Oikawa was stared blankly at the front door of the Iwaizumi residence, trying his best to process what he had just heard from his mother over the phone. He felt his chest tightening and his legs starting to shake.

"M-mom…what did you just say?"

"I said that Hajime is in the hospital having surgery. He won't be coming to school or volleyball practice for a few days."

"B-b-but…why? What happened?"

"Well…his mother found him this morning curled up in pain on the bathroom floor. It was a good thing she brought him to the hospital right away, otherwise his appendix might've burst."

Oikawa let out a shaky breath and bit his lower lip. Even just imagining his robust boyfriend in such a helpless state was almost too much to bear.

"Tooru, sweetie…I know this must be a lot to process. But I'm sure everything will be okay. You can probably go see Hajime in the hospital after school today."

"…R-right…"

"I'll text you as soon as I hear anything else from Hajime's mother, okay? Now hurry on to morning practice or you'll be late."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Mom."

Oikawa's mom hung up first. He knew he had to get going, but he couldn't will himself to step forward. Instead, he took a seat on the front porch and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to travel back to this same exact day 7 years ago.

"Hey, Iwa-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Let's make a promise."

"It better not be something stupid, Crappykawa."

"Iwa-chan, you're such a meanie! I just wanted us to promise that…we'll always be there for each other. I want to stay together forever. I hope that doesn't sound too weird."

"…Okay then. No matter what happens, no matter where we end up in life, I promise that I'll always be there for you, Oikawa. How's that sound?"

"Yay! You're the awesomest friend ever, Iwa-chan."

Oikawa's attention was snapped back to the present when he heard a loud ping from his phone. It was a message from Hanamaki in their senior regulars' groupchat.

Hey, where are you two? Better hurry up or Mattsun and I are heading to the bus station without you.

Oikawa let out a frustrated sigh. It was no use hiding the truth. He decided to call his two friends and explain the situation.

"So I guess at this point…I'll probably be late to morning practice. Can you boys cover for me?"

"Of course," Hanamaki and Matsukawa replied in almost perfect sync.

"Thanks. See you soon." Oikawa hung up and finally worked up the motivation to set off toward his destination. It felt so strange to leave the Iwaizumi residence alone, without the constant rock and pillar that had been supporting him since childhood.

Iwa-chan better not be breaking that promise from 7 years ago, he thought to himself as he closed the gate shut behind him. Although…he might've forgotten about it already. Well, it doesn't matter either way.

Against all odds, Oikawa managed to catch the bus, sprint to school, get changed, and arrive in the school gym right as morning practice was scheduled to start. The rest of the team was warming up already under the direction of Coach Mizoguchi. Oikawa went to join them before being stopped by Coach Irihata.

"We all heard about Iwaizumi already. I trust that he's getting the proper care he needs, but I'll call his mother later this morning to make sure he's alright."

"Sounds good, Coach. Can I go join the team in warming up now?"

"Not so fast, Oikawa-kun…I'm going to excuse you from morning practice today. You're not in the right mindset. I'm worried that you'll injure yourself by doing something reckless."

The overambitious setter opened his mouth to protest, but he backed down when he saw Coach Irihata giving him a sterner look than usual. "Take this time to calm down and set your head straight…you still have a full day of classes."

Oikawa looked down at the ground and grunted in a mix of resignation and displeasure. Suddenly, he felt his coach put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Iwaizumi will be just fine. We all have to believe that, okay?"

Oikawa nodded. If only it was that easy to convince myself, he thought to himself.

The whole morning, Oikawa kept sneaking glances at his phone, eager for an update on his boyfriend. He knew it was kind of useless given that his classroom had horrible cellphone reception; still, he held out hope that a message might get through.

Paying attention to classes felt almost impossible right now, but he couldn't risk an after-school detention today. The only thing motivating him to get through the day was the thought of seeing his boyfriend as soon as possible.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Oikawa sprinted out of his seat and made a beeline for the school rooftop, the place with the best cellphone reception in the school. He felt a bit guilty ignoring the small crowds of underclassmen girls attempting to get his attention, but that feeling was quickly overshadowed by the panic that had been growing in the pit of his stomach all morning.

His hands were trembling as he unlocked his phone and checked for new messages. He breathed a deep sigh of relief upon seeing his mother's text from an hour ago: Hajime's mother just called. He's out of surgery and seems to be recovering well. 😊

Almost on pure instinct, Oikawa dialed Iwaizumi's number. He was surprised that Iwaizumi answered him after just one ring.

"…Oikawa…?" Iwaizumi's voice was groggy and weak.

"I-Iwa-chan…" Oikawa tried his best to stifle his crying, but a sob still escaped his lips.

"Wha…what are you crying for….I'm fine."

"Well, you sure as hell don't sound fine! And how can I not be worried when you had to have surgery this morning?!"

