Chapter Text
Kageyama Miwa left the house when she turned 19, dragging a bulky hot-pink suitcase behind her.
"Help me zip this, Tobio."
The eleven year old nodded, pinching the dented zipper between his fingers. His sister was humming a familiar tune.
"I'm going,then. Try to get along with Bigfoot, 'kay?"
Bigfoot is the name they gave the burly man who had showed up at their house last week. He was massive, shoes as big as the model boats they had at the museum. Miwa was the one who came up with the name. She whispered it to her brother over mugs of warm milk, and the two of them giggled like maniacs.
Their mother shot a disapproving look their way, like she knew what they were saying. She was head over heels for him, even if she did look uncomfortable every time he laid a hand over her ass.
"Do you have to go?"
Miwa pauses, fingers hovering over an untied shoelace.
"I'm gonna work really hard, then when I'm a famous hairdresser I'll buy you your own volleyball court. How about that?"
"I don't need a court."
Miwa rubs his hair, messing it up more than she usually does. Her eyes are watery.
"Take care of mom, okay?"
She leaves, and he stares at the door for a while before making his way to the kitchen. He rips the plastic wrap off a plate of pork curry and eats it cold. Miwa knows just how he likes it.
He's pretty sure his mother doesn't even know that it's his favorite food.
The first kick comes two weeks after his sister leaves.
His shin throbs fiercely, but he doesn't cry. Bigfoot is sneering at him, a satisfied smirk cutting through his facial hair. It's a shock. He doesn't remember doing anything particularly bad. His mother is still fast asleep, and Bigfoot is standing in front of the fridge like a guard. Kageyama forgets about his yogurt and limps away hurriedly.
It's nice and warm outside, and Kageyama plops down on the porch with a grimace. The bruise hasn't quite showed up yet. He prods at the reddened patch and it stings. He wants nothing more than to cry, and have Miwa rub salve on it before kissing him on the top of his head. He saw his mother do the same thing to Miwa once, he thinks. The two of them bonded like any other mother and daughter. Kageyama himself used to get half hearted pats on the head when he brought back a new finger painting or a good job stamp on his homework.
He never got attached to his mother. Every time they had a nice moment together she would dissapear for the next week. He didn't blame her for all the business trips. She was a busy woman, after all. They had plenty of money from her job, but the house was cold and empty. No time to spend it on holidays, or to go furniture shopping for a nicer couch. Miwa was a different story. She was always bouncy and excited whenever their mother was at home. She used to move to their mother's room and do her homework with a flashlight while their mother slept. Kageyama didn't understand. Perhaps there was a time when she was home more often. Perhaps she used to be the perfect mother. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't a part of that.
By the time he decides to go back in the house, the throbbing has lessened and he can walk normally. Bigfoot has made a cup of coffee for his mother, and they're laughing over something. His mother looks over at him and flashes a crinkly eyed smile. It's awkward, like she's a kid meeting a new friend and not a mother looking at her son.
He smiles back.
Iwaizumi Hajime is not the first person to ask him about his bruises, but he's the most persistent.
The marks are rarely anywhere visible, anyway. His stepfather isn't stupid. He aims the blows at his torso, brings down sticks on his back. He only got the occasional bruise on his legs or his cheek once a month. Nothing unusual for an active boy his age, even if he wasn't the type to get in fights.
"You ran into a door?"
He nods, flinching when Iwaizumi reaches to touch the bruise blooming among his jaw.
"Did somebody do this?"
"What? No. I ran into a wall."
He frowns.
"Not a door?"
Kageyama gulps. He's good at lying, but now his heart was pounding and Iwaizumi was still looking at him.
"I-I'm being bullied."
The older boy widens his eyes, and Kageyama pats himself on the back.
"Is it your classmates? Is it-"
He hestitates, but Kageyama doesn't miss the way his eyes dart to the other first years.
"No. It's-kids at my cram school. I told my teacher yesterday. She's working on it with my mom."
It scares him, how easily the lies roll off his tongue. He doesn't even go to cram school.
"Okay, that's good. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
He pats Kageyama on the head. He grits his teeth and tries not to move. Touch was scary. But he trusted his senpai, and the touch was gentle. He felt like he was melting in joy before the hand pulled away, and he was left aching for more. For a hug.
Instead, he nods curtly and leaves.
The next morning he sees Iwaizumi whispering to Oikawa. They approach him before practice, and a folded slip of paper is pushed into his hands.
"You can talk to either of us, if something like this happens again. We'll be there."
Oikawa is pouting, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Kageyama thanks them.
He glances at the paper before tucking it away in his bag. It's two phone numbers, scribbled in different handwritings with a name over each one.
Iwaizumi, in rough letters. And Oikawa, in careful characters next to a doodled peace sign.
Karasuno is the best thing that's happened to him in a while.
After a month he dives into his bed after school and cries. Nobody glares at him in practice. He didn't sit alone during breaks. Any snide comments made by Tsukishima were followed by good natured smacks from Tanaka, or a sheepish apology from Yamaguchi.
