PLASTIC FLOWERS ( k. bakugou )

chapter 14

' a flower to the rain '

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Yuko slept soundly that night, her head finally cleansed of the murmurs of weak weak weak, and just the feel of his warm hands occupying her mind.

It rained when she awoke the next day, the sound of raindrops hitting the gutters and the rills occupying the whole expanse of the shabby apartment where she stayed. The raindrops coalesced outside, forming puddles and flooding the canals, reflecting the sky covered with dense clouds outside.

"Good morning!" she greets herself as she heads to the bathroom and washes her face. Yuko has never liked wet mornings or anything that was connected to winter or rain and that's precisely why she's trying so hard to be in a good mood.

If she was in a mood twice as positive as the norm, she believed that passing this day without problems would be a breeze.

On her way to school, she passes a scraggly man with light blue hair who's holding some flowers by the river. Overwhelmed by curiosity, she slides on the grass patch and approaches the man.

"Good morning!" Yuko greets with a bright smile. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

"Thinking," he replied and he had a deep, raspy voice that piqued Yuko's curiosity even more. "I'm wondering if it's time to start a new level in the game."

"Game?" Yuko tilts her head to the side, eyes pinned on the beautiful flower with peach and pink blossoms. "What kind of game?"

He turned to her, but his face was still masked by the slight overgrowth of his blue hair. He toyed with the petals of the flowers with his hand and eventually handed them to Yuko who was secretly grateful because the flowers were the most beautiful she had seen. Drenched with small droplets of rain, the white linings of the petals the same color as her hair, the stem strong and sturdy.

"Do you like games?" he asked her.

"It's okay, I guess," she replied. "I like making stuff more. Not the gadget kind of games though, I'm poor."

He turned his head away from her and watched as the river water flow and carried some dead leaves and tree branches. "I see..." his voice was low and knowing. "What things do you make?"

She grinned at him, smile brighter than the dull sky for this day. Her smile was the first beam of sunshine that struck through the dense expanse of the grey rainclouds.

"Quilts and wind chimes," she answered. "And calligraphy! I love calligraphy."

He gave her a thoughtful groan, put his hands on the pockets of his pants and watched the river. "Aren't you going to be late?" he asked her.

"Probably," Yuko replied and begun playing with the petals of the flowers he had given her. It wasn't the first time she had delved into conversation with a stranger, but she had to admit, this was the very first time a stranger was nice enough to give her flowers.

"What are these flowers by the way?" she asked.

Hw paused as if contemplating his answer then shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "They just look like they suit you."