Rain battered the tall windows of Hope's Peak Academy so hard it almost sounded like handfuls of pebbles striking the glass. Wind howled through the courtyard trees, bending their branches and sending sheets of water skidding across the pavement outside.

An announcement had come over the intercom not long ago: all students were to remain on campus until the storm passed.

Which meant everyone was stuck.

The halls felt strangely quiet for a school full of Ultimates. Most people had retreated to the rec room, classrooms, or their dorms to wait out the weather.

You wandered through the nearly empty corridor, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. As you passed the dining hall, near the dorm wing, you noticed the light inside the kitchen was still on.

Inside stood Chihiro Fujisaki, carefully standing on his toes in front of the counter, trying to reach a mug on the higher shelf.

He startled slightly when you stepped in.

“O-Oh! I didn’t hear you come in…”

Chihiro lowered himself back onto his heels, clutching the mug with both hands. His expression softened when he recognized you. Despite the fact you weren't friends, you knew eachother; you were both in Class 78th after all.

“I thought maybe something warm would be nice with the weather like this,” he said shyly, glancing toward the rattling window. “I was just going to make some hot cocoa… or tea… um, whichever works.”

On the counter sat a small collection of supplies; tea bags, cocoa packets, a kettle already heating up.

You stepped closer. “Need help?”

Chihiro brightened immediately.

“R-Really? Thank you!”

He moved aside to make room, though he still hovered close, watching carefully as the kettle began to rumble. Steam soon curled upward, fogging the air slightly.

While you poured the hot water into two mugs, Chihiro stirred cocoa powder into one of them with a small spoon, concentrating intensely like it was a complicated program.

“You know,” he said after a moment, voice soft but a little more relaxed, “storms like this make the school feel… different.”

Thunder rolled in the distance, long and low.

“Like everyone’s suddenly sharing the same space,” he continued. “Even if we’re all doing different things. It's...kinda cozy.”

You handed him the mug once it was ready.

Chihiro accepted it carefully with both hands, warmth immediately pinking his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he said with a small smile.

For a moment the two of you just stood there, listening to the rain hammer the building.

Then Chihiro shifted his weight.

“Um… my dorm room isn’t far from here,” he said hesitantly. “If you want somewhere quieter to sit while we drink these… we could go there.”

He quickly added, flustered, “Only if you want to! I just thought the halls might get noisy later.”

You agreed, and the two of you stepped back into the hallway together.

The walk to the dorms was short, the storm echoing faintly through the walls as thunder rolled again overhead. Chihiro walked carefully beside you, holding his mug close so it wouldn’t spill.

When you reached the dorm wing, he stopped in front of one of the doors and nudged it open.

His room was small but neat; almost surprisingly so. A laptop sat on the desk near the window, wires carefully organized beside it. A few books were stacked nearby, along with a tiny plush rabbit resting against the monitor.

The rain streaked down the window outside, blurring the view of the courtyard.

Chihiro set his mug on the desk and glanced back at you, a little shy again.

“You can sit wherever you like,” he said, gesturing awkwardly toward the bed and the chair.

He picked up his cocoa again, blowing gently across the surface before taking a cautious sip.

A soft, content expression appeared on his face.

“…This is really good,” he murmured.

Outside, lightning flashed briefly across the sky, followed by another rumble of thunder.

But inside the dorm room, with the warm drinks and the quiet hum of Chihiro’s laptop, the storm suddenly didn’t feel so loud anymore.