Momo's hearing goes well enough, her meeting with her father, does not. But at least she doesn't end up alone...
This chapter is longer than usual and it's because I didn't want to split up everything that happens. Let all the drama be contained in this chapter and it just flowed better for me to have everything follow along like this.
Buckle up, because this chapter gets kinda heavy and there is s**t shaming present in this chapter so be warned.
But some development too, so I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: My Hero Academia doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 9: Attack on all Fronts pt2:...Crumbling Walls
Momo's hearing was currently in an intermission period while the board discussed her suggestion. They called her relevance as a hero into question, threw sexist remarks at her and tried to remove her from the top ten as well. Whatever they were planning, Momo intended to play along and prove just how ridiculous all of this was.
Because if she really were as incompetent and irrelevant as they were suggesting, then what did it make them? The very Commission that put her in that position in the first place.
While the board and Tasuke talked, Momo was happy to spend the time with her friends.
"Do you really think they'll let you shoot at them?" Kyōka took a sip of her coffee.
"They don't have to but it wouldn't look good if they didn't. It would reflect badly on them if they can't trust one of their own. And if they do let me shoot, well..." Momo giggled but there was something smug about it. They all knew she wouldn't intentionally hurt any of them but it was fun to think about.
"I think you should take the shot either way." Bakugō smirked, "That'll teach 'em not to waste everyone's time. All their corruption and dumb games are annoying and making our lives harder."
"That wouldn't really help my case, Bakugō."
"But it would help both us feel better, seems like a reasonable trade." he countered.
Momo couldn't help but laugh at that, "Although Tasuke being here definitely makes things different, he'll have some sway in their decision."
"I'm pretty sure he wasn't blinking the entire time, his focus was completely on you." Shōto added in. Iida gave him a questioning look, as if Shōto hadn't been just as focused on her as Tasuke was, but Shōto pretended not to see it.
Momo pondered, "Looking at things from Tasuke's perspective though, I think I have a pretty good idea of what the decision be, in which case, I'll be fine." she smiled confidently.
The group of heroes looked at each other, then back at Momo, wondering what conclusion she could have come to.
Xxx
After ten minutes, everyone was summoned back to the room to carry on the hearing. Momo was back at her place facing the board. Kosuke remained standing while everyone else sat down. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Creati, after careful consideration and at the interest of board member Keiji, we have decided to see through your demonstration."
The energy in the room changed, everyone was eager to see how this demonstration would play out. Momo kept her expression neutral, there was still more to come.
"Furthermore, to demonstrate our trust in you as the Commission, our complainant, Tasuke will be your target."
The room gasped in shock, some even yelling that this was all a set up and that Momo would actually cause him harm. Kosuke raised his hand to silence the room. "He will not, however, be your only target. To eliminate bias, we'll have you take a shot both at Tasuke and at one of your own fellow heroes."
Just as I thought.
Momo thought to herself, they'd never just leave Tasuke in her hands, and if she deliberately made an easy shot at her friends it would show. Momo picked up her bow and walked to the opposite end of the room, as did Tasuke.
"Your second target will be another hero in the top ten, someone very close to you, in fact. Pro Hero Shōto, if you would please step down."
The attendees looked in the direction where Shōto sat beside his friends, he didn't look too surprised either by the announcement. And as he made his way down to the end of the room where he and Tasuke were to stand, he locked eyes with Momo. It was a short glance between them but it gave her all the assurance she needed. Momo smirked, there was nothing to worry about really. This wasn't the first time she'd shot arrows at him and it certainly wouldn't be the last time.
Tasuke was up first, he tried to appear calm but the worry and fear in his eyes was clear. This was the first time he'd be completely at her mercy since he'd started his whole plot to make her his. As much as she'd suffer consequences if she hit him, he'd still have an injury to deal with if she actually went through with it. He took a deep breath and stood as still as possible.
Her task was simple, each of them held up a piece of paper with a black dot in the centre. Momo had to hit the page perfectly on the mark to succeed.
The room collectively held its breath, Momo was a talented hero, her results spoke for themselves, but there was something about this moment that kept everyone on edge.
