AHHH! I did it! I finished my work project and my manager gave me good feedback. *Doing a happy dance* Now to celebrate…here's chapter 4!

Thank you to my awesome betas: Flourchildwrites, Crazyelf2018, C's Melody, and Emberstork.

And then, if you want to look it up on Twitter, there's a beautiful art piece to go with this chapter from the wonderfully, brilliantly talented Haru!

twitter TPlease1717/status/1334308434011942912

As always thank you so much to those who have left reviews! They seriously give me life and make me want to keep creating:

Fencer29 - LOL Momo is favorite daughter in-law. Enji probably doesn't even comment when Hawks is like "what about me?" Just grunts. Hahaha. Thank you for always commenting! It really means a lot to me.

KeroKeroNyao - The best things for Momo, always! I hope you enjoy this chapter and what Todoroki has planned for her. ;) Thank you for your review!

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Chapter 4

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Yaoyorozu's head jerked up. "To-Todoroki-san!" she gasped. Her eyes were wide and glassy as she stared up at him.

It looked like she had been about to cry.

Shouto's heart stuttered at the thought. It was because he hadn't been fast enough to get to her on time. This was his fault.

Instinctively, his hand reached out to touch her, before he caught himself. There was time to comfort her later. He had to make things right first. "If you want to see the fireworks, the ones in Odaiba will be going off soon. We can still make it if we hurry."

Yaoyorozu stared at him in confusion. "Todoroki-san…"

"You want to see the fireworks, don't you?" He stepped forward and held out his hand. Her gaze darted to it then back up to meet his eyes. "Then I'll take you."

Yaoyorozu drew in a sharp breath as she stared at him for a moment. Then she licked her lips and reached up and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. When she looked back at him her face had settled into the familiar expression of determination that always made Shouto's stomach flutter strangely.

She reached out and slid her smaller hand into his. The top of her cheeks turned red as his hand closed over her own, but Shouto didn't let himself think about it as he turned and pulled Yaoyorozu back out onto the crowded street.

Their geta sandals clicked against the pavement as they ran back towards the main road. People had dispersed after the fireworks show, but the festival was still ongoing. The sound of Taiko drums beating could be heard in the distance as they dodged through groups of multi-colored yukatas.

"How did you find me?" Yaoyorozu asked as they ran hand-in-hand.

"Shoji," Shouto said. They came to the main road, and he looked up and down the street for an empty taxi. "Everyone was looking for you. He thought he heard your footsteps over this way and Jirou texted me."

From the corner of his eye, Shouto could see Yaoyorozu's expression flicker in confusion. "But–How? How did you know I'd be here? And where's everyone else?"

"They're still over by the original meeting place - on the other side of the bridge. I texted Jirou after I went to your place and met your parents–"

"What?" Yaoyorozu gasped, skidding to a halt to gape at him. "You went to my apartment?"

Shouto hummed in acknowledgement, turning to look at her. He hadn't had a chance to take in her appearance before, but now that they had stopped Shouto took a moment to look her over.

Yaoyorozu was in the crimson yukata from the shopping trip. Her hair was up, but out of its usual spiky ponytail. Instead, it was wavy and more refined as it curled loosely down her back. And a pink sakura ornament entwined with strings of pearls was nestled in her hair.

Shouto's heart skipped a beat as he stared at her. She looked cute. But that wasn't what she had asked. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I was going to get you. But when I arrived your parents said you'd already left, so I texted Jirou on my way back that you were on your way."

She stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then suddenly, he saw something shift and her expression darkened; she dropped her gaze back to the ground.

"You missed the fireworks." It wasn't a question. Her voice had grown small. "Because of me…I—I ruined it. I wanted to make sure you of all people had a good time, but I was selfish once again and you missed them because of me." Her voice cracked.

