my favorite color is you

by WritingTrash

“The Winter Heroes’ Gala.” Ochako answered. “It’s two months from now, they just announced the guest list yesterday.” “Oh.” Shouto didn’t understand why that really called for this much of a conversation. She had been several times in the last few years, courtesy of her father. It really wasn’t that exciting. (Renamed)

1. can’t get you out of my mind

Guess whos back with another Fem-Todoroki story?! (It's me.)

I got some pretty good feedback from the last Fem-Todoroki one-shot, so I figured I'd write another one! I'm glad you guys like this as much as I do, and it's nice to write some light hearted fluffy one-shots. This is technically in the same AU as the other one, but the sleepover fic took place just after they moved into dorms...

"I wish I could go! Do you think I could bribe someone for a ticket or something?" Ashido sighed loudly, attracting Shouto attention from her phone. She closed it and pulled her bag over her shoulder, setting it beside her desk, then walked over to the group of girls collected at Ochako's desk.

"No way, it's super exclusive! You'd have to pay like a hundred thousand yen! This youtuber I was watching mentioned that last year tickets went for double that sometimes!" Hagakure argued. Shouto paused beside Momo, glancing at the taller girl.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Winter Heroes' Gala." Ochako answered. "It's two months from now, they just announced the guest list yesterday."

"Oh." Shouto didn't understand why that really called for this much of a conversation. She had been several times in the last few years, courtesy of her father. It really wasn't that exciting.

"Hey, I think your dad was on the list, Todoroki-chan, is he going?" Tsuyu pondered and Shouto huffed at the reminder of her father.

"Probably, he usually has to attend, for publicity or whatever. He'll probably make me go again this year." Shouto admitted, irritated.

Of all the inane things her father forced her to do, the Winter Gala was probably the most boring of them all. She was forced into a dressing room with some high-payed, stuffy stylists for three hours before the dance. When she was deemed acceptable; usually dressed in stuffy makeup and an itchy dress, then she was able to spend the next four hours stuck to her father's side, forced to be nice and talkative and pretend like she didn't hate him.

Although, it seemed her classmates had different opinions about the gala. Ochako and Ashido's eyes lit up like Christmas lights, Tsuyu pressed a finger to her chin and Hagakure's sleeves moved as she squealed. "Todoroki! You've been to the Gala?!"

"For the last three years." She answered blandly.

Momo huffed in amusement. "I've been to some parties like that too, they're never as fun as you think they'd be. They're usually just a cover for politics or merchandising deals." She added.

"Yeah, but you've never been to the Winter Heroes' Gala! It's different than whatever rich girl party you've been to!" Ashido argued, waving her away. "Todoroki, could your dad get us tickets or something? I'll pay you!"

"I doubt he would. He's not really a fan of those things either. Usually he only goes for the media." Shouto shrugged.

Ashido pouted as Aizawa walked in, beginning class with a curt command. "Sit down."

Shouto found her seat with everyone else, digging through her bag for her textbook as her teacher sighed, annoyed. It was his the school is having some festival or event that I have to tell you about but know that I absolutely don't care about it tone.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the upcoming Winter Heroes' Gala." Aizawa began. Ashido turned and glanced at Ochako.

Their teacher continued. "If you're not, trust me, you're not missing very much. Anyway, Yuuei is given nine tickets to the gala for it's most promising students. There will be three hero course students picked from each year, based on their standings in the class and their grades. If you really want to go to the gala, for some reason, I suggest you step up your act this week. There will be a faculty meeting this Friday to decide who gets to go." Aizawa finished, glancing at his clipboard as excited whispers floated through the class.

Ashido and Kirishima looked at each other and nodded, determined. Bakugou huffed and slouched back in his chair, even less interested than he had been. Ochako mouthed something to Tsuyu in front of her.

Shouto still didn't really get it.

O-O-O-O

"What about you, Deku-kun? Gonna try and win a ticket?" Ochako hummed, plopping her plate down on the table. She slipped into the booth beside Iida across from her and Midoriya.

"I don't know, I guess. I'm not really a big party person." Midoriya shrugged. "All Might mentioned the gala, I've always read about it online, I didn't know it was this big of a deal to everyone else."

"It's boring." Shouto added, stirring her noodles.

"Well, you probably get to go to cool stuff like that all the time, of course you'd think it's boring! I've never been to a fancy party like that." Ochako hummed. "Mina-chan is already looking online for dresses."

