This is a rewrite to the three-shot I intended to write. It was difficult for me to write that and I realized it was because I should have taken it into a different direction. This one was easier and more seamless for me to do which is why it is a oneshot. I hope you think so too.
Bakumomo had decidedly consumed my waking hours thanks to tumblr. As much as it was difficult for me to write onesided Todomomo, it was necessary for this fic to come to life.
Damage Control
Wedding receptions held in traditional homes were rare and unusual in this day and age and even without it being the reunion of UA's infamous Class A, it would have been a sight to see. There was a radiance in the festivities, a brilliance in the faces of each person in attendance that reflect on the eyes that beheld the sheer beauty around them. Splendid drapes were strewn as though it floated. Red, white and pink flowers accentuated each corner. People chatted from one table to another, plates and wineglasses abandoned as they wait for the ceremonial dance to begin.
Had it been anyone else's nuptials, Bakugo Katsuki would have chosen not to go, content in basking in today's hero work, even if that involved financial paperwork and balancing of checks more than anything else these days. But the main table where the couple of the day sat reminded him of Kirishima, his partner and how he would have never heard the end of it had he insisted. Still, he relented, Todoroki Shoto's wedding was an event he admittedly could not miss. His rival since high school settling down with a woman was a thought he had not entertained until he received the invitation.
The idea was just foreign to him, consumed as he was with being the best, the top, the elite that his classmates moving on into the next step had completely escaped his notice. The week before, Deku had popped the question to Round Face and it was national news. Kirishima got himself a girlfriend and he wouldn't shut up about her. Even Perv-boy somehow snared a woman, as unbelievable as that was. Gone were the days were the change in rankings were the biggest gossip in their circle. In fact, it did seem immaterial and pointless now.
For there would be a whole, new world that would occupy their attention. Todoroki made a show of cutting the cake as he held the bride's hand and when they presented the first slice to the crowd, a distinct sound of a spoon hitting a glass was heard.
The single clink escalated to a drum of clattering utensils. Todoroki leaned in to press his lips to his smiling bride and the crowd broke into applause and cheering. In a minute, they would waltz to the dance floor, followed by flashes of lights from the cameras of the mass media. They would gobble this up. The rest of the guests would follow and Bakugo, as was usual, would merely sit still and wait for the end. A few places away from him, Ponytail girl was staring blankly at the dance floor, in her white, frilly dress. Her eyes were fixed on Todoroki, faraway in a universe where it was her he was spinning around, where it was her in his arms and not some girl he only met months ago. Bakugo realized that just like him, Yaoyorozu Momo was a woman trapped in time, her high school romance breezing by like the high school competitive spirit he had not been able to abandon yet.
She felt his gaze on her, turned to him and smiled brightly just as Pikachu took her arm and dragged her toward the dance floor. Bakugo chose to look away because in that smile he saw more tears than he would have had she been crying.
…
They were, at best, in good professional terms with one another. With a quirk as destructive and a personality as volatile as what he'd got, Bakugo Katsuki badly needed damage control to get where he is. He was damage. She was control. It made sense and he would be a fool not to see that.
He was among the few who chose to found their own agencies right after graduation, instead of grabbing the safer route of sidekick gigs like the rest of them, extras. Creatie's Damage Control became a unique addition to the industry and soon after, a resounding success. Mt. Lady's dismal record of commission-minus-compensation was not fated to repeat. Bakugo reluctantly had to admit that he would have long since gone bankrupt had it not been for her interference.
So it was a surprise to him when crazy rich, philanthropist, front page cover of Heroine Magazine Yaoyorozu Momo who owned what probably was the highest-earning agency in Japan, submitted in an application later to be part of his team. He stared at the folder compiling her medical, psychological and professional evaluations, eyebrows lifted as the woman who had haunted him day and night after receiving her resume patiently sat and waited for his response.
Finally, after an extended period of silence, he spoke. "What do you think you're doing, Ponytail?"
He had not called her that in years. And never were it laced with such suspicion. Then again, he had not called her anything in quite a while. Theirs was a relationship founded only by his frequent skirmish with ruins and her uncanny ability to bring it back to its old glory. Definitely, far from first-name basis. But her eyebrow barely raised at the nickname and merely stated that she would be no hero without extensive battle experience and she thought she might get that from his agency.
