Keeping Score with your Fiancé

by flamingosarepeopletoo

Shouto Todoroki was a mystery. Not only to Momo Yaoyorozu, but also to his friends, his family, or any acquaintance he had ever had. He never revealed much, and mostly tended to keep to himself. That pretty much covered it. Was she missing anything? Oh, right. There was also the fact that he was her fiancé.

*shoves 14-something-k of todomomo in your faces*

this was just some random idea that came to me a few weeks ago that i decided to scribble out. heh, turns out it went a lot further than just a small scribble. whoops.

please enjoy this lil' one-shot thing and make sure to tell me what ya think!

---

Shouto Todoroki was a mystery. Not only to Momo Yaoyorozu, but also to his friends, his family, or any acquaintance he had ever had. At least, that was what she had found out about him so far. It wasn't easy, either. He never revealed much, and mostly tended to keep to himself. He rarely even participated in social events, instead opting to sit in his house and do who knows what. It didn't make much sense to her, given his father's impact on the industry they came from.

That pretty much covered it. Was she missing anything?

Oh, right.

There was also the fact that he was her fiancé. Not by choice. It wasn't a case where they themselves fell in love and decided to get married. Quite the opposite, actually.

The entire affair happened fairly quickly. Enji Todoroki, his father, was looking for a spouse for his youngest son. Naturally, as the Todorokis were one of the most wealthy families in Japan, Enji wanted the bride's family to be of similar status, if not more.

Then, one day, Momo's parents had sat her down and delivered the big news. The Todorokis had accepted their request for her to wed Shouto.

"You requested for me to be his wife?" Momo had questioned in rage. Her father had sighed deeply and shook his head.

"It wasn't exactly like that. Plus, Momo, you're almost twenty-two-"

"I'm a legal adult," Momo countered immediately. "I'm fresh out of college!" Though this was true, she knew she couldn't go against her parents' wishes. She was far too good-natured for that.

"That's precisely my point, Momo," he replied. "Most of your friends are already either engaged or are married, correct?"

She thought about it. Ochako Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya were dating, but she had heard that he was planning to pop the question soon. In fact, just a few days ago, Momo had gone out shopping with Ochako to get a new outfit for her date. Even her best friend, Kyouka Jirou, who had never had any interest in men, had gotten together with Denki Kaminari, someone they had known during high school.

"None of them are already married, just dating. I'm young, Dad, I don't want to waste my prime years being a housewife." Momo thought her argument was fair enough. With in-laws like the Todorokis, she was bound to be cooped up in the house all day.

"You won't be a housewife, Momo. Todoroki Enji-san has agreed to let you work," her father said. "I'm sorry, but it's final."

Okay, maybe the Todorokis wouldn't be like that. She still wasn't the most fond with the idea, though.

"You still didn't have to make me get married to someone I don't even know. Sooner or later, I'd have found a boyfriend and would have tied the knot out of my own free will," Momo muttered.

"I know, honey, but you know we aren't going to be around much longer," her mother cut in with her usual soft voice that made Momo melt. This was it. She was doomed. It was perfectly fine when her father was talking to her; she could still think for herself. Her mother, though, was different. She rarely ever even made these kinds of decisions without informing her, so Momo would be lying if she said she knew why she agreed to set up an arranged marriage for her.

What she said was true. Her parents had had her at a much older age than Momo would have liked, so their argument did make perfect sense. Momo bit the flesh of her inner lip tightly, stopping herself from saying something she might regret later on. It didn't look like she was going to be winning this battle.

"Do I have any choice in this at all?" she asked.

Her mother gave her another one of her signature soft smiles. "You do, even if barely. If you truly do not like Todoroki Shouto-san, you're more than welcome to back out of it, knowing the consequences. We won't force it on you, but your reasons for turning down the request must be valid."

"What does that mean?" Momo asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Thankfully, her words didn't come out harshly.

"For example, if he violates you, or he does something you're truly not happy with."

This was better, Momo concluded as she gulped heavily. At least she would get the final say.

"What… what's he like?" she said, forcing a smile onto her face. Her parents instantly burst into quiet chatter about the Todorokis, while Momo sat quietly across from them, barely meeting their gaze.

And that led to now. Her parents were sitting on the living room's couch, and the three of them were waiting for the arrival of the Todorokis. Today would be the official day when Momo would meet her future husband. There was something pulling in her stomach, though, causing her to gulp down glasses upon glasses of ice cold water, trying to calm her nerves.

From what she had read online, Shouto Todoroki was a reserved person who rarely spoke up during interviews and whatnot. He was almost never seen at parties, and from what the media caught up on, he never once had a girlfriend, or any romantic relationships at all really.

Momo inwardly groaned, glancing at the clock. There weren't any pictures of him online, either, though there were too many of his father. Enji Todoroki was a much more social person. He had to be, of course. He did own the top fire-wielding company in the world, after all.

The knock came in three hard raps. Momo shot out of her seat, turning to her parents and pointing towards the door.

"I'll get it!" she said, quickly scrambling to the front door. She couldn't lie, she was dangerously curious about how her husband-to-be looked, but it just made her all the more nervous. His father looked big, buff, and… threatening, judging by his pictures online.

She could only hope his son was different. Not that she had anything against men who had muscles. Enji was just… big. In general.

When she opened the door, the first thing she saw was red. Enji Todoroki was standing in front, wearing a painfully bright red shirt and orange formal pants. Momo very much wanted to point out how the two colors clashed, but she thankfully held her tongue. He looked exactly like his pictures, which wasn't much of a surprise. Big, buff, and all over the place.

The older man grunted, not even noticing the girl standing in front of him, and moved past. Momo huffed to herself once he went through, sighing. Then, finally, she was able to see him.

He had on a bored, yet calm expression, and overall looked indifferent about everything that was currently going on. His hair, though, fascinated her. It was half white, and half red. The left side was red just like his father's, and the right side was white. There was a large red mark on his left side as well, but it didn't look natural to her.

She'd have to ask him about that later. If she even got the chance, that was.

Thankfully, he looked normal enough. He was just a little taller than her, and just as fit.

Shouto shot a look her way, and she watched as he crisply looked over her. She expected him to smile, or say something, but he didn't. Instead, he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked behind his father.

Momo gulped, moving to close the door and staying by it. She and her parents had practiced this part of the meeting a total of six times, so she was confident in her abilities to impress. Her mother had told her this was what the Todorokis were expecting from her, and she better not disappoint. Even if she may be turning down the marriage later on, she wanted to leave a good impression on them.

So, she watched intently as both the father and son sat down across from her parents, and they began to talk. Momo stayed strictly by the door, not wanting to step into the conversation without being invited.

"Yaoyorozu Riichi," her father said, sticking out his hand, prompting Enji to take it. "Good to meet you, Todoroki-san."

"Likewise," Enji grunted. His voice was deep, and powerful. Momo had to blink back her obvious state of distress to fully pay attention to the four of them.

"I'm Yaoyorozu Yemima," her mother said kindly, doing the same.

Momo watched as Shouto stayed completely quiet.

"Is this Shouto?" her father asked, gesturing over to the younger boy. Enji grinned proudly and nodded. From where Momo was standing, she could see what he did next, while she was sure her parents couldn't. Enji reached back, grasped his fingers around Shouto's coat, and pinched him roughly before pushing him forwards. Momo's eyes widened at the rough gesture, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Shouto, talk," Enji ordered, causing Shouto to clear his throat. Momo gazed at him, but still stayed silent, knowing her place.

"I'm Shouto. Pleasure to meet you," he said. Momo had to strain herself to be able to hear him, but from what she could make out, his voice was just as deep as his father's, and had a certain edge to it. She couldn't quite place it, but she knew she liked it.

"Momo dear, come here," her father said, finally looking towards his daughter and smiling softly. She could feel everyone's eyes turn on her as she pushed herself off from her leaning position on the front door and began walking towards the four of them. Enji was eyeing her with an accepting, pleasant expression, and Shouto didn't even blink. Her eyebrows furrowed uncomfortably. She faintly wondered what was wrong with the boy, but pushed the thought aside as she went to stand next to the sofa her parents were sitting on. She bowed low in a respectful manner.

"Yaoyorozu Momo. It's nice to meet you, Todoroki Enji-san, Todoroki Shouto-san," she said, nodding towards both of them as she addressed them. Shouto averted his gaze, which she didn't fail to notice.

"This is our daughter," her father said, as if he was presenting her upon a silver platter. Both her parents bowed, while Momo remained upright, ready for both of them to look over her for any… inaccuracies. She was shocked when Shouto didn't do anything except avert his gaze (again, might she add), while Enji did look at her properly.

