A/N: So these chapters are long, and could easily be split into 3, but (because of my own restrictions xP) aren't. So a lot more happens in one chapter than usual. And so I have a request: if you enjoyed anything about this chapter, at any point, please let me know! I know the cliffhangers take over, but lemme know what you enjoyed about the rest of the chapter, I'd really love to know!
Before you read: Slight trigger warning. From here on, there will the smallest implications of assault. I won't use terms and there won't be any descriptions, but please take care of yourself if this affects you. Your mental health is more important
I battled with this chapter a lot. One thing about Todoroki is that the guy doesn't do much speaking. And his thoughts aren't too complex either. He has his morals, and that's it. His brain, to me, feels like a bunch of straight lines, and he simply jumps from one to another. This whole segment we're in is very Todoroki-centric, and that means a lot of Todoroki POVs. But it is so much more expressive when an onlooker describes his actions, since I feel Todoroki's action give us so much more insight than even he himself knows or thinks about.
So fun fact – I probably wrote every scene in both Todoroki's POV and the other person's, and stuck with the one I thought fit best. Let's just hope I picked the right ones
The Eleventh Fault - Thought
I love you…
I love you, Todoroki.
…
Todoroki, I want you to love me-
THUD.
Todoroki's fist came slamming down onto his desk, eyes wide and unseeing, glaring straight ahead, his lips pressed together into a tight line. Half the class shot him curious stares, but he hardly noticed.
The weekend following the festival had been a nightmare. An actual nightmare, as most of his dreams consisted of… those words. And lots of scenarios leading up to, surrounding and following those words. The day after found him erratic, which he was certainly not used to, thinking that every opening of a door or pair of footsteps in the dorm common room was Yaoyorozu. Of course, then he realized he had a weekend free from her and all the confusion that now surrounded her, and he immediately reeled himself in, gaining a sliver of control.
Until Sunday night, when he realized he would see her the next morning.
Needless to say he had had an incredibly interrupted sleep.
With a grit of his teeth, Todoroki ran his hands over his face, dragging them through his hair, head sinking lower and lower towards the table. This couldn't go on. He needed his focus back. He needed his thoughts back. He had been reduced to an obsessive, absentminded goon.
"Todoroki?"
The hero in question jerked up in his seat, table clunking loudly with his abrupt movements.
"Todoroki, are you okay?"
Midoriya. Todoroki felt himself sigh, thoroughly fed up with himself. Add jumpy to the list.
The classroom still hadn't filled in completely, and Midoriya had walked up in front of him, Todoroki's neighbors (read: Yaoyorozu) still not here yet, and was giving him a strange look; a combination of concern, curiosity and mild amusement.
"I'm fine," He replied.
"Are you sure?" Midoriya asked, somehow taking a cue to sit down. "Because I saw the news."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow at this. "News? What do you mean?"
Kaminari and Kirishima chose this exact moment to come blasting in, quite literally, apparently caught in some sort of wild debate about the superiority of fire or electricity. Todoroki and Midoriya spent a few seconds watching them, literal sparks flying between them, before shrugging it off as the daily norm.
"So you're sure you're okay?" Midoriya continued. "Because you're all…squeamish and fidgety, and … un-Todoroki like…" he started fidgeting, and knowing him, he was probably feeling he was being a little presumptuous. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, but if you ever, you know… need to talk to someone, and there isn't anyone else, you could talk to, well… me…"
Midoriya had started tugging at the cuff at his sleeve, probably thinking he'd overstepped the boundaries of friendship or something to that effect. Todoroki looked at him, mind buzzing. It had been 3 nights now, and yet he had made no breakthrough into what any of what was going on in his head meant. If anything, it was getting worse. Perhaps it was time to rely on an ally, before he was reduced to sub-par. His remedial classes definitely didn't need the loss of focus.
He opened his mouth, and then paused, not sure how to phrase whatever he was feeling. Midoriya looked up at him, realizing he had actually gotten through to the usually reserved hero and straightened up, eyes wide and alert.
"Have you…" Todoroki paused, then swallowed. "What does it mean-"
The bell rang. Todoroki stopped, hands fisted into one another, watching sullenly as the rest of the class filed in. He then realized Midoriya hadn't moved, still looking at him intently, obviously more than willing to stay and listen until they were told otherwise.
Todoroki sighed, scratching at nothing on the back of his head. "I heard something over the weekend, and I just haven't… managed to focus, or think logically. And I wonder… if you maybe have some sort of reason or explanation. Or better yet a solution-"
"Midoriya, you're in my seat."
Tokoyami had arrived. Midoriya shot up as if burned, offering him the chair. The shadow hero glanced between the two of them before sitting down. "What are you two discussing?"
"How the news affected his weekend," Midoriya answered.
Tokoyami's eyebrows rose in a realization that only aided to confuse Todoroki even more. "Oh right! It must have been a relief to have been away from it all, in the safety of the dorms. These dorms ended up being a far better idea than I first anticipated."
Midoriya nodded enthusiastically, and Todoroki shifted in his seat. "What are you –"
"Todoroki?"
There was an instant ringing in his ears. Every neuron in his brain started firing, and he suddenly forgot where he was and what he was doing. He looked up.
Yaoyorozu was looking at him, and after she was sure he was looking at her, she sat down. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something later. Is that okay?"
Todoroki nodded mutely, staring openly at her. It was the strangest combination, looking at her. Like seeing a ghost, and at the same time, it was nostalgic, like seeing something from your childhood, with the rush of happiness, of memories and every feeling that came with it. Looking at her, the only thing he wanted to know about just then was how her weekend had been; whether her mother had ruined her weekend in an unwavering anger, if she felt well rested, and what she planned on doing when she got called for her next internship.
"Todoroki, sorry, I've got to go to my seat," Todoroki turned, finally remembering he had been having a conversation of some sorts with Midoriya. "But I think what you're feeling is normal, considering the circumstances. You're strong, just hang in there, it'll pass."
After a solemn nod meant to instigate courage, Midoriya returned to his seat, leaving Todoroki more confused than ever.
"What's happening?" Yaoyorozu asked in a hushed whisper, as Aizawa began mustering the energy to stand up.
"The news…?" Todoroki said, ending with a note of confusion, still not at all sure what his classmates were talking about. If anyone had any answers, it would be Yaoyorozu. But instead of having any sort of explanation, her face suddenly morphed into one of anxiety, and, alarmingly, guilt.
"I didn't expect a broadcast so soon," he heard her mutter to herself, only hearing her because the class finally quieted down. She looked up at him again, rather apologetically. "That's what I wanted to talk about. We'll have to reconvene later today."