Which he knew offhand was bullshit. Her hero stint did not end in leading a team of seven into fixing damaged buildings. Yaoyorozu Momo was known for battle prowess as much as her Cleanup company. "And Todoroki?'
She told him of her resignation from her exclusive affiliation with his firm and that at this point, when it came to combat support, she is a free agent. "Todoroki-san would do well enough without me." She stressed and Bakugo could tell that she felt some relief at the ease in which he brought up the half-and-half bastard's name. He figured no one dared mention it to her. He figured that no one would even dared to ask.
"That is obvious enough huh." He scoffed, watching for any adverse reactions to his response but when she did not rise to the bait, he sighed. "And I've done well enough without you, Ponytail, thank you very much."
Bakugo always had a unique way of saying things. There was an edge, almost insulting glare when he asked her to enumerate the reasons about why he should accept her proposal but the girl was more eloquent in ways that Bakugo could never hope to be and she made a convincing case for him to sign the contract without arguing.
He always ended up agreeing with whatever she would say anyway.
...
It was in a joint-mission that he got to meet Todoroki again. Bakugo never thought he would say it but married life had changed the man. Todoroki had always been a man of few words and even fewer facial expressions. Whether the change was for the better or for worse, Bakugo could not decide at this point. But there was a lightness in Todoroki's step that was never present before, a curve in his lips that was out-of-place on his scarred face. It was absolutely revolting.
"I heard Yaoyorozu signed up to your firm." He heard it. The hint of regret in his tone. Yaoyorozu Momo, her hands full with Damage Control had partnered up with Todoroki without second thought the moment he asked, even when both of them knew she could have her own team had she wanted. Losing her must be akin to losing a literal right arm. Phantom limb hurt the most when you think you could replace it.
He could lord this over him, he was aware. Yaoyorozu Momo was a valuable asset envied by any hero agency. How Todoroki managed to fuck that up, Bakugo had no idea. But the fact that Yaoyorozu chose to join him instead of founding her own combat hero agency (which she was perfectly capable of doing) was an investment so perfect, Bakugo could not see it failing.
Todoroki had no idea what he lost.
He did not understand, Bakugo thought while he contemplated this with some astonishment and anger. As intelligent as Todoroki Shouto was hailed to be, he was as dense as the ocean floor when it came to matters like that. To think that all this time he did not get that Ponytail had been and still was, in love with him was beyond him. Everyone knew it. Heck, Bakugo even noticed it. And Todoroki still did not get it?
Bakugo felt like he could not forgive him for that.
...
Fighting became a distraction. He was a natural. She wasn't. Bakugo inflicted damage like second nature. She was more controlled and refined and an overthinker. But she came to his agency to stop thinking. She could not afford to do so. Alternative universes where young men who wielded the elements loved her were all but a distant dream that had to be vanquished.
While conveniently it was great to have much more familiar people to work with than back in Todoroki's agency, why she chose Bakugo was something she did not bother to keep a secret. She felt like she could speak with him. She felt like she should not put on mask for him. He would see right through her anyway.
During the aftermath in one of their more difficult cases, Bakugo sat, nursing a bruise as he watched her efficiently bark orders towards her juniors. Statistics showed that she was a great addition to his team and he did not bother sugarcoating that. "He was an idiot."
Startled with the sudden pronouncement, she glanced back. "I beg your pardon, Bakugo-san?"
"He was an idiot for letting you go just like that. Seriously, always had to repeat myself" Right then, she did not think he was referring to their partnership. He was the only one who talked freely about Todoroki around her, even if it mostly involved him badmouthing the poor guy in some way or another. It was good too because she did not really want her first love to be a taboo subject. Love, even when unrequited, were memories to be treasured, to bask in. She did not know how Bakugo could understand but somehow, he did.
"Todoroki-san is very observant." She pointed out. She remembered the time during their practical exams in first year. He had seen her then. He had looked at her then. "But he does not notice if something relates to him."
Somehow, in the rubbles that was once Ward 3 in Chiba, she did not feel judged.
Smirking, Bakugo noted. "Must be thickheaded as a rock if he is that stupid not to have noticed your feelings."