She was even more shocked at what he said next.

"Is she fertile?"

Momo's eyes widened, and her mother's jaw went slack. Her father just leaned back slightly. Shouto, though, clenched his fists and looked down, scrunching his eyes together. Momo was able to see that his cheeks turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

"Father," he said in a hushed voice. "Why would you…"

Enji didn't falter, though, turning back to Momo's parents.

"Well? Is she?" he pressed.

"W-well! Aren't we moving a little fast!" her mother exclaimed, fanning herself. "Oh my."

Everyone turned to Momo. She mentally slapped everyone around her. Of course her parents didn't want to answer that kind of question. It was all up to her, now.

She took a deep breath.

"Um. Yeah."

She was expecting more weird reactions, but Enji just nodded approvingly.

"Good. That's what I was hoping for. I'm counting on you two to give me children who can carry out the forward generations."

Her parents were suddenly relaxed now.

Momo was just disgusted.

Shouto looked like he wanted to bury himself. She didn't blame him.

"Wonderful! So I take it you accept the match, Todoroki Enji-san?" Momo's father said, sporting a wide grin.

Enji nodded. "Yes. I'm happy with it."

Her mother turned to look at her and Shouto.

"We need the kids' thoughts on it too, don't we?" she said, to which the other adults nodded. "Shouto, Momo, are you guys okay with each other?"

Here it was. The time when she could politely decline the marriage. She faltered, trying to think over it as quickly as possible. That was just like her mother. Putting her on the spot so suddenly that she barely even had any time to react.

Before Momo could even open her mouth, Shouto had opened his.

"Everything is fine," he said, getting everyone's smiles to open up. Her parents were grinning, and Enji was looking very pleased with himself. Momo's voice felt sucked out of her throat, but she knew better than to say something else now. She glanced at Shouto, shocked to find him already looking at her. When he noticed her staring, he looked away, but it wasn't in a very quick manner. She could tell he wanted her to know that he was staring.

"W-when's the wedding?" Momo managed to choke out. No getting out of it now.

Her parents looked over to Enji.

"Let's give it a month," he said, nodding. "Yaoyorozu-san, you shall become Todoroki-san in a few short weeks."

Momo gulped. "O-okay," she said, her voice draining down into a mere whisper.

As the adults chattered away, Momo and Shouto locked eyes again, but they quickly looked away this time.

Momo could only blankly wonder one thing.

'What kind of person is he?'

If she was going to be married to him, she was determined to find out.

…

It was decided that Shouto and Enji would stay at the Yaoyorozu's for the weekend, which, in her mother's words, gave her and Shouto 'plenty of time to get to know each other.' When she was informed of this, Momo groaned. To be honest, she had no real desire to make friends with this guy, as he was obviously not very keen on talking to her at all. He had demonstrated that fact more than enough for her to get the point during the family meeting. She didn't mind aimless small talk with him, but becoming friends- or potentially lovers- wasn't on her to do list.

Momo's room was on the second floor, right across from Shouto's guest one. She knew that this was her parents' doing, as Enji's room was in the basement, and there was a perfectly usable one right next to it. Her parents, on the other hand, slept on the third floor.

She and Shouto had their own floor.

Great.

After quickly changing into her pajamas, Momo yawned tiredly and moved to get her empty water bottle by her bed, exiting her room and entering the hallway, not even bothering to pay attention to her surroundings.

This, of course, proved to be a big mistake as she bumped into a hard chest as she was halfway out of her bedroom.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, stumbling a few steps back and rubbing the place she was hit with her free hand. She peeked open her eyes to see the one and only Shouto Todoroki standing in front of her, staring at her with the simple hard, cold expression he had on before. "T-Todoroki-san," she muttered, shaking her head and giving him an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he said in his quiet little voice. His shoulders were hunched, which intrigued Momo right away.

He looked at her, and for the first time, Momo could properly see him. She noticed the fact that his eyes were different colors first. His right eye was a deep shade of onyx, while his left eye was a brilliant, frosty blue. Even his eyebrows were different. They matched his hair.

If it were any other person, Momo would have found this downright creepy. But for some reason, the fact that it was Shouto calmed her for some strange reason. She couldn't explain it, but she blew it off as just knowing him for a short amount of time. She was still building her opinion on him, after all.

He was even wearing blue pajamas, which contrasted her red ones. In a way, one could say they were matching.

They held eye contact for a few moments, just staring at each other. Both of them were studying every intricate detail about the other person, seemingly lost in their own little worlds.

"Uh, I was just…" Momo awkwardly started again. "Water." She pointed to her water bottle, not even wanting to know what she looked like right now. Probably like a stupid idiot, that was for sure.

He nodded, as if understanding her jumbled mess of words. After, though, he turned away from her till his back was facing her frontside.

He was shy.

Okay. Sure.

"Right," she whispered, straightening up, and walking right past him. She could hear a faint sound that almost sounded like a sigh coming from behind her, followed by the sound of footsteps, getting quieter and quieter.

When she looked back, he was gone.

The next morning, Momo quickly took a shower and got dressed, remembering that her mother wanted her to be fresh in the morning for their guests. She even used the special shampoo she usually left off for important events. Her hair was naturally slick and straight, and the wash made it fluffy instead.

When she finally entered the dining room, everyone was already there. Enji was sitting at the head of the table, and her mother and father were sitting on one of the sides. Shouto was across from her father and on the corner next to his father, which only left one open seat. The one right next to Shouto, and across from her mother.

Sliding into the seat, Momo reached over across the table and took the pitcher of water, pouring a glass for herself and drinking it down in the most polite way possible, being careful not to slurp.

Enji cleared his throat. "Shouto, why don't you give Momo her soup?"

Shouto looked at his father, before nodding and turning to Momo. Momo opened her mouth to say something, but was efficiently cut off by Shouto's eyes draining into her own, telling her that there was no need to protest. She quieted down, leaning back in her seat and watching as he took the soup spoon and poured a bowl for her. She turned to him when he set it down in front of her, bowing low in respect.

"Thank you, Todoroki-san," she said quietly, picking up her own spoon and sipping the soup. She immediately could tell that it was her mother's recipe. She didn't make it too often, but when she did, she went all out.

"Mm," Shouto replied, going back to his own breakfast.

Enji cleared his throat again.

"Y-you're welcome, Yaoyorozu," Shouto quickly added, not looking at her.

"Why don't you get her fish and rice as well?" Enji continued, ignoring his son's obvious effort. Momo shook her head.

"No no, Todoroki-san, I'm okay," she said, offering a small smile.

She could feel Shouto's eyes on her suddenly. She shot him a glance, instantly regretting it afterwards. He was looking at her with wide eyes, shaking his head in a barely noticeable manner.

"Do you not like fish and rice?" Enji asked, and Momo suddenly knew why Shouto was looking at her like that. His tone was hard, and cold. It could only be described in one way, rude. She looked at her parents, but they were too invested in their own meal to notice. Momo gulped.

"I… I like it," she said slowly, still unsure.

"You should. After all, soon you're going to be making breakfast for yourself and Shouto," Enji said, making both Momo and Shouto gape at him.

"Father," Shouto started, "please control yourself. There will be no need for any of that."

"Why not?" Enji asked in his booming, loud voice.

The table fell silent, and Momo's parents looked between the three of them. Momo's head was down, and it looked like Shouto and his father were having a mini stare-off.

"T-Todoroki-san," she started to say, but was cut off by both Shouto and Enji turning to look at her. She stared at them dumbly for a few seconds.

"Momo, why don't you use a different honorific for Shouto?" Momo's mother said, tapping her foot on her daughter's. "Or better yet, use his first name!"

Momo ignored this. "Okay," she said, looking to Shouto. "Um… is it okay if I use '-kun' instead?"

Shouto nodded briskly, not saying anything.

"Anyway," Enji said, "Shouto, please get the rice and fish for her." His voice was low and commanding, and Momo knew Shouto had no choice but to comply. Though it wasn't like he would object anyway, he seemed nicer than that.

Without a single word, Shouto leaned over, took Momo's plate, and filled it with a generous amount of rice and fish, even going as far as to sprinkle chili and salt on it. He placed the plate next to the bowl of soup from before, turning back to his own food.

"T-thank you, Todoroki-kun."

No one else could see it, but Momo was sure she spotted a very small smirk on his face, but it was gone just as quickly as it came when he began to eat his food again.

"No problem," he didn't hesitate to say this time, picking up his fork and slicing through the ball of rice on his plate.

