Chapter Text
AZUMANE ASAHI
The rain poured that Monday morning when (a very late) Azumane Asahi ran along the sidewalk. When he had started walking the weather had been cloudy and air thick, but he’d assumed he would make it to his class before the rain. He had been wrong. The shower of rain had come unexpectedly directly after the first sound of thunder and even though he was still half-asleep he forced himself to start running. He’d been studying the whole weekend for his class introduction in Developmental Psychology. His long, brown hair was in a messy bun and he hadn’t had the time to shave because he’d overslept. His eyes were dark because of the lack of sleep and he barely looked around himself while he ran and ran into people several times, apologizing many times to them for his clumsiness. If the Department of Medicine hadn’t been about half a kilometre from his dormitory he would’ve taken the bus. He wished now that he’d actually taken the bus.
Asahi took a shortcut through the park and had a hard time to get through the many baby carriages that came in his way, hurrying away from the rain as much as he hurried to his intro class. He was reminded of Murphys law and wondered if there wasn’t a hint of truth in it. He had to run through the grass, which was already wet from an earlier rainshower, so that he didn’t need to excuse himself every time he tried to get through the people and the baby carriages. He felt the water get inside his shoes, making his feet uncomfortably wet and cold.
Asahi slowed down when he arrived at the entrance of the Department of Medicine and tried to regulate his breathing. Two years ago he had been in top shape and had been able to run from his dormitory to the department with ease and without getting winded – two years of cheap ramen noodles and late-night studying had made him physically weak and made him loose several kilos, mostly muscle.
Asahi took the stairs to the lowest floor and searched after his lecture-hall. When he finally found it, he went to the nearest bathroom to dry his face and hair with rough paper towels. He took off his shoes and tried to dry them with the help of the air hand dryer, but realised it was an impossible task with so little time. Instead he searched for a sofa near his lecture-hall to sit down on and for a last time go through his notes, even though he knew them by heart by now. He’d been lucky when he had found a reading system that helped him easily to remember hard terms and facts. Would’ve been really nice to know that reading system already in junior high, he had thought many times.
Almost at eight o’clock Asahi started looking around for other students. He was surprised that no one else had sat down to wait to be able to get into the lecture-hall. From experience he knew that many came in at the last minute, but also many came far ahead – like himself, when he didn’t oversleep – because they were afraid to come late.
Two minutes to eight, Asahi pulled up his phone and checked his schedule. He compared to the lecture-hall number to the one that was on his schedule, and realised he was on the wrong floor. His pulse increased with his growing panic. He absolutely did not want to be the one to come late to the first class, and he wasn’t a person who could just take a scolding or a negative comment as if it wasn’t anything. (He realised Murphy’s Law really existed, or he might’ve been cursed. Maybe both.) He gathered his notes and ran to the nearest elevator and pushed the button.
He looked up at the black screen above the elevator doors that had glowing, red digital numbers. The elevator descended from floor three to two, but stopped a longer time at floor one. Asahi bit his lip hard and thought c’mon, I don’t have all the time in the world please I have to come in time to class. He thought about taking the stairs instead, when the elevator started descending down to his floor and he felt relief in his heart.
The elevator chimed when it came down to his floor. When the doors opened he could hear the robotic voice of a woman say Floor 0 from inside of the elevator. He took the first step into the elevator before he stopped and stared.
NISHINOYA YUU
“Asahi?”
Asahi had changed. He was thinner, more grown up and with more stubble. But Nishinoya still recognized his old volleyball teammate. He felt his body go numb, how something twisted in his belly as if he had been hit. Memories, good and bad, started playing before his eyes, and Nishinoya tried to shut them out. Not now. He had gotten over it.
“Nishinoya”, Asahi said”, long time no see.”
“It really has been some time since last time”, Nishinoya said and managed to keep his voice straight. He smiled.” Two years. You’ve changed a lot.”
“You too”, Asahi said and Nishinoya could see how Asahi looked at him from top to toe. Nishinoya himself thought he hadn’t changed too much, except that he had gotten an undercut. And gotten thinner and a stubble. Nishinoya felt relieved that he actually looked good now when he met Asahi for the first time in a long time.
“You’ve let your stubble grow”, Nishinoya noted and he watched Asahis hand automatically start to fumble his stubble.
“I didn’t have the time to shave”, Asahi explained and looked at the elevator buttons. Asahi didn’t push any of them and instead he moved to stand to the left of Nishinoya. Nishinoya wondered if they were going to the same floor, maybe even the same class introduction. The elevator doors closed and Nishinoya felt a suction in his stomach when the elevator started moving upwards.
“Is university killing you yet, or?” Nishinoya asked when he looked at Asahis face. Asahi was wet and water droplets fell down from his hair, and Nishinoya realised he seemed to be paler and thinner. More bony.” You’re studying to become a paediatrician, right?”
“Yes, it’s killing me, and yes, I am”, Asahi answered with a nervous smile”, Um, what are you studying?”
“Pedagogy. I want to be a P.E. teacher”, Nishinoya said.
“Ah, it suits you”, Asahi said and both of them nodded”, what course are you taking now?”
“Developmental Psychology.”
“What a coincidence”, Asahi wasn’t able to continue when the elevator lights suddenly started to flash. Both of them looked surprised at the lights that flashed a few times before it went dark. Nishinoya felt the suction in his stomach again when the elevator suddenly stopped.
The darkness embraced them as if it was trying to eat them alive. The only thing that shone was the dim lights of the elevator buttons.
“It must be the storm”, Asahi said and pushed the button that opened the elevator doors. When nothing happened, Asahi tried to push the button to floor number 4. Nothing.
“Maybe the power will come back soon”, Nishinoya said.
They stood there in the darkness in five seconds, and then the silence became embarrassing. Nishinoya had a hard time standing in an elevator with someone he knew a long time ago, especially when their friendship had ended so badly. He desperately tried to come up with something to say, something funny so that it wouldn’t be so embarrassing. Also because he didn’t want Asahi to get panicked. If Asahi was anything like he was two years ago, he probably was starting to have an anxiety attack in the dark right now.
When Nishinoya finally came up with something to say, Asahi had already started to push the emergency button.
“Hello?” Asahi said quietly.
No answer.
Asahi repeated the same procedure and this time he spoke louder, but no one answered this time either. When Asahi stayed in the same position for a long time and when Nishinoya could hear his breath become jagged, he realised he had to intervene.
“Asahi, calm down”, Nishinoya said as calmly as he could”, don’t worry. Maybe it’s a power failure and they’re trying to fix it at the moment? Let’s wait and try again later.”
Asahi didn’t draw his finger from the emergency button. Nishinoya hesitated, but then he carefully put his hand around Asahis wrist and drew it carefully from the emergency button.
“Let’s sit down”, Nishinoya said and pulled Asahi beside him and helped him to sit down on the floor.” And let’s wait.”