A/N: So, as promised, here's a more lighthearted chapter. Considering I watched what is quite possibly the most depressing episode of My Hero Academia earlier this week, I think we could all use this. Plus, I also drew a TodoDeku pic of Fem!Deku and Todoroki hugging, which you can see on my DeviantArt profile.

On another note, 45 chapters in and I'm still surprised that most of the reviews are coming from Ryuujin96 and - to a lesser extent - James Birdsong. Still, I'm grateful that there are people out there who like this fic, and judging by the number of views, faves and follows it's gotten, lots of people seem to love Deku x Fem!Todoroki

Another day of classes had ended at UA, and once again, Deku was making his way to the dorms. As usual, he was hoping to find his belle Todoroki, and it didn't take long for him to catch up to her.

"How are you doing today, Shoko?"

"Not too bad. Training was a bit rough today, but I'm grateful to have made it through." Todoroki smiled. "Of course, seeing you made it all worth it!"

Deku smiled. "Well, I'm glad! Actually, since we've caught up to each other, I wanted to ask something of you…"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go ice skating with me later on?"

Todoroki dropped her jaw. "Absolutely! I've been ice skating before, but it wasn't always fun because I was always doing it by myself, so having someone join me should make it that much more fun!"

Deku pumped his fists. "Excellent! Maybe we can create more happy memories this way!"

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. "That's always a plus!"

After supper, Deku and Todoroki headed to Endoru Ice Rink, an indoor ice skating rink located only a couple of blocks away from UA. Todoroki had her own skates to bring, but Deku rented his, and he twiddled his thumbs while doing so, earning Todoroki's notice:

"Deku, is everything OK?"

"Um…Shoko…I have to be completely honest: I've never ice skated before. I just asked to go with you because it seemed very romantic."

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku and smiled. "It's OK! I can teach you!"

Deku blinked. "Wow! Really?"

Todoroki nodded. "Of course!"

Deku and Todoroki put their skates on.

"First of all, before we head out onto the ice, be sure of what to do in case you fall," said Todoroki. "If you feel like you're going to fall, bend your knees, squat down, and when you start falling, try to fall sideways, leaning forwards, with your hands in your lap. Once you fall, roll over onto your hands and knees. Then, to get back up, place your feet between your hands – one at a time – and gently push yourself back up. Did you understand that?"

Deku nodded. "Right, so…bend my knees, squat, fall sideways, leaning forwards, hands in my lap, roll over on my hands and knees, feet between my hands and gently push back up. Did I miss anything?"
Todoroki gave a thumbs up. "Perfect! Do you feel comfortable going out onto the ice now?"

"Almost. How do I even get going?"

"To do that, march forwards two steps and let your body glide slightly. Keep doing that until you feel comfortable. Then, begin picking up one foot as you glide."

Deku nodded. "Right."

Deku and Todoroki headed out onto the ice, where there were some people already skating, but not enough to crowd the rink. Most of the skaters were couples, too. As per Todoroki's directions, Deku marched forwards for a couple of steps and gasped as he started to feel himself glide, almost feeling like he wanted to fall down. He steadied his nerves, however, and just let himself glide a couple more times.

"Are you OK, Deku?"

Deku nodded. "I think so."

"OK, to really get going, do a stroking motion. Basically, you do the same thing for gliding, but you extend the motion of your legs longer. Once you do a marching motion with one of your legs, lift your leg off of the ground, set it down, and then lift the other. Also, remember to lean forwards a bit and bend your knees slightly when skating."

Deku nodded. For now, him and Todoroki didn't do anything especially fancy; they just held hands while gliding across the ice. As they did so, Deku could feel a warm, fuzzy feeling radiating throughout his body. Sure, he'd gotten some interesting sensations from being with Todoroki before, but nothing quite like this. Whether it was from the cold air brushing against his face or the feeling of holding hands with her while letting the motion imparted by the skates just take his body away, he felt a more electric bond with her than he'd ever felt before. Best of all, he didn't worry about any villain attacks or whatever weird things One For All was going to do to him next.

On a similar note, Todoroki got her own kind of charge out of skating with Deku, one she'd never gotten before. As she'd mentioned to him, this wasn't her first time ice skating, and while it had been fun in and of itself, she hadn't gone often because she always felt like there was something missing. Now that her green bean was with her, her smile beamed more brightly, and she tightened her grip on his hand a bit as she felt freer than the wind. She'd always loved winter-based activities, but thus far, this was quite possibly her favorite of them all. As she skated, she didn't think about the numerous squabbles she'd had with Endeavor, or how it sucked to have to pretend to be a boy for much of her life. However, Todoroki's bliss was interrupted when she heard Deku yelp, so she skidded to a stop, only to discover he'd fallen.

"Deku, are you OK!?"

Deku nodded. "Yeah." He pushed himself to his feet just as Todoroki had instructed. "I'm a tough guy; this is nothing."

Todoroki smiled. "OK, just making sure!"

Deku grabbed Todoroki's hands, and then gently pulled her over to him. Then, he gave her a big hug and kiss, which she gladly returned. This one heated them up better than any hot beverage could've done. They didn't even care that a couple of people had stopped to take a look at them. They were just so happy to be in love with each other and could think of nothing else.

After skating for a few more minutes, Deku and Todoroki decided to call it an evening.

"Deku, thanks again for inviting me here! That was the most romantic thing you've ever done for me!"

"You're welcome, and thank you for accepting my invitation! Ice skating really is fun!"

"You're welcome! Also, if you ever wanna do this again, feel free to let me know! I'll gladly come along!"

Deku nodded. "Will do!"

Deku and Todoroki wrapped an arm around each other as they headed back to the dorms, both looking forward to that next great romantic activity that they could share with each other.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.