She had been preparing to leave when she first noticed the soft tapping of the rain against the window pane of her office. It had been so quiet she hadn't paid the noise any mind until the rhythm picked up.
Finally glancing out the window she noticed the overcast from the dark clouds and the downpour that was beating against the roof and windows of the school. Her stomach dropped when she realized that the storm most likely wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Glancing around the office she noticed her umbrella wasn't in it's usual spot either. She could kick herself for being so careless, she had been hearing it was supposed to rain all week but with each day being just as bright and sunny as the last she had assumed the weather reports had just been off like they sometimes tended to be. Just earlier that afternoon there hadn't been a cloud in the sky, she had been so caught up in her work that she hadn't noticed the storm rolling in until it was quite literally on top of her.
With a sigh she weighed the pros and cons of if she should leave and make a run for it or stay and most likely spend the night waiting out the storm. On one hand leaving would mean having to navigate the weather without a warm coat or umbrella and the metro station was a few minutes walk away from the school.
For once she envied the staff members who had apartments on campus, they never had to deal with these delimias. But, on the flip side, they did have to watch over the students who lived in the dorms as well. Her face blanched at the thought, it wasn't that she disliked her class or any of the students in particular, it was just….dealing with so many teenagers at all hours of the day wasn't really something she was eager to do. The classes were a handful on a good day, she couldn't imagine the ridiculous antics her students got up to whenever they weren't in the classroom and had enough free time on their hands to cause chaos.
She could probably ask a coworker who lived on campus if she could crash at their place for the night, it would definitely beat sleeping in her office, but then again she could practically hear the comfort her own bed calling out to her - she had paid a pretty penny for the mattress and bed set and she'd be damned if she had to give up a night of the soft sheets and plush mattress just because of a little rain. Besides, the warmth of the bed would make the mad dash through the storm to the metro worth it. She was grown too, she could tough it out.
When she made it to the main exit she paused with her hand on the door for a moment, taking a second the collect herself before traversing through the newly created river in front of the school. She gave a small prayer to whatever God that would listen that she wouldn't end up drowning on her sprint before giving a small sigh and a final 'screw it' as she opened the door and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
She had managed to run a few blocks with the rain pelting her and the chill soaking her to the bone before she ended up hiding out under the awning of a nearby store. She rubbed the water out of her eyes as she reconsidered her decision. She had hardly been able to see from the rain in her eyes clouding her vision and she was sure she looked something like a drowned rat at this point. Her clothes were drenched and sticking to her skin in the most irritating of ways and she could feel her socks soaked from a puddle she had been unable to avoid a block or two back. The downpour hadn't let up at all and if anything had only gotten stronger as the minutes passed. The idea of leaving her safe spot was less than appealing, she would much rather see if she could wait it out like she initially planned to do. it seemed mother nature had won this round.
Taking in her surroundings she tried to figure out where she could possibly take shelter from the storm. She recognized some of the shops and store front of the street she was on, though she was positive none would want her to barge in dripping water all over their floors and seating, however, the street was only a hop and a skip away from Toshinori's place.
She had dropped of paper work a tie or two and the two of them were close enough that she figured it wouldn't be terribly out of line to ask him to shelter her from the storm. She just wasn't sure if her ego would survive having All Might see her looking like such a mess. However, at the present moment her need for some kind of warmth overcame whatever appearances she had wanted to keep between the two.
And that's how she found herself minutes later dripping water on his front porch. She shifted on her feet for a moment feeling warmth flood her cheeks at how ridiculous this whole situation was going to look before swallowing her pride a giving three small knocks on the door. She decided that if he didn't answer the door in a minute than she'd high tail it out of there and make one last desperate dash to the metro. She couldn't decide if luck was on her side or not when the door opened and revealed Toshinori. She hadn't even been able to get a sentence out to explain the situation before he took in her appearance and was practically dragging her into his place to get her out of the cold.
"Ah, Toshinori I'm sorry about this -" She began before he cut her off.
"No, there's no reason to apologize. Let me get you some towels so you can dry off," he insisted before rushing off, nearly tripping over his long legs in the process, and leaving her to drip water on the kitchen tiles before she could as so much as get another word out.
A soft smile came to her lips at his antics. Toshinori always seemed to be in some flustered state about something or another when she saw him. She had thought the behavior was an odd dichotomy from his image of the calm and collected Symbol of Peace but she didn't mind it any. It was nice, actually. He was nice. She hadn't had any run ins with him before his employment at U.A. and had been concerned if he would be as kind and sincere as he seemed to be during his interviews or public statements. Seeing him not only live up to his reputation but also be so down to earth had shocked her nearly as much as when he had asked her for help with some aspects of the lesson plans he wanted to do over the course of the semester. He was so eager to learn how to teach and hadn't been worried over his image by asking her for help. She had never been too high in the hero rankings so she had been used to the arrogant and rude behavior many pro heroes had during their interactions with her. To have the number one hero actually acknowledge her as a peer and seek help from her had her over the moon.