They both faced forward, Todoroki's mind once more in a whirlwind of thought. News somehow involving him occurred over the weekend. The only thing that jumped to mind was a certain bus ride –Iloveyou – which definitely wasn't interesting enough to be news - even he knew not to be that big-headed. Then again, they were two UA students, and relatively recognizable after the sports festival. And Mrs Yaoyorozu had been especially upset with their being together. Had she known about it as well?
Todoroki's frown deepened.
Dammit.
Katsuki Bakugo was a born fighter.
He knew fighting like an artist knew how to paint, or a surgeon knew how to stitch. Agile movements gave him a rush like no other, and to perform those movements himself, to have every eye in the area locked on him in awe was his goal. Time and again he brought this passion to fruition. From as far back as he could remember he had commanded the respect of his peers and teachers alike, which was expected - the strong were idolized, and the weak erased.
For Bakugo, going to UA was a fact waiting to happen. Once there, he continued to impress, continued to awe, continued to overwhelm. Absolutely nothing stood in his way – until, of course, the finals of the sports festival. Bakugo always felt literal sparks fly when he thought of that. He had the potential to shine – there was nothing that would grant him more fame and prowess than if he beat a revered 'recommended' UA student. But for some reason, the half and half idiot refused to fight. As if he was above Bakugo. As if Bakugo wasn't even worth the effort.
"Oh. Come. ON!"
There was an explosion resounding sonorously throughout the room, and his opponent was sent falling to the floor once again. With a disgruntled huff to blow his bangs out of his eyes, Todoroki shot a shallow glare up at the loud blond stomping towards him.
"I am not letting you drag me down!" Bakugo yelled.
Todoroki and Bakugo had both agreed to allocate dedicated training periods for their remedial exam in December. These were usually during lunch breaks, self-study classes and phys-ed where they spent hours of pure one on one time, with Aizawa rarely dropping by to give pointers - or to make sure nobody had been killed.
The theory behind this idea made sense – both had their strong points, and both had techniques and experiences which could aid the other. And since they obviously were incapable of explaining themselves, there was nothing a good spar couldn't communicate. And in actuality, the exercise hadn't been going too badly. Usually, the hour and a half was spent in almost complete silence, and the boys had come to an understanding of picking up tips the other gave off through their movements – actions spoke louder than words after all.
But today was different. Todoroki wasn't putting in any effort at all. He was distracted, and the idea that something was more important, more demanding than a full on frontal attack from Bakugo irked the blond pre-hero to no end. It reminded him of the sports festival, and the whole thing brought a vile taste to his mouth.
The one saving grace about having failed the test originally was that Princey boy had failed along with him. But he'd be damned if he let someone who clearly cared so little drag him down with them.
"Spit it out."
Todoroki blinked up at the barked order. "What?"
Bakugo crossed his arms, glaring at him down the bridge of his nose. "Spit it the hell out. Whatever it is that's wussing you down."
"I'm fine," Todoroki huffed, starting to get up. He had hardly moved an inch before Bakugo swept his elbows out from under him, flooring him once more.
"Bull," Bakugo spat. "Either you cough up what's hiked up your ass, or the next time I blow you up will be for real."
There was a pause as Todoroki gave the other hero a calculating look, and Bakugo couldn't help narrowing his eyes in retaliation. He flipped him a birdie. That'll give him something for those creepy ass eyes to look at, Bakugo thought suppressing a shudder. They made his skin crawl.
"Well?" he barked.
Todoroki sighed deeply, the pained, disgruntled look on his face the only saving grace of this entire situation. A moment passed.
"Did you see the news?" he asked finally.
"No, I ain't 80," Bakugo snapped. "You've got to be shitting me. You're bothered by the news? What, worried about some cloudy weather?"
"Forget it," Todoroki huffed, and in one clean motion, he leapt back to his feet. "Let's continue shall we?"
But hardly 2 minutes later, the half-n' half hero found himself back on the floor, Bakugo towering over him, visibly seething. This time, the blond didn't even bother asking, choosing instead to just narrow his eyes and shoot a death glare. There was a certain satisfaction, throwing one of the so-called best of the class around like a sack of damp potatoes, but all it really gave him in the end was a muscle work-out, and Bakugo was aware that he needed much more than that.
Todoroki groaned, thumping the back of his head once against the wooden flooring, teeth grinding. The idea of sharing something personal with Bakugo was clearly annoying him. Bakugo snarled. He shared those sentiments exactly. Finally, Todoroki opened unnerving, mismatched eyes.
"Has any ever told you they loved you before?"
A moment of silence hung over them. And then another.
And another.
"Are you retarded?" He grabbed Todoroki by the collar, heaving him up to eye level. "Are you making fun of me?!"
Eerie, light eyes looked at Bakugo's, no trace of spite, his gaze somber. Bakugo's jaw dropped slightly. A string of choking like noises started coming out of his mouth, like he'd forgotten how to speak, and finally, he gave up all together, his face turning a shade of red from the strain of trying to think of something.
He let go. Todoroki dropped to the floor, landing on his feet.
Bakugo eyed him. It was true that the guy was off today. Last time this happened, it had apparently been because of his father - or so Kirishima had told him. And last time this happened, Todoroki had unlocked that dumbass fire side of his. Red eyes narrowed. So if this time was anything like that, he would get only stronger. Was Todoroki aware of this himself? Was he doing this on purpose? Was he trying to unlock the next level of power by asking such a ridiculous question?
But if he wasn't... Bakugo could feel his brain veins pop. What was with his peers are their blasted, goddammed feelings? Did no one actual remember what they were actually here to do? And why the actual heck were they coming to him for advice for? Just thinking of Uraraka with her dumbass teary eyes and her dumbass voice and her dumbass feelings-
"Screw this!" he yelled, turning away in a whirl of fiery embers. "I don't got time for pansy-ass feelings. Let me know when you're done being a whuss."
And with a slam of the door, Bakugo was gone.
Telling Bakugo had been worth it in more ways than one. Other than getting to see the usually capricious boy so out of his wits, it gave Todoroki some time to scope out Midoriya. However, when he scanned the classroom, his eyes instead fell on a head of long, black hair, and he instantly stopped looking for green.
"Wasn't there a student council meeting?" Todoroki asked, approaching the girl, ignoring the clench in his abdomen.
Yaoyorozu looked up from her notes, halfway through a string of oden noodles. She gave a mumbled yelp, raising her hand to her mouth to finish off the rather inelegant slurp. Todoroki pulled up a chair to sit down as she dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief before answering.
