Heyyyyyy guyyyyys...
Sooo...sorry about being like nine months late on this, but who's counting? Anyway, this is just a super short chapter that I had half-written and couldn't finish for so long that I just decided to put it up as is, 'cause I've made all of you (whoever is still here) wait long enough. I'm really hoping to update all of my previously abandoned stories soon, but no promises! Anyway, read the thing. And thanks for sticking around!
"What the hell is wrong, Tooru?" Iwaizumi muttered under his breath as the call failed to connect once again. He tossed his cell phone back into his bag with an angry exhale. He felt the worry rush through his body in the pulse of blood through his veins, in the twitch and jerk of every muscle, in the unnatural crawling of his skin. Something's seriously wrong.
He shifted his bag higher up on his shoulder and broke into a run.
Oikawa was in bad shape. That was the simplest description. But nothing was ever simple in his life.
The house was silent, save for the sobs and sniffles in the bedroom. He was crying hard, the heavy kind of crying that took over his entire body and made him shake and shudder and made each breath a struggle. It was the kind of crying that wouldn't let his lungs rest, that wouldn't let the tears stop flowing from his eyes. It was the kind of crying that made him physically ache in so many ways, that made his eyes sting and his head feel like it was about to break apart. It was the kind of crying that made him feel dizzy and disconnected from the rest of the world, all alone in a sea of tears. It was the kind of crying that made him so miserable it was all he could do to keep going.
It was the kind of crying that made him see how scared and alone he really was. It was the kind of crying that he hated most of all.
The run home seemed to take forever. Iwaizumi found himself speeding up, faster and faster until he was sprinting down the blocks, house after house passing in a flash. His mind was dominated by a single thought: Get to Tooru as fast as possible. He felt the fear rising in his chest, telling himself it was irrational and that his friend was probably fine...but there was still that voice screaming in the back of his mind that something was off.
Just a little more…Iwaizumi panted, sprinting down his street and skidding to a stop in front of Oikawa's house, legs trembling as he breathlessly unlocked the door with shaking hands, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it pulse through his fingertips and echo in his head.
When Iwazumi entered the house, it was worryingly silent. His bag hit the ground before he even realized it slipping from his numb fingers. His heart in his throat, he rushed towards the bedroom, a sudden smell hitting his nose and making him wince. His eyes found the floor first, catching the bile next to the bed, before his gaze snapped up to find Oikawa―Tooru, my God, Tooru―curled in on himself. Sick covered his shirtfront, and the setter let out a whimper upon seeing Iwaizumi's figure in the doorway.
"Tooru…" Iwaizumi breathed, passing a shaking hand over his forehead before crossing the room to hover over the bed, carefully avoiding the puddle of vomit. "My God, are you alright?" Stupid question, he immediately scolded himself, watching Oikawa's lips tremble as he tried to speak. Of course he's not alright.
Oikawa wordlessly shook his head, his breath hitching, and Iwaizumi reached over to grab his trembling hands, holding them between his own. "Hey, hey..." Iwaizumi tried to make his voice soft, though even he could hear the concern that leaked through his words and made everything else catch in his throat. He swallowed and tried again. "I'm here, Tooru."
With a shaky sigh, Oikawa leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Iwaizumi's chest. "I was…" Oikawa's voice was hoarse and hesitant, "I was scared, Iwa-chan." And fuck, if that didn't wrap a cold hand of fear around Iwaizumi's heart and chill him to the bone, because Oikawa Tooru is never scared, he would never admit to being scared, and with a dose of his own fear it hit Iwaizumi that this is real, this is him now, he's scared and he's hurting and there's nothing I can do about it. Iwaizumi disentangled one hand to hold the back of Oikawa's chest, bringing him closer in a one-armed hug.
"You're ok now," Iwaizumi murmured, his mouth brushing the soft curls of Oikawa's hair. He squeezed his friend's hand, relieved when Oikawa returned the pressure. After a long moment, Oikawa's trembling subsided, and Iwaizumi knew he had to get Oikawa up. "Tooru," he whispered, drawing his arm from Oikawa's back and holding the setter's long, calloused fingers in his hands. "Tooru, we need to get you cleaned up."
"Yeah," Oikawa barely breathed, his voice nearly gone. But he was sitting up on his own and edging towards the bed, and Iwaizumi offered him a hand but Oikawa stood on his own and it prompted a strange fluttery warmth in Iwaizumi's chest as he watched.
"I'll go run a bath," Iwaizumi said, aware that he had gone silent and was staring at Oikawa's barely-shaking knees. "Are you ok?"
Oikawa gave a laugh at that, and Iwaizumi's chest tightened. "No," the setter whispered, "But I will be."
"'Course you will," Iwaizumi forced a smile, then headed to the bathroom, quickly starting the water. Steam began to curl up from the water as the bathtub filled, fogging the mirror. Iwaizumi leaned against the tiled wall for a while, just breathing in the humid air. I really hope he can be ok after this.
If anyone wants to provide any inspiration or motivation for me to write more on this story, yell at me all you want in the comments!