"Oikawa…The surgery went well. I swear I'm okay, just…tired…and pumped full of drugs right now. So I probably don't sound like myself. But…I should back to practice in two weeks, three at max."

"D-don't worry about practice right now, Iwa-chan. You just focus on getting better, okay? I'm coming to see you right after school."

There was a short silence, and Oikawa immediately began fearing the worst. "I-Iwa-chan? Did something happen? Please tell me you're okay!"

Iwaizumi let out a short, pained laugh. "Yeah…I'm okay. But…don't skip volleyball….because of me. You can always…come visit afterward."

"Wha-? That's not fair, Iwa-chan!"

"You're the captain."

"So?"

"…Makki texted me… that you missed morning practice already. You…need to be there…for afternoon practice….promise?"

Oikawa winced as he heard Iwaizumi struggling to speak. His poor boyfriend must've been in such a pitiful state. And yet, he let his next words tumble out of his mouth without a second thought. "Ugh, fine. You're so annoying, Iwa-chan, you know that?"

"Yeah…I know..." Iwaizumi hung up before Oikawa could respond.

Oikawa sighed and held his head in his hands after hanging up. He often felt like he didn't deserve Iwaizumi, and the way he screwed up this interaction just proved it.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. By now, Oikawa had mastered the art of looking attentive and engaged when his focus was in a totally different place. Of course, his mind was continually racing with nothing but thoughts of Iwaizumi.

Stupid Iwa-chan...why was he being so sweet to me when I didn't deserve it...?

I hope he's actually okay. He sounded so weak on the phone, gosh darn it.

Why can't I just be a good boyfriend for once?

Iwa-chan must be so sick of dealing with me.

Who would ever want to put up with such a self-obsessed bastard?

When the final school bell rang at the end of the day, Oikawa could almost feel the dread weighing him down. The last thing he wanted to do right now was endure hours of afternoon practice, especially without his trusty vice-captain and boyfriend at his side. And yet, the fear of facing Iwaizumi after their disastrous lunchtime conversation had grown to the point where it surpassed all else. Weighing the options, it seemed that going to practice (like he was supposed to) was the better option. Besides, he felt an obligation to fulfill his promise to Iwaizumi.

Practice was, overall, not as difficult to get through as Oikawa had originally thought. Coach Irihata had informed the team of Iwaizumi's improved condition, and the atmosphere felt almost normal after that. Oikawa appeared to be taking out his frustrations on the volleyballs today, slamming them into the ground even harder than usual; however, no one on the team saw it fit to comment on it. Deep down, they were worried for their captain, but the topic of Iwaizumi was like the elephant in the room.

Finally, toward the end of practice, Kindaichi worked up the courage to check in with Oikawa as everyone was getting ready to leave the gym. He walked up to his captain and started rubbing the back of his neck nervously, eyes unable to meet his Oikawa's curious gaze.

"Oh, Kindaichi! What's up?"

"...Oikawa-san, are you doing alright after what happened with Iwaizumi-san today?"

"Why, you're such a sweet kouhai." Oikawa crossed his arms and put on a wide grin that could fool anyone who didn't know him well enough. "I'm doing absolutely great. No need to worry about me. It's Iwa-chan you should be worried about, right?"

"R-right..." Kindaichi wasn't convinced that Oikawa was really feeling "great" or even "okay", but he didn't know what he could say that wouldn't come across as disrespecting his captain. "W-well, I'll get going then. Thanks again for offering to finish cleaning up the gym."

"Yeah, no problem. See you bright and early tomorrow, Kindaichi~~"

As Kindaichi turned around and started heading for the exit, Kunimi tapped him lightly on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Kindaichi...you're not gonna say anything? We all know what he's planning to do."

"What is there to say?" Kindaichi whispered back, exasperated. "When he gets like this, nobody can stop him. "

Still, Kunimi has a point, he thought to himself. I should probably at least say something...even if it's futile.

"W-wait, Oikawa-san."

"Hmm?"

"Um...please...please be careful."

Oikawa's eyes softened for a split second as they fell on Kindaichi's earnest, anxious expression. The two teammates shared a wordless yet knowing look at each other before Oikawa interrupted it with a loud laugh.

"Like I said, there's really nothing to be worried about...but thanks anyway."

"Y-yeah..." Kindaichi quickly bowed and exited the gym with Kunimi.

Even as Oikawa refocused his gaze on the volleyball in his hands, he couldn't ignore the pang in his chest. Deep down, he felt horrible having worried his teammates like that. But he knew that it would be useless to try to explain himself. There was no rational explanation for his volleyball obsession, and he was well aware that the lengths he went to fuel that obsession were wholly unreasonable.

I just can't seem to stop, Oikawa thought to himself. No amount of practice ever feels like it's enough.

Just as Kindaichi and Kunimi had thought, Oikawa would then proceed to practice relentlessly for an additional hour. He hit jump serve after jump serve until, finally, his bad knee started to protest with waves of sharp pain. It was past 7 PM by the time he finally quit and headed off to see Iwaizumi at the hospital.

