Notes: I wasn't planning on writing this, but then a few people asked for a continuation where Endeavor found out and then this happened. Midoriya for best friend and wingman. For once, it's Deku who is popping up unintentionally in my fic instead of Todoroki or Bakugou. (Because lbr all my fics are about Uraraka in the end. lmao) I wrote this while in between baking cookies. It's just something light and fluffy. Also, Endeavor, you can suck it.

There wasn't a huge change between them after the dinner, but Todoroki did notice the shift. Back in his first year, he might not have paid attention or even cared, but he could recognize the difference in his behavior when his eyes would drift to Uraraka in the room. It wasn't that they were around each other more often. No, it was more like he noticed her more or maybe he found himself next to her more.

When they caught eyes with each other across the room and Uraraka shyly smiled at him, warmth would spread through him without even using his quirk. When he did a study session with her, Midoriya, and Iida, he would sit next to her, their heads coming close as they worked out problems together. Nothing really changed. They were more familiar with each other and he was more prone to talking to her now, but honestly, it didn't feel different. It wasn't like she hadn't been there before.

He didn't know what it was. All he knew was that it was more and he didn't mind it at all.

"Hey," Midoriya said as he wiped his face off with a hand towel, "so, uh, I forgot to ask you how your dinner with Uraraka went last week."

"Did you ask Uraraka?" Todoroki asked, picking up his water bottle and opening the top.

Midoriya smiled. "I did. She said that she had a lot of fun."

"There's your answer then," Todoroki replied before taking a large gulp of water.

One of the best parts about living with his classmates was that they could work out and train together. It had always been such a solitary thing he hated before and did out of necessity. When he'd decided to stop using his fire quirk, he worked overtime to make sure the ice half of his quirk was as strong as a whole quirk, if not more. Everything had been in spite and anger. It was better now. He liked training with others. It forced him to look at his quirk and himself in a different way. Plus, it honestly wasn't bad having someone to talk to during it.

"Well, I know what she thought about it," Midoriya said with a chuckle, used to his straightforward behavior. "I was asking about you - how do you think dinner went."

Todoroki pushed the top back down as he considered Midoriya's words. How did he think dinner went? He'd had a lot of fun too. Uraraka had been pleasant, funny, and kind. She had been a little silly over the money thing, but then he knew she felt guilty whenever she went over her planned budget. He had done more than that. Blowing money like that went against her very nature. It had been fun though. He had felt good afterward, so much so he hadn't wanted it to end. It wasn't often that he didn't want to stop hanging out with someone. Normally he needed time to recharge after a night like that, but parting with her had left him kind of bereft. Still content though.

"It was a really good night," Todoroki decided on saying. "I had a lot of fun with Uraraka. I was really frustrated with my dad, but she cheered me up."

Midoriya looked more than pleased with that answer, but there was still a curious gleam in his eyes. "So are you planning on doing it again?"

Todoroki shrugged his shoulders. "If she wants to. I wouldn't mind." He tossed his water bottle back onto his gym bag. "It was nice spending one-on-one time with her. I don't know why we never did before."

For some reason, Midoriya looked like he wanted to laugh, biting his lip to stop himself, although it didn't stop the grin from appearing on his face. "I'm glad you were able to do it. I could kinda tell you were in a down mood, but I didn't want to intrude."

"Really?" Todoroki asked. He hadn't been aware he had been obvious about his disgruntlement with his father. He used to be a lot better about hiding how he felt. Maybe others were getting better at reading him.

"But you've seemed a lot better this week!" Midoriya continued cheerily. "And you made Uraraka's week. I heard her gushing about the place to Mina." He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Who knew the way to her heart was through her stomach?"

"Well, she likes to eat, but she always spends so frugally," Todoroki pointed out. Midoriya didn't hold back a laugh at that comment. He might've hit the nail on the head with that one. They were all familiar with her thrifty ways, some of which had caught him off guard when he'd first heard her talk about it. "I remember when she joked about how she didn't always eat dinner when she lived on her own before moving into the dorms. I don't think it was entirely a joke. I thought she might enjoy it and I wanted to spend time with her."

