Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.
Ayame dragged Shoto around during their exploration. After Shoto had confronted her about her odd behavior, things fell back naturally in place again as they enjoyed each other's company. Finally, it felt like a real summer vacation as they ran around the island, catching glimpses of many heroes and unique Quirks at work.
"Oh—look!" Ayame pointed towards all the shops around, entering a shopping center of some sort at the island.
So far, they had seen the amusement park attractions, museums, and even the academy. Although they had wandered around mostly and browsed through the stores, both were more focused on the places Yume had mentioned of freely using their Quirks. But for now, there was no rush for them as they wandered the city.
"I promised Suzume to bring back a souvenir. Let's look for one together!" Ayame suggested, half expecting Shoto to find one for his mother.
"You care for your sister a lot," more than once now, Ayame had thought of her sisters first before herself. Shoto had always noticed it but never spoke of it until now.
"Due to Suzume's…situation, she does not leave the house often. I do what I can to bring back some fun for her," Ayame said as she browsed through the windows of the shops.
Last time, she purchased a stuffed bunny for her so this time; she should try to find some toy. They entered a toy store made to attract tourists, dozens of colorful toys and dolls were put on display. Ayame's eyes lit up as she hopped over to the clothes stand and got an All Might suit, fake muscles included.
"This is so cute—I wonder if there's an adult version?!" Ayame gasped, holding the bodysuit half her size to her body.
A cough sounded behind her and she turned to see Shoto with one hand raised to his mouth. Ayame blinked, looking between him—then herself—and immediately reddened by her childish behavior. She was here to look for gifts for Suzume and yet—she ran off as soon as she saw something All Might related!
"Hey! Are you laughing at me?!" Ayame asked, her blush deepened once she realized he—was!
"No, I wouldn't dare," he answered while lowering his hand but—it was obvious the smile was still there!
"Sarcasm isn't a good look for you," Ayame harrumphed with a small pout, putting the costume aside and turned around to search for more toys.
Another easy smile slipped onto Shoto's lips as he followed behind, knowing she was not seriously upset with him. It was simply too easy to rile her up. Ayame was also the one to present that opportunity every time. In a way, Shoto can understand why his classmates enjoy teasing her. But, that does not warrant them to bring up her previous love life that was still haunting her.
And just like that, the smile was replaced by the blank look once more.
"Speaking of which," Ayame began as she turned to him with a smile, her previous 'anger' gone, "I heard All Might was invited, too! We haven't run into him yet but—I hope I get to see him this time."
"Oh," Shoto blinked. While it was not a surprise to hear the Number One Hero to be here, as his father was also invited, Shoto was more composed than Ayame. After all, he had met up with the strongest hero multiple times already since he was teaching their class and, Shoto was normally not the type to fawn over the hero despite his childhood admiration.
"I wonder if Yume-nee will see him," Ayame hummed, tapping a finger to her chin in contemplation while returning to browse through the toys. "She did mention a hero party in the evening."
"Will you be going to the party?" Shoto asked, bringing lilac eyes to glance at him once.
"Only if All Might will be there!" Ayame laughed, shrugging in the end while picking up a box of 3D puzzle pieces of the island. "Well, I'm not sure. I didn't technically pack a formal wear and I'm sure Yume-nee will be busy with other heroes and civilians."
"I'll be going," Shoto said, maybe a little too quickly for his taste but he covered it by continuing, "To represent my old man."
"Oh," Ayame blinked, finding that to be reasonable and nodded her head. "If you're going then I might as well! It would be boring going alone!"
Slightly, Shoto's lips curled upwards.
In the end, Ayame purchased the little puzzle for Suzume, thinking that it would be a cute gift since the main buildings were also included in the makeshift puzzle. Shoto did not find anything of interest yet, mainly accompanying Ayame and talking about one thing or another.
They left the shopping center when they heard a loud explosion nearby, both tensing in alert but none of the civilians looked bothered. It was as if they expected this result as Shoto and Ayame overheard their conversations.
"They must be at it again with the battle simulations."
"What's the record this month?"
"21 seconds!"
"Battle simulation?" Ayame mumbled to herself in curiosity. "Oh—oh! We should go check it out, Shoto-kun!"
"Yeah," even his curiosity was piqued with that note. Since I-Island was a place where Quirks can be freely used as long as no harm came to the civilians, he wondered what type of battle simulations would be here. As they were aspiring heroes, it only made sense for them to prove their worth.
The simulation wasn't far from their location. Already, they can hear the announcer talking enthusiastically about the last challenger. Quickly, Ayame grasped Shoto by the wrist and ran ahead, too excited to care for personal space. He glanced down once, then to Ayame's back, and did not pull away.
"Is this where we can register?" Ayame asked a worker by the entrance to the dome.
"We have quite a bit of challengers today," the worker smiled and nodded her head, "Yes, this is. You can step through the tunnel and await your turn. The rules are simple. You will be timed while defeating all the robotic villains in the area."
"Okay!" Ayame said and Shoto nodded his head. The worker directed them through the tunnel and together, both headed in.
