You straightened your back against the seat of the car, the smooth seatbelt resting over your arm. Glancing to your side, you met eyes with Todoroki, who rested his head on his hand, making it shake a little as the car drove down the road. You had agreed to keep 'this' (whatever your unlabeled relationship was) a secret from your classmates for the time being. Todoroki believed that it would make things easier as his father hadn't recently been on his back, pestering him about you, and he wanted to keep things that way for both of your sakes.
Not that you minded, though. During last night's conversation with Todoroki, you realised that there were many times when he hesitated and held back when he was around you. Placing your hands on your lap against the denim fabric of your shorts, you noted that if you wanted to make him feel comfortable, you would need to reassure him every step of the way.
He still felt at a loss when it came to you, but he appreciated it when you snapped him out of his thoughts. "Shoto, so where do you wanna go after meeting with our class?"
"It's a surprise," he said. "Don't you like surprises?"
You tilted your head to the side. "I do most of the time... depending on what they are."
"Can I tell you something surprising?"
You nodded, taking in his down to Earth manners, as the driver parked the car a few blocks before the mall. Todoroki got out of the sleek, black car and opened the door for you. As both of you walked side by side to the mall, Todoroki looked down at you. He thought about mentioning that he had used Endeavor's credit card to pay for all of this; however, he stopped himself as his name would only bring bad memories. Instead, he chose to reveal something which he knew would startle you. "Remember that time when you fell asleep on the training grounds at my house?"
"Yeah, definitely. I'll never forget it- the roughest sleep I've ever had in my life."
Todoroki's lips pulled into a small smile. "And do you know who laid that blanket over you?"
"Fuyumi, right?" Your arm brushed against his, and you could tell that he was amused by your reaction. This made you suspect that you were wrong, and you got the feeling that Todoroki had been looking out for you for longer than you previously thought. "Wait, was it you? Really?"
"The only word I could use to describe to you that day would be a mess. Even then, I never asked you what had upset you so much."
You let out a few nervous laughs, imagining yourself sprawled on the floor and how confused Todoroki must have been that he decided to throw a blanket over you rather than waking you up. "It's no worries. I must have looked so weird."
Todoroki stopped walking as he noticed Iida's stiff arm waving at the two of you to join the rest of 1-A. Todoroki didn't want this moment to end, nor anyone to get involved in your intimate conversation. "No. You looked... like you were willing to give your all for your dreams."
After being warmly welcomed by your classmates, you joined the girls at the swimming costume section as they sorted through a pile of bikinis and full costumes. As you stood there, you wondered what Todoroki was doing. Maybe, he was getting some swimming gear, too? You kneeled down next to Mina, who carried on rummaging the pile until she pulled out a toxic green two-piece.
"(y/n), look at this beauty! You found anything for yourself yet?" Mina paraded it around like a well-earned trophy.
"Nah, not yet. I bet that costume would look good on you, though."
"I know, right?" Mina flashed you a cheeky smile. "Like, as soon as you've got a few, let's go try them on!"
You nodded, now focused on finding something you would like for the training camp. You had heard that there would be hot baths, which you were looking forward to using. Then, you remembered that you don't wear clothes in those, so you might want to pick a swimsuit that would be appropriate for the school's swimming pool.
Waiting outside of Mina's changing room, you recognised Ochaco at the entrance of the shop. Her confused eyes brightened when you beckoned to her. She hurried past some slender mannequins to meet you. "Hi, guys. Have you seen Deku around?"
"Nope, sorry!" Hagakure said, startling Jiro as she hadn't noticed the invisible girl. Jiro took her earphones out, not concentrating on her music while she shook her head at Ochaco.
You stayed in your place at the queue for the changing room. "No, sorry. Last time I saw Deku, he was with you."
Ochaco's chubby cheeks turned red. "Yeah, about that... I ran away from him, and now I can't find him."
"I'm sure he's fine." You couldn't be blamed for not realising the irony in what you said. Midoriya was anything but fine, with a certain villain's arm wrapped around the back of his neck, threatening to murder every single person in that mall.
"Yeah, you're right. He's probably doing his own shopping." Ochaco looked down to the ground. As you adjusted the tall curtain to Mina's changing room, you noticed Ochaco pucker her brows. "You know what, I'm going to apologise for running away to him. I'll be back later, girls!"
While Ochaco went away, getting lost in the crowd, Mina tore the curtain open, jumping up and down as she showed you her new swimming costume. Mina pulled you into the changing room with her, making you stumble forwards. Before shutting the curtain, she threw a swimming costume which you caught just in time thanks to your quick reflexes.
Little did you know that Todoroki was looking for you when Mina beamed, "Try this one on. I saw you looking at it earlier. You could, like, totally pull it off!"
---
Possibly saving you some embarrassment, you met Todoroki once you had paid for the (f/c) costume and were back in your regular clothes. He walked on his own, absentmindedly glancing at various shop windows, not willing to buy anything when the only reason he had come here today was because you were there. "Hey, (y/n). Would it be okay if we get out of here? This place is giving me a headache."
