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Shoto had made a habit of stopping by the skate park. Not to go in, just to see what was happening. There was always something going on there, everything from friendly competitions to big tournaments. Today specifically there had been a crowd gathered around one of the half pipes near the entrance, the energy implying some kind of impromptu competition.
Shoto stopped his board, surveying the area as he debated whether or not to go in and get a closer look. He looked down at the board under his feet and figured it was best to just stay on this side of the fence. After all, he really didn’t want to get mistaken for someone who actually knew what they were doing.
His board (who’s name was Noodle by the way) was strictly for transportation. Getting him from point A to point B. That was it. He had only ever tried to do one trick, and it ended with him face down on the sidewalk while a group of elementary school kids called him names. He was 14.
He rolled Noodle under his foot, his hand holding onto the chain link fence just in case gravity chose to betray him. The first two competitors pushed to the front of the crowd. One was the kind of person you would expect to see here, a guy around Shoto’s age with red hair and what could only be described as the slacker aesthetic. He let his board drop to the ground and put his foot on the deck, giving his competitor a curious look.
She was not someone who looked like she frequented the skate park. Not only was she the only one wearing a helmet and kneepads, but she looked uncomfortable. Shoto imagined it was because of everyone staring at her.
She did stick out like a sore thumb. While she wasn’t the only girl there, she was definitely the most feminine presenting one. Shoto had never seen anyone skate in a skirt before, regardless of the shorts that she had poking out underneath it. Most of the crowd dismissed her immediately, a few mutters going through the crowd followed by some giggling. But if the girl noticed then she was doing a good job at ignoring them. Instead, she just tied back her long black hair and gave her competitor a thumbs up and a smile.
He nodded back at her sympathetically, taking his turn first. He was good, or at least he was to Shoto’s untrained eye. But there was something about his movements that felt like he was holding back. Things just seemed to end before they could really reach their peak and he looked bored even when he was flying through the air. He was going easy on her.
Shoto looked back over to the girl to see if she noticed. She absolutely did, her nails tapping on the back of her board (which had a very cute cartoon cat on it). Still, she was smiling graciously and giving polite little claps between underwhelming jumps.
The boy finished after a few minutes, his wheels hitting the ground with an obnoxious thud. He gave her a smile that was supposed to be reassuring but just came off as condescending. The girl smiled back, dropping her board so that all four wheels were on the ground.
Shoto knew what was coming the moment he saw her mount the board and push off all in one smooth motion. He felt his heart stop as she leaned down, picking up momentum as she sped down the half pipe. Anyone who still had their doubts would be silenced quick enough.
She was flying. In a way that would have put her competitor to shame even if had given it his all. Shoto knew that he was probably standing there with his jaw on the ground, but he didn’t dare look away to check. From the angle where he was standing, she had gone so high that she blocked out the afternoon sun. He was in awe, his mouth dry and his grip on the chain link fence loosening.
He couldn’t tell you how long she went, or even how high she was at her peak, but he did know that once she landed there was no question as to who the victor was. She beamed as a girl with pink hair ran from the crowd and hugged her.
The rest of the crowd broke out in surprised mutters, a few cheers sprinkled in here and there as they dispersed. Shoto clapped, confident enough that he was out of earshot.
But it seemed the confidence was misplaced.
She looked over her shoulder, her helmet off and her hair falling out of the ponytail she had put it in. Shoto stopped clapping, feeling his face heat up. She smiled and he was positive that he was now on fire. Quickly, he let go of the chain link fence and took off on his board.
Shoto mentally kicked himself all the way home. “Smooth.” He muttered. “Way to go.”
He stopped a block away from his house, taking a moment to sit on the curb and catch his breath. He opened his water bottle and took little sips. Maybe if she was there again tomorrow he would say something.
He knew that he needed to do something to get her attention or else he just might regret it for the rest of his life.
---
In theory, Shoto knew what he was doing. He had asked his older both older brothers how to do this, though the results were… mixed at best.
Natsuo had gone into a full blown verbal lecture on how to skate, taking awkward pauses to also do his homework. And Shoto being… Shoto, absorbed none of it.
Touya had to be convinced to help him out (meaning that Shoto stood outside of his door loudly asking for help until Fuyumi got sick of it and physically made him) but his idea of teaching was taking Noodle, doing an ollie in the driveway, shoving Noodle into Shoto’s arms, and going back inside.
Still, with the combined “efforts” of his brothers and several Youtube tutorials, Shoto was as ready as he ever could be.