Momo stayed quiet, and the table went back into a calm chitter between the adults. Shouto and her were silent, choosing to eat their food in peace instead.

"For the record," Shouto said suddenly, startling her. She looked at him, marvelled by his low, yet soothing voice as he spoke, careful to make sure her parents and his father couldn't hear him. "I'll be the one cooking breakfast every morning."

Momo's eyes widened. He had to be smiling. He was totally smiling. Shouto hadn't once turned to look at her properly, but one quick glance his way proved her suspicions to be correct. He was indeed full-out smirking by this point.

She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I can whip up a good meal," she argued.

Shouto just picked up his napkin and wiped his lip, setting it back down on his empty plate and beginning to get up.

"Then I'll leave lunch and dinner to you."

He quickly walked away, plate in hand, leaving Momo to stare at his back. She watched as he casually ascended the stairs to his room. She leaned on the backrest of her chair, a smile growing at the corner of her lips. She shook her head, almost laughing.

This boy was much too interesting for her liking.

"We should play a game… where did Shouto go?" Momo's father said, prompting everyone, save Momo, to look around for the boy.

"He finished eating and went upstairs," Momo said, using a napkin to clean herself up as well.

"Does that boy have zero table manners?" Enji said under his breath. "I'll go get him-"

"I can go," Momo said, picking up her plate and standing up. "I'm finished, anyway. Please finish up and enjoy the rest of your breakfast." She politely bowed, and moving to the kitchen, where she deposited her plate and made a break for the back staircase so that the adults couldn't watch her leave.

Once she got to her and Shouto's shared hallway, she lingered outside his room. Her mind swirled within her thoughts as she paced back and forth, thinking of all the ways this next conversation could go.

He could answer the door, refuse to come downstairs, and the blame would go on her. He also could just not answer the door at all. He might be sleeping for all she knew.

Though that probably wasn't the case. Even if he was sleeping, he would be more than willing to wake up to answer the door. Even though Momo hadn't known him for more than a day, she had formed a general opinion about him so far.

He was shy, awkward, but also very, very smooth. What was that line about breakfast all about earlier, anyway? There was no need for him to say something like that. Momo pouted at the thought, not even thinking twice about holding her hand out and delivering four hard knocks to the door in front of her. Her eyes broadened and her heartbeat picked up pace as she stiffly stood outside the door, pin straight, waiting for any sort of acknowledgement from the boy on the other side of the wooden frame. It wasn't a very long wait, as within seconds, the door was open and Shouto was staring down at her with his usual bored expression.

His eyes narrowed when he saw it was her. "Did my father send you up here to get me?" he asked, his voice hoarse and curt. Momo blinked.

"No, he was about to come get you, but I offered," she explained.

Shouto surveyed this, before nodding crudely. "Okay," he said.

Well this was new. Just a few minutes ago he was joking around with her, but whenever it came to his father, he was suddenly stiff as can be. She could tell they had a strained relationship, but this was a lot.

Darn it. Just when she thought she had cracked him.

Okay, that was a lie.

"Are you… are you coming?" she asked, moving aside and gesturing to the hallway outside.

Shouto looked at the empty space for a few long, hard minutes, all of which were occupied with Momo's gradually quickening breathing pattern. She stared at him, tired and bored.

"No," he started, "if I come, I'll have to talk to everyone."

Momo quirked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You see, I'm not the best in social situations," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "One on one conversations are fine, though. That's why I'm okay right now."

She considered this. "Well, I guess, but…"

"You're wondering what's going to happen now that I've declined your offer," Shouto finished for her. She nodded. He sighed. "We could… make up an excuse?"

"What kind of excuse?" she questioned.

"You know how they want us to get to know each other more," he said. "We could, I don't know, hang out?"

She stared blankly at him. "This is not how I imagined I would be asked out for the first time," she deadpanned.

"You've never been asked out before? That's a surprise."

She didn't know exactly what he meant by that, but thought better than to question it.

"No, but that's just because everyone's afraid of me. Apparently I look threatening."

Then, Shouto did something she never would have expected. He looked at her. Up to down, side to side, finishing off with a smirk.

"You look fine to me," he said, moving back inside his room and grabbing his shoes.

"Reassuring," Momo said, smiling sweetly. "Great. My fiancé is asking me out on a date to get away from his father." She groaned, rubbing her temples and sighing deeply. "I swear, Todoroki-kun, I better not get any new surprises these next few days." She was opening up to him already. This wasn't good.

His smirk deepened. "Don't worry, Yaoyorozu," he said, but he didn't smile, "we've got the rest of our lives for that."

That was good. That was really, really good. That made two points for him (if she counted that breakfast line) and a big fat zero for her.

She needed to learn how to smooth talk, and fast.

"Where are you taking me?" Momo asked as she grabbed her keys on their way out. They almost ignored the strange looks they got from her parents, but when Enji spoke up, Shouto knew it couldn't be ignored.

"Shouto, where are you two going?" the big man asked, getting up and raising his eyebrows at them. Momo didn't say anything, wondering if it was a good idea. She knew Shouto would speak up anyways.

"I'm taking Yaoyorozu somewhere. We'll be back before dinner," he said quickly, grabbing Momo's hand and leading her away from them.

Momo stared down at their interlocked hands as they walked into the street. Her cheeks burned a mild shade of crimson when she noticed how his fingers curled around her skin in the most obscure places. She coughed awkwardly, remembering they were getting married soon and it was natural for her to get the flutters like this. In fact, Shouto was probably feeling the same way.

Then again, probably not. He wasn't the type to feel anything major in that department, let alone show it by blushing. She had figured out more than a few things about this guy, and that was definitely one of them.

"How does a drive sound to you?" Shouto asked, turning to face her and letting go of his hold on her hand. Frowning from the loss of contact, Momo quickly covered it up by cocking her head to the side and narrowing her eyebrows.

"A drive?" she asked.

"You did bring your keys for a reason," Shouto prompted.

Momo glanced down at the keychain in her left hand, many bright golden keys hanging down from the metal ring. She grabbed the thick, block-type black one, nodding.

"Yes, but it's more of a subconscious habit."

"I see. So you're against taking a drive?"

"Who's driving?"

"Me."

Momo laughed on the inside. This boy was so clueless, it made her chuckle. Didn't he know he was supposed to ask her whether it was okay or not for him to even sit inside her vehicle?

She was learning more and more new things about this boy every minute.

"I see. Then I guess it's fine. Do you want to go anywhere specifically?" Momo asked, gazing at his side profile. From this angle, he looked even better.

She kicked herself for thinking such thoughts. He was good looking. She had to get over it.

"You could give me a tour of this town," he offered. "Plus, I really think we need to talk things out."

She had to agree with this. Sure, they had been joking around about the whole marriage ordeal and everything, but a conversation about it was several hours overdue. In spite of this, Momo just said, "We do, and I'd love to give you a tour."

So with that, they walked to her car. It was parked in the back garage of their huge house, and when Shouto saw it, he nodded in approval.

"She's a beauty," he said, running his hand over the sleek, red texture of the front hood. Then, he turned to look at her again. "Are you ready?"

"As much as I can be," Momo said, throwing him her keys and sliding into the passenger seat. He took the driver's side, looking around the interior of the car and letting a small smile escape his lips.

"You've got excellent taste," he complimented, starting up the engine and roaring the car to life. Momo looked out the window, not responding for a little while.

"This car was my grandmother's, actually. No one else wanted it, so I took it. It reminds me of her, you know?" she said, leaning against the glass as Shouto drove out of the property. When they were going, he shot her a sympathetic look, but she could somewhat tell that it held a bit more to it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, but this time, his voice was a lot quieter, as if he was thinking about something at the same time.

"She hasn't passed away yet," Momo corrected. Upon his bizarre look, and shook her head. "No hard feelings. It's okay. She's just been hospitalized for a while. Gotten old, you know?"

She kept her eyes on him, watching as he bit the flesh of his bottom lip, opening a wound and allowing a bit of blood to spill out. Before it became noticeable, he quickly licked it away. Even this simple action was enough to tell Momo that he bit his lip often. Too often. His fingers tightened against the leather steering wheel, and his movements suddenly became a lot stiffer.

"I, yeah. Yeah I know," he said, though his voice had shrunk down to a whisper by now. "My… my mother is in the hospital too. I know how you feel."

She had met this guy yesterday.

Yesterday.

And already, she was spilling her secrets. No one else knew about her grandmother, and from what she could tell, no one else knew about his mother either.

In just one day.

One day.

