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It had been a random Tuesday shortly before graduation when Todoroki approached Ochako out of nowhere and asked her to be his date to a gala his father was hosting.
“I just…” Todoroki’s mouth had twisted as he’d sat there, head bowed low over his steepled fingers. “He keeps trying to introduce me to people. And not in a normal way, I don’t think. It’s only ever girls around my age and he’s always talking them up and name-dropping their quirks and it just… makes me feel weird.”
Ochako had nodded knowingly and slowly reached out to place her hand gently over his knee. He’d talked about his past often enough for her to understand exactly why that kind of thing would be making Todoroki uncomfortable.
“What do you need me to do?”
The words had practically slipped out without conscious thought, but Ochako doesn’t regret them. Todoroki had exuded an air of such dejected glum that in that moment she thinks she would have offered him anything to fix it for him.
“Will you be my date to the gala?”
And so here Ochako sits, pressed up against Todoroki’s side on a fancy couch in a fancy waiting area at the fanciest custom attire boutique she’s ever seen.
If she needs to politely decline refreshments from the uniformed waiter hovering in the corner one more time, she’s going to mcfucking lose it. As it is, it’s all she can do to keep from obsessively smoothing down her clothes in an attempt to make them look even slightly less shabby than they clearly are.
“Come on,” Todoroki says suddenly, getting to his feet and holding his hand out for her to take. “It’s our turn.”
Ochako takes it and tries not to melt at the warmth that his left hand leaves behind.
What follows is an hour of torture that has Ochako regretting everything.
She’s measured from head to toe in more ways than she’d ever thought necessary. Across from her stands Todoroki suffering through the same trials as her with a bland emotionless expression. When he catches her looking at him though, he quirks one corner of his mouth at her in that way she knows means he wants to smile at her, but other roiling emotions within him are keeping it from reaching his face.
She quirks her own lips at him along with her eyebrows, and his mouth twitches like he’s stifling a laugh.
Somehow it feels like a win so Ochako takes it as one.
All too soon, they’re done, the designer promising them something stunning.
Todoroki simply nods and turns to leave, so Ochako decides to trust him that whatever she’ll be subjected to won’t be too terrible.
She waits by the door as Todoroki swipes his card and accidentally sees the total.
Yikes.
It has a sour taste settling in the back of her throat, the reminder of all the times throughout their school years that Todoroki had swiped his father’s card for things, extravagant exorbitant things, and how he’d always waved it off with a comment about how his father deserved to take the hit.
Is that what this is?
The thought brings her up short, has her pausing her stride so that Todoroki ends up walking a couple paces ahead of her.
Is that all she is?
A way for Todoroki to punish his father?
Is that why she’d been chosen over all the others? Graceful Yaoyorozu, confident Jirou, fun-loving Ashido. Was Ochako only chosen over them because she was the one who would embarrass Endeavor the most?
Todoroki turns his head back, his nose wrinkling as he sees how far behind him she is.
“You okay?” he asks, tone soft and voice quiet, as he walks back towards her. “I know it was a lot…”
“Y-Yeah!” Ochako manages, forcing down the tears through sheer force of will and bringing a tremulous smile to her face instead. “I’m just, like, super drained after all that, ahaha. Think I’ll head back to the dorms now.”
“I’ll walk you,” Todoroki says, holding out his arm for her to take. It’s the right one this time and Ochako has to swallow hard at the realization that he thinks she’s been affected by all the standing and posing and walking in the heat that he’s silently offering to cool her down. He’s such a considerate guy, she knows that. But somehow she just can’t shake the feeling that she’s just one last practical joke for Todoroki to play on his old man.
She takes his arm slowly, letting the chill radiating off of him cool her down to manageable levels.
She’s already agreed to do this for him.
All she can do now is hope he hasn’t chosen something too ridiculous for her to wear.
The dress arrives on the day of the party, and the girls waste no time helping her get ready. Hagakure does her nails, while Ashido does her makeup, and Yaoyorozu and Tsuyu work Ochako’s hair into a pretty braided bun with the help of a year's worth of bobby pins.
