Just A Little (ch4)

I thought I was done writing these two but then someone gave me an adorable little prompt and it was too good to pass up. Rainy day shenanigans!

Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.

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														Chapter 4.

When Ochako wakes up that Sunday morning, it's so dark and dreary out that she assumes she's woken up super early and has time to go back to sleep. Her room is gray and chilly, and she can hear a soft patter of rain outside her window.

Hoping it's 5AM, and that the sun will be up by 8, she checks her phone. But to her dismay it's already 9.

"What-?" Dismayed, she sits up right away, wiping her eyes and pouting at the window. "Aw come on, my one real day off and it's like this..."

Heaving a sigh, she gets out of bed and starts getting ready for the day. The only upside might be that she can wear clothes other than her U.A sweats because she won't have to worry about getting them ruined while training. So she puts on a blouse and some shorts, pulls a brush through her hair, and steps into a pair of slippers. She isn't really sure what she's going to do when the weather is like this.

"Maybe I'll just clean my room or something..."

With all of her homework already finished, and no hopes of going outside to train, she eventually trudges down the hall to get breakfast. Everyone else who's there also seems to be in a sluggish mood; clearly most of them had been planning to go outside and train today too.

"I suppose we'll have to settle for the indoor gymnasium," Momo suggests.

Ochako brings her food to the girls' table and greets them all. Mina, Tooru, and Kyouka all seem bored at the idea of using the limited space of the gym to train. But when Ochako checks the room for the final girl of the class, she's nowhere to be found.

"Hey guys? Where's Tsuyu-chan?"

"Probably still sleeping," Kyouka grumbles. "Smart."

"Seriously!" Mina whines. "Today's a good day to stay in bed. I never should've gotten up..."

Ochako picks a little worriedly at her waffles. She still clearly remembers the last time Tsuyu hadn't shown up with the rest of the class.

"I hope she's okay... I think I'll go check on her, just in case."

She finishes her food quickly before excusing herself and starts to hurry off back to the dorms. But as she rounds the first hallway corner, Ochako squeaks as she bumps into the very person she'd been looking for.

"Tsuyu-chan!" She reaches out quickly to grab her friend's wrist to keep from bowling her over. Likewise, Tsuyu had reacted quickly and flicked out her tongue to wrap around Ochako's waist. They both stare at each other for a surprised second, then start to chuckle and let go.

"Gero. Sorry, Ochako-chan."

"It's okay! I'm sorry, too." She's glad Tsuyu is up and about after all, though something does seem a little off. Not in a bad way, though.

Tsuyu is wearing her usual comfort outfit – a sundress and shorts, so Ochako assumes she has similar plans to stay indoors and clean-house.

But what's making Tsuyu stand out more than anything or anyone else this morning is the brightness in her eyes and the smile on her face.

Ochako blinks and tilts her head a bit.

"Are you going to breakfast?"

Tsuyu shakes her head.

"I ate in my room."

"So where are you going?"

Tsuyu turns her wide, sparkling eyes up at her.

"Gero. I'm going outside."

"Huh? Outside? But it's-"

"Raining," Tsuyu nods, still smiling. "I'm a frog, Ochako-chan."

Ochako feels as though she's been gently slapped on the cheek.

"Oh, right! Of course! You probably love days like these, right Tsuyu-chan?"

"Gero." Another smile and nod. "Normal days don't bother me too much, but sometimes too much sun can make my skin feel dry. It's never anything bad, just a little uncomfortable." She turns her head toward the nearest window and marvels at the wet world outside. "But days like today are my favorite."

Ochako can feel an aura of excitement coming from her friend, probably more energy then she's felt from Tsuyu in a long time. It's certainly more than everyone else combined this morning.

Ochako can't help but feel a little guilty about how she'd reacted to the weather; just because she doesn't like it doesn't mean everyone feels the same way. So she makes a decision.

"I'll come with you!"

Tsuyu turns back to her and tilts her head, putting a finger to her chin.

"Gero?"

"I'll come outside with you today, Tsuyu-chan!"

"You don't have to do that. I know you don't like the rain."

"But I don't want you to be lonely!" Ochako whimpers. "You'll be the only one outside all by yourself and that can't be much fun!"

Tsuyu looks down for a moment, and her smile fades a little. Ochako hopes she hadn't said anything insensitive. After a moment seemingly lost in thought, Tsuyu replies.

"It's true that usually I'm alone on days like today. No one else likes to come outside."

"Right?" Ochako takes her hand in earnest. "So I'll come with you today. I wanna enjoy the day like you do!"

Tsuyu lifts her head again, and the smile returns.

"Okay. If you're really fine with it."

"Of course I am! Just lemme get an umbrella! Wait for me!"

With this, Ochako lets go of her friend's hand and scurries off back to her room. She trades her slippers for boots and grabs a pink umbrella from her closet, and is back at Tsuyu's side in minutes.

Tsuyu's eyes have gone back to the window where the rain is falling a little harder now. Ochako takes her hand again to get her attention.

"Ready when you are!"

"Gero."

Ochako follows her to the doors and opens her umbrella just before they step out.

The temperature drops as soon as they exit the building, and the hiss of rain fills the chilly air. The sky is dark and everything else is wet grey or brown.

Ochako opens her umbrella and shivers slightly, taking her time stepping out. But Tsuyu bounds ahead right away, her boots splashing merrily in the soggy grass.

