winters is the best time of the year

/10971\~Chapter 2: the winter ball~/10971\

Funny, how all roads seem to lead back to the quick-tempered Hero-in-training, isn't it? After all my hard work, the decorations went down in a storm... It was impossible to pass through a hallway without hearing the giddy chatter of students excited for Christmas... My heart fluttered, knowing that even after the initial hiccup, my plan had worked! The general ambience of the school had lifted, replacing anxiety with anticipation..! At the next Student Council meeting, the other members were quick to praise me, and eager to start a second phase of celebration! This time, they had devised a plan, one which I was more than happy to take part in..! The end of term was looming, and the students were preparing to move home for Christmas, so wouldn't it be nice to have some sort of farewell event? I was already hooked on the idea well before they told me they wanted to organise a winter ball..! I was given a number of different jobs leading up to the ball, but they didn't seem more than I could handle... If anything, I wanted to take on more, excitedly hoping to see everyone scrubbed up in suits and cocktail dresses a far comparison from their usual school clothes or casual weekend outfits! Something nice and fancy even like a prom..! Firstly, I had to organise the buffet for the ball... That was easy enough. Pro-hero Lunch Rush was more than accommodating..! Even when I came to him with a list of Christmas-style recipes, he provided another dozen of his own, assuring me they would go down a treat! Next, I had to convince the teachers to chaperone..! Principal Nezu had more than welcomed the idea of the ball, but he left it to me to get the other teachers involved... I wanted the students to have a relaxed evening, devoid of worries that villains could strike at any time..! The only way to do that was to involve the teacher-pro-heroes! I expected them to put up resistance, but Midnight was more than happy to oblige, severely aware of the males-in-suits dress code... Oh boy I asked Eraserhead but he declined, hoping to use the fact everyone would be at the ball to sleep in peace for once..! In the end, Ectoplasm offered his assistance, and once he agreed, I really had no need to find anyone else! One Ectoplasm or thirty, I was sure he could handle the chaperoning duties by himself..! I told Midnight this, but she insisted that she'd still go! I had no way of stopping her once her mind was made..! My final task for the ball was one that I set myself I had an image in my mind of how I wanted the ball to be, and in that image there was snow..! It was very easy to find someone who could supply artificial snow, but I desperately wanted the real thing! I asked a few of the other Student council members when I caught them between classes, but none could think of another student with a snow-based quirk... I spent the best part of a day racking my brains, hoping that if I puzzled hard enough I would suddenly remember someone who could produce snow- Then, on one evening after school, a thought occurred to me..! Albeit, no one I knew could produce a flurry of snow on demand... I did, however, know of someone who could at least produce ice! As part of the General Education department, I wasn't offered lessons in how to rescue civilians..! I was, however, offered a second-rate-to-none normal curricular syllabus! I had learnt many ways in which my quirk could interact with other's to benefit society during science lessons..! Like how to dissipate hail! Tweaking one detail here or there, I knew I could make snow, as long as I had someone to make ice..! I knew from the Sports Festival that there was someone perfect for the job! The only trouble was, I knew of him, and that definitely wasn't the same as knowing him... Shoto Todoroki, runner up in the Sports Festival, had a very powerful ice quirk..! I was certain if the two of us combined our quirks, I could turn the ball into a winter wonderland! The only problem was trying to talk to him... I knew he was part of the Heroes department, but other than that I was at a loss..! 1-A and 1-B were a blurry mess in my head... I had no idea which trainee hero belong in which class! I did, however, know someone who would know... Sitting at the back of my English class..! A subject I was impeccable in-my cheeks turned scarlet red, thinking about my new connection to the Heroes department... Since the night of Christmas decorating, Katsuki Bakugou kissing me under the mistletoe had danced through many of my dreams..! My interactions the next day when I had gone to pick up the cart had been almost too awkward to bare! Even so, I had seen him in the hallways from time to time since then, and although my face turned red whenever I saw him, I couldn't help noticing the difference in the way he looked at me, offering me a slight nod of a hello while passing him... I clutched my cheeks, burying my head on my desk to hide my flustered expression..! That afternoon, after classes had finished, I pushed aside my embarrassment-based anxieties in favour of seeing the winter ball progress! I was desperate for everything to go perfectly, and that meant reaching out to Todoroki... And that meant getting hold of Bakugou..!