It's so, so strange. He almost feels wanted.
Bigfoot comes back home drunk that night. He laughs at Kageyama's red eyes.
The next day, he goes to school with an ugly purple shape blooming on his cheekbone.
"Did you get in a fight, Bakageyama?"
Hinata is waving his arms madly and gawking at him.
"I fell."
"On your face?
"Yeah. On my face."
Hinata squawks in glee
.
"That's a pretty rough bruise, though. Did you ice it?"
Suga has a gentle smile on his face when he approaches. He raises his hand and Kageyama squeezes his eyes shut, hunching his shoulders and taking a step back.
The hand doesn't come.
"Kageyama?"
He opens his eyes tentatively,to see the whole club room staring at him. Something twists in his chest, and it registers in his mind that he's messed up. Bad.
"I'm sorry."
"Hey, I'm not as intimidating as Asahi! At least before you get to know him."
Suga cracks his signature grin at Asahi's protests, and the tension loosens.
Hinata looks at him with furrowed eyebrows and pouted lips. Concern, or maybe just confusement.
Kageyama shakes the uneasy feeling, shoving his bag into his shelf with a tad too much aggression. He doesn't have time to worry about stupid things. His team will forget about it sooner or later. Perhaps they've already forgotten, given the ripples of laughter circling the room.
Hinata doesn't race him to the gym that day. He trails behind Kageyama quietly, like a petulant child after a public scolding.
"Why are you being weird?"
Hinata looks taken aback, missing an easy receive. Ennoshita catches the stray ball and flings it back, smiling at an apologetic Hinata.
"Because I'm worried about you. Did you really fall?"
To a stranger, Hinata might seem like nothing like boundless energy and an empty brain. But he's ridiculously perceptive, Kageyama thinks. It might be more of a wild instinct than anything, but it sends goosebumps tickling along his forearm.
"Of course I did, dumbass. I wouldn't lie about
something that embarrassing."
"That makes sense, I guess..."
Kageyama gets the feeling that he isn't quite satisfied with his answer, but he leaves it. If he's lucky Hinata will forget about it after a few good spikes.
"Kageyama-kun, come see me after class."
He's startled awake by a rolled up textbook to the head. His classmates are sniggering.
"Yes, ma'am."
Ms. Ono is clearly a good person and a favorite among the kids, but she didn't tolerate rule-breakers.
Kageyama wonders if sleeping in class is enough to merit a suspension. Surely not on its own, but he was a repeat offender. That and the fact that he-
The bell rings, and somebody let's out a celebratory yell. The students move immediately, desks groaning as girls push them together to have lunch with their friends. Kageyama puts away his pencil case. Ms. Ono is waiting for him by the door.
"Where's your lunch?"
"In my bag."
"Why don't you get it? We can have lunch together."
Great. Lunch alone with his teacher. Kageyama mumbles a yes ma'am, cheeks burning at the calls of pity from his classmates.
"That's hardly a balanced lunch, ya'know."
"Neither is yours, sensei."
He digs into his onigiri, ignoring the offended gasp Ms. Ono lets out as she unwraps a ham sandwich.
They eat in silence for a little while, and Kageyama can feel the sweat beading on his forehead. He thinks about how he'd rather be yelled at it. The boy is in the middle of fantasizing about a giant earthquake splitting the staff room in two when his teacher finally speaks.
"Kageyama kun, do you get enough sleep at home?"
He pauses to think. Last night he was doing laundry and washing dishes well past midnight.
"Yeah, I guess. Sorry for sleeping in class, Ms. Ono."
She purses her lips, carefully setting her sandwich down on the neatly folded wrapper.
"Apology accepted. I was just wondering why you seem to think English class is the perfect nap-time. Are you having trouble keeping up with schoolwork?"
He shakes his head,cheeks puffed out with rice. His teacher waits for him to swallow.
"I'm okay, thank you. Maybe I should be getting some more rest."
She nods.
"I understand. How about that nasty bruise you have? Would you like to see the nurse?"
He stiffens. The whole sleeping-in-class problem was probably a disguise. His stepfather had been in a foul mood lately, downing beer like a thirsty athlete gulping water after a marathon. Drunk Bigfoot was careless Bigfoot, and this was the third time that month he's had a bruise show up somewhere visible.
"I've already iced it, ma'am. It'll be fine."
"Did you fall?"
He can tell she's trying to keep the conversation casual, taking a bite of her sandwich before she continues.
"Yes. I was being careless,I think I was tired."
The words are too panicked and they come out too fast. Kageyama knows it himself. Being scrutinized by Hinata all morning had put him on defense mode, and the usually effortless lies were getting jumbled up in his throat.
"Is something happening at home?"
He shakes his head, hurriedly finsihing the rest of his lunch in one bite. He avoids her gaze as he chews.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I won't let you down, whatever it is."
The rice has turned to mush but he keeps chewing, nodding slowly.
The bell rings,and Ms. Ono waves at him with a stiff smile as he excuses himself.
Kageyama makes a mental note to barricade his door that night.