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“Uhmm.. What ?!” Uraraka exclaimed; tone a lot louder than she had expected. Feeling her cheeks turn slightly more red than pink, she sheepishly turns more towards her table, lowering her voice slightly. “Oops.. Uhm– I’m sorry, Todoroki-kun, could you say that again?”
She said, giving the boy in front of her a small smile. Maybe she just heard him wrong… Although, the stunned expression on Deku-kun’s face made her have doubts.
…Joint hysteria. Yes, they’re both going equally insane.
“Yes, I was wondering if I could buy your love for a day.” Todoroki-kun said, putting his chopsticks down– looking a little mournfully at his (basically empty) plate of soba– and oh, she hadn’t heard him wrong.
He definitely said that. To her right, She can feel Iida-kun stiffen, the ever talkative class president has finally gone silent; if this was any other normal day, she’d laugh at how someone managed to finally render him speechless.
..Sadly, this is not any normal day.
In front of Iida-kun, Deku-kun is silently gasping, making wild gestures to all of them. Is he choking? Maybe she can rush him to Recovery Girl.
Ochako can feel her soul trying to float out of her body.
An intense stare from a pair of eyes in front of her; one grey, one blue. Todoroki-kun is staring her down . He is staring at her so intently she wonders if her soul has found peace leaving her in this situation.
…Maybe it came back and she hasn’t noticed yet. She can see Deku-kun speaking, but nothing’s coming out of his mouth. Her only focus is on the boy sitting in front of her. She returns his stare with one of her own.
How is he so calm?
“Ah, yes, forgive me. I should have worded that better.” He said, pausing; giving a quiet, frustrated sigh, Todoroki-kun continued.
“Two days ago, when I went to go and visit my mother, my father cornered me, and told me I needed to bring home someone whom I’m interested in.” He finished, and Ochako dared to think he was proud of himself.
There’s a slight glint in his eye that she recognizes as pride.
Feeling slightly baffled, she hums, giving him a disbelieving look. “And you chose me because…?” She trailed off, hoping he’d continue and give her a better explanation.
Looking downcast– There it is! That glint! It disappeared! “At first, I considered Midoriya, or Bakugou. However; I prefer to keep my house somewhat peaceful. My siblings would approve of you, and there shouldn’t be any destruction.” He quietly said, and wasn’t that interesting?
Deku-kun’s reaction to this knowledge was definitely interesting. He’s so red. Ochako’s definitely teasing them later– when everything is (mostly) settled.
It’s honestly a little astonishing at how much context that actually gives her. Class 1-A has had quite the bonding experience. The newly built dorms only helped to solidify that bond.
Meaning, she’d like to think that she knows her classmates pretty well. She definitely knows Bakugou-kun, and Deku-kun’s personalities very well. That being said, she has no idea why this is the conclusion her classmate has reached.
Ochako opens her mouth to offer him a soft rejection, but then, she sees it. A brief look of panic. His face is as impassive as ever, however; it’s his eyes. A spark of panic. Was she the only viable option?
Did the ever studious Todoroki Shouto not think of a ‘plan B’?
“Of course, I offer compensation.” He blurts out, it takes a second for him to process what he just said. “My family…” A small look of displeasure crosses his eyes, “Despite being well-meaning people; are a bit of a handful…” He stops, trailing off.
She squints at him, trying to dissect his expressions.
“A shopping spree,” He negotiates. She feels a little bad, how desperate can someone be to resort to negotiating. She can probably wring him out of his family fortune if she tried– she doesn’t want to. There is a heavy feeling in her chest; and she wonders why the boy looks so small. “Of course, there is no limit to how much can be spent.”
“Deal.” She says, giving a small smile when the shine returns to his eyes. He probably thinks he’s won.
In her eyes; he looks like a little kid who managed to trick his parents into giving him five extra minutes of playtime.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
The tatami door slides open into the kitchen, and Ochako can practically feel Shouto's fire side heat up.
He's nervous.
Inside the dining room is; Todoroki Natsuo-san, Todoroki Fuyumi-san, and Todoroki Enji-san.
Natsuo-san looks agitated, he's seated on the tables left. His eye brows are deeply furrowed– a stark contrast to the wide eyed man he was moment's earlier.
