This is something I wrote off the top of my head so forgive me if it's a little sloppy. :)
-Hypothermia-
"So, How'd you two meet?"
"Us? Oh, we went to UA together."
"Oh! That's so sweet! You were highschool sweethearts!"
"Yeah. I guess you're right about that actually."
Everyone always asks how I met my wife, but nobody ever asks why I wanted to date her, then marry her. My friends only know the truth. So, I'll tell you why, I'll tell you when I started having these feelings and desires. And it's all because she saved me; Countless times, in more ways than I thought possible. So today, I'll take you back to THAT day, the day she saved my life while I'd tried to save hers as well….
-A Few Years Ago-
-UA High School Second Year-
The students of Class-1A finally had their provisional licenses, which resulted in a lot of excitement among them. With the winter season in full bloom, they were dying to do some work out in the field to see how they would act in these harsh conditions. With some heavy thinking done by the teachers and school principal, they were granted their wish. They dropped the teens near a small town in Japan, one with low-rated crimes, with no pro heroes or hot-shot villain leagues nearby. It was perfect, just what they wanted, but boy… When can things ever go right?
.
.
.
.
"Why can't anything go right for us?!" Denki screamed, while running for what felt like an internaty for him. Currently, it was him and his classmates, Shoto, Momo, and Izuku, and they were all running for their damn lives.
"Just keep running! We should lose them at the building up ahead!" Izuku yells.
The four of them were caught in the middle of a robbery, which appearly, the robber didn't like very much. Before they knew it, they were caught in a full length fight against him. Running would seem pointless, but not when a town full of people were around that could get hurt. So that was their plan, to lead the enormous villain away from the people so they can take him out; but what wasn't part of the plan was that his quirk could morph him into something else…. Or that he had back up.
"There's just four guys, we can take them. Right?" Denki asked. Izuku just gave him a blank stare in response, So Shoto jumped in.
"No. Not with quirks like that, and besides, we need to get them away from the town." Shoto replies. "Has anyone contacted the others?"
Momo nodded. "Yes! I texted them our location, they should be on their way!" she replies.
"Good. We just need to distract them till they can get here!" Izuku adds.
The four of them kept running, dodging any incoming attacks from behind. Their bodies ached and their skin was flushed from the winter breeze coming off the ocean, causing them to shiver quite a bit; But they kept pushing themselves as hard as they could. Izuku's eyes widened when he saw the tall building he spotted earlier coming up ahead. He glanced back at the half and half hero.
"Todoroki! Give us a lift up!" He yells. His friend nods and just when they're close enough he activates his right side, creating an ice platform that shoots the four of them upwards, straight towards the roof. "There! Now we can be spotted easier." Izuku says, catching his breath in case they needed to run again.
"Good Idea, Midoriya." Momo says, also catching her breath.
"Yeah. Someone will be able to spot Todoroki's ice." Denki adds, giving him a thumbs up.
"Thanks." Izuku said.
Before they knew it, a purple laser beam shot out and hit the icy platform, hitting right where the Everything hero was. She shrieks, losing her balance from the collapsed floor and slowly falling backwards. Her eyes widened when she realized she was going down. But a hand latched on her wrist, quickly pulling her up and back on her feet.
"You okay?" Shoto asks, making sure she was away from the edge
before letting go.
"I'm ." She replies, giving him a small smile.
Relief flashed in his eyes, right before they turned to horror, feeling an unwelcoming presence behind him. The robber with his enhanced quirk somehow boosted himself in the air and was starting to come straight towards the junior heroes.
Momo gasps. "Todoroki! Look out!" She yells, seeing his fingertips lighting up with an ominous, purple light.
Shoto whipped around as fast as he could, using his left side to send hot flames at the villain, sending him back and falling towards the ocean below. The peppermint haired boy sighed, quirk deactivating. "I still see the other three com- Ah!"
A laser beam shot through his side, his two colored eyes going wide with pain.
"TODOROKI!" His friends yelled, not having enough time to run forward and grab him. Shoto ended up falling over the edge, free falling till he plummeted into the ocean.
"Todoroki!" Momo yells, seeing his body disappear below.
"Oh my god!" Denki yells, horrified by the turn of events.
Izuku stood in fear, paralyzed until he noticed the other three villains climbing up the side of the ice. "Um… guys! They're coming up!" he says.
"What do we do?" The hero creati asks, conflicted.
"But guys! Someone has to save Todoroki!" Denki replies, as he starts charging up.
All three of them were in a panic, looking between the ocean and at their enemies that were coming closer and closer. Momo's lip quivered, before determination flashed across her face, deciding on what she must do. She starts taking a couple steps back while the boys are talking.
"You guys hold them off." She replies, surprising them.
"What?" Izuku says, just before she takes off running, jumping off the ice.
"Wait! Yaoyorozu!" Denki called out as she dove straight into the dark waters.
*Break*
Momo Yaoyorozu shivered at the ice cold water that she immersed herself in, but pushed it in the back of her mind. She follows the faint trail blood, going towards the bottom. She was near the shoreline, so isn't that deep, but isn't shallow either. She spotted something red and white, and pushed herself deeper, fighting the urge to go back up for air. She ditched the red cape she wore in the winter along the way, to free herself from the weight, as she finally reached the sandy bottom.
Her hands wrapped around her friend, pulling him up to give herself a better view of him.
His mouth was a part slightly, eyes closed and pale looking and…
...unmoving.
Her eyes widened, scared. "I got to get him to the surface. I might need to give him CPR." She thought.
She gripped him under the armpits, pushing off the ground to give her a boost to swim towards the surface. The brunette was giving it her all until…
...she ducked.
Someone shot over her head fast, making her lose her grip on Shoto. His body sinking back to the bottom. She made her move to go after him, but was struck by a strong force. She bit the inside of her cheek, keeping herself from opening her mouth while trying to slow down her spinning.
The villain came at her again, only this time, Momo had enough strength to create a small knife that she used to stab him in the shoulder with.
He seemed to scream, as she used him to push herself off towards Shoto's direction. Her mind started to go fuzzy, along with her vision.
