"I'm home…"

Momo slipped off her shoes, not expecting any response. Her parents were typically occupied with work around this time, so the house was peaceful and quiet—the perfect environment to get a lot of studying done. While she typically worked best alone, it had been nice having friends from school over for study sessions. Something about having a lot of people at home was…refreshing. Momo made a mental note to ask her mother about hosting another one sometime in the near future.

Even though exams were over, she still wanted to study up on formulas so she could hit the ground running at their upcoming training camp. On the other hand…there would be plenty of time for studying in the next few weeks and she was pretty exhausted from the day's events. She couldn't help smiling as the practical exam came to mind. Her heart swelled with pride as she reminded herself. I passed. My plan worked. Not to mention the kind words spoken by Todoroki…

Momo walked into the dining room and was surprised to find her mother seated at the table, hands folded neatly in front of her and back against the high-backed chair in perfect posture. Mrs. Yaoyorozu looked up as her daughter walked in, as if she had been waiting expectantly for her.

That was never a good sign.

"Welcome home, dear," she greeted Momo, straining a smile.

"Good afternoon, Mother," she responded, smiling politely. "I'm surprised you're home so early."

"Yes, well—work was less busy than usual," she said dismissively. She opened her mouth to continue, and judging from the large intake of air that preceded it…Momo knew she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"So I was talking with Mrs. Kaneshiro this morning," she started, looking at the tops of her perfectly manicured nails. "About the party we're hosting next weekend."

Right, how could I possibly forget THE party…since exams had been looming, she had totally pushed it to the back of her mind. Momo was already dreading the amount of mental energy she would need to make it through the event. As far back as she could remember, her parents had hosted this annual celebration for their wealthy circle of friends and business partners. As a kid, she had marveled at it all—the lavish decorations, men and women dressed like princes and princesses, delicious, decadent food that served her quirk well—but the novelty had worn off over the years as she had grown up and had to assume the responsibility of actually socializing with all the people there.

Mrs. Kaneshiro, her mother's closest friend—if you could call her that—had always been in the habit of passing along the ongoing gossip amongst their circle to her mother. Momo had never been particularly fond of the woman because of that, but she supposed it was a good thing her mother enjoyed socializing with others about affairs that didn't directly relate to work.

Her mother cleared her throat, pulling Momo from her thoughts. "Anyways, she was telling me that the young Mr. Kuroshima asked her daughter to accompany him to our upcoming party," she continued, tapping her nails on the nicely lacquered table. Momo nodded, looking to the ceiling as she attempted to track with her mother. She knew Mrs. Kaneshiro daughter, Shion, from the various get togethers their families had organized over the years (and a lot more about her from the many phone conversations her mother had had with Mrs. Kaneshiro). Since the two of them were around the same age, they got along well enough; though if it weren't for their parents' friendship, Momo suspected there would be little reason for them to interact.

Kuroshima…Kuroshima…There were always so many people at these parties they threw; it was a good thing she had a decent memory. Ah yes, the well-dressed man with the bored expression who was roughly two years her senior. She vaguely remembered having a rather tedious conversation with him during their last encounter. "That's—wow. Good for her." I guess.

"Yes, indeed. She also told me," she continued, her face turning to one of displeasure, "That the eldest Sato son has been seeing the Kuroshima daughter as well."

"That's great…" Momo responded awkwardly, looking at the ground as she tried not to fidget. It always made her feel uncomfortable when her mother brought up the Sato family. She didn't like where this was going.

"What's more…" Mrs. Yaoyorozu crossed her arms across her chest, an unsettling glint in her eye. "The Takasu and Minamoto children will also be coming this year. Mrs. Kaneshiro heard that Hiro met a nice girl while he was studying abroad. There are rumors she has an exceedingly powerful quirk…but I guess we'll find out exactly what next weekend."

Momo nodded mechanically, inching towards the doorway. "Cool. Thanks for telling me all this, Mother. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to study…" Need was a strong word given they had literally just finished practical exams, but she didn't feel too guilty over it given the current situation.

"The reason I'm telling you this, Momo," Her mother said excitedly, ignoring her silent plea to leave the conversation. "Is that—you're almost 16 now—"

"—Right."

"—and while I think it is important that you focus on your academics first and foremost, it might be in your best interest to start…considering these things."

"What things?" She asked, despite knowing full well the answer. So what if everyone else was in a relationship? Almost 16 was hardly old enough to be thinking about things like that.

"It sounds like all the other children your age will be bringing a plus one. And it would be a shame for the Yaoyorozu heir to be the only one without a date," She stated flatly, her smile fading. She shook her head. "Look, I'm not saying you need to jump into a relationship or anything. But for the sake of the upcoming party…bringing an escort would be in good taste."

What. "Mother, are you serious!?" Momo stared back at the woman incredulously. She had been right to assume this conversation would not be a pleasant one.

"I'm dead serious. Your father and I already talked about this and he agrees," She leaned forward in her seat, chuckling. "He wanted to set you up with one of his colleague's sons, so be grateful I talked him out of that at least."

Momo rubbed her eyes, trying to hide her exasperation. "And what's the alternative?"

"You are attending one of the best hero schools in the country. I'm sure there is at least one handsome young man among your classmates who would be willing to accompany you," her mom responded pointedly. Preferably one who also has a powerful Quirk and is of recognizable social status. She didn't say it, but Momo knew the expectation was there.

And what if I don't? She wanted to say, but she knew there was no "if". If she had already discussed it with her father, it was pretty much law at this point.

"Just think of this as an opportunity, okay, Momo?"

"I'll see what I can do," she mumbled, flashing a weak smile. An opportunity for me? Or for you? She bit back the urge to shoot back.

"How did exams go, by the way?" Her mother inquired as an afterthought.

"Fine," Momo replied shortly, the earlier topic of conversation leaving a bad taste in her mouth. All thoughts of the practical exam and the joy she had felt in passing faded away as she walked out of the room.

(A/N: If it wasn't already apparent, this takes place at the tail end of Season 2, right after practical exams, and runs parallel to the anime-canon. Things may diverge down the line as I have not watched the movie nor am I up to date with the manga s YET /s ^^;

This was originally supposed to be a one-shot but at some point it evolved. I have zero experience writing multi-chapter fics so this'll be a ride for me as well. Feedback is highly appreciated~thanks!)