She smiled thinly as she sat beside him. He did not seem to mind and even moved a little to accommodate her. "He did."
He seemed to have been taken by surprise at that. He was puzzled, looking at her silently as he urged her to explain. And right there, she understood.
"I think it was some kind of a mental defense. He… Todoroki-san just did not know how to deal with it at that time."
"Half-and-half bastard took you for granted. Thought you would always be there." He snorted. "That moron."
She chuckled, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Todoroki-san is just not used to being loved." Her voice broke, years of one-sided love and broken dreams finally unrestrained.
"Hmp." He stood then, dusting his backside. Bakugo would never be a shoulder to cry on, a body to lean on but he became an arm to hold on as he dragged her back up to her feet, back in action.
"Lots of fishes in the sea, Ponytail." He remarked. "And you can make a net, can't you?"
This one she did not agree with. There will never be another Todoroki Shouto. It was a vast ocean but she only ever looked at one fish. But perhaps, she could learn to love him differently, as he deserved to be. A fish would live longer when set free.
It was the closure she never thought she would get.
...
Yaoyorozu Momo could create anything from her bare skin. Bandages to inspire relief to the injured. Weapons to induce fear to her enemies. He watched her. He always had. And as she steadily became the people's hero everyone has always expected she would be, Bakugo is struck green with envy as she drew people around her in ways his explosions never could.
Envy nurtured a vicious, little sister named Jealousy however and they could easily be mistaken for each other. Bakugo's eyes, as much as it rolled in mocking of Todoroki's emotional range, was just as stunted in the matters of the heart. Yaoyorozu Momo was always popular with the boys of all of ages, even more so as she got older and wore lesser. The first time he witnessed this insanity firsthand, he thought he sympathized with Todoroki and his inability to deal with one Yaoyorozu Momo.
"I've loved you forever Yaomomo!" Bakugo bristled at the easy use of the high school nickname. "Please give me a chance. I'm not like the others."
Bakugo almost snorted at that, amused and miffed at the same time. There would be no difficulty with being different from "others". Todoroki, in Ponytail's sappy words, was one of a fucking kind.
He felt like a cheap interloper, eavesdropping round the corner like this. But this was his building and somehow the guy had the nerve to bypass his security. He had to get that checked soon and of course, kick the guy's ass for even daring. Why he was not moving and was lurking around unseen was beyond him though.
"I am sorry." Yaoyorozu's voice broke in his thoughts. "I appreciate the attention but I apologize, I am not interested."
"I can help you move on from that bastard Todoroki!" Ponytail noticeably froze and the guy, damn him, seemed to have taken that as an opening. "I am better than him. I will never break your heart. I don't know what you even saw in him. He should have died in that one case in Hokkaido. I will…"
"Oi. Ponytail."
It was the perfect time to barge in. Ponytail looked tense, her jaw set into a stern pose. She was angry, he realized. A complete stranger bringing up Todoroki's name, a man she respected and admired, and then, slandering it. She could not forgive that.
He placed himself between her and the now, trembling man. Good. "Is this lowlife bothering you?" He did not wait for an answer. "Heh. We have a meeting in two minutes. I need you in my office." He gestured for the man to scram, popping off small blasts for good measure before Yaoyorozu could think about giving him a piece of her mind, which last time he checked, could get really ugly.
"What is the meeting all about?" she would ask as together, they watched the man's rapidly retreating back.
"Huh. No meeting. Could have blasted him off the window but I figured that it would not really help for my reputation. Damage control. Precaution is better than cure. Some shit like that."
Yaoyorozu chuckled and told him he was learning.
...
You would learn more about a man by looking at not how he treats his equals but by how he deals with his inferiors.
"Surprised you too, didn't it?" Kirishima said, graciously pouring her some coffee. The cafeteria was jam-packed with interns and sidekicks, as usual. Bakugo's self-made agency was not as big as Todoroki's already well-established firm but each year, a steady stream of newbies was somehow undeterred by the Head Hero's reputation and still signed up. "I still remember when he used to call people 'extras'." He added.
"He probably still does." She remarked with some amusement.
He chugged his black coffee in one gulp. "But only in his head now. He learned some tact. Even more so, ever since you came here, Yaomomo!"