It was not a long walk and as they neared the exit, they heard the announcer reveal the next time of the current challenger.
"This is amazing, too! 16 seconds! Second place!"
"Woah—!" Ayame gasped and hurried her steps a bit, "That already beat this month's record! And it's only the second place? Ah—I really wanna try it now!"
She can barely contain her excitement, hands clenched together into fists while shaking them excitedly. Her mind was already racing with what type of creatures to create in order to secure her a record time and which path to take as the fastest. It was not often for her to use her Quirk!
"Go ahead," Shoto offered, "You can go first."
"Really?" Ayame turned to look at him with wide eyes. Seeing him nod again without a care reassured her into smiling brightly. "Alright!"
"Here comes a new challenger!" The perky brunette announcer motioned towards Ayame. She grinned and cracked her knuckles, eyeing the mountain of robots with ease. "Get set, go!"
As soon as those words left the announcer's lips, Ayame darted forward. Dark wisps of smoke trails emerged and twisted from her body, a hawk spun together as her mount. But, the smoke wasn't done when another creature emerged right under the hawk, a large canine formed to dash along with her.
Sixteen seconds, Ayame thought to herself, I have to beat sixteen seconds.
Ayame soared up high while the ookami took care of the rear. The ghostly summon was vicious, ramming itself into the mechanical bodies and knocking them into the ground of each other. It wasted no time to run forward, leaving a trail of machines behind while chasing after its caster.
She jumped off the hawk once they reached the peak. Her bird summons usually have no attack powers as they were mainly used to transport her but they were large enough to cause a disturbance. At that, the hawk spun around to knock into a robot, pushing it off the cliff and disappearing into wisps once more.
Ayame moved her hand, the trails circling her arm in practiced movements and, glancing down to see five more robots between her and the ookami, she fell.
"No way! Did she just jump off?!"
The dark smoke surrounded Ayame in long familiarity, twisting the threads around each other and began to take shape. A long body appeared around her, a winding tail formed and smacked the nearest robot. The ookami continued its venture up the mountain while Ayame continued to fall down with the serpent, destroying robots as they met in the middle.
Once close enough, the two summons combined together into a large dragon with Ayame sitting on the back as its rider. With a stomp and flap of its wings, the dragon destroyed the two remaining robots, signaling the buzzer to go off as the end.
"Sixteen seconds! Amazing! She's tied for second place!"
"Aw, man!" But Ayame was discontent, the dragon disappearing as she hopped back onto the floor. "I was hoping to beat that!"
"Tch, she was just showing off!"
"You're just mad she almost beat your time!"
Ayame whirled around to the stands, gaping at the sound of familiar voices and saw a group of colorful students.
"You guys!"
"Senpai!"
Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Kirishima and Bakugo was in the stands. Next to them was an unfamiliar blonde but she looked nice enough. Quickly, Ayame flew up to them on a medium sized tengu, hopping down next to the usual trio but was smiling at Bakugo's angry expression.
"Hey! I can't believe you guys are here!" Being invited to I-Island was a surprise but she hadn't realized so many of her underclassmen would be here as well. It was definitely a pleasant surprise!
"Un, you too!" Ochako smiled back.
"Your time was on par with Midoriya-kun! I would also like to attempt it!" Iida said in determination.
Ayame turned to the green boy with a gasp. Her competitor was Midoriya?! Then—who was first?!
"We're tied?! Ah, that's amazing, Deku-kun! But dang it—I wanted to be first!" Ayame pouted.
"Tough luck!" Bakugo yelled, "I'll go again and blow you both away!"
"He's upset you guys nearly tied with him by one second," Kirishima snickered while Ayame 'ohh'ed. Somehow, she wasn't surprised Bakugo would be first...but she wanted the better time! She even pushed herself to do multiple summons!
"Ah, well, you're gonna have to wait in line," Ayame turned her attention back onto the stage, a small smile appearing when she saw Shoto kneel down in front of the mountain.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" The announcer cheered in amazement as a bombardment of ice rushed forward. The sleet of ice covered the front half of the mountain completely; no robots were able to escape the icy prison. "F-fourteen seconds! He jumped to the top!"
Ayame sighed, partially in admiration and disappointment as she leaned over the railing. Shoto stood back up look at the stands, catching his fellow classmates with his upperclassman but there was only one person he was focused on.
"Suppressing your opponent with overwhelming force… That is so like him," Ayame mused to herself.
"Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya gasped in surprise.
"Is he in your class, too?" The blonde next to Yaoyorozu asked.
"Yes!"
"You're all amazing! As expected of future heroes!"
Ayame glanced over, almost forgetting to introduce herself to what appears to be their new friend. She approached her with a smile, mouth opening for introduction but—a sudden explosion set off behind her and nearly burned her long tan hair.
"What the—Kacchan!" Ayame hissed.
"Half-and-Half Bastard!" But Bakugo was not paying attention to them any longer when the threat of someone taking his first place was before him. The fiery boy landed on the stage in front of him, waving his fist angrily around as Shoto returned his gaze back to his classmate. "Appearing suddenly try to make everyone think you're amazing, you bastard?!"
