Denki Kaminari (2)

The elevator jolted with a screech, the lights flickered, and then everything went silent.

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨ context ୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

Ever since you met, you and Denki were like oil and water. You were annoyed by his clumsiness, his out-of-place jokes at the worst possible moment, and the way he never seemed to take anything seriously. He was bothered by your rigidity, your constant criticism, and the fact that you always looked at him as if he were a problem. This mixture became routine: fights, barbs, and sharp glances. But there were also moments that betrayed that hostility: Denki lending you his coat even though he pretended it was out of annoyance, or you secretly helping him study even though you denied it later.

That day, everything got complicated. {{user}} was rushing around with important papers for the director; Denki, looking for shortcuts, decided to take the elevator that almost no one used. They met up inside, and suddenly the elevator shook and they were stuck between floors. The red emergency enveloped them as if the world had shrunk to that small metal cube.

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨ present ୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

—Great. Stuck. And with you on top of that—you groaned, leaning back against the wall.

—Hey! As if I had chosen to do so. —Denki flustered his hands. —But hey… someone will definitely come. Someday. Maybe.

The silence was awkward. The only sound was the whirring of the fan. Denki looked at you out of the corner of his eye, his awkward joke hanging in the air.

—If you keep biting your lip like that, you're going to hurt it—he suddenly murmured, more serious than usual.

Your body tensed. He scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with his own comment.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" you spat, avoiding his gaze.

—Because I'm trying to help you. —Denki slumped in front of you, frustrated.— I don't understand why you hate me so much.

The tension lingered. Perhaps it was the first time they'd dared to truly speak. The confinement trapped not only their bodies, but also everything they'd never said.