleeding a lot. I think some of them are infected. I just found him but I didn't want to call his parents because I don't know if they are the ones responsible, but I do know that his injuries are really bad. Please help him," Iwaizumi finally finished, tears threatening to fall.
The receptionist in front of him was at a loss for words, but eventually, she caught her footing.
"O-ok. I'm a nurse so I'll bring him back to get checked on and to get his wound treated, but, I'm sorry, I'll have to take him back alone," she said, walking to the other side of her desk and bending down to reach Kageyama's face.
Iwaizumi nodded, but he knew Kageyama wasn't going to like being alone. He slowly pulled Kageyama away from him and looked into his eyes.
"I know you don't want to be alone right now, but I promise you won't be. These people want to help you, and as much as I want to be by your side, I know I'm not allowed right now. I need you to stay strong for me Tobio. This nice lady only wants to help you. She'll make it all better. Do you think you can go with her?" Iwaizumi asked Kageyama, who tried his hardest to keep from crying, nodding slightly. Iwaizumi smiled and nodded at the nurse in front of them.
Smiling, the nurse held out her hand to Tobio who, after a little hesitation, grabbed it and started slowly walking with her through the doors from the waiting room to the actual clinic.
Staring as the doors in front of him went back and forth, finally closing, Iwaizumi went to finally sit down with Oikawa.
"What the hell is happening," Oikawa asked, totally dumbfounded at the new brotherly love between the boys.
Iwaizumi sighed and looked Oikawa right in the eyes.
"Listen, you can't tell anyone about this," he said.
"I don't even know what 'this' is yet!" Oikawa shouted, confused out of his goddamn mind.
"I walked into the locker room and I saw Kageyama shirtless," Iwaizumi said, looking forward, not wanting to remember.
"...so?" Oikawa asked, really getting agitated now.
Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa, finally letting his sadness seep through.
"He was covered in whiplashes and scars," Iwaizumi choked out, letting a single tear fall, "head to toe, except for the parts that were visible in school and practice. There were bloody bandages on the floor and some of the wounds still bled," he whispered.
Oikawa didn't know what to say.
"...w-what happened then?" Oikawa decided to ask, a little curious.
"I don't know, but..." Iwaizumi paused, "when I told him he needed a doctor," he paused again, fully crying now, "he said 'it's my punishment, and you have to deal with punishment' Oikawa," Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa.
"He thought he deserved that," Iwaizumi finally finished, no longer able to keep the images away. Clutching his hand to his mouth, Iwaizumi stood up and hurried to the trash can to the side of them. Luckily, the clinic was nearly empty because it was so late, so nobody, besides Oikawa, had to hear him throw up.
Shooting up, Oikawa hurried over to Iwaizumi and started patting his back.
"Geez, it was that bad?" Oikawa asked with a grimace, at both his friend in front of him and the images that started appearing in his mind.
Rubbing at his mouth, Iwaizumi slowly looked to Oikawa and nodded.
Looking into the black abyss of the trash can he just emptied the contents of his stomach into, Iwaizumi took a deep breath.
"Oh God,"