An invitation to a magical time, for a few people. But uncertainty for others….
-ONE PUUUUUUUUNNNNCH!...-
Midoriya looked at the sound that was blasting out of his cell phone for the fourth time.
It was the intro song of their favourite anime.
"I'm sorry Shouto, I really have to take this. Kacchan messaged earlier saying it's an emergency."
Shouto watched his friend pocket the device again, probably out of politeness towards him.
They were standing in front of his doorway as Shouto was letting him out.
"It's ok, it does seem urgent, he doesn't usually call you, does he?"
"He doesn't… which is why I'm a little worried I guess."
The song ended, only to start again and startle both Late Adolescents once more.
A sigh escaped the green haired boy and then smiled at his friend. "See you later then? Tell me how it goes okay?" He waved and turned around to what Shouto imagined was the place where he parked his car.
Shouto nodded and waved back with a smile, noticing how Midoriya unpocketed his phone to pick up the call.
His smile faltered when his friend was out of earshot and also pocketed his hands to stare at the empty spot. The same spot where his other blue haired friend had left as well not 10 minutes ago.
He suddenly felt all alone. He knew he wasn't of course, but still; he always has this feeling when they left.
He turned around and closed the door behind him in his huge, lonely mansion.
By the time he got to the kitchen, the maid had already cleaned up the leftovers of their coffee hangout from the table, leaving only the fancy ecru envelope and his smartphone.
He picked up the envelope with his left hand and turned it around.
He then picked up his phone with his right and stared at both the items in his hands.
"Just ask her, you did say your father was up to something, now at least you are prepared if you know it's her."
The voice of Tenya echoed through his head.
Should he?
I mean, he had her number for a week now. And they had not exchanged a single message.
He wanted to, of course.
But he did not know what to send.
He saw her once last week, in the mall, when his father officially signed the contract to have her shop open in the mall next month. But that's it.
He then wanted to congratulate her, and maybe buy her dinner to celebrate. But that seemed so invasive, plus she was probably very busy too.
He then just wanted to congratulate her… but that seemed stupid, as he basically already told her she'd have the spot.
By the time he finally made the decision to do it… 4 days had gone by. Now it was just stupid to still congratulate her after 4 days.
He should have just done it then and there. Idiot.
And then the envelope came in the mail.
The invite.
He did not need to open it to know what it was.
He had had two of those before.
Arranged marriage dates.
He had only opened the envelope together with his friends.
It was for tonight. 7 pm. At Shinketsu restaurant.
One of the most expensive ones NOT owned by his family…
His father had found yet another potential candidate to "marry" him.
He normally would have just sighed, signed the ok and not even think about it anymore.
But this time it was different.
He knew his father was up to something the moment they started "selling" their children at the dinner last week. He just didn't know what.
Until this morning.
As usual, he didn't leave him much time to deny, or reschedule.
How weird it was, that this was a free evening for him. No meetings, no papers due, no assistants calling him to have him come over to get his approval… nothing.
That was sarcasm by the way. It was typically his father, not to leave him any excuse to cancel ANY dates he set up.
It's a good thing he could talk to his friends today, to ask for advice, only to have both of them run off for different reasons.
Tenya got a call from work, A robbery with a hostage.
And Midoriya, well… His roommate apparently had an emergency. Which is also odd, I mean the man never showed any weakness or need for assistance.
So if he said it was an emergency… then I guess there is an emergency.
Thus, leaving him to ponder the next question.
Should he, or should he not, call or text Momo to ask if she got the invite too.
His friends said yes. His heart really wanted to know, and perhaps this really was a good reason to start a conversation.
I mean… even if it's not her… she was the only person who would understand what it means to go on these stupid dates.
He took a breath and closed his eyes.
He then breathed out and nodded to himself.
After putting the envelope on the table, he unlocked his phone…. - To almost drop it because of the sound it made.
An incoming message?
Yaoyorozu Momo
"Hello Shouto,
I hope you are doing well.
I am really sorry to bother all of a sudden. I know it has been a while and I hope I am not interrupting anything, but I was wondering if you too had gotten an arranged marriage invite.
Not to assume anything of course! But it would greatly put me at ease I guess, knowing who it is this time.
If it is not you, I am really sorry to interrupt! It would seem that my parents have found another 'match' for me. You probably know how it is…
It for tonight by the way.
Hope to hear from you soon and that you have a pleasant evening.
Love,
~Yaomomo"
His heart jumped a little at the end of the message, which was stupid, I mean, for all he knew she loved everyone.
No not love, I mean, ended every message with love… ugh.
A Smile did appear on his face though.
She also got an invite! Perhaps…
He sat down and started typing his reply with urgency…
She was also sitting in front of her kitchen table.
Her apartment remarkably smaller than the huge mansion Shouto was currently in. Yet much bigger than a regular apartment.
For once actually. It was clean.
She signed as she started rotating the phone around on the table, pondering.
Maybe she shouldn't have sent the message?
It is a workday after all. I mean… it's a Tuesday… he works on a Tuesday, right?
He was probably working super hard and late, and she shouldn't have messaged him at all.
After sending that image to him, he thanked her and that was it. She didn't have the courage to send him another one.
He didn't send her one either, but she didn't figure him to be a talkative person on the phone. He seemed more like a face-to-face guy.
That was of course her own personal opinion. It's not like she knew him very well.
Ugh… she should not have sent the messaged.
She fell forwards on the table as she held her phone in her stretched-out hands.
They rested on her table lazily.
He's probably super busy, and-
The totally spice ringtone interrupted her thoughts.
No, it couldn't be.
She held her phone closer as she unlocked it.
Todoroki Shouto
"Thank you for the message Yaomomo, it is good to hear from you again.
I am doing well, Work has not been as busy as before. Probably because I too got an invitation for tonight. It is at Shinketsu restaurant.
My father has suspiciously kept my evening free.
I hope you are doing fine as well.
I wanted to congratulate you on getting the spot… but that seemed silly considering you already knew about it. None the less, congratulations. You deserve it.
Hope to see you tonight then?
Kind regards,
~Shouto
She jumped up as soon as she read the message.
She ran towards the kitchen counter, where the ecru envelope was laying, along with some commercials and some bills (that she paid as soon as they arrived, she hated unpaid bills).