"You guys are here, too?" Shoto paused as he looked up again, his eyes narrowed on icy blue hair and the red and blue figure.
Ayame looked dazed as she stopped focusing on her underclassmen and—stared at icy blue eyes smiling at her. What was—Shimizu Yuu—doing here?!
"Oh my, Ayame," Yuu greeted with a smile, too happy and too knowing to see her, "Fancy running into you here."
Behind her, she can hear the others whispering about the Shizimu heir again. Not that she was surprised, Yuu was quite pleasant to look at. Especially now in his hero body suit and dazzling smile that could render most people speechless. Although Ayame was not the type to fawn over others, she was not stupid enough to be oblivious to his charm.
"Yuu—!" Ayame took a step closer to him involuntarily, not close enough to be deemed inappropriate but she was surprised to see him in the first place. "You're—here!"
"So I am," Yuu continued to smile and took another step forward. Ayame startled, nearly want to back up but the tall boy reached a hand out to her hair, bringing a lock in front for her to see parts singed from Bakugo's earlier explosion.
"My hair!"
Ayame's eyes bulged open to see the speck of black and nearly screamed. She worked so hard to grow it out! And now—a part of it was burnt?! Although she does not care for her hair often, it was still a shock to see part of it damaged!
"It's not that bad," Yuu reassured with a small hum.
He studied the tip of the tan tresses and manifested a small water bubble over the hair to prevent it from singeing even more. The burnt hair melted off, leaving a slightly uneven strand to hang with the rest of the hair. Yuu set it back down and, without warning, ran his fingers from the top of her head down to the long locks, brushing the hair together to merge with the rest.
"There we go," Yuu smiled in accomplishment.
Ayame stayed frozen, her face reddening even more and abruptly took a step back. The silky tresses slipped away from his fingers, leaving his hand paused in midair before slowly returning back to his side. Yuu saw her flushed cheeks and felt a smirk emerging, eyes turning sharper for a second.
"Uh—thanks—I," Ayame fumbled, wishing that Yuu would stop breaking into her personal space because she was not good at handling these type of things! But, as she looked up, she saw the teasing look in his eyes and felt herself grow more embarrassed. He was only messing with her!
"I hate to admit it but…I'm starting to believe Kaminari," Jiro whispered to Yaoyorozu behind them, all watching the small intimate moment transpire between their upperclassmen.
Midoriya, Ochako, and Yaoyorozu both blushed from the implications while Kirishima whispered a small 'yeah'. Ayame's eye twitched. Just—what the heck! They were way too invested in her life!
"Ayame, you should watch," but Yuu's voice broke through to her and she turned back to the stadium.
Ayame blinked, not seeing the heterochromia boy or the ash blonde below from the few minutes she was distracted. Instead, someone else with sparkling hair was walking past the announcer and stopped in front of the iced over mountain.
"S-sir? I apologize but we would need some time to reset the challenge," the announcer said a nervous smile, trying not to stare at the Takarada heir.
"Step aside," Noeru cared not for her, crystal eyes staring at the ice mountain. Fourteen seconds… Tch, I'll finish this in ten.
They watched in silent wonder as Noeru shifted his foot. Then, the ground began to rumble, shaking even the benchers above them as the audience began to talk over each other in excitement. Ayame gripped the railing again, mouth parted open when cracks began to form on the ice and—crystal shards spiked upwards to break through the surface.
"A-amazing! We have so many amazing times today! For the final count—this is—eleven seconds!"
Noeru clicked his tongue, scowling as his Quirk stopped working. He was one second slower than his expected time. Although he had won, it was still under his expectations.
"That—damn it, Takarada!" Ayame pounded on the railing, glaring at her class president, "Of course he had to show us all up at the last second."
"Wow! Is he—part of U.A., too?" Melissa asked quietly towards Midoriya and friends, glancing between the Takarada heir and Yuu.
"Yeah. They are second-years in U.A. Ayame-senpai is our assistant but those two are her class representatives," Midoriya answered.
At that time, Shoto managed to find his way towards the benchers. Bakugo had stopped following to glare down at the destroyed mountain, crystal shards sticking up at every angle with broken ice scattered everywhere. No trace of the robotic villains can be found, his anger growing when the announcer said the stadium will be closed for a bit to clean up the mess.
"That damned disco ball," Bakugo scowled at Noeru.
Shoto approached the group and while a few of them had turned to greet him, Ayame was still in a daze at Noeru. She was glaring, that was obvious, but Noeru had met her gaze without flinching. Instead, his chin tilted upwards in an arrogant manner, a slow smirk playing on his lips in an unspoken challenge. That only riled Ayame up more and she made way to jump over the railing and—towards him.
A hand suddenly stopped her movement, lilac eyes turning towards the heterochromia boy who was grasping her arm. Yuu quietly looked between them, glancing at how Shoto stepped past him in order to get to Ayame. His icy eyes turned to Noeru, an amused smile on his lips at how his best friend had reverted back into glaring at the duo.