Looking from the outside in, Momo had been subjected to the worst public scrutiny, had many people turning on her, online harassment, and so much more. It wouldn't be far fetched to think that maybe she'd reached her breaking point and that this was the perfect opportunity for her to get back at the family that put her through this.
Momo herself exhaled before taking aim at the page in Tasuke's hand. Her eyes focused on the small mark in the middle.
It was a strange feeling, here Tasuke was, right in front of her completely left in her hands and she could've done what everyone expected and shot him directly, but that thought wasn't on her mind at the moment. She wasn't even as angry as she was when he'd caught her coming out of the elevator. Her mind was clear and it showed when she released the arrow.
It was over in an instant, she nailed the mark exactly, even though Tasuke had flinched and shut his eyes. His movement hadn't affected her perfect result at all.
The room let out an impressed gasp before cheering. Tasuke used that as his signal to open his eyes and looked around the room. Momo was already headed back to her table to retrieve another arrow for Shōto's turn. Tasuke finally looked at the page in his hand then the wall behind him. She really had hit the mark perfectly. He brushed a hand through his hair to regain his compose before returning to the table where his father and the rest of the board sat.
He noticed Shōto's completely calm demeanour, the difference between them clear as day and night. Shōto was a pro hero after all, facing danger and life threatening situations was second nature to him. In fact, this was probably the easiest situation that he could be placed in.
He and Momo had teamed up plenty of times before and even taken hits for each other. Shōto absolutely would not waver and quake the way he had. This knowledge angered Tasuke. They would always have something that he never would have with her.
Partly what had driven him to do what he'd done so far. He wanted Momo to himself but also wanted Shōto out of the way so he could enjoy Momo as his prize. And all of it was starting to unravel.
Shōto stood in the same spot Tasuke had been in but his stance was the complete opposite of his. He was confident where Tasuke hadn't been. For the sheer enjoyment he'd get out of it, he wished Momo would miss and accidentally strike, even though he knew that was very unlikely.
The mark on Shōto's page was on the very edge and he'd held his page close to his neck, making his target a little harder to reach. Even the slightest bit off course and the arrow would go into his neck.
But this was Momo, who'd never missed a shot in the times they'd done target practise together. So of course he didn't even flinch when she'd finally shot her arrow.
The room erupted into even more cheers when she was done. Whatever bias was leading the hearing in beginning was definitely out the window now.
Support for Momo grew in that instant and it seemed the board could tell as well. The people weren't so easy to sway anymore, and their gazes were locked now on them as opposed to Momo. They wanted to know how they would continue to test her, how far they would continue to push her.
Kosuke did not like the look in their eyes.
Perhaps a public stage wasn't the best place to dethrone her. If he moved to take away her ranking in the top ten now, the room might erupt into more chaos. A situation he wasn't ready to control, especially since his son's quirk gradually got weaker as time drew closer to the deadline before wearing off completely. And while it hadn't been the full 3 weeks yet, enough time had passed where the affected people could slowly start making up their own minds and the implanted feelings were going to fade. The original story about Tasuke meeting Momo on the photoshoot day would eventually return to normal.
Just as he was about to speak, his gaze connected with Momo's. Her eyes as sharp as ever. It was like she could read his mind because a few seconds into their stare off, she gave him the most confident smile she could muster, knowing she'd won this battle.
As much as he and his team had tried, they could not fault her or punish her after a performance like that. The Tasuke situation would have to be solved separately from this one without calling her heroism into question.
And that had been the final vote of the board.
Momo's position was safe.
Xxx
"Serves that little bastard right!" Bakugō loudly declared as he and the group made their way out. "He was shaking so much I thought he'd pass out. I would've taken the shot but kudos for making that loser squirm." he looked back at Momo who was following behind, Kyōka at her side.
"It was mostly that Keiji guy's fault. His insistence on being a creep to get under my skin ended up backfiring. It gave me the chance to show them what I can do since he was so insistent on seeing how my Creation works."
"How a perverted man like that ended up on the board is beyond me." Shōto was still sickened by his comments about Momo.
"Are you kidding, someone like that is always in a position of power. He looked right at home next to Kosuke." Kyōka explained. An infuriating but not surprising fact of the world they lived in. Too many sick men with sick ideas in positions of power.