Fuyumi-san, having opened the doors for them, made quick work of bringing the food to the table. Making sure all occupied seats have their bowls.
Todoroki-san, at the head of the table, his eyes moving from his youngest son to her.
Ochako's scared, the older man is looking at her– as if deciding if she's worthy– before looking back at his son, narrowing his eyes in disapproval.
“Shouto,” He calls out, seemingly bored. Oh kami, will she be able to survive – “Shouldn't you introduce us?”
Shouto's hand– they're still holding hands– heats up, and Ochako suppresses a wince. A quiet ‘hiss ’ leaving her lips.
Maybe her friend had heard her after all. Shouto's head turns down to look at her, worry evident in his eyes.
Ochako can only really give him a small smile.
“Yes, father.” Shouto says, turning his head back to his family. “This is Uraraka Ochako. My girlfriend.”
Todoroki-san can only stare, his eyes piercing a hole through her head. If spontaneous quirk evolution is a thing, please don't let that happen right now.
“What?” Is the only thing Todoroki-san says, voice cold and angry.
“This is Uraraka Ochako. My girlfriend .” Shouto repeats, putting a lot more emphasis on the word ‘girlfriend’, why? She isn't sure.
… She just hopes dinner doesn't end with someone en route to the hospital. (and a pending phone call to Aizawa-sensei).
“Hm. Sit down.” Todoroki-san says (commands). Both Ochako and Shouto slowly make their way to the right of the table.
Ochako is sitting in front of Natsuo-san, Shouto has put himself between his father and her.
“I made soba for us to have,” Fuyumi-san says, happily smiling at the two of them, “I’m sorry, Uraraka-san,” She says, giving Ochako a brief apologetic smile.
“It’s alright!” Ochako responds, “At school, Shouto says that his elder sisters soba tastes super good! I’m really excited to try it!” She excitedly chirps, trying so, so hard to ignore the stare she can feel!
The owner of the eyes looks to be trying to set his own son on fire, just to stare at her.
Please help. Ochako doesn’t know if she can survive this dinner.
“Oh, my!” Fuyumi-san laughs, looking at her youngest brother that can only be explained as: incredibly smug. “I wasn’t aware that Shouto praised my cooking so much!”
Shouto doesn’t move, and to Ochako, he looks like he’s pretending like he doesn’t hear them– mostly his sister. “...It’s no big deal.” He mumbles, staring at his soba even more intensely.
Ochako doesn’t really know what happened during dinner, she was so nervous. Everything seems mostly blurry, Todoroki Enji would ask a question, and she’d answer. (Unless Shouto chimed in, deciding that the pending question was going too far).
“So, Ochako. When did you and my son start dating?” Todoroki Enji-san questioned, his tone arrogant.
“Oh, we– uh.. We started uhm..” She trailed off, the nerves and this horrible oppressive air catching up to her.
Deep breaths, Ochako. Everything’s fine.
Clearing her throat, she tried again. Slower this time. “We started dating after the provisional license exam.” She said, eyes shaking. She can’t look away.
She doesn’t know why, but something in her gut is telling her to keep looking at the pro-hero in front of her.
“Oh.” Todoroki-san says, pretending to sound interested. “How did you end up dating?”
“After the training camp ended, most of the class ended up closer due to the accident , Shouto and I grew closer in a way different than friends.” She said, trying to keep her face serious.
The hero can definitely tell she’s nervous.
“You mean the kidnapping.” He corrects, suppressing a flinch at the blasé way of speaking.
“Father!!” Three voices pop up, Shouto’s voice being the loudest. “You’re going too far,” Her friend practically growls out, voice low.
She’s scared. Ochako can only look at her friend in obvious pity. Is this the house he grew up in?
Todoroki Enji pays his three children no mind, continuing to look at her utterly unimpressed.
“...Yes, because of the kidnapping.” Ochako corrects herself. Shouto turns to look at her, expression complex.
She feels nauseous.
“Ochako, tell me, what exactly do you like about my son?” Todoroki Enji-san asks, bringing the somewhat pleasant mood around them back down.
Seriously?! Dinner’s almost over!
It’s fine, this is an easy question, there’s lots to like about Todoroki Shouto. Mina has a whole list! The answer comes to her easier than expected.
(If Ochako were any saner, she’d think that the condescending tone the hero used was odd).