"It's been delayed to the end of the day. Sorry. Is that okay? Waiting a bit at the end of the day?"
Todoroki didn't reply, too saturated with questions to fully concentrate. "You want to talk about what was on the news?"
"You've seen it?"
"No," Todoroki replied. "How does the news concern me? How does it concern you? How do they even know?" he asked, tapering his volume, nodding towards the empty classroom.
"Alright, alright, slow down," Yaoyorozu quickly pushed aside her bento box as Todoroki put his arms on the edge of her desk, filling up what little space was left. "I wanted to be the first to discuss this with you, so I am glad you haven't seen it yet."
She looked up, and Todoroki suddenly found himself staring, rather closely, into dark gray eyes. Instantly, he shifted backwards, moving his hands down to his lap as Yaoyorozu subtly slid her chair back, a safe distance forming between them. After hardly a second of barely decipherable awkwardness, she cleared her throat and continued. "I don't want this to be rushed, and lunch break is going to end in 15 minutes."
"This is going to take longer than 15 minutes?"
This time, she looked him dead in the eyes, unwavering and meaningful. "I believe so."
He leaned forward in his chair, not breaking eye contact. "Yaoyorozu," he said seriously. "If you won't tell me what's going on, I'll ask someone else."
They stayed like that for a while, a silent battle raging between them. He could see the complexity of thoughts running behind her clear eyes. This was important to her, that she explained it to him, and that she explained it to him first, which told him she probably knew more than everyone else did. For the hundredth time, his mind wandered back to the night of the festival, where it was just them and the bus driver, and when she told him she … told him what she did.
"Alright."
Her voice snapped him back to reality, and he realized he had to move his eyes back up to hers.
"I can start now, and we'll resume later. Agreed?" Todoroki nodded mutely. Yaoyorozu let out a sigh. "Well, my parents aren't actually getting a divorce."
The statement completely caught Todoroki off guard. "Well…yes, you told me that."
"Yes," Yaoyorozu crossed her arms, index finger tapping against her arm absently as she contemplated her next words. "Apparently my mother had jumped to conclusions. My father indeed had been hiding things, but she had been wrong when putting it all together."
Todoroki couldn't help but notice how she'd taken a tone of barely hidden delight when mentioning her mother's mistake, and he felt his lips curve up slightly at her rather twisted joy.
"My father had been seeing someone," Yaoyorozu's voice suddenly dropped in volume. "But she was a victim of … of molestation."
Todoroki stared at her, hardly believing the words coming out of her mouth, and how in the world this was related to him.
"For months, my father has been trying to get her to press charges, and to catch the assaulter. And she finally agreed, after my mother became her lawyer. And that's most likely the news people have been hearing about."
Todoroki leant back to process this information. He supposed that made sense. Assault would make the news, and would probably be of higher importance now that Satomi Yaoyorozu, Hero Lawyer was taking this on. The fact that she took this case didn't really make sense, since she usually only took cases which involved a Hero, but considering that her husband was involved, she had probably made an exception. And Midoriya had probably just mentioned it because he had been extremely disturbed with the news, and assumed Todoroki had been as well. He supposed that made sense, considering this had occurred in their own city, which was supposed to be the one with the lowest crime rates, given how saturated with heroes it was.
He nodded to himself. Everything made sense, supposedly. It was still slightly confusing, but perhaps he was overthinking things. Todoroki breathed out softly, forcefully deciding to let this go. He hadn't realized he had been weighed down so much by this. This is why he strongly believed that knowledge was power – being thrown off guard was simply unsettling.
Todoroki focused back in on Yaoyorozu, "That's all?"
"Well, no... there's still more to the story," she said.
"No, but that's what the news has been about?"
She frowned at him. "Todoroki, you understand, this is about rap-"
"Yes, yes," he quickly cut her across, mentally kicking himself for sounding so insensitive. "It's just…" he glanced up at her, and she curved an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking about this all day, and I thought…"
He paused.
"You thought?"
Todoroki couldn't look at her. "Nevermind."
"What?"
He'd planned on glancing at her and then looking out the window, but his eyes stuck once again. They'd been doing that a lot, he realized, when it came to her. She seemed almost … brighter, to him. Magnetic. And he wasn't the least interested in fighting it either. She calmed him. It had hardly been 10 minutes in her company and he felt better than he had all weekend. Ever since he had left her, in fact.
"Nevermind," he repeated, eyes intense. This time, she looked away, tucking nonexistent stray hairs behind her ear. There was a short silence, where she shuffled nervously, and then looked back up at him, almost shyly.
A thought occurred to him. "I interrupted your lunch," he stated. "Continue."
She let out a scoff. "That's alright, mother."
"Eat Yaoyorozu, before you drag me halfway across the city for a meal."
She huffed, before begrudgingly taking out her lunchbox again. "Don't act like you wouldn't like that."
He smiled slightly. "How was your weekend?"
Yaoyorozu swallowed. "You know, it was actually really nice," she said, as she prepared her next bite. "It was like my parents had a newfound respect for each other now that they aren't fighting. Like they'd forgotten how much they liked each other when they weren't yelling."
"I don't understand yelling," he commented. "It seems like such an unnecessary waste of energy. There are several ways to portray anger without raising your voice."
"You can yell without yelling."
The bell rang just as he let out a scoff. "That doesn't even make sense linguistically. It's an oxymoron."
"You're an oxymoron," she replied through a bite, and he simply rolled his eyes. "How was your weekend?"
Todoroki paused at this, looking at her carefully. There was probably no way to explain it. Talking with her made it evidently clear she had no idea what he was going through or why, and it made him feel rather ridiculous for having been thrown for such a loop. The whole thing seemed rather far away now, as if it never happened. As if he had come up with the whole thing. And yet he remembered that kiss on the cheek so many weeks ago, and he remembered her words on that bus – he could still hear them echoing in his ears as if she'd just said them.
Even now, as she looked confusedly back at him, he remembered that moment, just before he'd dropped her home, with the moonlight shining on her eyes, eyes locked with his very much like they were now…
"Oy!"
The pair whipped around.
Bakugo stood at his desk, chair pulled out, clearly about to take a seat. His jaw was dropped, finger pointing limply between them. Todoroki raised an eyebrow before Bakugo jerked his finger at him.
"You said-!" he started. "Was she-?"