"But enough about all that. This was still a victory for Momo and it deserves to be celebrated. Lunch at our place?" Izuku looked at his girlfriend who nodded happily at the idea.
"Fine, but as long as Ochako's the one cooking!" he sharply pointed at the shorter girl but there was no bite behind it.
"You say that as if I can't cook. I cook just as good as you." Izuku challenged.
"Firstly, ranking wise, I'm only second to Fuyumi in cooking."
Shōto looked surprised hearing Bakugō willingly call himself second at anything. He would definitely pass the compliment along to his sister though.
"And even then it's a very close second, you're nowhere near my level."
The rest of the friend group laughed at their back and forth. Meanwhile Momo was preoccupied with something else. Her phone got a notification and any calm and joy she'd been experiencing with her friends faded away. It was a text from her father.
Be home at 17:00
The text was short and to the point. That gave her the whole afternoon to enjoy with her friends, but, would she even be able to enjoy herself? Knowing what was coming soon after.
Xxx
It was just after four p.m. and Shōto, Momo and Bakugō had been the only ones still relaxing at Izuku and Ochako's apartment. Kyōka got called out on a mission as back up and Iida had some work to finish at his agency and had to leave as soon as they'd finished lunch.
Now that the time was drawing nearer, Momo also excused herself. She wanted to get home and change before going to see her father. That and she also need to mentally prepare for what he was going to say to her.
As she made her way out after saying goodbye to everyone, she got a text from Shōto when she reached her car.
Good luck. Call me if you need anything or just want to talk.
She smiled at the text but part of her felt sad as well. Fortunately or unfortunately, Shōto, just like Kyōka, knew the extent of Momo's strained relationship with her father and how many times his words had hurt her over the years.
It had made two of her closest friends quite protective of her whenever she had to face him.
She'd wanted to tell Tenya as well, but limiting it to only two friends, who really knew what her home life had been like, was just about as much as Momo could handle. That and there was a certain way she wanted Tenya to see her. She knew it was silly of her to ever entertain the idea that Tenya would think any less of her because of her family situation, but she couldn't help it.
They'd been class president and vice president together throughout high school together and that came with a certain image. She wanted to keep that high standard and then maybe someday she'd be able to tell him.
Momo drove back home already thinking of answers to almost any and every question he could possibly ask her about this Tasuke situation.
After a relaxing shower and changing into homewear, Momo headed out. On her way downstairs, she got a phone call.
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your date night?" Momo greeted Kyōka.
"I am, but I'm multitasking by checking on you too."
"Kyōka, I'll be fine. It's not like this is the first time I'm going to see my father."
"Exactly, this is your father we're talking about. Have you forgotten that I've seen how bad things get after he's spoken to you?"
"No, of course not, but I'm just saying you don't have to worry so much. I got to shoot an arrow at Tasuke, which drastically improved my mood." she chuckled, as did Kyōka, "I know what to expect from him, the usual judgement and disappointment. It's nothing new."
"And being used to it isn't a good sign either." she sighed, "Look, just… if it gets bad, you can call me you know? You can call any of us."
"I'm not going to emotional dump on you when you've finally got a break from work and taking some time for your relationship. I've got Tenya and Shōto, I know I've got all of you. But I appreciate it, really." Momo made it to her car, "Have a good time with Denki." she greeted her best friend then hung up.
The drive to the Yaoyorozu estate was a quiet one. Momo didn't have the radio on and she didn't bother playing music, her mind was wondering. What would he say this time? Based on their last phone call, it was clear that he placed all the blame on her for what was currently going on.
When she finally arrived at the large property her family owned, a certain dread overcame her. Maybe she wasn't as ready as she thought. The well kept gardens, flower and herb beds as well as the opulent mansion that sat in the centre of it all, showed a flashy display on the outside while the inside of her childhood home was a mixture of good times as well as bad. And the ones concerning her father were mostly bad, memories Momo would rather not relive.
When she drove into the estate, it took around two minutes to finally reach the house. Rhe scenic greenery on the drive in felt like driving into a secret garden. The house staff came out immediately to greet her.
