Chapter Text
People say animals can sense natural disasters before they happen. In 2004, elephants in India reportedly ran toward higher ground hours before the tsunami struck, or in Italy when toads abandoned their breeding grounds days before the 2009 earthquake, only returning after the aftershocks had passed.
Still, when your pet starts acting strangely, “natural disaster” is probably the last thing on your mind. You assume they’re anxious, restless, or simply being weird.
At least, that’s what Tadashi thinks as he searches the house for his cat. He’s been looking for nearly forty-five minutes, hoping to feed her before he leaves. He checks her tower, his bed, his mother’s bed, even the tops of the cupboards, but there’s still no sign of her.
Then, a knock sounds at the door. With a sigh, he walks over to open it, already knowing who it is.
“You ready?” Tsukishima, his best friend, asks as soon as the door swings open.
“No,” Tadashi answered, stepping aside to let his friend in. “I can’t find Donut, and I need to feed her before we leave.”
“Isn’t she outside or something?” Tsukishima asked, already sounding bored as he slipped off his shoes by the door.
“You know I don’t let her outside when I’m going out,” Tadashi replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He glanced around the living room again, as if the cat might suddenly appear out of nowhere. “Help me, Tsukki.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” Tsukishima muttered, putting his backpack down.
The two split up without another word. Tadashi checked the kitchen cabinets while Tsukishima lazily peeked behind curtains and under furniture, clearly putting in the bare minimum effort.
“Donut,” Tadashi called for what felt like the hundredth time, shaking the bag of treats in his hand. “Come on, girl.”
Nothing.
Then Tsukishima pulled open the hallway closet door.
A loud hiss echoed through the apartment before a blur of grey fur shot past him, leaping straight into Tadashi’s arms.
“Donut!” Tadashi laughed in relief, nearly stumbling backward from the force of her jump. “You scared me.”
He held the cat close against his chest, burying his face into her soft fur while she purred loudly, claws lightly digging into his shoulder.
“We should leave now,” Tsukishima said, shutting the closet door behind him. “We’re already late.”
“Let me just feed her,” Tadashi replied, still holding Donut like she might disappear again the second he let go.
But the moment he tried to lower her to the floor, the cat let out an angry meow and immediately scrambled back onto his shoulder, tail puffed up to twice its normal size.
Tadashi blinked in confusion before looking over at Tsukishima with an almost hopeful smile.
“Can you help me feed her, please?”
“You know I hate the smell of that stuff,” Tsukishima complained, wrinkling his nose reaching to pet the cat on the back of her ears.
“Please, Tsukki. She’s being clingy.”
Tsukishima groaned dramatically before glaring down at the cat. “She’s just like you,” he muttered. “Fine.”
“Thank you, Tsukki,” Tadashi said brightly. Then he paused, realization hitting him a second later. “Hey! I’m not clingy.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I am not.”
“You literally asked me to come here so we could walk together because you didn’t want to walk fifteen minutes by yourself.”
“That’s different.”
Tsukishima snorted as he grabbed a can of cat food from the counter. “Sure it is.”
Meanwhile, Donut stayed firmly perched on Tadashi’s shoulder, ears flattened and eyes fixed on something beyond the apartment windows.
~
After finally managing to pry Donut off Tadashi’s shoulder, the two of them were on their way to meet the rest of the team for a bonding night.
It was the middle of autumn, but the air wasn’t too cold yet. The afternoon sun still shone warmly overhead, slowly sinking toward the horizon and painting the streets in gold.
It was quiet.
Usually, at this hour, birds filled the trees with noise, but today there was almost nothing. No chirping, no fluttering wings — just an odd, heavy stillness hanging in the air.
“Are you staying over tonight?” Tadashi asked, glancing up at the trees as if expecting to spot at least one bird among the branches.
“Your mom still isn’t home?” Tsukishima asked, looking down at him.
“No.” Tadashi scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I tried calling her yesterday to ask when she’d be back, but she didn’t answer. Then, like, an hour later she texted me saying she booked another flight somewhere else in Europe, so… she still doesn’t know when she’s coming home.”
Tsukishima stayed silent for a moment, but Tadashi already knew what he was thinking.
“I know, Tsukki,” he said quietly. “But it’s been a hard year for her.”
“It’s been a hard year for you too,” Tsukishima replied immediately. “You’re her kid. She’s supposed to take care of you, not disappear traveling around the world.”
