In the manga, the plan was for the heroes to rush the villains immediately before they could react and without the spies finding out, so Class-A had no information until they were already there. For the purposes of this fic that part is slightly changed where the class is briefed beforehand and given a short time to prepare themselves before heading out for the raid.
Class 1-A are split into one of three groups: either the Jaku General Hospital group, the Gunga Mountain Villa (the headquarters for the Paranormal Liberation Front) group, or the evacuation groups. Todoroki Shouto notices some of his classmates saying their goodbyes and wishing each other luck and he feels the desire to do the same.
Todoroki had no need to say goodbye to Iida, Uraraka, Bakugou, or Midoriya since they are all with him as part of the evacuation group. That left one more person that the heterochromatic boy considers a close friend; Yaoyorozu Momo. It was easy enough to find her since everyone knows where the others are assigned. He sees her talking with their teacher, Midnight, so he waits until they finish. She has a serious expression on her face throughout the conversation, though their teacher is smiling in contrast. The conversation concludes when Midnight pats her shoulder and gives some parting words before leaving. There were others around but no one heading for her direction, so Todoroki figures now is as good a time as any to approach her.
"Yaoyorozu."
"Ah, hello Todoroki-san." She flashes him a small smile. "It looks like for this mission we'll be going our separate ways. Good luck with your role."
"Mhm. Thanks, you too." Todoroki notices that she has a little nervousness in her voice and her smile feels a bit forced even though she is trying to hide it. He usually wouldn't bother asking what he normally considers a pointless question, but he feels something is wrong so it might be a good starting point: "How are you feeling?"
"...A little nervous, to be honest." She sighs and looks down at the ground.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"...Yes. Probably." She replies quietly, but he is completely unconvinced. It reminds him of their final exam against Eraserhead where she didn't share her plan that was superior to his because he didn't ask her for her opinion first. He will not make the same mistake again.
He initially came to say something else, but decides that his new priority should be to try and help with whatever problem she is facing after seeing his friend troubled. She seemed perfectly normal this morning, so he can only assume that it is due to the mission. He also assumes the conversation with Midnight that he just witnessed may also have something to do with her worries.
He knows better than anyone that if a person truly does not want to say anything, there is usually nothing to be done. All he can do is make her feel welcome to speak if she chooses to do so. "Yaoyorozu, I don't know exactly what is troubling you, but I assume it has to do with the upcoming mission." She gives a muffled confirmation. "I said it before and I'll say it again. You're the most capable person in the class. I know that when the time comes, you'll perform and make the right decisions. So please have more faith in yourself."
He thinks about stopping there but continues talking since she still doesn't look up. If she still will not share anything after his next statement then he wouldn't pry any more. No matter how much he wants to know and help her, there are lines that should not be crossed. In addition, the operation could start at any moment and the last thing he wants is to distract her when both of them could be facing potential danger. "I'll repeat what you said to me in the past: I am your classmate and your friend. You can always talk to me if you have any concerns and I'll do whatever I can to help you."
Yaoyorozu raises her head and her onyx-colored eyes gazed at his' gray and turquoise. She bites her lip, a habit that he recognizes when she is hesitating to say something. At first, he becomes worried that she may clam up after all. That proves to be a needless worry as in the next moment she gives him a gentle smile, this one more true to herself. "Thank you, Todoroki-san. You always have the right words to lift my spirits. Since you said you'll listen, I will take advantage of your kindness and have you listen to my worries. Please allow me a moment to put my worries into words."
He waits, thankful that she is willing to open up. He is surprised at her explanation a few seconds later: "I'm honestly frightened about this mission."
He frowns, thinking they had faced similarly dangerous situations but holds back that thought. "I know that we've faced dangerous events in the past. Such as when the villains attacked twice or when we rescued Bakugou-san. But when the villains attacked twice, I just had to react to what was in front of me. It was pure instinct; if I do not do this, we won't survive is the thought that got me through those events. When we rescued Bakugou-san, we were just planning to go in and out without combat.