"What a wonderful day," she smiles, lifting her hands up to the sky. She closes her eyes and opens her mouth a little, letting her tongue loll out. The raindrops feel good on her skin and in her hair. She's always loved showering and taking baths, but to Tsuyu nothing beats a natural rainfall.

Ochako's mood and attitude about the rain changes instantly when she sees her friend enjoying herself so much. She smiles too and goes over to join her.

"Tsuyu-chan, you're so lively!"

"Gero." She blinks up at her friend, her hair sopping wet, her skin gleaming, and her eyes bright. "Most people feel tired and dreary on these kinds of days. I'm usually the only one who has any energy. It's always been this way."

Ochako feels her smile fading again, and a little pang goes through her chest. She can imagine Tsuyu at a young age playing out in the rain by herself, and it stayed the same as she grew older and older, to the point where she'd gotten used to being alone. Tsuyu's happy about it, but it makes Ochako sad. She feels sniffles coming on, and tears join the raindrops dribbling down her cheeks.

"Tsuyu-chan..."

Tsuyu is taken aback.

"Ochako-chan? What's the matter-?"

Ochako lets go of her umbrella and throws both arms around her classmate, hugging her tightly.

"I'll come with you from now on! I'll come out in the rain with you! You don't have to be alone anymore, Tsuyu-chan!"

Tsuyu blinks, but understands right away. She returns the hug and pats Ochako's back.

"It never really made me sad or lonely. But I think I'd like it if someone else could enjoy themselves with me from time to time."

Ochako nods vigorously and sniffles again.

"Mm!"

"Gero. You don't have to cry, Ochako-chan."

"Mm..."

After a minute Ochako recovers, wiping her arms across her face. She picks up the umbrella, though using it now won't do her much good since she's already soaked.

Tsuyu takes her hand this time and begins leading her on a little walk around the campus. Ochako stays underneath the umbrella while Tsuyu enjoys herself in the direct rainfall. She brings them over to little bushes in the courtyard, where certain flowers have started to blossom. The petals are purple and lined with bits of white and pink. Ochako gasps at the sight of them.

"Wow! They're so pretty! I've never seen them before!"

"Gero. They only blossom in the rain."

"Really? I had no idea..."

As they make their way around, Ochako notices more and more of those flowers. It's incredible to think she'd passed by them every day, but never knew they existed until now.

They pause again a few moments later to crouch down and watch some snails inching across hydrangea leaves. Ochako reaches out to pet the shell on one of them, squealing about how cute it is.

Then, Tsuyu perks up suddenly. She stands and ushers Ochako to follow her.

They walk across the grass until they come to a slight dip in the earth. All the rain has formed a tiny makeshift pond of sorts, and Ochako can hear soft croaking noises. Several frogs have come to enjoy the little pond, swimming and hopping about.

Tsuyu smiles as she listens to their song, and sometimes she ribbits back at them.

Ochako watches them cheerfully. She hates to think she might've spent the day indoors and missed out on all of this.

As the two girls continue their little walk, the rain eventually slows down. Tsuyu's clothes and hair are completely drenched by now, but she's beaming more brightly than ever. Ochako is starting to shiver a bit though. She gently squeezes her friend's hand to get her attention.

"Tsuyu-chan? I think-"

"Wait." Tsuyu pauses and looks up at the sky. "This is the best part."

Puzzled, Ochako looks up too.

There's only a light drizzle still falling now, but the clouds have started to thin. After a bit of wind blows they part, and brilliant sunlight begins leaking through.

The world is lush and green and dripping all around them now, with frogs croaking and birds chirping, flowers blossoming and grasses swaying. The sun paints everything in vibrant colors after so much gray, and flecks of blue sky begin to appear. With the last bits of drizzle still falling, a faint rainbow is visible at the correct angle.

As the world around her bursts into song and sound, Ochako is speechless. It's all so dazzling.

But nothing is more radiant than Tsuyu.

For someone so soaked, she's absolutely glowing – her skin, her hair, her eyes, and her smile. Ochako feels like she's going to cry for some reason. She sniffles again, a wobbly smile on her lips. Tsuyu hears and turns to her.

"Sorry, Ochako-chan. I didn't mean to make you stay out longer than you wanted. I don't want you to catch a cold because of me."

But Ochako drops her umbrella and throws her arms around Tsuyu all over again.

"It's okay! Tsuyu-chan, I had so much fun today!"

"Gero?"

"It was all so beautiful! I never knew rainy days could be so nice!"

"I'm glad you liked it."

"I did!"

"But, Ochako-chan?"

"Yeah?"

Tsuyu taps her shoulder gently. Ochako eases back and looks down to find they've both started to float a little.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" She frantically gets ahold of her Quirk and brings them back down. Tsuyu just chuckles.

"It's okay, don't apologize. I'm really happy you had fun today, Ochako-chan. Plus, it was nice not to be alone."

"Never again!" Ochako vows. "You'll never have to be alone in the rain again, Tsuyu-chan! I'll come with you from now on! I promise!"

Tsuyu smiles and hugs her softly.

"Thanks, Ochako-chan."

Ochako squeezes her in return. She doesn't care if she ends up catching a little cold or something. Anything would be worth the smile on her friend's face.

When they part, Ochako picks up her umbrella again, and they make their way back inside with the sounds of water dripping and frogs croaking behind them.

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A/N: I always liked rainy days too for some reason, so it's nice to get to show a little appreciation through Tsuyu's perspective of that!