I-Island Vacation: Slow Dance in Your Arms.
Momo and I wandered through the exposition, trying to find Uncle Shield. I wanted Momo to meet him because he was kind of my podiatrist and brace-guy. Not just that, but he became a close friend because he would give me my bands.
The set I had was durable, but fraying like crazy. So I needed a new set. I'm sure he was busy, but at least it gave me time to check out the starting Expo. It wasn't ready until a few weeks into the summer, but with Momo's family holding some stock in the company and me winning the Sports Festival… we could romp around for a while.
Katsuki was blowing up the Villain Attack attraction, with Melissa running off to meet All Might. Momo vehemently made this a 'Relaxing Vacation, so don't get hurt,' trip. So that meant where I went, she went, too. Ochaco and Jirou showed up, too.
"Yaomomo! Renugou!" Ochaco called, waving.
"Oh hey!" I greeted, seeing the other girls run-up, Jirou smirked.
"So~ You two on a date or something?" Jirou asked, ribbing me.
"What?! No… I'm gonna go get a new set of bands… these're fraying and I don't want 'em to break, otherwise, I might pull another Final Buster… and… well, I'd rather be alive," I mumbled. Momo looped her arm around my shoulders.
"That's not what Katsuki told me…" Jirou whispered.
"What did they do?" Ochaco asked.
"EHHHH! None of your business! Oh gosh, look at the time! Gotta go see Uncle Shield! C'mon, Momo, let's hightail it!" I yelled, picking her up and running.
"Seriously, what did they do?" Ochaco asked again.
Jirou smirked, "Lemme tell ya, it was a TRIP,"
Jirou leaned over and whispered in her ear, causing the other girl's cheeks to become even rosier.
"Oh my…" she mumbled.
'I never knew Yaomomo and Renaru were doing THAT kind of stuff…' she thought.
I skidded to a stop, Momo was giggling.
"You're so cute all flustered like this…" she teased. I sighed and let her down. We were in front of the main lab, seeing so many people moving through the doors and all, most of them either people invited, or people who work here.
"Yeah, yeah, I know… just… I dunno if Uncle Shield's busy or not…" I mumbled. It's been a while since the last time I saw him. He was probably working on a few projects. We went inside to find Izuku hanging out with Melissa. He was his usual sputtery self.
Melissa was excitedly dashing around, showing Izuku all kinds of cool gadgets, but when she clapped eyes on me and Momo, she ran up to me.
"Renaru! Just the guy my dad wants to see! He's waiting in the inner lab, you know where that is, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, down the way, up the stairs by the prototype M.I.G.H.T.Y suit, then hang a left, right?" I asked.
She nodded and Momo seemed to glare at her. We left them be and went down the way, seeing the steps and going up to the inner lab, where Uncle Shield helped out those with Quirk Palsy I was the one who helped spearhead Quirk Palsy in the emitter-type field.
Momo still held onto me, her expression stern.
"Momo, if you keep pouting like that, your face will freeze," I chided.
"Still! I don't like the way Melissa looks at you! It's the same with Shiozaki and Shoji! Are you gonna… gonna cheat on me?" she asked.
"WHAT?! Hell no! I almost died for you multiple times!" I gasped.
"Good, glad we're clear on that," she said, kissing my cheek. I blushed and saw Uncle Shield and his assistant, Mr. Abraham, coming up to the front.
"Well well well! If it isn't the Casanova of the Kindergarten all grown up!" Uncle Shield greeted, bringing up memories of me tooling around in my walker with a small crowd of girls trailing after me, with my stupid crush on Midnight also coming back up.
"So… who's this?" he asked, checking my arms and legs as Momo waited quietly. Uncle Shield's aqua eyes shined with good humor.
"Oh! Uhm… I'm his girlfriend… Momo Yaoyorozu," Momo piped up.
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle, you settled!" he gasped, nudging me. I shut my eyes tightly and took a deep breath. He took up my bands. They were torn up at the ends and unraveling.
"Damn kiddo… you tore these up…" he sighed, "Sam, get Coolant Bands A-120,"
Mr. Abraham smiled and nodded, "It's your lucky day, kid! David and I finished the new set today," he said, he was a heavyset man and he lumbered into the back. Uncle Shield looked at me and Momo.