They had built a mutual understanding. The basis of friendship. They trusted each other enough to tell each other one of their deepest secrets.

Momo felt pride swell through her chest as she began pointing out different buildings in the town, explaining what each of them were for and little facts sprinkled in here and there.

"That's the biggest grocery shop in Japan," she said, jutting her head towards the large supermarket they were passing. "Everything they sell is ridiculously expensive and it tastes horrible. I kid you not, the only thing they have going for them is the size of their store."

"So if I were to buy you flowers from there…"

Damn. Three points to Shouto, zero to Momo.

"How do you do that?!" she asked, hunching over and pouting. "You just keep whirling out pick-up line after pick-up line and smooth talk after smooth talk every second! Is there some secret stash hidden somewhere?"

He blinked, as if he didn't understand. Ha.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"And then you act clueless about it," Momo groaned, crossing her arms and legs.

"You've got it wrong. I don't act clueless, I am clueless. I'm sorry if I disappointed you."

Okay, sure. One more thing to add to the evergrowing list of things she knew about Shouto Todoroki. He was clueless.

"Hey, Todoroki-kun?" she suddenly spoke up, making him nod.

"Hm?" He took a turn into another long, winding street.

"You said we'd be back for dinner, but it's barely eleven in the morning. What are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?" Momo asked.

"Anything you want. This is your first date, right?"

Could this even be classified as a date? All they'd been doing was driving around endlessly with Momo's constant complaints about the town she lived in.

"Right," she nodded affirmatively.

She had to admit, though. That was a lie. Sure, she hadn't been properly asked out before, but she had gone on her fair share of dates. People just seemed to assume she was single, so they thought they could get away with going up to her and saying something like 'I'll pick you up', without even giving any other information. She hadn't been asked out before. That was the plain, simple truth. Not for a real date, anyway. Anything she'd ever gone through was painfully fake and held no real emotion behind it.

"Well, what have you always wanted to do on a first date?" he asked.

She stopped for a moment, considering his question. Well, there was all the cliché stuff, like watching a movie together, eating at a fancy restaurant, taking a walk through the park… but Shouto didn't really seem like the type to enjoy mushy things like that. Sure, he was treating her, but that didn't mean she was going to take advantage of that and use him for her own personal benefit.

What was something Shouto Todoroki would enjoy doing?

It hit her right there and then.

"Todoroki-kun, do you like sports events?"

He seemed to take his time to think about this.

"I do like most sports events, but this isn't about me."

She ignored the last part. "Good, because my old high school, U.A., is holding its annual sports event, and I-"

"You went to U.A.?"

He was looking at her with wide eyes, and his lips were slightly parted as well. Her left eyebrow shot up when she saw this.

"Um. Yes?"

"That's so cool," he said, gaping at her. "I got in through recommendation from my junior high, but my dad decided to homeschool me last minute. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one. I got in through recommendation too."

"We would have been in the same grade, too! I'm twenty-one," Shouto exclaimed. He was excited. That much was obvious. Momo couldn't help the smile overtaking her face to widen as she stared at his growing buzz.

"We could have met before all of this, then," she said.

He smiled wistfully. "Anyway, I'm sorry for rudely interrupting you. You were saying?"

"No no, that's okay. I was just wondering if you'd be interested in watching the sports festival today," she said, looking up at him.

He didn't waste a single moment in nodding quickly. "I'd like that," he said. "When is it?"

"It's over the course of this week, but we can go anytime," Momo explained, and then glanced down at the center intersection between their two seats. "I can put the address into your phone, if you'd like."

He nodded, prompting her to reach down and pull out his smartphone, frowning when she saw that there was a passcode. She turned back to him, holding it out.

"Come to a stop so you can put your password in," she said.

He shook his head. "It's zero-seven-one-four," he said.

Momo rubbed her top and bottom lips together, successfully holding back her surprise from showing. He was telling her his password? Already? Something like that displayed a certain level of trust she didn't know she was ready for yet.

"That's… that's a pretty random set of numbers," she opted on saying, leaning back in her plushy seat and entering the chain of numbers on the screen.

He didn't answer, just tightened his grip on the wheel and stared out of the front screen window. Trying not to pay too much attention to him, she typed in the address of her high school and set the device down in the cupholders, angling it so it was visible to him.

"Thanks," he said, glancing down at the screen and taking a left turn on the following signal. Momo nodded in acknowledgement. "So, um, what's the festival like?"

"Well, the students of the school are divided into groups by grade level, and there are different games that they participate in," she explained.

"Do you go often?" he asked her.

"I go every year," Momo said affirmatively. "It's nice to see the next generations in the same spot I was just a few years ago."

"What do you do, Yaoyorozu?"

"What? As a profession?"

"Mhm."

She took a deep breath. "I just recently graduated out of college. I was an art major," she said.

"Art," he repeated.

She nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"

"I went abroad for college. My father sent me to a school specifically designed for business," he said, smoothly turning into the school's parking lot.

"You were a business major?" she asked. In all honestly, she expected this. His father was in business, and it seemed like the Todoroki family held a tight ship together. It was unlikely for any member of them to stray away from their origins.

"All three of my siblings were also business majors. I didn't really have a choice," Shouto shrugged. "I didn't mind. It was quite… informative. The course I took, that is."

"I… okay," Momo said.

He hummed absentmindedly, popping the car keys out from their spot in the car's driver station, and lightly tossed them to her. She quickly caught them, and both of them proceeded to climb out.

"So, art, huh?" he asked as Momo locked the car and the two of them began to walk towards the school entrance. "What type of art?"

"Three-dimensional," Momo said. "I create things out of clay, glass, anything really."

"That's so cool," Shouto said instantly. "I mean, a lot of people use things without even realizing where they came from, right? You're like one of those people. The one's that are silently cheered for and respected."

Momo couldn't stop the shocked expression from leaking onto her face. She blinked.

"R-right!" she said, looking at the ground and smiling. "That's… that's exactly what I'm going for. I want to make things for people and hope they enjoy and appreciate my work. They don't have to say anything about it, but just the fact that they use my concepts and materials is respect enough for me."

"You'll have to show me your work sometime," Shouto said, sliding his hands into his pant pockets. Thankfully, the ticket booth was coming up, so Momo was able to hide her blush by handing over the two tickets she had to the employee. Once she got the wristbands, she gave one over to her companion and the two of them snapped the thick bracelets onto their left wrists, stopping by the concession stand to get some snacks.

"I guess I will," Momo said as they collected their popcorn and drinks. "Do you like cotton candy?"

"I love it," he replied.

Momo nodded, walking over to a booth and handing over money for two sticks. When she walked back with the thready bunches of sugar, Shouto reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet.

"How much was that and the tickets?"

Momo's eyes widened. "No way am I letting you pay," she said, sticking her tongue out childishly.

He frowned in response. "Yaoyorozu, this is my day to treat you. I think it's my duty as the person who asked you out to pay for things."

Momo stopped, and seemed to think about this for a moment. "Then you can do the honors and pay for whatever we do next," she said.

Yes, that was good. That gave her one point and Shouto three. Soon, she would catch up to him and tell him off.

But, unfortunately, it didn't seem like Shouto understood what she really meant by that, since he just nodded and slipped the purse back into his back pocket. Momo frowned, but thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

"I forgot to ask, but why did you randomly have an extra ticket today?" he asked.

"I was actually going to go with my friend, but she bailed on me and told me she was going with her boyfriend."

He nodded, and the two of them walked over to the entrance to the stadium.

They didn't even make it halfway through the doorway before someone screamed Momo's name.

"Yaomomo!"

Momo and Shouto both stopped, turning to see who it was. Kyouka Jirou, holding a bag of popcorn in one hand and waving the other out to Momo, was walking up to the duo.

Momo instantly broke into a smile at the sight of her best friend, not hesitating to give her a fist-bump and laughing along with her.

"Wait," Momo said, "I thought you were coming here with Kaminari?"

"I am," Kyouka said, rolling her eyes. "He's back there getting more food."

"More?" Momo questioned.

"He already ate a giant freaking cheesecake on the way here in the car," Kyouka said, grumbling something inaudible under her breath.

"Hey! It isn't my fault I didn't eat breakfast!" Denki said, coming up to the two of them and wrapping his arms around the girls. Kyouka groaned, while Momo giggled, finding this strangely amusing. "How are you doing, Yaomomo Yaoyorozu?"

She scoffed playfully, leaning to escape his grip on her shoulder. Truth was, she and Denki had a pretty good relationship. After all, she was the one who urged him to tell Kyouka about his feelings, and then later pushed Kyouka into realizing her own. In reality, she was the one who brought them together, even though their current relationship had its ups and downs, and usually ended with them playfully arguing and making fun of the other.