Midoriya dropped his towel on the bench. "I don't think she'd be opposed to doing something like that again."

"You think so?" There was a new restaurant they could try. It had popped up a few weeks ago. Momo had taken Jirou there on the opening night so she could introduce Jirou to her parents.

"Oh yeah, but don't tell her I said that," Midoriya said, nodding his head. "Although I think you spending so much money on her stressed her out, so maybe don't blow so much?"

Uraraka had panicked about that more than once. He didn't have to go all out the next time they hung out. After all, the main goal wouldn't be to piss off his father then. He'd already dropped a boat load of money, so that had been accomplished. Maybe they could do something smaller, like go to the movies or ice skating. Those were cheaper and he knew she enjoyed both. They could do something that she wanted.

"You're right," Todoroki agreed. "I was so focused on myself that I didn't fully consider her feelings."

"Nah, no need to be so harsh on yourself," Midoriya dismissed. "Like I said, she had a fun time. You might've caught her off guard, but you didn't upset her."

"Good, because that wasn't my intention at all," Todoroki said. "Uraraka is a good friend."

Midoriya gave him an amused look, but said, "You're absolutely right," and then walked back over to the center of the mat. He got back into a fighting stance. "Rested up enough?"

It was a lot nicer to train with someone else. For so long, it had just been himself or his father. Training had been grueling before. While it wasn't a walk in the park now, Todoroki didn't mind it nearly as much. He didn't train in anger. He could actually focus on himself. It wasn't just about becoming the best. It was about becoming better, which somehow felt different but good. Still, as Todoroki returned to the mat, his thoughts drifted to Uraraka. He was really pleased she'd had fun. It made him feel like he wasn't making up things in his head.

It wasn't until after he and Midoriya had finished up at the gym and he'd taken a shower did Todoroki realize he had a message on his cell. He saw it blinking, but didn't bother checking it as he toweled his hair dry. Only when he returned to Heights Alliance and dropped his stuff off in his dorm did he check it, immediately halting and staring down at his cell when he saw his father's name. After unlocking his phone, he pressed on the text to open it.

The message was quite simple: Shouto, we need to talk.

Todoroki considered the text, then locked his phone and slid it into his pocket. They could talk later. He wanted to read to cool down before going to bed. He'd known that this call would come today when his father's debit card statement came in the mail, but he didn't feel like dealing with it right now. He was still in a good mood from the week and wanted to keep it going.

By the time he reached the common area, his phone had buzzed twice in his pocket, which made him consider putting it on silent. Maybe he should've just left it in his dorm room. He sat down in his usual chair, set his phone aside, and started to read.

Most people would be tempted to check the messages, but it wasn't like he didn't know who they were from or what they were about. As much as his father made being the number one hero and owning one of the largest pro hero agencies, the amount of money Todoroki had dropped on that dinner had been enough to raise eyebrows, maybe more. He didn't care. His father could get mad all he wanted. It wouldn't phase him one bit, especially when he thought about the way Uraraka's eyes at had lit up that night.

So absorbed in his reading, Todoroki didn't notice when other people entered the room or the way his phone began to buzz repeatedly as a call came in. However, when a tentative voice asked, "Um, are you going to answer that?" he looked up and spotted Uraraka standing at the couches, hugging a textbook and a jumble of notes against her chest and wearing a slightly anxious expression.

"Hm?" Todoroki glanced at his phone right as it stopped ringing. "No." Uraraka raised an eyebrow. "It's my father."

"Oh." Uraraka bit her lip, her brow furrowing even further as she stared at the cell. Even from a few feet away, he could feel the anxiety radiating from her. Slowly, she lowered herself down onto the couch and set her stuff down, spreading out her notes and opening the book up to a study guide. "Any particular reason you're ignoring him?"