Iwaizumi woke up to find Oikawa slumped over his bed, fast asleep. He rubbed his eyes and tried to stifle his yawn so as to not disturb his boyfriend.

He looks like such an angel when he sleeps, Iwaizuimi thought to himself with a smile. He began gently stroking his fingers through Oikawa's fluffy chestnut tresses.

After a few minutes, Oikawa began to stir awake. He looked up with a bleary expression at first, then suddenly jolted up and scooched back in his chair.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Iwaizumi greeted Oikawa, smirking.

"Iwa-chan! You're awake already. Oh my gosh, how are you? Does your stomach hurt a lot?"

"I'm doing a lot better. Of course it still hurts, but the pain isn't nearly as bad as it was this morning."

"Oh, thank goodness." Oikawa flung his arms around Iwaizumi and . "Um…h-how long was I asleep for?"

"Hm? I don't know when you got here, but the clock says it's almost 8 PM now. Way to show up right in the nick of time."

Iwaizumi was expecting some variation of a childish, mock-angry quip in reply. What he was not expecting at all, however, was Oikawa dissolving into a full-on crying, hyperventilating mess.

"Iwa-chan…I'm… so sorry..." Oikawa choked out between sobs.

Wait, what? Iwaizumi was completely taken aback. He took Oikawa's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Woah…calm down. Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

"B-but…visiting hours are almost over…and I wasted time by sleeping."

"That's fine, Oikawa. You must've been exhausted from practice, right?"

Oikawa hiccuped in-between sobs and shook his head. "I…should've come right after practice. But I…I stayed late and practiced by myself for a while. I…was too afraid…to face you."

"Oikawa…did you think I was in that bad of a condition? I know I seemed really out of it during our phone call. But I'm a lot better now that the drugs are wearing off."

"N-no, it's not that…it's just…I thought you probably didn't even want to see me after how I treated you. I had the nerve to be snappy and call you annoying after you'd just had a f***ing surgery. That whole phone call, I didn't even think to ask if you were okay. And then you hung up on me, which I totally get, because I would've hung up too if someone were being that much of an a**hole."

"…Are you finished?"

"…Not yet." Oikawa rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted nervously from side to side. "Um…it's like all I ever do is cause you trouble. You deserve so much more than that, Iwa-chan. So that's why...I think we should break up."

Iwaizumi closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in consternation. There was a brief, tense silence as Oikawa waited to hear Iwaizumi's response. Finally, after a few seconds that felt like hours, Iwaizumi let out a deep sigh and turned to look his boyfriend straight in the eye. "Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to hang up on you. Did you not see the text I sent you right after that happened?"

Oikawa rapidly shook his head and pulled out his phone to check his messages. A single text from Iwaizumi at 12:55 PM read: Hey, my hand slipped and I hit the hangup button by accident. Just call me back if you wanted to talk more. If not, then see you later today. ❤💕

Upon viewing the text, Oikawa felt his jaw drop open in shock. He wasn't sure whether to snicker at Iwaizumi's rare use of emojis or to hide his head in shame. Oikawa eventually settled on the second option, his cheeks blushing furiously in embarrassment.

Iwaizumi chuckled. "You really went this whole afternoon thinking I was mad at you?"

When Oikawa didn't answer, Iwaizumi cleared his throat and settled back into a serious tone.

"Anyways…you don't need to apologize for anything you said to me. I know you didn't mean it. Besides, if we got offended at every snipe we made at each other, there's no way our friendship or relationship could've lasted this long."

Oikawa slowly removed his hands from his face and looked up to meet his boyfriend's unusually soft, loving gaze. "...I was so afraid of losing you today, Hajime."

"Remember that promise we made when we were kids? No matter what happens, no matter where we end up in life…?" Iwaizumi reached over and squeezed his boyfriend's hand.

Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi in pure shock before sputtering the rest of the promise. "…W-we'll always be there for each other. You…actually remembered that?"

Iwaizumi chuckled. "Of course I remembered. Look, I know I get angry and annoyed with you a lot, but those feelings don't even compare to how much I admire you and care about you. Even if we break up, I'll never stop loving you. That promise I made as a kid still holds true today. So think it over again...'cause there's no way in hell that I'm letting go of our relationship so easily."

"…Hajime…I love you so much. I'm sorry for saying something stupid like that. I...I don't actually want to break up." Oikawa about to dissolve into tears again when Iwaizumi suddenly leaned forward and enveloped his boyfriend in a warm, albeit weaker than usual, embrace.

"Neither do I." Iwaizumi rubbed comforting circles on Oikawa's back, slowly helping the latter to release the pent-up tension in his body.

"You're gonna be okay, right?" Oikawa sniffled and buried his head into the crook of Iwaizumi's neck.

"Yeah."

"…Promise?"

"Promise."