"I must agree with Todoroki-chan." Iida commented. "I've gone to several hero events with my family and they can be quite long and drawn out. I never went to the Winter Gala, however, it is very exclusive. I know it is a great place to make connections and talk with the best and brightest of today's heroes. Yuuei isn't the only the school who sends students either, so you could potentially meet some of your future coworkers."

"It does sound boring when you put it like that." The brunette grumbled.

"Why do you even want to go?"

"Because, Deku-kun!" She exclaimed. "You can dress up and wear fancy clothes and get to talk to all these cool people. Plus, I bet the food is amazing!"

Shouto wasn't overly surprised by any of her reasons. All that seemed pretty nice from the perspective of someone who had never been to a hero PR event before. "I'm surprised you're not more interested, Midoriya." She glanced over at him.

He blushed, shrugging again. "It'd be kind of cool to go probably, I don't think I'd appreciate it as much as someone like Ochako-chan or Ashido-chan would though. I'm still going to do my best this week and if I win one of the tickets, that's just a bonus then." Midoriya smiled back at her.

Shouto nodded, looking away probably suspiciously quiet. It wasn't her fault, his smile was too bright. She stuffed some noodles in her mouth as Ochako continued. "If you do end up going, we're going shopping for a new suit. I've seen that thing in your wardrobe and it's ugly as hell."

"Wait, w-why?! What's wrong with it?"

O-O-O-O

The week passed relatively quickly without much difference. Shouto noticed a slight uptick in some of her classmates' performances, although most of their class didn't seem to care much about the promise of tickets.

Ashido and Kirishima's group won their capture-the-flag exercise on Wednesday, although Tsuyu and Ochako took the most points in their rescue training the next day. Kaminari had managed to scrape into eleventh place on their math test, rising from his average at twentieth. Even Mineta, dare she speak his name, seemed to be on slightly better behavior. At least he hadn't tried sneaking into their dressing room this week.

Friday came and ended. The common room was buzzing, as someone had somehow convinced Aizawa to stop by with the results for their year after the scheduled staff meeting.

"If I don't get one I'm about to go on eBay and bid on one." Kaminari decided, falling into an armchair near Shouto's spot on the furthest couch. She glanced up at him, then back at her phone.

Midoriya had introduced her to what he called crazy conspiracy theories and Shouto had been reading them a lot recently. A lot of them made pretty good points in her opinion, but when she told her friend that he had laughed. That was fine, she liked making him laugh anyway.

"Those would not be reliable sources, I'm sure it would just be a waste of your money, Kaminari-kun, so I must advise against it." Iida informed him. Kaminari just grumbled.

On the TV, the girls had collected around Jirou. She had connected her tablet to the screen and was scrolling though photos of dresses from previous years.

"Oh, this one is pretty, go back!" Hagakure cried. Shouto watched the screen slide backwards to a picture of Midnight in a long, navy gown.

"I don't know, it's kind of tight on her." Ashido frowned.

"I can see too much, I don't like it." Ochako agreed.

Hagakure's shirt moved in a shrugging motion. "I don't really have that problem." Jirou kept swiping.

"Hey, Todoroki-chan!" Shouto looked back to her couch where Midoriya stood. "Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Sure."

"Everyone's really excited about knowing who gets to go the gala." He commented, surveying the room.

"I don't really get why anyone would want to go." Shouto shrugged. "Did you change your mind about wanting a ticket?"

Midoriya had been amazing this week in class, managing to get the highest grade on both their Heroics and math quizzes. Although, Shouto supposed that wasn't really out of the ordinary, Midoriya was always amazing.

"Not really, All Might said he might be able to get me a ticket if I really wanted to go and didn't win, but I'm okay. I'd still be happy if I won though!" He said.

"Hm." Shouto answered and Ashido erupted about another dress. It was hot pink and hard on the eyes, but exactly something Shouto would expect from Ashido.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Hagakure squealed and Kaminari jumped up and bolted toward the door. "Mr. Aizawa! You're here to deliver my ticket, huh?"

"No." Kaminari deflated, stepping aside to allow their teacher in.

Aizawa looked tired. More tired than usual, yawning as he stood in the doorway and grabbed an envelope from his pocket. "The second-years attending the Winter Heroes' Gala are Bakugou, Midoriya, and Todoroki. No, you may not trade or sell your tickets anywhere, you have to go. As for the rest of you, I suppose you should have worked harder, but really I don't care."

