under the weather | izuku x reader
The rain pattered against the windows of the run down, yet homely library. It followed a slow rhythm of a heavy downpour to soft sprinkles, fortissimo, pianissimo. It's as if it was taunting you for being unaware of its coming. From the morning you woke up, the sky was clear of any aggressions. But now that you were occupied in a book at the library, in the afternoon, of course, the dark clouds had to poke their heads out. The chances of precipitation were pretty low, according to your weather application, and highly unexpected. So where was this coming from?
The leaves fluttered and flicked as raindrops fell onto them. The branches wavered along, swaying as the cold winds sifted through. They shivered. Even the trees weren't expecting gloomy weather. You sighed, turning back to the words in your book. The thought of how you would get home pondered in mind. After all, you didn't even have an umbrella at hand. You sighed once, more irritation shown than the last. An unfortunate predicament you were in. But at least the ambiance was relaxing. Alone in a quiet library, reading a book on a cushioned chair right next to a full window, an expansive view of the outside world.
All you needed now was a nice hot cup of tea as the cherry on top.
You decided to wait out the rain, but there was never once in a moment where the rain ceased to fall. The rain drummed on the roof, more violently than it did throughout the earlier hours. They splattered against the windows as blood from a massacre. Soon enough, the library announced its 5-minute mark for closing at around 4:53 and you took this as an opportunity to check the lost and found for any umbrellas. And to your surprise, there wasn't a single one. All that there was available was a sad dented flask bottle and two large coats. Although a coat could harbor cover overhead, there was no way you were going to use somebodyās soiled clothing. You settled with using your own sweater, though it wasnāt water-resistant, itād just have to do. You stood at the entrance of the library, watching the ripples flow through the streams of puddles on the street.
āHave a good day,ā the librarian chimed, as if it wasnāt pouring right in front of her eyes, not moving an inch from her book. āA nice day, huh.ā As soon as you pushed open the double glass doors, you were immediately hit by the piercing winds of the storm and it was even more brutal as you unzipped your jacket. You took a deep breath before holding your jacket over your head, stepping out into the pouring rain, and immediately felt your sweater become drenched. Canāt back out now. You continued down the sidewalk, enduring the wander back to the comfort of your home, raindrops relentlessly following after you.
Soaked, cold, and numbing. Goosebumps formed all over your arm, hairs standing tall in response to the frigid air. Your socks were immersed and your shoes squished with water with each expeditious step. Your shirt and jeans stuck to your body uncomfortably. You tried peeling them off but they always came back to sticking to your skin. How you wished to be home, watching the rain through a window with a hot cup of tea in hand. How you irritably wished your weather app didnāt scam you out of a bright and sunny day.
In the distance, a vehicle quickly came heading down your way, sending gusts of water through the air. You frowned. You were already deluged enough and you werenāt in the mood to be doused in dirty puddle water. But, itās not like you could shield yourself from it, not with a dripping-wet sweater. As the vehicle neared closer, you shut your eyes tightly and turned to the side a bit in preparedness for the impact. The sounds of water splashing through the air followed by the grumbling of the vehicle engine passed, but to your surprise, you didnāt feel anything. In fact, you didnāt feel the raindrops at all??
You looked up and caught glimpse of these black tendrils of fortifying matter completely covering you overhead. You turned and were faced with the back of a strengthy guy in a thick green jacket.
"Are you okay?" The guy asked, his voice low, but reassuring. You didn't say anything, as you were still processing the event that just took place. Just who is this guy? Where did he come from? Your heart raced with anxiousness.
After no response, he turned back to look at you and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Ah!" His eyes scanned you up and down at your soakened state. "You're going to get sick if you're out walking like this!" He quickly slid off his jacket, swinging it around your back and wrapping it around your shoulders, leaving him in his shirt that comically read "t-shirt". You could feel the warmth radiating from his body as he leaned toward you. As cold and helpless as you were feeling, you longed to just collapse in his arms and let him carry you wherever he pleased. The exhuast caught up with you as you shivered in his jacket. You cursed at yourself. You must've looked pretty stupid and vulnerable to be walking in the rain like that. What idiot wouldn't of just stayed inside the shelter of the library.
"...I'm sorry..." you breathed, struggling to lift up your head to face him, due to the embarrassment of being cared for like this or the fatigue, maybe even a bit of both. Your sweater dripped from your hands into the sidewalk beneath.
āDonāt beā¦ā the boy replied, smoothing down his jacket over your arms. He peered down the road for a moment to think about what to say next. It was unusual for a girl to be walking alone in the rain like this, less yet without an umbrella, soaking wet. āā¦so where are you headed?ā
āHome,ā you replied almost too quickly. The want to just collapse in your bed and sleep the rest of the day was inflaming.
āThatāsā¦ā He looked down the road once more and up at the sky. It was clouded with dark grey nimbostratus and rainfall was still present. āThatās pretty far.ā
Dizziness began to envelop your head and suddenly, you really did feel like you were going to collapse, but your strong will to get home kept your consciousness alive. Your body wavered and muscles ached. The boy noticed as you unnaturally swayed a bit and offered you a carry to your home.
āItās okay, Iāll be fine. Iām almost home anyway,ā you replied, clutching his jacket and handing it back to him. There was a moment where you both held onto the jacket together as he gazed at you in worry and regard. And you, as well, gazed at him with gratitude and fulfillment.
āAre you sure? I mean, you could stay at my place if-ā
āNo, no, itās f-ā You caught yourself from falling over, as you felt fairly unsteady. Perspiration also began to form all over yourself, despite the fact that you were still wet from the rain. āItās fine, tha-thank youā¦ā He stared at you in dismay. Clearly, you werenāt feeling okay as of now, and you definitely werenāt going to make it home in this state.
