Chapter Text
"No! You gotta be kidding me!"
A frustrated brunette exasperatedly moaned as her usual railcar's doors closed mere meters away. No doubt she will be late to work once more she thought, and a defeated sigh left her as the train pulled out of the station.
Still dripping from an earlier downpour, Uraraka Ochako made her way to a drier bench safe from the morning rain. As she plopped herself and bag down, the bench shifted slightly and someone grunted nearby.
"Do you mind?" A deep masculine voice dripping with tired sarcasm caught her attention.
Vibrant lavender hair stood out the most, locks stretching out wildly from the man's scalp as he peered back at her with violet eyes encased in dark circles. From the yawn and stretches, Ochako gathered she disturbed him from a well needed nap and a twinge of guilt settled in her chest.
"Sorry. I just… I just can't believe I missed the metrorail again…" She offered an apologetic smile to the man, taking in his unusual style of clothing. He almost looked as if he belonged in some punk rock band. Ripped black jeans, dark tank top, leather jacket, piercings, and tattoos snaking around his neck barely hidden by a scarf. Vastly different than her own modest style, and very curious.
"Hmph." With no hint of emotion, he pulled out a cellphone, leaving her in awkward silence for several moments. She almost got up to leave him alone when he responded gruffly. "The next one is in two minutes."
"Oh!" A slight blush crept on her face at his unexpected answer. "T-thank you. Sadly, I'm going to miss the connecting bus to my work."
"Ah." A simple grunt and silence spread once more between them.
Twiddling her thumbs, she sat uncomfortably with anxious energy. She didn't normally talk to strangers… mostly she just kept to herself. Today apparently wasn't a normal day. "Um… so are you waiting for a train too?"
A deep inhale from his direction told her he had probably dozed off. "No…" he yawned deeply, "I'm waiting for someone who is also late, probably on the next train." He shifted into a bigger stretch, his scarf dropping to the bench and his tattoo a bit more visible. Something between simple geometric shapes and tribal patterns.
The markings mesmerized her, at least until he gave her a puzzled glance. Quickly, she shook her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, your tattoo looks so cool and I couldn't help myself."
He rubbed a hand shyly behind his neck, a faint dusting of pink on his ears. "Thanks…"
In the distance, a horn could be heard and thankfully gave Ochako something else to focus on. A distraction from the handsome, probably insomniatic, man that looked kinda flustered at her comment.
Hopping up to a stand, a blast of wind quickly chilled her already soaked clothes and forced a shiver as the vehicle slowed to a stop. The horn and announcement sounded above asking for passengers to wait for those to leave first before boarding.
Scooping up her bag, she waved to the man. "Thanks for the company, I hope you have a great day!"
His gruff voice responded. "I hope you make your bus." She gave him a wide grin and rushed to the opening doors. Only a handful of passengers left, but she quickly squeezed her way in and found a spot near a window.
Once safely sitting, she peered out the window to the indigo-haired stranger and saw him chatting with a tall, dark-haired man. The train lurched forward, and she watched as the two left the station. With a hum, she wondered if she might see him again…
A chill brought her back to the present, and she clutched her bag tight in reflex… but something felt off. Curiously she looked down at her cold hands and froze.
"Oops."
Bundled beside her bag was a soft woolen scarf, grey and purple stripes running its length. The very same the tired man had around his neck. A hand flew to her mouth, dumbfounded that she had unwittingly took someone's scarf and may never see him again to give it back.
Biting her lip, she ran her nearly numb fingers through the wool in hopes it might have a name tag or anything to help her find its owner. Sadly, she found nothing of the sort, but on one edge there was something embroidered.
Scratchy letters sewn into the fabric read: "To big brother, From Eri". And beside it was a better looking kitten with sharp blue eyes and toe beans waving back at her.
She sighed with heavy guilt, dropping the scarf back into her lap. She stole someone's gift with no way to get it back. Not unless she saw him again.