The room erupted anyway. There were shouts of protest. Kirishima and Sero jumped up to snatch the envelope off the table. Shouto blinked, slightly surprised. Midoriya beside her was even more surprised, squeaking at his name. Momo shrugged and continued looking over Jirou's shoulder, while the shorter girl continued scrolling. The other girls gave each other dejected looks, Ashido sighing wistfully and resting her head on the table with a sad look.

"What the fuck?! I don't want to go to some damn party!" Bakugou shouted, stomping up to Aizawa.

Their teacher sighed. "You have to do to represent the school. Not exactly my problem."

"I'm not going."

"You have to."

"Fuck no!"

"Mr. Aizawa," Shouto interjected, earning a glare from Bakugou. "I don't need a ticket, my father always brings me."

"Yuuei specifically reserved spots for students to represent the school, you have to go under our name, especially since the school is paying for everything." Shouto raised her eyebrows, looking at the ticket in her hand. It seemed kind of unnecessary, but she didn't say anything.

"Everything?" Midoriya squeaked.

"We get to go shopping!" Hagakure exclaimed, hugging Shouto and Midoriya. The duel-haired teenager stiffened. "I don't get to go, but I'm making sure you three are the best dressed ones there!"

"Yeah, come on, Bakugou! We can all go together!" Ashido called.

"Fuck off!"

"It'll be fun!"

"Fuck you!"

O-O-O-O

"This is the stupidest shit I've ever had to do." Shouto glanced at Bakugou, scowling on the other side of Kirishima.

"At least Yuuei is paying for it?" Midoriya tried to suggest, but he fizzled out after Bakugou growled at him.

"Okay, everyone gather around!" Iida called over their heads, waving his hands. Shouto paused in front of the mall with the rest of her classmates. She picked at the sleeve of her sweater while she waiting for their chatter to quiet down.

Most of her classmates were bundled up in heavy coats, having taken a class trip to help find them formal outfits for the Gala. Shouto wasn't a stranger to these types of events, but she rarely chose what she wore, usually leaving it to whatever stylist her father forced upon her.

However, with much pushing from Ashido and the other girls, as well as Aoyama, of all people, they managed to convince Aizawa they needed to go together to the mall to help them look their best. Shouto was pretty sure it was just an excuse to get out of the dorms, but they won nonetheless, which is how she found herself here.

Midoriya shivered next to her, reminding her of the weather. She usually wasn't affected by it, her quirk naturally regulating her body's temperature so she needed nothing more than a sweater and leggings, but Midoriya clearly wasn't a fan of the cold. His face was pink, his breath smokey, and he was rubbing his gloved hands while they waited for Iida to continue.

"You can stand closer, if you want." She said and he looked over in surprise.

"Hm?"

"If you're cold, you can stand closer to me." Shouto clarified, tilting her head to left. "It doesn't really bother me."

Midoriya's eyes widened for a second and he nodded. "T-Thanks, Todoroki-chan!" With that, he stepped closer until they were pretty much touching. "Oh, wow, you're like a fireplace." He laughed, looking at her with a smile.

Bakugou distantly made a sound like he was throwing up.

Shouto tried to nod, her courage dying as soon as she looked up at him and his suddenly very close, very nice face. "It's no problem." She managed weakly.

Thankfully, Iida saved her from any more close conversation. "I'd like to remind you all, we're here to help Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-chan, and Bakugou-kun find clothes for the Gala, that is the only reason we will be using the school-issues credit cards Mr. Aizawa gave us! Feel free to shop with your own money!" He chopped accordingly.

"This is fucking stupid." Bakugou grumbled.

Before Iida could continue with the usual class outing guidelines, Ashido jumped up on the icy bench behind him so that she was barely taller than the class representative. "It's our duty to make sure they look amazing, since they're representing our class!" She exclaimed, waving her hands.

"Ashido-kun-" Iida began, but she ignored him.

"Ladies, we're taking Todo! We'll leave Bakugou and Midori to the best of you boys." She continued passionately, then added. "By the best of you boys I mean the only ones with style, Aoyama, Kiri, and Tokoyami."

"Why do I feel like I should hide from her?" Shouto hummed. Midoriya snickered next to her.

"I'm not sure which of us should be more scared."

"Ashido-" Iida tried again.

"Let's find the best, most amazing clothes today! Plus ultra!" She pumped her fist the air, grinning. Iida looked incredible concerned and Kirishima punched the sky.

