10

Raindrop Remembrance

"I'm off, Mom!" Izuku yelled over his shoulder, opening the front door.

"Be safe dear." She replied, seeing him off with a smile. He nodded, leaving for school. Her lips dropped as the door closed. Izuku was never the same after he lost his quirk. He was able to put on a well-covered facade in front of everyone including his mother, but she knew. She sighed, knowing she couldn't do anything about her son's depression and began her day.

Izuku was walking through a park to reach a train stop. He placed his hand to his chin, thinking out loud. "Hatsume took the air trek she made me. She did say it's for a surprise and won't take long, but I didn't realize how much I had been using them, it feels off not having them. Although I should just be glad things went back to normal rather easily, maybe I was just being presumptuous, and she wasn't trying anything if so, I'll stick with that hypothesis unless anything differs." He continued to spew matters that no one around him could understand. "Tsuyu has become another case though." Lately every time they would greet each other her eyes would be downcast in disappointment, she would try to be polite, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. "Which is bizarre, because Tsuyu always speaks her mind, and lets her feelings be expressed, for her not to do that..." Drip. "Huh?" Glancing up after it landed on the fingers holding his chin. He was so busy rambling he didn't notice. The clouds had become a blanket of nothing, blocking out the sky. It wasn't like the night he shared with Momo. That night, the rain held a transparent illumination of the constellations.

His eyes grew a hollow jade seeing the empty gray abyss in the sky.

And he remembered. The weak droplets sliding down the foggy window. The touch of her pale skin was always cool from the weather. To him, she was an everlasting embodiment of a rainy day.

"Here."

His eyes widened. An umbrella gave him shelter. He rose his stiff shoulders and dropped them, accepting the situation. He turned back to face her. "Oh hey, um, thanks. I didn't know it was going to rain. Forgot to check the weather reports. Hehehe." He laughed uneasily.

"No problem."

He mentally cringed. 'It's always like this!' He sighed, with a weak laugh, even if she didn't talk a lot he knew her well. A lot more than he cared to admit. "Well, we are heading to school. Let's go together." He didn't bother to ask because he knew she would simply nod her head.

It was barely noticeable but he could see it. How her lips lifted ever so slightly.

"Er, here let me hold the umbrella." Plucking it off her delicate pale fingers.

"Thanks."

They had gotten on the train. It was crowded, but they managed to secure a corner. Her back was pressed up against it while he used himself as a human barricade. He made sure there was a proper distance between them.

The train screeched to a halt, breaking that distance. People rushed in and out, jumbling him up, even more, he was shoved into the corner, pressed against her. He gritted his teeth, forcing some breathing room. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to, uh, you know."

"Hm." Shrugging it off. She was busy staring at the window, placing her fingertips on it, sliding them down, following a raindrop. "Pretty." She whispered with almost no affection.

He gulped at her monotone voice. He bit his inner cheek, backing himself up from her. 'No. You have something with Momo. Ignore it. I-It's nothing. N-Nothing.'

"Everyday." She added. His eyes narrowed at her. He knew that she meant she wanted it to rain every day, but he also knew what else she was implying.

Her fingers dropped from the window, falling beside his arm. It was slow with a lack of effort, her hand crept by his wrist, her index and thumb attempted, hesitated, then gripped his sleeve.

As she continued to stare out the window.

He held back a wince, staring at the hand clinging to his sleeve. He pretended nothing was happening. He turned his head to the window, following her void stare, glancing towards the clouds and city skyline. 'It looks so depressing...'

Last summer... The rain, it looked exactly the same, didn't it?

Clatter, clatter. The door to their studio opened. He stepped inside, accustomed to the loud noises. 'I still don't get how our studio is the most cluttered. It's just me and Hatsume... Oh right, she's the cause of the whole mess!' Due to Hatsume's sporadic nature halfway through the second year of U.A. She was allotted a workshop all to herself, with the condition that Midoriya transfer with her because of his responsible attitude.

"Good morning, Hatsume."

"Midoriya!" Zooming out of her junk pile, darting right into his personal space.

"Hiee! That was fast! Too fast!" Backing up with slight fear. "Wh-What is it?"

