down to business , todomomo

by basicallylia

Summary:

"This is just a business relationship, correct?", she asked, hesitance showing through her soft tone which was kept barely above a whisper.

Todoroki crossed his muscular arms over his suit with a smirk, reciprocating her stance. "Sure, it could be."

Or,

In which Momo, entangled in the complexities of her ever-so-distressing life, mysteriously runs into her estranged high school friend after losing touch for all those years. Him now being a successful CEO, he's strangely set on making her accept his proposal.

-

CEO x Secretary AU
No quirks

Chapter 1: Crossed Paths

~

 

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜 was a normally tolerant person, but that couldn't apply to the situation he was (technically forced to be) in. His heterochromatic eyes held a sense of pure fury and rage directed right at the red-haired man in front of him, who happened to be comfortably seated in his large office chair.

"You heard what I said, Shoto,", the scumbag of a man Todoroki was forced to acknowledge as his father spoke again. His voice was hoarse and commanding, and even the fearsome glare his dual haired son sent him wasn't enough to make Enji Todoroki back down on his statement. "Marry Kendo Itsuka."

Todoroki balled his fists and released them. Then he did it again. And again. Him being angered by his father's words wasn't an unusual occurrence for him, but he still had to try his best to cool down his boiling anger as the building of his company wasn't exactly the right place to start an argument. His employees would overhear, and he wasn't willing to let anyone know about his own personal life affairs.

So instead, he made an attempt at an emotionless expression, and asked with a voice thinly veiling his anger, "And might I know what the reason for that is?"

"She'll make you happy and distract you from all that overwork." He reasoned, and Todoroki examined him. His father's face was strangely nonchalant, seeming to not let even the slightest of an emotion show. A mask, Todoroki realized. He was masking his true intentions. Enji noticed the skeptical look on his son's face and finally gave in, allowing the mask to break, "And her family is quite well off as well. It would be profitable for our company."

And there it was. His true intentions.

Todoroki knew more than anyone that his father was an extremely power hungry man. He was willing to jump to any and all lengths just for the sake of his own pride and wealth. And forcing his son to be in an arranged marriage was one of those lengths apparently, which angered him even more.

It wasn't like he had anything against Kendo either. She was a well-mannered and respectful woman, and was able to follow her dreams of being a famous fashion designer, unlike him, who wasn't even able to grasp the concept of what dreams meant due to his father giving him intense training to be the perfect son at a young age. She was hired to design his suits for formal events sometimes, so they had to meet up every now and then.

But even if numerous women swarmed around him in hopes of marrying him for his handsome appearance and wealth, Todoroki was never interested in being in an actual relationship in the first place. He never considered it to be important in any way in his life.

That wasn't the main reason he couldn't think of marriage with Itsuka Kendo, though.

If he ended up marrying her, that would mean Todoroki was forced to follow in his father's footsteps. Being in an arranged marriage with someone he didn't even love only for the means of profiting off it. He had witnessed it all. He witnessed the pain that it brought his mother.

Memories of his mother being heard sobbing in her room night after night flashed in his mind. The suit and the tie he was wearing suddenly felt very suffocating.

He wasn't willing to repeat his father's mistake. Even if he had let himself be controlled by the power hungry man almost his whole life, he couldn't repeat that mistake. He was going to create a path for himself, he decided.

"I've already scheduled a meeting with her parents-"

"Cancel the meeting.", he interrupted. This time, it was Todoroki's turn to command his father.

Enji was already beginning to fume with rage. "What?"

"I'm not marrying her, and that's the end of this discussion." He stood his ground, setting his mouth in a hard line and glaring daggers at the man sat in front of him.

His words didn't seem to do any justice for him apparently, as Enji was quick to stand up, sending his office chair flying backwards, immediately starting to yell in a voice so loud that it made some of the employees look through the glass of his office room in curiosity, "I will not accept that!"

"Then I'll make you." Todoroki forced a smirk to assert some level of dominance, when in reality, he felt suffocated. Words were lodged in his throat and his mouth felt dry. The walls seemed to be closing in on him at the sight of his father being furious. It reminded him of the same look of fury on his face whenever he was going to hit him. The physical scars he had earned from back then faded away, but the scars still remained on his life and on the distant memories he pushed at the back of his mind in hopes of forgetting it all. But he couldn't forget it all. As much as he wanted to, he could never.

