Umbrella over your head

      A piercingly cold and by no means of gentle wind was picking up. It menacingly howled as if it was about to turn into the storm. It was hard to blink once the air is headed to your side. Clouds that stuck above my head made the sky look like an unformed greyish mess. Rain, which is not summer one at all, was uncontrollably increasing, making it impossible not to shiver from the cold. Goosebumps jumped over the skin, and over some time it seemed like uncovered parts of the body were burning up.       She was sitting on a swing firmly gripping on metal, icy chains, and was stubbornly swaying. There was no bother about a slightly lifted hem or about the water droplets of the rain unpleasantly sticking clothes to the skin, - she wasn’t worried about any of these mentioned things.       No one seemed to be around.       Playground has been empty for a long time. Once the sun began to set leaving just the cooled asphalt behind, children abandoned this place on a daily basis filled with a ringing laughter of the innocent soul or, on the contrary, a loud cry of someone who wasn’t lucky enough to fall or not get along with other children friend’s groups.       Himiko used to love those places. When parents have a big house it’s not surprising they’d have a yard as well. Perhaps, it was the main disadvantage in one’s childhood days. They thought a plain lawn was enough and rarely let her go out the fence where the life pulses through a great city.       The wind and rain forced her to squeeze over again just to keep the brief feeling of warmth. She knew it was a bad job altogether to look for people’s warmth while being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There was no place for her even on this long deserted playground. And not even on this swing that creaked, but still swayed. Nevertheless she’s just going to sit this terrible weather out right here on this piece of wood. Maybe if she’s lucky enough she won’t catch a cold.       «Mph, everyone’s graduating from their schools already and someone’s going out to café with their friends to celebrate»       She was also planning to go out. A few days ago. To go out with girls, to do an idle talk about what schools are good to apply to. And maybe in that evening, so different from today’s one, when the last gold-pink clouds reached the school windows, she wouldn’t kill a boy.       A boy whom she liked so dearly that it made her scream into the pillow feeling her heart skipping a bit. A boy who, by the way, had a fight with someone on a prom while protecting his friend. Those bruises, those blood smells and those swearing words leaving his mouth! …And those eyes, so lively and consumed with desire to cut this bullies down to size!       — Are you alright?       Someone asks from the side pulling the umbrella in the right angle so it would cover them both. Toga, who throws her head up and meets big dark green eyes that have the air of being reindeer alike, looks astonished. She blinks, believing her mirage would fade any minute.       But the stranger didn’t disappear. Moreover, he bit his lower lip and looked away holding the handle of the umbrella tightly. Himiko spotted a dome over her head, so big even three people could stand underneath just fine.       Apparently, he was dealing with the wind as if it was picking up a fight: like it tried to snitch the umbrella and swirl it to the sky forsaking two of them under the rain. And Himiko wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t do the same.       It’s too late for good children to ramble through the streets, but he’s right here with his unremarkable uniform and appears to be genuinely worried.       Midoriya himself was surprised as much. After all, it’s not everyday he returns from school too late, delays himself even more when witnessing someone lonely sitting on the swing in a bad weather. Actually, Izuku made himself to pass by the first time. He noticed her about twenty minutes ago while visiting a convenience store. He thought it was none of his business and he shouldn’t pay attention at all. But the distant silhouette of the playground didn’t want to vanish from one’s head. He even tried to pull his green frizz - nothing would serve.       Eventually, once he stepped out to the slush again he started to head (to run to be honest) towards her, avoiding all the puddles, in order to help.       An awkward silence took longer than it should have. Hesitated, she was still poring at the unknown schoolboy. His childish features, symmetrical freckles and curly vortex of the hair — those made her fingers tremble.       He looks similar to her first love. The one whose murder compelled her to flee. Maybe it’s a sign or a fate’s cruel joke, but Toga resists to compare this person with him. No, that dead boy would never cover her from the rain, he would just yell and call her a vampire before his own death.       