25

The allure of hope

Izuku and Momo were actually able to evade their friends throughout lunch and for the rest of the school day. He kept himself 'busy' at the workshop and she was 'busy' with the student council.

They both sighed out in relief when the final bell rang.

In truth, Yaoyorozu had been hiding out at a corner in the student council office, staring out the window, lost in her thoughts. She was chewing on her lip, seeing the passing clouds. 'I said yes because of the moment... But now that the excitement has faded... I don't know how I feel about it.' Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes winced. She lifted her school bag, as she prepared to leave, walking out of the room.

'We'll talk about it, tonight...'

Izuku let out an exhausted breath, he lifted his goggles up to his hair and dropped his mask guard to around his neck. He wiped the sweat off his brow. He had been working extra hard trying to occupy his thoughts. Now that he was done he couldn't ignore it. 'Before we actually do go out... I have to know what we are. Is she my girlfriend like Kyouka was or is what we're doing just an extended version of what I had with Yui... God, why am I comparing her to those two? She's Momo... And close friends with those two...' Izuku groaned cupping his face with his gloves wanting to scream. 'How did I miss that vital piece of information after all this time?! She's Kyouka's and Yui's friend! How did I-, How did this even-,' "Agh!" He cried, muffled through his gloves. 'I never thought about how it would affect those two! First Todoroki, now these two... I can't keep doing this... I need to know what we are...' Izuku was mulling these thoughts over as he put his gear in his locker and reached for his school bag.

'We'll talk about it, tonight...'

Neither of them believing that for a moment.

Momo let out a high-pitched squeal after he dropped her on the bed, she giggled as he began to climb over her, pinning her down.

They shared eye contact before it began. A calmness of affection before the storm of lust. She parted her lips, letting out a loving sigh. He tenderly brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, his hand returned to cupping her face, as he traced his thumb over her lips.

"What are we?" He whispered out accidentally.

"What?" She tilted her head into his palm with innocent eyes.

His eyes regained his lost focus. He removed his hand, placing his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, forget I said anything." He began to lean his lips down to her.

"W-Wait." She lifted her hand up to his chest asking him to stop and back up a little. He did, bringing his head up, opening his eyes, slightly confused. She scooted up the bed, sitting up. "It's actually about what you just said." She was nibbling her fingernail trying to say it. She sighed. "And Eri, I mean it's great that she's coming, ne? But I, we, still..." She was gesturing with her hands, moving them in between him and her trying to explain. "It's just as you said right?"

Izuku was staring thoughtfully as she tried to express herself. He sat up on his knees, hands on his lap. "Momo... Is this something we have to talk about right now?"

"That's exactly it." She scooted off the bed, throwing her arms up before dropping them and crossing her arms over her bust, walking to her window. The same one she left open the day he didn't come. "We never talk about anything!"

Izuku gulped, the pit of his stomach was filling with anxiety. He knew he had to take the first step. He always has to take the first step.

He knew... He knew.

He climbed off the bed, facing her. He took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "Momo... Did this, this relationship, start because of Todoroki..?" Closing his eyes and dropping his head.

She visibly stiffened, staring out the window.

She knew... She knew.

She wiped an eye with her index finger, flicking away a stupid salty drop. "So he told you and you figured it all out didn't you? You meddled where you weren't supposed to! I told you it had nothing to do with us!" Snapping at him.

His foot skidded back slightly, taken aback before fixing his posture. "What? But what you told me wasn't the truth! If we're going to keep this going-"

"No, you're meddling, still meddling after all this time!" She leaned into her yell, with her arms crossed over her tummy. "Just like how you meddled with Jirou's hero work last Friday!"

"You know I would never abandon her like that! And this isn't about her." He thrusted his arm to the side as if waving off Jirou.

"And what is the deal with you and her, even after your break up the both of you are always so casual and flirty. It's sickening!" She spat, her voice obviously filled with jealousy.

"Momo, I get that I hit a nerve, I'm sorry. But don't bring your best friend into this." He raised his arms, trying to calm the mood and think rationally.

"No?" She lifted one of her arms to fix her hair, before lifting her head knowingly smug. "Okay then, how about Kodai. You want to bring her into this?"

"...Yui? Leave her out of this too..." His arms dropped with a sag of his shoulders, looking down and to the side, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Oh, leave out two of my close friends, really, Izuku? Looks like I hit a nerve now didn't I? You want to talk about last summer and what you did with her? You want to talk about that, Izuku?!" She harshly pointed her finger to the side as if it was the past he kept hidden from her.

