{A/N: Hey guys, I've been taking more time to write longer chapters so they will usually come out every 3 to 4 days. Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think of this chapter or the story overall with a review or pm, thanks!}
Three days had passed since their first meeting in the greenhouse. Momo's life as a student was getting back on track. The class was preparing for the upcoming midterms and Momo was focused on her goal to score high and help her study group succeed. At least away from the greenhouse that is. Nothing had distracted her the past three days besides a small fight between Todoroki and Bakugou earlier. She had convinced herself it was nothing since the angry blond boy never stopped pestering Todoroki for a rematch. The only thing that stood out besides was another dream about the snow white woman in the forest. She planned to tell Todoroki about it at their meeting later that day. The usually spent about 20 minutes everyday in the greenhouse. They would talk about class, hero training, and about themselves. Momo really enjoyed getting to know him even more. The re-establishment of their connection was… also enjoyable. Kissing the ice prince had become easier but revealing the feelings she had for him was anything but.
She was standing in front of her locker after a harsh session outdoors at the U.A. hero training facility. She took off her blue training top and let out a deep sigh. She had expended a lot of energy making items for combat as quickly as possible. Momo turned towards the mirror on her locker door. She stood in her white sports bra and skin tight leggings, both damp with sweat. Momo had always had a good figure but U.A.'s intense training regime had put her through the ringer. Her body was leaner and more defined than it had ever been before. She looked at herself, proud that her hero training was paying off in more ways than one. With the feeling of being comfortable in her own skin, the creation hero grabbed a towel from her locker and headed towards the showers.
She passed by the entrance of the locker room expecting to see Mina or Jiro who were also training nearby come in at any second. Studying was going well for her but she was worried for the others in her group… but mostly for Mina. Momo smiled thinking about how frustrated Jiro would get with their airhead friend. The locker room door opened with a slam and Momo turned to greet her friends. But it wasn't either of her good friends, nor was it a girl... Standing drenched in sweat and only wearing shorts was a wounded and desperate Todoroki.
"..."
He silently approached her.
1 ½ hours earlier
"Oi Todoroki! You, me, one on one. We're finishing our match from the sports festival damn it!"
Bakugou was going off on a neutral faced Todoroki as everyone from class A-1 gathered in the lobby of the boys dorm. It was a Saturday on the U.A. campus and Sero the sugar rush hero had asked the class if they wanted to try out some new pastry creations. The smell from the high tech kitchen had everyone drooling with anticipation. Everyone except an infuriated Bakugou and an indifferent Todoroki, the latter not having much of a sweet tooth anyway.
A timer rang from the kitchen and everyone else in the class flocked towards the smell. Sero baked 12 different flavors of muffins including every berry flavor, chocolate, lemon, cinnamon, and even a tea flavor. There were only 2 of each so a small war broke out over who got to try which flavors. Momo was in no rush so when she finally got to the kitchen counter, there were only a blackberry, lemon, and two tea flavored muffins left. Mina had dragged Jiro to the group of class A-1 girls to compare their pair of cinnamon flavored muffins. She was deliberating on which muffin to try when she glanced over to the living room area.
Todoroki was staring directly at her and then immediately turned away upon eye contact. Bakugou was still yelling at him until a spiky haired Kaminari grabbed the explosive heroes collar and led him to the main group of boys to try some muffins. Momo was taken aback by Todoroki's apparent interest in her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts until an idea popped into her head. Since Todoroki was now sitting on a couch separated from class she could talk to him for a bit without being scrutinized. Momo grabbed both of the tea muffins and made her way to the isolated couch. Todoroki's expression softened as she approached.
"I remember you saying you don't like sweets but I figured the flavor of tea trumps everything for you."
She handed him a muffin with a smile, proud of herself for calmly relaying what she wanted to say. He took the offering with a small smirk.
"I suppose you're right M-... Yaoyorozu."
He looked slightly dejected by the nearby presence of their classmates. The pair ate in silence for a minute. They hadn't gotten the chance to really talk in person outside of their daily meetings. Todoroki was the first to speak.
"You were right, this muffin isn't too sweet. I like it."
He was looking at her again and Momo suddenly got nervous.
"O-Oh yeah I just figured you'd like to try one like the rest of the c-class. I'm… glad you liked it."