"Oh, there you are, Shoto-kun," but Ayame was oblivious to everything as always, smiling at him but made no movement to step down from the railing. "Gimme a second. I have someone to beat up."
"The competition is over," but he did not let go, carefully tugging on her arm for Ayame to get the hint to leave, "We can look for other challenges."
It was an excuse but Shoto needed something to distract her with. Whenever her class president was involved, Ayame would lose her calm and end up fighting with him. It was like Noeru was purposely instigating Ayame.
"I—"
Ayame wanted to refuse, still distracted by the sight of Noeru, but when she turned to look at Shoto again, she hesitated. There was something in his gaze that made her falter. His grip was not painful and Shoto had the usual indifference on but—he stopped her and—that was a first.
"Okay," she agreed, stepping down from the railing as he slowly let her go. The heat from his hand still lingered on her arm but she ignored it in favor of turning back towards Yuu with a smile. "I'll see you around later! I'm going to catch up with them."
Ayame jabbed a thumb in her quiet underclassmen's direction, Yuu's gaze following quietly. While a majority of them had been too shy to greet him besides offering a polite smile, the half-and-half boy was the only one looking at him with a frown. That only made the smile on Yuu's face wider.
"You don't want to explore with us instead?" Yuu asked, almost sad as if he was hurt she did not consider him in the first place, "We've been classmates for over a year and now you don't want to be seen with us."
"Wha—c'mon, Yuu! Cut it out," Ayame nudged him, knowing he was playing with her with his perfectly polite face. If she refused more, it would be like she's bullying him! "We see each other every day. I'll catch up with you after we get home."
Yuu chuckled and was about to tease her more but—the suspicious look from Shoto made him stop. It was not directed at him, however, but seems to be glaring at someone behind him. There could only be one person to cause him such contempt.
"Yuu," Noeru greeted but his eyes were on the brunette next to him, "Sasaki."
"Takarada," Ayame answered evenly.
Their relationship can be described as hot and cold, never too friendly yet it lost the previous hostility. Noeru always looked unsatisfied with Ayame and she would retaliate back in defence so it was a wonder to Yuu how both managed to work together in order to pass their final exams. At that time, Yuu almost believed those two had reached a semblance of acquaintances but—something always seem to hold him back. It was as if...Noeru was riling up Ayame on purpose because he does not know how to express otherwise.
Maybe… An amused smile was on Yuu's lips as his icy eyes slid over the heterochromia boy's form, because of him?
"Instead of going off to I-Island, you should brush up on your skills. Losing to your underclassmen is a disgrace to U.A."
Ah, he always know what to say to piss her off, Yuu sighed.
Ayame immediately reacted, taking a large step forward and as Yuu had seen this before, she would grab his collar. This scene would play out like clockwork; Noeru purposely angering Ayame and Yuu being the pacifist to hold her back. But this time, before Yuu could even touch the brunette, someone else already took her hand to tug her backwards.
"Don't waste your breath on those unable to change," Shoto said quietly, knowing about Noeru a little too much for his liking. "Let's go, Ayame."
"Alright," Ayame sighed, partially calmed by Shoto yet the other part in weariness. She was just—tired of always arguing with her class pres. "I'll see you guys around. Come find me if you want to hang out."
After sparing them another glance, Ayame waved 'bye' and followed the rest of the 1-A members. Even as they walked away, Shoto had not let her hand go which somehow became a regular occurrence to them. If any of them took notice, they said nothing of it.
Kirishima had left to find Bakugo shortly after they left the arena. Ayame and Shoto were introduced to Melissa, a new friend of Midoriya who attends the academy on I-Island. They had caught up with each other regarding their reason for being on the island in the first place and had somehow agreed to attend the party at night later.
While Ayame was usually the one to strike up a conversation, she had been oddly quiet thinking about one thing or another. It was to the point of distraction where she hadn't realized that she was still holding onto Shoto's hand and—he was making no move of taking it back.
Midoriya quietly looked at them and as he moved his gaze away, he coincidentally saw Ochako looking at him. He gave a small smile from the sudden look but the brunette immediately flushed and looked elsewhere—accidentally landing on their upperclassman and stoic classmate.
"Oh! Um! Ayame-senpai! Kaminari-kun and Mineta-kun are also on the island! They're currently working at this café part-time!" Ochako said the first thing that popped in her mind, mentally wincing when she remembered all the contributing factors between Ayame and their classmates. If Kaminari and Mineta were there to see her interaction with her class representatives, Ayame would surely not hear the end of it.
As expected, that had snapped Ayame out of her thoughts and nearly groaned. While she was glad the two gossipy boys were currently not around, she might see them later and just—hopefully not with anyone else they might want to tease her with.
"We'll meet up with you later."
But, Ayame did not say anything when Shoto spoke first. His voice brought all of their attention to him because—he rarely spoke in the first place and—he said 'we'. Even Ayame looked confused when she looked at him, feeling warmth on her hand and—lilac eyes nearly bulged open when she saw their hands still laced together.
Instead of letting go, Shoto quietly started leading them away. Ayame almost stumbled while following him, looking between his broad back and then to the other teenagers confused faces. With a helpless smile, Ayame waved behind her.