"Let's do it!" He laughed, throwing his arm over Bakugou's shoulder.

"Fuck you!"

"Please don't forget, we're meeting for lunch at the food court and then again at 2:30 so we can head back to school together!" Iida reminded as their class began to dissolve .

Hagakure appeared magically at her side, hooking her arm in her right one. "Ready, Todoroki-chan?"

"Sure, I guess." She glanced back at Midoriya and he shrugged, stepping away from her as Hagakure tugged her in the opposite direction.

"Good luck!" He called. "I'll see you at the food court?"

Shouto nodded. "See you later." She answered. Ochako and Tsuyu joined them.

"You two are so cute, ribbit." Tsuyu hummed, pressing a finger to her chin.

"When I walked up, they were standing super close, what was that about?" Hagakure hummed and Shouto could hear the smirk she was probably wearing.

"He was cold."

"Oh, is that it?" The invisible girl pushed.

"That's it." Shouto answered frankly. They reached the edge of the shops where Ashido, Momo, and Jirou were waiting.

"There's the girl of the hour!" Ashido grinned. "Momo suggested this great dress place, I think we've gotta start there, then we can focus on accessories after that."

"Perfect!"

"Sounds great."

"Okay." Shouto said dumbly. She wasn't sure how these things usually went. She hadn't even joined the class the last few times they went shopping together.

The pink girl led the way and Shouto fell into step with Momo, looking up at the store signs and all the posters and displays in their glass windows. Shopping was usually a thing girls liked, but she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"What colors are we thinking?" Hagakure walked on the left side of her, adjusting her long sleeves. "I think red, honestly, it'd be very striking."

"It'd clash with her hair." Ashido said, solemnly. "You gotta go with like blue, maybe purple."

"I think pink would be nice." Momo added. "It's like a mix of both colors."

"What do you think?" Ochako questioned and Shouto was suddenly on the spot blinking at them. "Shouto-chan?"

"I haven't thought about it much, actually." She admitted.

"You gotta have like a favorite color?" Hagakure added. "It's your dress, feel free to suggest stuff!"

"Favorite color?" Shouto echoed. She looked back at the store windows while they walked. She had never had time for favorite colors or anything like that. It never really seemed important before. "I don't know. I like green."

The other girls paused, then Ochako laughed. "You're so predictable, I knew you'd say that."

"I wonder what inspired that." Jirou snorted.

Ashido patted her shoulder. "I hate to break it to you, but green would not be a great dress color for you, but we'll keep it in mind. Come on, the store is just up here."

O-O-O-O

It only took a few minutes of Momo talking to the manager to get them a private dressing room in the back. The girls waited by the entrance and Shouto looked at the endless racks of multicolored dresses with unease.

Momo returned and led them toward the back of the store. "She said stay as long as we'd like, this area is ours until closing, if we'd like. You can try on whatever you want."

"That's so nice!" Hagakure clapped her hands together. "Do they usually do that kind of thing?"

"No, but my mom and I usually go here to buy dresses for parties and stuff. She said we're her favorite customers, so it's free for us." Momo answered almost shyly. "Usually you have to pay a fee for a private room."

"How high-class!"

"It pays to have rich friends like you, Momo-chan!" Ochako nodded. Momo blushed, waving her away weakly.

"It's no big deal."

The dressing room was an entirely separate area, complete with empty clothing racks and an assortment of plush chairs, as well as a stage that led to a smaller, private changing booth.

Ashido jumped up on the stage. "Alright, we'll divide and conquer to find the perfect dress! Once we've got a collection, Todo can look at them and decide which ones she wants to try on! Make sure it's the right size and use your best judgment!"

With that, the other girls walked off to the rest of the store, flipping through racks. Shouto lingered by the doorway of the dressing room and Ashido hopped off the stage, walking over to her.

"You okay?" She asked and Shouto blinked at her. "Sorry if I'm taking this a little overboard, but this kind of thing is my thing! If I can't go to the gala, I want you to at least look your best!"

"I'm just..." The white-and-red-haired teenager paused, watching Jirou hold up a black gown and wave Momo over. "I'm not used to these kind of things." She admitted, looking back at Ashido.

The pink girl nodded with a smile. "It's cool, if shopping isn't your thing, then just leave it to us! Just tell anyone if you don't like something, we care about your opinion, you know."

"Thanks, Ashido." She nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll just wait in here. I don't have much of a fashion sense."

