So, uh, I recently got into Haikyu! and I'm hooked. This is the first anime I've ever watched, it's the first fanfiction that I've written for this fandom, enjoy.


They lost in the quarterfinals. After making it so far, after everything the team had gone through, they were going home. Asahi could only stare numbly as Suga ushered both him and Daichi off the court.

"We took risks," Suga whispered, his voice unable to rise any higher in volume, "We waited for the opportunity to present itself."

"Please, don't." Asahi croaked.

Suga understood and the third years entered the locker room. The rest of the team looked up and Asahi saw that most of them had tears in their eyes.

Losing this match wasn't like losing to Aoba Johsai in the Fall Tournament. This was different, more jarring, more real. This was the third years' last shot at going to Nationals and winning it all. And they were going home, but not as victors.

Asahi let his thoughts go back to the very end of the Miyagi Prefecture Finals against Shiratorizawa when Hinata had scored the last point. They had been so optimistic, so ready for Nationals, and now their dreams of glory were crushed.

It was then, as the team changed in stunned silence and prepared to get on the bus back to Karasuno, that Asahi realized that Daichi hadn't said a word since the match ended.

"You okay?" Asahi asked the captain quietly.

The only indication that Daichi heard his friend was a slow, shaky inhale. He didn't answer and Asahi hadn't expected him to.

Eventually, the team filed out of the locker room where they were accosted by a mob of reporters.

The cameras and reporters were all focused on Daichi and Asahi mustered enough emotions in him to be relieved that the cameras weren't focused on him.

"Sawamura-kun, do you have anything you would like to say about your loss in the quarterfinals?"

"No comment." Daichi said curtly.

The cameras flashed once, twice, three times, the lights so incredibly bright that Asahi had to blink a few times before his eyesight cleared, and the reporters cleared a path to let them get to their bus.

The bus ride back to Karasuno was quiet. The normally rambunctious second years commandeered the back, the first years took the middle, and the third years were left with the front, not that Asahi could bring up a complaint about seating when they had just lost possibly the biggest and most definitely the last game of their highschool volleyball career.

It was a grim thought that bounced all around Asahi's mind the rest of the ride back to Karasuno.

When they reached the school, everyone slowly made their way off the bus. The first years were quick to leave, waving goodbye to the others as they headed down the road.

Asahi, the sensitive soul he was, had a sixth sense when it came to people's emotions. It came in handy then, the second years drifting away to their own homes, seeing Suga and Daichi stare up at the banner that read 'Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team is Going to Nationals'.

From watching their faces, Asahi could see Suga's disappointment and exhaustion, however Daichi's expression gave nothing away. Asahi wondered if he was still in mild shock.

"Come on," Suga said eventually, "We can't change what happened today, but at the very least we can take some time to regroup."

"You're right." Asahi agreed, "Your house?"

"It was Suga's first real smile, no matter how small, in a few hours. "Where else?"

But Suga's impish grin faded and was replaced with gentle concern as he turned to look at Daichi. "Dai? Come on. We're going to my house, okay?"

"Yeah. That sounds good." Daichi said quietly.

Behind his back, Asahi and Suga exchanged glances. They hadn't ever heard Daichi sound that strained, that miserable, that young, in all their time of being friends. It worried them.

Daichi turned from staring at the banner to join them and they started down the road to the Sugawara residence. Asahi made sure to stay a step behind Daichi as they walked.

When they arrived at Suga's house, his mom opened the door and ushered them inside. Asahi had seen the interior of the house many times before, but he gave the room they were standing in a cursory glance. Nothing had changed in the last two weeks. Asahi didn't know if that was good or bad, seeing as how the interior of Suga's house could look one way, then be completely different the next day.

"Oka-san, can Asahi and Daichi stay the night?" Suga asked, "We won't stay up too late." he added quickly.

It was a good thing, Asahi thought, that Suga's mom was way more lenient than his own dad and Daichi's parents.

"Of course. Koushi, Asahi-kun, grab the futons. By now you should know where they are. Daichi-kun, go upstairs and take a shower, you look exhausted. I'll heat up some curry rice for you all then leave you be. Volleyball must have taken a lot out of you." Suga's mom headed to the kitchen as she spoke, missing Daichi's flinch at the mention of volleyball.

"Go on," Asahi nudged Daichi towards the stairs. "You look like you need a shower."

Thirty minutes later, the three of them had showered and were in the process of setting up the extra futons. Suga's mom had gone upstairs already and kindly left them alone, which Asahi appreciated and he was sure his friends did too.

Asahi wasn't sure what compelled Suga to leave the side lamp on, but when he reached over to turn it off, Suga met his confused glance and nodded subtly towards Daichi who was slumped on one of the futons looking like he was contemplating telling them something of utmost importance. Asahi understood; they always left a light on when one of them needed to talk.

