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Kageyama did his best to tune out his mother's tirade as she drove well above the speed limit. His sister, Miwa, looked uncomfortable from her place in the passenger's seat. Miwa had to go to a meeting about her Ph.D. or something, while he had a Saturday detention. Miwa looked like the one who needed to be in detention, if he was being honest. Thick eyeliner, colorful eyeshadow, her all black clothes disheveled with a (hopefully) fake tattoo visible on her shoulder. Still, she was the mature sibling, with a lot of patience and good grades. She was going to be a good therapist.
Meanwhile, he was the failure child. His grades were barely As, and he had to work his ass off to get those. He would prefer to devote his time to playing volleyball, but his parents had barred him from joining any non-academic clubs or extracurriculars. His mother's view of his future was working in some well-respected profession, like as a doctor or engineer or lawyer, and marrying a girl from a wealthy family with numerous connections and then to live rolling in cash for the rest of his life. His view of his future was on a volleyball court, playing in the pro leagues. He pressed his lips together, slouching in the backseat.
"Tobio! You listen to me, you will not be getting another detention. This is your third year, you can't afford to mess up like this!" Kageyama tried not to roll his eyes, instead glancing out of his window. His school came into view, a tall glass and concrete building that he had come to know as a prison for the past 3 years in his life. "Great, now I sound like the bad guy," she moaned, tilting her head back dramatically, like a character in a soap opera. "I just want what's best for you." She slowed to a stop in front of the school building. "You know that. Look at Miwa." His sister shifted uncomfortably. "She's doing well in life, and she's perfectly happy!"
"Well, I'm not Miwa. So stop comparing us." Kageyama crawled out of the car, looking back at his mom. "I'll catch the bus home; don't wait up." He slammed the door and turned away, not stopping when he heard his mother honk a lot. Eventually, she gave up a drove away. He sighed, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder. It was weird being in a school on a Saturday, like he wasn't supposed to be here. It smelled like antiseptic, almost as strong as a hospital.
He quickly found his way to the library. He had spent a lot of time in there, frantically trying to get any of the information his teachers had lectured him about to stick. Even though his mother had drove above the speed limit and nearly hit multiple pedestrians, he was the second one there. He immediately recognized the other kid as Miya Atsumu, star setter of the boys volleyball team and one of the best runners on the track team, doing both hurdles and long distance. Only today he looked sickly, without that golden-boy aura that seemed to always surround him. He was pale, and his eyes were slightly haunted.
He took a seat all the way in the back, dumping his bag on the floor and resting his head on his arms. He would never admit it, but he had always been sort of jealous of Atsumu. He was great at school as well as the starting setter. Even if he was kind of an asshole most of the time, he was never too bad, never bullied people or hurt people. And he always seemed so confident... almost like Oikawa. But his near hero-worship of Oikawa wasn't healthy. And that admiration had died when-
"Yahoo~" He bit the inside of his cheek, hands curling into fists as Oikawa all but strutted into the room. He was clutching the biggest coffee Kageyama had ever seen, the transparent cup making all of the coffee and whipped cream visible. He almost gagged picturing the taste of that. "Tobio-chan!" He winced as Oikawa noticed him, brown eyes darkening while his smile stayed the same. It was a chilling effect, but one that Kageyama had seen many times before. Once he realized that Kageyama wasn't going to say anything, he gave up and sat next to Atsumu, who inched his chair away from him.
There was a brief silence before in-walked Akaashi Keiji. Out of all the people here, Akaashi was the one who surprised him the most. Akaashi was always put together and never lost his cool. He was the kind of guy to offer free tutoring to first years, not the kind of guy to get a weekend detention. His face was as neutral as ever as he sat down 2 rows in front of him, his curly hair looking a little more unkempt than usual.
Last to stumble in, looking very unprepared was Goshiki Tsutomu. Kageyama knew the least about him, given that he transferred in from some fancy boarding school midway through the year. There were a lot of rumors about him, most of them unpleasant. The most infamous one was that he had two college boyfriends that he met up with every weekend in Tokyo. Still, he seemed nice enough, and always kept his head down. Kageyama noticed that his eyeliner was a lot like his sister's. He looked the happiest out of all of them, settling into his seat without looking brain dead or pissed at the world.
The Vice Principal stormed in, scowling at Kageyama in particular. He shrunk down in his seat. He immediately noticed that he had decided to abandon the toupee. He didn't even know how he and Hinata had managed to knock it off, but somehow, only he had been caught and blamed for the whole thing. He could have ratted out Hinata, but he didn't. Because he was a stupid dumbass who would do anything for his best friend. "Settle down," the Vice Principal barked, even though literally no one was talking. His eyes fixed on Oikawa's coffee. "Get rid of that." Oikawa wordlessly chugged all of it. Atsumu made a choking noise and Goshiki barely managed to conceal his giggles. The Vice Principal heard, apparently, rounding on the bowl cut kid. Goshiki stiffened. "Ahh, Mr. Goshiki. You shouldn't look so smug after cutting nearly 4 weeks worth of classes this year."