"It's no use… I'm running out of air, I can't take Todoroki to the surface, not with this villain coming after me."
She looks back, dodging another body slam in time. She watched him overshoot himself with his quirk, giving her time to try to make up a plan.
"And there's no way I can create a grenade or anything explosive to keep him at bay, I could kill us all. Think Momo, think. What can I do…?"
She suddenly got an idea once she was in front of her friend. Not knowing if she had enough air to do this, but deep down inside, she knew that Shoto was the only one who could take out people in the water. She closed her eyes, cupping his cheeks, bringing him close enough to just brush her lips across his, breathing out.
She was giving him her air, the last of it as his body jerked slightly at the bit of oxygen in his lungs. His senses kicking in, feeling the pain in his side and someone's hands on his cheeks… and lips.
His two colored eyes shot wide open, seeing one of his classmates kissing him.
"Yaoyorozu?" He thought.
Soon, her lips parted, and for a moment he just stared in shock, watching her body going limp. But, he snapped out of it when he heard something coming through the water, with a trail of blood behind him, and his fingertips lighting up. Shoto looked mad, pulling Momo close to his left side, letting his right side activate, and just when the villain was close, he let it rip.
*Break*
Shoto gasped for air just as his head broke through to the surface. He started panting, looking around, seeing nothing but his massive ice wall that was blocking his view to the building his friends were on. He shook his head.
"Not now… first things first…" He said.
He leans back, making sure Momo's head is above the water that was gently laying on his shoulder. He retightens his grip on her the best he could with one arm, while using his free one to help himself swim backwards towards the shore. He eventually hit a wall, readjusting his grip to lift her up (with minor difficulties), before lugging himself up afterwards.
He nearly gave out due to exhaustion, just wanting to close his eyes and rest, but there was one more thing he needed to do.
He gasps. "Yaoyorozu!" He reached out, carefully flipping her onto her back. "Yaoyorozu?"
He leaned down to see if she was breathing, while feeling for a heartbeat. He got nothing.
A small bit of fear struck him. He had no time to lose. He begins giving her chest compressions, mumbling numbers quietly as he goes on. He stops, pinching her nose together, then breathes into her mouth, ignoring the memory from earlier. He pulls away and begins the chest compressions again, counting, then stopping to pinch and breathe into her. And just like he did back underwater, her body jerked at the air in her lungs, causing Shoto to pull away. He watched her cough, before seeing sea water coming out of her mouth.
He rushed to turn her to her side so she wouldn't choke, letting the poor girl hack all the water up. He gently rubbed her back, listening to her coughs ceasing. She groaned, opening her eyes slowly, trying to make out what's going on.
"Todo-Todoroki…?" she whispered, a feeling of dread inside her when she couldn't see him.
"Yaoyorozu?" He says.
She gasps, glancing back to see him leaning over him. "Todoroki?"
"Yaoyorozu, are you alright?" He asks, worriedly.
Relief crossed her face as she rolled onto her back to look at him better. "Todoroki… you made it." she says.
"I did, thanks to you."
Silence was rewarded to them, not long until the half and half hero decided to ask. "Yaoyorozu… why did you do that? Why would… you give me your air?" He asks, confused and also worried.
She smiles softly. "It's… it's because you saved me first,at the building, so I dove in after you. But I knew, there wasn't anything I could create that would hold back the villain, I knew your quirk can… so I gave you my air to do so."
He stares in surprise. "You saved me… But you could have died, I had to give you CPR just a moment ago." there was irritation in his voice.
Momo's eyes narrowed. "I know what the risks were… but I had to, there was no other way." They both gave each other cold stares, before she shivered violently. "W-wh-where a-are w-we?" She asks, trying to look around.
Shoto starts doing the same. He was so focused on bringing his friend back to life that he didn't bother to take in his surroundings. Which none of it looked familiar. The area seemed desolant, the buildings looking abandoned and broken down.
"I think we were sent way off course, probably a combination of the current and my quirk. I can't see the building we were on anymore." He replies.
"Y-yeah…" She quivers, sitting up and hugging herself. Her body shook to the core at the extreme temperatures, and Shoto saw she was becoming sickly pale. Without any kind of warning, he scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to his left side. "T-todoroki! W-what a-are you d-doing?" She asks, surprised by his sudden actions.
"I can tell you're going into shock, probably getting hypothermia. We need to find shelter." Shoto replies.
"I can w-walk."
"Not in this condition. Just stay close to my left side, it'll warm you up."
He starts running off, holding her close to his chest. She rested her head against his shoulder, lightly blushing, and curling a bit more towards his warm body. Unfortunately, she felt something sticky under her hand and drew it back, gasping. Her whole hand was covered in a crimson ooze.
"Todoroki! Y-your bleeding!" She says with concern, looking up at him.
He grits his teeth, ignoring the pain. "It's fine.. We need to find a hideout first." was his reply.
He jogged along the seemingly abandoned buildings, trying to find something that wasn't too broken down, something that would keep the bitter cold out. Meanwhile, Momo stayed heavily on his side, keeping her eyes on his wound (while trying to contain her blushing).
"That wound looks pretty deep…" She gasps. "Wait… he was shot from behind! How the hell is he not in pain? Or atleast showing it."
She bites her quivering lip, concern for her friend's health.
Shoto eventually hits the breaks, careful not to drop her on the sudden stop. "This looks like a good place." He said, while pushing the door open. It looks like a small shack, the roof was in a (somewhat) good condition, and there was random junk lying around too. He gently puts Momo on her feet, before looking around for something to burn. Momo closed the door, but her worried eyes never left him as he picked up a piece of cardboard, and laid it in the middle of the room. "It's not the wisest idea, but we need to stay warm."
"You need to stay warm." He corrected himself, mentally.
He lit the cardboard on fire, letting it burn. Shoto then let out a small sigh, until he felt his friend's hands pushing on his shoulders. He looked at her in confusion.
"Yaoyorozu?" He asks.
"Sit down." She replies, quickly.
"What?"