He was always so genuine and heartfelt during their interactions and it had just been so refreshing. She had thought he would be difficult to talk to or find some common ground with due to how vastly different their careers played out. She had thought that the time spent helping him with lesson plans would be spent in a tense and awkward silence outside of comments here or there about how to improve things but he had wasted no time getting to know her. The two's friendship had quickly developed from there and soon enough she found herself itching to find any excuse to bother him.
That's probably why she ended up on his doorstep today anyways, she realized with a blush creeping up her face. Her hands went to her face to hide her embarrassment as she realized she hadn't seen him at all today and it was probably some subconscious want for her to get her fill or something. She could've just taken a taxi home and have avoided this whole mess.
She couldn't hold back the groan at her own stupidity and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Toshinori give a polite cough to make her aware of his presence.
She peaked between her fingers and felt her face grow redder at the smile spread across his face.
"Are you okay?" He gave her a look that practically oozed concern for her wellbeing, or most likely her sanity, as he passed two towels towards her.
"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing," she assured as she took the offered items. Glancing down she noticed he had included a t-shirt and sweatpants in the bundle as well.
"I thought the wet clothes would be uncomfortable," he explained with a blush coming to his face as he avoided her eyes. She had found the reaction odd until she felt her own face grow hotter as she realized that the slick clothes were probably sticking to her skin in a way that was surely indecent. "The bathroom is just down the hall to your left. You can throw the wet clothes in the dryer when you're done too."
"Sorry for being such a pain -"
"It's no trouble," he immediately insisted, cutting her off with wild hand gestures. Her lips quirked up in fondness as the response she probably should've expected at this point. He never did let her properly thank him when he did something for her. Even for something as simple as a thank you for him holding the door open for her would earn her the same reaction.
"You're being too good to me," he had a tendency to do that.
"Don't worry about it," he persisted, "You're more than worth it."
The two stared at each other for a moment as the meaning of his comment sunk in. When the words finally computed, she was positive the heat in her face matched his own as she ducked her head and attempted to fight off a smile.
Butterflies danced in her stomach as she stuttered through a quick thank you before retreating to the bathroom. Giving a deep sigh, she went to lean against the door and mourn her non-existent social skills when she ended up having too much momentum and banged the back of her head against the door.
She recoiled with a hiss and brought her hands up to rub the back and she heard Toshinori's worried voice from the other side of the door, "Are you okay? It sounded like you fell…" Well that was great, if he didn't think she was ridiculous before then he sure as hell did now.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good," she reassured nursing her bruised ego just as much as her possibly bruised head at this point, "Just got tripped up is all," she said with a small laugh in hopes to lighten the mood.
"Alright, let me know if you need anything," Toshinori said before letting her get changed in peace.
The clothing was a few sizes too big and she had to tie the shirt off and cuff the sweats just so she wouldn't look like she was drowning in the fabric or like some kid who decided to raid their parents' clothes. She wasn't about to complain though, the clothing was so soft and warm and the scent from them was a soft sandalwood she found beyond comforting. Would it be weird if she asked him what detergent he used?
After toweling off her hair to the best of her abilities and finding the courage to brave another encounter with Toshinori - hoping she wouldn't make a bigger fool out of herself this second time around she exited the safety of the bathroom. After tossing the damp clothing and towels in the dryer she followed the noises coming from the kitchen and found Toshinori going about getting a pot of tea going for the two of them.
He had been oblivious to her presence and she took the time to observe the man while he worked.
She hadn't been lying when she told him he was too good to her. Since the time the two had known each other he had never faltered, he had always been kind and courteous to her even going out of his way to check in on her or to just speak with her for a moment. It made her wonder just what she had done to deserve such treatment from the Symbol of Peace.
Toshinori gave a slight startle when he turned to find her leaning against the counter and watching him so intently. He seemed a bit out of sorts as he stuttered through an explanation, he was hoping the tea would help warm her up more, and she couldn't really blame him. She did kinda wind up on his doorstep like some lost stray after all.
She began to feel worried if she was making the man feel self conscious in his own home but when his usual 100 kilowatt smile made its appearance and he started to ask about how her day went she realized she could breath easy. The two soon entered into conversation about whatever ridiculous antics their students had gotten up to during classes. She felt a little bad for Toshinori that he got handed such a rambunctious group of kids during his first year teaching, she remembers how positively anxious she had been with her first class, but seeing the fondness he had for his students and hearing how he talked about their progress and whatever silly things they did always reassured her that he really wouldn't have wanted it any other way. His students definitely made his days interesting if his stories were anything to go off of. Listening to him speak about their success and new methods he was considering implementing to further their progress had her practically beaming with pride at the complete 180 that had occurred in the man. A few months ago he didn't seem like he was sure if he would even be able to explain up from down to the class and here he was excited to go about teaching them the finer details of what comes with the job of a hero.