And as Bakugo gaped at them, eyes darting between them, suddenly it hit Todoroki what the explosion hero had put together. He truly was too smart for his own good. Blue and gray eyes widened as Todoroki shot Bakugo the sharpest look he could throw. The blond held his gaze and for a minute they remained frozen, a torrent of unspoken words swirling, like a controlled vortex. Todoroki had never before wished for latent telepathic powers to reveal themselves more so than just then. After what felt like hours, Bakugo slowly lowered his arm.
"You talked," he said finally, stiffly.
Todoroki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "…Yes."
Some more silence. Yaoyorozu looked curiously between them, but wisely stayed silent.
"So … it's fixed?" Bakugo asked.
As if he had to answer that. Todoroki decided to take matters back into his control. "Tomorrow I can resume thrashing you."
"Hah, you wish!" it was disturbing how quickly Bakugo reverted back to his explosive self. "I was holding back. I was scared I'd blow up your distracted ass! It's on!"
And with another less-than-friendly hand gesture, Bakugo flung himself into his chair, just in time for the rest of the class to finish sitting down, most muttering in dejection at having missed a rare yet always entertaining Todoroki-Bakugo brawl.
"Hey Todoroki. How are you?"
Todoroki looked up from his essay on 'Analysis of the Rise of the Destroyer: the World's First Supervillain' and blinked in surprise. Just then, the recommendation prodigy could not find any possible explanation as to why Ochaco Uraraka was currently stood in front of him. She a wide, blinding smile spread across her lips, like she had just met up with one of her besties after a long time. Which he most certainly wasn't.
"Good," he replied, an edge of cautiousness to his tone.
"Good, good, that's good," she chirped, now rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, briliant smile unwavering.
Todoroki gave her a leveled look, analyzing her slowly. After several more seconds, he tentatively deduced that she probably wouldn't be speaking again, and looked down at his half-done paper.
"So, whatcha doin'?"
Todoroki blinked at where his nib had just touched the paper. "Trying to finish our history essay," he replied, settling on just accepting the fact that he didn't know why she was there and that was okay. Not always knowing everything was fine. Not like he was Yaoyorozu. Besides, Uraraka would go away eventually, when she got bored. Like a sparrow.
"Oh, cool, so you'll be all free for the rest of the week then!"
Todoroki leaned back in his chair. "We also have Math homework, as well as the social experiment of shoplifting."
"Oh yeah…" she drifted off, now still, as if remembering that she had to do that work as well. But a split second later she was back to her little bobbing dance. "Better get on that!"
"Uraraka, can I help you?" Todoroki asked, looking up again, impatience on having his personal bubble invaded getting the better of him. Forget moving on with his life, he needed headspace.
"Hey, c'mon, I don't have to need something to talk to you!" she stated, waving her hand dismissively. Todoroki just sent her an unamused stare and she sighed. "I'm actually here to help you."
Well that was unexpected. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, see," Uraraka plopped herself onto one of the adjacent desk tops. "Bakugo told me you were being distracted by some feelings, and asked me to help you sort them out. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can't handle them yourself, but if Bakugo felt it was important enough to mention, I think that's the least I could do, ya know? Also, I always wanted a chance to talk to you. We've never really-"
"Bakugo asked you to help me?" Todoroki repeated. "With feelings?"
Uraraka nodded with a toothy smile.
Todoroki's eyebrows furrowed, mouth slightly parted in disbelief. Bakugo had turned out to be a bigger thorn in his side than Kaminari. Or even that grape of a hero.
"Todoroki, honestly, I understand." Todoroki highly doubted she did. "I don't mean to pry, and I won't ask you to tell anything. And I know you probably think I'm crazy to even be here, bothering you about something so worthless, in your mind."
Todoroki let out a snort of appreciation at her own self-awareness.
"But I guess the real reason I agreed to talk to you is that I feel the same way," she said, and her voice had turned almost wistful. Todoroki looked up at the girl, interest piqued ever so slightly, but she had turned to stare absently out the window. "Distracted. Confused. Wondering what all your thoughts even mean," she glanced at him, and he blinked at the sudden eye contact. "Am I close?"
Todoroki didn't reply, but for the first time, he didn't feel like she had lost her marbles. In fact, he almost wanted her to continue.
What still surprised him was Bakugo. The boy had sneered in his face at his admittedly ridiculously intimate question - a question Todoroki wasn't entirely sure why he asked in the first place. This was what happened when he couldn't discuss things with Yaoyorozu. Still, Bakugo's reaction hadn't been surprising at all. What was surprising was that he had sent over the bubbly girl in front of him. An action that was rather...empathetic. On top of that, it meant that he knew to tell Uraraka specifically, meaning he knew something about the girl, about how she felt. That just led to the realization that it wasn't just him and Yaoyorozu who had developed a bond over their time at UA. And there were probably so many more like this as well.
Todoroki realized he hadn't answered her question, but Uraraka took his silence as an agreement and shifted her large, expressive eyes back out the window.
"I haven't really found a label for it, or a reason for it, or a solution for it," she said, and Todoroki instantly felt his interest in the conversation disappear, and realized that he had actually been hoping for an answer. "But I did realize a few things.
"Life has to go on. There's no point in wondering day in and day out what the other person meant by an action, or if their words had some sort of underlying meaning. Spending time on that was not only pointless, but it made me distant, and people who cared about me started thinking they had done something wrong, or that I was mad, at them even," Uraraka laughed hollowly. "As if that was possible. And so I realized that if I just pushed those thoughts away, and focused on the now, not only did I get some sort of peace of mind for a while, but people around me didn't have to worry."
He supposed he could accept that point. That's essentially what he had decided to do, after his interaction with Yaoyorozu. He felt better just focusing on things he actually understood.
Uraraka stopped swinging her legs under the table and turned with an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, that probably didn't make much sense did it?"
He studied her for a minute before replying. "No."
She poked her tongue out at him.
"What about when you're alone?" he asked, ignoring her. "How do you control the thoughts?"
"I haven't figured that out yet," she replied.
"This is all such a pain," he frowned. "I would just like to know the source. If you know the source, you can go there and cut it off."
Uraraka giggled at that, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. "You can't cut off love, silly."
There was that word again. It was so elusive and strange to him, and hearing it just made him even more confused. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Why not?"
Todoroki just frowned at her. He didn't know why it didn't make sense, just that it didn't. Wasn't she supposed to be explaining that to him? Uraraka tilted her chin up in thought. After a second of pondering it over she let out an exasperated sigh.
"You're making it too complicated Todoroki," she leapt off the desk onto her feet and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let me make it simple for you: what you're feeling, is normal, don't freak out, just roll with it."