She pleasantly greeted them all before heading inside and walking straight to her father's study which was on the second floor. All the curtains for the floor to ceiling windows were open in the living room, allowing a lot of natural light in. The way the foyer was lit up almost looked like a path was set up for her to go upstairs and ultimately face her father.
Head butler, Tenma, a man in his mid 40s with slciked back brown hair, informed her that her father was already inside and expecting her. Momo thanked him and headed up, passing by the large family portrait that sat above the centre of the stairway. A single staircase lead upstairs to a midway point, that then branched out into two connecting staircases that took you to two different wings of the house.
Momo took the left staircase to where his study was. The house was silent save for the footsteps of the maids moving about around the house and the large clock that sat close to the entryway. Momo wondered where her mother was, but knowing her, she was probably painting somewhere in the garden.
She walked past her parents bedroom and finally made it to the study room. She knocked twice and waited for his response.
"Come in." his deep voice called out from the other side of the door.
Momo walked in and closed the door behind her. As she made her way over to the couch to sit down, she looked around the room, memories of the few times she'd been allowed in here came back. It was usually whenever she was getting scolded.
The walls were beige, large bookcases took up the entire left side of the room, there was even an upper reading area accessible with a short staircase. Her father's desk sat close to the windows, the light pouring in behind him as the sun slowly began to set.
Yaoyorozu Hiroshi, a powerful and imposing man, stood to join his daughter in the main chair adjacent to the couch she was sitting on.
His sharp grey eyes, the only thing she's inherited from him appearance wise, kept locked on her. It was a few seconds before either of them said anything.
"I had a look at your hearing from this morning." he removed his glasses and put them on the coffee table in front of them. "I was impressed with how you solved that situation."
There was no emotion in his voice, he spoke as if he was reading something.
"Thank you." her voice was neutral as well.
"However..." of course there was still more to come, he'd never just properly compliment her, "Enough is enough, Momo. You will give a formal apology to the Fuji family and maybe this mess will finally be over. You handled the hearing well, but this whole story needs to be put to rest."
"I'm not apologising because I didn't do anything wrong. Tasuke's whole story is a lie." and nothing he said was going to make her change her mind.
"Even if it is, you need to put a stop to it. It's bad enough people already assume you have a scandalous relationship with Endeavor's son." his eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about? Why are you listening to every rumour out there instead of just asking me in the first place?" she would never understand his choice to always believe others instead of getting the truth from her.
"What do you expect me to believe? I don't want to get a call from Endeavor one day or the Iida family telling me you got pregnant screwing their sons!" he sat forward in his seat, body fully facing her now.
"Why is that the first thought in your head? 'Oh, Momo has guy friends, she must be having sex with them every second possible.' That's absolutely ridiculous!" Momo slammed her hand on the arm rest. It infuriated her to know that's what he'd assumed about her and her friends.
"Do you have any idea how it feels seeing your daughter shamelessly parading the streets showing majority of her body for everyone to see!? Like a slut!" he yelled so loudly it even alarmed him.
The room went dead silent. Momo froze on the spot, her face completely shocked.
"W-What did you just call me?" An indescribable pain filled her chest and tears began to blur her vision.
Realising his disastrous error, he got up and tried to approach his daughter. "Momo, I didn't mean that-
"But you still said it! You can't take it back!" She backed away from him. "Is that what you've thought about me all this time? You think I'm a slut?" She could feel her body shaking, be it from heartbreak or rage, she couldn't tell.
Irritation bubbled in Hiroshi, "For goodness sake, I just wish you'd cover up more!"
"And I've told you hundreds of times why I couldn't back then! Melissa and Mei only made a breakthrough with my hero suits when I was done with school!"
"If only you knew what I've had to endure over the years, having to listen to the disgusting remarks people make about you. It's embarrassing!" He doubled down on his words, yelling even louder.
"What you've had to endure?! Are you kidding me! You think I enjoy all the hate and scorn?! Having people comment on every piece of skin they see and my every move! 'Has Momo gained weight, disgusting! Oh now she's too thin. Why does her stomach look like that? Her boobs are too big, she has stretch marks. She's only doing this to get men, she's probably fucked her way to the top five!' I've heard it all!" she had to pause to catch her breath, "Not to mention the online sexual harassment! You think you're the first person to call me a slut!? I just never thought I'd hear it from my own father." Tears were streaming down her face but her voice was steady. "So I ask again, what have you endured?"
