Fireworks ~ TodoMomo

✨||Chapter 1||✨

"I've got it!" Ashido's chair screeched back, and she slammed her hands down onto the dorm's dining table, causing Momo to start. Hagakure's fingers paused in Momo's hair as Ashido looked excitedly between the class 2-A girls. "We should go to the Sumidagawa festival!"

It had been a month since the last of the cherry blossoms had fallen, and the brisk chill of spring had given way to the cloying heat of summer. With the changing seasons and their fast-approaching summer break, an infectious excitement had taken root in class 2-A.

Unlike their first year, when they had been shipped off to the mountains to train, the summer of the class' second year was looking to be far more tame. No training camps. No extra classes. Besides their mandatory part-time internships for the holidays, U.A. was leaving the students to enjoy their second-year summer in relative peace. And no one appeared more excited about this than Ashido Mina, who had called an 'emergency' girls meeting to discuss possible options.

"Sumidagawa?" Momo repeated slowly. She could feel Hagakure's fingers scrape lightly against her scalp as she resumed braiding her hair. Momo looked down and pressed the knuckle of her index finger to her chin, trying to remember where she had heard the name before. She had only been to a festival once before — during first year, with Todoroki Shouto.

Momo felt her heart stutter in the manner she was growing accustomed to when thinking about her seatmate. Recently, her mind had grown prone to fixating and overanalyzing Todoroki Shouto's words and actions. And, in particular, one of her favorite moments to focus on was their time together exploring and watching fireworks at the Ennichi festival.

She shifted in her chair, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles from her lace night shorts. Her fingers caught at the edge of the fabric and Momo wrapped the end around her finger. There was no reason for her to be thinking about it this much. Todoroki showing up at the festival had been a coincidence. And his decision to escort her was an act of kindness that any hero in training would extend to a fellow classmate. So why? Why did her mind insist on returning to that night, over and over?

It must be because Todoroki had never expressed interest in spending time with her before that night. In fact, up until the sports festival, he had seemed the solitary type, uninterested in getting to know anyone in their class. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to open up to her, of all people, about his family made her chest swell with happiness.

"It's super, super amazing!" Ashido continued excitedly, drawing Momo out of her thoughts. "And it's not too far from here. We have to go."

The name finally clicked, and Momo looked up at the girls surrounding the table. "Ah, I've seen the Sumidagawa fireworks from my room before." She held up a finger and smiled. "It's a historic event that can be traced back to the Kyoto famine in 1732, when fireworks were launched as part of festivals for the dead –"

"No!" Ashido interrupted, crossing her arms into an 'x' above her head. "That's not why we are going, Yaomomo!"

"Vice President, that's not it at all," Hagakure chastised lightly from behind her, her invisible fingers pausing their task of pleating Momo's hair into a braid. "The festival is about fireworks, food stalls, and yukatas."

"Exactly!" Ashido's voice cracked as she nodded in agreement.

"They'll have so much good food," Uraraka echoed from across the table, cupping her cheeks. "Okonomiyaki, yaki imo, takayaki..."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Hagakure said, unintentionally yanking a section of Momo's hair, making her flinch. "And they'll have your favorite Uraraka-chan — mochi!"

"Mochi!" Uraraka's voice grew shrill on the word. Her expression lit up as if she already tasted it.

Momo hid a giggle behind her hand.

"It would definitely be a fun summer activity, kero," Asui added, tapping her chin and smiling. "My sister gave me a new hair clip that I've been meaning to wear."

"I'm sure the guys would love to go too," Uraraka said, pressing her fingers together, except for her pinkies which stuck up in the air.

Jirou raised an eyebrow as she looked across the table at Uraraka. "Are we inviting the guys? Or keeping it just us?" she asked, twirling her earphone jack around her finger.

"I think we should include them," Uraraka said thoughtfully. "It would be fun to do something all together."

Ashido leaned closer to Uraraka, a grin twisting across her lips. "So sly, Urarka-chan," she said, elbowing her in the side. "You just want to hang out with Mi-do-ri-ya, don't you?" she whispered in a sing-song tone. The black of her eyes glittered suggestively.

Uraraka flushed. "No! It's nothing like that," she said, waving her hands in front of herself frantically. Her eyes glanced around the living room quickly. It was deserted except for them. Uraraka's shoulders relaxed and she leaned back in her chair. "I just..." she trailed off, dropping her gaze down to the table. Her expression turned whimsical. "It's just maybe our last year that we can do something like this — all together — before we graduate."

Momo's chest tightened.

"Ochako-chan," Asui said; her voice was soft. She reached over to rub Uraraka's back.

Everyone's expressions fell as the reality of Uraraka's words hung over them. Once they became third years, they'd be busy interning and applying to agencies; they wouldn't have time to spend going to festivals. And, even if they did, the likelihood that they would all have the same evening off on one of Japan's busiest days of the year was slim.

Momo bit her lip. She had enjoyed seeing the fireworks last year at Ennichi with Todoroki —

Todoroki.

Would this be the last chance she'd get to see them with him? Momo's heart dropped.

Ashido's expression flickered, and she straightened. "That settles it," she said firmly, curling her left hand into a loose fist and pounding it against her right palm. Her eyes were intent. "Let's invite everyone. We have to live this up if it's going to be our last summer that we can all hang out together!"

Momo nodded, her spirits lifting at Ashido's words. "I can speak to Iida-san about the planning."

Ashido gave her a thumbs up. "Perfect!"

"And we have to dress up," Hagakure stressed.

Ashido's expression lit up. "Of course! If we are going to take pictures, we got to look good."

"If we are going to dress up, I think I'll have to go buy a new yukata," Jirou said, a small smile pulling at her lips.

Momo felt a rush of excitement. "I know a wonderful shop that sells yukatas!" She laid her hand over her chest and smiled brightly. "Why don't we go together? And anyone else who needs one is welcome to join us, of course!"

"Oh! To be expected of our Vice President," Hagakure said. Her voice was filled with admiration.

Momo's cheeks warmed under the praise as she watched the elastic sitting on the table float up and disappear behind her head. She felt Hagakure's fingers thread the ends of her hair through the band and release the loose braid with a snap.

"Then that settles it. The Sumidagawa festival it is!" Ashido cried, pumping her fist into the air. "Summer here we come!"