Another Rendezvous [Miku]

Sean began to go deep in thought while he waited for the long line to move. What to get for his mom and Rowan? He wanted to thank them (and also apologize at the same time) for being there for him at the hospital. His mom would be the easier of the two to figure out gifts for, since well, she was his mom. Who knew her better than he did? But what to get Rowan? What would be something she would like? The boy could not exactly ask her, as that ruined the point of a surprise. With how nice she was to him, anything less than awesome would make for a terribly unfair gift. This was something Sean was determined to get right!

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. He turned toward the source of the voice, and his eyes widened in surprise. "M-Miku?" And just like he did in the past, he greeted her with his usual hand wave and big cheerful smile. "Ayy, it's you! It's been so long!" He was about to go hug her like he would any good friend (or just any person ever, since Sean was a hug person), when he realized something. "I'm getting serious deja vu vibes here." This was just like the first time they had met over a year ago, only without the rain. Jeez, so much time had passed!

"Anyway, how's it been? Anything cool you've been up to while I was gone?" With how long Sean remained comatose, the boy had sure missed out on so much. A lot has changed. And not just the obvious, like not being able to go to UA anymore or manipulate water. He wanted to do his best to catch up and see how his buddies were doing. Speaking of that, Sean knew he would have to tell Miku about just where he had been for over half the year. But that could wait. Right now, he was far more interested in hearing about what she's done, or even just how her day has been.

WC 350

Despite Sean's oblivious nature to the point where some would question if he were stupid, the boy's brain was not that damaged. His memory still worked fine. Sean could still remember his first meeting with Miku last year like it was only yesterday. Standing out in the rain, not because he forgot his umbrella, but because he just really loved water. And then Miku had come and offered shelter under her umbrella. That was very nice of her. Which made it all the more upsetting that Sean had missed out on time he could have spent with his friend. But hey, he was back now. So it was time to make up for lost time!

He listened as Miku told him about some of the things she did. And those were some really impressive things! "Woah, awesome! What kind of music do you make? I'd be happy to give it a listen sometime!" Sean liked music, but always believed himself to be mediocre at making some himself. Perhaps one day he ought to give it a try? And speaking of music, Sean wondered what ever happened to that nice Rin lady he had met at the park that time. Was she still making songs? Was that jerk who had pulled her hair ever caught?

But back to the present, Sean was happy to hear that Miku had found her true calling. "Nice! I'm happy to hear that! I saw you kick butt in the Sports Festival. You were awesome!" Sean remembered doing an obstacle course with Rin (different Rin) and those two foreign students. That was fun. A shame that Sean didn't get to participate in the tournament. He wondered how well he could have done if he did.

"I kinda wish I could have been a part of the tournament. Would have been really cool to spar with you or some of the others." Sean sighed. "Oh right, speaking of that, you might be wondering where I've been since like April. Jeez, it's really been that long? Anyway, it's a long story. Longer than this line, to be honest. But if you're not busy and don't mind hanging out for a bit, I wouldn't mind sharing the story."

He did not want to hold up Miku for long if she was busy. But of course, if she wasn't busy at the moment, then no way would Sean pass up the time to chat with her. Plus, the line was still moving slowly, so there wasn't much to do anyway.

WC 420

"Oh, that's sweet!" Sean would never have guessed that Miku would be in a band like that. Looks could be deceiving, after all. Not that there was anything wrong with that. On the contrary, it was really cool for someone so sweet and gentle-looking to show her inner badass! Sean now could not help but picture Miku drumming while headbanging like a metalhead. Now that was a humorous thought.

It was good to hear that Sean had not missed much at the Sports Festival's tournament. But speaking of things that he did miss, it was now time to recount the story. Oh joy! Fortunately, Sean was now better with coping with what had happened. "Okay, then. It started off around mid to late April." Sean took a breath as he began to recall the events of that fateful day.

"The day started off normal. Just me chillin' to music and calling friends. But then I noticed this poor little girl on the street. She was crying, and it was because she fell off the broken railing up above the street and hurt her leg pretty badly. But then I noticed a truck coming! It was gonna hit her, and she was on the other side of the street. But I couldn't just stand there and do nothing! So I ran in, used my quirk, and managed to push her out of the way before the truck could hit her. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to make it in time. But seeing her get pushed away from the truck, seeing her safe and sound, it made me so happy and relieved."