"So… how did you two meet?" he asked.
"Well… we were at the exam at the beginning of the year… and I saved her from a robot…" I said, my cheeks flaring. Momo's cheeks turned a little pink.
"Aw… the knight in shining armor, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah… I guess?" I mumbled. Momo smiled.
"More like a knight in burning sparks!" she said. Uncle Shield grew stern.
"Renaru, be honest with me, why're your arms covered in burn scars? I thought I told you to take it easy… ahh, knowin' your mom… I guess I'm talking to a mini-Mitsuki," he joked dryly.
Momo and I looked at each other, and I closed my eyes, "It's… It's hard to talk about…" I admitted.
"Look, I know what happened at the USJ, I just didn't know it was you who got so hurt, then the Hero Killer got to you and everything's been confusing I bet," he sighed, putting his hand on my head and ruffling my hair.
"But you've always been that little guy chuckin' his walker at thugs and bullies to me! Let's get you kitted up, Ren, and I'll letcha get back to your girlfriend, you're pretty lucky with you datin' Akira's daughter," he drawled, winking as Mr. Abraham came back with a long steel case.
"Okay, so these babies are new, and not black like the old ones," he said.
"Aww! But I matched my hero suit to fit the old band's color…" I sighed, Uncle Shield smiled and opened up the case. They were similar to my old ones, but with a lightweight metal-plastic alloy on the outside.
"Since you're dead-set on being a hero, Mel and I made these to withstand extreme heat and impacts, also, they control your Full Salvo mode much better than the older ones did. So no more burns, and no more strained muscles… but be careful if you want to go into the Burning mode, It'll fuse the metal and plastic and make it rigid and hard to move," he explained.
"Why are they… crimson?" I asked.
"Because you like Endeavor, right?" he asked.
I looked down at them and pulled them on, remembering his power-hungry eyes and shuddering a little. I felt the bands extend over my back and chest, with a small clipping noise.
"Wait… so it's like a full-body suit?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yeah, don't worry, just slide the gauntlets off. It's meant to cool you off, okay?" he assured. He patted me on the back and I stretched, feeling the material stretch and retract along with my movements.
"It also doesn't collapse into a cube-like the other ones. Now go have fun, Renegade!" he said, ruffling my hair again.
Momo messed with my new bands a little, "Does it feel weird?" she asked.
"No, it just feels like a body glove, kinda like a hug," I explained, Momo and I were gonna hit the beach. There were artificial ones, but then I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.
"Well! If it isn't the coochie crusader!" Denki greeted with a cheeky smile. Momo blushed and looked away while I also heard…
"Bless the Tiddies, Brother Renaru!" Mineta called.
I sighed, I could never get away from Mineta, could I? He and Denki were wearing waiter's garb and I saw that Denki was holding a mop and Mineta was just… being Mineta. He turned to Momo and I immediately started to spark.
"Watch what you fuckin' say…" I snarled.
"I heard of your deeds, Renaru!" he said.
"Did Katsuki tell you?" I sighed.
"Of course!" Mineta exclaimed, not seeing Momo behind him with a heavy volume in her hands. She looked like she had murder in her eyes.
"Oh Mineta~" she crooned, she gained THAT TONE. Which meant she was mad, and for me… it meant some freaky shit was gonna happen involving me and her.
"Ye-" *THWACK!*
Mineta fell to the ground, a lump forming on his head, "My business with Renaru is an AB business, C your way out," she growled.
"Momo, stop trying to have badass one-liners… that's more of Katsuki's thing," I sighed. She lit up and ran into my arms, squeezing me tightly.
"Let's hurry up and get to the beach! I wanna see what new swimsuit you have!" she exclaimed.
"But… I… tch, fine!" I snarled. I pulled off my armbands and they collapsed into pocket-sized triangles. I unshouldered my bag and put them in, my leg bands stayed on. I wasn't too sure if they were waterproof, but I didn't want to wear my armbands.
I pulled on my new trunks, my old ones were ones that had been Katsuki's. Momo had her swimsuit on underneath the same dress she wore when we went out to the boardwalk. She slipped it off and there was the bikini we got together.