"Wait, fer real?" Atsumu twisted around in his seat, eyes wide as he stared at Goshiki. The kid nodded sheepishly. Atsumu's mouth dropped further. "So fuckin' cool!" he whispered. The Vice Principal marched over to him with the air of a drill sergeant. "What? I don't care if ya tell 'em what I did."
"So you're proud of beating up your brother in the middle of the halls?" Atsumu tipped his chair backwards, propping it up on two legs as he put his feet on his desk. The Vice Principal's glare deepened. It was truly a wonder that Atsumu wasn't vaporized right then and there. He didn't even fight Atsumu on this, however, and moved onto Oikawa, who was sitting with his empty cup clutched tightly in his hands. "And you. Skipping an entire day of school? With all your responsibilities? Unacceptable." Oikawa was student council president and treasurer (because there weren't enough people who actually wanted to do student council to have two separate people), tutored on the weekends, was Vice President of the Outer Space Exploration Club (whatever that was) and was the best person on the school pentathlon team. He really managed to do everything, all while maintaining his position of Homecoming King and the most popular person at school.
"It was one day!" Oikawa snapped, irritated. He slammed his hands on the desk, making everyone in the room startled. He pointed at Goshiki. "He skipped 4 weeks worth of classes, and you're giving us the same punishment? And besides, this was the first day of school I missed in all of high school!" Goshiki had shrunk down in his seat so far that Kageyama could barely see the top of his bowl cut.
The Vice Principal ignored Oikawa's rant, moving onto Akaashi. "I expected better," he mused, staring over his bulbous nose at Akaashi, who didn't move a muscle. "Punching a kid in the mouth at lunch without being provoked..." Atsumu whipped around again, mouth open. This time, he didn't say anything, but closed his mouth with a clack. "And Mr. Kageyama..." Kageyama glared at the Vice Principal from behind his fringe, still pissed that he even had to be here. The Vice Principal said nothing and started putting a blank piece of paper on everyone's desk, along with a pencil. "You all will get out of here at 3:30PM. By the time you're done, I expect you to have a 1500 word essay composed. The topic will be 'who do you think you are?'. And it will be 1500 different words, Mr. Miya, not one word repeated 1500 times!" Atsumu smirked at him, telling him exactly what he would be receiving at the days end. The Vice Principal stormed out of the room, the library door slamming shut behind him.
"So, nobody's actually doing the essay. Right?" Goshiki asked, sliding his paper and pencil to the edge of the desk. Everyone made various noises of confirmation. Akaashi grabbed a book and stuck his nose in it quickly, avoiding any eye contact with everyone. However, he would not be so lucky. Atsumu got up and walked over to his desk, leaning against it with a curious look in his eyes.
"Did ya really deck a kid in the jaw?" he asked, his accent ever so prominent. Akaashi glanced up, gave a short nod, and returned to his book. Atsumu thought carefully, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Good for ya," he eventually muttered, walking back to his desk and sitting down. Akaashi shot him a bewildered look but said nothing. A long silence hung over the room. "Hey, Kageyama, what'd ya do?"
"I knocked the Vice Principal's toupee off with my friend," he muttered, propping his head up on his hand. Everyone looked at him startled. "What? The guy had it coming." Atsumu snorted, nodding as he balled up his paper, effortlessly chucking it into the garbage can. Oikawa's empty coffee cup soon followed. "Atsumu, did you really beat up your brother?"
"Yup," he said proudly. "'Samu was just teasing me 'bout... 'bout..." He trailed off, face stilling as he seemingly remembered what they fought about. Eventually, his face tightened into a scowl, and then a plastic looking smile. "Just somethin' stupid. Vice Principal was nearby, and I got landed here." A heavy silence hung before Akaashi got up from his seat, walking over to one of the windows and sliding it open. From his pocket, he retrieved a cigarette and a lighter and began blowing puffs of smoke out the window. "Er... Akaashi?" The boy glanced over, his face neutral. "Do ya really have to smoke in, y'know, the library?"
"I'm blowing it out a window, so fuck off," he muttered angrily, brushing aside his bangs and letting everyone get a glimpse of the large bruise blossoming on the right side of his face. it was dark black and blue, swollen, with some tiny nicks bordering it. "What?"
