The warm, fuzzy feeling was short lived.

As Kaminari returned from the stage, another boy walked up to take the mic. I didn't even have time to congratulate him, for the boy on stage was all too familiar. It took a few moments to realize, sure, but once it clicked he was unmistakable.

Jackson Stone.

A good looking boy, he was and still is. His black hair shone in the light that filtered through the café windows, silver tips accenting the silken strands with the sides completely buzzed. His complexion was a glorious bronze, maybe a little darker, and his eyes were a gorgeous brown color.

How could I have forgotten those eyes..

I shook my head as he smiles to the employee running the stage, his gaze scanning the crowd before latching onto my own. My heart skips a beat as the first few notes of his song begin to play, but not in the good way. My muscles begin to tense up, a mix of stress and a little bit of anger boiling through my veins.

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now
Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down
'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh, ooh, hoo
Mm, too young, too dumb to realize

That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have gave you all my hours
When I had the chance
Take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance

Now my baby's dancing
But she's dancing with another man

Those feelings quickly subside as I feel Kaminari's hand slip into mine, enabling me to shove them back down into the furthest reaches of my fucking soul. The blonde gives me a worried expression, and it's only then I notice that he's paid the bill already.

I take a deep breath as he leads me outside, my ex still singing to me on stage as the crowd's eyes follow out exit. What was once a nice day out turned into a downpour, and we find ourselves standing under the sunshade as rain thunders down in a waterfall before us.

"Sorry for rushing us out," Kaminari says after a few moments of silence. "When that guy came up on stage... your eyes started to change. I was worried it was because of his quirk-"

"Thank you."

His eyes go wide at my sudden statement, though I keep taking deep breaths to calm myself down despite how bad my chest hurts. "For getting us out of there.. I don't know what would I have done if we stayed. Though I suppose I owe you a bit of an explanation."

Kaminari is quiet as I let out a breath, staring off towards the street. "To make a long story short, that boy was Jackson Stone, my first and only ex-boyfriend. I never thought I'd have to see him again, since he lived back in Hosu. But I guess I was wrong."

The blonde gently rests a hand on my shoulder, donning an understanding smile as I finish speaking. "Don't worry, Zai!" he says. "You couldn't have known he be here, and honestly I think I ruined the date before he even showed up."

"What do you mean?" I ask, shifting my gaze to meet his as I raise a brow in confusion.

"You're not good at hiding your boredom, I noticed it before I even went on stage. But it's fine, honestly this was my first date so I didn't really know what to do.."

I feel a bit of relief at that, because honestly I didn't want to have to let him down and have to explain to him why. "Well, maybe this can be a learning experience then," I respond, and the blonde nods in agreement. "Though, I don't mind hanging out as friends again."

"Oh absolutely!" He says with a laugh, before shrugging off his jacket and throwing it over his shoulder. "Maybe next time we can get the whole squad together!"

"Sounds like a plan!" I can't help but giggle a bit as I check my phone for the time. I should have enough time to make it to the beach for my training with Bakugo, so I turn to Kaminari and hold out the yellow rose to him with a smile. "Could you hold onto this for me? I don't want it to get ruined by the rain."

The blonde nods and takes the flower, before I suddenly hear the sound of quiet footsteps approaching us. I look over to see Shoji looking at both of us with a surprised expression on his face, a large clear umbrella in his hand. "Oh, hey Shoji!" I give him a small wave, and the boy blinks a couple times before snapping out of his daze.

"Hey Zai, Kaminari. I didn't expect you two to be out in this weather. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, man!" Kaminari answers, fist bumping our taller classmate. "We were just heading out, Zai has some training to do and I've got homework to finish."

"Yeah, Bakugo will be pissed if I don't show up," I continue, earning another surprised glance from Shoji. "It may be raining but I don't want him to think I flaked on him. We're supposed to be training at the beach today."

"Do you have an umbrella at least?" Shoji asks. "If you'd like, I can walk you there. It's on my way anyways."