Hiroshi was speechless for a while. He'd had no idea any of that had been happening to her. She'd never even told her mother, who was his usual source to update him about Momo's life.
"Then why become a hero? You wouldn't be facing any of this if you'd had a less public career."
"It's not about the job, no matter where I ended up, people were always going to say something. I'm your daughter after all. And I became a hero because I have an incredible quirk. There are so many people out there struggling or trapped or hurt without any help or solution. I can create one in less than a minute." The resolve in her eyes as she spoke, even through her tears, made Hiroshi pause. He knew he was wrong but he also believed if she just listened to him, things wouldn't be this complicated.
"Momo-"
"No, just stop, father, I'm done." She looked away from him and stood up, turning to leave. "As harsh and overly critical as you were over me my whole life, I really, really believed that despite everything, deep down you'd support me. That as long as I had my friends and family, I thought I'd be okay. I thought you'd see me as I am, as just your daughter but you never have. So I'm done."
"That's not fair." he tried again to take a step closer to her but she backed away again.
"What's not fair is being completely torn down by you all the time! You've never been proud of me."
"I've always been proud of you! You're my little girl."
"Sure, only when it benefits you and your image," she sarcastically scoffed, "but not when I'm supposedly being a slut, right? Then I'm just embarrassing."
His silence was louder than any words he could've said. She had her answer. Momo left without looking back, trying and failing to wipe away her tears.
Her mother walked into the house as Momo was coming down the stairs. Even from that distance she could see the tears running down her daughter's face. She immediately walked faster to catch up to her.
"Momo..." but her daughter didn't stop and continued to the garage and unlocked her car. Her mother followed. "Momo what happened?"
"I don't plan on coming back here, not for a while anyways."
"Momo, please, talk to me. What did your father say?" She'd never seen her daughter look so distant yet so clearly in pain.
Momo got in her car, turned on the engine then rolled down her window. "He finally told me what he really thinks of me. You gave birth to a slut, mom. In case you didn't know." She reversed out and drive off without another word.
Haruki felt chills run down her spine. Is that what he'd said to her? There was no way. A maternal rage welled up inside her, the urge to protect her devastated daughter consumed her as she furiously walked inside. She'd defended Momo from her father too many times already but this was something else entirely.
She found him still in his study, pouring himself a drink when she stormed in and slammed the door behind her.
"Did you call our daughter a slut!" she walked right up to him, glaring.
"Not now, Haruki." He rubbed his temples.
"Don't you dare 'not now' me, Hiroshi! We're discussing this right now! How could you say that to her!" the fact that she even had to have this conversation with him was infuriating.
"Why is she walking around half naked all the time!"
"Have you forgotten how quirks work!? We gave that beautiful gift of creation to her." she gestured at them both. "It's a blessing that she's doing all that she has."
"Of that, there's no doubt, but it's hard to be proud when every man out there gets hard just looking at her."
"And you're objectifying her just as disgustingly as they are!"
"For goodness sake she's the only woman in the top five. Dressed like that and surrounded by men all the time, of course people are going to make assumptions." he downed his drink in a single gulp.
"The ones making those assumptions are depraved. You're not supposed to be like them. Her father is supposed to protect her from people like that."
"I would if she wasn't enabling it." he slammed his glass on the table.
"Enough, Hiroshi! That's enough." She took a deep breath to keep herself from getting even angrier.
"You're going to call Momo and apologise to her before the day is done." She glared at him before he could open his mouth and retaliate. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you." she then walked away towards his desk and leaned on it.
"Have you forgotten all the backlash I got when I was pregnant with Momo? Everyone assumed I did it to get into the rich life, completely disregarding my own accomplishments, and that I already came from a wealthy family. Oh no, I was just Hiroshi's conniving bitch that trapped him with a child. All the articles that demonised me after I gave birth and you had to step away from the company for a while because you just became a father. Did you somehow forget all that?" she wrapped her arms around herself, looking out the window. Those days were the hardest of her life.
