Long Shot - IwaOi

//

"I'm sorry, Iwa-chan. I'm so sorry."

For the past few weeks, my best friend has been acting... different. Strange. Uncharacteristically. He changed all of a sudden. Nobody saw it coming; nobody was able to stop it.

It started with confusion and some zoning out, but it's been getting worse. His mind has been wandering off more, he has been less cheerful, the bags under his eyes have been getting darker. Both his mental and physical health started deteriorating slowly.

Of course, I am worried. It came out of nowhere, and the reason for this abrupt setback is still unknown to me. I tried asking him, I tried ensuring him that I would help him if I could, I tried reaching out to him. But he kept quiet, and even began avoiding me at one point.

Lately, it's gotten so bad that our other friends, our teammates, and even our classmates noticed. All of us showed our concerns, but he didn't open up to anyone. Generally, he got more secluded, less loud, less talkative. It's very unlike him.

My nights were becoming longer as well, my frustration growing as each day passed. My patience was wearing thin, and I was almost at the point of just yelling at him until he'd break. He must've felt it, because he distanced himself even more.

Despite his weird behaviour, he still came to practice, both in the morning and after school. Honestly, I should have stopped him. It could have been dangerous, playing volleyball with a lack of focus. But I just couldn't give up on this little time we spent together.

The idiot was trying to run from me after practice, changing clothes quickly and storming out. He wasn't watching where he was going and tripped, which caused him to sprain his ankle. Although it hurt, it wasn't anything bad. He's lucky that it ended up being a minor injury.

For me, it was an opportunity to get him alone, with nowhere to run. I immediately offered to take him to the nurse's office. He tried turning me down, but the coach agreed; after all, he has a history with pushing himself through the pain and making things worse. I made him get on my back and started carrying him away.

Neither of us said a word when we left the gym. I thought we would stay silent until we reached our destination, but Oikawa got restless. I felt his anxiety grow with each passing second, his grasp on me getting stronger, his fingers digging into my chest. His breathing became irregular, his muscles started twitching, and finally, the strong front he had been keeping up, broke.

And that's how we ended up where we are now. He's holding on to me tightly, shaking softly, sobbing, apologizing. What provoked it? Why is he on the verge of crying? I want to put him down, turn around, and finally have him talk to me. But I won't. I'll wait until we're in a more private spot.

The hallways are empty. The students and most of the teachers have already gone home. Even the nurse should've left by now.

I enter the office, glad to find nobody else inside. After softly closing the door behind me, I release my best friend's legs, but he clings to me.

"Oikawa," I call out to him, surprised by how soft and calm I sound compared to the harsh, raging emotions inside of me. "Let me go."

"No," he whines. His strained voice gives away that he is holding back tears, and trying to regulate his breathing. While burying his face in my shoulder, he tightens his grip on me even more. "I don't want to."

Well, I guess he's still the same immature guy I know, even if he's acting strange, even when he's upset. I carefully grab him again, just so he doesn't fall when I sit us down on the bed.

"Let go," I tell him once more, attempting to pry his arms off without using too much force.

His emotional state takes away a lot of his strength, his trembling muscles making him unable to put up much of a fight against me. As soon as I am freed, I settle on the other bed just a few centimeters away, and finally face the brunet.