"It's finished!" She beamed with joy, staring up into his eyes, her hands behind her back, hiding it.

"Really, m-my air trek!?" A gleam in his eyes. It was true that it made him mobile, but the reason he was amped up for getting them back was, 'I can't wait to soar above the city again!'

She pulled away from him with a proud smirk that matched his eyes. "I present to you, the air trek mark two!" Revealing the items in her hands at face level. On one hand, she had a pair of shoes and on the other hand, a watch?

Izuku tilted his head. "Ara? No wheels?" And what was the watch for? This time he was sure those red boots were an exact match to his. 'Isn't there a copyright claim somewhere in her actions?'

"I replaced the wheels with rocket jets!"

"Jets?!"

She vigorously nodded her head. "Think of Shadow the Hedgehog's air shoes!"

Deku fell to the side. 'Another copyright claim!'

He easily recovered. "That does sound amazing, though." He clenched his fist with anticipation. 'First thing after school, I'm trying them!' He then remembered his earlier confusion. "Um, but what about the watch?"

"I'm glad you asked! It is synced with your new boots, it will help you keep track of the stats, for example, your speed, power input and output, turn delay, altitude, and stuff like that, and its best feature is a thin, yet heavy duty grapple hook to get you out of tough spots! Oh, and it tells time, obviously, actually almost forgot that feature."

"A-Awesome..."

"I can't wait for you to try them out, it will go great with your arm support!"

"My arm support? Wait, Hatsume," Izuku glanced to the side with a stain his eyes before facing her again. "Why are you so focused on this?"

"For when you become a hero again!" She stated matter of fact.

His lips parted with a voiced breath. He bit back rubbing the back of his head. "I, um, you already know that's not gonna happen..." He trailed off, staring down.

"Nonsense!" She invaded his personal space, again, just as fast. "Once we get through the trial stages of the air trek mark two, we'll figure out a way to incorporate them into your iron soles!" Beaming with intensity. She shoved the gear into his hands, he fumbled but accepted them. She zoomed back to her work before he could react.

His eyes widened seeing her wear the original version of the air trek. "So that's how she's been..?" Until he realized what she was saying. "W-Wait, you're serious?" Being a hero again? But of course, he was ignored as she focused on her work.

Izuku took a step back. He didn't know how to feel. His chest was heavy and throat was clogged. He honestly didn't know what to feel but he whispered it.

"Thank you."

School was over, Izuku was excited to try out his new gear but Hatsume's words continued to linger in his thoughts. To be a hero again.

He was staring at the watch on his left wrist. It was also designed to match his old hero suit.

He was walking out of the front entrance of school.

"Hey, Midoriya, mind if I have a word with you?"

"Hm, oh Todoroki, sure what's up?" Izuku lifted his head, seeing his friend approach with an umbrella.

He was formal as always with his calm yet hard to read face. "If you don't mind us walking to the back of the school, it's about that thing we talked about the other day." He nodded his head over.

Midoriya's eyes widened before narrowing, trying to hide some guilt. "S-Sure."

Todoroki led him to a secluded area behind one of the school walls.

"So, um, it's about Yaoyorozu, right?" Doing his best to keep his act together.

"Yes, the thing is, I've been trying to take your advice and be honest with her, but it's troublesome... and I believe it has something to do with a while back."

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"Hm, how should I put it? Ever since it happened there's been some tension between us. It's not often, but it's usually when we're alone and it makes it hard for me to act."

"Well, what was it that happened?"

Todoroki thought for a moment. He decided it was best to tell him. "One day, Yaoyorozu asked me to study with her. She said she was struggling."

His heartbeat began to increase hearing Todoroki.

"And we were in her room, in her study area."

An audible ringing began to grow in his ears. 'No, no, no...'

"And it was going smooth until there was this moment,"

'Where she placed her hand over mine...'

"Where she placed her hand over mine."

'I didn't know what to do...'

"I didn't know what to do."

'But I couldn't ignore the vulnerability in her eyes...'

"But I ignored the vulnerability in her eyes."

'And acted on it...'

"And found a reason to excuse myself and leave."

'No.'

Drip... Drip... Drip...

Was I... Was I just a replacement for Momo?