.azumane.
as i watched the train pull into the station and the doors open, i had no idea what to expect.
i mean, of course it's just noya. just noya. the words didn't really do him justice.
as people began to spill out of the train, i had a fleeting thought that maybe i was waiting at the wrong stop, and he wouldn't be here.
but then i saw him, looking around for me, and it sounds cliché, but it almost felt like slow motion.
i walked towards him and waved him over.
when he spotted me, his face lit up, and he hurried to where i was.
"asahi! i missed you!"
suddenly, he was right in front of me, colliding with my chest, and his arms were around me. i smiled a little at his antics and hugged back momentarily.
"i missed you too, yuu. how've you been?"
he pulled away to look me in the face.
"good! where's daichi and suga?"
"they're back at my apartment with my roommates. which... now that i think about it, is probably a bad idea because of all the embarrassing stories they could share, but it's too late now. so how about we head back there?"
"sounds great! let's go!"
he started to bounce off in one direction so i grabbed his shoulder.
"that's the wrong way. exit's this way."
"whoops! silly me, i must've got disoriented from the trip. now let's go for real!"
i chuckled at his high energy level, and followed him towards the exit.
///
the first voice i heard when we got back to the apartment was emiko.
"you guys really had a threesome?!"
those words were enough to trigger my fight or flight response, so i decided it was best to shut that down immediately.
"yeah, it was so crazy, he was just totally-"
"alrighty, guys, can we stop discussing my sex life?" i requested as i walked into the kitchen.
noya bounced in shortly after me.
"wait, i didn't hear anything. are we talking about asahi's sex life?"
daichi, suga, emiko, and masumi all replied, "yes."
"i just said no!" i exclaimed.
"alright fine, if we're not talking about your sex life, can we talk about mine?" noya asked.
i held out my hand.
"i'm gonna stop your right there, because i don't think i wanna know. just tell me you didn't sleep with tanaka, because that seems like something you'd do."
he sighed.
"unfortunately, i did not."
"unfortunately?!"
"what?! he's hot! maybe i should ask if him and chikara would wanna have a threesome some time..."
i hid my face in my hands.
"i should've known this would be chaotic."
"what do you expect when you gather all your favorite people in one place?" suga asked. "i mean, i know you like me best, of course, but i can tell that you tolerate everyone else here."
there was an immediate outburst, and i heard some, "hey!"s and at least one, "what the fuck?!"
i chuckled.
"i mean, it's kind of true though."
instantly more chaos.
"what are you talking about?!"
"that's rude!"
"silence, peasants! jesus has spoken, and i am the favorite here!"
the silence that actually followed was a bit startling, and a little scary.
"so... we've got about an hour til the event starts... does anyone want a drink?" i offered.
"asahi, tell me it's not true! is suga really your favorite?!"
"uh... legally, i don't think i can answer that question."
"he's my boyfriend, he's my favorite, not yours!" daichi defended, putting his arm around suga's shoulder.
"ooh, so romantic. i'm swooning," suga sighed, leaning into his chest.
"i like everyone in this room an equal amount," i finally said.
i received more than one skeptical look for that.
i shrugged.
"what? i don't want anyone to feel bad."
"aha!" emiko shouted. "that implies that you do have a favorite!"
"i was about to say the same thing!" noya exclaimed, turning towards her.
she gasped.
"we must have a psychic connection! maybe we're soulmates."
he gasped too.
"my soulmate! but first- do you like guys? cuz i'm bi, but if you don't like guys this might not work."
she did a peace sign and looked disappointed. 😔✌️
"sadly i'm a lesbian, but we can still be platonic soulmates."
"platonic soulmates!"
"hell yeah!"
they high-fived, then moved away to start some other conversation.
"well i'm glad they get along," i commented to no one in particular.
"yeah, they seem really similar," masumi laughed. "i can't really imagine that the two of you used to date."
"yep, a long time ago."
"they're kind of like each other's foil though, right?" suga spoke up.
"foil?"
"like in literature, how two characters that are sort of opposite, but they complete each other, you know?"
"ohh. i guess?"
"they're not complete opposites though," daichi pointed out.