She almost tore the envelope to extract the card from it, only to reread the name and address of the place she was supposed to be.
Shinketsu restaurant.
She then held up her phone next to the card and reread his message.
She twirled around in happiness and leaned against the kitchen counter, both the card and her phone against her chest.
"It's him!"
She had been so anxious, every time an invite arrived, immediately phoning her mother to enquire more information. But this time she didn't dare to do it for some reason.
Probably not to give away she was actually hoping for it to be Shouto, not giving her parents the satisfaction.
She was after all a grown up. She can match herself perfectly well.
Though she had to admit… she hadn't dared to message Shouto without a valid reason.
She saw last week briefly from afar, and he looked so busy, she figured he probably didn't have much free time.
Feeling a bit annoyed at herself, for feeling a little grateful she had a helping hand.
It was like a double-edged sword, especially because her mom had included a little note.
"We relieve you from your vow to wear a Yaoyorozu original to the dates. You will probably wear your own clothing line anyway. Please just look presentable. I have faith in you."
Another double feeling. She was happy they finally trusted her. But she also knew that her parents figured her out, she could now just wear one of her costumes from her new line to these dates as well.
This was a note saying that she shouldn't.
Still tempted to go against their wishes one last time… she decided against it and typed her reply.
"Hello Shouto,
I can honestly say I am relieved to know who I will be meeting tonight. The location for me is also Shinketsu.
I know it is a very expensive place, which inclined me to believe your family might be involved.
(Was that boasting? No, better change that…)
I know it is a very expensive place, which inclined me to believe my parents went all out this time.
(Yes, much better)
I guess I shall see you tonight then. Thank you for replying.
Love,
(no, not love, he didn't write love… do boys write love? She wrote love before…. Would be weird not to anymore… I'll just leave it)
~Yaomomo"
As soon as she hit the send button with a smile, her doorbell ringed.
She looked up at her clock 16:30, she still had 2 hours to get ready, which wasn't much. Shinketsu is half an hour away. Can't be late either… who can it be?
As she pondered if she should open.
Her doorbell rang again. 3 Times this time, which indicated the urgency of the person.
She rose an eyebrow as she checked her door peephole.
A bob of brown hair was viewable on the bottom of the view.
Surprised, Momo quickly opened the door.
"Ochako? What's the matter?" She never just came over without letting her know beforehand.
The brown-haired girl turned her head quickly towards Momo.
"Yoamomo, please, I need your help!"
The poor girl looked like she just ran a marathon. Which was highly likely, as she only owned a bike, and they didn't exactly live very close.
She opened the door to let the brunette in. "Ofcourse, come in, girl".
The brunette quickly stepped inside and zoomed past Momo to sit down on one of the chairs at the table. Clearly catching her breath.
Momo followed her and quietly poured her a glass of water.
She gave it to her friend, who took it thankfully, only to drain it in one go.
She was right. She really did run all the way to her place.
What in heavens earth happened?
She was curious, but as she knew her friend. She simply sat down in front of her and inclined her head a little to the left, waiting for the girl to explain.
After she drained the glass with a huge sigh, she put the glass down, only to fiddle with it.
"Thanks, I needed that."
Momo smiled as she took the bottle of water from the fridge, to refill her glass again, but left the bottle on the table. "No worries, help yourself."
She nodded gratefully, but this time sipped the water a little, before closing her eyes to relax against the seat.
Momo waited patiently with her hands folded on the table.
"I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly, but I panicked." She started to explain.
"Panicked?" Momo repeated her.
The brown-haired girl reached for her back pocket. "This arrived in the mail this morning. Apparently, my mother knew about it, but she wanted to leave the choice up to me."
Ochako held up a very nice and very familiar ecru envelope.
Momo her eyes went wide as she reached for the envelope and opened it carefully.
"An arranged marriage invitation date?" Momo exclaimed as she read the card.
7 pm, At Shinketsu restaurant.
What in the world…
"Apparently some rich guy, was very interested in my pilot training.
He offered to pay for my whole education, including the trip to America and the lodging, if I just go on this "date" with his son." She explained.
Momo rose an eyebrow but let her continue.
"My mother knew about it because they asked her beforehand. Apparently, he's very well-known and loaded. I only must go on this one date. If it works out, then great, I get a husband if it doesn't? I tried and he still pays for everything."
Silence fell between the girls, as Momo was processing everything.
"Well… that's… I don't know what to say…"
"I know! That's what I said! I immediately recognised the envelope as soon as I saw it, because of you." The brunette stood up and started pacing around the room.
"My mom assured me he was trustworthy, and it's not like I can't use the help…" she continued as she left the kitchen.
Momo stood up to follow her, but she entered the room again continuing her rant. "The only downside to this is how weird it is. And sudden. And I feel like I have no choice… and it's weird…. And I have nothing to wear!" she plopped down again.
Momo chuckled, only by the absurdity of it all, it was weird indeed, but the reason she chuckled, is because her main dilemma was the dress code.
Ochako pouted. "I'm serious!"
Momo shook her head: "I know, I'm sorry, but that's why I laughed."
The brunette cocked her head questioningly.
"The biggest concern you have about this whole thing is that you have nothing to wear. At least I can help you with that." The black-haired girl smiled to her friend.
Ochako smiled back. "Thanks, I knew I could count on you."
"I think the reason I'm not that freaked out by it, is because I've seen you do this so much, I guess…"
Momo nodded. "I figured, but that's not the weirdest of it all to be honest."
She stood up to go to the counter. "Check this out." As she handed her own envelope over to her friend.
"You got another one?" Ochako took the envelope and opened it as well.
Momo only nodded as her friend read the card inside.
"Hold on…. This is the same date, time and place!" The smaller girl grabbed her own invitation back and compared the both of them.
Momo nodded again with a sigh: "It looks like you got dragged into one of my parents' schemes, I'm really sorry."
Ochako was still comparing the notes, shaking her head sideways very fast as if to read both at the same time. "But what does it mean?"
"I don't know, but it gets weirder." Momo added.
As if on cue, her famous totally spice ringtone pinged up.
She took her phone and held it up. "Shouto also got one."
If her friend looked shocked before, she definitely looked shocked now.
Momo read the message, it was only one sentence.
Todoroki Shouto
"I am relieved as well. See you tonight."
Ochako leaned in to read with her. "But what does it mean?" She repeated the question.