Todoroki shot her a flat, withering look. That wasn't at all simple, and he wasn't 'freaking out'. However as if on cue, the sliding door rolled open and Yaoyorozu stepped in. She eyeballed the scene, scanned Todoroki's face, and then looked at Uraraka.
"What are you guys doing?"
Uraraka whirled around, bright smile flashing back on, not missing a beat. "I was just giving Todoroki a pep talk. How was it Todoroki, feeling all energized now?"
"Sure."
"Yay," she chirped, clapping her hands together. "Well, then my job here is done- unless, Yaomomo, you need a pep talk too?"
Yaoyorozu gave a nervous smile as Uraraka made her way over to the door. "Uhh, no thanks. Rain check?"
"Sounds good! Later guys!"
With a mock salute, she left, and Todoroki could practically see the after image of flowers and bunnies trailing behind her. Yaoyorozu watched her go before walking over to him.
"Did she help?"
"I feel ten years older." Yaoyorozu laughed, and Todoroki felt more energized than an hour of Uraraka ever could have done. "Done?"
"Yup," she replied, stuffing the last of her things into her bag, before turning to him. "Ready to go?"
As they walked, the conversation with Uraraka that led to nowhere still rang in Todoroki's mind. One thing she'd said rang a bell. 'People who cared about me started thinking they had done something wrong, or that I was mad, at them'. That reminded him of Yaoyorozu, a few weeks back when she'd stopped talking to him; and she had insisted he'd done nothing wrong. Did that mean she was feeling what he was back then. He frowned. That couldn't be it. Still, what Uraraka had said was one theory. There were still other ones to be hypothesized.
"Yaoyorozu," he started, still slightly hesitant. "Why does a thought bother a person, sometimes to the point where they can hardly focus on anything else?"
"Well that's a curious question," she smiled, then took a moment to think about her answer. "I suppose it depends on how important those thoughts are to you. The more important something is, the more it bothers you."
Todoroki processed that for a moment before letting out a huff of laughter, impressed at the ease at which she explained a dilemma which had eluded him for days.
"Why was that funny?"
"Because that makes perfect sense."
She shot him a confused look. "Unlike you," she stated. He simply shrugged. "What were they about? Those thoughts that bothered you?"
"You," he replied without missing a beat.
She gave a little sputter, then a scoff, looking away, chin raised indignantly. "Ha ha. Very funny," she smoothed invisible creases in her skirt. "Seriously though, they must have been important if they distracted you."
Todoroki quietened. Yaoyorozu had been essentially asleep when she had said…what she'd said. She certainly didn't remember it happening, which left him as the only witness. Telling her could have any number of effects, and none of them seemed ideal. And yet he felt himself wanting to tell her. Maybe this whole thing was a misunderstanding she could explain away, as simply as always.
Regardless, he had to get to the bottom of this. He had wasted enough time, an embarrassing amount of time, thinking this over, and he simply wanted it explained.
"On the night of the festival, you-"
"I'm so sorry Todoroki," Yaoyorozu instantly cut him off. Todoroki blinked. What, that was it? What he'd imagined could be washed away with something as easy as an 'I'm sorry'? And without even hearing what he had to say? For some reason, that irritated him. As if his whole weekend had been thoroughly wasted over nothing. But Yaoyorozu continued.
"My mother was extremely rude," she elaborated. "Honestly, if I'd known she would act that way, I would have never agreed to you dropping me off."
Oh.
Todoroki gave a small shrug, not too sure whether or not this turn of direction was a bad thing.
"I honestly thought she would have asked you inside," Yoayorozu continued, completely unaware of the disappointment coming off of him. "We have so many guest rooms, it's ridiculous, and I was kind of excited at you getting to see where I lived. And we'd have served the fancy guest breakfast in the morning, which is always so nice-"
"You just wanted the food," he commented lightly, amusement at her love for cuisine creeping in.
"Well, yes," she agreed meekly. "Those are some special meals we only eat with guests." She straightened up, clearing her throat. "But honestly, I was worried about you getting back. It was literally the middle of the night. And my mother didn't even offer a ride home-"
"It's fine Yaoyorozu. I enjoyed the silence."
And that was true. His ears were ringing for hours that night. If anyone had tried talking to him, he hadn't heard.
Yaoyorozu rubbed her thumb over her knuckles, studying them closely, as if intent on wiping off some imaginary spot. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about Todoroki," she said.
"Silence?"
"No," Yaoyorozu said, the afternoon sunlight hitting them as they exited the school building. "Why my mother turned you away."
"Because it was too late. Because I, a boy, was dropping you, a girl, off at an inappropriate time," he said. "It's understandable."
"No, she still would have invited you in. Or at least given you a ride back."
"Yaoyorozu," Todoroki found himself lost. "I thought you wanted to talk about the news."
"Exactly."
Todoroki looked at her, ready to ask one of the seven questions that had already lined up. But then he stopped, stuffing his hands in his pockets, deciding to just let her speak since she was making no sense. And knowing Yaoyorozu, she wouldn't let that be the case for long.
"When I asked her why she turned you away, she told me it was because you compromised the case she was working on."
Wait. "She's working with the assault victim," Todoroki said. He stopped and shot her a hard look. "Yaoyorozu, I have nothing to do with that."
"No, not you Todoroki," Yaoyorozu looked at him with an indecipherable expression on her face. "Your father."
What.
Todoroki stared at her without really looking.
"No."
That didn't make sense. It simply did not compute. His father. His father was involved in this? His father had literally pounded the strive for justice and hero etiquette into them since they were four. His father was a part of this? This being a crime, and on top of that, one of assault? His father, Endeavor, now Japan's default primary hero?
"Todoroki, I know it's strange-"
"No, you're wrong," Todoroki stated with a finality he rarely used with her.
"Look, Todoroki, I understand that it's hard to believe-"
"No, there's nothing to understand, because it isn't true," Todoroki continued walking, now more of a stride, and wishing for the topic to simply change. Yaoyorozu regained her wits and hurried after him.
"Listen to me Todoroki, there's evidence-"
"There is always 'evidence'," Todoroki stated, eyes trained forward without missing a step, unable to keep the mild irritation out of his voice. "Our house has paparazzi and news reporters outside of it at least every two months. But not only has nothing ever been proven, Endeavor gains two more points in popularity. There's a reason he's called 'infamous'."
Yaoyorozu didn't respond, and he realized she had slowed down, now trailing behind him. Todoroki sighed, slowing down to a stop, turning half-heartedly, not entirely facing her.