This was the Momo that didn't need to keep up appearances. This was the one that was cutely shy and kind, all kinds of good things, aside from her being a little whiny… Still… even THEN she was cute. She's such a pretty contradiction…
I grabbed some sunscreen, "Okay," I stated, rubbing it on her, she flinched.
"C-Cold…" she mumbled.
"Just lemme do this," I sighed. Her skin was like… like touching silk, and she let out a tiny groan and leaned against me.
"For a man with shaking hands… you do know how to massage someone…" she sighed, smiling and I continued to rub the sunscreen on her. She then took it in her hands.
"Alright, my turn!" she chirped, her hands glided on my back and I didn't flinch, she was deft and graceful, her hands soft and she was humming a little.
"Mm… that feels good, my muscles feel nice…" I mumbled a little.
"Only the best for my man…" she whispered into my ear, "I love you, and sometimes, it scares me when you're away from me, so you know why I'm so protective," she reasoned.
"Yeah, but Melissa is kinda like my big sister… no one could ever replace you, and I.. I want to have kids one day, and there's no one I'd rather have them with but with you," I admitted, it was the truth if Momo and I were gonna be together by the end of high school, I wanted to marry her. All while flipping off Handman and her mother, walking backward into the future.
Then, we'd have kids, a nice house, and I'd be the greatest dad in the world... more of a dad than my own. Momo and I stood up.
"I want to be by your side, too…" she sighed, then gained a cheeky smile.
"Race you!" she declared.
"Oh no, we ain't gonna do this!" I snarled, stopping her and plopping her onto the sand.
"What?! Awww…" she pouted.
"Momo, dear, there's no rush…" I advised. She grabbed me and grinned.
"Then why wait…?" she asked.
"Baby… you know why we're gonna be heroes… I want you to chase your dream, too…" I sighed.
"Being a hero is an obligation…" she sighed.
"Then why chase it?" I asked.
"Because you inspired me… you became my constant…" she said, leaning down a little and pressing her lips to my ear, "I want to become a hero to finally see what my father loved about it, yet… there's you there, too,"
I felt myself fall back into the waves, feeling her arms around me. I landed in the water, the water didn't sting, I saw her hair billow and her dark eyes shining. We popped back up, laughing and parting, splashing each other and playing in the surf.
We could be kids again, and we ended our beach day holding each other and watching the clouds, tonight was a party in All Might's honor for the hell of it, I guess. I slid on my sleeves and straightened my black tie, my hair was in the same untameable Spike Spiegel mop.
Everyone was gathered up and waiting, and I was already impatient, even if Momo and I were staying in the same room, she insisted on me waiting with the others. So here I was, waiting for the girl of my dreams. I stretched a bit with Katsuki watching.
"So… you and Melissa…" I mumbled.
"Tch, it's gonna be alright, yer big bro's got it well in hand!" he scoffed.
"That means it's Code 34?" I asked.
"No," he denied.
I smiled, "Renaru!" Momo's voice called, I turned and I beheld an angel. That dress looked so good, and her hair was in a fancier ponytail, her eyes sparkled and I went slack. I knew that I picked out the perfect dress.
"Wow…" I breathed, grabbing her shoulders and smirking. I was so star-struck. Then Melissa showed up and Katsuki looked like he was constipated.
"Soo… what do you think, Katsuki?" she asked.
"You look… look… STUNNING!" he spat, "Fuck!"
"Let's go dance already, Mel!" he snapped, guiding Melissa away. I waved after them, with Momo gripping my hand and smiling at me.
"So… do you want to… uhm… dance?" she asked, her cheeks turning that cute shade of pink. I smiled.
"Eh… sure. I'm warnin' you now those… I'm a klutz," I sighed.
"Aw, just… let me lead, okay?" she asked. Her arms wrapped around my waist and her hand holding it and my free hand, now shaking because I was nervous, that was nothing compared to Katsuki, who was completely crimson as Melissa spun him like a top, pulling him back into her arms with a teasing smile. When Momo and I drifted by, I winked at him. He glared at me and continued to dance with Melissa.