The doors opened at the next stop and a strong gust sent her shivering once more. She instinctively curled again into the bag again, her eyes catching the scarf fluttering under her…
Maybe he wouldn't mind if she wore it to stay warm? It looked soft and cozy… And maybe he would be back tomorrow and she could return it? She nodded to herself, a plan forming.
With only a moment's hesitation, she wrapped the fuzzy fabric around her and instantly felt like melting in the warmth. Much longer than it looked, she felt almost swallowed by the deceiving expansiveness. Ochako Inhaled deeply, chamomile and spice ingrained in the woven fibers giving her a sense of calm.
Her stop quickly arrived, the cool air rushing in. Blocking a good portion of it, she silently thanked the stranger for his unwitting gift and fervently promised to get it back to him.
Surprisingly, her bus still stood there waiting and she counted her lucky stars. The rest of the trip remained uneventful as she finally arrived at her destination, albeit a bit frozen.
For now, work had to take priority over getting a stranger's scarf back to him. Sprinting inside her familiar cafe, she changed into her dry clothes at record speed and began her shift… after a much needed cup of steaming coffee.
~~
The next day came and went. She waited at the same stop, and looked hopefully at the bench he sat on yesterday. Disappointed by his absence, she spent most of her time waiting for the train trying to spy him in the crowds gathering.
She strained herself and looked on both sides of the track, his scarf firmly wrapped around her to maybe catch his eye if he did show. When she failed to see him outside, she scanned inside the rail car in hope, but it was dashed as the familiar purple still didn't appear. Gripping the fabric, she swore to try again tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the same thing held true for the next few days. She even tried to find him on her days off, showing up at the station in his scarf just to see if she spotted his purple hair and intricate tattoos.
No sign of him.
Not that week or the next. Still, her determination to find this man never wavered.
Days passed with no sightings, but she wore the scarf daily out of habit than attention now, coordinating outfits to match. The woolen fabric easily became one of the essential pieces she made sure to never leave the house without, the warmth much appreciated in the cooler weather. Regrettably, the scarf smelled a little less of its owner as the days flew by.
Then one day nearly a month after they met, she finally spotted him. Same tired look with wild purple curls she remembered as he leaned against the station wall. However, she spotted him far too late.
A sea of passengers left the rail car, bumping into her and moving about the platform. When she gained her bearings again, she watched him head back out of the terminal with the same dark-haired guy from before. She called out to him, drowned out by the announcement to close the doors and the downpour of rain starting. Sadly, she had to board the train before it left her late again.
Her mood sullied by the missed opportunity, she had difficulty focusing the rest of the day. The one or two orders she took came out badly and after profusely apologizing, offered them free sandwiches along with remaking their coffee. Her boss, noticing her out-of-sorts behavior, offered to take over the counter if she cleaned.
Mr. Toshinori could be eccentric at times, but he cared for his employees deeply, almost like his own children. Truly grateful for his understanding, she gave up her spot at the counter so the older man could work his coffee magic.
An unusual lack of customers allowed her to work on the list of housekeeping in relative peace. Shelves dusted, floors shined, pillows fluffed, and the place sparkled from all her hard work.
A pat from the owner eventually brought her back to the present, her shift already flown by. "You okay today, Miss Uraraka? It's not like you to be so glum."
Turning to the blond man, she shrugged with a frown. "I'm sorry… Do you ever have those moments where you meet someone and then realize you may never see them again? And then you feel like you missed an opportunity of some kind?"
The older man rubbed his chin in thought. "Aye. I know what you mean, and it's one of those lifelong feelings." He offered an apologetic grin before continuing. "My advice: cherish those brief meetings and try not to dwell on what ifs. Maybe you might see them again, maybe not, but at least you can fondly remember them."
Ochako nodded at his sage advice. Dwelling on what could have been wouldn't do any good for the present. On her way home, his words still rang as she ran her fingers through the soft wool, her unexpected gift.