I look over to Kaminari, who gives me a thumbs up before covering his head with his jacket. "Yeah sure, I wouldn't mind the company," I replied.

"Alright, well then I'll see you guys at school!" Kaminari says, and we both wave to him as he walks off into the downpour.

Shoji looks over at me, narrowing his eyes for a moment before turning his back to me and kneeling down. "Climb on," he says, and at first I hesitate due to surprise. "You're still covered in bandages, so the least I can do is carry you there. It is a bit of a walk after all."

"Alright, if you say so.." I slowly and carefully climb onto his back, albeit a bit awkwardly due to my injuries. Shoji is patient with me though, and as soon as I'm on his back I notice his arms extend and create a dome to shelter me from the rain. "Woah, this is really cool!"

Shoji lets out a chuckle as he holds his umbrella above him and starts walking. "I'm glad you think so.. it means a lot coming from someone like you."

We made a slight bit of idle chatter, but Shoji is more of the quiet type so for most of the walk we just continued on in silence. The rain hadn't let up by the time we got there, halting under a bus stop to shield ourselves from the weather. "Do you want me to wait with you?" he asks, to which I shake my head.

"It's alright, thank you for the offer though. You've already done enough for me, remind me to return the favor one of these days."

"You really don't have to," Shoji replies, but I can see his eyes scrunch up as if he were smiling. "It's the least I can do, you need to rest as much as you can so your injuries don't get worse."

"You don't need to worry about me-" I'm cut off as Shoji raises a hand to stop me.

"I saw the condition you were in during the USJ incident. It's only natural that I'd worry, you're one of my classmates and you almost died back there. I felt guilty seeing you like that when I had barely a scratch."

I don a soft smile for the boy, feeling my heart become warm for a moment. "I suppose it can't be helped. I do appreciate the offer, truly. But it would make me feel better if I could return the favor regardless. Even if it's something small, it would put my mind at ease."

Shoji's gaze locks with mine for a moment, before he lets out a heavy sigh. "Alright, but nothing too crazy okay? Honestly I don't see the point of having a lot of things or being gifted through material items, so don't go and try to do something huge or anything."

"How about sushi? Or takoyaki? I'll make you lunch when I get the chance, you can't turn down food right?"

"Takoyaki would be fine."

Eventually we say our goodbyes, and I'm left alone with only the pouring rain for company. I can't help but let out a sigh, before reaching into my bag and pulling out a small silver flask. My hand trembles as I unscrew the cap, pouring some of the contents into my mouth. The whiskey burns as it makes its way down my throat, but the pain is a welcome one.

I know I shouldn't be doing this, I think to myself, eyeing the flask once more. But how else am I supposed to keep going..? I just want the pain to go away, even if it's for a short while.

I cough a little before taking another swig, screwing the cap back on and putting it into my purse with another sigh.

Bakugo's POV-

"Why isn't that damn peacock answering her phone?"

I scoff before putting my phone back in my pocket, having tried to call Zai's cell a few times with no luck. It's not like I'm worried about her or anything, but knowing that dumbass she's probably still waiting at our meetup spot regardless of the rain.

And here I am, being a dumbass by going to get her anyways.

The rain is pouring heavily by now, but my umbrella keeps me completely dry. I don't live too far away, so I figured it might be better to walk. It doesn't take long for me to reach the beach, and my eyes widen slightly at the sight before me.

Zai has her eyes closed as she spins on the heel of her bare foot, dancing slowly around in the sand. The rain is gushing onto her, drenching her hair and her clothes but is incapable of drowning out her sound. I hear soft piano notes ring through the air, and it's like so much weight is lifted off of my shoulders as they reach my ears.

The music stops however as she notices me standing there. Her eyes are wide with surprise, before her expression shifts into a bright smile. "Hey, Boom Boom boy! You're late, you know."

I blink a couple times before shaking my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I return her smile with a scowl. "I tried to call you and you didn't answer, dumbass," I reply. "You must be an idiot if you think we're going to train in this downpour. I'm not going to risk getting sick before the festival."

