Spray-paint and Skateboards (SakuAtsu Dancer AU)

Chapter 59: Determination

It had been roughly ten minutes since Suna had called Lev when they heard a knock on Atsumu's bedroom door.

"It's me!" Came Yaku's voice from the otherside of the door, and Suna rushed to open it.

Once inside, Yaku moved to where he knew Atsumu would be. He walked inside the closet and his heart ached when he saw Atsumu sitting on the floor with his hands in his hair.

"Hey..." Yaku said soothingly as he moved to sit next to Atsumu.

Suna watched quietly from the doorway, mentally taking notes on how to handle Atsumu's panic attacks if the problem ever arose again.

Yaku carefully ran a gentle hand through Atsumu's hair and untangled his grip without damaging the blonde strands. He then wrapped his arms around Atsumu's waist and pulled him against his chest. Yaku smiled weakly as Atsumu's breathing began to even out, and he continued to lightly scratch his scalp with finely manicured nails.

"There we go," Yaku said calmly, "That's it... You wanna tell me what happened?"

Atsumu hiccuped and rubbed at his tears with his sleeve, "Sunarin found my mask," he answered with a sniff.

In the doorway, Suna felt a pang of guilt ring through his chest. It was because he saw the mask that Atsumu was upset. He was about to leave to give Atsumu some space when Yaku said something that made him pause.

"But it's not Suna that made you react like this is it?" Yaku prodded gently.

Atsumu shook his head rapidly, "No... Sunarin loves Manic, he wouldn't judge me. I- I'm jus'... What'll Samu think if he found out?"

Yaku sighed, "Are you afraid that Osamu will react like 'he' did?"

Atsumu nodded, "I don't wanna quit dancin' again, Yakkun!" He sobbed, "I-I hated it when I was stuck in that house last year!"

"Shh..." Yaku whispered, "Osamu isn't 'him'. Osamu supports you in everything you do; he just worries sometimes."

"I know!" Atsumu replied, "An' I know I need to tell him but, I'm-" He hesitated, "I'm scared..."

"It's okay to be scared, Tsumu. We all get scared sometimes," Yaku assured, "Hell, I was terrified of skateboarding before I tried it."

Atsumu snorted at that, "I never woulda guessed."

Yaku smirked, "Exactly. What matters is that we overcome those fears – I tried skateboarding even though I was afraid of getting hurt, and now I love it. Understand?"

Atsumu nodded before he took a deep breath, sat up, and messily wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. Yaku huffed a short laugh and raised his own hoodie sleeve to properly wipe away Atsumu's tears.

"So what are you going to do, Tsumu?" Yaku asked.

Atsumu bit his bottom lip in thought, "I'm gonna go tell Samu that I dance for Manic," he declared.

Yaku was taken aback at the sudden change of heart, "Are you sure?"

Atsumu nodded and hummed, "I promised myself that I'd get stronger, so I'm gonna tell Samu 'bout me bein' Wildcard, an' if he doesn't like it then that's jus' tough," he said defiantly.

Yaku chuckled, and brought Atsumu in for a hug, "Call me when you do, then. I want to be there for you."

Atsumu nodded and returned the hug, and once they pulled away, Atsumu wiped his eyes with a determined expression on his face, "Good, 'cause I'm gonna go tell him right now."

Yaku blinked and then laughed, "Okay, just go wash your face first."

Atsumu giggled before making his way to his bathroom. Suna looked at Yaku expectantly, and Yaku sighed.

"You heard that, didn't you?" Yaku asked.

Suna nodded, "What did you mean by 'Osamu will react like 'him''? By 'him' do you mean–?"

"Their father?" Yaku cut in, "Yeah. Last year, Wildcard – Atsumu – had to take a six month break from dancing because their father found his mask, and his abuse skyrocketed. That was why the twins took online classes – because Tsumu's anxiety couldn't handle the thought of being seen in public. Their father never mentioned Tsumu's dancing to Osamu, so never knew why their father's abusive behavior worsened, he just knew that it did and they had to put a stop to it."

"I... I don't know what to say," Suna replied quietly.

Yaku smiled weakly, and stood up to begin picking up some of the clothes strewn across the floor, "You don't have to say anything," he assured, "All I ask is that you be there for Tsumu if he needs someone and we can't be there."

"I will," Suna declared, "I promise, I will."

Yaku's smile brightened and he decided to change the subject, "On a lighter note, I hear you love Manic?"

Suna laughed shyly, "Yeah... I'm a big fan," he confirmed.

Yaku smirked, "Well, as the official manager and leader of Manic, I invite you to come drop by at our Hideout when we head down there, if you're interested, of course?"

"Official manager and leader of..." Suna echoed, the pieces falling into place in his head, "You're Hysteria!" He exclaimed.

Yaku started laughing, and gave the flourishing bow that he usually saved for the stage, "In the flesh."

"Wait a minute," Suna said as he placed his hand on his forehead to process everything, "If you're Hysteria and Tsumu's Wildcard... Then does that mean that the rest of your group are the rest of Manic??"

Yaku smirked again, "You're quite the detective."

Suna's expression was the perfect picture of disbelief, "That's... That's insane! This is insane. I've known the entire crew of Manic for literally longer than they've been Manic???" He thought out loud.

Yaku laughed, "Basically," he shrugged.

Suna blinked and exhaled slowly before he gasped, "What about that new member? 'Insanity'? Who's he?"

"Take a guess," Yaku suggested.

"If I'm making a guess, it's going to be a calculated guess," Suna declared before he placed his hand on his hip in thought, "Let's see... He was clearly athletic, and very strong to be able to lift up Tsumu so easily... I caught a glimpse of tattoos, but nothing I could make out properly, and he and Tsumu seemed to have good chemistry – wait, no scratch that, amazing chemistry. They had this strong tension that really fueled the dance, and the way they didn't shy away from one another–"

Suna paused mid thought and blinked, "No... It can't– Do I know him?" He asked suddenly.

Yaku suppressed a laugh, "Yes, actually."

Suna furrowed his brows, "Is he maybe a broody six-foot-four pro-volleyball player that is covered in tattoos? One who is completely whipped for Tsumu?"

Yaku pursed his lips, "Potentially," he answered criptically.

Suna let out a frustrated grumble, "That overgrown weasle bitch! I'm so gonna get him the next time I see him," he declared angrily.

Somewhere, down the road, only a short skateboard-ride away, a certain Sakusa Kiyoomi sneezed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It is currently 2:32am and I gotta be up tomorrow morning... I am making such amazing life choices, I know 😃

Anygays, bye!
-CrackshotReaper

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -