Second part. A lot more of Todoroki's pov. He's so cute and oblivious I love him.
Thank you to my betas: FlourChildWrites, Emberstork, Crazyelf2018 and Revaliciousness !
Also, thank you so much Pettymardimari for the adorable art! I wasn't able to include it in the actual story because it's a gif, but please check this adorable art out on my twitter, TeaPlease1717!
KeroKeroNyao - OMG! Thank you so much! That means a lot to me that you are able to see a difference in my works. I've been trying really hard to improve and create more interesting and well written stories, but there are definitely days where I feel like I'm going backwards. So hearing you think I've improved makes my day.
The Ennichi drama cd was such a blessing to the TodoMomo shipper fandom. I can't wait for the crumbs in s5!
Thank you so much for reading and always supporting. :D
fencer29 - Lol! So true and in her embarrassment volunteers to take over the whole planning of the day so she can run out of the classroom and squeal in the bathroom. Hahaha.
Whispers and giggling voices of admiration swept down the hallway. Like the alluring smell of baked bread, they wafted through the corridor, drawing Momo's attention.
She glanced up from the stack of quizzes in her arms and froze.
Golden tendrils of sunlight poured in from the floor-length windows, reflecting in Todoroki's familiar hair like fire and starlight.
Her stomach flipped, and Momo sucked in a sharp breath. Then she lurched forward, and with her free hand, grabbed Jirou's wrist, pulling her friend back behind the hallway bend.
"Yaomomo!"
Momo released Jirou once they were safely hidden. "I'm sorry," she whispered hurriedly. Her heart raced. She pressed her back against the cool plaster and brought the quizzes up to her chest, her fingers trembling.
What was Todoroki doing here? Not that he couldn't be here, but it was after school hours, and he was usually at the gym with Midoriya. And who were those girls he was talking to?
Swallowing over a dry throat, Momo slowly inched along the wall to glance around the corner.
Todoroki Shouto stood at the other end of the hallway surrounded by younger classmen that she recognized as their juniors from the general studies course.
Momo's eyes narrowed as she studied them. The girls had rolled up the waistbands of their skirts, exposing more of their thighs than was proper, and their hair had been cutely styled into buns and braids.
One giggled and stepped closer to Todoroki; Momo frowned. It wasn't that she was jealous, though. Why would she be? Todoroki could have friends outside of their class. Momo was just concerned for him as a friend and fellow hero in training. This was the third group of girls who had approached Todoroki this last week — not that she was counting.
Suddenly, Todoroki lifted his head, and storm gray and piercing blue eyes looked towards her. Momo's stomach flipped sharply. She tore her gaze away, leaning back against the wall, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady her racing pulse.
It was fine. It was fine. He hadn't seen her...she didn't think.
Momo hugged the quizzes closer to her chest. Even if he had, it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. She wasn't stalking him. They just happened to be in the hallway at the same time. There was no reason to get flustered.
Feeling better, Momo opened her eyes and turned to see Jirou studying her intently.
Momo jerked.
"Avoiding Todoroki again?" Jirou asked tonelessly, raising an eyebrow.
"No!" Momo gasped, straightening nervously. Her fingers tightened around the quizzes, creasing the paper as heat spread up her neck. "We aren't avoiding him," Momo insisted quickly. Lowering her voice so that Todoroki and their junior classmen wouldn't be able to hear. "Only - only waiting until Todoroki-san finishes his conversation with our junior classmen. As heroes in training, we need to respect the privacy of others and not eavesdrop. And -"
"Yaoyorozu. Jirou." A deep baritone cut through her words.
Momo started with a squeak.
Jirou looked over Momo's shoulder, her expression deadpan. "Oh. He caught us."
Momo turned; her gaze met heterochromatic eyes. "To-Todoroki-san!" she stuttered.
He looked between her and Jirou in confusion. "What are you two doing?"
Momo swallowed. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. "We were - that is, we didn't want to bother you as you were speaking with our underclassmen."
Todoroki stared at her blankly, and Momo forced an innocent smile.
"Oh, I see," he said after a moment. Then he tilted his head and looked down at the papers in her arms. "Taking work to Aizawa-sensei?" He reached up and adjusted the shoulder strap of his school bag as his gaze drew back up to her face. "I'm going that way too. I'll walk with you both."
Momo's smile faltered. "That's - That's o -"
"Oh," Jirou interrupted in a high, saccharine voice. Momo furrowed her eyebrows as she turned sharply to stare at her.
Jirou reached up and rubbed the back of her neck; a sly smile curved at the corners of her lips. "I just remembered I forgot something in the classroom."
Momo's stomach dropped.
No.
Jirou wouldn't…
That would be too cruel.
Jirou's dark eyes glittered as they met hers. "You two go on without me."
"Jirou..."
"I'll catch up," Jirou said, holding up her hands, her smile feigning innocence. Then, her eyes flashed, and she took an abrupt step closer, leaning into Momo's side. "Good luck," she whispered in a voice that only Momo could hear.
It felt like the floor had fallen out from under Momo. But, before she could compose herself, Jirou gave a mock salute and strode off down the hallway, abandoning her.
A cold sweat chilled the back of Momo's neck.
Traitor.
Fiend.
How could Jirou do this to her? She had been the one who had forced Momo to realize she had feelings for Todoroki, and now she was leaving her alone with him? Momo was going to make a complete fool of herself in front of Todoroki. What was Jirou thinking?
Momo's legs buckled. She was never going to forgive her.
Never. Never. Never.
"Yaoyorozu," Todoroki said, slicing through her thoughts. "What are you mumbling about?"
Momo felt her pulse jump in her throat. She looked back up quickly. "Nothing!"
Todoroki tilted his head, studying her for a moment before giving her a small nod. "Let's go then," he said, turning.
"Y-yes!" Drawing in a deep breath, Momo forced her feet to follow him down the hallway towards the teacher's lounge.
She could do this. It was just a simple walk. A simple walk with the guy that she had a crush on.
Momo dropped her gaze to the floor, heat staining her cheeks.
She was acting immature. Nothing had changed between them. Todoroki still treated her exactly the same. Momo tried to ignore the disappointment that welled up in her chest at the thought.
Maybe it was because, for the first time, she realized how handsome he was or just how many other admirers he had. It wasn't that Momo hadn't known Todoroki was popular with the female student body at U.A. — Ashido mentioned it enough that it was impossible for her not to know, but Momo had never really paid attention to how many girls had their eyes on him. Were all the girls that approached him as cute as those last ones?
Momo looked down at herself. She didn't stick out at all. Her hands and knees were scraped from hero training, and her hair was knotted and messily bunched into a high ponytail. Even her waist wasn't as petite as most women's because she needed the extra fat for her quirk.
She frowned at her line of thinking. This wasn't like her at all. Momo was aiming to become a top hero; she didn't have time for self-deprecating or immature thoughts.
Even her actions recently had become quite childish: Eavesdropping around corners and avoiding her seatmate between classes. Todoroki would be disappointed in her if he knew.
Besides, Momo knew that his offer to accompany her to the festival should not be taken out of context. It had been a simple case of one very attractive friend asking a very reliable class representative to do their best to organize a class event because he planned to be in attendance. They were aiming to become heroes; they didn't have time for dates or flirting, let alone a relationship. And it wasn't as if Todoroki had given her any other indication that he was attracted to either her or the underclassmen who accosted him daily.
Todoroki suddenly stopped, and Momo almost bumped into him before pulling up short. Her eyes snapped up and she felt her chest tighten as she realized that, while she had been lost in her thoughts, they had arrived at the teacher's lounge.
Todoroki reached out and pulled open the large sliding door then turned to her.
Momo licked her lips and swallowed over a lump in her throat. "Thank you again for walking with me Todoroki-san." She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before adding, "And, I'm sorry if we interrupted your conversation earlier. We were trying to be quiet..."
Todoroki shrugged, emotionless. "It's fine. We were done talking. I told them I wasn't interested in hanging out."
"I see," she said in relief. Momo pressed the papers closer to her chest.
Would it be rude to mention that she had noticed how many classmen she had seen approaching him recently? They were friends, right? Friends could ask those kinds of questions, couldn't they? She inhaled deeply and before her courage could abandon her, added, "I've noticed that a lot of our younger classmen have been approaching you recently."
Todoroki snorted and looked away, his lips thinning slightly. "Yeah, I think there is some sort of a game going on."
Momo's eyebrows pulled together. "A game?"
Someone was playing a game on Todoroki-san? Is that why those girls had approached him?
The relief she had felt was replaced by anger and a heavy sense of injustice at her junior classmates' actions towards Todoroki.
How cruel.
Todoroki-san was an aspiring hero. Did the general studies girls not take him seriously because he was handsome? They should focus on their own studies instead of distracting him from his aspirations.
Todoroki looked back at her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. "I didn't know if you knew about it?"
"Of course not," she said sharply, meeting his gaze. "We are heroes in training. They should be respectful and shouldn't be playing games on you, especially without telling you the rules. It's inappropriate -"
Todoroki's lips twitched, and Momo stopped. "What?"
He shook his head. "If I knew you felt this way, I wouldn't have told them that you already won."
Momo's eyes widened. Her heart rate shot up. "What do you mean?" she squeaked.
"Yukata shopping."
Momo let out a deep breath. Of course. Of course, he meant that. No need to get worked up. She cleared her throat and looked back up at him. "How does yukata shopping allow one to win though?"
Todoroki brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I don't know the rules, but I think the winner is whoever gets me to agree to spend time with them." He glanced back towards her, and although his expression was unreadable, she thought his eyes seemed pleased. "Because we're going shopping next weekend. I told them that you won."
Momo felt her heart stutter. "You're going?" Momo asked, surprised. She hadn't been expecting him to attend.
"Hmm." He nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"But, I thought you usually visit your mother on that day?"
"I told her I'd go a different day. Besides, she seemed weirdly excited about it," he said, glancing away for a moment, almost bashful, and then looking back at her. A small smile pulled at his lips that made Momo's entire body grow warm. "So I'll be relying on you, Yaoyorozu."
Momo smiled brightly. "Of course! You can count on me."
She entered the staff room feeling lighter than she had all week.
"Todoroki, there's another group of girls here to see you," Kaminari said, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder.
It was Thursday afternoon of their last week of class before summer break, and 2-A had just finished gym class. The girls, as per usual, were still changing, leaving the guys time to relax before their next lesson.
Shouto looked up from the hero magazine Midoriya had spread out over the desk. A new group of younger classmen hovered outside of the doorway staring at him hopefully.
His eyebrows drew together, and he looked back at Kaminari. "Tell them they lost already."
Kaminari blinked, and his mouth dropped open. "What do you mean they lost already?"
Shouto shifted. Even though his classmates continued to chatter and act normally, somehow, Shouto felt like all their attention was on him. He frowned. "The game they are playing, Yaoyorozu won."
Suddenly the classroom went unnaturally silent. Todoroki tilted his head. He didn't understand what was wrong.
He looked at Midoriya, hoping to get an answer, but Midoriya was trembling. By the hue of his face, which practically matched Shouto's red hair, he didn't think he'd be getting an answer anytime soon.
Shouto frowned. He had been stating a fact. It wasn't like he had said anything controversial.
Kaminari's mouth opened and closed a few times before it seemed his brain literally sparked back into action. "What?"
Then everyone was turning to look at him.
"Bro-roki, what do you mean?" Sero demanded as he practically jumped over the desks to get closer.
"Are you and the goddess going out?" Mineta demanded. His purple head looked about to explode.
Shouto hummed. "Yeah, I'm going with everyone shopping for yukatas this weekend, and then the Sumidagawa festival in July…is no one else going?"
There was a collective exhale that Shouto could almost feel throughout the room. Shouto eyebrows knit together as the guys seemed to deflate, falling back into their seats.
"So innocent," Kaminari said, shaking his head. "Okay. Okay. I'll tell the girls you aren't interested."
Shouto nodded slowly. "Thanks."
As Kaminari walked away, Midoriya looked back up at Shouto.
"Todoroki-kun, what did you mean when you said Yaoyorozu won?" Midoriya asked slowly.
Shouto shrugged. "There's been a game that girls have been playing to ask me to hangout over summer break. I'm going with Yaoyorozu shopping and to the festival, so she won," he said, lifting his chin. Filled once again with that sense of pride he'd felt when he told Yaoyorozu that she won.
Yaoyorozu may not have known about the game, but Shouto was happy he had helped her win. It would have been unfair if she had lost without even knowing.
"Todoroki-kun," Midoriya said gently, after a second. "There is no such game."
Shouto tilted his head. He didn't understand. Why would random girls keep asking him to hangout if it wasn't part of some game? That didn't make sense. Why else would they want to hangout with a boy who had a scar over his eye if they didn't know him?
Mineta sighed heavily in his seat behind Midoriya. "Only hot and cool looking guys can be this dense," he whined, dropping his head onto his desk.
Shouto frowned. He didn't know what to make of that comment. He guessed it didn't matter though. Shouto was positive that he had helped Yaoyorozu win, and the thought made warmth curl in his chest.
"I'm still mad at you for yesterday," Momo said indignantly, adjusting her bag on her shoulder as she walked back towards the dorms.
"Ah, come on," Jirou whined, poking Momo's side with her earphone jack. Her eyes twinkled knowingly. "I didn't say anything bad."
Momo glared down at Jirou. "You abandoned me!"
"Helped you get a date, you mean."
Momo ignored her as heat spread across her cheeks. "I was so embarrassed. And it's not a date. We are going as a class."
"Yeah, but now you can stop worrying about those other girls. Todoroki said he'd come Saturday. So, all is good."
Momo huffed and picked up her pace. She couldn't believe Jirou. Even if she was feeling better knowing Todoroki had turned their junior classmen down, it wasn't like she was going to forgive Jirou that easily.
"You know," Jirou started in an offhand voice, keeping pace with Momo's stride, "Now that he's coming, you could always get matching outfits."
Momo's eyes widened, and her heart stuttered on the phrase.
Matching outfits? Her and Todoroki?
Momo's face image of Todoroki leading her hand in hand through the stalls, in a yukata that matched hers, flickered through her mind.
He looked back at her, smiling. "I've been dreaming of escorting you again."
Ahhh!
Momo shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. Her heart raced.
What was she thinking? She shouldn't get ahead of herself. Matching yukatas didn't mean they'd be a couple...but, maybe it was the start?
Shouto shifted as Yaoyorozu's dark eyes looked him up and down critically.
She turned around and pulled a dark blue yukata off of a neatly pressed pile. Carefully shaking it out, she held it up to his chest, just like his sister did whenever she tried to determine if a color suited him.
Shouto glanced away in an attempt to distract himself from how close Yaoyorozu was standing. His neck was hot, and he cleared his suddenly dry throat as he looked around the dressing room.
The changing area, just like the rest of the store, was fancy - fancier than any place Shouto had ever been in before, especially for clothes shopping.
A long carpeted hallway led to four side-by-side changing stalls draped with heavy gray curtains. At either end of the hallway were two full-length mirrors. And along the opposite wall, where Yaoyorozu had stacked her pile of yukatas, was a long table that had been set up with glass pitchers holding different types of flavored water.
"Here," Yaoyorozu finally said, her brow creasing into a 'v,' "Try this one on next."
It was a deep navy blue with rectangular patterns and looked exactly the same as the one he had on. But he could tell by the determined gleam in Yaoyorozu's eyes that this wasn't something he should say out loud.
Shouto forced himself not to sigh. He didn't understand why shopping for yukatas seemed so important to her, but she appeared eager in her endeavor.
Whatever made her happy, he guessed.
And it was obvious that Yaoyorozu was happy doing this. She was in her element, sweeping up and down the aisles pulling off various yukatas of every color for their classmates to try on. Even Midoriya, who always dressed in ill-fitting pants and oversized boots, seemed to find something reasonable thanks to Yaoyorozu's attention.
Shouto reached out and pulled the fabric from Yaoyorozu's hands. He stepped back into the small box-shaped changing room, closing the heavy fabric curtain again.
Slowly, Shouto stripped out of his current yukata, folding the fabric as gently as he could, before pulling on the one Yaoyorozu had just handed him. It must have been the tenth one he tried on. His legs were starting to ache.
When he was dressed, Shouto pulled open the curtain and stepped out. He scanned the hallway. Yaoyorozu was gone — off to find more yukatas probably.
Shouto tilted his head to both sides until his neck cracked and then leaned against the doorway of his dressing room. At the far end of the hallway, Shouto thought he heard what sounded like Sato Rikido's deep timber mumbling from one of the stalls.
He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together as he waited.
Tired.
He wondered how Yaoyorozu did it.
Shouto had never been what Fuyumi called a "shopper." He rarely went to stores himself, usually relying on his sister to bring home clothes for him to try on. And they had been at the yukata store for over two hours. He honestly didn't know what had gotten into him. And the fact that he didn't feel overly annoyed at the whole process was strange as well.
Maybe it was because they were doing it as a class? Or because even his mom had urged him to skip their usual Saturday lunches to come out. He wasn't sure; all Shouto knew was that Yaoyorozu was trying her best, and he didn't want to disappoint her, especially when, for some odd reason, he felt that Yaoyorozu was putting considerable more effort into helping him specifically. The thought sent a strange rush of satisfaction through his body, and his chest felt lighter.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yaoyorozu's voice carried from the doorway.
Shouto straightened as Yaoyorozu walked back into the dressing room. More yukatas were draped over her arm.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him, and she smiled. "Oh, this one looks so good on you!"
She moved closer and beamed as she studied him, her black eyes shining. Shouto felt his earlier tiredness melt away as his stomach somersaulted.
"What do you think?" Yaoyorozu asked after a moment.
Shouto swallowed and shrugged. "It's fine."
Her eyes flickered up to his face, and her mouth thinned. "Todoroki-san, you have to have an opinion." Her voice held a note of impatience.
Shouto's lips twitched. He looked away before she could catch him. "Any of them are good. I'll get whichever one you like."
Yaoyorozu huffed. Her cheeks puffed out in a way he had never seen before; it reminded him of a hamster, and Shouto felt a rush of warmth spread through him.
Cute.
The word invaded his thoughts before he could censor it. It was foreign, alien, but it fit.
He looked back down at the yukatas in her arms and blinked as he noticed the sleeves were decorated with delicate flowers and objects that definitely weren't for men.
"For you?"
Yaoyorozu followed his gaze down to her arms and smiled. "Yes. I'm almost done helping everyone else, so I thought I'd try on a couple as well. I was thinking a dark blue might be a nice change from what I usually wear, but have a couple of different colors for comparison..."
Shouto opened his mouth to say something when a deep red one caught his attention. He stepped forward, and without thought, reached a daring hand out and caught the end of the fabric.
Shouto had never been one to touch another's things, especially without asking, but these were store items, so he didn't see anything wrong with it. "I like this one."
Yaoyorozu looked up sharply. Her dark eyes were almost doe-like as she searched his face, and Shouto couldn't help feeling pleased with catching her off guard. "Th - thank you."
He nodded, releasing the fabric. They were so close the cloth of the yukatas in her arms skimmed against Shouto's arm, but he didn't move away. "The red color reminds me of your hero costume."
"Well - I still have to try it on to see if it will look good."
He felt his lips lift on one side. "I think it will. The color suits you."
"Yaoyorozu-san, how do you tie this?"
Yaoyorozu flushed red, stumbling backward as Sato's nasally voice sounded down the hall, and the metal hooks of his changing curtain clanged as he opened it.
Shouto frowned, feeling unexpectedly disappointed as she edged away from him.
"Sato-san, I'll be right over," Yaoyorozu called down the hallway. She pushed her yukatas onto the table.
Shouto took a step back and was about to re-enter his dressing room when he paused, his fingers bunching in the gray curtain. He glanced back over his shoulder at Yaoyorozu. "Thanks, Yaoyorozu, for the help."
She looked up, and her dark eyes met his. His chest tightened. "I'll get this one," he added.
"You're - you're welcome!" Yaoyorozu stuttered as he closed the curtain behind him.
Slowly, like an old movie, the days finally eased into July, spreading a humid heat over Tokyo. Shouto had spent most of his time working part-time under his father or visiting his mother. Otherwise, another summer was passing by uneventfully. The only thing that seemed different was that sometimes he'd find himself wondering about Yaoyorozu or thinking about the upcoming festival with his classmates. And the more he thought about it, the more he found himself looking forward to it. So it was a relief when the day of the Sumidagawa festival finally arrived.
"You look so handsome in blue!" His mother said excitedly, stepping closer. Her normally even and controlled voice fluctuated with barely contained emotion.
Shouto shifted. His ears felt hot as his mother straightened out the collar of his yukata. "Yaoyorozu picked it out."
Her smile widened, her gray eyes creasing at the corners. "Ah, she has good taste then. You'll have to thank her for me."
Shouto hummed as his mother finally stepped back and looked him up and down; a warmth that he had never seen before shown in her eyes. His throat tightened as he watched her.
It was almost surreal to see her like this. His mother seemed younger and happier than he could ever remember. As if seeing him go to a festival was one of those parent milestone things.
Perhaps it was — or maybe she was once again reading between the lines, into the emotional space Shouto still didn't know how to interpret for himself yet.
It had taken him ten years to muster the courage to face his mother again, but within a few months, it felt like she already knew him better than he knew himself.
Even when his letters were sparse, his mother seemed to understand the words and emotions he didn't say. It wasn't that he was trying to leave things out on purpose. He simply didn't always know to describe things beyond what they were.
Shouto had never been good at interpreting his feelings — probably thanks to his bastard of a father. But recently it had become even more difficult, especially when thinking of Yaoyorozu, to put his thoughts into words.
For some reason, though, it seemed like the more confused and frustrated Shouto felt about these feelings, the happier his mother became. As if she were reading from a different book than him.
It could be slightly annoying, but, at least for today, he'd let it go because of how happy she was.
There was a curt knock, and then the door slid open to reveal a nurse. "Todoroki-san, it's time for your medicine."
His mother nodded.
Shouto glanced up at the clock above the nurse's head. Almost three.
He looked back at his mother. "I better get going. It's a two hour train ride to get to the restaurant."
"Of course." She smiled brightly up at him. Her dark gray eyes twinkled. "Your mother would like a full report of your time with Yaoyorozu-san."
Momo raised her head. Her reflection shimmered in the mirror hanging against the pastel pink wall of her Tokyo bedroom.
The room wasn't as large as the one in her family's main home in Aichi, but comfortably fit a canopied queen size bed with matching Italian nightstands and dresser. On one wall, a silver Venetian mirror hung from ceiling to floor outside of a walk-in closet.
Momo's heart pounded in her chest as she studied her reflection, warmth spreading in her limbs.
After an uneventful summer, it was finally the day of the Sumigada festival, and Momo could hardly contain her excitement. She had gotten up early, double-checked the reservations, and then, unable to stop herself, pulled on her yukata hours earlier than necessary.
She reached down and adjusted the sleeve of her yukata, careful not to wrinkle the delicate fabric. It was crimson with Sakura flowers of varying sizes and shades climbing up the sleeves and a pink obi fastened around her waist to cinch the fabric closed.
It didn't match Todoroki's outfit like she had originally planned, but he had picked this one out for her. And red and blue were complementary colors, so arguably, they could still look like a couple.
Momo felt her cheeks warm, and she cupped her face.
She looked pretty. Her hair was no longer in a spiky ponytail but neatly tucked into a braided bun.
There was still four hours before she would meet up with her schoolmates at the yakitori restaurant. Admittedly, Momo was still a little unsure if that was the best choice for their class dinner, but Jirou had assured her repeatedly that the guys would only be happy if there was a lot of meat. And she had already checked that the restaurant had cold soba.
Momo went and laid down on top of her bed. She couldn't stop smiling.
Four more hours, and then she'd get to see Todoroki. Maybe she could surreptitiously sit next to him at the restaurant. He could ask for the soy sauce or for her to pass a drink, and she could pour it for him. Or, what if, while she gave him something, their hands brushed?
She pressed her face into her pillow and squealed at the image. She needed to calm down. If she kept imagining these hypothetical scenarios, she would jinx herself.
Drawing in a deep breath, Momo turned over to stare up at the canopy of her bed. She couldn't wait. The night couldn't come fast enough.
There was a sharp knock on her door, and Momo looked over. "Who is it?"
"Momo, dear. May I come in?"
Momo sat up at the sound of her mother's soft, silvery voice. "Yes, mother?" she called, patting down her cheeks, hoping to hide the evidence of her earlier inappropriate thoughts.
Her door creaked open, and a tall, lithe woman swept in. Her long, blonde hair had been pinned into an intricate bun that not a single hair dared to fall out from, and she walked with perfect grace, hinting at her past training as a model.
Momo's mother looked around the room before spotting her on the bed. Her lips pulled into a small smile that almost looked — regretful? "I'm sorry, my Momo-chan but I need to talk to you."
Momo nodded. She smoothed down the front of the yukata as she scooted to the edge of her bed.
"I know you are going to be upset," her mother began delicately, as she moved closer, "But, I just received news from your father. He said he's on a direct flight home from Singapore for a quick layover before his trip to America tomorrow morning." Her mother's face flickered, and she bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, before continuing. "I know you had your heart set on seeing your friends tonight, but I'd like to request you reconsider."
Momo's eyes widened with shock. "What?" Her heart felt like it had suddenly dropped into the pit of her stomach. "I…"
Her mother's eyes softened as she sat down on the bed next to Momo. Her mother had the slight citrusy smell of bergamot mixed with the softer scents of rose and jasmine. "You haven't seen your Father in almost a year. He will want to see you and hear all about your training." She reached out and gently drew Momo's right hand into her own. "I reserved seats at your favorite French restaurant to apologize."
Momo dropped her gaze to watch her mother's hands wrap around her own. She blinked as her vision grew blurry. "I…I wanted to see the fireworks with everyone," Momo whispered.
Her mother squeezed her hand. "I know." Her voice held a string of regret. "But, you can go see the fireworks with them next year." Her mother's dark eyes, so similar to Momo's own, searched her face. "We hardly have a chance these days to do anything as a family. Your friends would understand, wouldn't they? Will you do this - for me?"
Momo bit her lower lip. She knew how much her mother treasured their family time, and she hardly ever asked anything of Momo. Her parents had always supported her and loved her dearly. Would she be a bad daughter if she refused?
Momo's stomach twisted. "Yes, mother," she said after a moment, because, at the end of the day, she could never go against her mother's wishes.
Her mother's face relaxed, and her mouth curved up into a small, grateful smile. "Next New Year's, we can go see the fireworks in Paris. They're lovely."
Shouto tuned Midoriya and Iida out as he leaned back in his chair and looked around for a signature ponytail.
Class 2-A was packed into a private dining room. Smoke and the smell of grilled yakitori permeated the air as they chatted excitedly about the upcoming night.
Where was she?
Yaoyorozu planned for their class to meet here before going to enjoy the rest of the festival. Had something happened?
"Iida," he said, interrupting his friend's conversation with Midoriya. "Where's Yaoyorozu?"
Iida blinked then adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, Yaoyorozu-kun isn't going to make it tonight."
"What?" Shouto demanded. His stomach clenched almost painfully.
Iida shook his head in regret. "She said that her father had come back from a business trip so she was going to attend a family dinner."
Shouto felt a pang of hurt that she hadn't messaged him, but then, it wasn't like she had any specific obligation to him.
"Thanks," he muttered, dropping his head to glare down at his plate. He suddenly didn't feel like being at the event.
Yaoyorozu was the one who wanted to see the fireworks. She had been more excited than anyone. Why would she back out now? Shouto ground his teeth.
Was it her parents? Had they said something to her? Were they keeping her from attending?
His throat felt tight, and his hands shook as memories of his own childhood flashed through his mind. He couldn't stand this.
He didn't know much about Yaoyorozu's family life, but could it be that her parents were as overbearing as his father had been with him? He knew they had high expectations of her. Had they guilted her or forbade her from coming? Shouto imagined that Yaoyorozu might have a hard time telling her parents off it that was the case.
Hot anger curled in his throat.
She had planned all of this. She had been so excited.
His hands curled into tight fists.
How could she just decide not to come?
His chair screeched back as Shouto abruptly stood up.
"Todoroki-san!" Midoriya cried as he and Iida stared at him.
Shouto swallowed. He turned, ignoring them.
"Jirou." The earphone jack girl looked up. Shouto rolled his jaw. "What's Yaoyorozu's address?"
Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"
Shouto straightened. "I'm going to go get her."
Jirou met his eyes, and then, as if understanding, nodded. "I'll text it to you."
"Thanks," Shouto said, pushing his chair in.
He hurried out of the restaurant, feeling his phone already vibrating. He slid his hand into the pocket of his yukata and pulled it out, scanning Jirou's text.
"Todoroki!"
Shouto turned to see Midoriya and Iida in the doorway. "What are you going to do?" Midoriya asked.
Shouto's fingers tightened around his phone. "I'm going to get her."
Midoriya's eyes widened. "Yaoyorozu-san?"
"Todoroki-kun, that is unacceptable. You can't just barge into Yaoyorozu-kun's family affairs!"
"I know that," he said, avoiding Iida's gaze. "But I can't accept this!"
"You always say that it's a hero's duty to poke their head into places they don't belong, and Yaoyorozu was more excited than anyone for this." His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. Shouto looked up, and his eyes met Midoriya's. He set his jaw. "So I'm going to go get her."
"Well, I - I can go with you…"
"No," Shouto said firmly. Then softening his tone added. "No. You stay here. You wanted to see the fireworks too, didn't you?" Midoriya's face turned red and as his friend's eyes glanced quickly towards Uraraka, Shouto knew he had hit the mark. He straightened. "Outside of you and Iida, I'm the fastest. I'll go by myself."
Shouto turned and took off down the street before Iida and Midoriya could protest.
A picture of Yaoyorozu crying flashed through his mind. He brought his hand up and pressed it to the middle of his chest. His fingers dug into the fabric over his chest. It ached.
The yukata was hard to run in, and he could feel the geta sandals bite into his toes. In the back of his mind, he knew it was definitely going to hurt tomorrow, but at the moment he just felt numb.
Yaoyorozu needed him.
The streets got more crowded as he spun around a corner and back towards the main road.
Faster.
He pushed past a couple, only barely muttering an apology as he continued towards the station.
Faster.
The seven-fifteen train would take him towards Aoyama.
Shouto could feel his muscles strain as he pushed his body on.
He needed to go faster.
His geta sandals slapped against the pavement. He had two hours until the start of the fireworks. He needed to get to Aichi and back. If everything went right, he'd just make it.
I want to be with her!
This chapter was so much fun to write, I really hope you enjoyed it!
Extra notes:
I know Momo lives in Aichi prefecture, but thought it would be appropriate if her family had a place in Tokyo too. Aoyama, or also known as Aoyamadori, is considered as one of the richest neighborhoods in the entire city of Tokyo.