"See you guys tonight!"
The rest of them stood there for a few seconds, watching the two disappear around the corner and Melissa turned to the moss haired boy in confusion.
"Are those two…" She trailed off, not knowing if she should continue that sentence as they were still strangers in her eyes.
"You know as much as us," Jirou shrugged.
"W-well, it's not our business," Midoriya did what he could to help, giving one last look in their direction before Melissa began to lead them around to the other attractions.
Ayame followed Shoto, partially in confusion and another part not knowing where to go. He had not said much besides the initial leaving but was it just her or—did he seem tense, too?
"Hey—Shoto-kun," Ayame took a step faster, catching up with him so they walked side by side, "Are you—okay?"
He paused, slowing down to glance at her.
"Yeah," he answered naturally, "Are you?"
"Uh, yeah," Ayame blinked. Wasn't he the one to lead them off?
"I thought you wanted some time alone," Shoto explained when he saw her confusion, wondering if he was being too impulsive again. It seemed that was often the case whenever he was around her. "Do you…want to go back?"
Ayame blinked again, silently studying the way he avoided her eyes this time. Again, wasn't he the one being considerate towards her? Why was he the one looking shy now?
An amused smile played on her lips as this was the closest she had come to see Todoroki Shoto flustered. He was not blushing as she would nor did he stuttered but—he hesitated and avoided her gaze…something Ayame often does when she herself was feeling shy.
"Mm, you're right," Ayame hummed instead and separated from him, lacing her hands behind her back while walking forward. "I did want to be alone. I should thank you for that."
Ayame turned her head to grin at him, thinking that he seemed to know what she was thinking of very well. Maybe it was because they spent so much time together and shared so many details with each other that Ayame felt comfortable rambling to Shoto knowing he won't judge her for it.
"I think lately I just feel tired arguing with Takarada," Ayame turned to look up at the sky, watching the colors slowly change from bright blue to purple and orange. "Since the Sports Festival, we've been in a weird state. One second we can work together for the finals exam and the next he mocks me like that. It's just…frustrating."
He felt his jaw clenched at the sudden change of topic to him but continued to listen on. He could understand Ayame's frustration; the Takarada heir does have a way of getting under someone's skin, but Ayame often dwells on him even hours after. They had spoken about him before, Shoto remembers clearly, and at that time Ayame had said she did not like him but—has that change?
"You…want to get along with him," Shoto said slowly, as if trying to analyze whatever type of relationship they have.
"Yeah, of course!" Ayame answered without a thought. "We're classmates! I thought—he had given us a chance considering how helpful he had been but I just—don't know?"
Ayame sighed and continued to walk forward, oblivious to Shoto's thoughts behind her. And, he really was thinking quite a bit whenever she was involved with the class rep. Ayame was just a little too kind. She had tried to convince him of the same thing before—back during the Sports Festival when he was still cold with others.
But currently, the Takarada heir was more stubborn than him. Shoto does not know of Noeru's reasoning, nor did he care, but he knew he must have contributed to Noeru's difficult attitude based on all the challenging looks they exchanged. And usually, Ayame was the one between them, oblivious as always but even Shoto could not provide a clear answer if she ever asked.
It was as if, Shoto was the reason Noeru was acting out on Ayame—just so she can direct her attention (and anger) at him.
That speculation made him freeze in his steps, mismatched eyes widening at the ridiculous yet plausible guess. Because, if Noeru merely antagonize Ayame just for her attention—then wouldn't that mean he held her in some type of high regard?
But, if that was true, then what was the true purpose? If he wanted to get closer to her—then his method was doing the opposite effect. Rather than getting close, Ayame would retaliate back at every instance.
Is it really useless, though?
Even now, Ayame was focused on the Takarada heir. Although she was not admitting to them being friends, she was still trying to bridge the gap between them.
Just like how she had tried with him.
"Ayame."
She paused and turned around with a blink, tilting her head curiously to Shoto's call while loose strands of tan hair hung over her shoulder. Ayame ignored the initial flutter of her heart by his voice, reasoning to herself that she felt surprised because he rarely said her name.
He slowly caught up to her, watching the setting sun cast a soft glow to her features and felt his hand twitch upwards to touch her. His fingers clenched instead, fighting back the unexpected urge and yet even with her attention on him, Shoto cannot remember why he called out to her in the first place.
He only felt with every step she took forward, Ayame was walking towards Noeru instead. Those two had known each other longer than Shoto had known her. They had a past rivalry and, dare he say, chemistry between them that only reacts around each other.
It annoyed Shoto.
Annoyed and…scared him.
"Yes?" Ayame answered softly, feeling the intensity of his eyes burning in her for reasons unknown. Shoto had called out to her but had not said anymore. He looked lost in thought about something and—a part of her had wondered—he was thinking of her.
But, that was a ridiculous, over imaginative part of her that merely wondered that from the years of manga experience she had read. Ayame can correctly separate real life from the fantasy world where all confessions and love always worked out in the end merely because she knew it would not happen to her.