"No, I could never." They'd had to hire extra security for the estate, as more than a few opportunistic "reporters" tried to jump the gate to get pictures of newly born Momo. And he'd bought two media publications to stop all the slander.
"So why are you acting like you've never seen this before? You did so much to protect me back then, why can't you do the same for our precious girl now?"
Xxx
Momo had been home for over an hour, but she hadn't moved from her spot. She sat at the entrance, her back leaning against the front door. She hadn't made it far into the apartment at all. As soon as she felt safe in her home, all the tears and pain came rushing back tenfold and she'd sunk to the floor in inconsolable tears. Her argument with her father still swirling around in her head mixed in with every hateful, painful, judgemental comment that she'd been attacked with ever since this all started.
Every instance she'd told herself to be strong and take it, or decided to show a brave face in front of those that wanted to see her fall. All those moments she'd held herself back, all those feelings came through these tears.
For an entire hour she'd let it all out, and then she sat silently, staring blankly at nothing in particular, hugging her knees to her chest.
She remembered Kyōka and Shōto's words, that she was free to call them or any of her friends if she needed them at that moment. And she more than needed it but she also, didn't want any of it.
She was tired. Tired of being a target, tired of being everyone's source of concern. Tired of everything. She just wanted to disappear.
But at the same time, the urge to have someone with her, just to not feel so alone as she had been lately, also drove her.
Momo went back to her bedroom and changed into a black one piece swimsuit and headed to the rooftop of her apartment. But not before sending a long voice message.
"Hey… Kyōka… I know you said I should call if I needed anything but I know you'd drop everything if I did. So, I'm leaving you this message instead. You can call me back in morning and I'll tell you everything then if I'm up for it. It took me almost twenty minutes to decide if I should even send this or not, I didn't want to worry you, any of you but also… I really wish I wasn't alone right now, I wish this nightmare was over and I really wish I hadn't gone to see my father today. Bad as things have been between us, and you know how bad they've been, things are even worse now. I'll explain everything when I can, for now though, I'm just so tired and I'm trying to wrap my head around everything. Talk to you soon…"
Kyōka called her ten minutes later.
The two friends talked for a short time. Kyōka tried to insist that she could come over but Momo talked her out of it, reasoning that Denki's apartment was far from hers. It would take Kyōka a while to arrive and it was already night time. Momo tried to reassure her that some of her feelings she'd had when she'd sent that voice message were gone but Kyōka wasn't buying it.
As soon as their phone call ended, she'd made another, to someone Momo could never say no to. And what made things even easier was that he was just as worried about her as she was. It took very little convincing for Shōto to head straight over to Momo's place to check on her.
When he arrived he went straight to the rooftop, as Kyōka had told him that's where she was during their phone call. Momo had answered her phone with her waterproof wireless earphones and Kyōka could hear her swimming as they talked.
Shōto couldn't remember the last time he'd been up to her rooftop pool, it definitely had been a while. Sometimes they'd go up there to swim as part of their exercise routine or Momo would host a pool party and invite the gang over.
When he finally climbed the last step, he was greeted with stunning city views, a row of beach chairs and poolside umbrellas and the main attraction itself—a large swimming pool, with Momo floating on the surface of the crystal blue water. It was a clear night, the stars covered the sky and the moon reflected in the water.
Shōto could tell she was lost in thought as she only registered his presence after he'd changed and got into the water himself.
She righted herself and watched him swim over to her. For the longest time neither of them said anything, just looking into each other's eyes.
Coming to the pool was the perfect disguise, Shōto thought to himself. He couldn't tell where the pool water ended and her tears began but he knew she'd been crying. Her slightly red eyes gave that away. Although that also could've been from the chlorine if she'd opened her eyes underwater. And as hard as she tried to look put together and okay, Shōto could see clearly that she wasn't.
"Did Kyōka ask you to come?" she looked away first, unable to keep eye contact with him. It felt like he could see right through her.
"That's not the only reason I'm here."
A sad smile graced her face, silence returned between them.
"I'm sorry." She eventually started.