"Only one way to find out I guess." The pony tailed girl shrugged.
"I do know one thing though." She added.
Ochako looked up from the phone and waited for her to continue.
"We don't have to go into it alone, and I've got the perfect dress for you!"
Both girls smiled at each other. Before they practically ran towards her closet.
Midoriya sighed as he wondered what he was doing with his life.
Here he was, sitting in some bushes, staring at an overly expensive restaurant across the way.
Next to him was roommate, staring wide eyed at the restaurant, he was scanning the vicinity like a hawk, not missing anything.
Behind Kacchan was his old school friend whom he knew Kacchan often hanged out with, Kaminari, he was leaning on his shoulder, also looking at the restaurant very intensely. Both the boys where blonde, albeit that Kaminari was slightly more yellow and had a lightning bolt in his hair. He was also a little smaller.
"This place is so fancy. She must be loaded. When was it again?" The smaller boy asked.
This caused the other blonde to sigh. "At 19pm, I told you a gazillion times."
"And yes, I heard she's a very rich." He continued, although this seemed to anger him a little as he said this quieter.
"Man, I just can't believe that he would agree to this. You should have made your move sooner."
Kacchan started blushing as his eyes widened.
This caused Midoria to chuckle. Kaminari really had no filter, and this was so spot on, he was to late to hide his chuckle.
Bakugo turned his head and quickly grabbed his shirt by the neck. "You think this is funny?!"
Midoria knew his roommate well enough that he was simply hiding his embarrassment by getting angry. It was how he usually reacted, which prompted him to answer with: "A little. Only because I have to agree with him".
As he watched his friend debate if he needed to get angrier or just cool down, Kaminari interrupted them. "Someone is coming!"
All 3 men turned their head towards the restaurant, only to see their mutual friend AND boss, none other than Eijiro Kirishima, Katsuki Bakugo's crush and love interest, stop in front of the restaurant.
They held their breath, as if not to make any noise.
The red-haired boy took something out of his pocket, checked it, whistled, shook his head, and headed inside.
As soon as he went inside, they started breathing again.
"I told you this was the place." Kacchan sighed as he watched his crush choose a window seat. Like he was taunting him.
Midoriya nodded and wanted to say something, until he saw some more movement.
His words died in his throat as soon as he saw who it was.
"What the…- "His blonde friend spoke sooner than him.
Midoriya's best friend Todoroki almost completely copied Eijiro's movement. Taking out the envelope, reading it, shaking his head, and heading inside.
Suddenly Midoriya's shirt near his throat got grabbed again.
"He's meeting the Todoroki bo?! I though he was into girls! You never told me he swung both ways!"
The green haired man quickly shook his head and hands. "I didn't either! You told me he was seeing a girl Tonight!"
Kacchan loosened his grip, but didn't let go: "It didn't say on the invite when I saw it in his office… I just assumed…"
"More incoming!" Kaminari hushed them again as someone else approached.
Both of them turned their heads sideways, not even bothering to hide anymore, luckily it was dark, only to notice 2 girls approach.
Both of them looked beautiful and they were giggling as soon as they approached the restaurant but fell quiet when they were in front if it.
The short brown-haired woman, was wearing a pink dress, black leggings and a pretty white flower in her hair.
She reached for her handbag, only to repeat the same movement as the other 2 men before her.
She held out the card to the other lady had her black hair up in a clip with a red rose and a green flowy dress that crossed at the chest. They both shook their heads as if they didn't believe it and then went inside.
The 3 remaining men where simply staring at the door where everyone disappeared into.
The smaller of the blondes interrupted their silence. "Hold on, those where my girlfriends' best friends, Yaomomo and Ochako." He simply said, as he rose his hand to his chin pensively. "I wonder what they are doing here."
Both Midoriya and Bakugo turned towards their friend with wide eyes.
That's what they wanted to know too.
Perhaps Midoriya was not wasting his time today after all…
When Shouto had stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was that how empty this place was…
like it was reserved for only a few people, even though it was huge.
The second thing he noticed… was that there was another young man inside of the restaurant.
He even knew this man.
He went to school with this man…
What in the world?
What was Eijiro Kirishima doing here, of all places?
He locked eyes with the red-haired firefighter as soon as he came in, because the man was obviously also waiting for someone.
Eijiro first looked confused, and the smiled and waved at his old friend.
Shouto rose his brow questioningly. But nodded to him none the less.
A woman interrupted the silent conversation.
"You must be Mr. Todoroki. Thank you for joining us this evening."
A bright looking girl with ash blonde hair, clothed in the same colour of the store (which was mainly black, with red lining around every curve her clothing made), Piped up to him.
"My name is Camie and I will be your host for this evening. If there is anything you wish to report or not to your liking, please let me know and I will do everything in my power to assist you in making this a pleasant stay", she smiled.
Shouto felt a little overwhelmed by her presence, so he simply nodded a little surprised.
"Please follow me." She turned around swiftly and started walking towards Kirishima.
Once more confused he reluctantly followed her until she stopped next to the man.
Was his father serious about this?
"Your seat is over here Mr. Todoroki." She gestured, much to his surprise, she gestured to the table next to Kirishima.
Kirishima followed them with their eyes, surprise also visible as the woman was now standing new to him.
Shouto simply shook his head. His father was really taking this too far this time. All of these mind games where already making him tired.
As soon as he sat down, Camie handed him a white rose and held it in front of his face.
He furrowed his brows as he silently took the flower and looked up at her.
"I was instructed to give you this. Your partner will arrive shortly and will be wearing this same flower."
He looked from the waitress to the flower.
He knew the concept and it didn't surprise him the least.
What did surprise him, however, was that when he looked next to him. Kirishima smiled at him and held up a red rose.
The man leaned towards him as soon as the lady left out of earshot. "Looks like you have a blind date as well man!"
He seemed very excited by the prospect, which again, confused him.
He tried to remember what Midoriya had told him. Something about him and his roommate, Katsuki Bakugo.
They were in love right? Or something along those lines… unrequired? Something about Katsuki being stubborn.
He knew one thing though… this had his fathers name all over it.
Not that he needed it, but the next thing the redhead said only confirmed a lot of things.
"I've like, never done this before, dude. It's like scary and exciting at the same time!"
Amazing, in only one sentence, he answered a lot of Shouto's questions.