The girl from yesterday was standing in a group with her friends, laughing as she threw her hair back into a ponytail again. His mouth went dry and he looked away when her friend with the pink hair noticed him staring and giggled.
He moved Noodle with his foot before looking up at the half pipe in front of him. Maybe this was a really bad idea. Despite his hours of research, he had never actually done this before.
He looked up from Noodle, ready to throw the towel in and go home when he saw the girl from yesterday looking right at him. To be fair, a lot of people were looking at him. Probably because he was shaking like a newborn giraffe. Plus he didn’t exactly look like much of a skater. He was wearing a polo for christ’s sake.
Still, she was watching. It was now or never.
He backed up a few steps before pushing off. The board wobbled under his feet in a way that it hadn’t in years, but he stayed on so that’s really all that mattered. He was almost over the edge of the half pipe when he realized that he was going too fast.
His front wheels hit the slope and he let out an undignified squeak. The next few seconds happened in a weird, tunnel-like blur. He was suddenly gaining speed that he didn’t think poor Noodle could handle. He knew he was going to wipe out by the time he reached the bottom of the half pipe, but he had no idea how to stop.
To make matters worse, he hadn’t realized the importance of helmets until mere nanoseconds before his forehead hit the wall of cement in front of him.
---
Shoto woke up to bright lights shining in his face and assumed he was dead. He groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes. Heaven really needed to work on first impressions.
“Oh, good! You’re awake!” A femenine voice said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Oh.
“How are you feeling?” Shoto opened his eyes and looked over to his left.
Oh no.
“Wait, don’t move! I’ll go get a nurse.” The girl with the black ponytail stood up from her chair and ran to the door, yelling something that Shoto couldn’t quite make out.
Well, he wasn’t dead. But now he really wished he was.
He sat up in the hospital bed too quickly, immediately feeling light headed. A nurse came in and began asking him questions about his pain and allergies and other medical stuff. He answered with as few words as possible, refusing to make eye contact with the girl who was standing in the doorway.
“Is there anyone we can call for you?” The nurse asked as he jotted something down onto his sheet.
Shoto had to think about it. Fuyumi would definitely freak out, so she was a no-go. Natsuo would probably come get him, but not before telling Fuyumi. Circle back to number one for why he couldn’t do that. Touya was an asshole who would never let him live this down, but he knew one thing for sure. He wouldn’t tell Fuyumi.
He gave the nurse Touya’s number. He knew he would come to get him, there was no way he would pass up a chance to make fun of him. The nurse nodded, and exchanged a polite goodbye with both teenagers before leaving the room.
It was awkwardly silent for several minutes.
In those moments, Shoto realized that he was an idiot. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. What was he planning on doing if his plan had worked? Stutter and leave?
“So uh…” He said bravely. “What exactly happened?”
Smooth.
“Well…” The girl hesitated. “You kinda lost control of the board and… fell.”
Shoto nodded. That was a very polite way to say that he ate the pavement.
“After you passed out, my friends and I flipped you on your side and called an ambulance just to be safe.” She explained. “The doctor said you’d be fine, but the fall left a nasty bruise. Nothing that will scar though, so that’s good.”
Shoto lifted his hand up to his forehead, feeling a patch of gause attached with medical tape. “Good to know. One scar is more than enough.”
The girl glanced over at his left side, suddenly looking guilty. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Oh, no! No worries!” Shoto threw his hands up like he was surrendering. “I was just joking!”
“O-oh.” She looked guilty still, but relaxed enough to sit back down.
There were a few more moments of awkward silence.
“I’m Momo.” She said quietly, reaching out her hand. “Momo Yaoyorozu. It’s uh… nice to meet you.”
“Oh, yeah. Same.” Shoto said, shaking her hand before suddenly realizing he also had to introduce himself. “Uh, I mean not the same all the way. It is nice to meet you… also. But I’m not also Momo-”
He stops, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m Shoto Todoroki. It’s also nice to meet you and uh… thanks for not letting me die at the bottom of a halfpipe.”
Momo blinks a few times before laughing. “The pleasure is all mine.”
It went back to being quiet after that, but it was a good quiet. Momo smiled at him and he smiled back before looking down at his hands.
“Ahem,” The sound of someone clearing their throat made both teens whip their heads up to look at the door. Touya was standing there awkwardly, looking between the two of them like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Momo smiled politely, standing up and brushing off her skirt. “I’d better get going. I hope I’ll see you later, Todoroki.”
Shoto nodded, his brain taking a minute to register that she was talking to him. “Uh, yeah. Same. Full same this time.”
