#ochatodo

“Okay!” Mina asserted while clapping her hands together to gather the attention of the chattering teens. As they dwindled into silence, she tipped her chin up in an air of authority. “Before we begin, let’s set some ground rules! There will be no partner trading; who you get is who you get. This isn’t a competition, so a five thousand yen maximum has been placed on the dates and anything purchased for your partner to promote equal experiences! Finally, if Mineta is paired with a girl, he will be chaperoned by Mr. Aizawa because he is a threat to the female race.” 

“What? No fair!” the purple-haired boy pouted from where he perched next to Denki. All the girls in the room collectively breathed a sigh of relief. A part of Shoto wondered why Mina even allowed the lascivious runt to participate in the first place, but he supposed the petulant whines that would ensue weren’t worth the trouble. 

“If you weren’t such a raging pervert, Mineta, we wouldn’t have to take such precautions. Now then, let’s get started!” the girl cheered and dove her hands into the bowl, snickering eagerly. Shoto tucked his fist into his cheek as he watched the girl shift through the slips of paper, her eyes closed as if she was letting her spirit guide her. Thoughts drifting, Shoto’s eyes began to wander around the room. If he were to choose, who would he want to go on a blind date with? He had a one-in-nineteen chance of being paired with his preference, so perhaps it wasn’t even worth mulling over. However, he found his gaze settling on Ochako, who was sitting beside Momo, leaning forward with a look of intense anticipation on her round face. 

Cute, he thought, eyes growing lidded as he smiled endearingly. Ochako is enjoyable to be around. I bet a date with her would be nice. 

“All right! Drumroll, please!” Mina gasped as she procured two folded slips of paper from the bowl. A good portion of the attendees began drumming on their thighs and Mina unfolded the slips; they ceased when she held up a hand for silence. “Our first pair for this event will beeeeee… Ochako and Shoto!” 

Shoto’s eyebrow quirked up, wondering if the gods of love that Mina had beseeched had read his thoughts. He glanced over to Ochako, who had squeezed herself into the crack in the back of the couch with her hands covering her bright pink face. He could just barely see her nervous brown eyes peering through the gaps in her fingers. Cute, he thought again as he smiled. 

“I-I guess it’s the two of us,” Ochako squeaked, curling further in on herself in anxiety. Shoto’s smile widened, endeared by her fluster, and nodded. 

“I suppose so. I’ll do my best to make it an enjoyable experience.” 

