Ashido asks. Apparently, he asks not for the first time, but Shoto safely passed everything by his ears. During this academic year he developed a very convenient skill not to notice very many things, except really important ones. Ashido's question was probably not important, but she repeats it insistently, so ignoring is probably ugly. Once again, what did she even ask about ...
Oh yes. School ball. Fancy and colorful event in honor of the approaching end of the school year. A pink dream for some, a nightmare worse than exams for others.
- I decided. Midoria, can I have a moment? - Shoto perks up, noticing a tousled hair flashing in the doorway, and even sticks off the desk, on which he almost dozed off.
Midoria almost jumps from surprise, fits in small steps. When it’s not in practice and not in combat practice, it is so quiet and meek that you only marvel at it. True, it is difficult to surprise Shoto, mainly because he spends a lot of time with Midoria, a lot, but it is she who invariably manages to surprise him. This is probably some kind of special talent, almost like a secondary quirk.
“Will you come with me to the school ball?” - offers Shoto. Midoria freezes for a second, muttering soundlessly, as is always the case with her. He nods his eyes shut and quickly, a little awkwardly sits in his place, almost tripping over the disapproving look of Bakugo sitting right in front of her.
In the lesson, Midoria looks even more lost in thought than usual. Shoto sits on the next row, at two desks behind Midoria, and it’s convenient to watch. Shoto watches Midoria get nervous.
- Something happened? - Approaching, Shoto asks when the lesson ends and Cementos-sensei leaves the classroom. Midoria shudders and looks at him with a stare.
“No ... Not really,” Midoria waved her hands fussily. “It's all right, really.” Let's go to dinner?
Soto does not mind, but does not forget about his question, even when at dinner they talk about all kinds of nonsense. Midoria laughs a little unnaturally. Just a little bit, just Shoto knows her well and can catch this pretense.
- Is it because of the school ball? Shoto asks when they leave the cafeteria and move to the school garden, where they usually spend a long break.
Midoria nods. Is silent. Out of her bad habit, she begins to wring her fingers, says nothing, and diligently looks at the still sluggish grass, then at the translucent clouds. Shoto gets no more reaction.
“If you don’t want to come with me, I will not press,” Shoto says after a moment.
- No! - Midoria flares up, raises its head, and its curls bounce funny. - I want, of course! We are meeting! Just ... ”She nervously bites her lips. - Well ...
“Just? ..” Shoto gently squeezes her palm so as not to cripple her fingers covered with lace scars. Midoria was very complex about this, and still complex, no matter how much Shoto explains to her, that in his eyes the scars do not spoil her at all. Words do not work, so the best he can do is to hold her hand as often as possible.
“I can't dance,” Midoria mutters, looking down. Probably, “just?” Was not the most correct reaction, because Midoria blushes even thicker and turns away, and almost smokes. Shoto looks at a scattering of light freckles on her neck.
Only. This is even sweet.
“If you want, I can teach,” Shoto suggests, taking a few seconds to think. Midoria raises naive, round eyes.
- You know how to?
“My sister taught me.” As?
Midoria taps her finger on her cheek, nods uncertainly and looks almost guilty, awkward. Soto does not get tired of marveling at how different Midoria is in battle and in everyday life, how it changes from hawk to sparrow. And he can’t decide which Midoria he likes best. Both like it. Only a sparrow wants to stroke, but with a hawk such a trick will not work, it flies too fast.
“Come in after class,” Shoto suggests. His room is almost empty, for himself
the main pas of a small footage is quite enough.
Midoria simply can no longer crush and smoke even more, so she silently nods and exaggerates, carefully watching the striped cat going about her business. The cat forgets about her affairs, only having noticed Shoto, and immediately comes up, begins to rub on her trouser leg and ask for the wrong handout, or the pat.
After school, Shoto waits while Midoria slowly, as if in a drowsiness, collects textbooks and notebooks. He follows him silently, clings to the sleeve of his jacket. She is noticeably nervous, as if she’s not going to learn to dance, but, at least, to take by storm the secret refuge of the villains. Midoria is too tense and Shoto does not like it, I want to at least slightly defuse the atmosphere. Midoria smiles infrequently, but her every smile is worth trying for her sake. Shoto grabs her palm, gently squeezes her fingers, rough from the scars. Midoria is embarrassed by such small gestures, he says - people will see, people will think, then people, people here ... Shoto doesn’t care about people and their opinions, but Midoria blushes very nicely and does not try to move away at all.
Midoria is always embarrassed to go into his room, hesitates even now.
“For a minute, I’ll pick up some melody,” Shoto says, taking off his shoes and leaving his shoes near the door. Midoria follows his example. Once again, Shoto absentmindedly thinks that she probably has to buy shoes in children's stores.
“It's a shame,” Midoria lowers her eyes when the smartphone begins to tweet melodiously. Not that, not that ... Well, this melody will do well. “I'm ashamed of the neighbors ...”
- Is it confusing to you? - Shoto is again a little surprised, but does not argue, he is fishing headphones out of his pocket. It’s probably a little strange to dance to music with headphones, but who cares. Midoria probably thinks the same way, but there is still a slight confusion on her face.
Soto hands her a headphone.
So do not bother? - He asks and offers: - Let's start?
Midoria looks at the floor and chews lips. Everything confuses her, it is visible. Shoto is almost surprising that at one time - back in early autumn - it was she who proposed to meet.
“Let's start,” Midoria nods. - And how ... How to at least become?
You have to start from the very beginning, Shoto understands. Well, nothing. Well, good.
“Left hand on the shoulder, right ... tickled?”
“A little,” Midoria smiles awkwardly when Shoto gently grabs her by the waist. - Unusual.
“Me too,” Shoto says. The melody in the earphone dictates a leisurely rhythm. - Get used to it ...
Shoto is a little strange to explain and show Midoria the basics of dance. Strange, but very cool, and Midoria clings to him with a very focused expression on her face, frowns slightly, as during the test, when she cannot remember the exact quote from the textbook.
Midoria barely reaches Shoto's shoulder. It is inconvenient for her to hold the correct position of her hands, and her palm slides off her shoulder, lies slightly above the elbow. This is not a mistake, and if it is more convenient for her, let her.
In school uniforms, Midoria seems very fragile, and this is surprising. Shoto knows her strength, she knows that her muscles are hardly inferior to his own, even though he has been carrying a rigorous drill for almost ten years, and Midoria was a bitch two years ago - she showed photos, quite sparrows. Trained to a sparrow owl, although it remained a crumb.
Shoto involuntarily admires her.
Midoria chews lips and tries to follow his steps. It turns out awkwardly, she gets confused in rhythm and movements, and God is embarrassed, she is still embarrassed, there is a slight blush on her cheeks, and this does not add concentration at all. Midoria gets confused in rhythm and movements and Shoto steps on his foot, almost jumps in a panic.
“I'm sorry,” she mutters, trying to move away.
“It's all right,” Shoto responds, completely unnerving. Not on stilettos, indeed. - Do not move away, continue.