The two became lost in the conversation and eachothers company and soon enough an hour turned to two. During a lull in the conversation Toshinori glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was getting.
"I'd offer to cook dinner but I haven't gone shopping in a while," he says with an embarrassed smile on his face.
"Oh, no I wouldn't expect that of you anyways," she insisted. It was one thing to ask for a warm place to stay until the storm stopped - it was a completely different thing to ask for food on top of that when she was an uninvited guest. She could already imagine her parents nagging in her ears at being such an ungrateful guest. "Besides you've already done so much."
Toshinori noticed her eyes wander to the window and her face falling when she noticed the rain had yet to let up in the slightest.
"I'm sure I can find something," he said as he rose from his spot on the couch - completely ignoring her protests in the process. "It's getting late too," he added, "why don't you just spend the night?" His face was a bright red as he made to proposition and he quickly turned from her and began rummaging through his cabinets to find something edible.
"Toshinori!" She practically whined, "that's asking far too much of you!"
"How do you feel about soba?" he asked instead of acknowledging her comment. He turned to find her cheeks puffed out in a pout at having been ignored and he found a smile creeping on his face at the sight she made.
"I'm being serious here!"
"So am I," he insisted, "I'm thinking the warm kind - cold soba isn't really for a rainy day."
She rolled her eyes at him before throwing herself back on the couch in a dramatic display. "You're being ridiculous," she all but groaned.
"The rain isn't letting up anytime soon," he explained as he gathered the pots and pans and various ingredients to get to work, "It's a monsoon out there. I wouldn't be able to send you out in that with a clear conscious."
"I don't want to be a bother," she protested weakly. She couldn't really discredit anything else he had said - it was an absolute downpour outside and she's sure she'd feel bad about sending him out to navigate it if their roles were reversed.
"I don't think you could ever be a bother to me," he said and she found herself having to fight off another blush at the sentiment in his words.
"Fine," she relented before rolling off of the couch and heading his way, "but at least let me help out with cooking."
He made no protest and soon enough the food was finished. The dinner was a simple affair, the food was good and the conversation was more than engaging. The night had been filled with their laughter and she felt a pang in her stomach aching for more nights spent like this.
When the two had finally decided to call it a night Toshinori had wanted to give her his bed but that was where she drew the line. Toshinori was far too kind of a host and the thought of stealing his bed from him, on top of his food and clothes, was where she put her foot down. She insisted she'd be more than comfortable on the couch and eventually he relented.
After a soft goodnight from both of them she huddled up into the blankets he had left for her and she fell asleep surrounded by that same comforting sandalwood scent.
She woke up to light pouring in from the window and the soft chirping of the birds. Checking the time she let out a soft groan before burying herself into the pillows Toshinori had left for her. What she wouldn't give for just five more minutes of sleep.
After debating with herself over if she should just sleep in or get a head start on the day the latter eventually won out and by some miracle she was able to untangle herself from the cocoon on blankets.
Not soon after Toshinori made an appearance from his bedroom already dressed and ready to head out.
"I was going to wake you up sooner but I thought you could use the extra few minutes," he said as he went about collecting various papers and materials for classes that day.
She went to gather her own things as well and gave a soft huff, "I don't know how I'm going to repay you for this one, Toshinori." After doing one final sweep of the room to make sure she hadn't left anything she headed towards the door where he had been patiently waiting for her.
"There's really nothing to repay -"
"Toshi, please just let me do one thing for you," she cut him off.
"One thing?" he questioned as the two made their way out the door and down the street to U.A. It was still fairly early in the morning and there weren't many other people out and about yet. She gave a soft hum in confirmation as she breathed in the earthy smell of petrichor. She had never cared too much for rain but the smell of the mornings after were always something she enjoyed.
The few blocks they walked to U.A. had passed in silence as she waited for Toshinori to name his request. She didn't mind the silence all that much either, having a few quiet moments to share with Toshinori before the busy day ahead of them was relaxing in a way she couldn't describe.
I hadn't been until they made it to the school's entrance that he finally decided on his request.
"If you really want to do something for me, I'd really appreciate it if you let me cook for you again sometime."
Her eyes had met his and seeing the flush on his cheeks and the nervous look in his eyes quickly had her own face burning a bright red.
"I-I'd like that a lot, actually," she stuttered as she .
Toshinori's entire face lit up and she saw the tension leave his body at her response, "Really?"
The smile had stretched across his face and she found that she really wasn't all that eager to fight off her own, "Really, really."