"Are you okay? What the hell happened?" Goshiki asked anxiously, pinching his wrist through his sweater, as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Akaashi blinked, before realization flickered in his eyes. His hand brushed the bruise gently, wincing as he grazed the worst part, where a 2 inch cut ran down the side of his eye, thankfully not hitting it.
"Remember how the Vice Principal said I punched someone in the face?" Everyone nodded. "Well, let's just say that that guy knew how to punch back." A wry smile flickered on his face, followed by irritation, and then, like a castle gate slamming down, his face was back to normal. He took a deep breath of smoke before tilting his head and releasing it perfectly into the outside air.
"It's fucking freezing. Close the damn window," Oikawa hissed, his eye twitching. Akaashi fixed him with an unimpressed glare. Kageyama rolled his eyes, dropping his hand back onto the desk. "Fucking what, Tobio-chan?"
"Don't call me that," he snapped back, irritation flaring. "And you're on the other side of the damn library; you're fine. Would you prefer him to blow all the smoke in here?" Oikawa's face went downright murderous as he stood up, fist rearing back as if he was gong to slap him. Wouldn't be the first time, he thought sarcastically, also standing up. Atsumu stood up, moving to stand between them but stumbled on the way there, gripping the edge of Goshiki's desk for support. Oikawa dropped his hand, straightening up. The fire and fight in his eyes drained out of his eyes as he stared at Atsumu, who was tightly clutching the edge of the desk for dear life. "Miya? You good?" Oikawa asked, confusion and genuine concern flickering on his face. Atsumu waved him off, blinking.
"Fine! I'm fine. Jus' got dizzy." Goshiki stood up, grabbing him and leading him to sit in his own chair. Atsumu sat down heavily, burrowing deep into his heavy sweatshirt. "Really, Goshiki-kun, I'm fine!" He gave Goshiki a blinding smile, his face going from pallid and unhealthy to bright and energetic. Goshiki didn't look convinced, jumping up to sit on the desk casually.
"You looked like you were going to pass out," he observed, unimpressed. "Did you eat breakfast today?" Atsumu's grin died a little as he shook his head. Goshiki dug in his bag, pulling out a chocolate chip granola bar and a bag of sour cream and vinegar chips. He tossed the granola bar to Atsumu and took the chips for himself. Atsumu didn't touch the granola bar, dropping it on the desk.
"You should probably eat, Atsumu," Kageyama observed. "Breakfast is important. And skipping even one meal can be bad for an athlete." Atsumu shot him a begrudging glance and took a bite, face scrunching up as if he was eating a raw lemon. For a couple minutes, the room was only filled with the sounds of Atsumu and Goshiki slowly eating, as well as Akaashi smoking in the window. Oikawa had marched back to his seat, tapping his foot. "Oikawa, why did you skip school?" Oikawa shrugged, not looking behind him.
"Wanted to piss off my parents," he said nonchalantly, tiredly. "They don't give a shit about me, they give a shit about my image, so why not ruin it for them. I'm so fucking done." He punched the desk angrily. As if he sensed everyone's eyes on him, he glanced up. "What? Not as perfect as you thought I'd be? Hate to fucking break it to you."
Kageyama blinked uneasily, staring at Oikawa openly. He had only seen him break down like this once, and that was in middle school, back when they were both setters on their schools boys volleyball team. Oikawa had managed to have everything he wanted: friends, popularity, a killer jump serve, and was the starting setter. Maybe it was no surprise that he grew to admire him, perhaps a little too much. At the end of their first year, after the first time Kageyama had been put into a match instead of Kageyama. Kageyama had, rather childishly, asked Oikawa to teach him his jump serve.
Oikawa had, for lack of words, snapped. His face, which had previously been occupied with a blank smile, darkened. His smile became sinister, as his eyes became nearly black. Before Kageyama could process anything, Oikawa's hand was colliding with his face, knocking him sideways and to the ground. Iwaizumi, Oikawa's childhood friend (and future boyfriend) burst into the gym just as Oikawa's face had turned to shock, as his he had just realized what he had done. His hand dropped limp as the two setters stared at each other.
Kageyama still didn't understand why. Maybe it was jealousy, but what did Oikawa have to be jealous of? He had everything. Kageyama and Oikawa caught each other's eye before Oikawa turned away violently fast. Atsumu opened his mouth to say something, but the door flew open. Akaashi dropped his cigarette, slamming the window shut. "Get back to your seats!" Akaashi and Goshiki scrambled to their seats, Akaashi's face the epitome of trustworthyness once again, while Atsumu stood up slowly and all but sauntered over to his seat, flopping down into it. "Have none of you written anything? What, Mr. Kageyama?" he asked, glaring at his raised hand.