Ochako let out a loud “meep!” and buried her face into Momo’s shoulder, who laughed and patted her head. Still eyeing her out of the corners of his eyes, Shoto reclined back against the couch, half-listening to Mina’s announcements and the crowd’s reactions. His mind was already spinning because they only had the afternoon to prepare for their dates. Searching the recesses of his memory, he asked himself, If Ochako were to choose a place to go on a date, where would she go? 

~~~~~~~~~~

Shoto frowned slightly as he swept his bicolored bangs out of his similarly heterochromatic eyes. The straight strands flopped back down, falling in front of his eyebrows and into his field of vision. His mouth twitched in annoyance; part of him was beginning to wonder if he should slick it back with some gel, but before he could decide, he heard Mina skipping down the hall announcing, “Five minutes, boys~ Don’t leave your dates waiting~!” As her footsteps retreated toward the stairs, Shoto pulled himself away from the mirror, drinking in his appearance. 

Shoto had never been on a date before, though he knew the gist of it. Due to the spending limit, he assumed that casual wear wouldn’t be too frowned upon. He’d opted for a pair of dark grey slacks with an untucked maroon button-down and some loafers. He played with the watch around his wrist, eyebrows furrowed. Ochako will be embarrassed if I dress too nice… But then again, she’ll be embarrassed if I don’t dress well enough. Perhaps I should have asked Momo for advice. She has a good fashion sense, he lamented, twisting the leather band around his wrist in anxiety. 

Still, he had no time to pore over it any longer, or Mina would storm in to whap him upside the head for making his date wait. Sighing, he left the bathroom to head towards his bedroom door, swiping his wallet off his nightstand and tucking it into his back pocket on the way out. He skipped down the steps to the fourth floor; for extra dramatic effect, Mina had ordered one of each of them to wait in their rooms, “to make it seem like they were being picked up by a real date.” Clearing his throat and smoothing the creases in his shirt, Shoto took a moment to gather himself before knocking once on the door. 

He jumped back a little as it instantly swung open, revealing a pink-faced and slightly frazzled Ochako. Shoto stared stupidly at her for a moment, still holding up his curled fist, before her sudden appearance registered. He coughed awkwardly and lowered his hand, sliding it into his front pocket as he gave her a once-over. She had opted for a sundress; it was white and patterned with pink flowers, complete with a white headband, white flats, and a carnation-pink clutch. She fidgeted under his sweeping gaze; though he didn’t want to fluster her with a compliment, he knew that was the proper thing to do on a date. 

“You look very beautiful,” he said, the words seeming foreign on his tongue, though they were true. As he felt sweat blooming underneath the fabric of his clothes, he wondered if he could be a little nervous as well. After all, it was his first date, even if it was the product of a silly game. Still, he could not help the way his heart fluttered as Ochako’s eyes flashed with joy, and a sheepish smile spread across her blushing face. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, shyly pressing her fingertip to her glossed pink lips as she swayed shyly from side to side. “You look really handsome…” 

Instead of answering, Shoto offered his arm with an expectant look. Ochako’s face burned a whole shade darker, but she obediently linked their arms. Fireworks sparked across Shoto’s skin as her fingers curled around the meat of his bicep, making his arm tingle in an odd but pleasurable way. Ochako peered up at him coquettishly, fluttering her plumped brown lashes. Really, it was a wonder to Shoto how one person could be so undeniably adorable. 

“Shall we?” he smiled gently, and Ochako nodded, sucking in a deep breath. He escorted her downstairs, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud at the stares and giggles they earned from their loitering classmates. The idea that Ochako looked good on his arm was strangely satisfying, and it made him hug her a little bit closer. 

“So, where are we going?” she asked as they turned out of the school gate and began walking down the sidewalk. It was beginning to grow hot, so Shoto released her arm, but stayed close enough that their arms occasionally brushed as they walked. He looked down at her in amusement, eyes twinkling. 

“It’s a surprise.” 

“A surprise? Aww, but I wanna know!” she pouted. As she poked out her lips, her round cheeks puffed out a little too, making her reminiscent of a displeased chipmunk. Shoto chuckled and looked ahead, matching his leisurely strides to Ochako’s shorter ones. 

“Come on, now. This is supposed to be like a real first date, right? I have to play by the rules.” 