The only question/suspicion that remained, was answered when after his nod to the man next to him, both of them looked at the now opening door…
Ochako felt like she was in a completely different world.
The moment they had stepped inside of the restaurant, it was way bigger than she thought it would be.
But she should have known.
If Yaomomo's family was involved, it was always big.
She looked at the taller woman next to her, who was also taking in the surroundings, but stopped at a certain point.
She followed her gaze, as it landed on a certain man. Who looked at her pensively.
At first, he didn't look very happy to see her? But after a second, they smiled at each other none the less.
It warmed her heart.
She had never seen her friend look so… tender?
Yoamomo suddenly frowned as well though, and then looked at her questioningly. Her gaze turned to her hair, where she herself, had added a white rose into it.
~1 hour before~
"Yaomomo, what does this mean?" She held up the card towards her friend, who took it from her absently.
"The flower?" she asked as she looked at the top corner of the card.
Ochako nodded questioningly. "It looks like you have one too, but yours is red."
The black-haired girl smiled at her smaller friend. "Oh, that simply means you have to wear a rose. Your "blind date" partner will have this rose on them as well, it means that person is your match.
She opened a drawer in her closet. Ochako leaned in to look inside.
In it where a dozen or so different flowers. Roses in all of the colours, Lilly's in white and yellow and some other different kinds of flowers all together.
Most of them where hairclips, but some were corsages or necklaces.
"Mostly it's a rose in any colour, but it varies at times." Yaomomo took out a red and a white rose clip out of the drawer and put the white one in the brunette's hair. She put the red one in her own hair.
The girls turned to the mirror and looked at each other with a smile.
"All done! Let's go!"
Momo's already suspected as much, as soon as Ochako turned up at her doorstep. But she needed to see it to believe it.
As she looked at the white flower in his hand and then turned to the white flower in her friend's hair. She knew this had been a set up.
Quite an elaborate one as well.
The gratefulness she felt before for her parents, when she said she might need a little help, evaporated like alcohol would in the sun.
If they were going to involve her friends in this scheme, they where starting a war they didn't know they could finish.
Before her anger could start boiling, however. Her thought were interrupted by a blonde happy waitress.
"Good evening ladies. My name is Camie, welcome to Shinketsu." She gestured to the whole restaurant.
"I'll be your host this evening. If there is anything you wish to report or not to your liking, please let me know and I will do everything in my power to assist you in making this a pleasant stay", she smiled.
An obviously well practices sentence. She kind of wondered how they would really react should she find something out of order.
"Your partners for the evening are over here. I'll be with your shortly."
She gestured to the 2 men that were sitting next to each other on different made-up tables.
She finally saw the other man.
He had red hair and looked a bit uncomfortable in his tight black suit and red tie. He seemed to match the interior of the restaurant though, which she found a little funny.
As soon as the lady had gestured towards him, he stood up with a big smile. Knocking over the chair he was sitting on and bowed stiffly.
Momo looked at her friend as she had done the same to look at her. She chuckled at the gesture, which made her do the same.
The brunette suddenly turned serious and whispered to her. "Isn't that Shouto Todoroki? Why is his rose not red?" she asked questioningly.
Momo gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Ochako… it looks like my parents are using you, as I thought they would. It seems they are trying to make us jealous of some sords and are using other people for it."
Ochako nodded at this revelation. It seems she had made the same conclusion as well.
"It's simple then." She stated, as she crossed her arms. "I'm not doing this."
The determined look on her face made the black-haired girl smile.
"No, it's okay." She took her arm as she guided her friend towards the tables.
"We can use this to our advantage if we play along and find out what they are playing at, they are also probably monitoring the camera's here." She explained.
The brunette nodded. "If you say so Yaomomo, but let me know if you want to call it quits, okay?"
"Deal."
They smile at each other as they reached the tables.
Shouto had also stood up and slightly bowed at the girls. But Eijirou was the first to make a move.
As he held out his hand towards Momo.
"Pleasure to meet you miss, my name is Eijirou Kirishima. And seeing from the flower in your lovely hair, it seems you are my date for this evening."
Momo rose an eyebrow and looked at Shouto.
Shouto simply shrugged as if saying: "Let's just play along."
Momo nodded as she took the hand that was reaching out, to shake it. "Pleasure is all mine sir." She bowed slightly as well. "Me name is Yaoyorozu Momo."
"Nice to meet…. Wait, what?" He started but interrupted himself.
"You mean you are the daughter of the Yaoyorozu designer company?!"
Momo smiled a little awkwardly as she left him some time to catch up.
Shouto cleared his throat, as if to keep the conversation going and stretched out his hand, but this time towards the brunette. "Good afternoon, my name is Todoroki Shouto."
Ochako took the hand with narrow eyes. "So, I've heard. Uraraka Ochako, pleasure."
Instead of shaking it however, he kissed the outstretched hand, startling all 3 or the late adolescents.
Momo simply rolled her eyes. Typical Shouto, so it looks like he did this out of politeness…
She felt a slight pang however, mixed with some sord of relief, that these old manners where not a play of his. He really did have real manners. But they where not for her alone. She could see how he could melt a few hearts easily, with those looks in the mix.
Eijirou was the first to recover, as he passed the girls to hold the chair for her.
'Please have a seat."
Momo sat down first as she thanked the red-haired man.
Shouto copied his movement, to do the same for Ochako.
Ochako looked at Momo for a second still clearly confused about his behaviour, and when she nodded, only then did she sit down on the seat he held for her.
Both men sat down as well.
This was all so stupidly strange.
As soon as Eijirou sat down, he leaned towards her a bit. "This is my first time doing something like this." He confessed.
Momo smiled at him and nodded. She now noticed the small scar above his eye.
"Sadly, I cannot say the same thing Mr. Kirishima." She smiled sadly.
He didn't look surprised. "Please call me Eijirou, I don't like all of this stiffness." He pulled his tie a little as if to emphasise his point.
Momo cocked her head a little surprised. Oh, he was obviously not like most stuck up men she went on a date with… or was it an act?
Let's play along then.
"You can call me Yaomomo then." She smiled at him.
The man suddenly seemed to cheer up greatly. "Brilliant! That makes me feel a little better I guess."
Momo chuckled.
He seemed like a light-hearted guy.