Whether the rumors and inferences about Bakugo were disproven was a matter of perspective. Bakugo was never nice. He was, in fact, severe, strict and he never would indulge his men, ever. But in his own subtle way, he cared for his subordinates. He was a hard leader, extremely blunt with criticism with deprecation well-aimed to drive his subjects to do their very best to prove him wrong. He wasn't above giving compliments, even when he delivered it with laconic reluctance. Being his sidekick is a matter of survival. The end was worth all the grief in the journey.
Many a time she had encountered grateful juniors who would say how their leader watched out for them, ready to put his life at stake in order to save his teammates, even if it were their fault that they were in a tight spot in the first place.
She had known it. And she was presented with more proof now. Bakugo Katsuki was a kind soul. She was just glad other people see it too.
Suddenly, the man himself plopped beside her, dropping a pile of fan-letters on the table top. "This was just for today." He groaned as she perused the three at the top to deduce that all of them were for her and that most of them were probably not the wholesome kind. "Don't they ever learn?"
"Perhaps, it is my fault for encouraging them too. I have laughed it off for so long they probably did not even realize it was creepy."
"I can blast them off to oblivion if you ask." He offered.
"Thanks but no thanks, Bakugo-san." She shrugged good-naturedly. "I should not be in this business if I could not handle them on my own."
Kirishima watched them go back and forth comfortably towards each other, talking about the most mundane things under the sun. Slowly, the conversation would shift to more pressing matters. Kirishima would drop a sentence or two but mostly stayed silent in favor of enjoying what was happening before him.
...
Bakugo emerged from a case one day with Todoroki thrown over his back, unconscious. Momo had been sick with worry the whole time during the rescue mission and he could see her grey eyes threatening to betray her tears of desperation and longing. Kirishima had almost immediately appeared to lift off the load off his shoulders and sped away with Todoroki to one of the stretchers lying around. He acknowledged her presence tiredly and watched as she trailed her eyes towards Kirishima's disappearing form.
He slouched as he walked and his knees were clearly about to buckle. But there was the stubbornness as he advanced towards her. Momo wondered if it was just him trying to not seem weak or whether somewhere in all his bravado, he just did not want to add to her worries.
Except, willpower could only take him so far and he collapsed right before he reached her. He was barely on the ground when Momo caught him in her arms, whispering encouragements and sweet nothings as he faded into a fatigued faint spell. It was then that she understood why she had stayed with Bakugo's exhausted but victorious form rather than run off to Todoroki's stretcher. It dawned on her that something in her heart had changed.
She already knew she had moved on. She just hadn't noticed that somehow, Bakugo had managed to take his place. It was so different that it took her a while to realize it. She still loved Todoroki. She would continue to admire him, to strive to be like him but it was not the love that once consumed her anymore. Now, she was in love with Bakugo Katsuki.
Bakugo Katsuki could not motivate her like Todoroki Shouto did but Bakugo saw her, understood her, listened to her. He acknowledged her and respected her. She loved the little bursts of temper, his quiet kindness, every little quirk that littered his soul and what it made him to be. Apparently, this strict, severe, hot-tempered man possessed a dark sense of humor, a subtle way of caring and the ability to understand.
By the time Yaoyorozu Momo put a name of her feelings towards the man that she had wanted to spend more time with, to the closeness she felt with him, she had resigned herself to the fate of yet another one-sided love.
…
It was a familiar dance, falling in love was. It was like a cliff suddenly appeared while you were walking where the only choice was to pause for eternity or leap. They were friends and she did not want to lose that. At the same time, she was done with thinking too much, with placing too much contemplation in the risks involved. If there was anything that Bakugo had taught her, it was that safety was just a word and that she could fly without it.
For once, she wanted to stop being a coward. Even if it meant hurting herself all over again.
Flying was always something that Bakugo had lorded over the rest of them but she could not help but think that it was not too special. She felt weightless when she was around him too, as though she could jump off from the proverbial cliff and not die, loveless and heartbroken as she once had.
"Thanks for saving Todoroki-san."
"Hmp. Hero's job. He was an idiot for letting the villain get him like that though."