"Look Yaoyorozu, it's no secret I'm not a fan of my father's. But I've had to come to terms with several facts I'd blinded myself about him, one of those being that he really, truly wants to be the best hero, and for that he does everything in his power. Literally everything. Our entire family is circled around him trying to be the best. To me, him compromising anything on his quest to achieve that is just impossible."
She still didn't respond, and he glanced over at her, only to find her going through her phone. "Yaoyorozu, are you listeni-"
"Hang on," she muttered, raising a finger. Todoroki sighed, slightly annoyed, casting his gaze out over her head to the sky above. The dorms were on the grounds adjacent to the school, just beyond the several fighting arenas on the east edge of UA. He looked at the reflection in the glass building, Arena J2, made of glass specifically for any sunlight, grass or chemical type quirks.
"Found it."
Todoroki's eyes snapped back down, finding himself face-to-face with Yaoyorozu's phone screen, shoved almost 2 inches from his face, which was playing a video. He huffed, grabbing her wrist and moved it back a bit so to view the phone at a more watchable distance.
"The victim, who for now remains anonymous, has come forward about a case of assault by the number one hero, Endeavor. The event was described to have happened during the month of May, after she was coming home from a late day at work. The victim claims to have been completely overpowered by the Superhero-"
So this was the news he'd heard about. Now this made so much more sense. Finally, with all the information in his possession, Todoroki felt back in control of his life. For that mental relief alone he was grateful for this entire turn of events. Todoroki, still gently holding Yaoyorozu's wrist, lowered the phone.
"This still proves nothing," he said softly, keeping eye contact for a second to convey his seriousness before continuing onwards, clearing the arena sector and finally entering the courtyards of the dorms. He walked several steps without hearing her follow, and he was just about to turn back to see what was wrong when he heard the sound of running footsteps approaching.
"There's a picture," she said, practically breathless in her need to be right.
"Let me guess," Todoroki looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Blurred, dark and taken from behind."
Yaoyorozu frowned, almost pouting. "…It isn't from behind."
"He didn't do it Yaoyorozu," he said, giving her an apologetic shrug, knowing how much she hated being proven wrong. Looking at her made him feel bad, for a reason that escaped him. "Now, I'm going to go catch up on some work. I hardly got anything done over the weekend."
And he left her there, with a confused and frustrated look on her face, him with a guilty tug in the bottom of his gut.
It was the next day that Todoroki found himself heaving yet another sigh, rolling his eyes out the window, watching the scenery fly by.
"It's ridiculous how you always manage on getting your way so easily," he mumbled into the palm his chin was resting on.
"I resent that."
"I bet you do."
"I work hard to get my way."
Todoroki allowed himself to smile.
After their conversation, he had entered his dorm room, and Todoroki instantly collapsed on his tatami bed, relishing the feeling of blissful thoughtlessness. For the first time in days, he felt at ease and in control. He wanted to take back all the time he had lost. He wanted to re-do the spar with Bakugo, he wanted to practice his temperature control and he wanted to practice his sensory training, a task impossible when there are a million thoughts thrashing around the inside of one's skull.
It was to a distant ringing that his eyes shot open, and he realized he had fallen asleep for the entire night, still in his uniform. Getting up, he fished through his bag, finally finding his phone, silencing the alarm blaring the start of a new day. He breathed out a huff. Nothing from Yaoyorozu. He'd have thought she would have sent him article upon article trying to convince him that he was, in fact, wrong.
He had quickly learned that Yaoyorozu's hero instincts could not let her to think of an innocent person as guilty. The opposite was true as well; knowing what she did about Endeavor, she was easily convinced it had to be him, for how believable it appeared. And on top of everything, she was stubborn. Once she was convinced of something – a hard thing to do to begin with – it was even harder to convince her otherwise. And since she had been convinced, in her mind it meant she was right, and all she had to do was find a way to convince Todoroki as well.
So he was surprised to find that he had been allowed such a peaceful sleep, and a notification free phone. However, before the first bell, Yaoyorozu strode up to him, glaring at him down her nose.
"Meet me after school by the gates," she said, with a tone that left little room for argument.
And so that's what Todoroki did, waiting for her at the dorm's city entrance, and from there, the two of them caught the next bus heading to the upper district. And that's where Todoroki currently found himself; on a bus with Yaoyorozu, yet again, so she could convince him of something he knew was impossible.
As long as she didn't sleep on his shoulder this time, he was good.
"This is going to convince you," Yaoyorozu was saying. "I'm sure of it."
"Hn."
"It will. My mother says it's strong evidence that really builds the case. Apparently it's one of the reasons she agreed to even take it on. She talked to a bunch of other lawyers who had previous experience with the case."
"What, as in my father has done this multiple times?" he couldn't help the sharpness that lined his tone. She didn't reply, and when he glanced over at her, it was to see her face having fallen, and again, he felt those inexplicable pangs of guilt. He sighed, going back to trying to count how many trees passed them by. "What is it?"
"…I don't know."
At this, Todoroki pulled himself away from the window completely, turning to give her a disbelieving stare. "You're dragging me, halfway across the city, to convince me of something I know to be impossible, with evidence you haven't even seen yourself?"
Yaoyorozu quickly turned her gaze to the back of the seats in front of them, biting her lips in an obvious attempt at finding an answer. "My mother thinks it's good enough," she mumbled.
"You don't work hard to get your way. I just make it far too easy for you," he stated. She didn't reply, just crossed her arms and tilted herself away slightly. "How come she's okay showing this to me, but not to you?"
Yaoyorozu nibbled on her lower lip slightly before answering. "I never thought to ask," she said quietly.
"Hm," he hummed again. Her mother really made Yaoyorozu lose her edge.
Todoroki sighed. There was a pause where he looked at her, finding some mild amusement in watching her squirm. It was funny how they always ended up on buses together, and more curious still how different the experiences were. The very first time was a memory he would probably never forget - a swarming bus load of people and Yaoyorozu's gentle touch guiding him away. That was the day he realized he could trust her.
"What if you're wrong Todoroki," Yaoyorozu spoke up suddenly, looking at him with dark eyes, breaking Todoroki's peaceful musings. "What if the evidence is very compelling and your father is guilty?"
"Then so be it," he answered, head resting against the backrest. He should perhaps be feeling anxious or nervous about going to find criminal evidence against his own father, and yet he felt nothing. An odd stillness had fallen around him. Perhaps a result of going through so much mental fatigue that his brain simply didn't care anymore.
"You'd accept him going to jail?" Yaoyorozu pressed. One of her legs were hiked up onto the seat, pulled underneath her, and Todoroki found it mildly interesting how she was flexible enough to fit into the small space, despite being one of the taller girls. Yaoyorozu leant her head against the back of her seat, now fully facing towards him.
