Fireworks ~ TodoMomo

||Chapter 5||

Whispers and giggling voices of admiration swept down the hallway. Like the alluring smell of baked bread, they wafted through the corridor, drawing Momo's attention.

She glanced up from the stack of quizzes in her arms and froze.

Golden tendrils of sunlight poured in from the floor-length windows, reflecting in Todoroki's familiar hair like fire and starlight.

Her stomach flipped, and Momo sucked in a sharp breath. Then she lurched forward, and with her free hand, grabbed Jirou's wrist, pulling her friend back behind the hallway bend.

"Yaomomo!"

Momo released Jirou once they were safely hidden. "I'm sorry," she whispered hurriedly. Her heart raced. She pressed her back against the cool plaster and brought the quizzes up to her chest, her fingers trembling.

What was Todoroki doing here? Not that he couldn't be here, but it was after school hours, and he was usually at the gym with Midoriya. And who were those girls he was talking to?

Swallowing over a dry throat, Momo slowly inched along the wall to glance around the corner.

Todoroki Shouto stood at the other end of the hallway surrounded by younger classmen that she recognized as their juniors from the general studies course.

Momo's eyes narrowed as she studied them. The girls had rolled up the waistbands of their skirts, exposing more of their thighs than was proper, and their hair had been cutely styled into buns and braids.

One giggled and stepped closer to Todoroki; Momo frowned. It wasn't that she was jealous, though. Why would she be? Todoroki could have friends outside of their class. Momo was just concerned for him as a friend and fellow hero in training. This was the third group of girls who had approached Todoroki this last week — not that she was counting.

Suddenly, Todoroki lifted his head, and storm gray and piercing blue eyes looked towards her. Momo's stomach flipped sharply. She tore her gaze away, leaning back against the wall, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady her racing pulse.

It was fine. It was fine. He hadn't seen her...she didn't think.

Momo hugged the quizzes closer to her chest. Even if he had, it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. She wasn't stalking him. They just happened to be in the hallway at the same time. There was no reason to get flustered.

Feeling better, Momo opened her eyes and turned to see Jirou studying her intently.

Momo jerked.

"Avoiding Todoroki again?" Jirou asked tonelessly, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Momo gasped, straightening nervously. Her fingers tightened around the quizzes, creasing the paper as heat spread up her neck. "We aren't avoiding him," Momo insisted quickly. Lowering her voice so that Todoroki and their junior classmen wouldn't be able to hear. "Only - only waiting until Todoroki-san finishes his conversation with our junior classmen. As heroes in training, we need to respect the privacy of others and not eavesdrop. And -"

"Yaoyorozu. Jirou." A deep baritone cut through her words.

Momo started with a squeak.

Jirou looked over Momo's shoulder, her expression deadpan. "Oh. He caught us."

Momo turned; her gaze met heterochromatic eyes. "To-Todoroki-san!" she stuttered.

He looked between her and Jirou in confusion. "What are you two doing?"

Momo swallowed. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. "We were - that is, we didn't want to bother you as you were speaking with our underclassmen."

Todoroki stared at her blankly, and Momo forced an innocent smile.