“I didn’t know you knew them,” Ochako teased, looking at him with a grin. Shoto snorted, tipping his head to the side as he smirked wanly. 

“I had Mina brief me while you were getting ready,” he admitted with a breathy laugh. 

“I knew it!” Ochako giggled, holding her hand to her mouth as her shoulders shook slightly. Shoto watched her out of his peripheral vision, a warmth he’d never felt flooding through his body with every little tic of her body. “So, you’ve never been on a date, then?” When he shook his head, she whistled appreciatively, looking up at the sunny afternoon sky. “That surprises me.” 

“Why?” 

Her face turned pink and she looked down, shyly pressing the tips of her fingers together. Her gaze flicked to him and away and then back as she struggled to reply. 

“I, er, well… You’re just so good-looking, you know…” she mumbled after a few minutes. Shoto’s eyes widened, his heart stirring in his chest at the admission. He swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly turning dry. 

“You… You think so?” 

“Well, all the girls do,” Ochako shrugged, looking down at her feet as she walked. He narrowed his eyes at the strangely sad look that overcame her features, her chocolate-brown eyes dulling in a way he didn’t like. “People like you usually attract a lot of attention… I’d figured that a brave girl in middle school, or even from another class at U.A., had confessed to you…” Shoto straightened up as he considered her mumbles, rubbing his chin. 

“Well, I’ve never really cared about that kind of stuff before,” he frowned, his eyes narrowing further. “Up until coming to U.A., my head really wasn’t in the right place and I didn’t take much notice of others… Denki says that even now I’m too intimidating though, and need to make myself more approachable if I ever want to date someone. Which is interesting, considering he’s about as attractive as a vinegar fly trap according to some girls I overheard.” 

Ochako snorted, surging forward as laughter bubbled up from inside her. Shoto blinked, not realizing that what he’d said was so funny. He just strode along, watching her hold her belly and giggle until tears were forming on her lash line. Finally, she stood up and wiped them away with her knuckles, exhaling deeply. 

“Ahaha… You really do say the oddest things, Shoto,” she hummed, looking at him with a soft smile. “I think you’re fine just the way you are. Don’t take advice from Denki… especially romantic advice.” She chuckled, turning back to the sidewalk. She began to swing her arms and throw out her steps a little, humming to herself in contentment. Shoto relaxed, gladdened by her renewed cheer. He really didn’t like that sad look she had been wearing just a few moments ago. It made him sad, too, though he wasn’t quite sure why. 

As his eyes drifted down her swinging arm, eventually reaching her hand, he was suddenly gripped by the urge to hold it. It looked so soft, warm, and inviting. His fingers twitched and began to drift toward her without him realizing, as he was too entranced by the pendulum-like motion of her limb. Just as their fingertips were about to brush, Ochako gasped in recognition. 

“Wait a minute. I know this street!” Looking around wildly, eyebrows cinched, she nodded emphatically. “There’s the bookstore, and there’s the trading card-slash-comic book shop and the florist…” She continued listing the buildings, pointing at them one-by-one, until she jabbed at the quaint little blue building on the corner. “Oh my gosh, are we going to the bubble tea shop?” she exclaimed with glee, looking at him with bright eyes as she clapped her hands together. 

“That’s right,” he smiled warmly. “I hear you talking to the other girls about it all the time, so I thought that you must really like it.” Ochako’s face turned bright pink and she looked down, clutching her small purse tight to her chest. A wavering smile appeared on her lips, shaking like she was trying not to seem too pleased. 

“Wow… You notice things like that…?” 

“Of course. Is that strange?” He blinked, his heart stuttering as he feared he may have upset her or come off creepy. He was naturally observant, but he supposed that he may gravitate towards Ochako now that he considered it. She was just so naturally sunny and bright that he couldn’t help but be pulled in by her magnetic energy, savoring her cheery smile and sparkling eyes and cute little gestures as she blabbed about some mundane thing or another. He actually had quite a few facts about her committed to memory, like the fact that the glittery purple planet charm clipped to her bookbag was a souvenir from the first time she went to the bubble tea shop and played one of their gacha games. 

“No! Not at all!!” she said quickly, flapping her hands about. Her expression of panic melted into a sweet smile. “I’m just… I’m really flattered, Shoto. It’s nice to know that you remembered.” As she whirled on her heel, taking off in a jog towards the shop, Shoto deflated a little in relief. So girls appreciate things like that… Or at least Ochako does, he thought in satisfaction, sliding his hands in his pockets to follow. His fingers still ached with the desire to hold her hand, however, making it burn in his pocket. Was that wrong of him? 

