I didn't pay attention at all during class, and no one seemed to notice other than Tsukki. Our walk to school was silent, and I didn't say a word to him throughout the day. I was waiting for an update on what was happening with my parents, but the Principal said nothing has been decided yet, and that they were still waiting on the warrant to search the house for any sign of abuse.
When lunch came I picked at my food while everyone laughed and joked with each other. I felt drained in more than one way, like I wouldn't be able to smile even if I tried. I knew everyone saw my odd mood, and I was sure Tsukki was giving them a look that said not to question it.
"Yama, are you ok?" Suga asked me quietly, making sure not to gather too many people's attention. I looked up at him, not finding the strength in me to smile.
"Yeah, Suga-san, I'm fine," I said.
"Just know you can come to any of us if you need help. We're all here for you," Suga smiled gently, but all I could manage was a weak nod.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, immediately making my heart rate rise as anxiety pooled in my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut as I pulled it out, turning on the screen and glancing down at the message.
Mom: Why the fuck didn't you come home last night? Too scared to face me, pussy?
Mom: I'll beat your ass the next time I see you, bitch!
I let out a shaky breath as I slowly handed my phone over to Tsukki. His fingers turned white as they gripped the phone, his eyebrows furrowing as he glared daggers at the screen.
"Tsukki, it's fine, she won't do anything," I whispered, putting a hand on his arm.
"No shit! She won't get close to you if I have any say in the matter!" Tsukki growled, his voice low and full of anger. He turned off the phone and shoved it in his pocket, deciding to keep it away from me in case she texted again.
The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. Tsukki took my hand as we walked through the halls towards our classroom, his hand tight and protective.
The lectures continued, but I didn't pay attention. My leg bounced and my fingers tapped on my desk with a sudden burst of nervous energy that I couldn't dispel. I glanced over at Tsukki during class, noticing how he was watching me.
"Can we go to practice today? I want to let out some energy," I whispered to him. He thought for a minute.
"Are you sure? Maybe it's a little too soon," He whispered back, but I simply shook my head.
"I'm fine, but I want to run and let out energy," I explained. Tsukki eventually nodded, discreetly pulling out his phone to text his mom about the change of plans. He gave me a small nod, telling me that his mom agreed.
After that I was able to concentrate a little more on my work, having something to look forward to after class ended.
Tsuki and I walked to the gym, the silence around us was comfortable, but tense at the same time. He pushed the door open for me, allowing me to walk in first. Coach Ukai spotted me immediately and rushed over.
"Yamaguchi, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting or something?" He asked.
"I wanted to practice, Sir," I said in a small voice, wrapping my arms around myself.
"Tadashi, a lot's happened yesterday, you should be cooling down after all that," he tried again, but I shook my head.
"I want to train, please," I pleaded, watching as his face softened and he gave in.
Tsukki and I waited outside the changing rooms like we always do until everyone was done and I could change in peace.
I peeled off my binder and replaced it with a sports bra, covering it with my shirt that I pulled away from my chest. I looked down at one of the bruises still visible on my arm, my mind going blank as I stared.
"Tadashi," Tsukki called out hesitantly. My eyes snapped up to look at him. "Are you ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get going," I said. Coach Ukai told us to work on our own individual stuff, probably knowing I wouldn't want to be in a practice match. I got one of the volleyballs and bounced it in my hand. I threw it in the air, jumping to meet it. My hand smacked the ball, sending it over the net and landing hard on the other side.
I let my anger out by using all my strength and anger to serve the ball onto the other side of the net, the slam of the ball on the ground echoing around the gym.
The minutes ticked by and I was doing everything I could to expel my anger and nervous energy. No one interrupted me the entire time, but I could see them glancing at me from where they were doing their own things.
I tossed the ball into the air again, kicking off from the ground with the ball in my eye. I cocked my arm back, but something stopped me before I could hit the ball.
"KIMIKO!" Someone yelled, my dead name shocking me so much I missed the ball and landed hard on my side. The pain didn't phase me as I jumped up and stared at my mother standing in the gym doorway.
She looked angry, her forehead creased and her eyes ablaze. I felt my breath catch in my throat and my hands start to shake as her threats came back to me. I took a stumbled step back.
Tsukki marched towards her, the anger of his own sending panic waves through everyone in the room, Coach Ukai also started to make his way over to her, determination set on his face.
"Ma'am, you need to leave, now," He ordered, pointing for the door.
"Not without my daughter!" My mother yelled.
"Who are you talking about? You're not Kiyoko's mom," Daichi asked, looking around the gym, his eyes momentarily landing on me.
"Kimiko! Stop playing these games! Come home now!" She yelled, her eyes locked onto me.
"He's not going anywhere near you!" Tsukki yelled.
"He?" I heard Noya whisper.
"SHE is leaving with me! I'm her mother!" I couldn't take it anymore. I slowly started to walk forward.
"Mom, just leave," I said softly.
"If you won't come with me, I'll tell your teammates everything," My mom said darkly. She turned to Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei, an evil smile on her face.
"Your little number twelve is a girl! Her little tranny ass isn't a boy like she has you all to believe! That slut's probably only here to peek at the boys on the team!" My mother yelled triumphantly, but coach Ukai remained unfazed as he already knew. I shrunk away, curling in on myself as my arms wrapped around my stomach.
