Leave your worries far behind you
And leave your lonesome on the shelf next to the classic novels
Leave your worries far behind you
And leave your lonesome on the shelf - Oblivious by Lily Potter

This was it. No more dates. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad because in the long run Mina had been correct. I had run the gamut of emotions since starting Operation: Ochaco. I had been excited, bored, angry, elated, even inspired. It was over, now, and I felt just one thing. Relief.

"Ochaco!" Mina met me just outside the elevators.

I smiled at her, "Just going out?"

"Oh no, no! Waiting for you, actually. How was it? Are you still sweet on Hitoshi?"

"I think so," I blushed, and my pulse tried to kill me. Oh yeah. I was totally sweet on him.

Mina closed her mouth with a snap, and I turned to see who'd caused her to stop talking. Shoto stood there, his big bright eyes looking between us.

He settled on me, "I want to take you somewhere too."

I gave Mina a look and she gave me a micro shrug. I turned toward Shoto, "Yes, of course. Tomorrow?"

"I saw that there's an ice skating rink opening for the season. Would you like to go there?"

"I love to skate! Thank you, Todoroki-kun!"

"Shoto." His lips lifted in a small smile, "Ochaco-chan."

I gave him another big smile, "Shoto-kun. I'll see you tomorrow evening?"

He nodded and then walked away. It was very Todoroki like. I gave Mina a thumbs up, and headed up to my room to sleep.

Saturday

Amidst the rest of the class, I waited for Shoto to come down. I had not been expecting an invitation from him, even less than I had expected one from Midorya. I was glad though. If I were being honest, Shoto has always been something of a mystery. Being the kid with a famous dad, but being almost pathologically shy around people. Being brave and decisive while fighting, but always remembering your teammates. Well, except for the Licensing Exam, and look what that had earned him.

He came down wearing a soft blue cardigan and jeans and I wondered again at my friend, because Shoto was always unerringly kind to everyone, and his strange dichotomy. Everything about him was a mix of differences. His hair, eyes, quirk, even his scarred face showed up just how mixed he was, yet still one boy who stopped in front of me and held out a hand.

"Ochaco-chan?"

I stood, grabbing the hand belonging to his 'hot' side. I was once again momentarily taken back by just how abnormally warm some of my classmates are. I realized with a start that he must be similarly cool on the other side. How delightful!

I smiled up at him, "I'm ready," and he gave a slight pull, and we began to walk out to the town.

We were walking along in silence, though I didn't think it felt uncomfortable. I figured this is what it would be like to be with him. Even after getting all the way to the rink, I was still just as easy as I was before we left. I didn't quite expect what happened next.

"Can I ask a question?"

I lifted a brow, "Sure."

"Why didn't you ask me for a date?"

I blinked, "I didn't ask anyone. I don't know how Mina-chan set up these outings, but I just assumed you didn't ask her because you were like Midorya or Bakugo, and didn't want the baggage." His gaze jumped off just to come back to me slowly, "No offense intended."

"But they both spent time with you." He shook his head, and grabbed the door open, holding it for me. He went to the front counter and we rented skates and found a bench to tie them on. "I thought you didn't like me."

I couldn't help the surprised giggle, "That's crazy, Shoto-kun. You know I don't dislike anyone." I laughed again, "Even if they deserve it."

He stood, a wobble in his steps as he made his way to the ice, but he stopped me before I could step out. "I was sure it was because you think of me as just a boy you know, not someone you would ever want to put time into."

I watched him, his eyes looking down and away as he continued cutting himself to ribbons. "How could a girl ever think I am desirable?" He shook his head, "I have a huge scar on my face. My eyes don't match." He looked devastated, "I'm totally backward. Everyone knows my dad is a jerk. I didn't even get what was going on with you until last night."

I stepped out onto the ice, and I felt really terrible. I waited for Shoto to join me. He stepped out, one foot sliding slightly too far. I had uncovered his weakness. Though, looking at his forlorn face, I think he'd just confessed to a lot more than he'd ever meant to.

I skated out a bit, waiting for him to catch up. "I just thought that after my public fight with Bakugo everyone knew. I'm sorry. I definitely would have loved to go out with you." He looked surprised, "You're crazy if you think people can't look past that stuff. And If I'm being honest? My favorite thing about how you look is your eyes."

He blushed brilliantly, "Really?" His foot slipped, and he brought it back with a loud scrape. "How did you fall for Shinso?" After the talk about how dense he'd been, he'd noticed that I had definitely shown more than casual interest in Shinso, and it was my turn to blush. "What does he have that our classmates don't?"

Shoto wobbled forward, his unintentional duck on ice imitation almost comical. I covered my grin as he paddled his arms in mid-air to regain balance.

"I liked Midoriya," I confessed. "But he was far too busy being a hero. No room for love. You may not understand, Shoto-kun." I lifted a foot off the ice and lifted my arms, using it to cross the foot still gliding for a few steps, just enough to gain speed. "But although Hitoshi wants to be a hero too, he wanted to make time for me." My arms fell to the back as I leaned to the right, circling Todoroki who was so at home sliding on his ice with his boots, but skates seemed to be outside his comfort zone.

I giggled, doing a loop for him, "He's my hero, my white knight."

He flicked a lock of hair out of his eyes, taking a few more tentative steps, trying to get the gliding rhythm right. "I get it, I suppose I am the same way. I don't know if I even have those feelings. I can't be a white knight."

I could feel my brows scrunch as I processed this. My heart went out to him. I knew a little about his unhappy family life, but he'd never spoken about it to me before.

"That isn't so." I skidded a bit on my toe picks, "Shoto-kun, listen to me, alright?"

He stopped trying to move, instead adopting a strong stance that left him looking like he was ready to spar.

"Someday you will find the person that you can share your feelings with. You do have them," I said with an exasperated sigh for the look of disbelief he shot me.

His hair shook as he regarded me, a negative shake, "Sometimes I think my father beat all of that out of me before I even started school."

"You are sweet, loving, and have the most confidence in our whole class. You're the only one to ask me directly for a date. You are a perfect hero."

"I…" Shoto's arms windmilled before he could firm his stance, "Thank you. I always wanted to be like All Might, like Midoriya. But I lost my way just for him to pick me up and teach me to trust myself, not the image of me other people had. I think you do that too." He scootched his feet until they pointed back to dry land and he limped back to exit the ice.

I followed him, "See there? That's like the second sweetest thing I've ever heard." I hopped out of the chute and clopped back to the bench we'd started from.

"Thanks, Ochaco-chan." He locked his big gray and blue eyes on me and smiled. It may have been small but it was genuine.

After that we returned our skates and decided to just walk back to school and stop for dinner on the way. Maybe this was the shortest date, but it had been educational. For both of us.

AN/ I am an absolute klutz. I've cut myself on wooden spoons. I still love the idea of ice and roller skates, but the last time I went ice skating I sliced my palm with a two inch gash and in my haste to leave the ice, twisted my ankle. Honestly. Klutzy. LOL