A bell chimed a pleasant tune as they swung the door open, and the barista greeted them jovially. She was a little older than them, probably a college student; when Ochako approached the counter, the worker smirked and leaned casually against the counter. 

“Well, hello there, Ochako. The usual?” 

“Hehe, that’s right,” the brunette hummed. The older girl smiled before her eyes slid to Shoto, who was perusing the menu with interest. 

“Who’s the stud? You’re not with your normal crew.” 

“This is Shoto! We’re—” she clammed up suddenly, her face turning a tomato color. Shoto glanced down at her, eyebrows raised, before looking at the barista; the college girl tutted knowingly, straightening up with a smug look. 

“Ohhhhh, I see how it is. Good for you!” 

“Wait—! This isn’t—! I mean—! Oh gosh!” Ochako spluttered before burying her face in her hands, almost weeping in mortification. Shoto took the opportunity to order his drink— a matcha milk tea with yogurt pearls— and slide the appropriate amount of cash over. As the college student winked at him, making him blush a little, Shoto steered the short-circuiting Ochako away from the counter and to the gacha machines. Holding some of the change he had received, he studied the different options. 

“Ochako, would you like to play?” he asked, looking down at her. She had lowered her hands from her face but was still bright red. 

“No,” she said quietly, swaying from side to side and fisting the skirt of her dress nervously. “I’ve already won all the planet charms,” she added in an even smaller voice and pointed to the gacha machine. 

“Really? I’ve only ever seen the purple one,” he said before turning back. He heard Ochako gasp and begin to fluster again, but he was too busy inspecting the machines to address it. He decided to play a machine that offered an array of plastic trinkets. He slid the coin in and twisted the knob, watching the plastic containers jostle around before one fell into the receptacle with a gentle thunk. He retrieved it and popped it open, then frowned deeply. 

“What did you get?” Ochako asked, peering around his arm. Her face was still pink, glowing brightly against the maroon fabric of his dress shirt. She snorted in laughter when he held up his prize— a bright pink hair clip with a flower on it. “Wow. I bet it would look great on you, Shoto,” she giggled. Shoto smirked in amusement, looking down at the little plastic hair clip. 

“Probably,” he hummed, turning to face her. She froze up when he gently pushed a swathe of her brunette hair away from her face. “However, I’m sure it would look much better on you.” She gaped owlishly up at him as he threaded the hair clip into her smooth locks, gently pinning it to frame the side of her face. His fingers skimmed down the chunk of hair, coming to rest at the bottom and rub the silky locks between his fingers. “Just as I thought,” he confirmed with a smile. “It even matches your dress.” 

“Sh-Shoto,” she breathed, staring up at him with a mixture of emotions— apprehension, hope, joy, confusion. “Th-this is just a game, you know. You don’t have to take it so seriously…” As her gaze dropped to the corners of her eyes and her smile faltered, Shoto could tell that she really didn’t mean what she was saying. Like she couldn’t resist, her eyes slowly rolled in her sockets back to him, eyebrows furrowing just the slightest. Shoto wasn’t the world’s leading authority on romance, but he knew enough to know the silent plea in the depths of her chocolatey irises. 

Please tell me it’s not a game. 

As he opened his mouth to speak, the barista called their names. Ochako started, looking over her shoulder and then back at him. “I, um… I’ll go get the drinks,” she mumbled, and before Shoto could insist, she was hurrying across the room. He released a heavy sigh and flopped back against the gacha machine, frowning deeply. Had he misread the situation? Perhaps, but… as Ochako walked back to him, smiling nervously, he didn’t want to think so. 

“Here…” she said sheepishly as she gave him his drink. She immediately hooked her lips around her straw, sucking nervously at the honeydew smoothie and tapioca pearls in her cup. Shoto watched her in mild concern; at the rate she was slurping down the icy smoothie, she was liable to get a brain freeze. “Ah! That’s delicious!” she cried as she popped her mouth off the straw, grinning so hard the corners of her eyes crinkled up. It was a strained smile, though; he could tell by the pain swimming in her eyes. Before Shoto could say something, she suddenly whipped her head around to look at the door. “Hey, you wanna go for a walk? It’s a nice afternoon and downtown has lots of cool shops, ahaha!” 