"i know that, but just- shh, let me be smart for a second."
he laughed.
"alright. you're very smart, babe, good job."
suga beamed.
"thank you!"
///
for the next forty five minutes, everyone socialized and got along pretty well, which made me happy.
i was a bit worried that my new friends and old friends might not get along so well, so i was glad to see that they seemed to be interacting with no problems.
"alright, guys, i think it's about time to go," i announced, checking my watch.
"yay! we're going to see some fancy clothes!" noya exclaimed, hopping up immediately, and running to the door.
emiko laughed and ran after him. how she managed to run in heels in a mystery to me though.
everyone else followed in a much calmer manner, although suga did seem to be skipping along a bit.
since there were six of us, and the elevator in the building was a little small, we took the stairs. it wasn't too bad though, since we were only on the third floor.
once we were on the last set, noya started complaining.
"so when are ryū and chikara gonna meet us?"
i checked my phone.
"well, according to this text a couple minutes ago, they should be meeting us-"
noya got down the stairs first and pushed open the door to the lobby, where tanaka and ennoshita stood.
"-right now," i finished with a smile.
noya gasped and nearly bowled tanaka over with a hug.
"ryū! it's been so long! and chikara!"
he hugged ennoshita as well.
"yeah, it's been a while!" tanaka replied enthusiastically.
"it's been, like, two months," ennoshita deadpanned.
"and that's three months too many!" tanaka exclaimed.
"that's what i would've said! hi, i'm kobayashi emiko! i'm one of asahi's roommates. and that's watanabe masumi, they don't talk much."
"i talk a normal amount, you just talk way more than the average person, so your data is skewed."
"blah blah, fancy smart person words, it's okay that you're shy."
"nice to meet you, kobayashi, i'm tanaka ryūnosuke, best friend of noya who is asahi's ex. so we basically already know each other already."
she gasped.
"you're right!"
"that doesn't make any sense," ennoshita and masumi said at almost the same time.
they looked at each other with surprise for a moment, and i decided that we shouldn't waste any more time.
"alright, guys, we can talk on the way, but we gotta get going if we don't wanna be late."
"you're right! let's go!"
we must've looked like a strange group walking down the sidewalk- all right of us in formal wear in the middle of the day. although the university was close enough that it was more efficient to just walk.
///
we arrived just in time, and sat through a brief opening statement, then were free to wander around the temporary exhibits.
"there's a lot of clothes here," tanaka mumbled, looking around the big room.
"where are your designs, asahi?" daichi asked.
"right over here," i replied, leading the small group to where my designs were displayed.
"ooh, this is like... the main area!" suga exclaimed. "good job on that!"
i blushed and smiled sheepishly.
"thanks. and it's probably best if i'm over here in case people... have questions? about the designs? uh... i don't know."
"ohh, that's a good idea!" emiko enthused.
"yeah! and these clothes look so cool! did you make them yourself?" noya asked.
i nodded.
"designed them and made them."
"ugh, he would be up at all hours of the night with that sewing machine. it was so loud it was hard to sleep," emiko complained.
"oops, sorry bout that."
"hey, no worries. seeing the finished product like this, it's worth it!"
"i really like the layering on this one," masumi commented, pointing to one of the outfitted mannequins. "and the jacket has a nice pattern."
"thank you."
they nodded in acknowledgment.
"i like these shoes," said noya, pointing. "are they custom?"
"yes, i embroidered them myself."
he gasped.
"that's so cool!"
being showered with all this praise from my friends, i couldn't stop blushing and smiling.
it was only four outfits, but they made it seem like i was some kind of superhero.
after a while, we went and looked at the other designs on display, but noya assured me that none of them were as fire as my designs.
i laughed and thanked him.
eventually, things slowed down a bit, and we all started heading out.
noya went back with tanaka and ennoshita for a few hours, and then would meet us back for dinner. after that though, he would stay with them for the weekend, but daichi and suga decided to come back to my apartment with masumi, emiko, and i for a bit.
after all the goodbye's (for now) had been said, and we headed home, i sighed happily.
this was probably the best day ever, and i was glad i could spend it with my friends.