"If he committed a crime, then gladly," he answered, reveling at how he could see the trees outside darting across in the reflection on her irises.
She blinked. "You really do believe he's innocent."
Yaoyorozu said that more as a statement. It was like she'd realized what he'd been saying all along. Todoroki nodded. Yaoyorozu adjusted herself slightly, so now her head was tilted towards the corner of the bus wall and the seats in front of them. "Then I'm glad we're doing this. We'll figure this out Todoroki. If this doesn't convince you, we'll keep digging."
"Or just let this blow over," he suggested.
"Oh, I know!" She suddenly sat up straight, turning back to him, eyes alight. "We can go visit the victim! What better place to settle things than the source?"
"One thing at a time, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki said, recognizing that spark in her eyes – a look that said she wouldn't rest until she had figured something out. It was both a blessing and a curse.
Finding himself at the gates of the Yaoyorozu estate during the morning felt completely different than it had a few nights ago. For one, Yaoyorozu wasn't mesmerizing him with her moonlight fluorescence. For another, he hadn't had a completely reality-shattering bus ride experience. In the daylight, everything seemed so much more peaceful and bright, so much less ominous, and the gates swung open without anyone having to come get them. The fountain was now on, sparkling innocently in the sunlight, and the front lawn seemed so much bigger than it had at night, the darkness having covered most of it.
Mrs Yaoyorozu met them in the foyer, an elaborate room of mahogany and mixed stones, polished pristinely, reflecting their images on almost every surface. It was overwhelming. While his estate was certainly on the larger side, that felt far more homely to him; the simple woods and paper doors and bamboo windows offered a softness and comfort that he had taken for granted. This architectural perfection in the Yaoyorozu household felt cold, formal and uninviting.
"Welcome," Satomi Yaoyorozu said, her voice magnified slightly in the large room, although the echoes were dulled by a large, crimson rug underneath. Todoroki didn't look away, and this time he was certain of it – her eyes did flash, once, ever so slightly, and it was made even more pronounced while passing over her dark eyes in the bright, well-lit room.
"Momo, please excuse us," the older woman commanded, and Yaoyorozu nodded, turning to Todoroki for a quick whisper.
"I'll meet you afterwards."
It was like the air dropped a few degrees. He hadn't expected to be left alone. Yaoyorozu's mother intimidated him more than he cared to admit, more so than even Toya. He stared after her until Yaoyorozu turned the corner, and, with a heavy heart, Todoroki turned to look back at the only other person in the large hall.
"This way," Satomi guided him through large oak wood doors into what appeared to be a large conference hall. He watched her hand slide from chair top to chair top as she smoothly made her way down the aisle. "May I call you Shoto?"
Todoroki nodded, quietly observing the room, taking in the antique lavishness crossed over with a sleek modern finesse. The entire room screamed grandeur, from the linen drapes to the chiseled panes, from the marbled floor to the chandelier hanging dead center. Yet, despite the elegance, despite the velvet cushioning and silk curtains, pulled apart to allow pouring sunlight in, the room looked bare, empty and cold. He turned and with a contained start, he noticed Mrs Yaoyorozu's sharp gaze on him, and realized she had expected a verbal response.
"Yes. Shoto is fine."
"The reason I agreed to show you this are multiple, Shoto," Satomi stopped once she reached the head of the table, and motioned for him to take the seat to her left. After he had obliged, she tapped something off to the side and a panel slid open in front of him, revealing a small, 11 inch screen facing towards him. Now that he looked closely, there were identical creases in front of every seat. Distantly, Todoroki wondered how often they needed such an extravagant feature.
"The primary reason is that with the defense's own son against him, Endeavor's case weakens quite a bit."
Todoroki looked at her with a steady look. "I don't believe he's guilty."
"So I've been told," Satomi replied without a beat.
"You cannot believe I would go against my own family," he said, almost instinctively. The Todoroki household members were trained to keep their families close. For no matter how vile internal affairs went, only your own blood could understand the trials and problems you went through, and through it all, they would be the only ones to stand by your side.
Or so he was taught.
"Allow me to present the following information, and then we'll see. Now, I don't expect you to hold testimony, or give false statements – that goes outside the law, of course. I simply believe that, after you see this, you'll agree to not appear at the hearing. That alone would be enough to get the sentiment across."
Todoroki had to respect the rigidity of this woman. She was brutal and unflinching. In one breath, she had not only insulted him and his loyalty, but his family – one of the strongest in Japan – and everything they stood for.
"Another reason is because Momo seemed to find it vital to convince you."
Todoroki barely managed to conceal surprised movement at that. It was an obvious ploy, and it almost worked. He would not let her get to him; he would keep up the indifference he had been taught. Constant vigilance.
"She has not seen this," Satomi continued, almost seeming to grow in size as she stared unwaveringly. As if she knew he was feeling unnerved. "The witness giving this testimonial has allowed it to be played only to family members involved, and to be read as a manuscript in court – only the very relevant points, when they are absolutely necessary, of course. And Momo, not being family, is not allowed to view this."
Todoroki felt his eyebrows furrow slightly. 'Family?'
But then the screen turned on, and Todoroki felt his blood run cold.
Satomi Yaoyorozu never stopped analyzing, watching as Shoto Todoroki shattered.
"Todoroki…?"
It had been almost ten minutes since her mother had left the large room, and Todoroki had yet to emerge. Momo pushed open the door just enough to poke her head inside and look.
Sunlight streamed in through the massive windows, the beams lighting up scarce specks of dust particles, snowing lightly down on the polished, oak table in their gentle, wafting patterns. Todoroki sat, not at the head, but the one to the side, at the far end of the table furthest from the door. His back lay facing the windows, and the streams of afternoon sun cast long, dark shadows across the table in front of him, making him look so incredibly alone. Scarlet bangs hung low, covering his eyes from her line of vision, and what she could see of his face was free of any emotion.
Momo said nothing, pulling the handle down as she closed the door behind her, trying to make as little noise as possible. She didn't know what had happened. She hadn't realized her mother had a one on one interrogation planned for Todoroki. She thought her mother would just be showing him some more pictures, perhaps too graphic for her own daughter to see and that's why she was sent away. It only took knowing her mother to know what kind of effects it could have on a person who hadn't spent their whole life with her.
She softly padded her way over to him.
He didn't move.
Momo stopped when she was behind the chair adjacent to him. Gripping the back of the seat, staring intensely at the crown of his head, Momo swallowed.
"Todoroki?" she tried again, voice even softer than before.