"I said, sit down." she pushes him on the ground,a little too harsher than intended, catching him completely off guard. He slightly winced at the pain, making the Everything hero look guilty by her actions. She kneeled down next to him and started creating a roll of bandages from her arm.
"What are you doing?" He asks, still a little confused by her actions.
"I've got to clean your wound and dress it." She replies, as calmly as she could. She started unrolling the bandages, as Shoto watched the milky white material stain red from the blood already on her hands.
"You could have just used the bandages from my pouch. It could have saved you some energy." He says, feeling a bit guilty as well. Seeing all his blood on her hands, even before she applied the bandages, made him feel a bit ill.
"I could have, but they're probably still soaking wet."
"Except your clothes are dry from your quirk, but still; I didn't want you to go through too much trouble." Momo tells herself.
Momo looks up at him. "Todoroki, do you still have ointment in your bottle? The disinfectant?" She asks.
He blinks slowly, staring slightly before giving a delayed response. "Um… yeah.. It's this one…" Shoto replies, almost slurring his words.
She looked at him worriedly as she grabbed the bottle he pointed to off his utility belt, unscrewing the cap. She suddenly stops her free hand in mid-air, a blush creeping onto her cheeks again.
"Um… Todoroki?" She begins. Shoto looks at her again with a puzzled look. "I-I'm going to have to take your shirt off…" The last part was almost a whisper of embarrassment, but he managed to hear her.
He raises one of his eyebrows, oblivious to why she was nervous. "Uh… okay. Do it." He replies.
"S-sure!"
She sets the bottle aside, freeing both of her hands to unzip his top. She pulls it off his shoulders, helping him pull his arms through the sleeves, leaving him bare chested. She felt her face heat up at his tone body, but it died off quickly seeing the state of his injury. On the right side of his abdomen lied a giant hole about the size of her hand, covered in dark crimson blood. His flesh seemed to be seered a bit from the villain's laser quirk, almost turning black because of it.
"Todoroki…" Momo says, surprised.
"Yeah?" Shoto asks, startling her and realizing she said his name out loud.
"Um.. this is going to hurt, a lot."
"Okay."
She grabs the bottle again, putting her hand under the wound and begins to pour the disinfectant out slowly. He hisses through his teeth.
"I'm sorry. Hold on." Momo says. She watches the liquid bubble up, before moving her hand onto his shoulder. "I'm going to have to lean you forward to clean your back."
He nods weakly, gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes. She helps him lean forward, repeating what she did on his front. Afterwards, she puts the cap back on the bottle, before grabbing the roll of bandages. Momo could tell her friend was struggling to lean forward, and decided to help ease some of his pain. She touches the back of his neck, letting his forehead rest on her shoulder. His eyes open at the sudden contact.
"Here, it'll help you and me. Just stay like this until I can finish bandaging you." She says, softly.
She begins dressing his injury just as a light blush went across his cheeks, forgetting about the pain he was in for a few seconds. She tied it tightly, setting the roll aside before helping him sit up against the wall. Momo lets a sigh escape her, positioning herself against the wall as well, letting her dark eyes close.
A silence of comfort enveloped the two, until the boy started to laugh quietly. She opens her eyes to give him a puzzled look.
"What's so funny?" She asks, wondering why he could find this situation so laughable.
"How we kept saving each other. I saved you, then you saved me, and then I did again, and now… here you are saving me a second time. I just think it's funny, don't you think?" he asks, flashing one of his rare smiles.
She could feel herself blushing again, completely immobilized by his smile.
"I don't think…. I've seen him smile before." She thinks.
She couldn't help but flash one too. "Yeah. It's funny. But still… I'm a little worried about your injury. I hope I cleaned and dressed it properly." Momo says, honestly.
"It feels fine, so don't worry." Shoto replies, reassuringly.
"I know, but still… Eek!" She shrieks when a violent shiver erupts her body, making her teeth chatter in response.
It was Shoto's turn to look worried. "Are you still cold?"
"A little." She sighs. "Maybe, I was in the water too long… and this weather certainly doesn't help." She starts rubbing her arms, curling up a bit to produce some warmth, but she stopped when Shoto threw his discarded vest around her. "Todoroki?"
"I'm sorry it has blood on it, but the material should keep you warm." He replies.
"Keep me warm?" She shakes her head 'no'. "No, wait! Aren't you cold? This is your vest, right?" She was becoming worried again.
He shrugs. "It's fine, I'm used to temperatures like this."
"Well.. sure, but maybe I should make you a blanket."
He shakes his head. "No, you need to save your energy, you barely have any, I can tell. So, please, just keep it."
The brunette was hesitant, but the serious look in his eyes told her all as she finally gave in. "Okay." She sighs, leaning against the wall again. Before she could relax, Shoto sent her through another wave of surprises. He reached around her back somehow and pulled her close to his left side, feeling it heat up when she made contact.
"T-to-todoroki?" She stutters, feeling her face turn hot once again by his sudden actions.
"It's to keep you warm." He replies. "My clothes don't burn with my quirk so I won't hurt you. Besides, I heard close contact can prevent hypothermia."
"Oh… O-okay, thanks."
They both kept their eyes away from each other, feeling their faces turn red at the position they were in.
"He's so close… What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I have these feelings? This situation would be a lot easier if I didn't have them…" Momo was thinking to herself, and just wanted to cover her super hot face but didn't want Shoto to get the wrong idea. "Uraraka, I totally understand how you feel now. Ugh… why me? Why me? Why-..."
Her rambling stopped when the peppermint haired boy sneezed harshly. He leaned forward from the pain in his abdomen.
"Todoroki!" Momo says, fixing her position to look at him better. His eyes were shut tight, clearly showing he was in great pain. "Todoroki?"
"I-I'm fine…" Shoto mutters, clearly lying to the girl.
"No you're not, you might have a cold." She pushes her palm flatly onto his forehead, his heterochromic eyes opening in his surprise. His face was flushed pink from the blush and potential cold. "You're really warm. You're getting a fever." She looked at him like a mother scolding her child. "I thought you said you were used to the cold?"
"I-I am… or atleast, I-I-th-think I a-am." Shoto response, slurring his words. She frowns, gently pulling him down by the shoulders again. "Yao-yo-ro-zu?"