"Sure, I'll tell the girls."
"No, just the two of us."
You nodded, following Todoroki down the mechanical stairs. You fidgeted with your fingers as Todoroki stood on the steps below you, shamelessly studying you. The relaxed background music enveloped both of you in peace, calming you slightly after the frenzy the mall trip had been. Todoroki turned around to mind his footsteps as he got off the mechanical stairs, and you followed suit, trailing behind him.
Todoroki glanced at you over his shoulder, eyeing your shopping bag and your empty hand. "You know, you can walk by my side."
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
As you picked up your pace to match Todoroki's, he looked down at your hand. "You don't need to apologise. I guess you've learnt to do it out of habit, haven't you?"
You shrugged your shoulders, but then you remembered that you wanted to reassure Todoroki. You didn't want to hesitate to make advances, nor to drive him away if he did; though struggled to do so since you had agreed not to tell anyone about the both of you. "I don't do that very often anymore, though. I really like walking by your side. It's like I finally reached you," you said, softening your tone as you got to your last sentence.
When both of you made it outside the shopping mall, the bright summer sky greeted you, the scent of fresh leaves sweeping over you. Just as Todoroki sat down on a bench under the shade of a tree, you heard your phone ringing. Not wanting to ruin the mood, you turned its volume down, as you took a seat by Todoroki.
"Um, Shoto..."
"What is it (y/n)?"
Todoroki observed how your (h/c) hair framed your face before tucking a strand of it behind your ear. You avoided his caring gaze. "I wanted to thank you for coming with me today. I know that this kind of thing is not your cup of tea, so I really appreciate it."
He pulled your chin up with his hand, making you look at him. When his face was a hand's distance from yours, he murmured, "Hm. No, thank you, (y/n). I am willing to make this 'my kind of thing' if that makes you happy."
"You don't need to change because of me. You know that, right?"
Todoroki's eyes bore deep into yours before his view traced down to your soft lips. "But I wanted to do this today. You're someone very important to me. That's what I wanted you to know."
"R-right," you said, his warm breath tickling your face.
However, police sirens resounded about the place, breaking any peace this Saturday afternoon had. Both of you had been in blissful ignorance that one of the most feared villains had just threatened not only Midoriya but the rest of the innocent shoppers. As you pulled away from each other, the events unravelled before your very eyes. Tomura Shigaraki had yet again escaped from the hands of the law.
---
After giving your statement to the police about today's events, you met Kenji Tsuragamae in the hallway. His severe Beagle expression sent shivers down your spine. "Long time, no see. If I may ask, why are you here instead of in hospital with your father, young (y/n)?"
"In hospital? I thought my dad was at home."
"Woof. That's not what I last heard, though his condition is stable. We have brought your uncle in to let us know more about the circumstances in which he collapsed, and have contacted U.A. as well."
You checked your phone and realised that you had several missed calls from your father, which though you tried to return, ended in no reply. You could barely hold it together as you stepped out of the police station.
Almost breaking into tears, you flinched when Todoroki asked you what was wrong.
After reluctantly telling him that you wouldn't be able to go out with him for dinner because you needed to rush to hospital, you felt like your doubts weren't just yours anymore.
He pulled you closer to him by the wrist and embraced you.
His chest felt warm as you rested your head against it, still not believing that your dad had been injured again. A horrible feeling settled on the pit of your stomach. You recognised that you could have been there for your dad had you not cancelled your plans to go home at the last minute.
Seeing others head out of the police station, your eyes widened, reminding you of what you had agreed with Todoroki. "Shoto, people are starting to stare. You should let go of me."
"Do you want me to let go?"
"It's just our classmates might still be walking about the police station and thought you wanted to keep... well, this... a secret."
"That's not what I asked. I asked if you want me to let go, (y/n)."
". . . No, I don't want that. Please, keep holding me."
"I will. I will do so as long as you need me to," Todoroki said. You tilted your head up to him, his arms still wrapped around your waist when the both of you slowly leaned in. For a few moments, Todoroki's thin lips lingered on your forehead, mimicking the way his mother used to when he woke up from a nightmare as a child. With that kiss, your world filled with the most beautiful colours, even though it was coming undone at the seams.
As you hugged Todoroki tighter, he melted into your embrace. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you out to dinner today. I hope everything is okay with your father." He rested his chin on the top of your head, as he had grown to like.
When both of you pulled away, you could feel your heart beating in your ears. While you had succeeded in reassuring Todoroki today, nothing could snatch this precious moment away from you. A turning point with new beginnings; although a harsh reality had just been dropped over your head. The only thing you could wish was that you weren't to blame for it. Nevertheless, as you distanced yourself from Todoroki and looked at the cars speeding past, you pondered whether you could carry on with this optimism any longer.