Ashido gave her a thumbs up and dived into the racks of dresses with the others. Shouto watched them for a second before she walked over to the stage and sat on the edge. She had missed a text from Midoriya, she realized.

Midoriya we're ten mins in and kacchan already got us thrown out of a store!! :o

Shouto smiled a little at the message. She took a picture of the empty dressing room and sent it back.

Shouto Momo got us a private room and they're looking for dresses for me rn.

He responded a minute later.

Midoriya oh nice!! im sure you'll great no matter what! :)

O-O-O-O

"You don't have to try on anything you don't like." Ashido reminded, pushing her gently toward the changing room. "Just go at your own pace, if you need help with anything, just ask!"

"And make sure you come out to show us everything!" Hagakure exclaimed, laying across one of the chairs.

"Right." Shouto answered quietly, shutting the door behind her and looking down at the dresses they had shoved in her hands. Each of the girls, besides Jirou, who admitted she didn't really have an eye for dresses, had picked out their favorite two dresses for her to try.

Unfortunately, that left her with a rack of wildly different styles and colors. Shouto appreciated the thought, she supposed, picking the first one randomly and tugging off her sweater.

A minute later, she knocked on the door. "I'm wearing the first one." She called.

She heard Hagakure squeal and Momo said something she didn't catch. Then Tsuyu answered. "Come out, ribbit, if you're ready."

With that, Shouto unlocked the door and shuffled out awkwardly. Hagakure exclaimed. "Hey, that was mine! Do you like it?"

The white-and-red haired teenager looked down at it, reassessing it. It was blue, makes up of a lot of fabric and ruffles. "There's a lot going on." She shrugged.

"The light blue looks nice." Momo hummed. "But it doesn't really scream Shouto."

The other girls nodded in agreement and Shouto was thankful for their disapproval. She didn't want to make any of them upset by not liking their dress, but it wasn't like she had much experience with gently letting people down. Everyone said she was too blunt.

"Alright, next one!" Ashido exclaimed. She sat up in her chair and continued. "If you want to give back the rejects, I'll go put them back on the shelf for you."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You don't have to be that harsh. I thought it was pretty." Hagakure huffed.

They got through a few more rejects and Shouto was starting to lose hope. The next one was suggested by Ashido and was so sparkly, she looked like a disco ball, Ochako had offered her a pink one, which had too many accessories hanging on it her liking, and Tsuyu had given her a green one, which had them all agreeing Midoriya should be the only green thing she had.

Shouto frowned in the mirror, looking at the next dress, a form fitting red gown that made her feel like a sushi roll.

Nonetheless, she walked out in it, and Jirou hummed approvingly. "That ones nice."

"It looks really tight." Ochako frowned, dropping her phone to her lap. "I'm not sending that." She added quietly to Hagakure.

"Oh, that was mine." Momo said, blushing.

"How's she supposed to dance in that?" Ashido asked, kicking up her shoes on the edge of the stage.

"What do you mean, send?" Shouto asked, crossing her arms and looking back at Ochako.

The brunette looked surprised and waved her hands nervously. "Oh! I hope you don't mind, I was sending a few dresses to Aoyama-kun! He's in change of the boys and wanted some direction so you can all match!"

"Oh."

"But I wouldn't send anything you look uncomfortable in, obviously!" She added.

"Mmkay, next!" Hagakure called.

Shouto nodded and walked back in the dressing room, looking back at her remaining dresses. She struggled with the straps of the red one, ready for it to be off, but she managed to trap one of her arms. It must be a size too small, she huffed frustratedly, steam rising off her skin.

"I think I'm stuck." She said loudly.

She heard a few laughs from outside the door and then footsteps. "I'll help!" Ochako knocked, then opened the door and slipped inside. She blinked at her before she smiled and offered her hands, expertly untangling her.

Shouto frowned, finally free and staring at the ground. "I think I'm hopeless." She admitted quietly.

The shorter girl hummed in confusion. "What do you mean, Shouto-chan?"

"I'm not good at...at this." She gestured vaguely to the dresses. "I don't know how to be a girl and like this sort of thing."

Ochako stared at her for a second, then she smiled. "Just because you haven't found a dress doesn't mean you're not a girl. You've only tried on like five. Don't be so hard on yourself!"

"But it's not just that, it's everything." She argued. "I don't do anything right, I don't look right in anything, how is-" Shouto hesitated.