"I told you, it's either Momo or Yaoyorozu," she said, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "Yaomomo is… different."

"Why?" Denki questioned. "Is it because it's specially reserved for the best of friends?"

"No-"

"I'm hurt, Momo, I thought we had something."

She sighed, but still didn't hesitate to offer him a hopeless smile in exchange for his efforts.

"Um… Yaoyorozu?" someone suddenly said, coming up from behind her. Momo's eyes widened, remembering Shouto was still there. She quickly turned to face him, her cheeks tinting red in embarrassment.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Todoroki-kun," she said, before stepping back and letting him look at Kyouka and Denki. "Uh, Todoroki-kun, this is my best friend, Kyouka Jirou, and her boyfriend Denki Kaminari. Kyo, Kaminari, this is Shouto Todoroki. He's a…" she looked up at Shouto, lost for words, "... friend," she finished dumbly.

Both Kyouka and Denki stared at the tall, good looking boy in front of them and then looked over to where Momo was. When they saw how she was looking, Kyouka snorted.

"Yeah, right, 'friend'. That's funny," she said bluntly, rolling her eyes and putting a hand to her hip. "Now, Yaomomo, what is he actually?"

Momo gawked at the girl, before she and Shouto exchanged another awkward glance.

Then, Shouto did the very thing she was afraid to do. Of course, he didn't know how Kyouka would react, but her heart still leapt painfully as he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him.

"Yaoyorozu and I will be wed in a month," Shouto said, an air of confidence surrounding his tone.

Momo quickly averted her gaze, looking away from the dumbfounded couple. One was slightly pink, while the other was quickly building up a silent rage and turning to blow steam in Momo's face. Kyouka's mouth opened, and Momo quickly knew she was about to yell something out loud. Denki seemed to notice this as well, and he quickly grabbed his girlfriend and brought her into a heavy lip-lock, effectively silencing her.

Shouto and Momo both awkwardly looked away, not daring to look towards each other as even they knew the implications of something like that.

When they finally separated, Kyouka's expression instantly turned back into one of rage, making Denki facepalm as she walked up to Momo, her hands curling into fists.

"Excuse me, what?"

Momo gulped. "Uh… I didn't know about it till three days ago! I'm sorry!"

"Three days?" her best friend hissed. "That's approximately seventy-two hours, which is like, four thousand something minutes. Out of that much time, would it really hurt that much to shoot me a text? Even something simple like 'Oh hey, Kyo, by the way, I'm engaged!' would have worked!"

"K-Kyo, it's an arranged thing," Momo explained slowly. "It isn't like I wasn't going to tell you at all!"

"Didn't we talk two days ago?" Kyouka said, tapping her chin. Momo's eyes widened. "That's right! I was telling you about not going to the festival with you-"

"Speaking of the festival," Denki cut in, knowing that this argument could go on for quite some time, "shouldn't we get going?"

"-couldn't you have just told me then?" Kyouka continued, ignoring him. Momo silently thanked Denki for his efforts, though even she knew they weren't getting anywhere.

"W-well yes, but I didn't know how Todoroki-kun was going to be like, so I didn't want to say anything before it was finalized."

This made Kyouka stop.

"So, you technically could have backed out of this?" she questioned, leaning closer.

"Well, I mean it is my decision, but how does that have anything to do with this? Besides, my parents wanted me to-"

"And you didn't want to tell me till after you met the guy, what was it, Todoroki?"

To this, Shouto nodded.

"Right! You didn't want to tell me till after you met Todoroki, so you could see if you wanted to go through with it or not?"

"That's not what I-"

"So you like him!"

"Kyo!"

Kyouka, who had undoubtedly forgotten what she was previously angry about, cackled in delight.

"This is wonderful!" she said, grabbing her knees and laughing still.

Momo didn't look too amused.

"I didn't have a choice!" she quickly defended herself.

Then, Shouto spoke up. "So… you don't like me?" he asked, and anyone could hear the hurt laced in his voice.

Momo shook her head, holding out her hands and shaking them in front of her. "No! That isn't what I meant!"

"So you do like him?" Kyouka said.

"Argh! I hate you all!" Momo said with no hesitation, stomping into the main stadium area and going to a random spot with open seats.

She didn't have to wait long, though, before all three of them joined her, Shouto taking the seat to her right and Kyouka and Denki filling in on her left. She groaned, putting her face in her hands and shaking her head.

"You can never get away from us," Kyouka said teasingly.

"Why are you here anyway?" Momo asked. "Out of all the days you could have chosen to come, you chose today."

"Karma's a beauty," she replied simply.

Momo sighed, taking a look at Shouto who was looking down at his feet, not saying anything. His arms were sitting on the armrests of the slightly uncomfortable pull-down seats and he looked like he was deep in thought.

"Todoroki-kun?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. Shouto looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"Is something wrong?"

If she cared, she would have noticed Kyouka and Denki's hard gazes on them, but she didn't.

"It's nothing," Shouto responded, his tone curt and brief, much like how it was when they had first met.

Now she knew something was bugging him.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Shouto said, his teeth clenching together. "Really. We just need to talk about everything."

She quieted after hearing this. "Oh… I… yeah. We do."

"Mm."

"Steamy talk?" Kyouka cut in. "Or maybe a bit of kinky talk?"

"Shut up!"

…

After the sport's festival was over, it was close to six o'clock in the evening, and Momo couldn't resist babbling on and on about it throughout the walk to the car. She knew Shouto wouldn't mind, so she was free to let out her inner fangirl. They had already eaten lunch during the tournament, and Kyouka made sure Denki bought all of their boxed lunches.

"And did you see Number Fifteen's ball throw? That was incredible!" she said, speaking animatedly. Her eyes were wide and she was making a variety of different hand gestures towards her companion. Shouto was just watching her with a small smile, nodding every time she made a point. "And Number Twenty-Two's long jump? Even I couldn't jump that far, and I was one of the best jumpers in my class!"

"Were you?" he replied, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the car. Momo bent to get into the passenger seat, lightly bumping her forehead against the top of the car before getting settled.

"Yeah, but there were some close calls during my second year," she smiled. He nodded, understanding.

"I see," he replied, backing out of the parking lot and joining the long line of traffic. Everyone was leaving at the same time, so naturally there was some buildup. "Do you want to do anything else before we go back to your home?"

"Uh," Momo thought, "I don't mind. We can do anything."

He didn't reply, which instantly told her it was up to her to decide.

She sighed.

"There's a shopping district nearby. We could check it out, if you'd like," she suggested. Shouto nodded, content with this plan.

"That sounds great," he said, and Momo proceeded to type in the directions on his phone. He nodded in thanks again, glancing down at the device every thirty seconds or so to check where he was going.

The car ride was silent for around fifteen minutes after that. It wasn't necessarily awkward, but it definitely was not the most comfortable either. Momo fiddled with her thumbs while Shouto tapped on the steering wheel, bopping his head to an imaginary beat. She looked out the window, remembering what he had told her back at the festival.

They needed to talk.

Badly.

Momo needed to know his perspective on the whole arranged marriage thing, and she herself needed to let her feelings about it out loud as well. Throughout this first day, they had just been joking around and getting to know one another, but she knew it was time to be more serious about it.

"Look," she started in a quieter voice, "I know we were forced into this whole thing, but do you think we can just work it out?"

She could feel him tense up besides her. "I was more than forced into this, Yaoyorozu. My father's been searching for a suitable wife for me since I was just twelve years old."

"T-twelve?" Momo blinked, surprised. She couldn't imagine her parents talking to her about this kind of stuff when she was that young.

But then, Shouto shut his eyes tightly and let out a breath of forced air. "I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to be telling this to anyone."

That got her for some reason. Why couldn't he tell her? Weren't they supposed to start talking to each other about these things? They were at least friends now, right? "Well, I'm not just 'anyone', Todoroki-kun, I'm your fiancé."

"I… I know, but-"

"I want to know how I became that fiancé," Momo said, crossing her arms. If he wasn't going to speak, she would have to make him speak. "I deserve that much at least."

He didn't say anything for a while, but Momo knew he was deeply considering her words. Now that he had let his regular secretive attitude leak through, she was determined to get him back on track. If she couldn't do it, then she doubted things would be any different as more and more time passed, and she most definitely did not want that.