There was some kind of commotion happening in the main group so they were too preoccupied to notice the pair eating together. The tea muffin she was eating had a slightly bitter taste that would put most people off. It didn't have the sugary taste of most muffins but Momo found it to be especially tasty regardless. She looked at Todoroki as he ate. He had the same neutral expression as always but she could tell that he was enjoying it. She smiled as she began to ask a question when-
"TODOROKI!"
Bakugou had clearly been the cause of the commotion earlier as he stomped away from the main group. He put his foot up on the couch next to his target.
"I'm tired of waiting, I need to beat you at full power already!"
The boy he was yelling at simply ignored him and continued to eat. Bakugou had enough of his cool attitude. He slapped the muffin right out of Todoroki hand as he yelled,
"Are you scared or something, huh?! You're still trying to hold back the power you inherited from Endeavor? What's the matter with you, you got daddy issues or something?!"
Todoroki froze in place. Everyone in the room stopped dead as they looked at the conflict taking place. Momo stood to say something but Todoroki moved first. He slowly stood up and shot Bakugou a look that sent a chill down the spine of every person there. His piercing heterochromatic eyes glared directly through Bakugou.
"Training facility in an hour, I'll give you exactly what you've been asking for. I'll destroy you."
He left the lobby through the sliding glass doors as everyone remembered to breathe again. Even Bakugou was a little shaken up by his classmates sudden coldness. He tried to blow it off as everyone was now looking towards him.
"Finally, I'll put that half-and-half bastard in his place! Move!"
He brushed past his classmates as he headed towards the elevator to await his duel with the son of Endeavor. Momo had seen all of this happen right next to her and she was truly disturbed. The Todorki she had just seen was not the boy she had gotten to know over the past week. A feeling of dread gathered in her stomach as she thought of the face Todoroki had just made. Jiro could see that her friend was visibly shaken up by the ordeal so before everyone came to their senses, she suggested that the girls head back to their dorm. The group left the building while gossiping about had just transpired.
"I've never seen Todoroki so angry before, he's usually so calm" Tsuyu bluntly said.
"Yeah! I hope everything works out safely between those two. Should we tell a teacher about it?" Uraraka chimed in.
The girls continued talking in a group as Jiro glanced back at her friend who was lagging behind. Momo gripped her right arm and stared down at the ground in front of her. Jiro didn't need to be her best to know that she was feeling a plethora of negative emotions. Thankfully the other girls hadn't noticed just yet and Jiro was determined to get them all back to the dorm where she could comfort her friend in private.
"Hey, lets have an all girl study session in the lobby when we get back. I'm sure our class president and a few of the other boys will take care of any fights that break out. Let's just focus on studying since everything is going to be fine."
Jiro said this to the group but was specifically directed at Momo.
The girls reached their dorm and separated to bring their studying materials back to the lobby.
Momo reached her room and simply plopped down face first onto her bed. Jiro had followed her and saw her in this state.
"You know, you looked really worried Momo."
She simply mumbled into her bed as a response.
"They were just having an argument, I don't blame Todoroki for getting that mad with all the times that Bakugou has yelled at him for a rematch. It's probably good for them to put this matter to rest. There's no need for you to be so worried."
Momo took a moment and then sat up, her worried expression remained unchanged.
"It's just… The way he acted when he got mad, the face he made... that wasn't Todoroki. I know who he really is more than anyone in class. At least I think I do."
Momo was at a loss. Did she really know him that well? With everything that had happened that week, maybe she was deluding herself to get through this situation. Everything had happened so fast, it would make sense if things weren't as they seemed. Her eyes teared up as these thoughts rushed through her head. Jiro grabbed both of her hands in front of her.
"Listen Momo, I'm the last person who would try to convince you of the integrity in a boy. But the feelings you told me about the other night were pure and honest. You wouldn't have felt that way about a boy who was deceitful or manipulative. Personally I don't think Todoroki seems like that at all. I think he got triggered by Bakugou's pestering and let out some pent up frustration. He even mentioned his father, I think there has to be some bad history there. Basically what I'm trying to tell you is don't overthink this."