She then felt a little guilty. Perhaps she should tell him about the whole thing?
No… that would mean she knew what this "thing" was…
Perhaps he got compensated for being here as well? As Ochako was?
The question pondered in her mind but got interrupted as Camie held out a menu to her.
"Here are your menu's, please order anything you like. Everything has already been paid for so please help yourselves."
She then put down some sord of cocktail in front of all of them. "This one is off the house, please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. OR when you have decided what to have for dinner. I'll be over there." She then gestured towards the counter, which showed an angry looking man, with purple hair covering half of his face, drying off some glasses.
He seemed to be eye-ing them from afar.
Their frown seemed not to face the perky lady. "Oh, don't mind his angry look, he's actually quite nice. It's just his resting bitch face." She laughed as she walked over to the counter.
All 4 of them seemed startled by her sudden rudeness towards her colleagues.
Was she being nice? Or being not nice? She didn't know…
"Well, that was weird." The man suddenly said.
Momo looked up at him questioningly.
"Don't tell me you didn't think this was weird? Or is it always like that?" He asked her.
Before she could answer however, he interrupted her before she could even say anything.
"I'm so sorry! I don't mean to assume you do this all the time. I mean. You just said you have done this before. I just meant to say that you probably would know better than me about this sord of thing. If you know what I mean…" He tried to explain himself, waving his arms around a bit, before she even thought of his question as rude, she actually thought this was quite charming.
Her chuckle interrupted his explanation and he fell quiet with a goofy grin.
Ochako was watching the exchange between her friend and the red-haired man.
Her chuckle was quite cute, and it seemed like she wasn't the only one to notice.
She leaned with her chin in both her hands and turned towards Shouto with an eyebrow raised.
Shouto was openly staring at her, his face set a little bit to annoyance. Was that jealousy she saw in there?
"Do you like her?" She suddenly asked him. Might as well use this opportunity to ask him some questions. If he is the one to ask for her hand in the future, he better be serious about her as well.
The question seemed to have taken him off guard, he cocked his head sidewards a little towards the woman in front of him. "Yes?"
"She's very likeable. It's hard to find a fault in her behaviour or her manners I guess." He put his hand on his chin and looked up.
Ochako let her head fall forwards.
Ok, quite literally an answer, but not the one she wanted to hear. Was he always this serious?
"Are you all right miss?" he asked her, genuinely concerned.
She rose her head to look at him. "Yes, yes." She waved a hand his way.
"Why didn't you call her then? You had her number." As long as he was honest, she might as well burn him for answers.
This silenced him for a minute. "I figured she was busy getting the new shop ready. I didn't want to disturb her." He shrugged.
Again… so logical… and disappointing. She'll have to try a little harder.
"Why do you ask?" he was the one to ask the next question, that caught her off guard.
She pondered her answer… why not be honest as well: "Because she was wondering about it as well, I guess."
He blinked at her once, and then turned his head towards Momo with a smile.
She was animatedly asking him questions. From what it seemed like, they were talking about firefighters?
It's not like they couldn't hear the conversation, but they where far enough away to give each table some privacy.
"So, what do you do?" he suddenly asked her.
"Oh, I'm studying to be a pilot, but currently I'm a stewardess." She smiled.
He nodded. "I can see why my father chose you then."
The brunette cocked her head questioningly.
Shouto frowned at himself.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend. My father arranged these…." He thought for a second, before continuing: "Dates? Usually, the person involved is a lady of high standards (meaning from a known or rich family or a promising education)."
Ochako nodded and waited for him to continue, she sipped her glass slightly.
"There are other reasons of course… but I guess the main reason for me is that I still have a choice in them in the end. I just meant that your education is an interesting factor in this case."
Ochako rose an eyebrow with an amused grin.
"Wait, no I mean… not that you don't look wealthy or anything… It's just that…"
Shouto knew he screwed up. This conversation wasn't even on for 15 minutes, and he had already insulted the lady in front of him.
Luckily though. She simply laughed. Not a bad laughter, but a genuinely amused one.
"Yaomomo told me you where honest and cute, now I see what she meant."
Relief flooded through him. "Oh, thank god, I really meant this in a good way, you're not like most high end… wait she said that?"
Ochako choked in the drink she was taking. "What?"
"What did Yaomomo say?" He leaned in eagerly.
"Nothing?", she looked towards her friend. "you're calling her Yaomomo already?"
Shouto leaned back again. She was good. Turning the conversation like that.
But he doubted he had heard her wrong… that means Yaomomo thought he was cute and didn't dislike him, right?
Right?
Surprisingly, Momo was enjoying the conversation.
So the man was a firefighter and boss to this region.
He was charming, happy-go-lucky, and if she where to believe his story, brave as well.
She could see why her mother chose this person as a potential candidate.
He was also very open… maybe a little too open.
The moment Momo heard her friend laugh and turned to look, she felt a pang inside of her stomach.
Shouto leaned in eagerly, really interested in the conversation.
She recognised this feeling.
Momo, you're an idiot… you're being jealous? Don't let your parents win this…
What is wrong with you… they're just having fun… she should be happy for Ochako.
And she was….
The moment the feeling ebbed away from her, brief as it was. She smiled.
It's about time Ochako had some time to relax.
She was a little relieved and happy it had been Shouto who was the one that she had a date with.
Awkward as it had been. She knew Shouto would be friendly and nice to her.
He would make sure she would have a nice time and make this experience memorable for her.
The smile she made towards her two friends, however, didn't go unnoticed by her current date.
"You know them, don't you?" he asked, genuinely interested.
Momo turned back to the red-headed man nodding.
"Yes, she is one of my best friends… and he is… my boss?"
She started loudly laughing all of a sudden at herself, startling everyone in the room.
After laughing a few seconds and everyone staring at her with an odd smile.
She fell silent. "I'm sorry, I'm just now realising the absurdity of it all."
Eijirou leaned back. "I noticed something was off the moment Shouto stepped inside of the restaurant."
"You know him too?" She leaned in again.
He nodded and turned to Shouto as well. They were listening into the conversation, so he spoke a little louder.
"Yes, we went to the same high school. Had a few classes together, and one of my subordinates is his best friend, I believe."
Shouto nodded towards him. "We're acquaintances." He added.
"That's cold man." The red head chuckled.
Shouto rose an eyebrow, but the red head laughed it away.