"How is...what?" The brunette asked gently.

She crossed her arms, frowning at her discarded clothes. "How is anyone as great as Midoriya supposed to like me? I'm not...right."

Ochako frowned, a little look of disbelief crossing her face. "You can't think like that, Shouto-chan! Just because you aren't a fashion guru like Hagakure doesn't make you anything less! Everyone has their own likes, even Jirou said she doesn't like dressing up earlier, you aren't alone, nor are either of you lacking because you don't like it. I'll tell you the truth, you haven't looked bad in anything today!"

"Ashido said I looked like a Christmas tree in the last one." Shouto noted.

She laughed, putting her hands on Shouto's shoulders, pinkies raised to avoid the effects of her quirk. "It was a joke! You're super pretty! It's just been a matter of finding something you're comfortable in. And also Deku-kun already likes who you are, he wouldn't care about dressing or girly stuff like that, you know that. I know for a fact you could show up to the gala in sweatpants and an old All Might t-shirt and he'd still look at you like you hung the stars."

Shouto shrugged, glancing away from the other girl. Ochako released her, walking over to the remaining dresses. "How about this, you try on one more dress and if you don't like it, we'll all leave you completely alone about the whole gala and just go get ice cream or something?"

She grabbed one from the rack, offering it to her with a smile. Shouto looked at it, then back at her. "Wouldn't you all be cold if we got ice cream?" She asked after a minute.

Ochako laughed and Shouto carefully took the dress. "Don't worry about it. Deal?"

"Okay, I guess." She sighed.

O-O-O-O

"Oh my-" Ashido jumped up from her chair as Shouto walked out. She grinned. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it looks nice." Tsuyu hummed, tilting her head.

Momo clasped her hands together, smiling. "That one is so lovely!"

"You look like- like a princess! It's not fair!" Hagakure exclaimed.

Shouto blushed under the attention, swishing the fabric of the skirt. "Hey, 'Chako, come float this mirror over so Todo can see!"

Quickly, one of the standing mirrors was dropped in front of her and the other girls appeared on each side of her. "So..." Ochako raised her eyebrows. "Do you like it?"

Shouto stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, debating the question. The dress itself was mostly black, the top being a halter covered in silver sparkles that faded into the darkness of the long, princess skirt. In the front, it ended just before her feet and the back fell longer. The back of the top was lace up, a thick bow tied at her waist. The dark color contrast from the scars up and down her arms, she noted, tilting her head a little.

It was actually comfortable, fitting snugly in the top, but flowing enough she didn't feel suffocated. She was surprised, a little.

"Well?" Ashido hummed, peeking over her right shoulder.

Shouto nodded. "I like it."

The other girls erupted at her words. Ochako and Ashido high-fived. Momo smiled at her and Hagakure exclaimed loudly, jumping up and down.

"Midoriya-kun isn't going to know what hit him." Tsuyu smiled.

"You're going to the prettiest girl in that whole gala!" Ashido exclaimed.

Ochako laughed, standing on her toes to be able to look over her shoulder. "See? You're already look great."

Their enthusiasm was contagious. Shouto couldn't help but smile a little in return. "Thanks, Ochako."

O-O-O-O

"What about hair?" Hagakure hummed, a piece of whipped cream floating up to where where Shouto assumed her mouth was. They hadn't been able to find a ice cream place open in the food court, probably because of the season, but Starbucks had been a great substitute.

"It's kinda short, I don't know how much we can do." Ashido answered.

"It's longer than mine, not a ton, but a little." Ochako added, walking on the other side of her. She stirred her latte, looking thoughtful. "It used to be so short."

"I know! When I walked in first year and I heard your name and saw you I totally thought you were a guy!" Hagakure exclaimed. "Shouto is a guy's name, why'd your parents name you that?"

Shouto frowned. It wasn't the first time she had been asked that. She took a sip of her hot chocolate before she answered. "My parents were expecting a boy." She said simply, truthfully. Her father had been so furious when she was born, he hadn't cared to change the birth certificate.

"You've been growing it out since the beginning of the year, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked. "I think it's nice."

She smiled a little. "Thanks."

It was another small rebellion. Her father had always forced it to be cut short, saying long hair would only get in the way in fights. He would always pull on it when she was younger, to prove his point. With his quirk and fury, it was always either cut or singed short. Since the Sports Festival, and eventually moving into the dorms, she had let it grow. It only fell a little past her shoulders at this point, but she liked nonetheless.