The purple-haired peacock raises a brow, before shrugging and looking up at the sky. "I guess.. but it's so peaceful right now, don't you think? It would be a shame to waste such inspiring atmosphere."

I let out a small 'tch' as she allows the raindrops to sprinkle across her skin. The notes begin to ring out once more, though she seems to be standing completely still. Her golden eyes slowly close as she takes in a breath, lifting her hands to the sky as if she were to catch the raindrops in her palms.

For a moment, she looks.. sad.

The girl opens her eyes again after a while, shifting her gaze away from the sky and onto me. She dons what looks to be a bright smile before making her way towards me, grabbing me by the hand and suddenly pulling me forward. "Come on, Bakugo!"

I nearly trip over myself as she drags me onto the sand, dropping my umbrella in the process. The rain hits hard, the cold, wet liquid immediately started to drench my clothes. "What the hell?!" I cry, but Zai merely laughs as the piano tune shifts to a faster tempo. "What are you doing?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm dancing in the rain!"

I can't even form words as we run along the beach, her fairy-like laugh ringing through the air. The tune sounds so much happier as it speeds up twice as fast as before. As much as I hate to admit it, the song even brings a smile to my face.

Zai glances back at me, and her smile only grows wider. I can't help but burst into laughter then at her dopey grin, forgetting all about to reason I came in the first place. It's a weird feeling, yet slightly familiar. It's like I'm a child again, chasing after my seemingly wildest dreams with a sense of awe and wonder.

What is this woman doing to me?

Zai lets go of my hand to twirl around in the rain, though the feelings washing through me seem to dissipate as I notice her begin to limp a bit. She looks so happy now compared to before, but I can still see her wince here and there as she dances to the beat.

She's trying to seem like she's fine, but failing miserably, I think to myself. She may be able to fool dunce face with that, but not me.

"Alright, c'mon," I start as my hair clings to my face. "We should get going, any longer and we could catch a cold."

"What about our training?" she asks, finally stopping her dancing with a confused expression.

"It looks like we'll have to start when the weather clears. Look, I don't want to be the reason you get sick and have to miss out on the sports festival. I want to kick your ass and prove that I'm better than you will ever be! So I'm not going to let you get sick before it even starts!"

Zai hesitates for a moment, as if processing my words slowly through her head. "You know, if I didn't know any better.." she begins, a sly grin appearing on her face. "I'd think you were worried about me, hedgehog."

"W-what?! No way am I worried about you, fucking peacock! Now shut the hell up and grab your shit, we're going to my place to get out of this rain."

Zai raises a brow before shrugging, skipping over to the bus stop area and grabbing a small black bag. Thankfully my umbrella drifted away in there as well, otherwise I was going to make her buy me a new one.

My mind is bombarded by thoughts of her, a part of me wanting to know why she insists on pretending like nothing is wrong. As if everything was sunshine and rainbows, where we all lived in some sort of utopia.

The rain continues despite my desperate hope for the sun, wishing the clouds would disappear so I could lose myself in training instead.

I had a bit too much fun writing the scene at the end, but tadaaaa! Also I only recently realized that you guys didn't get info on Zai and Ama like the rest of the characters at the end of these chapters, so here we go!

Name: Benzaiten Nobuyuki. Quirk: Virtuoso. Her abilities allow her to manipulate the emotions of anyone who hears her music, which she can create by controlling and moving the muscles of her body!

If she uses it for too long, however, her muscles slowly become numb over time! She also can't pick and choose who hears it and who doesn't without the specific gadgets in her hero costume, so she has to be very careful when using it!

Extra details-

Age: 16

Height: 5'7

Birthday: July 23rd

Zodiac: Leo

Meyers-Briggs type: ENTJ

Favorite things: Sushi (specifically flying fish roe, salmon roe and unagi), instruments, daredevil stunts

Daily Quote: "Bravery is pushing through when the fear overcomes you. When you're left trembling, terrified to the bone, bravery is putting one foot in front of the other despite being scared." -Benzaiten Nobuyuki

~Author-chan