"I—"
All of this is not a coincidence,
I know it just because,
Just by my feelings
Ayame jumped at her ringtone, giving Shoto an apologetic look and reached for her smartphone. The caller ID had informed her it was Yume and she wondered why her sister was calling her now.
"Hi, Yume-nee."
"Ayame, can you come back to the hotel soon? We have to prepare for the event tonight."
"Yeah, I know," Ayame glanced at the time on the phone. It was currently 5:46 PM so there was still plenty of time left till the party. "I met up with a few 1-A students so I'll be going with them!"
"Oh, you did?" Yume hummed, "That's fine. We'll be going to the same place but I need to give you something first."
Curiosity bubbled within her as Ayame heard that. With a smile, Ayame began to walk forward while waving Shoto along to return to the hotel.
"Okay! I'll be there!"
Ayame hung up the call with Yume and tucked the phone back into her pocket. Realizing that the call had interrupted Shoto, she turned back to him again.
"Sorry—what did you say earlier?"
Shoto paused, not sure if he wanted to continue the earlier discussion, and shook his head. A part of him was relieved that Yume had called because any second longer, he was not sure what would be said. There were too many confusing things running through him and—it all led back to her.
"It was nothing."
He decided it was not the time to ponder that now, merely waving off his earlier musing as overanalyzing something that was not there.
Ayame and Shoto returned back to the hotel shortly, agreeing to meet up at 6:15 PM so they can go towards Lobby 7 together with the others. There was not much needed to do besides a quick freshen up and a change of clothes.
With that, Ayame returned back to her room and found Yume looking through her luggage. At the sound of Ayame returning, the elder sister straightened up to smile at her.
"Just in time. I need you to change into this."
She startled, catching a maroon colored fabric thrown at her. Ayame barely gave it a glance to know it was a dress but—why was her sister giving it to her?
"Why? I have my own clothes!" Ayame argued.
"A blouse and shorts and does translate to formal wear, Aya," Yume lightly advised.
Ayame flushed in embarrassment. How did she know that was all she packed for formal wear?! It was not like Ayame was planning to go to the party. It was a last second decision by her friends!
"What about you?" Ayame quickly asked, "This is your dress!"
"Oh," Yume smiled brightly, "I'll be attending as a hero, so, my uniform will suffice."
Ayame stared at her sister in disbelief. Why does all of this sound so coincidental? It was as if Yume knew Ayame did not pack anything remotely formal.
"Hurry along now. You still have to meet up with Todoroki-san, don't you?" Yume said with another smile. "I have to doll you up."
She resisted the urge to gape again, nearly retorting back that Yume was not dressed up but held back. Yume did apply makeup, as rare as that was, and it was natural enough to bring out her violet eyes without it being too gaudy. Ayame ignored the casual Todoroki mention and turned around with a huff, heading towards the bathroom.
"I'm only doing this for you, nee-chan! I am attending to represent you, too!"
Ayame can hear Yume laugh behind her as she closed the door, feeling a rush of heat going towards her cheek and saw red on her reflection in the mirror. She shook her head and began to change, taking the red skirt and white blouse off.
While Ayame did not mind wearing a skirt since it was her school uniform, Suzume had been the one to help design the hero outfit for her back in middle school. Ayame did not mind as long as she could choose the colors to be based off All Might but as she grew older, wearing anything more feminine like a dress embarrassed her.
She sighed, shaking those thoughts away and slipped onto the soft fabric. At once, Ayame felt a breeze on her left thigh and back, feeling herself redden again at the amount of exposed skin. Since when did Yume buy this dress, anyways?! She had never seen her sister wear it before! Why was there an 'x' pattern in front of her chest?! It was like the designer purposely drew attention to that area!
"Yume-nee! Don't you have another dress?!"
"Nope!" Yume answered back with enthusiasm, already picturing Ayame's flushed face. She had bought that dress long ago but never had the opportunity to wear it. Who knew it would come in handy now—but for her sister? "Come out!"
Ayame opened the door with a pout, feeling the cool air on her thighs at every step due to the asymmetrical dress. The top portion felt tight as it hugged her curves while the skirt was flowing on one side. If anyone else but Ayame had worn this dress, she would have thought it was beautiful. But because it was her, she only felt embarrassed.
"Aww, you look so cute," Yume cooed, furthering Ayame's embarrassment as she inspected her sister around.
"I feel cold," Ayame pouted, crossing her bare arms and looked around for a jacket. It does not help that her whole back was practically exposed.
"What are you talking about? It's still summer," Yume smiled in amusement. "Here, this goes with the dress."
Yume brought a loose string belt out, wrapping it around Ayame's stomach and have it hung off off her waist. A silver butterfly clasp was attached to keep the whole thing together, giving a small sense of elegance to this simple look.
"Next, you're gonna tell me you have matching shoes, too," Ayame mumbled sarcastically.
"Why, I do!"
Her head snapped back to her sister, wide lilac eyes gawking at Yume foolishly. Yume was already pulling out a pair of maroon short heels for her, similar 'x' design on the foot to complete the look. Ayame groaned, usually not the one to wear heels and the only saving grace was the fact that the shoes were not even 3 centimeters tall.