Suga pulled out a deck of cards - from where, Asahi didn't know - and they played a quiet game. Asahi took this time to examine his friends closely. Suga, alert, patient, and open. Daichi, stone-faced, just barely following along with the game, deep in his own thoughts that most likely had everything to do with their loss earlier that day.

Suddenly, Daichi put his cards to the side. He wasn't ready to talk yet, that was obvious in the crease of his forehead, but if he was a betting man, which he wasn't, Asahi would say that Daichi was deep in thought trying to word a sentence the way he wanted it to come out. Asahi and Suga looked knowingly at each other before setting their own cards aside and turning to face their friend.

"Whatever you're going to say, we won't judge, so spit it out." Suga said firmly, but underneath the firmness was a gentleness that Asahi rarely heard the silver-haired setter use with their captain.

It wasn't often when Daichi struggled to get his thoughts out in a comprehensible manner, but during the rare times when he wasn't able to, it was a warning sign that something had upset him quite a bit.

"Don't rush him, Suga." Asahi warned. "Take all the time you need, Daichi."

Daichi closed his eyes for a moment and Asahi could practically see him collecting his thoughts.

"Years of hard work," Daichi rasped, his head lifting enough for Asahi to see that his eyes were glazed. "And now… now it's gone. No more chances."

"Oh, Daichi…" Suga whispered.

Asahi, to some extent, understood the emotional turmoil his friend was going through. At the same time, he didn't.

Because it hadn't been him or Suga who rallied the team, given them pep talks or corrected their technique and gotten them to Nationals.

It was Daichi who asked to use the gym after practice in their first year, it was Daichi who stepped up to lead the team and schedule practice matches with other schools when Ukai-san was hospitalized, it was Daichi who Kurokawa depended on to reel in their more rambunctious teammates in their second year, it was Daichi who had been unanimously voted captain at the end of their second year, it was Daichi who helped the team realize that it was possible for them to not only go to Nationals but win there too.

It was his seemingly indomitable spirit and outward optimism and confidence that the team looked up to and others like Aoba Johsai and Dateko feared and, to some possible extent, envied. But what the others on Karasuno's team didn't know - and heaven forbid teams from other schools learned about this - was that Daichi's immeasurable, inexhaustible presence both on and off the court turned into the ultimate powder keg of bitterness and non uttered emotions pushed down in favor of helping others.

Asahi and Suga had been privy to many a night where they would stay up with Daichi after a particularly bad match or day just to make sure he got his emotions out in a somewhat healthy manner. Being the obvious candidate for the captaincy even in those first few practice sessions of their first year, without a proper coach, and with a team that was dangerously stretched in terms of applicants, it was no surprise that Daichi pushed his own needs to the bottom and prioritized everything else.

Asahi knew what disappointment felt like. After the Dateko match in their second year, he had been unable to face Daichi and Suga and see the flicker of emotions in their eyes battling the neutrality on their faces. When he came back, the team, his friends, and the dynamic he had with them were different. Asahi could see the new stress lines on Daichi's forehead, saw how the pressure of being captain weighed on his shoulders, realized that him leaving, as the team's ace, had not only forced Daichi to make some unconventional starting line-up swaps but had also left Daichi himself without a lifeline when he needed one. Suga had changed too. As vice-captain, he took some of the stress and responsibility from Daichi and placed the burden on his own shoulders, but his almost child-like personality had slipped away, replaced with a more mature Suga that Asahi didn't really know.

Karasuno's team had been Daichi's responsibility for so long that he held himself accountable for their losses. Their hard work had paid off to get them to Nationals, but the quarterfinals was where their Cinderella run ended and Asahi and Suga both knew that Daichi was blaming himself for it.

"We made it to the quarterfinals, we even beat Inarizaki. Let that be a victory for now, okay?" Asahi pleaded, hoping that Daichi would accept his words and not beat himself up over their loss, at least for a few hours.

"It's been a rollercoaster of emotions." Daichi finally admitted. "We had a really rough two years, then we pulled together an impressive team this year, we beat the best teams in Miyagi, even the second-ranked club at the Interhigh, we had hopes to win at Nationals, then we lost in the quarterfinals. It's a lot to take in."

"You-you finally said it." Suga spluttered while Asahi just stared at their friend in surprise. "We expected to have to drag it out of you."

Daichi shook his head fondly. "You guys have no confidence in me to be able to get my emotions out healthily."

"History would prove us right." Asahi countered with a short, quiet laugh.


If anyone sees any mistakes here, feel free to correct me. Constructive criticism is always helpful for me to improve so leave a comment if you want to!

-Mafiapartner2