17

Lullabies of the Mist

"I did it." Izuku panted, beginning to get up. As soon as he stood up a fist came crashing down on him.

"Izuku... Dummy!" Kyouka punched with angry shark eyes.

"Ow!" He cried, squatting while clutching the comical bump on his head. He glanced up with teary eyes. "Kyouka..." He whined.

"Don't you 'Kyouka...' me." She berated, going back to clutching her shoulder with her good arm. "Izuku you know better than-"

"I know, I know." Izuku straightened up. "And you know I wouldn't just leave you like that. And it's not because of..." He debated a moment in his head before dropping the sentence.

She glanced away at the running water. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either, she sighed. "You know, nostalgia always leaves a bitter after taste in my mouth."

The quiet city night wind breezed by them, ruffling the hair that was covering their shaded eyes.

"I know, Kyouka, I know."

Izuku groaned struggling to get up. "Wh-Where?" He winced in pain. "Where am I?" He strained to get up with his elbow. There was steam everywhere. He could make the room out. It was Yaoyorozu's shower room. In her typical high class, it was lavish and spacious. The bath was shaped like a porcelain hot spring. He was laying next to it and the sitting area. He noticed a towel over his lap, but that was it. He glanced around.

"Where's Momo..?" He breathed out, fatigued, he struggled to sit up.

"I-Izuku!" A voice cried with relief. He turned to it, seeing a hazy figure at the door. It became clear as she rushed to his side, she was wrapped in a towel and had her hair in a ponytail like usual, but up with a hairclip. She sat on her knees, hugging his head tightly against her bosom. "I was so worried." She whispered with anxiety, combing her hand through his hair, to calm herself.

"I'm... I'm fine." He tried to say but it came out muffled against her flesh.

She shook her head. "No, you're not, you stubborn idiot." Even through her insult, all he could hear was affectionate worry.

He pulled away from the embrace, sitting up with some of her help, he winced clutching the side of his stomach, he had a gash over his ribcage, he clutched it, noticing that it was stitched up.

"It was the most severe of your injuries, so I tended to that one first. We still need to clean your other wounds." She glanced away a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry I stripped you. I had to identify all the injuries and you're clothes were so bloody... And... And." Her voice was beginning to break. Seeing him like that was terrifying. She was an aspiring hero, so she has bared witnesses to horrible images but seeing him, her pillar of stability, in such a state was...

"Hey, hey, I'm alright." He tried to reassure, placing his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, opting to tackle him into a hug, resting her forehead on his collar bone. He refused to let that grunt of pain out.

"Izuku..!" She whined in a worrying way. "I can't lose you... I can't."

He let her express herself. He gently rubbed her back. "Today was just a bad day, I'm not too hurt, I was just tired when I got here, sorry I didn't mean to make you worry. Really, Momo." Being as positive as he could.

"You're doing it again, shrugging it off with a smile." She could hear it in his voice. She lifted her head up to him. That onyx twinkle in her eyes. "Can't you be honest with at least me..?" Piercing straight through him.

He gritted his hand over the floor tile. He didn't answer for a moment. He pulled his other arm away from her back, moving it to her face. He pressed his forehead against hers with shadowed eyes. He crested her cheek as he spoke. "I was trying out my new air gear, and I stumbled onto Kyouka while she was out heroing, she was in trouble and I wasn't going to just abandon her but it turned out alright, we're both fine."

That caused Momo to tense up more. Her best friend. "She-, she was also in danger?" How could she be so selfish lately? No wonder Jirou seemed so excited about this weekend. 'I've been neglecting her.' Avoiding her.

"But like I said, it's okay now. Kyouka got medical attention at the scene b-but I had to leave." Even though he still had to talk to Jirou about it. Why was she even dealing with someone close to Overhaul? He ignored it, focusing on Momo. "Everything's fine, I'm just a little exhausted." He added a bit of sarcasm.

"A lot exhausted." She croaked with a giggle that she did not want to let out.

"There it is." He smiled back.