Before he could think about it, Shouto took a step closer and reached up to tuck her loose bangs behind her ear. "Yaoyorozu, I don't know what you're talking about," he said, avoiding her gaze. "But you were looking forward to tonight more than anyone. It wouldn't be fair if you didn't get to enjoy the fireworks and festival too. Besides—"

Shouto swallowed, his throat felt tight. Hawks' question from earlier in the evening tugged at his heart and somehow, being with Yaoyorozu made the answer clear.

She was important to him.

It was easy to see that now. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to see Yaoyorozu smile and, even if it was selfish, he wanted to see the fireworks with her.

Shouto squared his shoulders and looked back at her. "You're supposed to see fireworks with people you care about — the people that matter most to you. So I didn't want to see them without you."

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened. Then she squeaked and her face turned bright red as she stumbled back, cupping her cheeks. "To-Todoroki-san!" she gasped as if he had said something improper.

Shouto's own neck was feeling hot, and he activated his right side. He didn't know why speaking the truth was making him overheated—he usually had better control of his internal body temperature. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to say they should continue looking for a taxi when suddenly a ringtone sounded from inside his sleeve.

Shouto stepped back and shifted to pull his phone out of his yukata, unexpectedly grateful for the distraction.

Yaoyorozu blinked. She was still cupping her cheeks but seemed to have calmed down slightly. "Is that…?

Shouto stared down at his phone and scowled.

Why was his old man calling him?

"It's the villain's theme from Star Wars," Shouto said absently. "Uraraka and Ashido taught me how to set it." He clicked the reject button. His old man could wait.

"Didn't you have to answer it?" Yaoyorozu asked as she watched him tuck the phone back into his yukata. "Was it our classmates?"

"No." He adjusted his clothes. "It's no one important. And, Jirou said she will handle our classmates, so you don't need to worry," he said, turning. "Come on, let's look for a taxi."

"Todoroki-san."

Shouto stopped as a delicate hand suddenly clutched at his sleeve. He turned back and stared at Yaoyorozu. Her eyes shifted away nervously. The pink on her cheeks from a moment before had deepened to a red that almost matched the color of her yukata.

"Thank you for coming for me," she said softly. She looked back up at him and managed a small smile. "It means a lot."

Shouto swallowed and then nodded. "That's what heroes do."

Yaoyorozu made a small sound that sounded like a giggle. "You sound like Midoriya-san now."

Shouto smiled and shrugged. "I do spend a lot of time with him. Sometimes his rambling sticks—"

"SHOUTOOOOOO!"

Shouto started at the booming voice, and his head jerked around. A few meters back, a cab had stopped along the curb.

Shouto's stomach hardened and he watched in horror as his father and Hawks climbed out of the back seat. Abruptly, a red feather that Shouto hadn't noticed unattached itself from the back of his yukata and flew through the air, returning to the auburn wings now re-grown on Hawks' back.

They had tracked him, Shouto realized with a wave of anger. His hands shook and he curled them into fists at his side. "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you," Hawks answered, a sly smile curved on his lips as he leaned on the taxi door. "You need a ride, right?"

"Take the taxi," his father added. His voice held its usual demanding tone as he studied them.

Shouto narrowed his eyes. What were they up to? There was no way he was going to take a cab with his old man.

Hawks seemed to read his mind and winked. "Not us, we still got to patrol, but you two need a cab, right?"

Shouto opened his mouth to tell them off, but Yaoyorozu looked up at him and smiled brightly. Her eyes were shining with hope and excitement, and they made his toes curl.

It wasn't like he was riding with his dad, just using a cab his old man had used, Shouto reminded himself.

He still didn't fully trust Hawks or his father now that he knew they had tracked him, but he couldn't let Yaoyorozu down.

He reluctantly nodded, and they hurried over to the taxi.

His father stepped aside as Shouto held the door open for Yaoyorozu to slide in. Shouto was about to follow her when his father spoke again.

"Shouto, one moment..."

Shouto paused, his hand on the door handle. His stomach hardened as he watched Endeavor reach back and rummage in the back pocket of his hero uniform. He was half tempted to ignore his father and just get in the cab when Endeavor pulled something out.