He finally took a long, deep breath, and Momo knew he was about to start talking. "One week ago, my father presented three binders thick with papers to me." He gulped. "These binders each had five hundred sheets of paper in them, and each sheet had a different name of a different girl that was a possibility for me. He presented these three binders to me, and asked me to choose which one I wanted to become my wife. Those were names he had collected over the past nine years."

Momo sucked in a breath. She suddenly realized that she was one of those one thousand five hundred names, and for some reason, he had picked her.

She wanted to know why.

"So… you picked me? Out of so many other girls?"

Shouto bit his lip nervously. "N-not at first. I actually threw a huge fit about the whole thing in the beginning, demanding that each of these women were not to be treated like prizes. It was sickening."

She breathed slowly, coming to a halt. "I… yeah. Yeah it is." She liked that. She really, really liked that.

"There my father was, throwing around girls' names like they were objects. No respect, no dignity. I felt ashamed to call him my family." He paused. "But it wasn't like I was given any choice. So, I started flipping through the first binder, looking over information on all of these people. It felt so… wrong."

"But you still had to pick someone," Momo cut in.

"That's right, but I didn't stop feeling bad about it. I asked my father to narrow down my options after going through half of the first binder, and he just gave me the second one. He told me that the people in the second binder came from the most well-off families, and he wanted me to pick from there. I couldn't even stand to look at him."

"Was… was I in the second binder?" Momo asked.

He nodded. "You were, but I didn't choose you because of that."

"Then why?"

"I saw you," he said, and Momo had to suppress her gasp upon his sudden change in tone. His voice was low, and strangely breathless. Her heart started speeding up as he took a glance towards her before quickly redirecting his attention back to the street ahead of him. "It didn't feel right to make this decision without at least meeting up with the girl, so I was still refusing to pick. My father was angry, and he kicked me out for the rest of that same day."

"He did what-"

"I was just walking around, and I happened to stumble into this street full of restaurants. Across the street, I saw you with this short brown haired girl."

"Uraraka-chan," Momo breathed out, her eyes widening. "I remember! She was shopping for a new dress for her date with Midoriya-san. She asked me to help her."

Shouto nodded. "Right. I saw you laughing with her, and I instantly recognized you from the second binder." He said it easily, like it was no big deal.

But it was.

Momo gulped, swallowing the bundle of nerves in the pits of her throat. After seeing her, Shouto had decided he wanted her to be the one to marry him. She had been expecting him to go after her because of her looks, but instead, he had taken a much better, more ethical decision.

Her respect was steadily increasing for this boy, though how that was possible, she did not know. It was already so high, after all.

"That's… that's really sweet, Todoroki-kun," Momo smiled. "I'm glad you took the decision based on actually seeing me in person instead of something stupid like how I looked."

"Yes, though there's really no denying it. You really are very beautiful."

She instantly looked away, not wanting him to see the growing blush painting her cheeks. There it was again. Four points for Shouto Todoroki, one for her.

She had to fix that scoreboard.

"You're handsome too!" she blurted out without thinking. Regretting it the moment she said it, Momo raised her hands to cup her mouth, gasping internally.

Why did she say that?

She had almost forgotten how clueless Shouto really was, but was soon reminded of it when he ran a hand through his half-and-half hair and smiled softly.

"Well thank you."

She gulped, sighing in relief.

"Y-yeah."

Momo sunk back in her seat. She wasn't going to reward herself any points for that mishap.

"I didn't mean to scare you with that story, Yaoyorozu-"

"Momo."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

She looked at him, the corners of her mouth quirking upwards. "Momo. You can call me Momo. You can call me whatever you want."

"Are you sure?" he asked, not hesitating.

"I'm sure," she said.

"In that case, you can call me Shouto."

She nodded. Truthfully, she felt nervous about calling him by his first name. She didn't call any of her other guy friends by their given names, and she had only known Shouto for a day.

"We've only known each other for a few hours, though," she said, deciding to voice her thoughts aloud.

"That doesn't matter. We're going to be knowing each other for the rest of our lives, aren't we?"

Another point for him. She groaned, knowing that made five for him and still a single one for her.

"Yeah, I guess." Her evident playful frown flipped into a happy grin as she relished in his words. "That doesn't sound too bad anymore."

"Anymore? What do you mean?"

She stopped. "Well, obviously I wasn't very happy with I heard about this whole arranged marriage thing. I had no idea my parents had agreed to it till just a few days ago."

"Really?" Shouto said. "My father said your name's been on the list for months. It's one of the more recent ones, but it's definitely been a lot more than just a few days."

"That seems like something my parents would do. Offer me up and then not even tell me about it. Probably afraid I would run away or something. Tch."

"Would you?"

"What?"

He sighed. "Would you have done something like run away, had you known about this sooner?"

She stilled.

"I would have definitely considered it as an option, but then I would have looked at it from a more logical point of view. It would be impossible and unrealistic to just leave."

"Do you have your own place?" Shouto asked, pressing the brake and backing into a parking slot. They had finally arrived in one of the lots in the shopping area, and it was almost time to get out of the car. Momo barely even paid attention to where they were going as she was too invested in the conversation they were having.

Which would mean Shouto must have been looking out for both. This boy was really something else.

"I don't," she said. "My parents thought it wasn't ideal for me to start living on my own when they can afford to house me."

"Wait," Shouto said, "so we're going to live in your parents' place after the wedding?"

And now they were talking about living together. This was just perfect.

"N-no! Of course not," Momo said, quickly shaking her head. "I… we'll have to look for our own place in a while."

"Yeah," Shouto agreed, before tossing her the car keys and climbing out of the vehicle. "We have about two hours here. What do you want to do?"

"We could probably just walk around and see what interests us," Momo shrugged, following him as they set a brisk walking pace and exited the parking lot. "You know, they say a shopping date can really set up how a relationship will work out, and how one thinks of their partner."

She didn't expect him to inquire further into this, that was for sure.

"Really? How's that?" he asked, his eyes big with interest.

She faltered for just a fraction of a second, thankfully recovering right after. "Well, you can see what kinds of things your partner is into, what they like to eat, and how embarrassing they are in public."

"You say that like it's guaranteed that they're embarrassing."

"They most likely are!"

"Uh huh."

"Hey, for all I know, you can't talk to a cashier."

"Well I can," Shouto responded, pouting adorably. "Mostly."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'mostly'?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I tend to freeze up when they ask me things. Like how am I doing that day, or if I want to buy anything else."

"T-that's stuff they always say!"

"What are you supposed to say when they ask you those things?"

She tilted her head back, letting the sunlight hit her cleanly. Sure. She'd humor him. "You could tell them you're doing fine, and then ask how their day's been going. If you really do want to buy something else, let them know. If not, then just politely tell them you're okay with what you have."

He stayed quiet for a few seconds. "Oh… that seems a lot easier than what I thought it would be like," he said. "Whenever I answer with just a 'No', they always cower back."

"Yeah, I know," Momo said, smiling. "And that's probably because of your tone of voice. It matters."

"What?"

"Like, if you're acting friendly, or rude. It can impact how they look at you."

"Oh."

"You're such a dork."

"A… dork?"

"Nevermind."

They quieted down, gradually stepping in time with one another and entering the main street of the bustling shopping district.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure this is the same street I was on when I saw you for the first time," Shouto said, looking thoughtful. Momo nodded, having already realized that.

"Yeah, I was here with Uraraka-chan that day," she said.

"Mm," he mumbled.

"Well, do you want to do something specific?" Momo asked.

"You were the one who suggested we come here," Shouto replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but do you need to buy something?"

"A cat," he replied instantly, making her eyes bulge out in shock.

She instantly stopped walking, looking up at him and wondering if she had misheard him or something. Did he just say he wanted to buy a cat? That was ridiculous!

"You… you want to buy a cat?" she asked, but she was too late. Shouto was already walking towards the shelter a few stores down, bending down and looking at the kitties purring in the front display. When she approached him, his expression was cold and stoneless, and his hands were resting on his knees as he watched the kittens purr around and raising their claws at him.

"We used to have a cat back when Mom used to live with us," he said, raising a hand and running it along the glass. "But Father gave him away when… when she went away."

Momo's heart clenched at his words. She didn't know too much about his mother, but from what she could tell, her and Shouto were very close. "That's… I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling daring and putting her hand on his shoulder. Hopefully he wouldn't mind too much.

"It's okay," he replied, staring straight at a small, white kitten with small patches of caramel and black. The kitten stared right back, its big, beady green eyes blinking intently into Shouto's mismatched ones. Momo watched the interaction in awe, mentally making a note to see him with cats more often.

"She likes you," Momo whispered, watching with soft eyes as Shouto and the kitten kept looking at each other. It was like they were in their own little trance, in their own world. Momo loved watching it all go down.