"I'm going to lay you down." Momo says, helping him lay on his back, his head resting in her lap. She then lays his vest across his bare chest.
"Yao-yorozu.. T-take I-it b-back."
"No. You're getting a fever, you need to stay warm, and don't deny that you're not cold, I can see you shivering. So please, just relax. Close your eyes."
He wanted to deny it, but she was right, he was starting to shiver to his cold core. She watches him close his eyes, relaxing just as Momo's mind went into overdrive.
"Okay, think Momo, think. What can I do? He needs help at this point, especially with that injury, but it's close to twenty degrees outside,and I know it's supposed to snow later… damn it. I don't know if any help can come." She looks at his sleeping form, watching him shiver slightly. "But, I have to try, for me and Todoroki's sake!"
Using her quirk once again made her dizzy, fighting a wave of nausea that came with it. She produced a small flip phone, hoping this would get her some help,but of course…
There's no wifi.
Her head dropped low.
"Of course, this is an abandoned area, why would there be a need for wifi?" She flips it close, setting it down. "Well, there goes that plan." She looks back down at her friend, feeling a bit of pity for the boy, and a bit of guilt. "It's my fault he's like this, if only you didn't save from getting blasted back there, you wouldn't be in this mess." She looks down at herself, looking at her semi-expose front. "He's not looking, good. I'll use the last of my fat cells to make him a blanket."
She quickly pulls open her one piece, exposing herself to make a giant, wooly blanket. It was a cream colored blanket, big, bulky and fluffy, super warm for anyone. She puts her costume back into place, before draping her creation over the sleeping hero.
She sighs in relief just before a wave of dizziness comes about. She felt like she needed to hurl, so she slapped a hand over her mouth, waiting for the nausea to pass.
"I really am channeling Uraraka today, aren't I?" She swallows the bile in her throat, before taking a breather; Ignoring the exhaustion that was trying to take over. "Damn… This is hard. What the heck am I supposed to do? Wait?... Of course. It's the only option." She frowns at the bitter thoughts in her mind. "Hopefully, Todoroki's fever will break by the time someone rescues us, because I don't know how long he'll last like this."
*Break*
Hours passed or at least she thinks, because all she was doing was watching her friend sleep while trying to get a signal. But she was exhausted, and freezing. The homemade fire the half and half hero made was slowly dying off, and Momo just didn't have enough energy to make matches, or even a blanket for herself. The situation was taking on the both of them.
She shook the phone a bit, getting irritated. "Come on, stupid thing. Work." She mumbled (and she was hoping her parents would forgive her for her 'unlady like' language this evening. Being a 'proper' Yaoyorozo went to the back of her mind rather quickly today.).
And once again, who-knows-how-many-times-today, She shrieked when a violent shiver took over, her reaction being to hug herself again.
"Y-you're sh-shivering…"
Upon hearing the voice, Onyx eyes look down to meet sapphire and smoke. The teenage boy's eyes were a bit cloudy and glassed over, his forehead glistening with sweat.
"Todoroki." Momo said, surprised.
"Y-you're sh-shiver-ing…" Shoto muttered again.
"Well, it's a bit cold. Wait, you're sweating…" She reaches down to touch his forehead again, pulling back in horror. "You're burning up!"
"I-I am?" He looks at her confused.
"Yes!"
"B-but, I-I d-don't f-eel wa-rm…"
"That's part of having a fever! You're sick." She reaches around her back, pulling off her book that magnetically sticks onto her belt. Her 'Yayorictionary'. "I'm going to move your head, brace yourself."
Momo lifts his head gently off her lap, moving out of the way as she laid his head back down on the book. Shoto winces at the tiny bit of movement.
She frowns, a flash of guilt in her eyes. "Sorry. I'm going to check your wound." She replies,pulling back his blanket.
"W-herr d-did y-you ge-get the bl-blanket?" He asks, concern sprinkled into his words. He was looking at her in a daze.
"I made it when you were sleeping."
"Yaoyo-rozu… you sh-shouldn't ha-have used y-your q-quirk…"
"I know, I know. But I had no choice, I even made a phone to see if I could call someone. No luck though."
"Y-you what?"
Momo ignored him, throwing his vest aside as well to get a look at the wound. The bandages had spots of blood on it, which made her dread the results of it. She slowly peeled the bandages off, gasping. The wound looked inflamed, and the skin around it started to look black and had puss.
Shoto hissed in pain, closing his eyes tightly. "H-how bad is it?" He asked.
"B-bad. I don't understand, I cleaned it, it shouldn't look like this…" She replies, flabbergasted.
"Maybe be-because it's an enter and exit w-wound… I-It's the only th-thing I can t-think of…"
Momo bit her lip, thinking out loud. "Maybe. I don't know what to do. I can clean it again? That might help." She sighs. "I can't close it up either because it's infected, unless…." She looks at Shoto. "Todoroki, can you use your quirk?"
"Yes… I-I think so. Why?" He opens his eyes to look at her.
"Well, the only thing I can think of is to keep it sealed, not permanently, just to keep the infection from getting worse. I think you should freeze the wound."
Shoto tensed, memories of his childhood flooded into his mind as the scar over his eye twitched. "N-no… I-Ice…"
"Todoroki, I really think we should-"
"I SAID NO ICE!"
There was silence as Momo paled at his outburst, a scared look on her face making Shoto realize what he's done. Feeling guilty, he swung an over his eyes.
"S-sorry. No I-ice, please." He mumbled.
"O-okay, I'll rebandage all this, if you don't mind me using your supplies again…" She asks, cautiously.
"S-sure, go ahead."
She nods, even though he can't see it, and begins rebandaging his wound with the disinfectant and bandages Shoto had in his belt pouches. She works on his abdomen first, applying to disinfect before turning him on his side so she could clean his back. A wave of pain consumed him.
"It hurts… But I probably deserve this after yelling at her." Shoto scolded himself.
Once the brunette laid him on his back, she finished dressing his wound. He eventually opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of her wiping her hands onto her leotard, then pulling the vest and blanket over him once again.