"Here." His old man held out a rectangular plastic card. Shouto's eyes widened marginally and he looked up. His father pushed the card towards him. "You'll need something to pay for the ride. And dinner…"

Shouto's breath caught in his lungs and his fingers on the door handle twitched as he hesitated. Was this a trap? Was this really his old man?

His father had been making an effort to change, but this? Giving him his credit card and cab, it was so different. It went against everything Endeavor, the hero, had beat into him for fifteen years. It almost was like his old man was not only helping him hang out with Yaoyorozu, but actually supporting him.

Shouto's mouth felt dry as a notion he had been resistant to even allow himself to think flitted in the back of his mind.

Maybe… Maybe people really could change. And maybe that meant someday he could forgive his father.

He swallowed thickly as he reached out and took the card. "Thanks," Shouto said gruffly, avoiding his dad's gaze. The word felt heavy, like it carried more than a simple meaning of gratitude.

Shouto turned and ducked into the cab. His fingers tightened around the card.

"Todoroki-san."

Yaoyorozu was watching him and Shouto bit the inside of his cheek. He hadn't explained his strained relationship with his old man to her yet, and now didn't feel like the right time for that conversation.

He met Yaoyorozu's eyes and gave her a faint smile before he set his jaw and turned towards the driver. "Let's go," he said. "To the Odaiba festival."

The car's wheels screeched as the cab started and turned sharply to get on the road.

Shouto leaned back in his seat and turned to glance out of the cab window and paused. His eyes widened. His old man's face was slightly contorted as if he were about to cry. Hawks stood next to him, patting his back. Shouto swallowed thickly, but then the car turned around a corner and he couldn't see them anymore. He looked back up front. The credit card felt heavy in his hand.

The taxi sped down the highway and into a tunnel.

"Todoroki-san, is everything alright?" Momo asked.

"Yeah, sorry." Todoroki straightened in his seat. "Didn't mean to make you worry."

Suddenly, the Star Wars theme from earlier echoed from inside Todoroki's yukata. Todoroki shifted and pulled his phone out. He looked down at the screen. "Sorry, it's my old man again."

Momo nodded as she watched Todoroki click 'accept' and bring the phone up to his ear. He turned away from her. "What do you want?"

Momo thought she heard Hawks on the other end, but looked away. It wasn't ladylike to eavesdrop.

Her fingers picked at the edge of her yukata as she waited. Now that there wasn't anything to distract her, the anxiety began seeping back into her thoughts.

Biting her lip, Momo glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Nine-twenty. Her stomach dropped. Ten minutes until the fireworks. There was no way they were going to make it.

She looked at Todoroki. His temple was creased in concentration as he listened to the person on the other end. Momo drew in a deep breath and her fingers fidgeted together as she watched him. She couldn't lose hope. Todoroki was doing his best for her.

He had gone all the way to her house and even talked to her parents to try and get her here tonight. She needed to have faith in him. Knights were supposed to trust their princes. She blushed at the image.

Momo was drawn out of her thoughts as she heard Todoroki mumble, under his breath, 'meddling bird' before he hung up and leaned forward in his seat. "Take the next exit!" he ordered the cab driver.

"Todoroki…"

He glanced back at her and his heterochromatic eyes shone in the dark. "Do you trust me?"

Momo's breath caught in her throat. That wasn't even a question. Of course she did.

More than anyone.

He was her prince.

Momo set her jaw and met his gaze. "I do."

A faint smile pulled on his lips. "Then don't worry. I promised I'd show you the fireworks."

The taxi driver veered off the road and towards the exit. The tunnel ended and a vast expanse of black sky stretched above them. The taxi pulled up along the curb of the road and Momo's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The area seemed residential. Street lights flickered, illuminating tall multi-unit apartment buildings. The only thing that stood out was that on their right side was an open park with flowering dogwood and pagoda trees.

She swallowed and clasped her hands together. Momo didn't know how they'd view the fireworks from here, but she needed to believe in Todoroki.