All the while, Ochako does her best to simply enjoy the calm music filtering from Jirou’s speakers and relax.
It’s not often a girl like her gets to be pampered like this. It’s a luxury she’d never been able to afford. She should just enjoy it while she still can.
All too soon though, the preparations come to an end, and it’s time to put on the dress.
Ochako pulls on her combat boots and waits while Jirou laces them up for her so she doesn’t disturb her hair. If she’s going to look ridiculous anyway, the least she can do is kick ass and be comfortable, right?
The girls help her into the dress, and Ochako can’t help but keep her eyes shut tight the entire time. She doesn’t want this to hurt, doesn’t want the dream to end, doesn’t want to cry.
And then, the other girls are all gasping dramatically, and despite herself Ochako’s eyes snap open to face the mirror.
Pink.
The first thing she notices is a familiar shade of pink.
Her eyes widen in the mirror as she takes in her dress for the first time.
Calling it a mere dress doesn’t do the fairy-princess-style gown justice. The jewel-encrusted bodice hugs her just right, and a tulle skirt poofs down and out, long enough to hide even her combat boots from view.
And all of it in the exact shade of pink of her hero costume, save for the bottom border of the skirt where black accents have been woven through.
Hagakure holds out a pair of long black gloves that sparkle like they’re crusted with glitter, and when Ochako pulls them on they reach all the way up to her elbows.
She can’t even believe the person in the mirror is really her.
She looks like she’s royalty, she looks like she’s rich, she… she looks like she belongs on Todoroki’s arm.
There’s a knock on the door, and the girls quickly scramble, Ashido deftly swiping one last layer of gloss over Ochako's lips while the others quickly gather the mess they’ve made and shove it into a corner out of view.
Yaoyorozu coughs once to compose herself and then pulls open the door for her.
Todoroki stands there in a sleek and luxurious pure black suit. His hair has been slicked back to reveal his forehead for once and—
Ochako’s eyes widen as she catches sight of that same familiar pink.
Todoroki’s suit is all black. Except for the fact that he’s wearing a pink tie that perfectly matches her dress. And a matching pink handkerchief in his breast pocket. And the cuffs of his suit jacket. There’s even a flash of pink socks barely visible peeking out from the minuscule gap between his pants and his black dress shoes.
Todoroki catches her looking at them and smiles. “I wanted there to be no mistake that we coordinated.”
And it’s all just so sweet and so considerate and so Todoroki that it’s all Ochako can do not to burst into tears right there.
He holds out his arm for her and as they step out into the cool air to make their way to the car Endeavor has sent for them, Ochako feels warmth against her fingers because he’d been sure to offer his left arm this time so she wouldn’t get cold and…
And Ochako tugs them both to a stop.
Todoroki lets himself be pulled, turning towards her with a look of clear concern on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Tell me the truth, Todoroki. Why me?” She looks up into his mismatched eyes searchingly. “Is it because I’m the one your father will hate to see with you the most?”
“What?”
Todoroki’s eyes have gone wide, expressive for once in the horror that is visible on his whole face. “Uraraka! No!”
Ochako waits for him to continue, but Todoroki’s face is doing something weird, and she can’t quite place the emotion in it.
“I… admire you. So much.” His jaw works soundlessly, and his hands clutch tight to her upper arms, almost like he’s afraid that if he doesn’t hold on to her, she’ll leave. “You… you faced Bakugou head-on, unflinching and unwilling to yield even when the crowd acted like you’d already lost. You faced down a mob for Midoriya, you stood tall and proud and convinced them to do what was right over what was easy.”
“Uraraka…”
His eyes meet hers, and she’s finally able to decipher that emotion in them as her heart starts to swell with emotion in kind.
“I didn’t ask you to come because I thought he wouldn’t like you. I asked you to come because out of everyone I know, you’re the one I thought he would be impressed by the most.”