Tadashi didn’t answer.
It was harsh, but it was true. Ever since his father’s funeral earlier that year, his mom had barely been home. The longest he’d seen her in months had been about a week and a half — and even that had been four months ago.
For a while, the only sound between them was the crunch of leaves beneath their shoes.
Then Tsukishima sighed softly, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.
“I’ll stay over tonight.”
Tadashi looked up at him immediately, a small smile spreading across his face.
“Thank you, Tsukki.”
Tsukishima clicked his tongue, looking away before Tadashi could notice the faint pink creeping onto the tips of his ears.
~
As expected, Tadashi and Tsukishima were the last ones to arrive, the rest of the team already waiting outside the bowling alley for them.
After a chorus of complaints and a quick apology for being late, everyone finally headed inside together.
The bowling alley was bigger than Tadashi had expected. Around ten lanes stretched across the brightly lit building, music playing softly overhead while bowling balls rolled and crashed into pins in the distance. There was a surprisingly decent food court near the entrance, a small bar tucked into one corner, and an arcade area flashing with colorful lights and noisy machines.
“Alright, everybody, listen up,” Daichi called out in his usual authoritative tone.
Almost immediately, the first-years quieted down. Mostly.
“We’re letting you all do whatever you want because I know none of you are capable of staying in one place for more than ten minutes,” he continued. “Don’t cause trouble, don’t break anything, and if you need us — which I hope you don’t — we’ll be at bowling lane seven.”
“Can we get alcohol?” Tanaka asked, testing the waters.
“No,” Daichi answered instantly.
“Worth a try,” Nishinoya muttered.
Before anyone else could say anything, Hinata grabbed Kageyama by the sleeve and pointed excitedly toward the arcade.
“They have racing games!”
“You’re not dragging me into another competition,” Kageyama complained, even as Hinata pulled him toward the machines anyway.
Meanwhile, Tadashi glanced around the bowling alley again, a slight frown tugging at his lips.
“Are you okay?” Tsukishima asked, eyeing him carefully.
“Yes.” Tadashi looked up at him before lowering his voice slightly. “I just have a bad
feeling for some reason. Like something bad is going to happen.”
“Mm. Might be a stuck fart,” Tsukishima said with a smirk.
“Ew, Tsukki!” Tadashi laughed, shoving him lightly.
“What? I’ve seen the way you eat,” Tsukishima replied. “You need more fiber.”
“Stop it.”
Tsukishima snorted before nodding toward the arcade. “You wanna play Mortal Kombat?”
Tadashi’s expression brightened a little. “Okay.”
The two headed toward the flashing arcade machines, their laughter blending into the noise of the bowling alley.
~
“You are a huge, strong, intimidating man,” Daichi said, staring at the scoreboard in disbelief. “How are you this pathetic at bowling?”
“I told you guys I was bad at this,” Asahi defended weakly.
“Well, you didn’t say you sucked this much.”
“Leave me alone. It’s your turn, Suga.”
When no answer came, both of them turned toward Sugawara, who seemed completely lost in thought as he bit absentmindedly at the skin on his index finger.
“Suga,” Daichi called again, louder this time.
Sugawara jumped slightly at the sound of his name.
“Yes?”
“It’s your turn,” Daichi said, studying him carefully. “Are you okay?”
“Yes— sorry.” Suga quickly forced a smile as he stood up. “I just got distracted.”
Asahi and Daichi exchanged a confused glance. They both knew Sugawara was the type of person who always spoke his mind, so seeing him this distant and distracted felt strange.
“Wow, Asahi,” Suga said as he looked up at the score screen, “you’re really bad at this.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying,” Daichi replied with a grin, clearly relieved to hear him joking again.
Sugawara picked up the bowling ball and stepped into position. With a smooth motion, he swung his arm forward. The ball slammed against the lane with a loud crack before rolling straight down the center.
Strike.
The pins scattered instantly.
“You see, Asahi? That’s how you play,” Daichi said proudly, throwing an arm over Sugawara’s shoulder.
“Yeah… um, I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Suga muttered, already stepping away.
Asahi and Daichi watched him leave, both frowning slightly as he disappeared around the corner.
“What’s with him today?” Asahi asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Daichi admitted. “But he’s been acting weird all week.”