āPleaseā¦for your sake, miss, please come stay at my apartment, just until tomorrow-ā
āNo!ā¦ I canāt Iā¦ā At his point, you struggled to even stand up on your own, fading in and out of consciousness. Your steps were uncoordinated as you tried to walk away from the boy. He grabbed your hand to stop you from stepping out from under the protective tendrils and you turned around, mixed feelings of wanting to come with him and wanting to get away. You know you said that youād paste the responsibility of yourself onto him, but now that it came down to it, this was a complete stranger. āI donāt even know you! Iā¦ā Your eyes fluttered shut as your body gave out and abruptly fell into his arms. Your skin was burning hot compared to his. He pushed the crown of your hair back, tucked your strands of wet hair behind your ears, and gently rested the back of his hand against your forehead.
Without hesitation, he pushed off into the air with you cradled in his arms, the main objective of getting you somewhere, probably his apartment, warm and dry and away from the horrible cold of the storm.
The stirring sounds of a heater system slowly woke you out of deep slumber. The darkness of the night fogged up the room you rested in, yet you could tell that everything around you was so unfamiliar. The scent of the cozy bed you lay in, arrangement of furniture, the odd plushie that breathed calmly at the edge of the bed...wait a minute. Your eyes dilated, adjusting to the darkness, when you suddenly jumped, seeing this so called plushie was actually the same boy from earlier. He sat on his knees, resting his head on his arms along the side of the bed. You shrunk into the corner, gripping the blankets close to you as if to create a shield from him. Millions of thoughts began to imvade your mind, but figuring out a way to get out of there remained at the focal point. You scanned, looking for any possible way of exit and ended up with two outcomes: the shuttered window and the bedroom door. You sighed. How annoying. From a library, to a strangers home. Ugh. Your clothes were still wet from the rain and scrunched up against you. The spot where you lay on bed itself was a bit soaked as well and you frowned. Slowly, you set down the blankets and gently crawl off of the bed, watching for any alarming movements from the sleeping boy, until the bed creaked rather loudly. Instinctually, you collapse on the bed, shutting your eyes tightly as the boy is woken out of slumber. He yawns and rubs his eyes, then they land on your figure. He chuckles softly, sleep tugging at his voice.
"...you're awake aren't you.." It's more of a statement than a question. Your body remained as still as the black fog of night that obscured the vision of you and him. "...you should probably shower. It must be uncomfortable in those soaked clothes. I know it's an ungodly hour right now, but still...I can lend you some of my clothes..? Oh! And after, I cooked some vegetable soup after I brought you here, but you were really broken down and I didn't want to wake you up, so if you're strong enough, I can warm it up for you if you'd like.."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know you and I don't think I should be here. Thank you for your help, but I think it's be best for me to get going," you said, sitting up on the bed and facing him. He was now standing at the original spot he rested.
"I...but, it's still raining out, miss-"
"I can see that. Just give me an umbrella and I'll be on my way, thank you."
"...okay." And with that, he left the room in silence. You huffed and fell back on his bed and stared upon the popcorn ceiling. As sweet and welcoming as the guy seemed, a stranger's a stranger, no matter how good they percieve...yet there was something about him so refreshing, flourishing. Ugh. You stand up from the bed and decide to look around for a bit, just after clicking on the lamp on the side table.
And oh my, this guy was a nerd.
You chuckled. Almost everywhere you looked stood a piece of previous number one hero, All Might's merchandise, that and couple of other heroes. In the corner by a bookshelf sat a few dumbbells, a hand grip, and other weight trinkets. On his desk were multiple campus notebooks. Out of curiosity, you flipped through them and damn were they all filled with abilities, strategies, quirks, and hero related information. You smile, noticing a small framed photograph on his desk of little him in an All Might suit and his mom. Oh, how the sweetest little details could suck you up. And then you wondered, why would someone ever pick up stranger off the streets? From his perspective you were unknown as well so...? That's where your dilemma satābetween a kind soul or wicked intentions, although he didn't seem like the type. Before resuming your tour, the guy shuffled back into the room with a black umbrella and plastic bag hanging from his fingers. You turn around, and with the lamp light illuminating the room, finally getting a good look at him. His green disheveled hair, curious emerald eyes and...he was frowning. Not that you cared, but it felt off that he was, as if it didn't fit him.
"I have the umbrella," he says, walking over and handing it to you, along with the bag. "Here. And this is a fresh jacket." He motions to the bag.
"Thank you, but I only need the umbre-"
"Take it, please," he replied quickly, gently pushing your hand clutching the bag. "I'll see you out."
You followed him. It's not like you wanted to be in the rain, you just couldn't stay in an unknown place. But then again, he seemed like a nice guy. He places his hand on the doorknob and opens the door a crack, the cold air and droplets of rain swiftly piercing through. He turns to you with a concerning expression.
"Really, miss, do you want to leave this badly? The storm is still pretty harsh."
"Yes," you answer, grabbing the edge of the door and widening it, stepping out into the world, immediately regretting it. Sick was building up in your throat and you coughed violently.
"Change your mind, miss?" He grins playfully with his arms crossed over his chest, standing in the warmth and shelter of his apartment. You looked up to the sky for a moment letting your skin soak up the rain and back to the guy at the doorframe. You sigh, rolling your eyes at his win. He allows space as you step back inside and closes the door behind you.
"Actually, maybe I will have a bowl of that soup...but right after that, I'll be out the door and you'll never see me again."