"But you guys seem to know a bit more about this situation. As you came in together." He continued, towards Momo and Ochako.
Both the girls looked at each other and then turned back to the men.
Ochako spoke up first. "I'll just be blunt about it." She started.
"You seem like a nice man, Eijirou, was it?"
He nodded as she continued: "I believe we are being used, in the nicest of possible ways…."
He thought for a second but waited for her to continue.
"Their parents are trying to set them up for a date. They are in their eyes, eachothers perfect candidates." She continued. Again, Eijiro nodded at her, gesturing to continue the conversation.
"This is a set-up, probably to make them jealous, but that's just my opinion. In my case-" she gestured to herself. "I've never been on a fancy wedding match up date before like this. Much less, be paid for it."
Shouto seemed taken aback by this tidbit.
"Oh sorry, Mr. Todoroki. I hope this doesn't insult you, but I think you should know…" She turned to him.
"My tuition is being paid for If I went on this date with you. They didn't say if it had to end positively or negatively, I just had to show up…. I find that a little extreme."
If Shouto seemed shocked at all, he didn't show it. He did look more pensive than before though.
"I take it you were offered something in exchange as well?" she turned to the red-haired man again.
He seemed to think for a bit. "Not really? I mean… I was shocked when the invitation came into my mailbox, because like you, I've never been on something like this before either." He shrugged.
"It just seemed like an exciting change of pace, so I figured, why not, it might even help me get my crush jealous."
Momo had a blink at this and frowned her eyes pensively. Her parents where being cheap about this? They didn't even try and find out if he was interested at all?
"Oh!" The man seemed to come to his senses. "Shoot!"
He held out his arm and waved it around. "I'm so sorry miss… I mean you're lovely and all… but I don't swing that way…" He retracted his arm to hold it behind his head. "That's why I was so shocked when Shouto here came in."
Silence fell over the room. Ok, not what Momo was expecting… That was a huge misfire mom.
Uncharacteristically, the silence was broken by Shouto, hitting his right fist in his left hands palm with an "Oh!"
They all turned to the half white-half red haired main. "That's right, Midoriya told me about your crush on Katsuki."
Eijirou stood up in shock startling everyone. "Wait, he knows?!"
Shouto simply nodded, his face as straight as ever. Indicating he was not joking or fishing for anything.
The man fell his chair again. "Oh man… Does Katsuki know?" He followed up quickly.
Shouto simply shook his head. "I'm not sure… from what I've heard, Midoriya simply observed this. You know how he is."
Eijirou nodded pensively. "Yeah…"
Both men fell silent as both women turned to each other.
All of sudden Ochako started laughing out loud again.
"I'm sorry,. this just keeps… getting better… and better." She hiccupped through her laughter.
The others soon joined them in laughter, well… Shouto didn't really laugh. He merely smiled and chuckled a little as he enjoyed their pleasure.
Eijirou suddenly stood up. "I like you guys, let's join tables!"
And before they could even object, he walked behind the table and started pushing his and Momo's table closer.
Ochako stood up enthusiastically and did the same. The moment the tables came together into one big table, and before Shouto and Momo could even register what happened. A small hum-hum was heard behind them.
The blonde waitress Camie was holding 4 small plates expertly in her arms, looking sternly at the new table arrangements.
"Oh, you don't mind, do you?" Eijirou smiled at her.
She frowned a little, but Shouto interrupted her before she could say anything.
"After all, everything has already been paid for and this will make us enjoy our stay… right?" He looked at her sternly, as if challenging her.
Momo recognised the look. It had been the same one he had, when he came into the meeting room the day she had her presentation. The one where she knew where the rumours of him being cold came from. She was happy he had never looked at her THAT way.
The woman seemed to be taken aback at first. But then simply shrugged and smiled.
"That's correct Mr. Todoroki. Please enjoy the first course!"
She started to put down the plates, one by one, in front of them. "Have you decided on the main course yet?"
Damn, this woman was quick on her feet. Momo had been so taken about the situation, she didn't have time to check the menu yet. It seemed that none of her now table companions had done so either.
Eijirou piped up again. "I'm sorry miss, can you give us a bit more time?"
Camie didn't seem surprised at all. "No problem, take your time." She skipped away towards the counter again.
Momo looked in front of her.
Carpaccio, cold soup… she hated this dish… why did every fancy restaurant always standardly serve this dish. Soup must be hot and steamy…
Ochako seemed to share her opinion as she poked the cold, green, deep plate. "What is this stuff?"
Momo felt grateful. This was the first time she didn't need to pretend to be polite or enjoyable, she could actually enjoy this for real.
"It's cold soup?" The red-haired man had taken a sip with his spoon.
He held up his hand towards the waitress, who came towards them again swiftly.
"No wait." Shouto tried to stop him, holding up his arm, but he wasn't fast enough.
"Ma'am, this soup is cold, can you heat this up again, please?" He asked her nicely.
Camie blinked and seemed taken aback.
"uhm… sure…?" She took his plate.
Ochako joined him. "So is mine, can you heat it too?"
She then winked to Momo, showing her, she knew that this was supposed to be served cold, but played along to see what would happen.
Momo turned towards Shouto. Whom caught on as well and simply shrugged and smiled as he also held out his plate towards the waitress.
The woman shook her head surprised, but again, recovered very quickly and smiled politely towards Momo. Whom also offered her plate with a shrug.
The blonde-haired lady simply bowed a little with the words. "Our apologies, I'll be back swiftly."
As soon as the woman had disappeared behind the door towards the kitchen, Ochako and Shouto actually started laughing out loud.
Momo was a little started, because she hadn't heard him laugh before, but it was very pleasant and joined in with Ochako and Shouto.
Eijirou looked between all 3 of his table companions confused. "What? What's so funny?"
This was turning out to be a wonderful evening.
Midoriya was trying to warm himself up a little by rubbing his hands together. He was leaning against the bush with his back towards the restaurant.
He and Kaminari has lost interest in the whole thing the moment both tables got put together and they where all sharing a meal happily.
The only thing that still bothered him was that there where literally no other people going in an out of the restaurant at all.
Seems like the Todoroki family had bought of the whole restaurant for the evening. Wouldn't put it against the father of his best friend.
He knew it was useless to ask Kacchan if they could go home now, because Kaminari kept asking it every half hour and the answer was a smack to the head of the other blonde.