"Why does it feel like you planned this?" Ayame asked suspiciously.
"Just a coincidence!" Yume chirped.
With another smile, she motioned Ayame to sit on the vanity where a few makeup palettes and brushes were set aside. Ayame already knew the direction Yume wanted to take and with a sigh, she reached for her phone to text Shoto, telling him to go without her as there's a high chance she will be late.
For a quick moment, Ayame wondered what Shoto would be wearing and—if he would say anything about her appearance later.
Shoto arrived to the scheduled meeting on time and saw Iida already waiting for the others alone. The class president gave an energetic greeting as he smoothed out the royal blue suit he wore. Shoto nodded back in acknowledgement before the two began to wait for others.
Kaminari and Mineta arrived next, both wearing a black vest over a white button up and black pants. Iida greeted the two, lightly reprimanding them for their tardiness despite them being ten minutes late. Currently, none of the girls or Midoriya had arrived yet. Based on what Iida said before, Bakugo and Kirishima were supposed to be here, too, but Shoto doubt the blonde wanted to arrive with them.
As the time ticked on, it was well past the agreed upon time when Midoriya appeared next in a burgundy suit, apologizing for his tardiness. Shoto had not mind waiting, one hand stuffed in his white suit pocket and casually wondering where his upperclassman was. She had given him a brief message to go ahead first but, he hadn't expected her to be half an hour later than expected.
"Sorry I'm late!" The elevator door opened, revealing a brunette in a pink frilly dress apologizing for the delay.
Shoto blinked at Ochako but said nothing when Kaminari and Mineta both gushed over her. Right after, Yaoyorozu and Jirou both appeared in their own dresses, Jirou's more casual than formal. The two boys continued to cheer in the background but Shoto returned to waiting quietly.
"I'm…not used to clothes like this," Jirou said with a slight blush. Even with the black jacket and tights on, she felt exposed in the hot pink dress.
"The clothes make the man, right?" Kaminari gave a thumb up.
"She looks like a female assassin," Mineta whispered to him.
"Shut up." At that, Jirou's earphone jack found its way to them both and scolded them.
"We complimented you!"
"No, you didn't."
The elevator rang again, signaling another stop and the door slowly slid open to reveal the person within. Strands of tan hair was braided on the sides to tie at the back, the remaining loose tan hair hung over her shoulder as Ayame bent down slightly to adjust her shoe, one of her hand was holding onto the wall for balance. Bright, lilac eyes looked up at the door opening, accidentally meeting the mismatched eyes first before scanning over the rest of the group.
"Sorry! I'm here!" Ayame walked out in large strides, the opening of the dress fluttered faintly to reveal a sliver of her pale thigh.
Behind, Shoto can already hear Kaminari and Mineta drooling over their upperclassman, his hand clenching and relaxing within his pocket.
"Senpai!" Kaminari and Mineta cheered and would have run up to her if they weren't a second later.
"Careful," Shoto said quietly, his hand reached up to brush upon her back—and nearly froze at the touch of smooth hair and warm skin. With a quick glance, he realized that Ayame's back was basically bare if not for her hair covering a majority of it.
"Senpai in a dress! Senpai in a formal dress!" Mineta cheered to Kaminari.
"What a beautiful night," Kaminari sighed dreamily, both boys' eyes were darting between all the girls present.
Fortunately for them, Ayame heard nothing of the exchange when she was solely focused on the shiver down her back by Shoto's touch. She had thought she would be fine wearing this dress after Yume had convinced her as long as no one touched her but already—she felt flustered! And—it does not help that the other party was Shoto!
She blushed, catching the light scent of soap coming from his white suit, standing a little too close to him than she realized. Unable to look him in the eyes, Ayame caught a glimpse at his maroon colored tie, freezing for another second as she looked down at her dress.
Weren't they the same color?!
Something light and soft touched her shoulder, the warmth spreading to her back and Ayame snapped her head up to look at Shoto in his blue button up. She clutched the white blazer with one hand to prevent it from falling, staring at Shoto with owlish eyes in disbelief at his actions.
"You looked cold," he gave an indifferent excuse.
"Thanks," Ayame said, possibly a little too high-pitched and a little too quickly but she dared not to focus on it.
She gently slipped the smooth fabric on, the warmth from him transferred from the jacket to her as she was careful not to crease the jacket. Although Ayame knew not much regarding suits, she knew it must be expensive based on the fine details and material of the blazer. The Todoroki were not lacking in money; she knew that much at least.
"You dressed up," although his voice was not loud, Ayame heard the statement clearly between them.
She smiled wryly, wondering if the makeup Yume put on her was too much. Her sister had done another natural look after Ayame's insistence, only applying a light eyeshadow and brown eyeliner to bring out the lilac in her eyes, and pinkish gloss to her lips.
"It wasn't by choice," Ayame sighed, "Yume-nee ran off as soon as she was done. If she was going to be late, she should have left without putting makeup on me."