But what if she did see him again? Obviously she would hand his scarf back, but part of her wanted to do something more. This simple article of clothing had saved her a couple times already from freezing and had more or less become a major part of her life. Letting go of something so trivially significant felt like giving a part of herself now.
Her fingers found the scratchy words embedded and an idea formed. Something for him to remember her by, even if they never see the other again. Now all she needed was a needle and some thread…
~~
A week passed by quickly with no sightings of the purple-haired man, but still she remained vigilant. Everyday she ran her fingers over the newest addition to the purple and grey wool. It was by all means not perfect, barely better than the first message by Eri, but nevertheless the best she could do.
On schedule, the train rushed into the terminal bay out of the rain and several people exchanged places in and out of the car, herself included. She always sat by the window, once out of habit to see if her mystery man waited, now more out of preference.
Today, something was different. As she slumped against the cool glass, she feltl someone staring… Shifting her gaze all around, it wasn't until she glanced outside the closed train before she saw him.
A dumbfounded expression on his face as he waded through the leaving people towards the car. The dark-haired man he normally left with at his side, but still he stared directly at her through the raindrops on the glass.
She quickly stood up and waved, but the car lurched under her, signaling its departure. He waved back awkwardly, and she quickly pointed towards the scarf hoping he would understand she safely had it. A grin graced his lips as he became a bit more animated and gave her a thumbs up. The train picked up speed out of the terminal, and soon the bouncing purple curls that seperated him from the crowd disappeared.
Ochako sighed in relief as she sat back down. He knew it wasn't lost, and even if it didn't get back to him today she at least could relish in the victory of letting him know it was safe. Smiling to herself, she traveled to work in good spirits.
Time passed smoothly, a steady flow of coffee drinkers gracing the cafe. However, try as she might to focus, her thoughts always wandered back to that happy expression on the man's face when he recognized her. More than once, her boss snapped her to the present, her face blushing at both the mystery man and her embarrassment for daydreaming.
Strangely, today's encounter almost felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders so to speak...
~~
The day she found him again felt so surreal. The rain threatened to pour overhead as she entered the terminal, a couple minutes early for her train. There were hardly any people there, but as she turned towards the bench she couldn't help the elated rush accompanying her smile.
Hunched over with his head barely held up by his arms, sat her indigo-haired mystery man. His eyes closed, she quietly walked up to him and heard a gentle snore. Stifling a giggle she took a good look at him and how there was a line of drool leading from his pierced lip. Picturesque serenity.
Ochako unravelled the scarf from her shoulders and gently wound it around his. He stirred with a grumble, but didn't quite rouse much to her disappointment. If anything, he snuggled deeper into the fabric and sighed a soft snore.
Contentment swelled within her chest as the promise to return something so precious was fulfilled. The weight completely gone from her shoulders, she gave a relieved sigh.
A few moments passed as she gazed at the sleeping man before the train alerted her to its arrival. He briefly stirred once more, and an eye cracked open. She waved with the biggest smile as the customary burst of air shifted through with the cars.
He made no movement, only closing his eye once more. Figuring he must have fallen asleep again, she sheepishly headed for the doors filtering people in and out. Settled in her usual spot, she peered out into the terminal. The man had both eyes open drowsily, focused on the scarf he squeezed in his hand.
Barely a moment passed, but his eyes widened and he bolted up straight, looking wildly towards the train car slowly moving out of the terminal. At her.
She could only smile sadly and wave back as he ran after the train with his usual friend confused behind him. Maybe one day she might see him again, and maybe then she might finally introduce herself. For now she hoped he at least enjoyed the small gift embroidered on his beloved scarf.
"Life has a habit of returning the lost in the briefest moments of passing. - A Friend"
She had often thought about adding her name or initials, but it seemed more poetic at the time. Seeing his reaction, her heart filled with regret that she didn't tell him before leaving. He just looked so peacefully calm...
A chill raced up her spine and she pulled her jacket closer around her. Already she missed the warmth and the calming scent of chamomile and spice.