Kageyama lifted his paper. "I wrote my name." Atsumu snorted again, while Goshiki openly laughed. Amusement flickered on Akaashi's face as he turned around to look at his paper. The Vice Principal's eyes twitched dangerously. "What?" he asked innocently, raising his eyebrows and forcing his normally sour face into one of serenity. Maybe it wasn't successful, because the Vice Principal's face continued to darkened.
"I'll see you right back here next week," he snarled, looking a bit like a charging bull. Kageyama's stomach dropped. He knew that his mother would kill him if he got another detention. But he knew that talking back never resulted in anything good, not with his mother and not with anyone else. His hands, once again, curled into tight fists. He could feel blood beginning to stain his palms as he stared defiantly at the Vice Principal. He was waiting for him to crack, to beg not to be put in detention or, at the very least, to yell and scream. He wouldn't give in. Eventually, he sighed and turned away. He walked out of the room, the heavy door clanging behind him. Kageyama let out a yell, slamming his head against the desk angrily.
"Fuck," he whispered. "Fuck. He looked down at his hands, at his black nails tinged with fresh blood around the edges. At his palms, which were stained with red. "God-fucking-dammit." He looked up, looked at the four shocked faces staring at him. He sighed, before holding up his hands like he was surrendering, letting blood drip off his hands and onto the desk. "Does anyone have, like bandages or shit?" Goshiki bobbed his head hesitantly, digging in his bag before pulling out a travel-size First Aid kit. He lay his hands face up on his desk as Goshiki moved like an expert, pulling out round bandaids and cotton balls, mopping up the blood and peeling the paper off the back of the bandaids.
"You're good at that," Oikawa observed from over Goshiki's shoulder. Kageyama wasn't quite sure when all the others had got over here. Atsumu was crouched on the ground, his forearms and head resting on the desk while Akaashi leaned on the desk next to Kageyama. All were looking at Goshiki's practiced movements. His shoulders tensed, eyes flickering with some unclear emotion as he shrugged. "No, how are you so good at that?"
"I know some pretty reckless people," he chuckled nervously, tossing his bangs out of his face. "I'm always the one who has to - y'know, clean those idiots up when they fall off their skateboards and mishandle heavy equipment and shit." Goshiki finished his nursing, tugging his sweater sleeves over his hands, leaving only his fingertips sticking out. "But seriously, did you really just knock his toupee off, and not curse his bloodline? He hates you, Tobio." It was weird to be called his first name without any honorifics, but he didn't really mind. He pulled his hands back, letting them rest on his lap.
"I don't know. I think it might be because of my mom. Whenever I get a 'bad' grade, she emails all my teachers and tells them that they need to be harder on me, that they're not doing enough. Which usually means that all my teachers fucking hate me. Can't blame them, though. If I judge people based on their parents, I'd hate myself more than I already do."
"You'd hate me too," Oikawa said, "more than you already do." Everyone made various noises of assent. "Do we all have fucked home lives? Not being rude, just curious." More noises of assent. "Hmm. Well then."
"We're all freaks," Akaashi said with a pleasant smile. Akaashi was a hard one to make sense of. He was calm and non-confrontational, preferring to stay silent. And yet he also smoked and got into a fight at school. The bruise was a glaring reminder. Maybe he caught Kageyama's eyes on it, because he smiled darkly and touched the bruise again, wincing. "It wasn't unprovoked," he said suddenly. "It wasn't. They were making fun of a bunch of girls in the class, calling them sluts and whores. I had enough and punched him. He punched back and all his friends backed him up, which is why I'm here and he's off getting drunk or whatever the hell he does in his free time." The smile had been wiped off his face, and his expression as just dark. Atsumu stood up, planting his hands on the desk and shaking his head.
"That's fucked. So from what I understand, Tobio's here 'cause of a silly accident, Tooru's is here 'cause his parents are dicks, and Keiji's here 'cause a kid in his class is an asshole. What the fuck, man? None of us deserve to be here! Well, Tsutomu skipped 4 weeks worth of school, so that's somethin'," he muttered wryly. Goshiki huffed a laugh, twisting his hands together and biting his lip anxiously. Nobody questioned how Atsumu knew all of their first names. It was just some, unsaid thing, the fact that they were on first-name basis. It was weird, but a good weird.
"Did you really just fight your brother for no reason?" Tsutomu wondered out loud. "I mean, it doesn't sound like something you'd do. I've only known you for, what, an hour or so? But you don't seem like a bad guy." Atsumu hesitated, before sighing. His energy seemed to crumble, leaving behind some kind of thing that looked like Atsumu but was so lifeless. "Uh, Atsumu?"
