The written exam was finally over. Yaoyorozu took her first relaxed breath of the day as she walked out of the classroom. She had known all the answers, but she was still anxious to get the results back.

"See you in a few hours," Todoroki said as he walked out the classroom behind her. She smiled and waved as he rushed in the direction of the dorms. 'He's probably so done with school and studying right now,' Yaoyorozu thought as she laughed internally. She always pushed herself too hard before a big test, but unfortunately this time Todoroki had been dragged into it too. But for the record, having a focused partner really did help her learn more effectively.

It was just.... she found herself focusing on the wrong things sometimes when they were together. Her self-discipline rarely slipped up when it came to academics, so she could buckle down when doing homework, but there were some moments she couldn't get out of her head.

She began to notice every time their hands touched, or any part of their bodies for that matter. Sometimes she would accidentally get lost in his eyes, and the world would melt away for a split second before she caught herself staring.

For the life of her, she could not shake the memory of him kissing her face. His lips were much softer than she had expected. Secretly, she knew she had fallen for him and fallen hard. She admired how humble he was, how intelligent he was, and most of all she loved how she felt being by his side.

He didn't compare her to other people. He didn't expect her to be better than everyone else, but yet he still made her feel as if she were. He was the polar opposite of her own parents. She dare not do much more than merely acknowledge these emotions, afraid it would jinx her newfound happiness.

As she daydreamed about Todoroki, she recalled that he had asked her to come to his dorm today. She had only been there a few times and never stayed long, so she was particularly curious as to what he had planned. He said it was a special gift for her as a reward for studying so hard these past couple weeks. She had never gotten a reward for studying before, only punishments for failing to perform well.

She shook her head, deciding that the more she thought about it the more nervous she'd get. For now, all she had to do was hang out with everyone else until this evening. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without Todoroki there...

***

Yaoyorozu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and knocked gently on Todoroki's dorm door. It opened within a split second. He stood in front of her looking like he always did, but for some reason her stomach did a little flip.

They had both changed out of their school uniforms and into comfier clothing. Yaoyorozu wore shorts and a designer t-shirt, while Todoroki had on sweatpants and a black tank top. The hair at the nape of her neck tingled as her eyes did a quick scan of his body. His arms looked more defined up close, that was for sure.

"Momo, hey, uh, come on in." He opened the door wider for her to walk in. He had pulled his chair out from the desk and motioned for her to sit down.

"I only have one chair, since it's usually just me, so you can sit here and I'll sit on the floor." He walked over to a corner of the room and pulled out a sitting cushion.

"Get one for me too! I'd rather join you," she did not feel comfortable sitting in a chair while he was on the floor. He was just gonna have to deal with sharing the tatami mat.

"If you insist," he replied, tossing a cushion towards her. She caught it, and saw a smile flash over his face, but he quickly returned to the poker face he always wore. They sat side by side titled slightly towards each other, close enough to talk but far enough to not be touching.

"Um, so, why am I here again?" Yaoyorozu asked in a small voice. She was dying to know the occasion, if it really was just for finishing a test, it seemed a bit too awkward and personal. Todoroki cleared his throat, obviously growing more uncomfortable.

"Momo, I- You're- " He paused after starting his sentence a few times, looking at the ground right in front of her. His face gradually grew as red as his scar. She patiently waited, not wanting to say anything to make it worse for him. He took a shaky breath and started again.

"I really enjoy being with you, I mean studying and talking and even if we did nothing but stare at a wall together I feel like I'd be the happiest man on the earth," his fingers danced nervously in his pockets.

"I know you think that you're not a good friend to me but that's absolutely not true. In fact, now that I've gotten to know you, life without you wouldn't be a life worth living, not for me. I promise I'll do anything for you, I'll be everything you need me to be. What I really want to say is, Momo  Yaoyorozu, will you be my girlfriend?" At the last sentence he looked up at her, his eyes intense and breathtakingly beautiful.

Yaoyorozu drew in a sharp breath. Those words, this person, his eyes bearing his soul to her. She couldn't help but reach out and embrace him.

"Yes, yes, of course!!"

***

"Hold still, don't move."

Yaoyorozu was still hugging Todoroki when he moved one arm to reach into his pants pocket. The other arm held her close to him, as if she would run away the instant he let go. Their chests were pressed tightly together, partially because they enjoyed the contact, but mostly so their hearts wouldn't leap right out of their bodies. He took his hand out of his pocket and brought it up close to her face. She tried to pull away so she could see it, but he held her firmly in place with his grip.