Sean then sighed. "And that's when a car came at me from behind and slammed me hard on the pavement. I hit my head, and that's how I got into a coma." Ouch, it still hurt to think about. "Over six months. That's how long I was at the hospital. My poor mom was devastated. I still feel really horrible for putting her through that torture.

"Of course, that wasn't even the worst part. Some time after I managed to wake up, the doctor came in and told me the bad news. The part of my head that slammed into the pavement? That was apparently the part of my brain that lets my quirk function. So yeah, that's been damaged, and even if they could fix it, I'd either die in the operation, or just end up going back in a coma, this time forever. So I'm essentially quirkless now. I can't control water anymore, I can't go back to UA anymore, and all hopes and dreams I had of being a pro-hero are just gone now."

The boy then noticed how gloomy he was becoming, so he quickly went back to his cheerful smile. "But hey, it's not all bad! At least I never have to worry about freezing myself up anymore. At least I'm back and not too bad, all things considered. And the best part, Rowan was there to visit me when I woke up! And she even..." Sean then stopped himself. He was not sure if he wanted to tell Miku that Rowan had kissed him on the cheek. Or that he kissed her back. Though Miku could probably get a hint of what the boy was about to say thanks to his cheeks becoming pink in color. And if she decided to press him on about it, he would slowly open up about that.

But otherwise, Sean would just quickly move on. "Yeah, it was nice to see Rowan again. And it was nice to wake up literally the day before my mom's birthday. I mean considering what she went through, I can't think of a better birthday present." Sean then nervously chuckled. "Which is good, because honestly, I had trouble trying to come up with a surprise gift to get her."

Sean then smiled. "That's actually why I came here. I want to buy my mom a late birthday present, since I didn't have enough time to get her anything. I also want to get Rowan something, for being really nice. Can you believe that her dad actually got my mom a paid trip to a hotel and a spa for a week? Now that's way too amazing and nice to not do anything about."

With the boy's enthusiasm, naturally there would be nearby people looking at him with looks of confusion, intrigue, and even worry. But Sean paid them no mind. They didn't matter. He was talking to Miku right now. And speaking of Miku, Sean did not want this to be a one-sided conversation. He wanted to listen to what she had to say too. "So what about you? What brings you here? Anything you wanted to do in particular?"

WC 802

Sean's eyes widened in worry upon seeing Miku cry as she hugged him. He hugged her back, because naturally Sean would never say no to hugs. "Aw, please don't cry, Miku. It's not as bad as... well okay, it is bad, but it could be a lot worse." He did appreciate Miku's concern, how she wished she was there, and how she was sure he would get his quirk back. He hoped that she was right about that, although with how the doctor had explained it, it was very unlikely. Still, miracles did happen sometimes. Heck, Sean being here, awake, alive, was very much proof of that.

"Perhaps. It would be nice to come back to UA. But I think I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I might have to spend the rest of my days quirkless. But hey, at least my ability to surf hasn't been hampered! Once summer's back on, I'm totally heading to the beach. Heck, we could even continue our surf lessons from last year if you want. Oh, and I can invite Rowan too! I did promise her I'd teach her. It would be loads of fun!"

Sean hoped that changing the subject would help distract Miku long enough for her to forget about crying or being upset. Sean was not one to let people feel upset and then do nothing to try to help out. Nope, he was not satisfied until they had a genuine cheerful smile on their face. Because happiness was way better than gloominess. That was what Sean believed, anyway. In truth, he would very easily be gloomy himself if not for his constant attempts to avoid gloominess in general.

"Oh right, speaking of Rowan..." Sean suddenly realized something important. "I'm actually super glad you're here, Miku. I could use some help, if you got time. I really want to get her something really special. Not just because she visited me in the hospital, but because she's super cool and really nice." It was more than just that, but Sean was unsure if the thing that happened in the hospital with him and Rowan was something he wanted to bring up with Miku. Just thinking about it would make the boy blush, and he wanted to avoid that right now.

"But the thing is, I have no clue what girls like. And I can't just ask my mom. It would ruin the surprise of me getting something for her too. And I dunno, I feel like I'd rather get the opinion of someone around Rowan's age for this kind of thing. I think you'd be someone perfect to ask about this. So you got any suggestions?"

The line was still slow, almost painfully so. But at least it was moving. Not too much more waiting Miku and Sean would have to do.