"Ma'am, respectively, none of us care. If Tadashi says he's a boy, then we all respect that," Daichi stepped in, staring my mother in the eye. My vision went blurry as tears formed in my eyes, but I tried to blink them away.
I noticed the way my mother set her jaw, her muscles clenching slightly. She did this every time she got ready to hit me, but this time it was directed towards Daichi.
I was moving on my own, gripping her wrist before it could be brought down on my captain. Her gaze snapped to me, and I watched as an evil smile slowly formed on her face, like she decided something. Everyone was silent as they watched the encounter.
"Is that how it's going to be?" She asked quietly, "You've made me look like the bad guy, like I'm in the wrong, but you're the one going against biology, going against God!" She yelled. I let go of her arm and stumbled backward, breaking everyone out of their trance. Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai pushed my mother out of the gym, ignoring her kicking and screaming. Suga was closest to me, he pulled me close to him and allowed me to cry into his chest, his arms holding me tightly.
"Tadashi?" I heard Tsukki call out, his hand rubbing circles on my back.
"Can you explain? Please? I-I can't do it," I sobbed, pulling away from Suga slightly. Tsukki nodded and gathered everyone around. I transferred from hanging off of Suga to gripping Tsukki's arm as tight as possible. We all sat in a circle, everyone looking at us expectantly.
"That was Tadashi's mom. As you can see by now, he's trans and his mom is very transphobic. It used to just be verbal abuse, but in the past few weeks, it's turned physical. We... we've told the police yesterday, and legal actions are being made," I curled further into Tsukki's arm as he explained everything, everyone staying quiet as they listened with mournful faces.
"Yama," Hinata whispered sadly, but I looked away.
"This is why you always change after everyone's done, and why you seemed really sore these past few weeks," Daichi muttered.
"Wait! You don't practice with a binder, do you?" Suga asked with concern.
"N-Not anymore," I whispered out, calming the mom of the team down considerably.
"So Tsukishima and Coach Ukai knew?" Kageyama asked, glancing between the two males.
"I grew up with Tsukki, he was with me when I first realized I was trans, and coach Ukai learned when I first went to the principal with it," I said softly.
"Bro! you're so manly! Being trans and all, that's so cool!" Noya yelled, pumping his fist in the air with a bright smile on his face, soon Hinata and Tanaka were joining in. Tears fell from my eyes, but they were different, they were happy.
"Don't worry, Yama! We'll protect you!" Hinata yelled happily, and I could tell Tsukki was starting to get annoyed.
"Until they search the house and come to a conclusion on my case I'll be staying with Tsukki," I said, smiling up at the tall man. He puffed his chest out slightly, earning a small giggle from me.
"Saltishima being nice?" Hinata asked, scratching his head.
"Hinata Boke!" Kageyama elbowed him in the side while Tsukki glared daggers at him. I tightened my grip on his arm, breaking Tsukki's death glare. His eyes found mine and I gave him a small smile.
My mind started to drift again, how I'm dating Tsukki, the person she hates, how I fought back for the first time in front of other people, how my whole team stood up from me, encouraging my 'delusion'.
"She's going to kill me," I sighed under my breath, staring at the marks on the gym floor.
"No, I won't let her get anywhere near you," Tsukki growled.
"We'll be your personal bodyguards!" Noya shouted happily.
"Thank you, guys," I smiled, but I felt guilty for bringing more people into this mess. I didn't want people to feel obligated to help me through my family problems just because we were friends. I didn't want to inconvenience them because I'm being weak.
"You guys are seriously ok with me being on the team?" I asked carefully, looking down at my hands.
"Why wouldn't we? Nothing's changed," Daichi smiled.
"But I'm-I'm-"
"You're a man, male, a boy. You have every right to be here as we do!" Suga cut in, there was a seriousness in his tone, but his face glowed.
"I told you," Tsukki whispered to me, but I was too busy trying not to cry again to react.
"Sorry, but, what about your dad?" Asahi asked quietly, nervously fiddling with his fingers. My eyes dropped to my lap as I remembered where he was.
"He's supportive, but he's currently in the hospital because of my mom," I said softly.
"Yama, I'm so sorry," Suga said, the others nodding.
"It's fine, if my mom gets charged my dad and I'll be fine," I said. "Do you think I could see him?" I asked Tsukki.
"We'll have to check, but I don't see why not," Tsukki said.
"What if she finds me?"
"She won't, I won't let you out of my sight," Tsukki said. Coach Ukai walked over to the group and crouched down next to me.
"The principal and police know she was here and tried to hit Daichi," He said in a low voice. I nodded back to him, dropping my gaze once again to the floor while my stomach twisted into knots.
"Do you want to go home?" Tsukki leaned down and whispered to me. I nodded my head, squeezing my eyes shut.
"We're going to go, he needs to rest," Tsukki announced, standing up from the ground and offering my hand. Tsukki called his mom, explaining part of what happened, then walked me into the changing room to get dressed.
I numbly tried changing, but my energy was worn out and I found I had no motivation to continue.
Tsukki saw this and helped me get changed, pulling my shirt off and replacing it with my regular one, leaving my sports bra on. When we were done he lead me out of the gym, saying goodbye to the team, and helped me in his mom's car who was waiting outside.
"Tadashi, honey, are you ok?" Tsukishima-san asked when I sat down in the car. I gave a small nod, looking out the window.
"He's tired mom," Tsukki covered. I rested my head on the window, the vibrations of the glass giving me a slight headache but I didn't care.