"If we're all bein' honest here," he muttered, glancing up at Keiji, then at Tooru, and then at Tobio. He sighed, seemingly psyching himself up. "If we're all tryin' to be honest," he amended. "Then... no. 'Samu's on the volleyball team too, and we hafta do mandatory health checkups, y'know. And I... I'm benched, now, 'cause I don't weigh enough to be healthy. It's worryin', they said, my weight. 'Samu found out when I didn't show up to mornin' practice and he got pissed. But, of course, Miya Osamu doesn't do wrong and Miya Atsumu is the problem-fuckin'-child, so I'm landed here." His face had taken the same sort of turn that Keiji's had, but more angry. He crossed his arms in front of him, curling in on himself. Now that Tobio was looking, he could see that Atsumu wasn't just lean, but worryingly thin, especially for an athlete.
"I wasn't being complete honest," Tooru suddenly pitched in. "I mean, that's why I skipped school, but... I just thought it would get their attention," he said quietly. "To my parents, I'm not a person, I'm just a thing they can talk about to their coworkers, something they can use against each other. If my mom takes me to ice cream, my dad takes me to dinner. They keep trying to one up each other, and I'm fucking sick of it. I want to be a person. But what did I get? A lecture and a detention. It fucking sucks."
"My mom's always liked my sister better," Tobio volunteered. "She's 8 years older than me, but she got great grades, and she's going to become a therapist. She's going to be a damn good one, too. But she hates me because I can't be what she wants me to be. I don't want to be who she wants me to be, I want to- I want to play volleyball," he said, finally saying it out loud after years of suppressing his dreams. "I want to go pro, but she won't let me play. I've been studying and overworking myself to death for three years, and I guess I'm supposed to feel accomplished, but I don't. I feel- I feel empty, I guess, and pissed. I don't know." More silence fell. Everyone seemed to have trouble grasping that they weren't alone in some weird twist of fate. Atsumu took a deep breath.
"I know I already had my turn to speak, but..." Atsumu shook his head sharply, blond hair swaying. "I'm not generally well-liked. Sure, I'm loud, but that's 'cause if I'm not, then I jus’ get ignored. Being good at school, an'- an' good at volleyball has never been enough, because I already have a twin who is both of those things. Well, I get better grades that 'Samu, but he's nice by nature. I'm loud. I'm an asshole. I drive people away and pretend I don't." His eyes were wide, and it looked like he wasn't completely aware of what he was saying. Tooru carefully reached over the table and grab his hand. Atsumu practically crumbled. Tobio shot up, pushing Atsumu into his chair. "And I can get ya on the volleyball team, if ya want, Tobio," he muttered, nodding at the boy. "I'm the captain, after all, and we need another setter who can play well, 'cause if I'm benched then we got no-one." Tobio nodded hesitantly.
"I hear the things people say about me, you know?" Tsutomu burst out. Everyone looked at him. He was the smallest one there, shorter than all of them by at least a couple centimeters. Not that he was short, just shorter than everyone else. "The rumors and shit. I hear it. And people aren't exactly subtle, here. They shove me and take my things and write all over my desk. The first day I skipped, that was the first time they wrote on my desk. Markers and paint and- they even carved stuff into it! And they leave notes in my locker and- and- and-." The frantic energy he had been talking with dissipating. "That's why I skipped school. So I wouldn't have to be around them. I think my boyfriends are worry. That part’s true, by the way; I have two boyfriends, both in college- Semi Eita and Shirabu Kenjiro. I don't want to tell them." He sighed, grabbing his chair and turning it around, sitting in it and gently resting his head on the desk.
"We're all freaks," Keiji repeated, this time with a tinge of humor in his voice. He glanced at the clock. "We have three hours left. What do you want to do?" Silence fell over the library as everyone thought.
"We could try to go to the vending machines," Tobio suggested. "I brought some money and I'm fucking starving." He reached into his bag and fished out a couple crumpled yen notes. Atsumu shrugged, standing up and grabbing his bag.
"Why the hell not? I'm thirsty as hell." Everyone agreed slowly, grabbing either their bags or some money and standing up. Tsutomu picked at his nails anxiously, while Keiji lit up another cigarette. "Aw, not inside, Keiji." Keiji rolled his eyes but dropped it, stamping it out a little more forcefully than strictly necessary.
"We're not supposed to leave this room, right? What if the Vice Principal catches us?" Tsutomu wondered just as Tooru went to open the door. He hesitated, pulling his hand back. "And does anyone know where the nearest vending machine is? I know there's one by the cafeteria, but that's on the other side of the school..."
"There's one by the gym," Tobio volunteered. "That's just down the hall and to the left. But as for the Vice Principal, I don't know." Atsumu snorted and checked the time before shoving the door open. "What the hell?!"