~
“Bro, do you know what you’re gonna do after high school?” Nishinoya asked, leaning against the seat of the racing game machine they’d been occupying for the past twenty minutes.
“I don’t fucking know,” Tanaka answered while digging through his pockets for more coins. “Why are you asking me that?”
“I keep seeing the third-years freaking out about universities and future jobs and stuff,” Nishinoya replied with a shrug. “Made me curious.”
Tanaka hummed thoughtfully as he pulled a few coins from his wallet. “Well, we still have time, don’t we? Do you know what you wanna do?”
“Not really,” Nishinoya admitted.
As he looked back toward Tanaka, something behind him caught his attention.
A photobooth stood near the back corner of the arcade, its neon lights flickering weakly door wide open showing it was empty .
Nishinoya narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…Was that thing there before?”
“Hm?” Tanaka turned around briefly before shrugging. “Probably.”
“Do you wanna try it out?” Nishinoya asked, already grinning.
“You know what? Yeah,” Tanaka said, pushing himself up from the racing game seat.
The two of them headed toward the photobooth, shoving each other playfully the entire way.
Inside, the booth was cramped, their shoulders pressed together the moment the curtain closed behind them, but it was just big enough for the two of them to fit. The small screen in front of the bench glowed brightly, illuminating their faces in pale blue light.
The machine beeped loudly before a countdown appeared on the screen.
3…
“Wait, wait—” Tanaka quickly threw an arm around Nishinoya’s shoulders.
2…
Nishinoya grinned and held up a peace sign while Tanaka puffed out his cheeks stupidly.
1…
Flash.
The screen showed the photo for a second before automatically moving to the next pose.
“Oh my god, we look horrible,” Nishinoya laughed.
“You look horrible. I look handsome.”
“Your face literally looks swollen.”
“It’s called beauty.”
“Let’s do a cool filter.”
Tanaka started scrolling through the photobooth filters while Nishinoya checked his phone after it buzzed loudly in his pocket.
“Daichi’s asking where we are and saying we better not get into trouble,” Nishinoya read aloud.
“Ignore him. We’re not doing anything wrong,” Tanaka scoffed, rolling his eyes. “He’s just in dad mode.”
Nishinoya laughed and shoved his phone back into his pocket before fixing his hair for the next picture.
The countdown started again.
3…
2…
1…
Flash.
This time the filter gave them stupid sparkly cat ears and oversized glittering eyes.
Tanaka stared at the screen in horror. “Delete it.”
“No.” Nishinoya burst into laughter. “This one’s perfect.”
~
“Yamaguchi!”
Tadashi and Tsukishima turned at the sound of Hinata sprinting toward them with a visibly annoyed Kageyama trailing behind.
“Yes, Hinata?” Tadashi asked.
“Come with me to the bathroom,” Hinata said immediately. “Kageyama doesn’t want to.”
Tsukishima stared at him flatly. “Are you five? Why do you need someone to go to the bathroom with you?”
“Because scary stuff always happens to me in bathrooms,” Hinata exclaimed dramatically.
“Don’t be a dumbass,” Kageyama muttered.
“Please, Tadashi?” Hinata begged, clasping his hands together.
Tadashi giggled softly. “Sure, Hinata.”
The two walked off together, leaving Tsukishima and Kageyama alone near the food court.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Kageyama awkwardly sat down across from Tsukishima, clearly against his will.
“…So.”
“Don’t,” Tsukishima said dryly.
Before Kageyama could answer, a familiar voice called from behind them.
“Have either of you seen Noya and Tanaka?” Daichi asked. “I texted Noya, but he left me on read.”
“You’re asking the two least likely people to know where those idiots are,” Tsukishima replied before taking a sip from his drink.
Asahi blinked as he looked between them. “Why are you two together? Don’t get me wrong, but… why are you two together?”
“Because Hinata has the brain of a dumb four-year-old,” Kageyama answered while glaring at absolutely nothing.
~
The bathroom felt emptier than it actually was. Maybe it was because of how large it was, or because the wall separating the stalls from the sinks blocked most of the room from view.
Tadashi leaned against the counter while he waited for Hinata to come out.
Suddenly, a familiar figure turned the corner from the stalls.
“Oh, hi, Suga,” Tadashi greeted.
“Oh, hey,” Sugawara replied. “Why are you just standing there?”
“Oh, I’m waiting for Hinata.”
“…Okay,” Suga said slowly, clearly confused as he walked toward the sinks to wash his hands.