Todoroki shook his head. "Nothing happened." She immediately relaxed, her shoulders easing down and tension bleeding out of her body. A little smile even appeared on her face. "He probably got his bank statement."

Uraraka's cheeks reddened. "Oh!" She fiddled with her hands in her lap. "Do you think he's mad?"

"Probably." Todoroki certainly hoped so. That had been the point in the beginning.

"You're seriously not worried at all?" Uraraka asked, peering at him carefully.

"No." Todoroki had seen his father truly angry - had been at the other end of that rage more than a few times. This was nothing. Even better, Todoroki knew that he couldn't do anything. He could get mad at him for his behavior, throw a fit of the ridiculous spending, or have a conniption. There was nothing he could do that would make Todoroki afraid or wary of doing something like that again.

Uraraka pressed her hands against her cheeks and admitted, "I kinda am! He's the number one hero and he's really intimidating." She laughed nervously. "I mean, I know he's not going to come up here and yell at me or accuse me of being a golddigger or something." A what ? Todoroki almost choked on his tongue. "I don't know why I'm worried about him being mad at me, to be honest. He's an ass. Maybe I'm worried he'll think I influenced or used you some way. I don't know!"

Todoroki couldn't help but smile faintly at her rambling, but also the way she casually called his dad an ass. It was true, but hearing other people say it always made him feel good. "You don't need to worry about him."

His phone began to ring again, dragging their attention back to it.

"Maybe you should answer it," Uraraka said. "That way he'll at least stop calling."

She had a point.

Before the call could end again, Todoroki picked up his phone and answered it without checking the caller ID. "Yes?"

His father immediately started in, very obviously irritable: "Where have you been? I've been calling-"

"I was busy," Todoroki interrupted flatly.

"Busy?"

"Yes, with school," Todoroki continued, a hint of a sharp edge in his tone. "You know, the thing I'm in so I can become a hero."

He hadn't been busy. Earlier he had been, but right now, he was reading for pleasure. His father didn't need to know that - he didn't need to know anything about his life, as far as he was concerned - but bringing up U.A. and his goals to become a hero were two quick ways to shut him up quickly. Todoroki wanted to end this conversation as fast as possible. There were about a hundred other things he'd rather do than talk to his old man.

"You certainly weren't busy with school last Saturday night," his father pointed out.

Ah, there was the shoe dropping. "No, I went out."

"I saw," his father continued stiffly. "I got the bank statement." He was so frustrated in his attempt to goad Todoroki into talking about Saturday, but he wasn't going to do it. "That was a lot of food for one person. I hope you didn't waste food."

"Mm." Todoroki's eyes flickered to Uraraka, who was watching him with a guarded expression. He didn't want to say that she looked afraid, but he wasn't used to seeing her try to hide how she felt. "I took someone out."

"Who?"

"A friend."

"Who?"

Todoroki fought the urge to snort. "I'm sure you can just call the restaurant and find out yourself. I know they'll be more than happy to tell you who I took since you need to know everything."

His father sighed. "I thought I told you to use that card for necessary expenses only."

"It was very necessary."

"Taking some girl out for an outrageously expensive dinner is not-"

"Who says it was a girl?" Todoroki countered.

For a moment, there was silence on the other end until his father prompted, "Was it a boy?"

Todoroki huffed out a begrudging, "No." He knew full well he wasn't truly aggravated over his father's assumptions about his life. He didn't like getting the third degree about every little detail. It wasn't his life. Todoroki could do as he pleased. Okay, it was his money, but his father should've considered that before being, as Uraraka said, an ass.

"Then who-?"

"Someone important, okay?" Todoroki cut in sharply. He glanced at Uraraka again. Her cheeks slowly began to turn pink again, but she didn't look away. She looked more concerned than anything, probably noting the way he was becoming irritated. He just wanted this conversation to end. He didn't owe his father any answers. "She's someone very important to me. That's all you need to know."

