the day it stopped raining | midoriya izuku

25 | blessed rain

cw: this chapter's quite heavy so take it slow if you need to

TOKYO
20°C
MODERATE SHOWERS

On most days, Masuyo feels numb without realizing it.

Every day she'll wake up in the hum of rainy breeze, shower in the summer haze, slurping spicy noodles and sometimes daydreaming on the lazy couch in her living room while staring at littered coffee tables and clothes across the apartment that's too big for one living person. It's the mind that she's set with upon doing these simple things that'll predict what she feels, yet most of it is just...nothing.

And it's ironic because only when the night comes, that's when her mind is mostly awake to reach the cosmic space, to be fed with thoughts she doesn't remember consuming until she noticed the tears on her pillow, staring at the empty space beside her on that cold, cold bed.

Sometimes it feels like her life is flashing before her eyes, but it's actually the opposite: she's thinking forward, to all the things she hasn't done, the places she intends to visit, the goals she'll get around to... As if an untitled movie plays in her head, no intros, no plot, no predictions and endings—just what ifs, should have beens and wishful thinking. The desire to feel intensely again. In her experience, it's easy to chuckle at the many extravagant dramas of youth, but hard to admit how much she misses them.

Yet here she is, in the present, stuck in a purgatory of uncertain healing, not knowing where to start even though the very first step she took was leaving everything behind. And that's only one major step. But if she's talking about the next step of healing, then it's the existence of Midoriya Izuku in her present life.

In the midst of her numbness—her daydreaming—she watched the green boy from the couch in the living room, preparing curry for dinner. He took note that she likes it spicy and despite Masuyo wanting to help in the kitchen as a favour for somewhat, saving her, Midoriya insisted to take care of everything. Deep down, Masuyo thinks, why are you always so kind? And it made her feel useless most of the time. Not that she blames him, but why is she so...

"Dinner's ready!"

Her head snapped up at his cheery voice, watching him walking over with two plates of rice and curry with both hands, a wide (beautiful) smile on his freckled face. Round and warm. Somehow like the sun.

"Hope you don't mind I used up all the spices," Midoriya said, smiling as if he's excited to dig in, even though they've done this many times. "There were few left anyway so you might need to go grocery shopping. Or we can go together one day! Might be fun."

Masuyo smiles back, a gooey feeling lingering in her chest. "Y-Yeah...We should...one day..."

"Itadakimasu!"

Her smile lingers upon watching this, ethereal human being that might have been blessed by the sun god. The bright presence glowing vivaciously in the shell of herself, the seeds from his words of encouragement budding into flowers, the flickering fire he prevented from fading with his warm arms.

Masuyo didn't eat straight away but at some point, she finally lifts up her spoon and scooped one portion into her mouth, the taste of savoury with a strong wild flavour of spice coating her tongue, though it's nothing more than cheap mild ramens. It's delicious, but it tastes better because she's eating with someone and not alone in the corner of her self-declared home. People always say that food tastes better when you're with a big group of people, but it's only Midoriya and at that...she's...grateful.