And this one was shivering from the cold, she hears how his teeth start to chatter and realizes she’s no better: she had a running nose and was sniffing.       — Um… — he broke the silence first, — S-sorry, I probably shouldn’t have approached you like that. It’s just, it’s just you’re all alone here and…       The wind fiercely fiddled with curls displeasingly blowing to the ears. Midoriya styles his hair though still couldn’t help but look egregiously silly. Himiko was thinking his hair tips are greenish, no, probably dark greenish, the roots were almost black. Just like the umbrella over their heads or the grass under their feet. Suddenly a smile appears on her face, so wide like it was the same as the doll’s one, and Deku perked up. He wasn’t expecting this!       — You’re so funny! – she let the chain suspension, which she was holding onto, go. She covered the handle of the umbrella right over the hand of her new acquaintance’s one. And kept smiling. Despite the abnormal warmth of another’s hand, her smile didn’t twitch. — Helped himself, apologized himself. Tell me, are you pitying me or what?       — What? – he glared startled, annoyed even. Izuku didn’t like pitying and was quite bewildered once he heard that. – No! I was just curious if you’re okay because I care. It doesn’t mean I’m pitying you. People who pity are just being a standstill and beat gums by telling memorized phrases.       There’s a giggling from her side. Something sparkled in the amber eyes before she blathered too loudly:       ー Wow, you talk just like those fake heroes on the TV!       — They’re not fake at all! — he answers with passion, and that seconds neither piercing wind nor damned rain couldn’t distract him. It was getting much darker that some featureless shadows could be seen from afar. Exhaustion, piled up over the evening, spills out into this obscure revelation: ー At least I’m being honest with you, isn’t that the whole point? You…just…Sometimes I want other people to notice if I feel bad. Not just to walk by or act like everything’s okay, just to understand how I feel instead. But that never happens. – he sighed saying the last part clearly sorrowed.       He just finished a second year of the middle school, and his classmates went to have fun somewhere with their small groups. Some went to karaoke, some went to biggest mall for shopping and someone…stayed late at school looking for his bag through the whole building because Kacchan started to hate yellow all of a sudden.       — Others think I am defective — he confesses having no idea why is he just standing here and dumping on some girl, give or take the same age, who’s probably not interested to begin with. – Maybe if I start to care about others, they’d take example from me? You know how they say, a good deed is never lost.       An insecure smile sticks to the cheeks, the boy couldn’t work his eyes up and look at this blond girl whose hair seemed to be dirty blond now.       Himiko eventually lost the thread of his narrative, since he began to mumble and stare on the ground while shuffling it with his sneaker. But she totally got the drift about his defectiveness and winced. She somewhat ruffled her metaphorical feathers like a bird and impatiently asked barely holding herself to not bolt on her feet:       — What about love? Feelings?       Her own naivety is laughable. She then gasps when the umbrella was almost blown up by the wind. Izuku sighs with relief as they tighten the grip together. He utters some words of gratitude and gazes at her really flurried. And gulps afterwards. What a weirdo, approached a girl like that without having at least a bit of experience talking to womankind. He’s heard they can be complicated. And for that matter, he has some social skills problems in general. But he gets along with children and his mother, this means something, does it? He’s not completely hikka or looser, right?       — Feelings? — one said deeply in thought, pressing his lips into a tight line. Why would he take interest in something like that? — They shouldn’t go to waste! Just like love. That’s the most wonderful thing in the whole world!       The answer was burning with unwavering determination. Himiko narrowed her eyes peering at this oddball with a grain of salt, and something crossed her mind:       — So you fell for somebody, huh? – she giggles, problems have taken the backseat.       — Yes — the boy nodded like a bobblehead. — For life. No matter how hard it is, it’s more than falling for it. I’m in love with it.       — You have a difficult life or something?       She couldn’t hold her snort. At school, where you have a reputation of an angel descended from heaven, you have to listen to everyone’s problems despite being fed up completely, but the number of yours is so big that they mercilessly crawl on your back. Everybody considered her a perfect shoulder to cry on, instantly forgetting about her as soon as she helped them fully recover.       «Toga is really kind! » «She’s a nice girl! » and «She can support, empathize», - everything’s a lie, words entirely filled with filth! What is she like? Himiko thinks she’s being her real self now: tired, with fullness under the eyes and a wish to curl up freezing to death.       — I don’t know — the lad admits easily and shrugs. — It has its own difficulties. To be honest, I said this because I thought you look like a person who’s…been through a lot.       — Do I look so bad? — a thorny issue. Tone of voice changes from childish to the growling one. And reaction of stupefied Izuku was really hilarious and got her to laugh aloud. So loud that he was looking around wondering if somebody would make a caustic remark. But nobody was here. Just slides and sandboxes.       Midoriya was embarrassed, he feels the heat flowing to his cheeks and doesn’t get if they were caressed by the wind or he’s completely confused? How to answer without offending anyone?       — Well… no, not at all, I mean…it’s just…You’re beautiful. Very much so. But sadness has traced deeply in your face.       Toga blinked after hearing this. She’s beautiful? After realizing how her cheeks blush as well she touches the burning up skin. It was wet from the tears of the sky and her own ones shed in loneliness. Beautiful… So weird to hear it so sincerely for the first time. Sincerity equals warmth. Something unwillingly warms inside, driving care away. Letting all the aspects such as frozen legs, unpleasantly sticking clothes and every single problem go.       And she’s giggling again, as a fool. She doesn’t cover her smirk with a hand, it’s no longer necessary, because neither parents nor classmates are there anymore. Everyone kept saying: «All it takes her to reveal a creepy look is to smile!»       Izuku observes uncertainly and smiles back, noticing the standing out fangs, and restrains himself from asking questions out of the swarming brain.       But the next thing makes him come back to earth, sobering down like a smack in the face. He didn’t expect to hear so simple words of gratitude with no acidity or hypocrisy:       – Thank you.       Deku doesn’t respond, still being overwhelmed, and inhales the cold air. Then coughs immediately. It was so freezing that it was getting hard to breathe.       — The rain is increasing — he notices with a bad grace, then blinks as if recalls why he’s come here. — You should go home as soon as possible! Do you live nearby?       — I live where I want. I have freedom of choice. If you’re indisposed to potter around me, I can stay here. Don’t worry, funny boy. I’ll get through this rain. Tomorrow’s sun won’t let me die.       — Absolutely not! — he shook his head abruptly and pulled the umbrella towards himself, inciting to let go of the handle.       He leaned to her shielding both of them from the spots of rain which were drumming like they were about to tear a hole in clothing. He almost didn’t catch a sight of how close he was standing despite being a total stranger.       — I don’t want you to fall ill! Look at yourself: your uniform is soaked, and you could squeeze a bucket of water out of your hair! How long have you been sitting here? It’s been raining since this morning! And it’s only march!       There’s something special about this boy. In his eyes, in his iris where her guise could be seen – so small, so tiny. She felt the same way, not even perceiving oneself as sixteen years old.       — So caring…— shook the head teasingly. Like this wasn’t embarrassing anyhow. — All of that with a stranger!       — Oh, how sloppy of me, I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Midoriya Izuku, and you? — He’s full of friendliness: — If you tell we’ll be properly acquainted.       — Toga. Toga Himiko!       — Toga Himiko? — eyes have widened. The girl is thrilled for a moment. What if he heard her name in the news? — It’s nice to meet you! Now, - he stood up lending a helping hand: — Let me walk you home.       And she’ll let him. She has no home, but nothing stops her to lead him to the metro, to ask him to accompany her for a few hours trip. She is asking for just a little riiight?       Izuku gulps, feeling a strange excitement and how the throat was drying up every minute. He wants to pull his hand back. What a Deku he is! What about the personal boundaries and everything that is valued in their culture?       But Himiko doesn’t give a rats ass about them, she jumps up taking his hand and almost pressing to his side, suddenly begins to ask him about all sorts of stuff. Izuku responds awkwardly thinking he should text his mom to let her know he'll be staying a little longer than he expected.