"Why are you apologising?"
"Because I keep making you worry about me. When was the last time we just hung out, without all of this noise getting in the way?" She wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's not your fault." He tried to reassure her, "And I worry about you because I care about you. No one's forcing me to do anything. I want to be here, and if I can help it, I want you to be happy."
"And what if you can't?" Unable to bear the answer to that question, Momo swam to the edge of the pool, the side closest to the balcony so she could see the city below. Even though they'd been up there a few times, the view from their height never got old.
Shōto joined her at the edge of the pool. Even if there wasn't much he could do for her at that moment, he still wanted to cheer her up. "When was the last time we just hung out?" He repeated her question, "What about right now?"
Just as Momo turned to answer, Shōto splashed her. Her shocked face made him smile triumphantly.
"Did you just splash me, like a child?" The amused surprise clear as she wiped her face.
"Are you going to do something about it?" He gloated while slowly swimming away.
"Like hell I'll just let you leave like that!" She swam after him and he took off faster as well.
Momo caught up to him near the middle of the pool and used her momentum to lift herself up just as she reached him. She pressed down on his shoulders and dunked him.
But being physically stronger than her, he popped back up quickly. Oh now he was really getting fired up, and so was Momo. Shōto turned around to face her before she could try dunk him again. It seemed they had the same thought at the same time, as they locked hands, pushing each other with everything they had.
It might not have been the smartest idea to have an impromptu sparring match in the pool, what with water being several times denser than air, so their hits obviously wouldn't land as hard, but that didn't matter. They were having fun, swimming around, splashing and most importantly; pure, unfiltered laughter filled the night time.
When last did Momo let go like this and freely enjoy herself? When last had he heard her laugh like this, the sparkle returning to her eyes along with that beautiful mischief glistening in them right now.
The heat of the moment caught up to him as Shōto ended up pulling her closer. Momo didn't seem to mind. She got goosebumps when their bodies touched.
"When was the last time? I think right now counts." He released her hands.
Momo next did something he wasn't expecting. She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him towards the edge. His back was now against the side of the pool and his heart suddenly started beating faster. He really hoped she hadn't noticed.
"Alright, I'll give you this one. That was pretty fun. Especially since I just won." She leaned a little closer, trying to keep him in place.
"We never set any rules." He countered, a cheeky smile on his face.
"Well, we obviously can't pin each other to the floor right now, so the pool wall is the next best option. And I've got you." She brushed through his hair, a teasing smile on her face.
"It's cute that you think I can't switch us right now." Which he immediately did. Now Momo was pinned and his arms on either side of her meant she couldn't escape either.
What neither of them noticed was how much energy they'd used in their game. Both of them were breathing a little harder and the extremely close proximity wasn't helping much either. Thankfully the cool water made sure their blushes weren't too prominent, but the feeling and attraction was definitely there.
As if only noticing now, who was really in front of her, Momo slowly moved her hands up his muscular arms. Her reasoning? He was already pressed into her anyways, it's not like they could get any closer. Her arms settled around his neck and slowly his went around her waist.
Once he was certain she was fine with his hands around her, he confidently held her.
The moment was intimate and before it could become anything else, Momo pulled him closer into a tight hug. She could feel his arms circle around her just as tightly as she held him.
He was just what she'd needed. A night in the pool under the stars and in his arms, holding on to him like a lifeline, her tears returned. Her face buried in the crook of his neck, her warm tears gliding down his shoulder were a contrast to the cool water still clinging to his body.
He held her for the duration of her tears, gently rubbing her back, his own heart feeling heavy at the sound of her broken one.
And even though she told herself she wouldn't talk about it, and she was so grateful that he hadn't asked. Even though she didn't want to bring it up today because the wounds were still fresh but...
Momo finally opened up and told Shōto everything about her meeting with her father.
And her tears continued.
Yeah this chapter took a lot to write but nonetheless I enjoyed it. Even though it hurt to put Momo through even more pain, like damn Hiroshi really didn't hold back. But enough from me, lemme know what you thought about this chapter. And as always, thank you to everyone reading and enjoying.
Well, that's it from me-
Until the next chapter:
Ketsui Tasogare :-)
