Chapter Text
Toya slowly woke, his eyelids still heavy from the minuscule amount of sleep he'd managed to get. Lifting his head from the pillow, he groggily glanced at the phone vibrating on the nightstand, its buzzing cutting through the quiet of his room. With a tired sigh, he reached for it, squinting at the screen through half-lidded eyes as he struggled to focus and check the time.
**4:20 a.m.**
A deep groan escaped him as he let the phone drop back onto the nightstand. Rolling onto the other side of the bed, he was far too tired to look at it any longer. For a brief, blissful moment, the ringing stopped, and Toya sighed in relief, sinking deeper into the bed, pulling the covers up as he tried to let sleep reclaim him. His mind drifted, body heavy, when—
**Ring ring.**
Toya let out a frustrated groan, this time reaching blindly for the phone without looking. He hit the hang-up button, a sharp pang of regret and headache already settling in. The lingering remnants of his self-loathing from earlier in the night only made his head throb more.
Just as he was teetering on the edge of sleep again, the phone rang once more. He sat up slightly, now more irritated than groggy. His eyes focused on the screen, and this time, he saw it.
**Incoming call from An.**
His heart skipped a beat. An wasn’t one to call unless it was urgent. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Before he could even answer, An’s shaky voice came through, urgent and broken, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of barf in the background.
“Toya—Toya, are you there?!”
Toya’s senses sharpened immediately. He sat up fully in bed, now completely awake. His heart began to pound as the heaviness of sleep faded.
“I’m here, An. What’s going on?” he asked, his voice tense with concern.
“Toya, I need you at the ER. Now. Hurry.”
For a split second, Toya’s world seemed to tilt. His heart dropped into his stomach. He scrambled out of bed, pulling on a coat with frantic, jerky motions as he bolted for the door, his mind racing.
“What’s going on?! Is Akito okay? Where do I need to be? Can I hel—?”
“Toya.” An’s voice cracked, her breath shaky. “We think it’s gotten worse. Much faster than it should have. Please... just get down here soon.”
She paused suddenly, and Toya heard her mutter something under her breath. The distant sounds of commotion filled the background. Then she came back on the line, her voice weaker.
“I’m sorry, Toya. Just... hurry.”
Toya didn’t respond, already taking two steps at a time down the stairs. His father’s voice called out angrily across the house
“What the hell is going on at this hour?!” his dad barked.
Toya didn’t even stop to explain, didn’t dare breathe until he reached the front door, slamming it shut harder than he intended.
On the other end of the line, An’s voice cut through again, now tinged with desperation.
“Scratch that, Toya. How fast can you run?”
“I—" Toya stammered, adrenaline rushing through him. "I’m not sure, but pretty fast. What’s happening, An?!”
A cold sweat broke out at the back of his neck. His stomach twisted with a feeling of dread he couldn’t shake.
An’s voice came back, strained but urgent. “We need you at Akito’s house. Now.”
Toya’s breath caught in his throat. Without thinking, he took off, feet pounding against the pavement, his mind racing as fast as his legs.