The car stopped and Todoroki paid the cab driver before they climbed out onto the sidewalk. Todoroki checked his phone, then looked back at her and cleared his throat. "Almost there. This way," he said, leading her towards the park.

Momo bit her lip as she followed after him. She wasn't familiar with this area of Tokyo but knew they were at least a ten to fifteen-minute drive from where the fireworks would be going off.

Her heart pounded as they entered the dark park.

A few street lamps illuminated a gravely path, but Todoroki didn't follow it. He cut across the grass and into the shadows of the trees. Momo kept pace close behind him. The sound of cicadas and crickets followed after them.

It was too dark to tell where they were going. Momo licked her lips and tried to focus on only Todoroki as he led them through the trees. Her neck and hands were feeling hot.

Suddenly, the grass and trees ended and Momo's eyes widened and she gasped.

The site before them was ethereal. The dark waves of Tokyo harbor lapped gently against a white shoreline of a man-made beach. And across the harbor, the lights of downtown Tokyo sparkled in the distance like fairies, under a spray of stars.

There was no one else on the beach but them.

Momo took a step out onto the sand and made her way down to the water's edge. The sound of the ocean drowned out the cicadas. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air.

She hadn't known this place existed. And being here alone, with Todoroki, felt like a fantasy. She had only imagined going to the beach with him in her deepest dreams. He'd get down on one knee and…

Momo opened her eyes and cupped her cheeks as heat ran across her face. They weren't even dating and she was jumping to marriage?! She didn't even know if Todoroki liked her that much. His earlier words were kind of a confession, but he could have just as easily meant them as friends? She shouldn't get ahead of herself. He couldn't possibly...

"Hawks said we should be able to watch the fireworks from here."

Momo patted down her cheeks and thanked how dark it was as the sand rustled behind her and Todoroki stepped up beside her.

She drew in a shaky breath, pushing her indecent thoughts away. "It's beautiful," she said, looking up at him. "We'll have to thank him and your father."

Todoroki's lips pulled down as if that were the last thing he wanted to do. "They're just meddling."

"Well–" Momo giggled then gave him a small smile. "I'm glad for their meddling. It's going to allow us to see the fireworks."

Todoroki stared at her, then his expression suddenly darkened. "I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu," he said after a moment. "I know this isn't what you were expecting the night to be like."

"No," Momo said quickly. She shook her head. "This is perfect. Thank you so much, Todoroki-san."

Todoroki smiled faintly, but he didn't have time to respond as a high pitched wail rang above their heads, cutting through the night.

Momo looked up as bright blue and green lights burst across the sky.

"The fireworks," she whispered. "We made it."

Todoroki hummed in acknowledgement.

They were beautiful. Sparkling reds, blues and green lights crackling high above the ocean to fall like stardust from the night sky. Momo's heart rose in her chest at the sight.

Fingers suddenly skimmed against the back of her hand, tentative, half-hesitating before sliding into her own. Momo looked down. Todoroki's hand was warm as his fingers entwined with her own and it sent electricity down her spine.

Her stomach flipped. She raised her eyes and found Todoroki watching her intently. Momo's breath caught in her chest. His gray and blue eyes, which shone silver and turquoise in the dark, searched her face. Then his fingers tightened around hers and he turned to stare back up at the sky.

Her heart was beating almost painfully against her ribcage, but Momo didn't think of letting go.

She hesitated for a moment then followed his gaze back up to the sky. The fireworks were exploding high above their heads, decorating the night in multicolored starlight, but Momo couldn't hear them over her pounding heartbeat.

The night hadn't been what she expected, but that was okay because Momo couldn't deny that this ending might have been what her heart had wanted all along.

Her fingers tightened in Todoroki's hand.

Fluff is definitely not my forte, but I'm so incredibly proud of this story and hope you all enjoyed the ride. For those of you who didn't know, this was my version of the Fireworks episode of Kaguya-sama Love is War. An amazing show, that if you haven't seen please go look up.

Hope you all enjoyed. Comments are very much appreciated!