"How about curling it? Momo, don't you have a curling iron?"

"I do."

"We could braid your bangs a little too." Tsuyu suggested. She traced her hand around her head. "Like a crown, ribbit, it would mix the colors together nicely."

"Shouto?" Momo asked, fishing for her approval.

They finally reached the next store and she nodded. "Sounds good."

"Excellent!" Hagakure cheered. "Onto the next order of business, shoes!" She reappeared next to Shouto. "The question is, how tall is too tall?"

"For what?"

"Heels, obviously!"

"Oh, I don't know."

It was probably her mistake for saying that, because then they spend the better half of twenty minutes searching the store for the highest heels. They had collected in one of the back corners and Momo had been nominated to try and walk in the tallest, hot pink stilettos they could find. She stood, paused, then proceed to easily walk a circle around them.

"That's hot." Jirou admitted, sipping on her coffee.

Momo blushed. "Kyoka!"

"I don't understand- How?" Ochako exclaimed.

The taller girl shrugged. "I've had practice, I usually wear shoes like these to my parents' parties and whatnot."

Ashido shook her head. "I could never."

"You don't like them?" Shouto hummed, surprised by her comment.

"Nah, I'm more of a high-tops girl. Heels are hard to dance it. I got a great new pair last time we went shopping that match my hero costume." The pink-haired girl answered and Shouto nodded.

"Does anyone else want to try them?" Momo asked.

"Uh, no. I think I'll break my ankle. Imagine having to tell Mr. Aizawa that." Ochako returned, earning a few laughs.

"I can see his face right now, he'd think I'm even more of an idiot than he already thinks." Ashido poked at the last of her cappuccino with a grin.

"Shouto?" Momo offered.

The remaining girls looked at her and she shrugged, setting aside her drink. "Why not. I don't think these will match my dress though." She grabbed a box in her size from the shelf.

Ashido clapped. "She's learning!" Shouto smiled a little at her enthusiasm and pulled off her sneakers.

She heard Jirou poking around some more boxes and absentmindedly noted it had been a little while since she had heard Hagakure's cheerful voice. She looked up and was unable to find the invisible girl's clothes, she must have distracted herself somewhere else in the store.

Shouto stood, holding out her hands to balance herself. "These are tall." She noted dumbly. Momo laughed at her, holding out her hands to help steady her.

"They're not that bad." Hand in hand, she helped her walk a few steps. Shouto had already decided she didn't like being this tall and definitely preferred flatter shoes.

"You guys have the long legs, it's not fair." Jirou huffed, shaking her head. Momo released Shouto to go scold the purple-haired girl and she huffed a laugh.

Shouto wobbled for a second without her crutch. She was about to lean down and take the heels off before she fulfilled Ochako's prediction, when a familiar voice suddenly behind her startled her.

"Todoroki-chan!" Hagakure shouted. Shouto tried to turn, but ended up hooking a heel in a shoe box lid and she was falling before she knew it. "You'll never guess what I fou-"

"Todoroki-chan!" Shouto squeezed her eyes shut and reached out her hands, mentally preparing herself hit the hard floor, but instead, she felt strong arms catch her. "Are you okay?!"

Her outstretched hand grabbed onto some type of fabric and squeezed. She was met with hard muscle instead and her eyes snapped open.

Looking down at her, suddenly very close and dazzling with the after effects of his quirk, was Midoriya. He looked concerned, and increasingly embarrassed as she was in his arms and also still gripping his bicep. "Uh..."

"Oh my gosh, Shouto, are you okay?" Momo gasped.

Shouto couldn't force her gaze from Midoriya's eyes, wide, up-close, and very green. A pink blush bloomed across his cheeks. Everything about him was just so pretty.

"I tripped." She answered finally, still staring at Midoriya.

She heard Ochako snicker. "It's a good thing Deku-kun came to your rescue then." She tore her gaze from him, giving her a glare.

Tsuyu stood and pulled off the offending heels and put them back in their box. "Here you go."

"Are you alright?" Midoriya asked again, awkwardly looking away from her. She realized he was still holding her up easily and she was (still) squeezing his arm. She had something wrong with her.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"N-No problem."

"You can...put me down. If you want."

"O-Oh, yeah, right." With that, he returned her to her feet and made a point to not meet her gaze.

"Todoroki-chan! We apologize for startling you!" Iida appeared over Midoriya's head.

"It's okay."