"Someone important enough you thought it necessary to spend an inordinate amount of money on," his father concluded.

"Yes," Todoroki ground out.

Silence fell between them. Even if he couldn't see him, Todoroki could picture his father thinking over their brief argument. It wasn't really that bad of a fight. He could see Uraraka fiddling with her fingers again as she tried to busy herself with her homework, but he knew she wasn't focused on it. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and relaxed his muscles. He was getting worked up for no reason. His father wasn't trying to say that Uraraka wasn't important. His irritation didn't have anything to do with who he had taken out for dinner. It was with him.

"Was this about our discussion last week?" his father finally asked.

"What do you think?" Todoroki replied flatly.

"I suppose…" His father let out a breath. Prone to being hot-headed and jumping into arguments, he was trying to calm down as well. Sometimes, it pissed Todoroki off how much they mirrored each other at times. He didn't want to be anything like him - and yet… Endeavor was the number one hero and his father. "This is your life."

Todoroki sank back in the chair. "Yeah."

"You're free to make your own decisions," his father said, "including who you see."

"Yeah, I am."

"Try not to spend so much money the next time you take her out on a date, will you?"

Todoroki froze. A date? His gaze went back to Uraraka for a third time. Having seen him relax and deciding he was okay, Uraraka had started to dig into her homework in earnest. Had she thought it was a date? Had it been a date? He didn't think she did, but then again, it did explain a few things. Midoriya's questions, Momo's excitement, and Bakugou's irritation with him. Uraraka hadn't changed her behavior with him.

"Shouto?"

"Hm?" Todoroki blinked, seemingly realizing he was still on the phone with his father. "Yeah, yeah, got it. I'll be more aware of my spending habits. I've got to go."

Without waiting for a response or to even find out if he'd answered the right question, Todoroki hung up the phone and set it aside. It must have been abrupt because it caught Uraraka's attention and she looked over at him again. "Everything alright?"

He meant to tell her yes - he meant to nod - he meant to do or say something that would reassure her. Instead, Todoroki stared at her intently and asked, "Did you think I asked you out on a date?"

Uraraka blinked and sat up straight, clearly taken aback. "Um…" She began to nervously twirl a strand of her hair around a finger. "No? Well, the place was so fancy that I was worried it might be, but then you said it was basically to piss your dad off, so I thought...it was maybe...as friends..."

"Did you want it to be a date?" Todoroki asked.

"I…" Uraraka blushed. "That's a strange thing to ask."

Todoroki frowned. "I suppose it is."

Now that he thought back on that evening, it kind of had been like a date. They'd gotten dressed up. He had taken her to a very nice restaurant. He paid for her. They split a dessert. She had rested her head on his arm when they were both so full. They had even… Well, it had been to help keep her warm since the temperature had dropped drastically, but they had held hands. It had been nice. Physical affection was something he was slowly getting used to more these days, but he hadn't minded it at all. It had felt natural. It felt nice - really nice.

Uraraka clicked her pen repeatedly. "Did you…?" She shook her head and set her pen down, pulling her finger out of her hair. "It was fun. I had fun - hanging out with you, I mean."

"Do you want to go out next Saturday?" Todoroki asked her. "We can do whatever you want." Uraraka's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but then he cut in quickly, "Don't feel pressured to say yes."

"No, I-" Uraraka cut herself off and Todoroki fell back, disappointment echoing in his chest. "I mean, yes, I do. I don't feel pressured." As quickly as it came, the feeling went away, replaced by something good and hopeful. It made him wary, but he felt like he could trust it. She smiled nervously at him. "As friends or…?"

"A date," Todoroki said decisively. "A proper one."

Uraraka giggled. "Pretty sure that last one, if it was a date, was the fanciest date I will ever go on."

"I'm sure I have room to improve," Todoroki pointed out. "That was only the first one."

She shook her head. "So determined."

When he knew what he wanted? Todoroki smiled back at her. Most definitely.