"Now, the heroes are the ones making the first move to care of the traitors and the villains. I… feel like my confidence is much higher than before when you had to help raise it during the final exam... At least that's what I thought before the briefing, anyway. Our classmates and the teachers in our group all agreed to make me the student leader. Meaning that if there is trouble communicating with the teachers for any reason and the students need instant instructions, I'm the one that has to make the decisions. Now I'm back to worrying about if my choices or actions will cost us the mission or worse… someone's life. And I know I shouldn't say this, but then I think about if it's someone we know and… if it's because of me that we won't see them anymore..."
He keeps his frown throughout her words and she chokes out: "I-I'm sorry, these are stupid thoughts, I know. I'm sorry for bothering you." She turns around to try and leave.
"Wait." He calls out and gently places his hand on her shoulder. She stops her walking and slowly turns around. He remembers his sister's words that his frown sometimes looks scary, especially when he keeps it up for too long. She also told him to try and smile more but that's too much for him at the moment. He corrects it to a more neutral expression. He realizes that his hand is still on her shoulder. "Sorry." He says as he pulls it back.
His frown was a result of contemplating the right words to say back to her. He opens and closes his mouth a few times as he struggles with his thinking before deciding to talk straight from his heart.
"Yaoyorozu, we would not have been asked to participate if they deemed us inadequate. This includes you. All the students are either on support duty or in a spot where others can easily assist if they are in danger. You are not alone on this battlefield, if the pro-heroes decide to follow your plan it is because they believe in it, believe in you. I would also trust your judgement if I were in charge, and clearly they feel the same.
"I... cannot guarantee that there will be no casualties. I wish I could, but I can't. But, what I know for a fact is that if there are any, it won't be your fault. Think of it the other way: if you have a good plan and the heroes think it's sound and follow it through, you could save lives that would otherwise be lost. And I believe you are perfect for that role."
She looks as though she is about to cry. Then a tear begins to fall out which she hurriedly brushes away. It doesn't seem like the sad kind of crying that he is, unfortunately, too used to, but similar to the one that she showed in the final exam (she mentioned later that it was due to happiness. Very confusing). He fights the urge to repeat his pressure point on the foot suggestion since it made her mad last time.
Various teachers begin giving out commands. "All of the groups will soon be leaving! This area is for the Jaku General Hospital group! If this is not your designated group, please begin going to your proper position!"
"It looks like we have to say goodbyes now." Yaoyorozu says. Her complexion is noticeably better than the start and Todoroki is happy that he came (though he also feels a little sad that he cannot stay here much longer). "Thank you very much, Todoroki-san. You always have the right words to say to me. I'm not sure if my nervousness has totally disappeared, but I will not let it interfere with my decisions or actions. Also, I have something I want to say to you later. Not now, since it could be a distraction for both of us..." He thinks he sees her cheeks turn slightly pink. "Anyway... see you later, Todoroki-san!"
"Right. See you." He replies.
Right as he said those words, he remembers what he originally came here for. She turns around once again to go towards her assigned spot when he shouts: "Yaoyorozu!"
He extends his fist and she has a look of apparent confusion when she faces him again and sees this. "It's a fist bump. Kaminari taught me." He explains, proud of his training. It took a long time to practice getting it right due to his anxiety of touching hands with others. Now, he can finally do important tasks like this. "For good luck."
She realizes his intentions and then raises her fist to meet his. Once their hands touch, she laughs and says: "Good luck! Try not to overdo it."
He smirks back. "No promises."
This was sitting in my docs for months unedited and I just opened it up and finally finished it off :)
Was originally a shifting POV doc but Momo's POV was really limited so I just made it completely Shouto's POV
First comfort fic I've written and the first of four Todomomo fics (second chronologically) I've written where they support each other. Hopefully I can finish off the rest soon!