"What're you guys doing here?" Ashido hummed as Shouto slowly returned to her seat and forgotten hot chocolate. She warmed it up a little in her left hand, trying to find something to do with her nerves.

"Oh, we have to buy Midoriya-kun dress shoes!" Iida announced. "The rest of the boys are at the food court already, but I had to accompany him with the school-issued credit card!"

The green-haired boy in question shrugged. "Aoyama-kun said my sneakers were unacceptable." He added, almost disappointedly.

"Good, they're awful." Ashido said and Ochako nodded in agreement. Midoriya frowned.

"Anyway!" Hagakure waved her sleeves at them. "I've found perfect Todoroki shoes! Ochako may have won the dress but I have the shoes." She said proudly, tossing the box in her lap.

Shouto curiously opened it and held up the right one. They were simple ankle strap heels the same silver sparkled style as the accents in her dress. Their heels were thankfully thicker and shorter than the stilettos that just embarrassed her.

"These are nice."

Hagakure squealed. "Todoroki-chan approval!" She passed the box off to the other girls for them to assess when she noticed Midoriya and Iida head toward another aisle.

"I'll be back." She said to the girls before she followed them. A few aisles later, she found the pair looking at some of the men's shoes.

"These should work. Aoyama-kun said black and only black." Midoriya noted, offering the box to Iida.

The taller boy nodded as Shouto walked up behind them. "Alright! I'll go pay for them."

"I'll go with-"

Iida shook his head. "But then you'll leave Todoroki-chan alone. Don't worry about it!"

"Todoroki-" Midoriya turned around and noticed her suddenly. "O-Oh! I didn't see you." He blushed as Iida quickly walked away.

"Please don't trip, I don't think I'll be able to hold you." She returned.

He laughed a little, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. "I won't, sorry about scaring you earlier."

"It's okay. It was more Hagakure yelling in my ear than you." Shouto awkwardly played with her fingers, glancing at the shelves of shoes on either sides of them. "How was shopping?"

"Good, well, kinda. Kacchan was pretty disagreeable, but Kirishima-kun and him eventually separated from us, so it was just me, Iida-kun and Aoyama-kun for a bit." He explained. "I saw a few of your dresses, did you pick one? You looked really nice in all of them."

Shouto blinked at him. "You saw them?"

"Y-Yeah, Ochako sent me some pictures, I thought you knew?" That traitor.

"Oh." Shouto answered dumbly. "Yeah, I picked the black one."

"I didn't see a black one." He looked confused. "I'm sure it's nice, anyway!"

They were interrupted before she had to think of a response, thankfully, because he had already complimented her several times and her head was spinning. He was too good, too perfect for her.

"Hey, there you guys are!" Ashido called. "Iida just bought both of your shoes, it's about lunch time, ready to head over to the food court?"

"Ah, sure!" Midoriya smiled. "We'll be right behind you." Ashido gave them a double thumbs up and walked past. She distantly heard the sounds of the other girls and Iida in the front of the store. "I'm sure shopping with her was fun." He said, looking back at Shouto.

She nodded a little and they started walking together toward the exit. "It was, actually."

"I'm glad you had fun then." He gave her another smile, then held the door open over her head. They brought up the end of their group and Midoriya returned to her left. "I hope you don't mind if I share your left side while we're walking." He said, shyly while his smokey breath curled around his face.

"Of course not." Shouto returned. With a burst of confidence, she grabbed his right hand with her left and turned up the heat a little. "Is this okay?"

Midoriya's face flushed red with the cold and he nodded quickly. "P-P-Perfect!" The white-and-red-haired girl nodded, smiling a little to herself.

When he recovered, he spoke again. "There- There's a soba place, in the food court. I'll buy you a bowl, in return." He offered, squeezing her hand a little.

She blinked. "You don't have to."

"I know, but it's only fair." He returned shyly.

"Then okay." Shouto answered. "That'd be nice." She allowed him to win for the moment, but she knew she'd be using her father's credit card on a rather large amount of katsudon later today.

She was starting to think she may have a good time at this year's gala.

endeavor: who bought an entire katsudon restaurant with my credit card today

Look I know Shouto's probably got crazy good reflexes but I'm ignoring that fact for Izuku's sake okay, he just wants to save her. This ended up being very long and I haven't even gotten to the gala yet, so this will have to be a two-parter (two-shot?) so stay tuned for a part 2 whenever I get around to it!