"I… I love it," he said in a breathless voice, leaning closer to the glass.

Momo watched him intently, before making a spur-of-the-moment decision and marching right into the shop. Hopefully, he'd appreciate this. With a single glance behind her, she saw that the kitten and Shouto were still in the middle of their staring contest, and he hadn't even noticed her leave.

It was plain as day how much of a liking Shouto had taken to the feline. It made Momo almost laugh at how clueless he was being. Didn't he know that he could just adopt it?

She walked right over to the cashier, smiling. If he didn't, she would make sure he would get to spend every day with the kitten. She knew what love between an owner and a pet looked like. Her friends were perfect examples of that. She, on the other hand, had never had a pet before. Maybe he would be okay with sharing.

"Is the white, brown, and black kitten in the display up for adoption?" she asked upon reaching the shelter's main counter area. When the cashier nodded, her grin widened excitedly.

"Yes, she's been looking for a home for a few weeks now. Most of our customers are taken aback by her small size, though," he said.

Momo nodded. "My fiancé has taken quite a liking to her," she smiled. "May I please take her with me? I think he'd like it."

A wide smile graced his features as bobbed his head affirmatively once again, moving to walk up to the display case, picking up the kitten gently, ignoring its obvious discomfort to being removed from its safe zone.

Momo watched it all happen, getting excited jitters throughout her body when the kitty was given to her. She could only hope Shouto would appreciate her buying it too.

When her business was completed inside the shop, she ventured back outside, holding the carrier in her hand and strolling out to where Shouto still was. What she didn't expect, though, was to see him looking around hysterically with wide, fearful eyes. She immediately broke into a jog towards the boy, crouching low when she got to him. Something must have happened while she was gone.

"Sh-Shouto?" she asked, scrambling her arms around. "Are you oka-"

"The kitten! She's gone!" he said lowly, his voice scratchy and painfully rough. "I was just looking at it, and then this sales worker from inside came and picked it up! Momo, someone bought her!"

She blinked back her shock, standing back up and staring at him for a few short moments in absolute awe. Did he not see her standing inside, or was he that preoccupied in keeping his eyes on the kitten?

"Uh… Shouto, that's because I was the one who bought the cat," she said slowly, watching as his expression changed from fear to confusion.

"You bought the cat?" he asked, his eyes growing wide with shock. Momo almost laughed at him, but thankfully, she was able to hold her tongue. She didn't think he would like to witness her amusement like that.

"I did," she said, gesturing to the pet carrier she had just set down a few moments ago. She watched with mild amusement as his gaze shifted from her face to the large crate on her right side. His mouth slightly opened in surprise and he leaned forwards to take a peek inside. Sure enough, the small kitten was cuddled into a ball, seemingly fast asleep.

"I… I…" he tried forming words, but found it impossible, resorting to just blankly staring at Momo's face. Momo giggled, hiding her mouth with her hand. When he returned his attention to his new kitten, he opened the latch of the carrier, picking up the pet and ignoring its irritated mewls. He held it up to his face, watching as the small kitten opened her eyes and swiped her paw in his direction. Without a word, he pulled the kitten to his chest, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes softly.

Momo watched the entire thing with a smirk, finding it very amusing how the usually-stoic boy completely opened up around the tiny feline. So Shouto Todoroki had a soft spot for cats. This was new.

"What are you going to name her?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning onto her toes. She moved so that she was besides him, looking down at the kitten in his arms and smiling at its sleeping face. She could faintly make out its sharp canines that were still forming, but still found them all the more adorable.

Shouto's gaze snapped towards her with a confused look. "N-name? I have to name her? I get to name her?"

Momo furrowed her eyebrows at his obvious surprise.

"Of… of course you do. She's my gift to you," she said. "Name her whatever you'd like."

"I was honestly just planning on naming her 'Cat'," Shouto mumbled. "It's easy that way."

Momo blinked.

"Ohhh...kay? Why don't we keep our options open," she decided with a forced grin decorating her delicate features. "Maybe you'd like to name her something that has some sort of significance to you?" That's what she would do, at least.

"Significance?" he repeated. "Like what?"

"Well, what was your old cat's name?"

"Michi. His name was Michi." His reply came without any trace of hesitance.

Her eyes softened as she studied him. "That's… that's really sweet, Shouto."

"But I don't want to name her Michi, or anything to do with that name," he cut in, his voice having a little more of an edge to it. "I'm sorry. That name just brings back too many unwanted memories."

"That's understandable," Momo nodded, watching as Shouto lifted his finger to stroke the kitten's face. "Is there anyone of importance to you?"

"Besides my mother?"

"What's your mother's name?"

He stopped, searching her eyes. He didn't answer for a few seconds, but when he did, it came in a breathy, unavoidably soft voice. She could tell he was hesitating, like this piece of information was some sacred shrine he didn't want anyone finding out about.

"... Todoroki Eriko."

Her smile instantly returned after that. "Eriko-san. That's a beautiful name."

"Mm."

"Why don't we name her 'Eri', then? It's fitting, and it's cute!"

Shouto looked back down at the sleeping kitten in his arms, as if considering this. She watched in mild astonishment as his eyes fluctuated in size rapidly and he bit the flesh of his inner lip.

"Are you sure you'd be okay with that?" he finally said to her, only proving his selfless personality further.

"Yep. She's going to be our cat, after all," Momo replied. "Besides, I think it's fitting for her."

"Then yes," Shouto nodded. "Let's name her Eri."

"Great," she said.

He seemed to linger for a few seconds. "Yaomomo?"

Her eyes widened at the use of the nickname, but for some reason, it didn't irritate her like it usually did when someone other than Kyouka said it. Like she had said, it was special. Only people of extreme importance to her were allowed to call her that.

She supposed Shouto fit that bill right about now.

Besides, it sounded so nice coming from him.

Smiling ridiculously big, she nodded. "Yes?"

He seemed almost relieved she didn't yell at him for addressing her like that. Well, she did tell him he could call her whatever he liked.

"Thank you for this," he said, gesturing down to the kitten still in his arms. "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, n-no problem." 'Dammit, Momo, quit getting flustered so easily!'

Shouto reached down, placing Eri gently back into her carrier and latching it tightly to a close. She was about to pick it up, but was gently stopped by his hand resting on hers as he took the handle himself, obscuring her hold- and view- of it.

Six points for Shouto Todoroki. This was getting ridiculous.

As they fell into a gradual walking rhythm with Shouto to Momo's left and the crate resting in between them, she remembered something important.

"Wait," she said, prompting him to turn and look at her. "I never even considered your father. What will he think when we show up with a brand new cat?"

He lifted an eyebrow in response. "We won't have to worry about him. She's our cat, not his." His voice suddenly had a certain edge to it, like it usually did when it came to discussing his father.

Momo just stared at him. "But you told me he made you give Michi away. What if he does the same with Eri?"

"Why would he?"

"He's your father, Shouto," she said pointedly.

"Yes, but I won't be living with him much longer, anyway. It isn't his problem anymore," he said as the metal from the crate rustled beneath them. "He can't make me give Eri up too. He's done enough with my life for a long while."

Momo looked away suddenly, thinking about what he had just told her. Obviously, Shouto wasn't the least bit pleased with how his life had been working out for him so far, so she couldn't help but wonder if he was okay with this arrangement. She hadn't really gotten a proper answer from him, anyway. To her, though, it seemed like he was okay with it, but she could have been wrong.

"Does that mean…?" she asked, but trailed off near the end. It didn't sit well with her, to ask something like that. It was too soon to inquire if he was okay with becoming her husband, right?

"No."

Momo's head snapped towards him, but he was looking up at the sky. His eyes were wide, and calm, not at all like how they usually appeared on his face.

"No," he repeated, but this time it was with more force. "That doesn't mean I'm unhappy with this relationship of ours. On the contrary, I think we'll be just fine living and pursuing our lives together."

She gulped heavily. "You do?" she asked, her voice small. "Are you sure? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Feel better?" He blinked. "Why? Are you not feeling alright? Do you need to go to the doctor or something-"

"That wasn't what I meant," Momo cut in.

He quieted. "You're a wonderful person, Yaoyorozu. Momo. Yaomomo. Whatever you want me to call you. I'm glad I chose you, and not one of those other random girls. I know you won't hold me back with what I want to do in my life, and I definitely will not hold you back."

She swallowed a hefty load of saliva, interlocking her fingers of her right hand together with the fingers of her left, and looked down at the ground as they walked towards the area where he had parked her car.

