A/N: Hello again! First off, I would like to thank everyone who read my last story! Here's a sweet little Christmas one-shot I wrote while sleep-deprived last night. It hasn't been beta read, so I apologize for any mistakes! :) Please enjoy! (cross-posted on Ao3)
Momo smooths out the non-existent wrinkles in her Christmas dress and brushes her bangs behind her ear as she approaches Todoroki Shouto's door. She does one last inspection of the gift in her hands: the red wrapping paper is smooth and neat and the golden bow on top is secure. She breaks one hand from its tight hold on the gift box and raises it to the large brown door in front of her.
Momo hesitates for a brief second, before taking a deep breath and knocking timidly with a trembling hand. She quickly moves her hand and maneuvers the gift behind her back as she anxiously listens to the sound of Todoroki's footsteps growing closer.
The door opens and a look of surprise washes over Todoroki's face until he quickly masks it behind his usual indifferent demeanor.
"Yaoyorozu..." Todoroki trails off questioningly. His dual-colored brows are furrowed in confusion, but his eyes seem to brighten as she meets his gaze.
Momo feels heat rush to her cheeks as she takes in his appearance. He's wearing a cute reindeer sweater and its bright red nose matches the color of her dress.
"Todoroki-san, I wanted to give you your gift early because I wasn't sure if you'd make it to the party," she finally answers while bringing her arms out in front of her to reveal the gift.
Todoroki has been less sociable than usual, not that he was that sociable, to begin with. She knows he doesn't have the best home life without ever having to hear the full story. Momo is grateful he has trusted her with small hints here and there because Todoroki Shouto is not known for being open.
She can't help but wonder if his family has something to do with his recent change in behavior and the presumption puts her at unease.
Todoroki reaches forward and takes the gift from her grasp. His fingers brush against her own, sending warm tingles up her arm. Momo feels the heat rise once again. He flips over the present and peels away the red wrapping paper to reveal a cardboard box.
"Yaoyorozu, I need scissors to open this," he says. She watches as his long index finger traces over the tape, wondering if he'd leave a trail of warmth behind if it were her own skin that he was tracing instead.
She shakes away the thought, inwardly scolding herself, not wanting to dwell on what it could insinuate. Todoroki is simply her friend who she deeply cares about, and she should not be thinking about her friend's touch.
Todoroki turns to enter his room and beckons for her to follow with a flick of his wrist. Hesitantly, Momo looks around the hallway. Girls aren't technically supposed to enter the guy's dorm rooms unsupervised, but she decides she can make this one exception for him. She follows him inside and stands next to him as he reaches for the scissors on his desk.
Momo watches as the wrapping paper falls to the floor and he cuts the tape. She worries about how he'll react; she didn't account for what she'd do if he doesn't like his gift.
Momo twiddles her long hair, a nervous habit she picked up in middle school. It's one reason for her usual spiky updo, but she regrettably decided to forgo it today. Her hair is down, cascading in long, dark waves and parted in the middle. Momo tries to brush her bangs out of her face but they fall right back down.
She nibbles her lip as he stares completely unresponsive at the contents of the box. Her nerves are shot and she's dying to know what he's thinking.
"I-it's not much, but I hope you like it..." she says as he pulls out a gift card and cat slippers from the box. There's still no response from him. He's just looking at them.
She wrings her hands together and attempts to do some damage control. "I-it's okay if you don't, I can get you something else. I know you wouldn't want anything flashy unless you did. Oh no, did I mess up? I'm sorr-"
He places the gift down on his desk and reaches out to steady her hands, effectively stopping her frantic rambling. She freezes and looks up into his sparkling, heterochromatic eyes. His eyes always show his true emotions.
In reality, Momo is exceptional at reading him; it's as if it is woven into her instincts. She was never one to rely solely on instinct, though. Momo much prefers logic and reasoning. His eyes don't look upset in the slightest, but she reasons with herself that his lack of response contradicts this notion.
"Yaoyorozu," he says firmly, still holding her gaze. She had gotten lost in his eyes. Breaking out of her stupor, she slowly retracts her hands from his hold and looks down at her black flats, distracting herself with the small jingle bells attached to the top.
She lets out a breathy sigh, mentally preparing herself to face him again. "I'm sorry, Todoroki-san. I know you love that restaurant's soba and you love cats, so I just thought..." she trails off, not meeting his gaze.
He reaches up with his right hand and gently tucks those annoying bangs behind her ear, catching her off guard. She looks up at him, lips parted in surprise.
The soft look in his eyes now makes her heart melt, and her insecurities seep away. Logic and reasoning cannot outweigh how he makes her feel. His hand slides down from her ear to cup her cheek, keeping her from turning away from his intense gaze.
"Yaoyorozu, I love it. Any gift from you is a gift I'm happy to receive," he reassures her with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Tears well up in her eyes and she's hyper-aware of his touch. His hand is cold, but fire dances across her skin from the contact. Her stomach flutters and she whips around to hide her emotions, pulling away from his hold. She can't let Todoroki see her like this. She's an emotional mess tonight. Momo usually loves the sentimental atmosphere that comes with the holiday season, but right now she curses it.
