A/N: Hi all, in this request, reader has social anxiety and is really nervous about going back to in person learning at college after a year of learning at home so Hange helps them out!
(Y/N) ran over her list for the thirtieth time that day. Keys? Check. Phone? Check. Mask? On. But even with her persistent attempts at trying to convince herself she was going to be okay, that she had done this for many years, she still felt a bit nauseous Her palms were already sweaty, and she frantically wiped them on her jeans (which were so uncomfortable, and she missed wearing sweats all day long).
"Ready to go?" Hange asked, walking over to the entrance of the apartment they shared with two other girls. They were dressed up in a maroon tracksuit and were wearing a mask with some science joke she didn't understand.
"Yeah," (Y/N) nodded, heading towards the car. Campus was a twenty-minute drive away and Hange had offered to drop her off that morning. She had never told them about her social anxiety, but she had a feeling they knew—they were pretty intelligent, after all.
"I'm so excited! I haven't been on campus for so long, isn't it great things are slowly getting back to the way they were?" Hange gushed. "I get to be in my labs again and you won't have to suffer through my kitchen experiments!"
(Y/N) cringed as she remembered the experiments Hange was talking about. Hange, a biology and chemistry double major, had many hypotheses that they wanted to prove and that required professional materials. Due to the situations with the pandemic, they dealt with what they had and created one too many explosions in their kitchen sink.
"Well, at least that's one good thing coming out of this," (Y/N) mumbled sarcastically.
Spending a whole year with no social interaction had left her woefully unprepared for communication with her teachers and peers. And she was extremely worried about presenting herself in class again. She had difficulty speaking before the pandemic had started, how on earth was she going to talk now?
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Hange asked, gently, pulling into a vacant parking spot. "You've been quiet this entire ride."
"Oh, just thinking about my schedule," (Y/N) grabbed her phone, opening it to a screenshot of all her classes and buildings. She probably forgot the entire layout and where the buildings were...
Hange exited the car and she soon followed, grabbing her backpack. The two walked out of the garage and (Y/N)'s eyes flitted over the crowds of students that were milling about. Okay, crowds might have been an overstatement, but there were still around 20 students outside of the liberal arts building.
"Well, my building is that way," Hange pointed towards the opposite side of campus. "Do you want me to drop you off at yours first?"
(Y/N) didn't respond, feeling dread take over. This wasn't a good idea. Maybe she should just turn around and forget about her classes—
"(Y/N)!" Hange gently tugged on her backpack. "It'll be alright. You've done this for years when you used to go to school!"
"But that was before I spent a whole year with literally no human interaction!" (Y/N) whispered.
"Listen," Hange reached out and intertwined their fingers with (Y/N)'s, softly letting their thumb run over her knuckles. "You don't have to talk to anyone, okay? Just go to class and sit there."
"What about icebreakers? Professors always make us do that!"
"You'll be just fine, just state your name and your major, and maybe a fun fact about yourself!"
"There's literally nothing fun about me."
"Then make something up! Say you went zip lining the other day," Hange's eyes sparkled.
"What if I stutter or stumble over my words and say something completely stupid?"
"Would you care if someone else did that?"
"No..."
"There you go, most people are worried about themselves. They won't notice," Hange said gently.
"But I'm still nervous."
Hange thought for a moment, trying to find a way that could allow (Y/N)'s anxiety to reduce. They reached over to their backpack and pulled out a keychain that normally hung there. It was a smooth circle showing a picture of the last place they had gone to visit before this pandemic started—an island called Paradis.
"Here, keep this in your pocket and rub it exactly ten times."
"Ten times?" (Y/N) asked, baffled. "What's that going to do?"
"The mental counting will take away your attention from the thing you're anxious about and it'll focus it on the keychain. Increase the number if ten doesn't work," Hange smiled. "I know it sounds silly, but sometimes distraction works."
"Thank you, Hange," (Y/N) sighed, gratefully.
"And if you ever need me, I'm going to be at the lab in the science building, okay? I texted you my schedule and where you can find me. I'll come whenever you call, even when I'm in class, so don't worry about being alone," Hange gave her a brief hug. "I'll see you at lunch, dear."
(Y/N) walked towards her building, waving to Hange. She inhaled deeply. She could do this.
~~~~~
Unfortunately, it hadn't gone the way (Y/N) had hoped. She had completely made a fool out of herself during the ice breaker question, stumbling over her words. She eventually managed to squeak out that one of her hobbies included reading—which she believed wasn't very interesting. The entire time she was in class, she felt as if people's stares were boring into her skull. Which was irrational, because everyone was taking notes, but she still felt very humiliated. Not to mention that when she stood up to leave, she tripped over her chair and landed hard on the ground.
Currently, (Y/N) was in a stall in the bathroom, trying to calm her trembling hands. Her breaths were coming out in short bursts and she felt as if she might throw up at any second. She had another class in an hour, how was she going to do this all over again? Hange. Hange had said she could go to them. (Y/N) quickly pulled up their schedule from her text messages. Right now, they would be in a lab. Should she disturb them? Probably not...but maybe she'll walk by the room to see if they're busy.
(Y/N) quickly walked towards the science building, keeping her head down and her hands in her pockets. She finally reached the building and quickly entered it, scanning the hallway for the room Hange would be in. The door had been opened and propped by a chair and she inhaled. She'd just walk by and glance in and if Hange was busy she wouldn't bother them.
She quickly walked past the door, casually glancing in. Luckily for her, Hange had been standing directly at the front of the classroom, emptying their beaker contents in the sink.
"(Y/N)?" They looked up, confused.
(Y/N) gave a small wave and watched as Hange took the goggles off, excusing themselves from the lab activity they were working on.
"What's wrong?" They asked, grasping her hands immediately.
"I just wanted to see you," she managed to get out.
Hange frowned and pulled her towards an empty, dark classroom. "It didn't go well, did it?"
Tears immediately rushed to (Y/N)'s eyes and she shook her head. "No! I humiliated myself so badly and I can't go to my other class."
"Oh, love," Hange pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing.
"Can't I just go back home?" She mumbled into Hange's soft sweatshirt.
"What about your classes?"
"I can't pay attention if I'm anxious the entire time!"
Hange smoothed (Y/N)'s hair and gently pulled away. "What if I go to your class with you?"
"But it's not related to your major and you're not registered in the course."
"It's in one of those huge lecture halls, right? Like 200 students? The professor won't notice me," Hange reassured.
"And what about your own class?"
"It's just a 101 for a subject I don't care about. I've read the textbook and it seems like a breeze. The professor already uploaded the syllabus anyways, attendance is not mandatory. And besides, I'm just going to go today so that you're comfortable with the new environment."
"You'd really do that?" (Y/N) whispered.
"Of course, love! And instead of fidgeting with that keychain, you can squeeze my hand the entire time," Hange teased.
(Y/N) hugged Hange again. "Thank you."