"Not yet," he told her as his other hand grabbed the object and reached around her neck. 'Oh, it's a necklace,' she realized as he closed the clasp after some difficulty. A small object hung at her chest, attached to a fine chain. She really wanted to know what it looked like.

"Ok, I got it closed. You can look now."

Releasing her from their embrace, she straightened but remained sitting close to him. She held up the charm to her face, it was barely the size of her pinky finger and very light weight.

A golden key hung from the chain, simple yet fine in quality and detail. The top of the key was shaped like a heart, the prongs at the very bottom looked like a tiny square with a design cut out. After taking a good look at it, she closed her hand around the object and pressed it tightly into her palm. She would treasure it for as long as she lived.

"Even though it looks like metal, it's actually a high quality polypropylene plastic, so magnetic quirks won't work against it. It's even resistant to flames and it won't shatter in the cold, I tested it," Todoroki told her.

"It's beautiful, thank you. I really love it!" An idea had already popped into her head, but she had to find out one thing first, "I have to ask, why did you pick a key?" She was still too nervous to look into his eyes, so she kept her eyes on her fist.

"Because you're the key to my happiness." The words came out precise and without hesitation, like it was a fact even children would know instinctively.

"And I also wanted you to remember that you are the key to your own happiness, that no one can stop you from being the amazing person you are. I want you to live a life for yourself, not for your parents, not even for me," he reached out and closed his hand around hers so they were both holding the pendant.

"I believe you of all people can have anything you want in this world, you can open any door you want to, you're just that amazing. That's why I gave you a key," he finished. She closed her eyes, a tear forming at the corner of one eye.

"That's incredible, Shoto. You're amazing. You're already the best boyfriend a girl could ever wish for. I can't let this be a one-sided thing, so... " she furrowed her eyebrows as she spoke, concentrating on her quirk. She had heard of the material he mentioned before and studied it once for twice, but hadn't produced it enough times to recreate it easily. Once she had the molecular base clear in her mind, she pressed her fingertips into the prongs of the key, feeling every groove.

She finally let go of the key around her neck and pulled out another necklace from her chest, created by her own quirk. Gold and heart shaped just like her key, it was the other half of the set, a lock made to open only by using they key Todoroki had given her.

"Here, it's yours," she said softly. Opening her eyes, she held the lock up by the chain. Todoroki just stared at it, then broke out into a smile and gingerly took it from her.

"Oh, um, you don't have to wear it as a necklace either. It was just what came to me in the moment," she said as he turned it over in his fingers.

"It's perfect. Can I test it out?" He asked as he reached for her pendent, not waiting for an answer. His fingers brushed against her skin as he picked up the key, leaving behind a hot tingle. As expected, the key fit perfectly into the lock. With a click, the top popped lose when Todoroki turned the key. She smiled at her handiwork, glad that she was able to give him something in return.

Suddenly his face was centimeters away from hers, his hand pressed against the back of her neck. She became hyper aware of how close they were, not just their faces, but their whole bodies. Just when she thought their lips would collide, he stopped. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart beat wildly.

"Can I kiss you?" He whispered, his hot breath teasing her partially opened lips. For a moment she was frozen in time, her brain failing to process any information. Then, either in response or out of impulse, she closed the thin gap between them.

His lips were hot, almost searing, but she couldn't get enough. It was her first kiss but it didn't feel forced or awkward. He had always been sincere around her and this kiss was no different, she could tell he wasn't doing it out of obligation or egotism. In all honesty, she had been craving this moment for a while now.

At first they were both timid and scared to deepen the kiss, only pressing lightly into each other, then his tongue gently licked her lip, retreating as quickly as it had appeared. As unexpected as it was, she found she really enjoyed the sensation. Her jaw loosened and she relaxed into him. After a few pleasurable seconds of lip locking they broke apart, still holding each other close. She hid her face in his neck, too embarrassed to do anything else.

"Hey, I did promise you a reward for getting through the test, right? Well, I figured we could celebrate with everyone, so I baked a cake," his voice was so comforting in the moment; she was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be alone anymore, but relieved at the same time because she didn't know what to do next.

She finally lifted her head up to look at his face. He looked so happy, it made her heart soar. She answered, "That sounds great! I'll help you carry it to the common room."