INSIDE. II

bracelet

CHAPTER THREE.

5pm.

       An hour before the therapy appointment. Iwaizumi had gotten decent rest, not screaming when he woke up. Still, he had a dream of some sort. It was gruesome and disturbing to think about, but his mind couldn't stop running through it over and over again. The image of a man in a white coat talking to him, but the voice was muffled. After that, all he could see was red. It was such an intense dream for Iwaizumi that he woke up in a cold sweat, panicking and having to calm himself down before he went into an anxiety attack.

Now, as he gets ready to leave for his appointment, he can't shake the uneasiness that crawls along his spine, yelling at him to stay home. He would listen, but Makki would drag him there anyways, hangover be damned. Iwaizumi knew that Makki and Mattsun were concerned about his well-being but sometimes he feels like he just isn't ready to be normal again. The worst part of recovery is that deep down, Hajime knows he misses Oikawa. His childhood friend turned psychopathic killer, abuse victim, and death row prisoner. Sometimes, Iwaizumi felt as if it was his own fault, never paying enough attention to Oikawa until it was too late, until his fragile self began to crack as the people around him chipped away at his heart piece by piece, unbeknownst to Hajime. As the thoughts blurred through his head, he began to feel sick as he stumbled back onto his bed and covered his mouth, restraining himself from vomiting.

After a few long minutes, Iwaizumi removed his hand and let out deep labored breaths as he struggled to keep conscious. The thought of Oikawa was enough to send him spiraling. Hajime stands up and continues preparing for his appointment, reminded of why he went in the first place.

•••
6pm.

Iwaizumi steps into the tall building, eerily quiet and ominous looking. He never realized just how creepy the place was, the only sound being the air conditioner. The receptionist took him in and said Sugawara would be available in five minutes. The man just nodded and took his seat in the lobby, waiting his turn. Iwaizumi could only fidget with the pockets of his pants, anxious to be in such a quiet space around people he didn't know. The floor was made of cold tile, the fluorescent lights burning his eyes, the chairs were mildly uncomfortable and placed too close together. The proximity between him and a stranger was enough to increase the rate of his breathing. Iwaizumi could only take one peek at the person next to him when he saw brown hair, chestnut colored eyes, glasses, and a blue coat.

fuck.

There was no stopping it. Hajime could feel the walls closing in on him, his vision getting blurry as the ringing in his ears intensifies so much that he digs his nails into his palms out of pain. He was borderline hyperventilating.  He swears he was about to burst out of the building until he felt a hand calmly rest on his shoulder.

"Iwaizumi..?"

Then the room stopped spinning. Sugawara had come to fetch him for the appointment. Hajime took one deep breath as he tried to ground himself in front of the doctor. He didn't want to make his case worse. "Are you alright?" The silver haired man asked, concern lacing his sweet voice. "Yes.. sorry. I've been feeling anxious all day." Sugawara furrows his eyebrows, eyes fixed on Hajime's expression. "Is that something you'd like to talk about today?" The taller sighs, "No thanks." The other just nods in understanding as he guides the both of them to his office.

As the two of them get settled in, Sugawara happily pulls out his notebook and pen, crossing his legs and smiling peacefully. "Now.. before we get into your treatment plan, are you still having those nightmares?" The man across from him looks down at the white tile. "Yes.. and they're getting more horrific. Sometimes it feels like I'm seeing things through someone else's eyes.. like I'm sensing danger ahead of me or some shit."

Iwaizumi didn't see it, but this doctor spared a smile.

"I see... perhaps they're just distorted or warped memories? Ones that you could have suppressed under all the stress?" "No... It really feels like it's happening when I dream it.." Hajime just scratches his head in frustration. "I don't know, just forget it."

Sugawara didn't press any further, and he calmly wrote down a few things in his notebook. Iwaizumi internally groaned. He thought, 'Just what is this guy writing down?!', trying to keep a neutral expression on his face. While the man in front of him was still writing, the brunette took a deeper look around the office. Sugawara was very minimalist, and kept things very tidy.

There was no sign of personal belonging, until Hajime's eyes landed on a picture frame. The photo consisted of Sugawara, and another man, wearing a police uniform. In front of that picture, there was a smaller one, that looked like it was from high school. Iwaizumi tried to think of who the other guy could be, his memory failing him.

Koushi noticed the other staring, and spoke up with a smile. "That's Daichi. If you remember, he was the old captain of the Karasuno volleyball team." The spiky-haired man let out a sound of understanding, and relief that he finally got the answer. He responded, still looking at the photo. "Never knew he was gonna be a police officer? Kinda suits him, though."

Sugawara chuckled softly, his eyes contained warmth and fondness, looking at the picture as he spoke. "Yes, he was always... a man of justice, you could say." The pause confused Iwaizumi, but before he could comment, Sugawara switched the subject.

"Now, let's talk about your treatment plan."

•••
7pm.

The appointment finally finished an hour later, something about a required timeframe. Sugawara had brought up concerns of depression and schizophrenia. Iwaizumi sighed, not thinking that his condition was that bad. But, if he did have some mental disorder that was inducing these impossible hallucinations... it would explain everything, right?

He tried not to dwell on it, leaving everything in his doctors hands. It was only a concern, not a diagnosis.

As Hajime walked over to his car, he noticed something dangling from his rear view mirror. He tread cautiously, not wanting to get his ankles slashed by someone under his car.

Once he confirmed there was no one threatening in the vicinity, he finally moved closer. Upon inspection, he noticed that it was a bracelet.

A very... familiar... bracelet...

Iwaizumi could feel his head pounding. His heart rate increasing as his breaths grew shallower and shallower.

'What is this?! Why am I feeling like this?! What kind of bracelet is thi-'

He panicked inside, thinking constantly. It wasn't until he turned the jewelry over, noticing the charm it held...

H + T

'This has to be some sick joke. A sick fucking joke.'

And it was there, that Hajime Iwaizumi finally went out cold, laying flat on the rough parking lot floor, seeing nothing but black.

Except it was hard to tell if his head was pounding because of his anxiety, or because of something— someone —else.

CHAPTER END.
_________

What do i even say to this jesus christ
-K.