This time, there was a sharp intake of air, and he bent ever so slightly lower. Now that she was standing behind him, she saw his hands were fisted, clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white, pressed deeply into his thighs. And then she heard it – the trembling of air as he tried to exhale.
Wordlessly, Momo pulled out the chair slightly and sat down, facing him. She wanted to touch him, to rest her hand on his shoulder, to lightly squeeze his hand, something to show she was there for him, but every part of him was tensed up and rigid and unwelcoming. There was a moment or two where Momo wondered if she should pry – it was his business; he probably didn't even want to talk about it.
But then, everything he had ever done for her, everything he had helped her with, every small moment, small detail he would make sure was perfect for her played across her mind, and all doubts vanished.
Momo rested her hand on the table.
"What did she say to you?"
From hardly a foot away, she saw how he was shaking, but whether with anger or with sadness was still unclear. He straightened up slowly, muscles in his jaw twitched as he grit his teeth, fist clenching and unclenching. Momo scooted her seat closer to him.
"She…" his voice quivered, hardly a breath above a whisper. "She said…she showed me…"
Then he turned to her and Momo swore something inside her broke.
His beautiful eyes were glistening with tears, unshed, unblinking and unmoving. They weren't enough that they threatened to fall over, but it was enough. His eyebrows had curved upwards, only at the center, and they were trembling, like they were trying hard not to display emotion. They deeply furrowed the skin between them and the look he gave her screamed despair. She had never seen him look so scared, so lost, and that alone frightened her. His irises darted back and forth as he studied her, desperately, as if all his answers lay with her.
"My mother… she said…" there was another sharp inhale. "She said…-"
Momo grabbed him. With the care one gave a newborn child, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, pulling herself closer, squeezing him as tightly as she could.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I don't need to know."
She heard him puff out air, and then bury his nose against her neck, nuzzling into her hair. A single arm came in and curled around her, pulling her closer still; the other hand lay still clenched on his right thigh. He was a whole size larger than her and he completely smothered her with warmth. She had never felt safer than she did in his arms and that wonderful scent of his filled her senses and she could only hope she was as calming for him as he was for her.
They remained like that for what could have been hours, until finally, he stopped shaking and his breathing evened out. Todoroki remained buried in the crook of her neck and she wondered if he had fallen asleep.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than he pulled back, slowly.
He was so incredibly close, closer than he'd ever been before, in broad daylight. Her arms still lay loosely around his neck and his left one was dropped at her waist. His other arm had lifted to the table, hand still fisted, albeit loosely, gently tracing his thumb over his fingers. She had noticed him do this before; his small, nervous tick.
But all Momo saw were his eyes. They were fascinating; his grey one was lined with dark, dark blue, a fusion of both colors, iridescent and only visible because of the bright, 5pm sun. The blue one looked almost translucent, and from this distance, she counted almost ten different shades of aqua spinning around his pupil. His eyes were no longer glossed over with dampness, and his face lay dry of any tears. He blinked with a flicker of dark lashes – absently she wondered why his lashes weren't mismatched as well – and his gaze came heavy at her through half-lowered eyelids, flickering every so often as his irises jumped between her lips and her eyes.
Shoto Todoroki was the most hypnotizing being she had ever come across.
"My family," His breath was steady, brushing against her lips as he spoke. "Is full of monsters."
"Except you."
The words came out reflexively, without her even thinking it.
It was incredible how often he forgot that his blood did nothing to define who he was. He was incredible, beyond description, without any words she could use. He was her knight, her rock, her lifeline. He was what pulled her up when she was down, without fail, time and time again, and he was inspiration embodied. Momo stared into those hypnotizing eyes, trying with all her being to make him understand everything he was to her, because words simply couldn't.
A heartbeat.
Then his lips were pressed on hers, and everything else disappeared.
As if he wasn't already everything her thoughts encompassed, he now washed over her in waves, smothering her senses and drowning her in a warmth she had never known possible.
A hot, heavy breath rolled down her cheek as he took in a breath as he pulled away. A fraction of a second passed where they looked at each other, dark and blurry. And then his lips were back.
Her arms around his neck tightened, pulling him closer, hands grabbing tightly into whatever they touched. One fisted the back of his shirt as she tugged, the other combing through silky, silvery strands, brushing them behind his ear, then cupping the side of his face, angling his jaw into hers. His arm had pulled her flush against him, his large hand spanning across her back, causing her to arch at his touch and his jaw tilted up as she moved. His other hand – just how many hands did he have? – came up to cradle the side of her head and she leaned into his touch, sighing into his mouth.
There was scrape of wood against floor, and it hardly registered because she swore she heard him groan ever so softly and everything that remained of rational thought left completely.
Shoto Todoroki. Shoto Todoroki. Shoto Todoroki.
It was nothing like she had ever imagined – because she had never imagined kissing Shoto Todoroki. It wasn't even a possibility when everything he was, with her, was a friend, a hero, a role model. And it registered, a dim, insignificant dot in the far, non-hormone clouded areas of her brain, that there was no way she would ever be able to recover from the way his hands held her or the way his voice resonated in her ears or the way his lips pressed against hers.
He was the one to stop. Momo leaned back, permanently breathless, and it took her several moments to remember that there was a point where he ended and she began. Only once she pulled herself away, hoping to look into his eyes again, did she notice he was staring at something else entirely, and mindlessly, she followed his gaze.
"Mother…"
It was only once the word left her lips did reality come crashing down on her like shattered glass – that she had somehow managed to hike a leg between his, and that her arms were still pressed against his chest and his still wrapped around her waist.
Another blink and they both managed to spring apart, chair scraping loudly as she fell inelegantly back, and he swiveled back around to stare at the table.
"M-mother," Momo winced at the hoarseness of her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "W-we only-"
Her mother didn't have to use any words for Momo to fully understand the rage that was churning within Mrs Yaoyorozu's still, unmoving figure. But before Momo moved, she glanced over at Todoroki.
He had pressed a splayed hand to his face, covering everything but his eyes, which were staring wide-eyed in undiffused panic at the surface of the table. His other hand had fisted into the cloth of his pants.
"Momo."
Momo shot up, so quickly her knees cracked, the chair scraping loudly yet again, and she saw stars. She walked around, not forgetting to tuck her chair back under the table an shot one last glance at Todoroki, noting how red the tips of his ears were. And then she walked the path of shame, avoiding her mother's deathly look as she walked out of the room.
"Todoroki-kun," Mrs Yaoyorozu's sharp voice echoed through the large room. "Thank you for your help today. Make sure to close the door on your way out."