She spoke. "I find you admirable for doing that. Not making a decision till you saw me in person, I mean." She avoided his gaze, opting to glance everywhere around her but in his direction.

"I don't really know if I could have made a decision till I saw you in person," Shouto answered her. "But I'm glad it was you and not some other person that I saw that day."

"But… I can't help but wonder," she said, flicking her fingers to tap Eri's confinements. "What if I didn't go out that day?"

"Well, you would probably still be single," Shouto said pointedly.

She laughed. "That's true." That was definitely true.

"You also wouldn't have gotten a kitten today," he continued.

"Correct again."

"And you'd never have even imagined you'd become the heiress to one of the most successful companies in the world."

"I happen to think my parents are very successful, thank you very much," she joked. And of course, he took it seriously.

"They are. I never doubted that. They own so many hotel and restaurant chains, in any case. It's hard to argue against facts."

"But you're right. Your father's company is something else entirely," Momo admitted, not wanting to correct him. She ran a hand through her hair as they turned into the parking lot. They walked towards her car, Momo sliding back into the passenger's seat and Shouto into the driver's seat after he carefully placed Eri into the backseat. As he started the car, Momo couldn't help but notice he didn't answer her last statement. She knew it would be better to leave it at that, though. Maybe someday she'd get him to open up to her properly.

As he drove them back to the Yaoyorozu estate, Momo whispered to herself something so quiet, she was shocked Shouto had heard her.

"Todoroki Momo," was what she said, and she wasn't surprised with the few beats of silence afterwards.

"You don't have to take my last name," Shouto cut in, surprising her with his steady, deep voice. She blinked back her obvious alarm, and tried to answer him as normally as possible.

"What do you mean?" she asked. What was he talking about?

"Taking the Todoroki name brings a lot of pressure on someone. You've seen how it is firsthand. So, feel free to keep yourself as Yaoyorozu Momo."

She faintly wondered why her fists were clenching.

"No, I'm going to take your name," she claimed right away. He sighed.

"No, Momo, I'm serious," Shouto said, his eyes focused on the road. "This isn't just about your pride."

"I never said anything about my pride," Momo said. "As your wife, it's my responsibility."

Shouto just shook his head. "That responsibility is nice and all, but it's going to come back and bite you in the head later on. Staying as a Yaoyorozu is your best option right now, even if only for a few years."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, but that's not happening."

He sighed deeply- again. "Really, Momo, try to look at things from a logical point of view."

"I am looking at things from a logical point of view. If I'm going to become your wife, I'm going to go the entire step of the way."

"You don't have to." He was almost whispering by now, and she instantly felt guilty. He was just looking out for her, after all. It was awfully nice of him to even think about this in the first place.

Then again, he was a nice person in general.

Really nice, actually.

She mentally slapped herself.

"I want to," she smiled, now noticing they were already parked in her driveway. She hadn't even noticed that they had gotten home, and instead was far too invested in their conversation.

"Fine. Whatever," Shouto finally gave in, slipping her keys into her hands and climbing out of the car, going to the backseat where Eri was still peacefully sleeping. She softly meowed when she was picked up by Shouto, and he and Momo both started walking to the entrance to the house.

She expected it to be awkward, but surprisingly, it wasn't. It was a comfortable silence, despite their conversation from before. Not like that was bad.

When they reached indoors, he courteously held the door for her, still carrying Eri's crate, and the two of them gently slipped off their shoes as they silently walked through the house.

"We got here way later than expected," Momo whispered to him. "It's already nine o'clock."

"We didn't even bother getting something to eat," Shouto replied sulkily. "Dinner would've been nice."

She snickered. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, yes."

"We can get something from the kitchen. I'm sure our parents are already getting ready for bed."

Shouto nodded. "We told them we'd be back for dinner, though. I doubt my father would go to bed without seeing if I fulfilled my promise of coming back on time."

"Really?"

"You know how he is."

"Momo? Todoroki?" a voice called out to them, and the pair instantly turned to see Momo's parents standing in the doorway to the living room, watching them with curious gazes. Her father was the one who had spoken. "You're back home, finally. Did you already have dinner?" he asked.

Momo shook her head, and she knew Shouto had not. He must have felt like it wasn't his place to directly answer to her parents just yet. She was fine with that, of course.

"We haven't," she said for the both of them. "Did you all already eat?"

"Yes," Momo's father answered. "Go up to your rooms. Your mother will bring up your dinner."

"Oh, Yaoyorozu-san, you don't have to do that," Shouto said immediately upon hearing this. "I can take my food myself."

"Please, Todoroki-kun," Momo's mother smiled. "It's quite alright. We're practically family now, anyways."

That made him stop talking. Shouto gulped, looking at the floor and taking a step back till he was right back next to Momo. Momo shot him a look, which he returned with an irritated pout. When she looked back, she saw her parents looking between them in mild shock. They were probably not expecting them to be all talky-talky. Tch. Parents.

"What's in the crate?" Enji's voice came, and all of them turned to view the staircase to the basement, which the large man was currently ascending.

Now it was Shouto's turn, and he knew it.

"Momo and I adopted a kitten, Father," Shouto said, setting the carrier down and unlatching it. Much to his delight, Eri came right out, rubbing up against his leg and settling into his arms. "Her name is Eri. We're going to be keeping her for ourselves."

Enji seemed to consider this, as he stared down at his son and his future daughter-in-law as they stood protectively around the small feline addition to the family. Momo rested her hand on the back of Eri's head, petting her softly as the two of them watched Enji look between her and Shouto.

When he finally spoke, he said something neither of them were expecting.

"My, well, you two certainly have gotten close." He turned around right after saying that, going down the stairs towards his room in the basement.

Momo and Shouto exchanged an awkward glance, choosing not to respond to that. They missed the Momo's parents' thoughtful glances at them, opting instead to also redirect themselves to the direction of the kitchen. Probably to get their dinner ready, Momo decided.

"Do you want to keep Eri with you?" Shouto asked politely once they had left, holding out the cat towards him.

Momo looked between the kitten and him, bursting into a small fit of giggles directed towards his completely serious expression.

"No," she said, "you can keep her in your room."

He nodded. "Then you can take her tomorrow night."

She shook her head. "No, Shouto. I'll be keeping her till everything's settled anyway, right?" She said this because she doubted his father would allow Eri to stay in his house.

As if realizing this, he sighed, and nodded.
"Alright. I'll keep her for these next two nights, and you'll take her after that."

To this, she hummed in agreement.

"You'll probably be visiting a lot, anyway. Eri's not going to be a stranger to you."

Shouto smiled at that. It was small, like his usual ones.

They were back in the hallway separating their two rooms. Momo's eyes lingered on him for a few seconds too long, knowing this would be her last chance to see him that day. It was unlikely that she would be coming out of her room in her nightwear, even though he had already seen her like that the night before.

Knowing their time was up, she offered him a smile. She held out her hand in a formal gesture. "Thank you for today, Shouto. I had a lot of fun."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? You practically bought everything today." He was right. She had bought the tickets to the sports festival, and Eri. "It wasn't even a proper date. I wanted to treat you to everything." He was giving her that pout again.

"Well, you drove me around all day. That was nice of you," she said.

Knowing he couldn't argue with this, he just responded with a small mumble of something she didn't quite catch.

"Thanks, Momo," he said, finally taking her outstretched hand and giving it a firm squeeze. She beamed at him, but the feeling was short-lived as he pulled at her hand, bringing it to his lips and pecking it lightly.

His lips felt warm, and soft against the skin of the back of her hand, and her ears instantly exploded with color. She could tell he was a bit embarrassed too, judging by the light coat of pink decorating his creamy cheeks. She retracted her hand and hid it behind her back, trying her hardest not to think too much on it.

That deserved a point. What did that make? Seven points for him and one for her?

She shook her head childishly, bidding him farewell with another wave of her hand, retreating back into her bedroom with a giddy smile on her face. Heading straight for her bed, and jumped onto the plush mattress and hid her face in her hands, tightening her legs up to her chest and rolling around.

The day had ended with seven points to one, but she knew she would change that soon enough. Hopefully. Maybe. Oh who was she kidding?

She sighed, giggling and reaching for a pillow to clutch to herself as she recalled the events of the day. One thing was for certain, she had never expected Shouto Todoroki to be someone who was able to make her act all flustered. That, and she was hungry. Really hungry. Her mother would be up soon with her dinner, and she would undoubtedly ask her how the day went and what she and Shouto did. Of course, she would tell her everything. She knew she would.

Maybe this arranged marriage thing wouldn't be so bad for her after all.