"Me an' 'Samu have been pissin' him off since our first year," he scoffed, walking out of the library casually. "He takes his lunch break at the same every day; has done for three years. Predictable old asshole." Atsumu glares at the closed office door directly opposite the library. The sign reading 'Vice Principal' was vandalized, and had been for some time. "We better hurry, though. He only eats for half an hour or so." Tooru wasted no time and took off sprinting down the hall. Atsumu laughed loudly and took off after him, dragging Tsutomu with him. Keiji and Tobio exchanged a look and walked after the three.
When they rounded the corner, they saw Tsutomu punching in the buttons for strawberry milk. "I think I'm gonna go for boba after this. I've been craving it for, like, years." The milk fell down and Tsutomu grabbed it. Tooru quickly pushed him out of the way, hitting the buttons for milk bread.
"You're addicted to that stuff," Tobio observed, leaning against the wall. Tooru flipped him off as he collected his prize, eyes practically lighting up. "Atsumu, you going to get anything?" Atsumu nodded, getting a soda from the machine. "Are we going to get lunch, do you think?"
"Probably not," Atsumu said flippantly. "But it's fine. There's a lot more time in the day to eat." Tooru hummed in agreement through a mouthful of milk bread. Keiji rolled his eyes, face twisting in slight disgust as he crouched down to retrieve the protein bar he bought. Tobio wasn't really hungry, so he just got a milk carton.
Nobody talked, just stood in the corridor and ate and drank. The clock seemed to stand still, time not passing as they hovered in the hallway like a small flock of jumpy birds. "Do we really have to go back to the library? Couldn't we just leave?" Tsutomu sighed, crumbling his milk carton in his hand. Everyone paused to consider. "Wait... are you guys really...?"
"We could. We definitely could," Keiji said, nodding a couple times sharply. “We’re all fast enough to make it out of here before he notices. What do you guys think?” But he doesn’t really need to ask. Both Atsumu and Tobio are athletes, and Tooru had been in middle school. Both Tsutomu and Keiji looked quick, and if they weren’t, the three faster boys could either drag them or carry them. It would be so easy, so simple.
“Let’s do it,” Atsumu said, a mischievous smirk pulling on his mouth. His eyes light up like twin sparklers, shining in the flickering, dull, fluorescent lights of the hallway. “Let’s fuckin’ do it. Wh-“ Atsumu was cut off by the slam of the library doors and the heavy steps of the Vice Principal. “Fuck,” he swore quietly. “Any suggestions?”
A pause. “Run,” Tooru hissed. He wastes no time in grabbing Tsutomu by the wrist and flying down the hall. Tobio could have sworn that Tsutomu’s feet didn’t touch the ground. Atsumu and Tobio share a glance before they both take off sprinting as well, with Keiji close behind. They take a left at the next hall, and Tooru and Tsutomu must took taken a right, because they are nowhere to be seen or heard. That doesn’t make them slow their pace.
They sprinted down past the auditorium and the science wing, falling into each other as they attempted to cut corners without slowly down. Without warning, Atsumu grabbed both of them and dragged them into a supply closet. Tobio made to yell at him, but Atsumu shoved his hand on top of his mouth. In the darkness of the closet, he missed his mark slightly; his hand ended on top of his nose. But Tobio was shocked enough that his curses died in his throat.
“I think he’s after ‘em,” Atsumu whispered. Keiji nodded; they were pressed so close together that Tobio could feel Keiji’s hair brushing up and down his cheek. “What d’ya think they’re doin’?”
“Running,” Tobio replied dryly. He opened the closet, Atsumu almost toppling out. Keiji caught him on his arm, face impassive. Tobio edged his way by the pair, shooting them a slightly smug smile over his shoulder. Atsumu screwed his face up at him, sticking out his tongue as he stood up. Keiji just rolled his eyes, taking the lead for the walk back to the library.
It was empty when they got there, empty and silent, but it wasn’t empty or silent for long. As soon as Keiji lit up a cigarette, glaring at both Atsumu and Tobio as if daring them to speak out, the door was flung open by Tooru, a shocked and almost dazed look on his face. “What the hell?!” Atsumu yelped as Tooru stumbled his way back to his seat.
Tobio looked at the door, waiting for it to open again. It didn’t. “Where’s Tsutomu?” Tooru shook his head, blankly letting his hand fall onto the desk with a painful sounding thunk. Both Atsumu and Tobio winced at the sound. "Seriously, Tooru, where's Tsutomu?"
"Distracting the Vice Principal," Tooru said, still sounding out of it. "He just shoved me in the bathroom and started screaming and then took off sprinting." Atsumu and Tobio shared a stunned look. Tsutomu? Really? "I didn't know he had it in him, either, believe me."
"Well, he did skip, like months worth of school. Then again, that was to get away from bullies." Tooru trailed off picking his head up and propping it on his hand. He stared at the door, biting his lip nervously. Atsumu's hands curled into fists, as he made a small hissing noise, posture tense. "What's got you all worked up?"