“He’s a good person.” She answers honestly, seeing three other heads whip around to face her.
Fuyumi-san looks like she might cry.
Both Natsuo-san, and Shouto look at her like she’s completely lost it. Which, rude. She’s completely sane, thank you.
(She’s only lost half her mind).
Todoroki Enji looks mildly surprised.
Okay, maybe the three men are starting to annoy her.. Is it so hard to believe that Shouto is a good person?!
…Maybe she should get a spontaneous heart attack. At least, both Ochako and Shouto would have a good reason to call Aizawa-sensei.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
Once the dinner ended, Todoroki Enji got up from his seat, “Shouto,” he called out, already looking at his youngest. “With me.”
Hearing a frustrated sigh from her classmate, turns to her, putting a hand over hers, “I’ll be back soon.” He says.
“Oh, of course!” Ochako smiles, Shouto sounds as tired as she feels, that’s reassuring. She’s not alone . “Don’t worry about me!”
“Mmn.” Shouto hums, expression going from tired endearment to anger. He follows after his father.
She isn’t sure how the subject of the altar quietly sitting in the corner of the dining area was brought up– She’s so emotionally exhausted, she doesn’t know anything anymore.
“Excuse me…” Ochako trails off, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. “I was just wondering about the altar I saw when I walked in,” She finishes, looking down at the table, afraid to look at the two siblings.
“Ah,” Fuyumi-san nods, seeming to understand her apprehension. “The altar belongs to our older brother, Touya-nii.”
Looking up, Ochako sees grief flash through the older womens grey eyes. “Ah, I’m so sorry for bringing it up!” She flushes, bowing her head in apology.
This is so not going well!
“Don’t worry about it,” Natsuo-san– calm now that his father, and younger brother left the room– chimes in, expression sullen.
Ochako isn’t exactly sure as to why Natsuo-san would look so dejected… Maybe it was an older brothers guilt for not being able to protect his younger sibling.
Quietly humming to herself, Ochako softly speaks, “If it’s alright, may I go pay my respects?” She asks, looking between the two siblings.
Fuyumi, quicker to respond after the slight shock, “Yes, if you’d like.” A soft smile is thrown her way, and now Natsuo-san looks like he wants to cry.
Ochako thinks that this family is more emotional than they think.
Looking at the photo placed on the altar, Ochako carefully notes the boys features. His middle school uniform gives her an estimate on his age, Maybe thirteen?
He has white hair and bright blue eyes. Under his eyes, there appear to be eyebags? Burn scars? She couldn’t tell. The boy in the picture looks detached. He doesn’t really look like his father– Todoroki Enji.
Fuyumi-san said he was the oldest. Would he be about twenty-five now?
Bowing to the frame, Ochako is distantly reminded of Shouto when the school year first started. The dual quirked boy seemed just as detached.
Although, Shouto looked angry. Todoroki Touya looked exhausted.
Lifting her head up, Ochako looks at the pre-teen for the last time. She thinks that Shouto and Todoroki Touya-san probably look more like their mother.
Both Fuyumi-san and Natsuo-san look like their father– although, she’s certain neither would like that particular comment.
Todoroki Touya-san, I hope you are at rest.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
Spending someone else’s money to get rid of her own frustration really shouldn’t have been so therapeutic, but here she is, spending an insane amount of money buying all the pro-hero merchandise her eyes (and hands) can land on.
Funnily enough, there actually isn’t much to grab.
…Maybe it’s because the entire shop is filled with rows of Endeavour, and a few aisles of other heroes. (How did they unknowingly walk into the one shop that's seemingly run by an Endeavor fanatic!)
(Very notably, she ignores any piece of Endeavor merchandise. Kindly turning the small dolls of the fire hero around so that their cotton eyes aren’t looking at her.)
Shouto is standing a little behind her, seemingly mindful of their personal bubbles.
Which; that’s cute, but unneeded between them, they’re friends! Ochako doesn’t care about personal space between friends!
…Unless he’s being mindful about his space. It’d make more sense, Todoroki Shouto is a pretty shy guy once you dig past all the teenage angst.
And she (plus their classmates) had! It’s about the middle of the year now, autumn has begun, the green leaves slowly, and steadily falling from the trees, changing to various hues of red.