"Yaoyorozu?" He said, catching her attention.
"Yes?" She said, still a little uneased.
"I'm sorry, I should have snapped at you like that."
She forces herself to smile, just like she was raised to do in a situation like this. "It's…. Okay, Todoroki."
He shakes his head. "No. No it's not. It's just…" The memories came flooding back, but he knew he had to explain it to her somehow. He lets out a sigh, hopping his answer would make sense. "I'm afraid the burn would leave a scar with the ice."
She raises an eyebrow, puzzled. "Burn? You weren't burned, Todoroki."
"I know that… But it feels like it…."
She sat there staring with a puzzled look, until the pieces started to fall into place. A quiet gasp passed her peach colored lips. "To-Todoroki… is that what happened to your eye?" She asked, worriedly.
He tensed a bit again, eyes moving away. "Y-yeah…" He replies, almost in a full whisper.
She frowns, reaching out for him. "Todoroki, I-"
When a cold streak striked her spine, she shrieked again, but this sounded more painful then the other times. His eyes darted back to hers just as the nausea took over his friend. The heroine's eyes closed, her body dropping forward.
"Yaoyorozu!" He yells, sitting up and catching her head before it hits the concrete floor. He hisses through his teeth as the pain came crawling back in full force, but ignored it as much as he could. "Yaoyorozu?"
He takes in her pale form and her lightly colored blue lips that just ruin the peach effect. His heterochromic eyes widened.
"Damn it. I knew she would get hypothermia. Why didn't she give the blanket to herself?!" He mentally slapped himself,his first aid training kicking in. "I have to get her warm."
He lays her down next to him, and lights the fire once again with his left side, immediately feeling his energy depleting. Next, he took his vest and wrapped it around her like he did earlier. Finally, he threw the wool blanket over the both of them before snuggling up close. Body heat. Once adjusted, he reached out and checked her forehead. Cold.
"She's cold, I'm warm, this isn't looking good for us." He pulled her in a bit closer, activating his fire just a bit to give her more heat despite how much it made his abdomen hurt. "I'll have to use the energy I have left on her. Once she wakes up, I can't use it anymore, so I hope someone finds us soon."
While trying to keep himself from passing out, he couldn't help but watch her sleeping form; still feeling guilty even after apologizing. "She looked scared of me after I yelled." Shoto recalls the haunting look on her face after his outburst. "Yet,... she still took care of me even after all that."
From there, Shoto recalls everything. Every memory he had of his classmates at UA. Even after he was so bitter and cold to them at the beginning, they still made an effort to make him fit right in with them, to make him feel comfortable.
Midoriya at the sports festival used the last bit of his strength, just to make him realize he was his own person and not some… some object to be toyed with. Even Yoarashi, the hero from another school, forgave his cold behavior. It even took Mr. Aizawa for him to realize he wasn't exactly the best team player, wasn't actually taking the time to communicate with them, wasn't communicating with Yaoyorozu.
"Yaoyorozu." He thought back to their 'fight' with their teacher. It wasn't that long ago in his mind. And way before that, he voted her to be class-rep, seeing that she had the intelligence to do so.
.
.
"You need to get yourself a girlfriend, Shoto." Natsuo's voice rang in the back of his mind. "
"Natsuo!" Fuyumi yells.
"What? He's always so serious, and a little oblivious…"
"Natsuo!"
"What? He is. Come on, Shoto, If you see and dream about a girl then that's the first step into liking her. So, you got any girls in your class you dream about?"
"Oh my god, Natsuo! Stop!"
.
.
Shoto flushed skin turned even more red, his eyes darting away from Momo's sleeping form. "Damn… why did I just remember that?!" He scolded himself. He felt his quirk heat up which he immediately dialed it back down to not harm his friend. "Do I really think of Yaoyorozu like that?"
Suddenly, the other half of that memory with his siblings came back.
.
.
"What's your type, Shoto? I could help." His brother asked.
"Stop harassing him, Natsuo." His sister scolded.
"No way. I'm going to drive him to the mall and-"
"Stop. You're clearly embarrassing him."
"No I'm not. Right, Shoto?"
"I'm not embarrassed." Was his reply to them.
"See?" Natsuo said, grinning as his sister face palmed herself.
.
.
That was little after the USJ attack. Back then, he really didn't have a crush. But his older brother had a point, he was oblivious. Maybe it was because he was so focused on becoming a hero, he never stopped to relax and think? Or maybe… he always did have one, and maybe ignored it? I mean,
"What do I see in her?" He jogged his clouded mind, thinking. "She's smart, she's kind, caring, a leader…" He was unaware of the big smile he was wearing. "She has a nice smile, and eyes, and a beautiful body… Body?!"
He blushed even harder, face palming himself with a free hand. "What the hell's wrong with me?! I'm turning into Mineta." He sighs at that, glancing back at her through his fingers, taking in the view. "She is pretty though…"
His mind went back to eariler's event, the part when her plump,peach lips were on his underwater, giving him life; then, he thought of his soft lips on hers when they were on dry land. He squeezed his eyes shut at the (wonderful) memory. "God damn, what's wrong with me? It's not like we actually kiss...it was just CPR. Right?"
He blushed even harder, darker than his crimson hair, before another memory came in. This time he heard Yaoyorozu's voice,
"To-Todoroki… is that what happened to your eye?"
Her face held concern for him. She was worried for him.
"For me." His heart skipped a beat. "She was worried for me. She cares…"
Suddenly, he heard her groan, eyes fluttering open. "To-Todoroki?" She breathes.
"Yaoyorozu, you're awake." He said, feeling a relief.
"Awake?"
"Yes. You passed out from the cold."
"Passed out?" Momo quickly realizes her body was pressed up against his. Her face turns red and she shoots up and off him.
"Yaoyorozu?" He says, sitting up slowly.
"I passed out?... Huh? Why am I wearing your vest?!" She replies, flustered (she could feel her face heat up for the thousandth time today).
"You were getting hypothermia, I needed to warm you up."
She shakes her head. "N-no. You need this more than I do."
She starts to take it off, but his hands wrap around hers.
