Chapter Text
It was raining that day, rain heavily poured onto the streets and onto the young boy that had roamed them, his clothes and hair was soaked, completely drenched head to toe with rainwater, but he needed to run , he couldn’t stop , his lungs burned as he struggled to breath, everything was just too much , especially since he kept on accidentally bumping into people in the streets, mindful to keep his hands to himself, afraid he’d accidentally hurt someone like he did with his family.
He shut his eyes tightly, too hyper focused on the feeling of peoples stares on him, the sound of cars, the rain that had him drenched, he couldn’t take it, he needed to clear his head.
Glancing to his side, he spotted an alleyway just nearby, he could get away from all the sounds and all the stares, moving his feet, he ran into the hallway, pressing his back against the corner, hugging himself to try and create some warmth in the cold environment, now that he was sitting there, shivering, he just now started to notice how he wasn’t wearing any slippers in his haste to get away from his home as far as possible.
“He went this way?” a distant voice is heard, then the sound of footsteps approached the alleyway, essentially blocking out the light that poured into the small space, he lifted his head up to stare at her, the light behind her essentially creating what he thought looked like to be a halo around her, her soft facial features turned to a look of worry as she held up her umbrella, shielding her from the rain.
“Are you okay?” she stepped towards him, “What are you doing out here?” another step, “Where are your parents?” next thing he knew it, she was in front of him, he flinched back against the brick wall of the alleyway, protecting himself as he wrapped his arms around himself tighter.
“Go away.” he said in a small voice, but loud enough for the woman to hear.
“But you’ll catch a cold...” she crouched down, holding her umbrella up over him to shield him from the rain that poured into the alleyway, even if he had already been drenched in it, “Come on...let’s get you to some place warm.” she said softly, reaching a hand out to touch him.
He didn’t like it.
This stranger was talking to him, trying to touch him! He didn’t know her; he should get away from her!
“No! Go away!” he shouted, slapping her hand away, but she still persisted!
Why couldn’t she just go away!?
“Ah!” he had slapped his hand against her cheek, but she was just confused as she tried to get him to stand up from the dirty corner of the alleyway, suddenly realizing what he’s done, he stared up at her with wide eyes, his vision becoming blurry as tears began to fall.
He didn’t mean to! He swears he was being good!
“I’m sorry! Please don’t go!” his hand retracted from her face, coming up to his own to cover his eyes as he cried, wiping away at the tears that rolled down his cheeks.
“Hey-hey...! It’s okay...it didn’t hurt, you didn’t mean it...” she cooed, taking a hold of his arms to try and calm him down from his sudden outburst, he blubbered like any five-year-old would as he cried, shaking his head as he refused to look at her.
“Shhh I’m not gonna hurt you.” she shushed him, placing a hand on his head to try and soothe him as he cried, his hands gripping the sleeves of her coat as he pressed his face against her abdomen, soaking it with his tears, desperate for a semblance of warmth.
He was just so tired.
“Do you happen to know where you live?” she asked, the hand on his head going down to his back to rub soothing circles as he hiccupped.
He shook his head, he was too frenzied, too panicked and in distress to realize that his quirk didn’t work, that she was still with him and hadn’t been turned to ashes.
“Okay...I can take you to the nearest station...maybe they can be able to get you back home.” she muttered, making a move to pick him and her umbrella up, since she had put it down to calm him down.
Police station...
“No! I don’t wanna!” he shouted, gripping her sleeves tighter as he pulled her to him, as if preventing her from taking him to the police station, if she did, they’d find out about what he did, and they’d take him away !
“Oh! Okay-just calm down.” she said softly, going back to running a hand through his hair to soothe him, she’s never seen a kid so anguished like this before...she honestly didn’t know how to handle him or calm him down.
“I’m sorry for touching you with permission...Can I carry you?” she asked softly, when she felt him nod against her abdomen, she bends down to pick him up and steady him in one hand and holding her umbrella over them with the other.
“My apartment is not too far from here...why don’t we go and get you into something warmer?” she asks, since she could feel the water that had drenched his clothes seep into her own as she kept him pressed against her side while she walked out of the alleyway.
Blinded by the sudden light flashing into his eyes, he had hidden his face against her shoulder and his fists gripped her clothes tightly like a lifeline.
“You’re safe now...rest easy, kid.” she said softly, unlike before, he didn’t feel as overwhelmed as he thought he would be when they got out of the alleyway, it felt like everything had been dulled down, like he could finally be able to breathe again...
All that he could feel now was warmth and a soft rumbling...what was that? He didn’t know what it could’ve been...it almost sounded like someone was...humming? Maybe...
He didn’t dwell too much on it, focusing as he felt like he was floating...he felt so light.