"Those guys who are making' fun of Tsutomu- I think I wanna punch 'em." Tobio took a step back warily. This Atsumu was different from the one who talked back to the Vice Principal, and was still different from the one who admitted that he fought with his brother over his eating- or lack of eating, rather. Atsumu had so many faces, so many that Tobio didn't know which one was the real one.
Well, all of them were. Tobio considered this as Tooru tried to talk Atsumu down. Keiji was observing all of this while smoking, looking dreadfully unconcerned with all of the proceedings. There were so many side to people, and all of them were just as real as the others. Well, except maybe Tooru's 'public face'. That one was an act, one that Tobio had seen fall apart in middle school.
When 5 minutes passed without Tsutomu passing, Tobio finally gave in and sat down at his desk, drawing a small volleyball and a little plant on his desk. After some thought, he added a little yin-yang symbol to his cluster of drawings. The doors flung open abruptly, making Tobio draw a jagged line across his desk. The Vice Principal was bright red in the face, steam practically coming out of his ears, while Tsutomu trailed behind him, looking mildly terrified and somewhat defiant in a way that Tobio thought only Tsutomu could.
The Vice Principal all but shoved Tsutomu into his seat before storming out again and slamming the door. They heard the sound of something being dragged in front of the doors. Keiji walked over, pushing the door a little. It opened about an inch before hitting something. "Isn't this a fire hazard?" Keiji wondered, pulling it shut and shoving it again. The door didn't give an inch.
"Holy shit, Tsutomu! Wha' happened?" Atsumu asked, stunned as he slammed his hands down on Tsutomu's desk. Tsutomu winced but smiled nervously as everyone (minus Keiji, who just went back to the window) clumped around him. "Don't hold out!"
"Well, I already have so many absences on my record, and- and Tooru has practically nothing, so I figured it would be better if I was caught," Tsutomu reasoned, looking slightly intimidated. "And besides, he didn't do much. Just kinda yelled a lot."
"And blocked the door. Which is a safety hazard," Keiji added in, finishing off his cigarette and walked over to join them. "But anyway, Atsumu, I've been meaning to ask- where were you born? You have a Kansai accent, so I assume you're not from Miyagi like the rest of us." Atsumu blinked, before grinning wide.
"Was born an' raised in Hyogo 'til middle school, an' then I moved 'ere!" he said proudly. Conversation died down as no one could come up with anything to add. "We have an' hour or so left. What're we gonna do?" Keji shrugged.
"The door is blocked, so we can't leave," Tooru muttered thoughtfully. "And the Vice is going to be on our asses if we don't get that essay done. At the same time, there's no way in hell I'm writing a fucking essay. I'm going to go call my boyfriend. Sayonara~" Tooru winked and walked over to his desk, grabbing his phone and climbing the stairs to the second floor of the library, dialing Iwaizumi's number.
"We could just write one thing," Tsutomu suggested, looking down at his paper. "But what do we write? And I'm guessing just writing 'fuck you' isn't a good response." Keiji took the paper from Tsutomu and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pen. "Yes you can have that paper, thanks for asking politely and not snatching my shit." Tobio snorted and Keiji rolled his eyes, writing in slightly rushed but neat kanji a single paragraph. After he was finished, he read it over, nod, and showed it to the other three.
'Dear Vice Principal sir, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a loner, an jock, a king, a nerd and a loser. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.'
"Strangely... poetic," Atsumu, the first to finish reading, commented. "Not in a bad way!" he hurried to reassure at Keiji's raised eyebrow. "An' your handwriting is somethin' magic, I tell you." Keiji muttered out a noncommittal apology, running a hand through his hair and turning away. Instead of pulling out a cigarette, he pulled out a book.
"Loser, really?" Tsutomu muttered, looking slightly amused. Atsumu snorted, ruffling his hair. Tsutomu squawked indignantly, batting his hands away. Atsumu walked away, cackling. "I feel so appreciated." Tobio laughed quietly. "Wanna read Shounen Jump with me?"
"Sure." Tsutomu pulled out the latest issue of Shonen Jump with a friendly smile, dragging two chairs close together to form a sort of bench. He spread out the magazine while Tobio sat next to him. He didn't recognize any of the series - his mother didn't like things like manga distracting him from his studies - but Tsutomu had no problem explaining them. He kept itching his wrist absently. Tobio reached over the table, taking one hand in his.
"You should probably stop doing that," Tobio noted. Tsutomu wicked, fear creeping into his expression. Tobio was confused, until a couple pieces clicked into place- never took off his jacket, itched his wrists a lot, was good at first aid. "Oh. Um. I-"
"I know. I know that it's bad, but it helps me cope, and I just- I don't-" Tsutomu sighed, wiping his eyes with his free hand. "My boyfriends don't know. I just- I don't even know."