He spared himself the pain by simply sitting there quietly.
The only thing keeping him warm, was the heat emanating from his roommate. He wasn't sure if it was jealousy, or just plain anger.
Whatever it was… he knew they would not leave here before their boss left.
He sighed to himself and turned back towards the restaurant to look at his friends.
All warm and stuffing themselves with fancy food…
This night was far from over.
"That's quite a story…" Ochako whistled.
Momo nodded towards Shouto and Eijirou.
"I agree, so what happened after you extinguished the fire in the lab?" She asked eagerly towards the men.
The red-haired man laughed out loud. "We simply found our classmate here." Gesturing to Shouto, "In the middle of the room, sitting quietly, inspecting the room and noting down the result of the damage and checking the ashes in how much actually burned up."
Shouto simply shrugged: "I had underestimated how quickly the fire had spread. But the results were fascinating and satisfying enough to write a decent paper about."
Eijirou hit his arm around the half-&-half haired man's shoulder. "It took all 3 of us, me, Midoriya and Katsuki to doze the fire, while Kaminari went and got the teachers for help."
Shouto let him and turned towards his older classmate while he continued: "Let's just say he made us find our calling to become firefighters."
Momo cocked her head questioningly. "Kaminari?"
Eijirou nodded: "Kaminari Denki, another old classmate of ours, you know him?"
"Small world! Yes, he's currently dating our best friend Jorou!" Ochako exclaimed.
"Oh! He keeps taking about her. He was setting up this elaborate plan to ask her to move in with him. I have a bet running with Katsuki, he says he's going to chicken out." Eijirou was pointing his finder towards Ochako. Rather impolitely Momo thought, but she knew now he didn't mean any harm by it.
Momo smiled at him: "I think you won that bet then. He asked and she said yes, they are currently looking for an apartment around here."
"Allright!" Eijirou air fisted. "Katsuki's gonna be so pissed!"
Momo rather enjoyed the cheerfull air these 2 'normal' people added to the otherwise stuffy restaurant.
She knew they were getting stares from the staff around, and even the cook came to see what was up at a certain point. She didn't know it was because the restaurant was otherwise empty, or just because the overall mood was so fun, but she couldn't care less.
Camie had also seemed to adjust nicely to their atmosphere and came up to them smiling.
"All righty then, who's up for desserts!" she cheerfully walked up to their table.
"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Ochako turned to the menu she just got handed again.
"These all sound so fancy. I'll take the… how do you pronounce this Yaomomo?" she leaned into her friend.
Yoamomo checked to see where her finger was pointing.
"Treacle tart." She pronounced perfectly. "A shortcrust pastry with a thick filling of golden syrup, breadcrumbs, and lemon juice." She explained.
Eijirou whistled. "Damn, that sounded so sophisticated…"
Shouto nodded at her, obviously impressed.
This made Momo blush a little.
Her brunette friend simply smiled proudly. "Yaomomo is like a walking dictionary. She's really smart and can remember everything!"
This made Momo blush a little more.
Even Camie chuckled a little. "To bad you aren't looking for a job, we're in a need of another waitress."
She noted down the order. "Anything else?"
Eijirou stared up and down the menu before he gave up. "I'll just have the same as hers…" He gestured towards Ochako, who simply smiled at him.
Almost in sync however Momo and Shouto said the same order: "I'll have a Mille crepe please."
They both looked up from their menu at each other surprised. Before they smiled gently.
Ochako looked between both of them and then at Eijirou with a grin.
The man looked at them impressed. She wasn't sure if it was because they where able because of their pronunciation or not, but she was content. Which gave her an idea. But she wasn't sure how she was going to convey this to the happy go lucky honest Red-haired man.
She'll ponder over it later… first dessert!
Camie had already left the table, only to return not much later with their delicious looking desserts.
The difference on the table was immediate.
Ochako and Eijirou devoured their dish super-fast, whereas Momo and Shouto politely ate their plate one bite at a time.
As soon as Ochako noticed that Eijirou had finished his, she kicked him under the table. (Hoping it was him she hit, and not Shouto of course.)
He looked up surprised and shocked at the sudden violence with a "hmph?"
She narrowed her eyes slighyly at him before she piped up: "We'll it's getting late, I should probably head home soon, Mother will be wondering what's up." She rose from her seat as she turned to Eijirou and narrowed her eyes again.
The man looked visibly confused.
"Oh, I'll bring you home then." Momo put down her fork next to her half-finished dish. She wasn't usually the type to leave her plate half empty, but when it came to friends, those always came first.
"No! I'll be fine!" Ochako gestured towards her, waving her hands around. "I know how you like to drink a coffee or something after a dessert, wouldn't want to take that away from you."
She then turned again to her red-haired table companion and rose her eyebrows at him with an obvious nod.
Momo also looked confused at her friend. "Well, that's true… but I don't mind-..."
Eijirou interrupted her, finally catching on. "I'll bring her home, I should go anyway, early day tomorrow, haha…" he stood up a little clumsily.
Ochako would facepalm if she could. Happy he finally caught on… not as happy that her plan was now obvious to everyone in the room.
Shouto rose an eyebrow, but made no attempt to say anything about it, even if he knew. "Well, it was nice to meet you." He rose politely and reached out his hand towards her.
Ochako grabbed it with both her own hands and shook it hastily, scared he might kiss her hand again or something. "You as well! Take care of Yaomomo for me!"
Shouto looked visibly shocked by the motion.
Momo rolled her eyes and rose as well with a smile and bowed towards Eijirou. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance Eijirou Kirishima, please bring Ochako home safely."
Eijirou quickly bowed back towards her a little stifly. "Same to you! I shall!"
They both waited and watched as their friends left the restaurant, waving quietly one last time before the door closed.
Momo sat down again and shook her head with a smile.
Shouto remained standing and cocked his head sideway at the door. "Did we just get set up again?" he turned to her pensively.
Momo took a bite of her dessert and swallowed before answering. "At least they left AFTER dessert this time." She shrugged.
A chuckle escaped him, which made her feel a little warm inside.
He took up his plate and move it towards the spot in front of her. "Might as well make the most of it then." He said, as he sat down.
Momo blushed a little and looked sideways to hide it.
"So, coffee?" he asked her, as he rose his hand towards the waitress.