Momo was trying to control her breathing as she listened. The words from her friend calmed her down and spoke reason into her confused heart. She knew Jiro was right, she was overthinking things because of her emotional connection to Todoroki. She couldn't let something like this get in the way of studying or becoming a hero. Momo stood up and smiled at Jiro
"Ok I'm ready, let's study as much as we can."
The pair headed down to the lobby and joined in on the study session. After about 30 minutes Mina had had enough.
"IT'S HOPELESS, why do I need to know math to beat up some villains!? We should be training for our practical exam too right? Let's do that!"
While she was trying to get out of studying, she did make a good point. Heroes need to be physically capable as well. Jiro glanced at Momo before she spoke.
"OK, we can use the outdoor multi terrain field for some training. The practical exam is definitely going to be the hardest part of the midterm so it's a good idea."
"Aaaand it's right next to the Training facility so that we can see the rematch betwee-"
Jiro just had to lift her leg a few inches to silence the alien girl who had grown used to roundhouse kicks.
"We go for training and that's it. After we change in the lockers it's back to hitting the books. Sound good Momo?"
Momo nodded in agreement, glad to be doing something to distract her from her worried thoughts. The other girls opted to continue studying written material as Jira, Mina, and Momo made their way to the outdoor course.
Present Time
Momo stood utterly frozen in place. All of the emotions she had been suppressing for last couple of hours broke through the flood gates within her. The positive and negative feelings crashed into each other like two giant waves, canceling each other out and leaving Momo unable to move or react in any way. She simply observed the boy in front of her. His hand gripped the side of the door for support as steam rose from his burnt and bruised body. He had clearly been subjected to several of Bakugo's explosions but his face did not reveal any pain. His eyes were glossed over, staring almost menacingly at Momo in her state of undress.
In any other situation, Momo would have done something. Her body was crying out in both fear for herself and concern for Todoroki. It paralyzed her, even as he approached with a stomping gait. She wanted to run, she wanted to scream, but at the same time she wanted to believe in the boy she grew to have feelings for. His hands gripped her shoulders and she felt the cold sting of the locker door on the skin of her back. Momo couldn't look away from him. His cruel eyes looked right through her. She felt betrayed by those eyes. All the trust she had placed in him, all the feelings she had willingly shared. Had it all meant nothing? She wouldn't be able to forgive him or herself if that were the case. Her stomach dropped and a sickening feeling spread through her body. She needed to move, but something in her body kept her rooted in place. She didn't want to feel sick like this anymore, so then why could she not turn away as Todoroki came closer? His wounded and exposed body pressed against hers as their lips met.
She felt the heat flow through her body, but instead of feeling the comforting warmth she was used too, the heat was tainted by an overwhelming emotion: hatred. The cocoon of warming pressure around her was scarred by searing hot marks that stung her body. The difference from the previous times they had kissed was painfully clear. Something was affecting Todoroki to cause his anger. The visions of the boys' experiences came to her with this realization. His eyes became hers and the events she had been so worried about unfolded before her.
He was watching Momo from across the lobby as she stood in the kitchen. She approached him with two muffins in hand and a sense of comfort came over him. He felt at peace eating and talking to her. The voice of Bakugou yelling at him was merely a distraction that didn't bother him in the slightest. Even when he slapped the muffin from his hand, he only felt concerned for how Momo would take it. Then Bakogou mentioned his father.
It was always a trigger for him but he could normally handle the emotions that came with it. For some reason when Bakugou spoke of his father, something erupted within him. A boiling rage consumed everything else in his mind. He vaguely remembered threatening Bakugou with a match in the training facility. He was viewing everything as if it were a dream in which he could only see the object of his hatred. Ten minutes later Todoroki found himself walking the path of the U.A Trail. He had been in a daze and now finally calm enough to be fully aware of his surroundings. He realized that no matter what had caused him to act like that, it was still unbecoming of the hero he wanted to be. He continued walking as he planned an apology to give his classmates and Bakugou. He might have instigated it but Todoroki knew the explosion hero wasn't a bad person.
Before he knew it, he had ended up at the greenhouse. In the brief time he had spent in it, it had become one of his favorite places on campus. The crisp clean air and peace and quiet of the domed structure was perfect for him. It was also the place that he got to see… Momo. He smiled as the name crossed his mind; she was the only person he referred to with familiarity outside of his family. Todoroki sat on his side of the bench they shared during their meetings. He was glad to be there after experiencing that frightening feeling earlier. He endured a level of hatred at that moment that he never had before. He needed to set things right at the training facility.