Momo and I fell into a gentle sway, her steps confident as I barely was able to keep up because I was so nervous. She dipped me down and traced my jaw lovingly.
"You're so flustered, Renaru," she taunted, tipping me back up.
"W-Well… Uhm… I've n-never d-danced before, e-e-especially with a g-girl as pretty a-as you…" I spat, with Momo huddling me against her.
"Just hang on to me, Renaru… you'll be good at it in no time at all…" she sighed, just enjoying the music like I was, letting everything fall away into a comfortable lull. Then, I looked up at her, she didn't care if I was a klutz or not, she just loved me for who I was…
Renaru Bakugou, the little boy who used to chuck his walker at bullies. Renaru the hero who didn't let anything stop him… Renaru the quiet twin that seemed to magnetize people. And I loved her for her.
Renaru was so cute in his little suit, stumbling and giggling at every mistake and flaw like it was the funniest thing to ever happen. His mess of spiky and curly hair untamed, but it wasn't too messy, He was such a willing partner, too.
His reddish-brown eyes shined with joy and innocence. His smile was wry and taunting, but charming in a 'Watch me beat these guy's asses while listening to some song I know' way. He leaned up and that wry smile lit up his face.
"Do you know why I don't want to wait?" I asked.
"Why?" he wondered. I tipped his face up, a smile on my lips, I leaned him over, my lips close to his ear.
"Because… I want…" I faltered off. Thinking about it now. The Exam where we met, where that simple lift changed everything, the USJ, where a bloodied, beaten hero pushed on regardless of my pleas to make him stop, The fight with Stain where I carried Renaru on my back, bleeding and broken, but no less a hero.
How much I grew to love him outside of the suit, outside of him being the daring Full Salvo Hero, the time at my house where he fit just right in my arms, the boardwalk and his confession, how cute his blush was… but the more I stared at him.
The more I wanted to stay. The more I wanted to give myself to him, have him take me as his. He represented so much more than he knew. He represented hope, freedom, a place for me to belong. A place where I don't feel like Momo Yaoyorozu, the heiress to the huge company or Momo the trophy wife or even Momo the slave to a man who barely loved her and used her for kids.
To Renaru Bakugou, I was just Momo. I was just the pretty girl he decided to save so innocently.
"You okay?"
That cute look of concern, that warm, slightly shaking hand reaching out, the weight of him against me now…
I realized something.
"I want to feel free… I want to feel more than just the pretty daughter of some woman who runs a business and a hero who bit the dust too soon… I just want to be yours. I want to make my own family where my children don't have to worry about Daddy not loving them or Mommy being so overbearingly protective. Where we can shed the masks and just be us… so that's why I want you so badly, and I- I…" I was cut off by Renaru kissing me, he shut me up right when I was about to say one of the words that pissed him off the most.
"I understand, Momo… I understand, just… I might not be ready for it… but when I am, when… when I'm ready… will you… will you let me be with you? I might not be much, I might just become an asshole, I might… I might not even live long enough to see our hypothetical kid open their eyes… but I-" It was my turn to shut him up, he was rambling.
"Don't you dare say you're not good enough, look at you! So strong, so assured, your future couldn't be any brighter! You're a burning flame, a force of will stronger than Endeavor could ever be, stronger than anything and purer than anything because you keep that childlike wonder and wide-eyed excitement in you, I'll help you get to that future, because you're more than Renaru, and you're more than Renegade and Endeavor, more than that doubt…" I went in for another kiss, but before I did, I said something I never, ever wanted to take back.
"You're MY HERO," I stated, kissing him, and I never felt more love than then, in the middle of the dance floor, at I-Island before Renaru changed, before we went to camp, before the attack and subsequent uncertainty.
He was my hero, he was the man I cherished and loved…
He was the Full Salvo Hero: Renegade, yet he was also Renaru Bakugou. The man who I want to be my husband.
A.N: Wow! Look at us! We're at three thousand views! You all rock! Stay tuned and keep frosty, the next chapter's gonna be the end of the I-Island arc.
"But XIII? What about the attack?" you ask.
It doesn't happen in mine, everyone has a nice, fun time at Techno Island. Wolfram and his boys are gonna come in later. As for Renaru and Momo... well... you'll see.