For a moment, the only sound in the bathroom was running water.
Then Tadashi spoke again.
“Um… are you okay?”
Suga glanced at him through the mirror. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve just been really quiet lately.”
Sugawara looked down at the sink. “Yeah, I just…”
He stopped mid-sentence, mouth closing again as uncertainty crossed his face.
Tadashi stayed quiet, waiting patiently.
Suga took a deep breath, finally deciding he should probably just say what had been bothering him.
That was when they felt it.
Faint at first. Barely noticeable.
It was subtle enough that you could convince yourself it was nothing — maybe dizziness, maybe your imagination.
But then the mirrors started to tremble.
The faucet vibrated beneath Suga’s hands.
The floor shifted.
Slowly, horribly, realization settled in.
There’s always someone who says it first.
“Earthquake!” Hinata yelled as he rushed out from the stalls.
The floor shook harder.
Tadashi grabbed the edge of the counter to keep himself upright while soap bottles and paper towels crashed onto the floor around them. Somewhere outside the bathroom, screaming erupted through the bowling alley.
“Get out!” Sugawara shouted immediately, grabbing Hinata by the hoodie and yanking him away from the mirrors just as one cracked loudly down the center.
The lights went out for half a second.
Then came back on.
Then flickered again.
The entire bathroom shook violently around them as the sound of screaming echoed from outside. Soap bottles crashed into the sinks while pieces of ceiling dust rained down onto the floor.
“Tadashi, move!” Suga yelled.
The three of them stumbled toward the exit, struggling to stay upright as the ground lurched beneath their feet.
~
“What the hell—”
Tanaka instinctively grabbed the sides of the photobooth while Nishinoya nearly slammed shoulder-first into the wall as the entire booth shook violently.
The screen glitched.
Outside, people screamed.
“Earthquake?!” Nishinoya shouted.
The machine jolted sharply to one side before the lights inside the booth suddenly turned red. A loud mechanical error alarm blared overhead.
Then—
CLUNK.
The automatic door locked shut.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Tanaka lunged for the handle, shoving his shoulder against it as hard as he could. The door didn’t budge.
“Noya, help me push!”
Another violent tremor ripped through the building. The booth lights flickered rapidly while something large crashed nearby outside.
Nishinoya immediately threw himself against the door beside Tanaka, both of them pushing with all their strength.
Nothing.
“OPEN!” Tanaka yelled, slamming his fist against the metal.
The booth suddenly tilted slightly to one side.
For the first time since it started, Nishinoya’s expression lost all confidence.
~
Bowling balls rolled freely across the lanes as the floor shook hard enough to knock people off balance.
Pins crashed loudly in the distance while customers screamed and ducked beneath tables, others panicking and running for the exits.
Daichi grabbed Kageyama by the sleeve just as a ceiling light shattered against the floor beside them.
“Under the tables!” Daichi yelled. “NOW!”
Asahi nearly slipped trying to move while Tsukishima shoved a fallen chair out of the way with his foot.
The roof above them groaned loudly.
A long crack spread across part of the ceiling.
“…That’s not good,” Asahi whispered.
Across the bowling alley, employees shouted conflicting instructions while emergency alarms finally began blaring overhead.
Then the power cut out completely.
The building dropped into darkness.
For a second, the only things they could hear were the earthquake… and people screaming.
~
Sugawara, Hinata, and Tadashi had somehow managed to reach the emergency stairwell before the lights fully died.
But the shaking never stopped.
The metal stairs trembled violently beneath their feet as they hurried downward, one hand gripping the railing to avoid falling.
Then the building gave another horrifying groan.
A loud crack echoed below them.
The staircase suddenly dropped.
“Shoyou!” Suga shouted, grabbing Hinata by the hoodie and yanking him backward just as the lower section of stairs collapsed into darkness beneath them.
Metal screamed.
Concrete shattered below.
Tadashi stumbled hard against the railing, barely catching himself before slipping forward.
“S-Suga—”
“Back up!” Sugawara yelled.
The three of them tried rushing back upward, but before they could reach the next landing, part of the ceiling suddenly collapsed above them.
CRASH.
Concrete and debris slammed down across the staircase, completely blocking the path back up.
Dust exploded through the stairwell air.
Then silence.
Not complete silence — the building still creaked around them — but enough to make the realization settle in.
They were trapped between floors.