“Mm, should we go to the next shop? I’m not seeing a lot of hero diversity.” Ochako says, turning to face Shouto, idly swirling her drink in her hand– sadly, there’s nothing left in their respective cups.
(Completely ignoring the multitude of Endeavor plushies she turned around).
“Sure,” Shouto agrees, walking out he seems to catch a small trash bin, “Here, I’ll throw your drink away for you.” He says, grabbing the cup from her hand.
“Ah, thank you!” Ochako laughs, waiting for him by the door. A small thought in her mind.
His hand is so warm.
Dear Kami, Ochako swears she only wanted to help out her friend. She was never in it for some sort of financial gain.
…However, (now that there are quality heroes, her anger has returned).
Holy All Might! Todoroki Enji was the most insufferable, oppressive man she’s ever met! She saw the glint in Shouto’s eyes as he left his fathers study. News flash, there was no glint!
Nevertheless, the pro-heroes dismissive attitude during the actual dinner was so weird! And rude! She could hardly enjoy the soba due to the tense air in the dining room.
Suddenly, Todoroki-kun offering monetary compensation makes so much sense. Discreetly looking at the taller boy lagging a little behind her in the store, Ochako can’t help but think that he looks like a little kid, mindlessly playing with his fingers; a nervous air around him.
After leaving the Todoroki residence, the pair took the train back to Yuuei. After arriving twenty minutes away by foot, Ochako decided to walk around, hopefully lifting Todoroki-kun’s mood.
…It definitely didn’t help, the teen’s heterochromic eyes were so incredibly dull and lifeless. Initially, she wanted them both to go through the merchandise store together, poking fun at any Endeavor merch they found.
It was a moderate sized store, mostly containing the lime-light heroes… Which makes sense, considering the name; [ Limey’s Lime-Loves ] was a cutesy name. One day, she’ll have her mega-plush Thirteen. She swears.
Racking her brain; trying to come up with ways to help her friend cheer up before they need to head back to campus. Absentmindedly holding the tiny leg of a hero plush, Ochako notes the bright, bright colours; red, blue, yellow, and white. Oh, It’s All Might!
“Shouto!! Look at this huge All Might plush!” She exclaimed, quickly turning to look at Shouto. Holding the five-foot All Might plush by its tiny yellow foot.
The answer is instant.
“Let’s get it.” Shouto says, a determined look in his eyes, he’s walking over towards her, No longer alone , staring at the plushie’s face with want.
The plush is; huge, obnoxiously bright, unnecessarily expensive, and it’s perfect .
“Oh, definitely! It’s super cute!” A lie– something about this faux All Might’s smile makes a small chill run down her spine– but for her friend, she can pretend this giant is cute. She squeezes the imaginary life out of All Might.
Shouto, having reached her and took some of their spoils from today’s war into his arms, looks. He smiles, probably believing that Ochako likes the doll. “Was there no merchandise for Thirteen?” He asks, looking at the haul and noticing a lack of a certain rescue hero.
“Mmm, not in this store. Deku-kun messaged me when we got drinks about a popular hero store that has rescue heroes as well.” She replies, smiling spreading wider when she spots the Gunhead keychain hanging from her friend’s pinky finger.
“Ah, should we pay here and go there?” He questioned, tilting his head a little to the left, Mina would totally freak! Out! If she saw this.
It seems like his mood is lifting, which is good! Ochako always wants those dear to her to be happy.
“Definitely next time! It’s almost time for curfew and you know Sensei’s gonna have our heads!” She laughs, the image of her teacher vivid in her mind; dark hair flying upwards, dark eyes faintly taking a red tint… Scary.
“We should go then before Aizawa-sensei decides to make us do more laps during class.” Shouto replies, bending down to her ear– seemingly in a playful mood, a small smile plays on his lips as he lowers his tone, attempting to scare her.
It maybe worked?
“Ah! Yes, let’s go go go!” Rushing to the register; with Shouto following behind, Ochako can feel her face heat up. She’s positive, she most definitely looks like a cherry.
Why, though? It’s autumn, so the air has become a bit chilly; so there’s no reason for her to feel red.
Suspicious.. She’ll talk to the other girls once they get back.
Oddly enough, the only thought in her mind was that he had a lovely smile.