"...Ehm, I don't-, it has nothing to do-"

"With us, right? And you have the audacity to ask about Todoroki!" She added a fake laugh out of frustration.

"You're the one who invited Todoroki to 'study' and when he rejected you, you did the same thing to me! And you're saying I have the audacity?!" He placed his hands on his chest, challenging the accusation.

"Then explain Yui! Didn't you do the same thing to her! Uraraka ignored you and what happened? What happened, Izuku! I'm both of their friends, Uraraka blabbed and so did Todoroki. I was able to piece it together." Her voice having a mocking tone at the end.

He gasped before thinking about it, his eyes grew before he furrowed his eyebrows. "So, you used that as a sick manipulation for the Karaoke idea, didn't you! God, you're so good at pulling strings aren't you?"

"Me?" She scoffed, she pretended to think before narrowing her eyes at him. "How about you and all the self-loathing fuel you have towards destroying yourself! Those air trek are dangerous, what if you 'accidentally' slip? Your tendency to jump into harm's way and how you purposely ignore sleep! Mix that all together and we get the walking disaster that is you!"

"If I'm such a mess then, why me, huh?" He asked the room for an answer, opening his arms. "You could have asked anyone the day we started this but nooo, you knowingly asked your best friend's ex! And you say I'm a disaster? How about the fact that you mother over everyone and are so protective but when you're here alone with me! You're, you're...-" His voice staggered as he realized what he was saying, sadly trailing off.

"What? Say it, Izuku, say it." She sniffled with a broke voice. Both of their eyes bloodshot and watery at this point.

"You... become so delicate." He sighed trying to swallow down his dry throat. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Momo what are we doing? I don't want to argue, we can talk all this out, don't you think?" He let out strained, reaching out.

She let out a louder sniffle as a tear trailed, she snapped her head to the side, back to the window, causing the tear to fall off her face. She still lifted her hand to rub her cheek, and let out a raspy breath. "Why does it matter? Everything we said was true right?" She saw the twinkle of an emerald star. She leaned her head on the window, closing her eyes, placing her hand on the window as well. "Ne, Izuku?.. I'm not just another one of your self-destructive devices am I?"

The cold breeze echoed in silence.

His expression changed from disbelief to sadness, he took a tired heave, feeling the weight in his chest. He turned his head to the side thinking before turning back to her, trying to form the words. "Momo, I know I'm... not always good. I actually think I'm pretty horrible most of the time... and I've felt like I've made a lot of mistakes especially lately... But this isn't one of those. This is probably one of the only things I have that is worth salvaging. Momo when I'm with you, and not just here, even when we're out and I have to call you Yaoyorozu, I-, when I'm with you, I don't know, I don't feel like such a shitty person. And I know it's cheesy to say but you make me happy, Momo, you do."

It was faint but it was there, a weak chuckle from her. "You've always been so good at those speeches." She leaned off the window, taking slow steps towards him with her head bowed and arms crossed as if trying to hide herself as she spoke. "And when I'm with you... I feel safe and warm and I don't feel alone." Her voice broke at the last part as she reached him and nestled her face into his chest as he guided her into a gentle embrace.

They stayed in that moment, ignoring the current conversation, needing a break, before going back into it.

He was running his hand up her back, soothing her. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them before, "Hey, Momo, do you think maybe we can make this public, you know, no more sneaking around?"

She instantly began to back out of the embrace, pushing off his chest. "You know, you're right Izuku, we don't have to talk about this." She grabbed his hand, trying to guide him to bed.

"Momo, we're already at this point... We might as well talk about the biggest elephant in the room." Weakly breaking his hand away from her, staring at her back.

"I-Izuku we already made a lot of strides today, don't you think?" She walked to the bed, sitting on it, her legs tucked to the side as she patted the spot next to her. "We're both exhausted, come here, I'll let you rest your head on my lap while I run my hands through your hair." She was doing all of that with her motherly aura which he began to realize was a defense mechanism for her. His eyes widened with parted lips. He took a few steps back, looking around the hollow spacious room, then to the huge door, which led to the rest of the big empty home she lived in, alone. Then, his eyes landed back on Momo.

'...Oh.'