“Okay…” Shoto agreed nervously, although Ochako was already walking toward the door like she wanted to run away. The gears began to whirl in his head as he reluctantly followed. Could he have misread her feelings after all and ruined this entire thing? He drowned his anxiety in the cold matcha milk tea, forehead wrinkling in thought. Maybe he should have asked Mina for more advice, he lamented as he strode alongside Ochako, who was looking at everything but him and sucking down her smoothie with gusto. He really did want Ochako to enjoy this, and it seemed that he had unwittingly freaked her out. I just need to apologize to her. Whether I understand it or not, it’s important for her to know that I really don’t have any ulterior motives… 

Even if that’s a lie, a tiny voice chimed in the back of his head, and he stopped walking. The straw fell out of his mouth as he drew in a shaky breath. He thought about it, about how much he knew about Ochako, about how cute she was to him, about how much he wanted to hold her hand, and about how, deep down, the moment Mina announced this little game, he wanted to go on a date with Ochako— and for her to enjoy it. 

“Shoto?” Ochako asked, stopping to look back at him. “Hey, what’s wrong— Ow, ow, ow!” she cried, suddenly scrunching up her face and clutching her head with her free hand. “Brain freeze…” she whimpered. Shoto looked up, watching the tears prickle at the corners of her eyes, and moved on instinct. Stepping toward her, he gently put his left hand on her forehead and activated his Quirk so that gentle heat pulsed from his palm. Ochako cracked one teary eye open to look at him, frowning when she saw his pained expression. “Hey…” 

“This isn’t a game to me, Ochako,” he said simply. She gasped, both her eyes opening to look at him incredulously. He continued to use his Quirk to quell her brain freeze, eyes growing lidded with sadness. “I’m sorry if I allowed my feelings to show too much and upset you. Regardless of how you feel about me, I really did want you to have fun… and it seems I’ve ruined that for you. I apologize.” 

“Don’t!” she cried, hand flying up to overlay his. His eyes widened, and her cheeks turned a rosy hue, her mouth quivering. For a second, he thought she meant for him to leave her be, and he tried to pull his hand away; she curled her fingers around his hand, pressing it firmly down against her skin. “Don’t,” she implored, looking at him with watery eyes. “Don’t apologize, Shoto. I’m the one who should be sorry,” she sighed and looked down at her feet. “I was trying not to force my feelings on you.” 

Shoto blinked. Though he had hypothesized such, it was still a different beast hearing her admit it aloud. His heart fluttered in his chest and his cheeks grew heated as a light, bubbly feeling filled his body from head to toe. 

“Your feelings…?” he echoed dumbly. With a meek smile, Ochako nodded. She pulled his hand away from her forehead, holding it up and threading their fingers together. 

With a gentle squeeze, she affirmed, “Yes. I like you very much.” 

“Oh, that’s good,” he spluttered on reflex, sagging and dropping his head. Ochako snorted, trying not to let the amusement show on her face and utterly failing. Smiling wanly, Shoto peeked up at her through his bangs. It was a nice angle to appreciate how the little plastic hair pin caught the sunlight to shine brightly like an opal. “It’s a little superfluous at this point, but I like you as well, Ochako, and would very much like this to be an official date,” he said as he straightened up, trying to retain some sense of his dignity. 

“I would like that too,” she agreed, shyly swinging her hips from side to side and biting her bottom lip. 

“Great. Then, would you like to resume our walk? I haven’t been through downtown, so I would love for you to show me the places you like. For future reference, of course,” he smirked, making Ochako’s face shine like an opal, too. 

“Oh, gosh! Okay!” she squeaked, hiding her face with the honeydew smoothie, since she was still clutching his hand— mostly because Shoto wouldn’t relinquish his grip now that he’d gotten what he wanted. He had been right— her hand was soft and warm, and more importantly, it felt like their hands fit together perfectly, like they were meant to be. As they began walking, she began swinging her arm gently again; this time, however, her gaze kept drifting back to him, that shy little smile never leaving her lips. 

“Cute,” he said aloud this time, expression softening— and Ochako smiled at him like he’d hung the moon in the sky for her. Honestly, he probably would. Feelings were hard for Shoto sometimes; he’d overthink things, wonder if he misread the social cues and unspoken words. Maybe he would mess up sometimes, even going forward, but he wasn’t worried. Because the way that Ochako was looking at him right now drove all the fear from his body, replacing it with only one pure feeling— love. That feeling he knew for sure.