Momo giggled before heading to the door. Touya scooted over, allowing her to push past him carefully. He waited until she was out of earshot before speaking.
“You look like shit.”
Shoto let his head fall back on the pillow. “Thanks. Don’t tell Fuyumi.”
“About the wipeout or the girl?” Shoto could hear the stupid, cocky-ass grin on his brother’s face.
He sighed. “Yes. All the above.”
---
Noodle survived the wipeout. Shoto would forever be grateful for that.
What he wasn’t grateful for was the fact that he still had to pass by the skatepark on his way home from his after school activities. He had done the math and unless he wanted to add another fifteen minutes to his commute, there was no way around it.
He stopped a little ways away, zipping up his hoodie to the chin in embarrassment. Even from a distance he could see Momo’s black ponytail. She was sitting close to the chain link fence, talking with her friend with the pink hair.
Shoto pulled his hood up too. Maybe if he went fast she wouldn’t notice. He put his foot on the deck, but it was too late.
“Todoroki!” She called out, making him almost slip and fall onto the public bench next to him. Momo was standing, smiling as she took a few tentative steps towards the fence. There was no avoiding it now.
He waved awkwardly, walking over as well. “Yaoyorozu… hi. Again.”
“How’s your head doing?” She asked, eyeing the fresh gauze pad on his forehead. Shoto hadn’t been able to keep his injury a secret for long, but at least he had avoided Fuyumi ever finding out he went to the hospital.
“Oh, uh.” Shoto tried to answer, but he was distracted by Momo’s friend with the pink hair. She was hovering just a few feet away, looking between the two of them like they were actors in a soap opera. “It’s good. Thanks again for helping me out.”
“I told you, it was my pleasure.” Momo looked down at Noodle. “Nice board, by the way!”
“Oh, thanks.” Shoto said, tapping the deck. “It’s name is Noodle.”
He hated that he said that, but Momo seemed to think it was funny.
“Noodle, huh?” She looked at his board thoughtfully. “I like it, it suits it! You’ll have to help me name my board sometime.”
Shoto nodded, laughing awkwardly. “I mean, I’d be down to help.”
Momo smiled as she began walking away. Her friend with the pink hair seemed displeased by this, walking over and whispering something in Momo’s ear before shoving her even closer to the chain link fence.
“Uh, Todoroki!” She said, surprised by the shove. “I was wondering if you might want to skate together sometime?”
Shoto could have sworn time stopped. “You want to skate… with me?” He asked slowly, like he was processing the words as they came out of his mouth.
“Yes.” Momo nodded her head, her ponytail bobbing with the sudden movement. The rest of her body was ridged and her face was red.
“... Me?” Shoto pointed at himself. “The guy you had to scrape off the pavement yesterday?”
“Yes.” Momo relaxed a little. “It’s just… you skate by here a lot, and I know this really nice bike path by the river that doesn’t really have any hills. Maybe we could even get coffee after that if you’re up for it?”
His head was reeling. She had seen him skating by before? She knew he existed? And she wanted to go get coffee with him? Alone?
“Like a date?” He asked dumbly. He regretted it immediately, but it was too late to take it back.
Momo looked embarrassed. “Yeah, exactly. Like a date.”
“Absolutely!” Shoto said too quickly before clearing his throat. “I uh, I mean yes.”
Momo brightened up. “Great! Uh, does Saturday work for you? At seven?”
“Yeah, any day works!” Shoto laughed awkwardly. “And that day works extra well. But all days… work. If you ever wanted to do it again, all days would work.”
He was jumping the gun, but Momo was still smiling. “Do you have your phone on you?”
“Oh, yeah!” Shoto stumbled, reaching into his pocket and almost dropping his phone on the ground. He handed it to her through the gaps in the fence. “Good idea.”
She blushed deeper, typing her phone number into his contacts . “Here, you can just text me and I’ll save it.”
He took the phone, looking at the new contact. She had typed out “Momo” with a little smiley face next to it. He quickly opened up messages and sent her “hi”, relieved when he heard her phone go off in her bag.
She pulled it out, smiling as she entered his contact into her phone. “Well, uh… I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“Yeah,” He said, smiling back. “Can’t wait!”
She turned around, giving him one more smile over her shoulder before walking over to her friends. He looked down at his phone, feeling his own face warm up.
As he skated away, he could hear the excited chatter from her group of friends and knew he had to text his immediately. He wanted to jump for joy, but he had learned the hard way that doing so on a skateboard was a terrible idea.
Regardless, he had a date with a pretty girl who did in fact know he existed. And that was enough for him.