"Stop." She said with a leaving laugh. She placed her hand on his chest. "You're tired, scraped up and muddy." Adding a small but tentative smile. She began to stand helping him up as well. "Here let me..." She began softly.

"Um, Momo?" He was slightly uncomfortable as she helped guided him to the wash area to sit.

"It's fine." She patted his shoulders before running her hands up to his messy hair, she played with it a little, dropping her arms back down to his neck, hugging him from behind. "The most important thing is you're fine." She snuggled her arms slightly tighter around him, placing her chin on his hair.

"Y-Yeah..."

They shared the silence.

She released the embrace, getting the showerhead. She hummed lightly as she washed his back and shoulders, letting the water rinse over him. She giggled after he shivered. "Idiot, why didn't you go to a hospital anyways? I would have understood."

"I know but if someone found out I was involved with hero work, then I don't know." He shrugged. "Besides I knew you could take care of me."

She softly smacked the back of his head and sighed adorably. "Geez, I did not like being put through that, Izuku."

He grew a smirk at the way she always said his name in that childish whine, completely opposite of her usual calm collected demeanor. "Sorry, sorry," Izuku joked around. "It's just Todoroki is always talking about,' his voice shook realizing that he said his name, "h-how good you are at... first aid."

There it was.

The room was only voiced with the sound of rinsing water.

Her hand was tense on his shoulder. He was about to speak and apologize for mentioning it. "S-Sorr-"

"Izuku?" She interrupted, resting her face on his other shoulder, sliding her hand down and across his chest, hugging him. "I know there's probably a lot we need to talk about... a-about o-our r-relationship." She struggled to say that part. "But just not today, ne? " She tilted her head, snuggling against his.

He lifted his right hand, his permanently scarred hand, placing it over her arm on his chest. "Yeah..." The questions he knew they both had were running through his head but he had to ignore it, for today at least. Today wasn't the day for that. He tenderly gripped her forearm. "Hey, Momo?"

She nodded her head, signaling she was listening.

"Our relationship?" He teased.

She playfully smacked him with the showerhead. "Stop." She couldn't resist a giggle.

"Here, easy." Momo guided Izuku to her room, one of his arms draped over her shoulders for support.

"Thanks." He exhaled, flopping on his back on the bed. She crawled up next to him, placing her hand on his stitched-up ribcage. "How does it feel?"

"It stings here and there but nothing I'm not used to." He glanced to her, who was examining him. "Hey, um you know if you want to?"

She parted her lips. "Izuku!" With a scold in her voice. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. "You are fatigued and injured, how could you possibly insinuate that at a time like this?"

Izuku was staring up at her adorable pout and furrowed eyebrows. 'Lecturing Momo is surprisingly sexy?' He was confused about how he should feel. "Um, yeah you're right, I just thought you wanted to, too, you know?"

She shifted her head to the side with a snap. "That's besides the point." She then relaxed with a hazy gleam in her eyes. She lowered herself to Izuku, sliding her hands up to his collar, bringing her lips close to his. She smirked. "That being said... Idiot, let me take care of you."

She teased, placing her index finger on his nose, pushing his head back on the pillows, as she proceeded to go down on his body. Down on him.

The constellations were twinkling in his eyes again. It was quiet, ever so quiet. He combed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She was cresting her thumb over the bag under his eye. She stared deep into those emerald orbs wondering how they could be so bright at night.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" He whispered, also staring into her owl onyx eyes.

"I'm already dreaming."

She let out so breathlessly he couldn't hear it. She wasn't sure if she even said it.

She rose her eyebrows with concern. "What about you? You need to rest." She scooted closer to him, still staring into his eyes. She began to sooth, running her hand through his hair, nestling him to sleep in her embrace, singing him a lullaby.

"Hush Izuku, don't say a word.

I'm gonna buy you a mocking bird.

And if that mocking bird won't sing.

I'm gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring goes brass.

I'm gonna buy you a looking glass...

And if that looking glass gets broke..."

Will you make me whole and not let go...