Shoto smiled faintly at the pout on her lips, the gloss bringing more attention to it than normal and he realized he was staring again. It was odd; he normally was not the type to notice another's appearance, but being around Ayame was simply distracting.
Ayame was pretty to begin with, a fact she probably does not see herself based on how often she dismissed the stares in public, but the light makeup only enhanced her bright eyes and full lips. Plus, the dress was fitting, maybe a little too well, and Shoto had to tear his gaze away again least she thought he was leering. Which, he was not.
"It looks good," Shoto complimented quietly, because really, that was the truth, and she looks good and—
"O-oh! Thanks—!" Ayame blushed again, mentally berating herself for the slight stutter and hoped he did not notice.
Personally, Ayame thought she looked passable for the formal party. The dress made her look sophisticated, different from the casual clothes she normally wore, and it assented her shapely body. It was embarrassing to have so much revealed skin but Shoto's blazer and his polite compliment helped. And yes, Ayame simply thought he complimented her out of politeness.
"You—look good, too," Ayame added in the end, knowing she was not smooth at returning the gesture but she meant it.
The blue complimented his eyes and the tie had a contrasting shade with his shirt. The white blazer would have softened the colors and brought out his distinctive mismatched eyes and hair but—she was the one wearing it now. Still, Shoto looked formal and—attractive, more so than usual and Ayame had the urge to run her fingers through his hair to style it into a slickback look, wondering if it would be as mature as she imagined.
The smile on her lips strained, realizing those odd thoughts playing in her mind and knew they cannot come to fruition. Ayame looked up, lilac meeting grey and turquoise and realized—she was looking up.
"Hey—did you, grow taller?" Ayame blinked, leaning closer to him because weren't they around the same height before? Shoto was a few centimeters taller than her, if she remembered correctly, but right now, she was wearing heels, too! Unless—Ayame shrunk?!
A soft, flowery fragment hit his nose again and he resisted the urge to lean forward, too, still trying to decipher what flower she was using for the light yet not overbearing scent. It almost distracted him from hearing what question she had asked, relying on his memory for clarification. Shoto steeled himself to stay still, watching how she looked at the top of his head and straightened up for comparison.
"Did I?" He asked, not sure himself as he took no notice to these things.
His eyes traveled down, ignoring how he had accidentally passed by the side with her exposed leg just to see the short heels on the bottom of her feet. Although the height was not tall, they were back to their original height difference so he must have grown at least two centimeters.
"I guess I did," Shoto shrugged yet a small itch of pride swelled in him knowing that he was still growing, his happiness appearing in the form of a one-sided curl of his lips.
During their moment of distraction, Melissa had arrived in a blue dress, greeting everyone present for being the last one late. Kaminari and Mineta continued to swoon over her and everyone else was engaged in their own conversation. Iida attempted to reach Kirishima and Bakugo over the phone yet neither boys answered, causing the class rep to scold them unhappily.
Maybe it was luck that no one else took notice of them, the silence between them growing more once they realized how close they were.
"We should go now," Melissa smiled and motioned to the elevators. "The party has already begun!"
Ayame smiled and was about to follow when Shoto shifted besides her, one arm raised and bent at the elbow. She froze, staring at his unwavering appearance as if—it was natural for him to escort her.
"Shall we?" He asked, a little too formal yet just as perfect and Ayame got the ridiculous image in her mind that he was acting out like a prince on a date.
She let out a small laugh, partly because of her overactive imagination again and the other part to distract her from the blush threatening to emerge. Her hand went up to curl around his arm, the coolness of his Quirk seeping through his shirt as she rested her fingers over his firm muscles in familiarity.
With her free hand, Ayame tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at Shoto in appreciation. Even with these unfamiliar shoes, she could walk fine without assistance but maybe she's been getting too comfortable around him to realize she enjoyed the way he was considerate around her and offering his assistance without warrant.
"We shall," Ayame played along.
The smile on her lips is pretty, Shoto mindlessly thought, and genuine, just like her.
Right as they prepared themselves for a night of fun, the intercom sparked to sound.
"This is an announcement by the I-Island security system. We have received a report from the security system that an explosive device was placed in the I-Expo area. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. In addition, most of the main buildings will be sealed off by the security system."
Everyone froze, their eyes widening more by the electronic voice at the sudden interruption. Machineries began to hum around them and steel walls began to fall from the walls, closing down any windows and doorways and startling all the students within.
Ayame felt the questions blaring through her mind, confusion and panic struck her as she accidentally tightened her hold over Shoto's arm. The announcement had said the bomb was placed in the I-Expo area—where a reception party was being held in honor of the opening. And—people were there—specifically—the one person Ayame knew would be.
Yume-nee!
A/N:
I drew a few photos of Ayame's outfit and the little date with Shoto! She's actually not that short in the picture oops but that was just for fun lol you can find the images on my Instagram (PrivateCardy). Also, her ringtone is 'Serendipity' by BTS Jimin...also the cause of the title for this fic aha
If I seem desperate for reviews it is because I am. Every one counts, even if it's just a little comment, I appreciate it and would be motivated to write more!