"Ne, Izuku, is something wrong?" She had tilted her head confused. He was acting as if he just had a revelation.

He took a gulp and began to walk to the bed, sitting beside her but instead of resting his head on her lap, he placed his hand there with a tender grip. He stared down for a moment trying to think of a way to say it. Ask a question he should have long ago. He lifted his eyes to her and her worried expression. "Momo... How often do you see your parents?"

"Oh, Izuku, don't worry about that, they are always so busy, so of course they wouldn't have the time, but when they do get some free time I'm sure they'll..." She spoke with that preppy voice and fake smile.

"Let me rephrase that. When was the last time you saw them?" He rubbed her lap, trying to encourage something that looked so hard for her.

"Izuku, please..."

"It's okay, Momo." He gulped. "I am here." But it wasn't a voice saying it would save you and make everything okay. It was a voice saying it wanted to stay by your side and face your problems with you. It was a voice telling you that you aren't alone, and don't have to be.

She placed her hand over his, accepting the help. She took a heavy breath and gave his hand a squeeze for support. "Since before we moved to the dorms..." She let out with a shaky voice, struggling to press on. "I haven't seen them for almost three years... And even before that, it's always been minimal. And you know what the worst part is, once they found out about the dorm policy they told me they would be staying overseas indefinitely while I study at U.A." She scoffed out, angry at herself for being so weak. "And even after they found out about the end of the policy, they still haven't..." She broke down, her eyes spilling out the words she couldn't.

"Momo..." He let out sadly. 'So that's why she developed a need to take care of others... Because she's been craving it.' He scooted closer to her. "You're not alone."

"But that's exactly why I need this, what we have, to be just ours, only ours. If everyone else finds out..." She forced herself to clear her throat and be resolved, quickly wiping her puffy eyes.

"I'm sure Todoroki and Kyouka could understand if we explain it right." He tried to reassure.

"No, it's not that, but thank you. It's just, this is the only thing I have that is mine and no one else's. The moment others find out they'll ruin it! This one thing that is purely mine won't belong to me anymore. People will get involved, people will want us to behave certain ways to satisfy them and tarnish this one thing that is precious to me... And I don't want that." She weakly whispered the last part before she then threw out a pity laugh at herself. "None of what I said makes sense does it?"

"It does Momo, it does... And I'm sorry. I... I never knew." He placed his forehead on hers. "If that's what makes you happy."

"You're not mad..?"

"No, of course not. I just needed to know why it has to be like this."

"Oh, Izuku!" She cried wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into it. "I was so scared! It was our first fight and I lashed out! I'm so sorry!" She poured out, causing her to hold him tighter, causing him to fall back on the bed with her on top, still crying against his neck. "I was... I was..." Her outburst quelled into quiet sobbing and murmurs of nothing.

"It's okay..." He curled his arms warmly around her, rubbing her back, and whispering sweet nothings. "I was scared too but at least we were a little more honest with each other right?"

She nodded against him, sniffling her nose. "Yes, because now I know we can talk." She lifted her head, placing her hands on either side of his head, on the bed, staring down at him with a smile. "That, I can talk to you." Lifting up her lips with a teary giggle. "God I'm such a mess right now, I'm sorry." She sat up, rubbing her eyes and cheeks and her nose.

"No, no, you're not." Izuku let out with a loving breath, he lifted himself up, resting up on an elbow. "You have no idea how beautiful you look to me right now." He whispered tucking away a few strands of hair that were stuck to her wet cheek.

"Stop it." She tried to force down the smile but couldn't.

"But it's like you said." He lifted himself up fully, setting her on his lap, he grabbed both her hands holding them dearly, pressing his head against hers. "We can talk, about anything... Okay?"

She let out a vibrating sigh, nodding with another sniffle. "Okay." Agreeing, taking another step forward with him.

And that's what they did for the rest of the night. They talked and talked. They roamed around the bed, laughing and giggling at dumb things that didn't matter and relating about things they liked and disliked.

And they cuddled as they told intimate stories of themselves. She would admire the stars in the sky as she spoke, taking glances at the constellations in his eyes and he would admire her smile, her honest smile that she always wanted to let out but was scared, a smile she only trusted with him, he cherished that smile as she carried it throughout the night till morning.

And,

They fell asleep at the break of dawn, basking in the cold yet warm morning light, tangled together in an embrace of supporting comfort,

Holding hands.