Momo smiled at him.
"Yes please."
"Are we setting them up or something?" Eijirou asked Ochako as soon as the door closed behind them.
"Obviously." Ochako smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Those two are head over heels for each other, they are just to paranoid to figure it out.
Eijirou nodded pensively as he looked back towards the restaurant. He Noticed them both sitting across from each other and talking softly.
"They do look cute together." He smiled.
Ochako stopped walking and also looked at the window with a smile. She nodded.
"UGH, I'm such an idiot!" He suddenly exclaimed, putting both his hands on his head into his hair, pulling it a little, starting the brunette.
"What? Why?" She asked him, genuinely concerned.
"Why didn't you stop me! How was I supposed to know that soup can be drunk cold!" he let his head hang as they walked away from the restaurant, towards a remote path across from it.
This made Ochako laugh out loud. "Oh, that was so funny! The soup was even worse when it was warm, yet we still drank the whole thing! Hahaha!"
He smiled at her awkwardly.
He suddenly stopped and held her arm, he then put his finger on his lips.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, as she watched his whole demeanour change from goofy, to stern and protective. She could now see how he was the leader of a group of firefighters.
He pulled her behind him gently. "I know you're there, come out or I'll make you!" He yelled towards the bushes.
Ochako took his shoulder as she peered over it, towards the location he was yelling. He was still holding her wrist as he held her behind him.
Some rushing of leaves made her jump a little but as soon as the man came into view. She let out a sigh of relief.
A head of spiked, yellow hair appeared out of them as he stood up with his hands in the air. "Don't hurt us, we're not doing anything wrong!"
Kaminari stood up and walked towards them.
"Kaminari?" she asked, as she came out of the back of the man who was trying to protect her. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello Ochako." He waved happily. "Spying on Kirishima here actually, you?"
Before she could understand what he said, or even react. Another sound came from the bush. "You idiot! You're not supposed to say that!"
Followed by laughter from yet another voice. "But it's true!"
Eijirou sighed as he recognised the voices of his companions.
"You guys, what the hell?" He let go of Ochako. "I would have attacked you!"
"I know, that's why I came out, man." Kaminari shrugged. "I know what you can do when you're mad."
Out the bushes came another blonde-haired man, but slightly less yellow and more spiked. He looked a little more roughed up then Kaminari, but more buff.
She admired how he wasn't wearing any sleeves in this cold evening weather.
The third man, and probably the origin of the laughter, was green haired. Also spikes. But less so than the other two.
He was the more timid looking of the three and had scars all over his hands which didn't seem to stop as they disappeared behind his sleeves.
She looked at the men as they came into the light.
"What do you mean, spying on Kirishima?" she asked.
The fact that she asked it, took them aback a little.
Much to her surprise, the one with no sleeves answered her as he put his hand behind his head and looked sideways. "We saw the invitation on your desk today, and we wondered if it could have been a trap of some sords. So, we came to see if you needed some help."
A chuckle escaped from the man beside her. "All right, if you say so." He simply smiled at them.
The man who spoke up seemed to calm down and smile back at him.
Ochako watched the exchange between the two and looked at the green haired man in front of her, who also did the same, caught her eye and then shrugged.
"Are you Katsuki?" She asked the blonde.
The blonde seemed to be taken aback by the question but nodded none the less.
Eijirou's eyes widened, which did not go unnoticed by the green haired man as he grinned at her.
"I see…" she smiled. Eijirou turned to her, Panick clearly in his face as he shook his head pleadingly.
Ochako simply smiled, winked at her red-haired new friend and and extended her hand towards the blonde sleeveless man. "My name is Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you!"
The man now named Katsuki narrowed his eyes, extended his hand slowly as he shook hers. "Katsuki Bakugo." He said nothing else as he let her hand go.
She shifted her hand towards the green haired man expectantly.
"Oh!" He exclaimed as he also took her hand and shook it. "Midoriya Izuki, pleasure."
Her eyes went wide as she shook the hands a little more and pointed at him with her other hand. "Oh! You're Shouto's friend!"
Midoriya also kept shaking the hand: "Yes! He spoke of me?"
"Yeah, he spoke highly of you actually, he's really thankful for your friendship, please continue to take good care of him."
"Yes! I'm happy he said that, thank you!"
"You're friends with Yoayorozu, aren't you?" He asked her.
"Yes! I am!"
The hands where still shaking as silence fell. Slower and slower.
They both looked at their hands and then retracted them quickly when they fel silent. As if surprised at this.
Kaminari cocked his head at the odd exchange.
"Uh, Anyway, you know Kaminari." Kirishima interrupted the silence as he gestured to the other blonde, with the lighting bold in his head.
The man waved at her with a smile, The brunette did the same.
"I was going to take Uraraka home, you're welcome to join us, if it's all right with the lady?"
Ochako shrugged and smiled. "I feel safer already."
There was something about these boys… men, that seemed to put her at ease.
She was happy to put a face to the mysterious Katsuki and Midoriya. Plus, Kaminari was here too, and she knew he was to be trusted. Jiro would have his head otherwise.
She chuckled at the thought.
The men looked at each other and shrugged as they started to follow behind Eijirou and Ochako, who followed the lead.
"I heard Shouto was the one that got you into firefighting?" Ochako started the conversation.
This earned a "grumph" from the sleeveless blonde. "Yeah right."
"Actually, we had an interest in it before that… Shouto simply… fanned the flames." Midoriya started walking next to her as he started to elaborately explain how they met and what happened in great detail that laboratory fire.
There was something about this man that piked her interest, but she couldn't quite pinpoint her finger on what it was…
Little did she know, that during this whole exchange. They where being watched by another couple, through the restaurant window. Whom smiled at each other knowingly.
I- am- so- so- sorry.
so much happened in a year.
I got married, changed jobs, renovated… none of these excuses matter though… I'm just really sorry.
I still have inspiration for this story! No worries… It's just… time, Time is so sparce…!
Corona did help in a way though. More time at home means more time to write!
I'm not going to promise anything, other than the fact that I will try so much, to not wait as long as I did now.
I hope you like this chapter! I made it extra long for you guys to enjoy!
Have fun reading! Stay Safe! And be carefull everyone!
~much love
Ps: I do not own the characters, these belong to Kōhei Horikoshi