"I can't really give you advice or anything," Tobio said slowly. "But I think- maybe you should tell someone? Like your boyfriends, or a family member, or- I don't know, a psychiatrist?" Tobio looked down at Tsutomu's hand in his. "I just want to make sure you're okay."
"Yeah. Thanks," Tsutomu choked out, sounding on the verge of tears. "I'll tell. I've been meaning to for a while, I guess." A short silence. "Need me to explain One Piece to you again?"
"Please do, I have no idea what the fuck is happening," Tobio said, honestly. Tsutomu laughed loudly before launching into a detailed explanation of One Piece, one that Tobio barely managed to follow with the speed Tsutomu was speaking. Still, he was pretty sure he managed to get the basic concept.
"Oh, fuck guys- it's 3:30." Everyone looked over at Keiji and then at a clock. In plain day- 3:39. "Let's get the fuck out of here!" Keiji sighed happily, slinging his bag over his shoulder and almost skipping to the back of the library.
"Where the fuck are you goin'?" Atsumu asked, jogging over. His eyes flickered over Tsutomu and Tobio for a second. 'Cute,' he mouthed, winking. Tobio startled, before realizing he and Tsutomu were still holding hands.
"No, I actually like-" Tobio shoved his fist in his mouth, turning red as what he was saying caught up to him. Luckily, Atsumu didn't seem to hear him, but Tsutomu did. He giggled and knocked his shoulder into Tobio's as he stood up, picking up his bag.
"Some advice? Go for it!" Goshiki whispered, giving Tobio a thumbs up before hurrying over to join the others in the back. Tooru was hurrying down the stairs, still talking on the phone as he scooped up his belongings. Tobio finally got up, setting the letter Keiji wrote onto the library desk so the Vice Principal wouldn't miss it.
"There was a back door this whole time? Why didn't you say anything?" Tooru was near-shouting indignantly as Keiji was pushing open the back door that Tobio didn't know existed. "What the actual- why would you- I- no, Iwa-chan, this isn't important- no!" Atsumu laughed again, leaving with a little salute. Keiji and Tsutomu followed. Tobio rolled his eyes and grabbed Tooru's arm, pulling him out the door.
It was cold, cold and bright outside. Goshiki quickly darted over to a pair of boys waiting by a white car, one with a caramel bowl cut and a resting bitch face while the other had gray hair with back tips as well as a guitar slung across his back. He waved goodbye with a smile, before hurrying over and pressing a piece of paper into Tobio's hand. "Almost forgot," he said apologetically, before running back over to the car. "Bye!" He climbed into the car, which drove off slowly.
The paper had a phone number scrawled on it, as well as a small 'Thank you'. Tobio looked up as Tooru ran past him, still on the phone. "Hey! What's that?" Atsumu looked over his shoulder without warning. He pulled out a pencil and added his own phone number. "Oi! Keiji!" Keiji looked over, unimpressed. Still, he added his number. "It's be a damn shame if we never talked after this, eh?" Atsumu winked before strolling over to the cafe across the street and the guy who was waiting in front of it. With dark eyes and hair, as well as a black surgical mask, he looked intimidating. Still. Atsumu pulled down the mask and got nothing but a light punch on the shoulder and a chaste kiss, so maybe his first impression was wrong.
"You have a ride?" Keiji asked, no hint of worry or concern in his voice. Tobio nodded, even though he knew his mom wouldn't be coming. Keiji eyed him suspiciously but was distracted by a car honk. He ran over to the car, slightly irritated. Someone from inside yelled Keiji's name loudly. "Bokuto-san, I-"
"Just get in! OH! Can we go to the boba store on the way home?" Keiji said something too quietly for him to hear before climbing into the passengers seat. Tobio caught a glimpse of black and white hair before the car sped off recklessly, nearly hitting a mailbox and a pedestrian. Tobio watched it, bemused.
Tobio stood in the crisp air for a second, clutching the piece of paper in his hand. Slowly, he took out his phone. He added four numbers and created a group chat- Breakfast Club. Truthfully, he had no clue why Keiji wrote it, but he liked it. He watched as greetings appeared in his messages, ranging from enthusiastic (Atsumu) to lifeless (Keiji). Tobio stared at his phone blankly.
He looked around. The streets were empty. He could see Atsumu and the guy from before talking and laughing in the cafe window. A sharp breeze blew, blowing dead leaves onto the ground. "Go for it, huh." Biting his lip, Tobio dialed a phone number.
"Suga? Hi. I need a ride. Mind seeing me again?"