A/N: Kanji readings can be divided in On Yomi and Kun Yomi. Depending on which one it is, the kanji can be read differently.
A/N: English is not my first language.
[Proh-ping-kwi-tee]
Noun. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people. Propinquity can mean physical proximity, a kinship between people, or a similarity in nature between things. Usually referred to with the common 'Like-attracts-like'.
To be honest, in their case it was nothing like an option, nor an election.
It was not a deep thing like 'friends are the family you choose', because it could have been everything but a choice. At least not theirs, absolutely, completely, and most certainly not theirs.
A pregnant woman, you see, is able to bond with great ease with another woman in her exact same state, so easy it could almost be labeled as scary. The chances are greater if their belly happened to be the same size or they bought clothes for the baby at the same shop, and there were even higher possibilities if they happened to have the same cravings, happened to go to the same yoga classes, happened to live in the same neighborhood, happened to be due just a few days apart from each other. Really, a friendship with fitting scenario to last the rest of their lives, something to tell people about over lunch or at dinner time, maybe with the invitation of meeting such a wonderful friend afterwards. Those two women choose to find support on each other, and truly, it never did fail, not even on the toughest times.
But the cherry on top of that ridiculously sweet ice cream was not the cravings, or the yoga positions, or the residential area. Not even the knitted little socks that would not fit in a couple of months' time, matching pieces that were not necessarily meant for the same baby. The final and undeniable thing that would make many laugh in a few years after that January the 21st, nine days after his own January the 12th, the ultimate weapon against those who believed destiny was nothing more than a made up excuse or over told fairy tale, was the coincidence that started the whole thing in the first place.
Because a couple of kanjis can change absolutely everything.
"Hanamiya Makoto"
"Here"
"Hanamoto Mako-"
"Sensei, you have to use the On Yomi reading for her name, not the Kun Yomi"
"Well, atually-"
"On Yomi" The hand that had previously been raised now rested on top of the desk, a dark and tick eyebrow twitched at the sound of a muffled snicker at his left, menacing eyes focused themselves on the hand that covered an still obvious smile, and to all the classroom and the teacher that had been interrupted but somehow couldn't bring himself to scold such attitude, the fact that he wasn't necessarily right became obvious by the time the girl grinned at his almost imperceptible scowl, apparently not bothered by the almost severe way he interrupted her as well. If anything, the emphasis made the corner of her lips curl into an even wider grin, to the point it could be mistaken for an overjoyed smile by those who didn't know better, body leaning in his direction in a manner that could and would only be called pure mockery "Right?"
'Makoto-chan doesn't care? To not be called by her name'
'He is not exactly wrong, auntie. Makoto does have a point. Besides, I kind of like the other name a little bit more'
"If you insist on being the one with the girly name, Makoto, then so be it. Yes, Hanamoto Sei over here, sensei"
They were different from their mothers. They were not fans of the so called destiny, they didn't share such an exactly similar condition. So what did they bond over?
If you asked them, there wouldn't be a serious answer.
First, the question would have to be changed; rephrased, if you will, because if not there was no way either of them would even know what to say. Then, the possible answers would discourage about anyone who was interested enough to ask, or more like anyone who had enough guts to stay put after Makoto snorted at the apparently stupid question, even when Sei openly laughed at his almost sinister expression. Actually, maybe everything could be summarized in the matching socks meant for newly born's feet buried somewhere on the attic of the Hanamiya household, a photo of a first day in elementary school, the tea set from that first time in Hokkaido, or the golden medals of that spelling contest on fourth grade. Maybe on the copies of the same book lying around, unfished, or the tickets of an amusement park that went to waste due to a sale of chocolate ice cream suddenly appearing on their way that sunny afternoon, even when they had been lucky enough to win the top prize at the only supermarket that seemed to sell decent coconut flavored popsicle.
Because, really, sometimes childhood friends didn't need to remember all the things they could have possibly bonded over. Being forced into a friendship with someone because of something as apparently important as 'coincidences' somehow took away lots of those formalities. Or maybe they were born with natural predisposition to each other's bad habits.