It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

Before he could be reminded more of his painful past, he turned around and headed for the door. Aiming to run away from his problems like he always did.

Despite being told he had amazing senses, he felt like he couldn't hear anything. His scumbag father shouting from behind him to come back was just noise. The doorknob twisting open was just noise. His footsteps as he walked out of his father's office room was just noise.

After he shut the door behind him, he could finally feel like he was breathing again. He closed his eyes, leaning against the door and taking in a deep breath.

The cold, fresh air of the air conditioning never felt better. He could sense the receptionists behind their counters eyeing him in curiosity. It was only normal to do so considering the volume of his father, also the chairman of the company's voice when he yelled at him.

'Then I'll make you.' Todoroki recounted his words earlier and put a calloused hand on his hair in frustration. Even he didn't know what he meant by that. Just how in the world was he going to make Enji Todoroki change his mind? He was feeling very conflicted.

It was only when he opened his eyes again and strode across the hall with a scary fire of determination present in his heterochromatic eyes that the receptionists glued their eyes back to their computers in fear.

He was going to do it. Even if it was hard, he was going to do it. His stubbornness that he got from his father wouldn't let him back down so easy. He was going to find a way somehow if it meant he could lead a life of his own.

The sound of his hard footsteps on the marble floor boomed against the glass walls of the spacious lobby, a cold and intimidating look on his face. Nobody dared to even spare him a glance, but the quietest of whispers regarding his demeanor could be heard from behind him which he didn't pay any mind to.

People being scared of him was a normal occurrence for the dual haired man. Despite his attractive features that ladies were very adamant on commenting about, he usually scared people off accidentally. He always seemed to be glaring even if he had no intentions of doing so, and had an aura of superiority around him that made people back away immediately.

But he had already decided that he wouldn't care about not being treated like a normal person. Even if it wasn't true at all.

Stepping out of the building through the glass revolving doors, he noticed a couple droplets of rain falling on the ground. Todoroki stopped to stare at the sky. Gray clouds were gathered in front of the sun and the summer rain was starting to fall in sheets.

Before he could get wettened by the pouring rain, a person, an employee he presumed, handed him an ash colored umbrella. He didn't bother to even look at them with his eyes still mindlessly locked onto the sky, the stranger's umbrella in his hand shielding him from the rain as the person ran off. Employees often tried to be overly kind with Todoroki. They did tedious tasks like making him a cup of coffee, giving him compliments, greeting him all the damn time, all in hopes of getting a promotion. But of course, none of this ever worked, as Todoroki believed only their performance in work mattered.

The streets were filled with people trying to get away from the rain and more and more umbrellas could be seen. A few cars passed by in such speed that Todoroki could barely catch glimpses of them, but no taxi could be seen in sight. Great. Now it was raining and he couldn't find any sort of transportation to get home. Giving his driver a day off was a grave mistake.

He resorted to sitting on a vacant bench near him, letting his head fall against the back of the bench with a sigh, his hand gripping the umbrella as hard as he could out of frustration. Todoroki was known to be a very impatient man. He wanted to get things done and over with as soon as he could. That was why he always pushed himself to his limit and worked countless hours a day. He barely even had a life outside of being a CEO. It was always the same, rushed routine for him; wake up, work, sleep, repeat.

But, he did have to admit, the sound of the rain softly pattering against the ground was soothing to hear.

He loosened his grip on the umbrella and closed his eyes, choosing to forget about all of his ever so difficult life problems for now.

The warm light of the sun shone on his calmer face, earning awed stares from a number of women passing by, but he didn't move an inch to block it away with his umbrella even if the sunlight bothered him.

All that he could put his mind on was the sound of the rain, and a sweet voice. A voice so sweet it was almost like honey. A sweet voice he had been dying to hear again for years. A sweet voice which Todoroki could recognize in a heartbeat because fuck it all, it was hers.

Wait, what?

His eyes shot back up in an instant, scanning his surroundings to search for a certain thing before they landed on a particular raven haired girl standing in the crowd, her midnight irises staring dejectedly at the pouring rain ahead with her glossy lips pulled at a frown, her phone next to her ear as she spoke to someone on it.

"Hey, I appreciate your concern but," She paused for a second, her expression saddening. "I'm already too... occupied with my problems for you to get me a date. My rent is due and I can barely even pay it off with my salary."