"No. Leave it on." Shoto says, dead serious.
"N-no. You need to stay warm, you have a fever. Lay down." Momo replies, trying to push him back down gently.
It was his turn to shake his head. "No. I'm not the one turning blue."
She froze. "Blue?"
"Yes. Now… Just… please, stay close to me."
He freezes, then blushes at the words he just said. Momo soon copied, mouth opened slightly at him.
"To-Todo…roki?" She said in disbelief, her face as ripe as a tomato.
"I… I uh…" He stumbled, his left side smoking.
To make matters worse for them (A/N: Yes, I'll never give my children a break), The wall behind them came crashing down, making them jump. Their heads snapped to the broken wall, there was cold air coming along with light snow, and it was showing off the night sky.
"What the?" Shoto said, eyes big.
"Get down!" Momo yells, tackling him to the ground just before someone shot at the walls, creating giant holes in them. The shed was left in smoke and ruins, and Creati looked up to see what's going on, and saw who it was. All she could see was a huge silhouette of someone walking towards the building. Her breathing felt like it stopped short, realizing it was the villain from earlier. "Oh no…" She looks at Shoto who's in pain. "Todoroki! We have to move! That villain from earlier is here!"
"Wh-what? He's here?" He asked, breathing sharply for lost air.
"Yes! And we're in no condition to fight. We have to go."
"M'kay. I can try…"
Momo frowned, biting the inside of her cheek. She's never heard Shoto sound so defeated before. I don't think anyone has. Which, to be honest, scared her greatly. She took in a breath, and heaved the boy up to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulder to help him stay balanced. He groaned, holding his side.
"I know it hurts badly, but we're going to have to move quickly. Do you think you can manage?" She asks, quickly. He nods slowly, wincing.
"Good. I have to get Todoroki out of here." She tells herself, looking determined. (But, did she feel determined?)
They took off quickly as they could, Momo having to heave most of the weight meaning she was practically dragging Shoto, who was in a great deal of discomfort. He kept a hand over his abdomen through the journey of the cold night and snow. Both their breaths could be seen as they both shivered at their exposed skin.
"W-where are w-we go-ing to g-go? W-we don't even know w-where w-we are." Shoto asked, feeling his lungs working in overdrive.
"D-don't know. But w-we need to hide somewhere." Momo replies, nearly tripping on the icy roads of the abandoned area. She could hardly see with all this snow, and there weren't any forms of a light source to see. It was getting frustrating, and tiring.
Loud footsteps rumbled behind them at fast speeds, quirk activating. The half and half hero saw this, and reacted quickly.
"Down!" Shoto said, pulling the both of them to ground, missing an attack by the laser. They both slid across the ice, rolling until she was on top of him.
From afar, the villain laughed. "You're struggling, I can tell, which is perfect for me. You're going to pay for putting me in that fucking ice wall!" He yells, bitterly.
Momo panicked, scrambling off Shoto who laid very still on the ice. His eyes were shut tightly, still holding a hand to his injured side. He had fresh cuts on his bare chest from sliding.
"Todoroki! Wake up! He's coming!" She yells, nudging him a bit, but all she got was a distressful groan. "Todoroki, come on! Please… come on." She felt tears in her eyes, as her lip quivered. "Shoto, Wake up!"
"Found you both." The villain said, grinning.
She gasps and looks back seeing he was starting to come forward in a menacing type way. Momo, who was getting to her breaking point, feeling like she was going to pass out, stood up slowly onto her shaky and shivering feet.
"Yao...Momo…?" Shoto stuttered, his eyes barely opened, but he saw that she was standing in front of him with her arms stretched out protectively.
"She's protecting me?" He realizes.
The villain was finally standing in front of them, laughing at the scene. "You're going to stop me? Oh please, look at you, you can barely stand. What makes you think you can stop me?" He asks, eyeing the girl.
Momo kept a somewhat straight face, staring him down the best he could on a 7-foot guy. "J-just… stay away from Shoto, haven't you hurt him enough?!" She said, scared to death inside.
After a long pause, the villain just grinned. "No." was his reply, before using his oversize hand to smack her aside. She screamed as her body hit a nearby wall.
Horror appeared on the hero's face. "Momo...Ah!" Shoto tried to reach for her, but a heavy foot was placed onto his chest.
"Sorry girly, my beef is with the half and half bastard." The villain mocked, looking down at the teen with a wicked smile. "Fun, right?" He pushed his foot down more, hearing a satisfying crack.
"AH!"
The villain laughed again at his prey's lovely scream. Suddenly, he felt something touch his leg, glancing down to see that the heroine had a hand on his leg. She was breathing heavily with her battered body, And there was a trail of blood left behind her.
"D-don't… h-hurt h-him…" She mumbled in pain.
Shoto could feel his heart tearing at how vulnerable she sounded. He's heard her sound vulnerable before, like how she lost her confidence in the 'fight' against Mr. Aizawa, but this had a different feel to it. It made something inside him hurt,and it wasn't from the weight on his chest.
It was something else.
The grown man looked a little pleased at what he's done to the junior hero, but also a bit annoyed by her presence. "Man, you don't know when to quit, do you? That's such a shame…." He says, reaching down to grab her by the face, lifting her into the air. "I guess I'm going to have to get my hands dirty…"
He watched her try to push his hand off her face with one arm, weakly. The other arm of hers hung down, looking like it was broken from the impact of the building. She screams, feeling his hand squeeze tighter. "No problem, I've crushed enough skulls in my life, so this will be a breeze."
"N-no… stop… Momo…" Shoto croaked under the pressure, watching helplessly from the front row seat he had at this terrible show.
As the villain applied more pressure making the heroine scream some more, he was struck by flames that didn't belong to Shoto. Upon the contact of the fire, Momo was dropped to the ground, and the foot was taken off of Shoto. The boy's eyes looked painfully to the side, seeing who their savoir was…
Endeavor.
"D-dad..?" Shoto said in disbelief, wondering if his father was going to end this terrible night. Endeavor looked pissed off, more than usual because his flames were almost blue. Someone else happened to be here as well, flying overhead and showing off his flashy, red feathers. "Hawks?"