"Yaoyorozu, are you okay? If you're feeling sick, there's a pressure point on the instep of your foot..."
He is effectively cut off as she laughs, fondly remembering the first time he said something like that. He restored her confidence then and he reassured her tonight. She knows she shouldn't worry so much around him, but there's something about him that always leaves her with her stomach in knots, her nerves a wreck, and an unfamiliar warmth in her chest.
She knows Todoroki cares. He cares about her and she cares about him. She hates that he's been closing himself off lately and she longs to help him with whatever troubles he's going through.
Momo misses him and so does the rest of the class. He has come such a long way since they all first started at U.A. and she would hate to see him revert to the old Todoroki who thought he didn't need friends.
She wants the Todoroki she's grown so close to back before it's too late. The one who she can share her insecurities with, the one who she can make laugh, the one who briefly smiles at her in class every morning, the one who asks her to have tea with him, the one who introduced her to his favorite stray cat: she wants that Todoroki, the real Todoroki Shouto. She knows it won't be easy, but she'll bring him back. Ah, those are the sentimental feelings she loves.
With tears still in her eyes and a bright smile on her face, she turns around with renewed confidence. A very concerned and confused Todoroki blinks down at her. Feeling bold, Momo leaps forward and wraps her arms around his waist while burying her face in his shoulder.
He tenses up at the surprise contact, but he slowly melts into her arms, encircling his own around her and pulling her closer.
"Are you okay?" he whispers in concern. His breath tickles her ear while he rubs circles on her back. The fact that he's trying to comfort her despite his own issues causes her heart to swell.
She smiles against him, but her voice is tinged with sadness when she speaks. "Are you okay?" she questions as she pulls away enough to tilt her head up to look at him. He meets her gaze and she sees so many emotions flickering within his beautiful eyes.
"Let's talk about this later. I'm not okay, but I will be eventually… I promise," he answers honestly, still making sure she doesn't worry herself. Momo will hold him to his word, but for right now, she doesn't want to push him. This is the most he's spoken to anyone in weeks and she doesn't want him shutting her out.
She notes the light had fallen from his eyes at her question, and it weighs heavily on her heart. She sighs and settles back into his arms, taking in the scent that she can only describe as him. It's fresh and wintry, but warm and comforting at the same time.
She wishes she could stay like this forever, but she knows the party must be starting soon.
She squeezes him tighter, if only for a moment, before finally answering his question, "I'm fine, Todoroki. You just made me really happy, that's all."
She pulls out of his embrace and prepares to leave, but she notices Todoroki bending down and her brows knit in confusion. He bends down, sifting through the discarded wrapping paper as if he's searching for something.
"What are you doing?" Momo questions, unable to see anything of value in the mess of red at their feet.
He rises from the floor, holding something behind his back with a hint of a smile on his lips. "Now, it's my turn to give you your gift."
He brings his hands between them to reveal the golden bow. Momo's lips part in surprise and a blush dusts her cheeks as he lifts his arms up and places the bow atop a bed of red and white locks.
"What's the meaning of this, Todoroki-san?" she asks, but she has a feeling she knows where this is going. The red hue on her cheeks grows to match her dress.
"I'm giving you your gift... it's me. I'm escorting you to the party," he says with a soft smile finally breaking through. Momo is dumbfounded, finding herself beaming back at him. The light has returned to his eyes. She can't believe how much she missed it while it was gone. She enjoys the moment, not thinking about how long it'll last. He's here right now, that Todoroki she's yearned for, and that's what matters.
He reaches out his left hand, grasping her slender hand with his calloused one, intertwining their fingers. Momo never realized how much bigger his hands were than her own, but she still thinks they fit perfectly together.
Distracted by the warmth of his touch, she doesn't even realize he's led her out of the room until she almost trips over her own feet.
"W-wait!" she stammers out, tugging on his hand. He brings them to a halt in the middle of the hallway and stares at her blankly.
"What?" he questions, tilting his head down towards her, still not letting go of her hand.
She tugs her hand out of his grasp and she almost feels bad when she sees his face fall into a disappointed frown. Todoroki is especially cute when he's pouty.
"Ahh, Todoroki..." she says gently with her lips quirking up into an amused smile, "you can't go to the party looking like that." She giggles as she reaches up to remove the bow from his head.
His smile returns when she reaches for his hand, intertwining their fingers once again. As she leads them to the common room, he can't help but think she's like his light in the darkness. Yaoyorozu Momo, Todoroki Shouto's own personal Christmas star.
A/N: I hope you found this cute/heartwarming in light of the Christmas spirit! Please fav if you enjoyed reading this, and feel free to review regardless of whether you liked it or not. Praise, as well as criticism, are both welcome! Follow me on Twitter, WillaWillow, for constant Tdmm posts.