Time passed until he knew Bakugou would be awaiting his arrival. He reached the glass building and found Midoriyama and Lida standing watch over the entrance to a certain training room. They both expressed their concerns about the fight but Todoroki assured them that he had no intention of fighting and would instead apologize for his reaction earlier. He didn't want to start a needless brawl on school grounds. The two looked relieved and gladly let him into the room. The entirety of the room spanned around length and width of a football field. Multiple terrains were spread out evenly amongst the room. Bakugou could be seen standing on top of a large rock looking down at him.
"Finally! I was beginning to think you chickened out you half faced bastard…"
He lept down and began walking towards Todoroki
"Listen Bakugou I didn't mean what I said earlier, let's not-"
"Bullshit! You were actually pissed off for the first time and I was happy to see it!"
Todoroki felt a pain inside his chest, something was building like before.
"No Bakugou, that was a mistake… I didn't-"
"It doesn't matter! You're here now and you want to fight me don't you!?"
His body was containing something dangerous, an unknown feeling that threatened to unleash itself. The corners of Todoroki's vision began to burn dark red.
"Do I need to get you mad again for this happen Todoroki!?"
"Please, just stop."
"You know I've always wondered about your scar… is that why whenever your dad gets brought up you lose your temper?"
Hatred came forth from Todoroki's very being. A fire that consumed his senses spread over his eyes. The world was a deep Red Sea. There was something there, the bright yellow figure of a man stood in front of him. He didn't understand what he was seeing, but he knew exactly what his body was telling him. He needed to release his hatred upon the figure in front of him. He needed to destroy the figure in its entirety. He needed to paint the world around him a deep, dark, enrapturing red.
He felt his body ease forward in the murkiness that surrounded him. He faintly registered pain from his arm as he reached towards the bright figure, but nothing could compare to the feeling of hatred he was feeding on. Everything else paled in comparison as his blows connected onto the object he was directing his hatred towards. A feeling of power overcame his pain as the light seemed to grow dimmer.
Then he felt a slight resistance to his movement. He could only see the yellow figure but he could tell that a person was stopping him. It didn't matter, the power he felt would let him do as he pleased. He was about to exert himself to the fullest extent when the yellow figures blurred edges became more clear. The figure turned into a defined silhouette of a tall bulky man. Todoroki paused as the revelation hit him: his hatred had been directed at the glowing embodiment of his father, Endeavor.
The yellow light dispersed and the Red Sea became a mist of red covering his eyes. He was barely able to see what was happening around him. The entire room had a sheet of ice over it except for the gaping hole surrounding a seriously injured Bakugou. Lida was gripping him tightly from behind as Midoriyama saw to his wounded childhood friend. His other senses also returned as he heard Lida behind him.
"Todoroki! What happened to you! Why did you lie about wanting to apologize! You've hurt your own classmate for no good reason!
No. No he didn't want this. Midoriyama was helping Bakugou up when he spoke.
"Todoroki, there better be a good explanation for this. I don't know why you went so far but Bakugou didn't deserve this."
They were telling him things he already knew. His frustration was growing and his vision began to grow darker. No, he couldn't let this continue. Todoroki broke free from the class president and sprinted out of the room while he still had his senses about him. He was scared and confused, the pain of his injuries was only now catching up to him. He stumbled through the hallway of the training facility, his vision fading into red quickly. The weight of hatred on his body threatened to crush him.
He was in the Red Sea again, but something was different. He felt a soothing aura coming from a distant place. That feeling was what guided him forward, the hope of escaping the consuming hatred was the one thing he could focus on. He saw a bold blue glow from a distance. Todoroki was barely holding on to his sense of self. He reached the doorway from which the light Emanated from. Inside was a dazzling sapphire that shadowed out the redness surrounding it. Todoroki knew he had found his salvation. He needed to reach it no matter what. His body enveloped the shining aura of the sapphire, the Red Sea dissolving into nothingness around him.
Yaoyorozu Momo opened her eyes.