Todoroki listened intently, his heterochromatic orbs fixed on her and her only, not willing to look away or lose focus even for a second.

"I know, I wont overwork myself, I promise." The words rolled off her tongue as if she'd recited them a million times before, her supposed promise seeming to be a mere white lie as her eyes lacked their usual sparkle and held no form of genuinity. "I need to find a way to get home now... Call you later, okay?"

Hanging up the call, she set her gaze on the street determinedly, keeping her balance even while being slightly pushed and shoved by people. Despite the numerous people around her looking expensive and fairly distinguishable in contrast to her commoners' attire, the raven haired girl still stood out the most to him in the crowd. She always did.

She held up her handbag above her head in a weak attempt to use as protection from the rain, preparing to get wettened as she stepped out into the street, only to be completely bewildered by the presence of an umbrella looming over her, and a very familiar dual haired man holding it for her.

"Funny we happened to cross paths again, huh, Momo Yaoyorozu?"

 

~

Chapter 2: I Missed You

~

 

"𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 you been?" Momo's old friend asked, his voice accompanied by rain pattering on the windows of the café. It had been years since she saw Todoroki, and he certainly aged, that was for sure.

His dual toned hair was a bit longer and neater than before, parted to the left with some of his bangs slightly covering his left eye. Enchanting heterochromatic irises gazed at her from the other side of the table with meek interest. His lips curved into an easy smile, which was quite a new sight for her considering he never used to smile. His figure was more built, and he'd definitely gotten taller. He had hung the navy blue suit he was wearing on the back of his chair, leaving him in a white shirt and a black tie. It was weird to see him look so professional.

However, the most noticeable change was probably the biggest one.

Todoroki was more... relaxed, if that was the right way to say it. Back in high school, he always had a discontented scowl on his face. Every time she saw him in the classroom, he would be studying hard, separated from the rest of the students, with only his own company. Momo noticed this and tried to conversate with him, and whenever this would happen, his face seemed to lighten up as if he was rescued.

But now, there he was, smiling at her with ease and taking a sip of the coffee wrapped around his calloused hand which adorned an expensive looking watch. It felt like he was a stranger to her again. She wanted to get to know him again. Millions of questions were going through her mind, but for now she simply said, "I've been... okay. I'm working as a preschool teacher now. What about you? I heard lots of things about your successful company."

"I'll choose to not talk about my career for now." His smile faded, and he placed his coffee on the wooden table as she sipped her tea. "Honestly, I missed you."

Momo's heart skipped a beat at that sentence for some odd reason, but she hid it expertly behind her teacup. Nonetheless, she kept her composure in check and the corners of her mouth turned up in a genuine smile. "I missed you too, Todoroki." And it was true.

She missed sitting next to him at the back of the class. She missed trying to make him laugh. She missed having study sessions with him that lasted longer than expected. She missed his deep yet comforting voice. She missed his awkward attempts at socializing. She missed his clueless behavior. She missed everything about him. And it felt so good to see him again after so long.

Their beverages on the table were starting to lose their steam as they gazed at each other in a comforting silence. Other people in the café could be heard chattering around them along with the sound of rain, but all they could see and hear was each other. The smile returned to Todoroki's face, and this time, it was warmer than before.

"My sister told me that apparently an old friend of mine from high school is working at the same preschool as her. I'm assuming that's you?"

Momo merely gave him a nod to confirm his suspicion. When she first met Fuyumi, she looked oddly similar to Todoroki. She only got to know that she was in fact his sister when she stated that her last name was Todoroki. After working with her for a while, Momo got to know that the woman was very kind and thoughtful, and highly sociable unlike her younger brother. In a way, she reminded Momo of her own mother who passed away.

The dual haired man who was sat in front of her stayed silent, taking another sip of his coffee that tasted bitter on his tongue. After a long second of thinking he inquired, "If that's the case then... why didn't you reach out me?"

"You're a busy man now, Todoroki. You own a successful company and everything... I didn't want to bother you while you were working." Her eyes were locked onto her hands under the table, and her mouth was slightly trembling as if she wanted to say more but couldn't get the words out. As much as he wanted to ask about it, he decided not to press any more on the matter. Besides, he had just one more question that was in the back of his mind ever since they crossed paths again.

