Title: presque vu
Pairing: Aizawa/Shiraishi
Summary: Was it a dream? Was it some sort of epiphany? Between train rides and reality, the only thing Shiraishi Megumi knew was that she's too lost.
Notes: a canon-verse AU with a fantasy twist in it. More angst and tragedy coming in the next chapters. Another entry for aishiraburu's fic festival, I hope you guys will enjoy this! And this should be completed by the 9th.
Shiraishi Megumi was running late. The fact that the newly opened train station was so packed also didn't help her in any way. As she frantically tried walking faster and keeping her thick textbooks aligned in her hands, she accidentally bumped into the person in front of her. The consequences of skipping a few steps of the stairs in hope to reach the platform faster was, to be in such a predicament. The fall was not too high, but her precious textbooks were scattered all around the place.
"I'm truly sorry!" was all she could mumble as she went down on her knees and reached for her books. Surprisingly, the person she bumped into also went on his knees. He had already collected one of her heavier textbook.
As he handed her the book, their eyes met, and she felt her whole world stopped.
She couldn't see anything else but him.
A few seconds of deafening silence engulfed them, seeping through the air finding its way towards their bones. She didn't even realise her heart skipped a bit, lungs temporarily cutting air support to her blood vessels. When she finally blinked her eyes, the gentleman let out an awkward cough. It brought the woman back to earth along with the train's hustle from the distance jostling up her brain to start working properly.
With more remorse and gratefulness, Shiraishi bowed her head as low as possible in front of the sharp-looking stranger, screaming "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience! I'm sorry!" attracting the looks of everyone on the platform. Then, she sensed all the stare she's getting. She retrieved her book from his hands in haste, trying to hide her reddening cheeks. With another bow, she tried running away from the man who hadn't even had the chance to say anything in reply.
Her plan was to quickly blend with the other passengers waiting on the platform, but as she tried to stand up, she felt her right ankle hurt. She thought she had embarrassed herself enough for the day, but then she must drag herself in pain towards one of the line, choosing for a car. Lowering her eyes, she walked slowly— because it hurts very much, the swelling of her ankles, and also her pride. All her brain could think of was to scold herself, all the while trying to not look at anyone in the eye, especially the person she bumped into.
She really wished she could have a seat on the train. Sadly reality called. She's on the last end of the queue and it sank her heart. Every few seconds she could feel her ligaments reminding her it needed immediate attention, and it resulted in a very unsightly expression presented on her face. Sweat has begun to trickled down her spine, the combination of summer heat and all the happenings that was going against her— but she hadn't realized it.
When the train finally went on a halt in the platform, she heaved a sigh of relief. She wanted to chase away the heat and embarrassment, fanning her face with her free hand, to no avail.
Shiraishi settled standing in a corner of the car, leaning her back towards the carriage's wall. She hoped it'd ease the pressure on her ankles. As she started to feel much more comfortable in her position, she noticed a familiar pair of shoes right in front of her. Something inside told her to look up, to see why it left such an impression. And then she saw him— the same guy whom she bumped into, causing a frenzy of blood rushing down her cheeks.
He paid her no heed though, his eyes set on the landscape seen through the windows on her back as the train set on its journey. The sound of its wheels clashing with the rails reverberating through the air.
"Shiraishi, sit down,"
She heard a voice ringing through her eardrums, her senses coming back to her. When she opened her eyes, she met Aizawa's eyes telling her to sit down. He was pointing to a now-empty-seat next to her. She realized she had fallen asleep standing, leaning on the carriage's railing on the ends of the seats.
What a shame! It must have been not a pretty sight from Aizawa's point of view as he stood right across her. She scolded herself silently in her brain before she moved to the available seat apologetically. The multiple-shifts must have taken the toll on her, the burned-out feeling on the back of her mind had finally re-materialized. It was not quite a good day.
It was another afternoon in which the heli could not fly anymore. They're not a priority to be picked up from the location after transporting the patients first, resulting the predicament she and Aizawa was in. They have to go back to the hospital with other means of transportation and it just happened that the most convenient was the train. Not that it really bothered the both of them.
The sun was setting, orange hues coloring the sky before the stars. Shiraishi was absentmindedly looking through the train's windows as she felt something bothering her. She didn't know how long she had fallen asleep for before Aizawa woke her up. There was only one thing she's sure of, that she dreamt of something.
What she dreamt of, she couldn't put her fingers on it. There's just a feeling of familiarity lingering on her bothered subconsciousness, as if it was a memory. A lost memory.