WC 474

Hearing Miku's words, how Sean and Rowan are... were classmates. Sean would be lying if he said that this did not upset him at all. It was painful to think about not being able to go back to UA, not seeing his classmates in class 2-A. But now was not the time for sadness. Even if Miku noticed the very brief drop of Sean's smile, his cheerful expression would quickly come back. He did not like to feel sad and gloomy for too long, and he really hoped that Miku did not notice that shift in his expression. "Yeah, we shared the same class. Not gonna lie, I'll miss my class. But I'm sure everyone's been doing just fine!"

If he was hoping Miku wouldn't notice his blushing upon mentioning Rowan, the boy would have been severely disappointed. But still, Sean would definitely appreciate any sage advice Miku could give him regarding what to get for Rowan. But unfortunately, Miku told Sean that she was bad with gifts. Well that was okay. Any help she could give him was very much appreciated.

What does a girl like? If only Sean knew that. If only his knowledge of girls' likes and preferences were as vast as his knowledge of the ocean, surfing, anything regarding water. But it was not, so he would just have to work with what he had. But hearing Miku suggest a cute plushie got Sean excited. "Oh, that's an awesome idea! I just need to think of what kind she would like."

But that was the big question, wasn't it? What would Rowan like? He could not ask her himself, as that would ruin the surprise. But what if he got her something she didn't like, or found disappointing? How to solve this conundrum? "Man, if only I could ask Rowan without asking Rowan."

But then Sean had an idea. What if... what if instead of just an object, he got her something even better? Before settling for this idea, Sean wanted to run the idea by Miku first. If this got her stamp of approval, then it would definitely work out perfectly! "Hey Miku, I just thought of something. What if I took Rowan somewhere nice?" He could have added the words 'Like on a date', but he did not want to think about that and then have his face turn red. "You know, some people say that memories are more valuable than diamonds." Though diamonds would be pretty too. Sadly, he could not yet afford anything that nice. "Do you think it would be nice to take Rowan somewhere and spend time with her? If someone offered something like that to you, how would you respond to that? Would you like that better than a gift? Or would you prefer a gift? Or both?"

WC 469

Sean would pay very close attention to any sage advice Miku could offer. After all, she was far more of an expert on girls than he could ever be, seeing as she was one herself. So with that, Sean nodded upon hearing Miku's suggestion of both taking Rowan somewhere and getting her the gift. "Understood, sensei!" Okay, maybe sensei was taking this a bit far. But still, any help or advice was very much appreciated.

Miku then asked about where he planned to take Rowan. "Oh, um..." Naturally, Sean was the kind of person who lived in the moment, riding through life as things happened, rather than actually planning anything. "I haven't really thought about where, to be honest. As long as Rowan's happy, that's all that matters. I guess I'd just take her wherever she would want to go. But what kind of places would she like? And how do I ask her without ruining the surprise? Or should I not worry about that?"

The poor boy had so many questions. Normally, he would just relax and not think of anything too hard, just going with the flow. It was normally no big deal. But Rowan was more than a big deal. She was like the biggest deal to Sean. This was not something he wanted to just YOLO. He wanted to do something nice, something special, something fun. But for the first time, Sean was actually worrying, having doubts on what to do. He did not want to mess up.

With Sean and Miku's conversation, it seemed like time just flew on by. Sean's thoughts were interrupted when the guy behind the counter asked him for his order. The boy was surprised. What happened to the line? Did it move so quickly already? Huh. "Oh, er, I'll take a hot chocolate, and a chocolate muffin to go please." He then looked at Miku. "You want me to buy you something? It's the least I could do to thank you for the help. I really appreciate it."

If Miku decided to let Sean buy something for her, he would gladly do so, then the two would get their food and drinks in no time. Otherwise, Sean would get his stuff, then step aside so Miku could order what she wanted. Either way, the two were now finally free from the long and dull line. To celebrate, Sean decided to drink his hot chocolate now. Naturally, he almost drank it too fast and nearly burned his tongue. But after a chuckle at his own recklessness, he took a sip, being far more careful this time. "Ah, much better! I'll take heat over cold any day!"

Sean began to wonder if Miku had anything to do here. He did not want to hold her up if she was busy. But if she were free, he could really use more of her sage advice. Seeing as he wanted to make Rowan as happy as he could, Sean was more than willing to take all the help he could get.

WC 507