"He has depression."
Asahi looked to his mother, who looked confused. "Depression?"
The doctor nodded. He turned a page on his clipboard and looked over his glasses. "Yes, depression. Major depressive disorder. Do you or your son have any questions?"
Asahi took a deep breath. It all made sense. The constant tension in his muscles, the not wanting to get up in the morning, the persistent feeling of doom. He smiled.
"Azumane."
He looked at his mother and the smile faded. She looked angrier than when he had told her that he had broken her favorite vase.
"You can't seriously believe him?"
"What do you mean?" Asahi whispered. He chuckled nervously. "Mom it all makes sense now. I-"
"You aren't depressed. You are sad because I told you not to get a boyfriend. You aren't gay. You're not depressed. This quack is telling you lies."
"Ma'am with all do respect, the images of your son's brain show signs of depression. He got this genetically," the doctor said and sighed.
"Genetically- oh lord probably from his father."
"Mom!" Asahi objected. He loved his father and knew for a fact that he had depression. It was the whole reason he wanted to get screened.
"Just listen to yourself! You are sad, that's it!" She stood, grabbing her purse. "Come on."
Asahi sighed and stood. "I'm sorry-"
"Do not!"
Asahi cowered down and followed his mother to the train station. He kept glancing at her, waiting for anything directed at him. Instead, he heard a call to her sister in her native tongue, one he had never learned.
When they got home, Asahi looked at his father and smiled shyly. "Papa."
"Son, how are you? How did the appointment go?" His father smiled.
"Not too good-"
Asahi's mother scoffed. ""Not good," he says. Not good. It was terrible! The doctor says he has depression of all things!"
"Mom, Papa has it."
"I know. And it's reasonable. He was in the army." She opened the window and huffed. "It's too damned warm in here."
Asahi's father took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Son, Nishinoya dropped by earlier. He's wanting to go out tonight."
"Oh." Asahi smiled. "I thought I wasn't allowed to go out with him?"
"You're not," his mother replied. "Depressed people always want to stay inside, remember?"
"That's not how depression works mom."
She turned. Asahi felt his breath catch in his throat. His mother laughed. "Your older sister would love to hear this one. Now she has depression. Cutting her wrists, trying to jump out the window behind me, staying inside all the time. When she was a teenager. All teens get this way."
"I'm not every teen. And she didn't just have depression."
"You're different. I forgot." She rolled her eyes and turned to the sink. "Go clean your room."
"I was going to go out with Nishinoya. He has been planning this for weeks-"
"Go clean your room."
Asahi nodded and turned to the hallway where his room was. Across from it was his sister's room, still untouched from the years of her being gone. A weight dropped on his chest as he remembered the day he'd walked in on her shaking on the floor, frothy mouth and all. He missed her.