The number one and two heroes approached the villain slowly, who was dusting off the flames.
"Hey, Man! Just calm-... Ah!" The villain tried to reason with them, but more heat came his way.
Hawks quickly came down to shield the children with his wings, blocking Endeavor's attacks. It didn't take long for the colorful light show to end, just a few attacks of Hellflame and the villain was down for the count.
The red headed hero sighed, before looking alerted. "Shoto!" he said, rushing over to his son, getting down on his knees. "Shoto?"
"Dad, you found us." Shoto said, a smile lingering on his lips with hopeful eyes. He was happy that this was real, and the nightmare was finally ending.
"Shoto, are you injured?"
"Y-yes… But, what about… Momo?" His eyes trailing to Hawks and his friend.
The pro hero held her close while checking for a pulse. "She's unconscious, and alive… barely." Hawks admitted, looking pitiful towards the girl.
Shoto sighs, relief in his chest. "That's…. That's go-good…" He replies, before he falls unconscious from exhaustion, pain, and the cold.
"Shoto!" Endeavor yells, panicking.
"We need to get them to a hospital. They're both injured and probably have hypothermia." Hawks suggested, dead serious.
"What about the villain?"
Both adults looked where the villain was laying, but he wasn't there.
"God damn it." Hawks cussed.
Endeavor sighs. "Children first. We'll worry about him later." He says, taking Shoto into his arms. Hawks watched him get up, getting ready to leave but decided to push Momo into the older hero's arms. "What are you doing?"
"Get them both to a hospital. I'll get the villain." Hawks says, throwing his thumb behind him.
"What? Why?"
"He couldn't have gotten that far, and besides, you're the only one that can keep both of them warm at the same time. So, go."
Endeavor was a bit hesitant to leave him alone, But he did want the villain who attacked his son caught. He ends up nodding. "Fine. I'll take them."
"Great. Keep me updated on the kids." Hawks said, before turning to take off into the sky.
Endeavor then faced the two children laying in his arms, asleep, while taking in their teared up forms and ghostly pale faces. "Children first. Always." He says, before sprinting off.
*Break*
Shoto groaned at the newfound warmth, and at the blazing headache he had; Memories came flooding in also. He gasps. "Yaoyorozu!" He says, bolting up in bed ,which he immediately regretted. He hugged himself, hissing through his teeth. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Take it easy, son." he heard someone say.
He recognizes that voice. "D-dad?" He says, opening his eyes to look at him.
He was still in his hero costume, but his flames were turned off, and he had a worried look plastered on his face. "Take it easy." Endeavor says again.
"Dad. What happened? And where's Yaoyorozu?" Shoto asked.
"Over there." He pointed to the other bed in the room where the girl lied unconscious. "You've been asleep for quite some time."
"How long?"
"It's the next day, around noon. How are you feeling?"
Shoto frowned, laying against the pillows. "Alright… my side still hurts, but not as much as yesterday."
Endeavor frowns as well. "Well, the doctors sewed both sides up and bandaged. You also have some bruising, deep cuts, and you did have a small case of hypothermia."
"And Yaoyorozu?"
"About the same. Her hypothermia was a little more severe than yours, and she has some major bruising on her back, and her right arm's broken." Endeavor sighs, worrisome. "The doctor says you're both lucky to be alive."
"Yeah… I could see why…" Shoto's two colored eyes looked at his hands in his lap in the most defeating way.
His father saw this and placed a hand back on his shoulder again. "Don't look so defeated, Shoto. Your classmates told me what happened to you, you shouldn't feel guilty."
"How can I not? She dove in after me, gave me air, wasted all of her energy to take care of me; she even put herself in harm's way to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. So… how can I not?" He clenched his fists. "How can I not? I couldn't even do anything when that villain had her by the face, and she even tried to protect me then. How can I not feel guilty?"
Shoto looked so frustrated, that his hands were turning white from his tight grip. But the words of his father shocked him next.
"Shoto.. Unfortunately, that's how life is." Endeavor says.
"What?" Shoto looked at the older Todoroki, confused by his words.
"Whether you're a hero or not, that's how life is. You'll always have one person in your lifetime that stands up for you, protects you, keeps you safe. There will be a time where you'll feel like you can't do the same, that you feel hopeless. That's how life is." Endeavor replies, truthfully.
"But… why?" Shoto asked, still confused on why someone would do that for him. It just didn't make any sense to the boy.
"I'm not sure why, it just happens. A friend, a spouse, a stranger. But after that, you'll always want to do the same for them. Like you and the rest of your siblings."
Shoto raises an eyebrow. "Me? I don't think I've…"
Endeavor shakes his head. "You haven't, but it's because of your mother. She brought you and the others into this world, so me protecting all of you is the least I can do for her since I was so poor to all of you."
Shoto tilted his head curiously, not knowing his father's true feelings before. "Did.. Mom save you?" He asks.
Endeavor laughs lightly. "Yes. In a way, she did. You see… My father passed away when I was young, and it led me to be very angry in life. Even though our wedding was arranged, your mother did help through a lot and I'm grateful for that.
"However, the pressure of surpassing All Might clouded my mind and brought me back to the anger, leading to my bad behavior which I won't forget. I'm trying to change it all now by being there for my four children, and building that house for your mother."
Shoto notices he said four instead of three, but didn't want to correct him and bring up the guilt of not saving Touya, so he ignored it. Instead he stared at the older man in surprise. "Dad, I never knew any of that." he says, honestly.
"Yeah, well… I'll tell you more later." Endeavor replies, standing up. A little smile on his lips. "Get some rest, I'll visit you later. I have to go deal with the villain you and Miss Yaoyorozu faced."
Shoto smiles and nods. "Okay. Thank you, dad, for the talk."
"No problem, son." Even with the smile, he turned a bit serious for a moment. "Now, when you recover, I want full detail from you and your girlfriend about the villain attack"
"Girlfriend?" Shoto tilts his head again, an eyebrow raised. It took him a couple seconds to realize what his dad meant. His face turns bright red. "Uh! She's not my girlfriend!"