And just like that, Bakugo was Bakugo, even when she could now feel her own heart thundering inside her chest. He did not like being thanked, having had enough of praises to last him a lifetime but he seemed to appreciate the extra attention she has begun to give him, even when he refused to admit it in front of Kirishima's cheeky, knowing grin. Bakugo did not mind her book recommendations, her attempts to feed him her homemade lunch and he liked the telltale tingle that tickled him when their skin touched, the muted awe he felt when she stood up to him. By the time he realized that what he felt around the girl was more than respect to someone who never thought twice in putting him in his place, it was too late.
By the time he was willing to give it a shot, they had become so engrossed with their friendship that Bakugo felt like confessing would have destroyed the previous bond that they have.
Months went by and they fell deeper and deeper for each other even as both of them resolved that if either ever found someone to love, they would let go.
…
Their first kiss was awkward in its perfection. Their doubts, insecurities, their fears a direct parallel to the way their limbs tangled and lips locked after a sudden bout of clumsiness drove her to trip on her feet and fall face first towards him. Bakugo had rushed forward a little too fast to keep her from falling but ended up collapsing with her on the floor.
An apology was halfway in her mouth when Bakugo pulls her back down by the nape of her neck, her ample breasts pressed on his broad chest, her face on his neck.
"Bakugo-san…" She breathed.
She met his eyes as she raised her head. They were guarded, waiting and then soft lips pressed to hers chastely. He was smirking, fingers playing through her hair as he took off the clip that held her ponytail together. A real but cautious smile followed as though he was afraid that showing too many teeth would drive her away. Before either of them could question the reality of their situation, Momo closed the distance and leaned in for a deeper kiss as Bakugo cupped her cheek.
They had kissed a couple more times, getting bolder as stolen kisses solidified what they were still were wary of talking about. Bakugo had taken a more direct approach in warding off Momo's suitors. They danced around each other, neither knowing what to do and how to act. Yaoyorozu Momo had always had eyes towards Todoroki and she never had a boyfriend before. Bakugo never thought he could have her even when he was now willing to admit now that he only ever had eyes on her too.
…..
The most awaited day came when it was Yaoyorozu Momo who slumped on the floor after releasing what Bakugo thought was her most amazing technique to date. The sudden collapse as the spectators stared awestruck at the aftermath of her final move had taken him by surprise and he was not able to reach her on time before she completely blacked out.
"That was some dangerous shit right there, ponytail."
He had taught her to trust instinct, to be reckless for once in her life. The remonstrance in his tone startled her for it hypocrisy and she stared at him wordlessly, prompting him to repeat his point again.
"You should tell me if you were planning to do something like that. It was uncalled for, unexpected. You should-"
"Yes." She finally responded, somehow knowing that this would now lead to real conversation and not just stares and nods and kisses that did not seem to go anywhere. Bakugo now demanded words. Real words. And she was ready to give him that.
"And you should know when to use them."
"I use them to save your life." They both knew that and perhaps it was pride that kept him from admitting that what he thought was uncalled for was the very thing that made them have this very conversation. Yaoyorozu's indignant protest died back down her thrown as she slumped back to her pillow, catching her breath.
Which seemed to prove his point. "But it exhausted you. Look at you, tired out like this. I would show you the medical records later but it was risky and not worth the energy. You got off with nothing but a scratch this time. But did you know your heart stopped? Your heart fucking stopped!"
She did not know that.
She also did not know the grief in which Bakugo Katsuki screamed her name as she fell lifelessly to the ground. She did not know how close he was to losing her, forever. She did not know—
"I will just get used to the toll." She said quietly instead. "And Bakugo-san, I would have expected you to be the last person to tell me of the risk."
"But what about the toll it has on me, huh?"
The clipped tone sent her to the defensive. "What? If you were injured—"
Then, he kissed her.
Momo gaped and Bakugo's tongue went in promptly and busily went where it wanted. She barely had time to think as she reached forward to curl her fists to his hair. He was raking his hand down to his shoulder, desperate and passionate. He lapped so hard at her teeth that she nearly choked.
It was such a Bakugo way to kiss and she would not have it any other way.
"Now that I have your attention…" His breath was short as he leaned for one more kiss. "This is the reason why I would not let you out of my sight now,"
There would be more time to talk.
(END)
I hope you like it!