Nationals, the very competition he was working so tirelessly towards. Day in and out, sweat hitting the floor, whether it be the polished wooden floors of Aoba Johsai, or the grass of his backyard, he never stopped. Never.

It had gotten to the point Tooru hadn’t had a well balanced meal in weeks, sleepless nights, stress taking over his mind; making him rigid, unorganized.

His teachers had caught him falling asleep in class for weeks straight. At first, they gave a stern pat and a slight scold, but after it happened countless times throughout two weeks, they started to grow worried. Tooru was a smart one, never really missing anything and slouching off on his studies, so why was he now?

The team could feel his stress, the thick aura he held was suffocating to be around and it had them asking of his wellbeing quite frequently; all of which, he brushed off with a mumbled. They knew he wasn’t doing well, but there wasn’t much they could do.

Only you and Hajime could at least attempt to do something. Hajime was his best friend, teammate, classmate, and then some. They had been at the hip for years, so if anyone could crack Tooru, it was Hajime.

You were the team’s manager and Tooru’s partner, going along with him through thick and thin for two years now. If there was anyone who could relax him and help him on a level not even Hajime could, it was you.

So there you sat, on Tooru’s couch, his house deafeningly silent, a soft ticking from the analog above the tv in the living room. He sat across from you on the recliner, not a peep coming from his thinly pressed lips.

His eyes were red, dark circles pooling underneath the chocolate orbs. He almost looked pale, just sitting there, staring off into space.

With a worried expression, you rose to your feet and moved to kneel infront of him, cradling his hands softly.

“Love-… talk to me, please.” You pleaded hopefully. “How do you feel…??”

It was an attempt worth a try. You’d die trying if you had to. You loved him., dearly..