His dad laughs. "Shoto, there's worry for a 'friend' and worry for 'another'. You're the second one." The boy stares dumbfound, watching his dad opening the door and looking back one last time. "And besides, you called her by her first name when me and Hawks found the both of you."
He closes the door behind him, leaving Shoto in a silent room with Momo. His face blushed harder at the thought of it all. "Did I really call Yaoyorozu by her first name?" he thought.
"Stay away from Shoto!..."
"She called me by first name too. Does that mean…?"
"Todoroki?" Momo's voice broke through, making him jump.
He cracks his head over, seeing his classmate finally awake. Her gray eyes squinting in the light. "Yaoyorozu." He says.
"Uh… Todoroki. Where are we?"
"Hospital. My father and Hawks saved us."
"Hawks? And your Father?" She winces while trying to sit up.
Shoto looks at her worriedly. "Careful! Your arm's broken, and your back's bruised too."
"I'm fine." She replies, finally sitting up. "Ow… my jaw hurts, too." She brings a hand up to touch the bandages on her cheeks and head. Momo then winces when remembering why she would need these bandages. "Oh… Now I remember why."
"Are you okay?" he asks, frowning at the sight of her bandaged up.
"I'll manage. You?"
"The doctor's sewed me up, I'll be fine too. Although, we both had hypothermia like I thought we would."
"Really? Well that'll explain the eight blankets on me." She gave a small laugh, but it quickly died in the air.
A pregnant pause was bestowed before anyone spoke.
"Todoroki/Yaoyorozu?" They said in unison, making each of them laugh. A light blush on their cheeks.
"You first." She replies.
"O-okay. Um… I want to say thank you. You saved my life, multiple times yesterday. I'm very grateful." He says, with a small smile.
"Um… You're welcome."
"But… You scared me yesterday, and I'm sorry you had to put yourself in front of me. If I could only have moved, you wouldn't be hurt like you are now. I'm so sorry, Yaoyorozu." He looks down, not having the courage to look her in the eyes.
She frowns, looking serious. "Todoroki, I would do it again If I had to."
He looks up at her in surprise. "Yaoyorozu?"
"I will always protect the people I love, even if it gets me hurt. I don't regret what I did, so don't apologize."
"But-"
She shakes her head, and his mouth shuts closed. "And… Todoroki? Thanks for saving me too. For giving me CPR and keeping me warm. Thank you." Momo finishes with a smile.
"No problem." Shoto replies. He blushes again, thinking. "Um.. Yaoyorozu?"
"Yes?"
"I want to give you something, but I can't reach you very well. Can you lean over a bit, if it's not too much trouble?"
She looks at him,puzzled. "Um… sure. Okay." She leans over the bed a bit, stopping when it hurts too much. "This is as far as I can-"
She felt his lips peck her cheek.
Momo pulls away, touching her kissed cheek. Blushing in surprise. "Todo… Todoroki?" She stutters. She saw him blushing too, his eyes looking at his bed.
"S-sorry. That was for saving me." He replies, feeling his left side heat up.
"Oh, I see…"
He starts playing with his hands, nervously. He looks back up at her when he finds the courage to do so. "Uh… Would you.. You know, when we're healed, would you like to go out with me…?"
"Out? L-like a date?" She asks, her heart skipping a beat.
"Yes. Only if you want to."
She didn't even hesitate to reply, ignoring her hot face. "I would like that… Shoto."
He looked surprised once again, knowing that he was pretty close to setting his bed on fire. "Okay. Sounds great… Momo."
They both shared a loving stare and a comfortable silence, until the door bursts open with their classmates. The first one in was a crying Izuku Midoriya.
"Todoroki! Yaoyorozu! I'm so sorry!" He yells, already flooding the hospital room with his tears.
"Yeah! It was unprofessional of us not to go after you two!" A crying Denki Kaminari says as well.
Both Momo and Shoto gave them all reassuring smiles, before they were bombarded with questions and hugs.
And yes, after they were healed, they did go on that date. And another, and another, and another….
-Present day-
"So yeah, that's how this all started. And honestly, that terrible day did turn into something bright."
Shoto, who was now older, smiled at the camera while the interview was coming to the end.
"Well, Winter Inferno, your wife sounds lovely, I can see why you tied the knot. You and Creati seem very happy together." The interviewer says, smiling brightly.
"We are." Shoto replies.
"Thank you for stopping by, too."
"Anytime."
The camera cut and he was soon dismissed. His boss decided to send him home for the night as well. After changing out of his hero costume, and into something more comfortable, he made his way home to the apartment him and his wife had. He took out his keys and opened the door into the semi-dark apartment, only a light in the living room was turned on.
"Momo, I'm home." He called out, closing and locking the door. He put his keys on the counter and took his shoes off walking towards the TV, which was on. "Momo? Oh…"
The raven haired woman was lying fast asleep on the couch. Her hair was overflowing the cushions, and her mouth was open slightly.
He chuckles, reaching down for the remote, turning off the TV. "Looks like someone couldn't wait for me." He said, turning off the lamp as well, before facing his wife. He gently reaches down to pick her up, cradling her close.
She stirred a bit, opening her tired eyes. "Shoto?" She said, quietly.
"Hi, My love. Was somebody watching my interview?" he asks, playfully.
"Mmm… maybe…" She closes her eyes again, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Tired?"
"Mmm… yes…"
"Okay, well, let's get you to our bed." He didn't have to walk far to their room, before placing his sleeping beauty on their bed.
"Mmm… snuggle…" Momo mumbled, pulling him down next to her.
He laughs again. "Alright." Shoto says, getting close, kinda like what happened back in the shed all those years ago. "Are you getting hypothermia?" He saw her smile at his cheesy joke.
"Nooo…. And if I was, you would keep me warm."
"I'm pretty sure you would."
"Whatever, Shoto." She pulls him a bit closer. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He smiles, closing his eyes and taking her presence in.
Yeah, he was glad she saved him, because marrying her was the best thing he's ever experienced in his whole life.
And Scene. Hope you enjoyed this story! Check out my other fics too. Thank you!