"You always aspired to be a lawyer, didn't you? What happened to that?" His question was carefully thought out and almost hesitant in case he was touching on a sensitive topic. He probably was considering the draining moment of silence that pulled over them with her lips pressed together firmly. He could swear he noticed her eyes welling up, and his stomach churned horribly.

But before he could try to say something, she spoke in a monotone voice, "After the passing of my parents, I couldn't really earn the money to afford going to law school. I struggled a lot on finding a job to make myself a living before I settled on working as a preschool teacher instead."

Momo swallowed back tears and decided not to think about her struggles anymore for the time being. Despite feeling a bit more at ease now that she finally got it out of her chest, she wasn't sure how he'd react. She probably said too much. She should have kept her mouth shut instead of making herself seem pathetic to him. She knew Todoroki wasn't the best at communicating back in high school, what if he was still like that? Great, now she troubled him with the burden of having to form the words to say. The consequences of her actions.

In the midst of her overthinking, he suddenly let out a simple hum of understanding in response, setting his face in a nonchalant expression. He looked like he was deep in thought. Momo opened her mouth to divert the subject, but he cut her off before she got the chance to,

"Well, I do need a new secretary. It's been a while since I fired my last one...", Todoroki purposefully mused more to himself than her, and Momo brought her eyes to meet his. Her posture stiffened with her lashes fluttering in confusion. He wasn't actually going to suggest that, right...?

He took one last sip of his coffee, and soon enough, a single corner of his mouth was turned up in a smirk, and he leaned back on his chair in a relaxed manner. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was going to say next.

"Work as my secretary, Yaoyorozu."

 

~

Chapter 3: All They Needed

~

 

𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 know how she ended up here. But yet here she was, her attire consisting of a white blouse paired with a dark blue pencil skirt and the most expensive heels she owned, struggling to adjust her glasses with her hands occupied by multiple documents, walking side by side with Todoroki, her friend of many years, and also her boss now. It was a lot to process, that was for sure.

"The business conference starts in thirty minutes.", she reminded him, trying her best not to sound out of breath. There was one meeting after the other, and the raven haired girl was exhausted from all the walking and trying to match with Todoroki's pace. It didn't help that she was wearing high heels, too. But nonetheless, this was her job now.

"Work as my secretary, Yaoyorozu.", he had said to her that day in the café, and she vividly remembered his words and the look of an undeniable sense of joy on his face as he spoke it.

At first, Momo didn't know what to think of it. They ran into each other out of sheer coincidence, and suddenly he wanted to make her his secretary. Whether it was an act of kindness or he just really needed to hire a secretary that badly, she didn't know. Still, she hesitated on her decision. She wasn't sure if accepting it right away was a good idea, considering they had just met after not being in contact for several years. She didn't want to make herself feel indebted to someone, and besides, she was already pretty content with teaching kids at a preschool for the rest of her life.

But she had to make these new adjustments in her life, it seemed. Working as a secretary in Todoroki's company would pay her three times the salary of her usual job, and she was barely managing to pay her rent which was already due. So unless she wanted to get kicked out of her current apartment and have to live in an even smaller one in a shady area, she was going to have to take on the job no matter how hesitant she was.

"Hold on, I need to take care of something first." Todoroki responded in an intimidating tone, having a harsh aura radiating from him that made bystanders take a step back in fear. His eyes were fierce and cold, his mouth set in a hard line. He looked almost unrecognizable to Momo. Now that she had seen him at work, he was like a different breed, that was for sure.

They neared an office room, and just as Momo was going to try to open the door for him, he swung it open and entered the room which was way smaller than Todoroki's own office. There was a man with slicked back brown hair, seated behind the work table and speaking to someone on the telephone as he used his computer at the same time. He didn't even notice the dual haired man coming in until he stood in front of him, his new secretary standing alongside him with her low ponytail getting loose from all the running around. She held the documents close to her chest.

He spoke in the telephone one last time before hanging up, and gave Todoroki a smile revealing his teeth that were too white to be natural. He didn't return it back, and instead, he glared coldly at him. There was a heavy tension in the air, and Momo was sure the man could sense it. "Ah, Todoroki, what might you be doing here? I could've come to visit you instead if you just asked. Surely it's because you decided to accept my offer to partner with us-"

"You think we would want to form a partnership with you when you're so blatantly plagiarizing from our company?" He cut him off short, his words making the man's smile falter completely.

"What?" The brown haired man seemed almost offended by the idea, but there was also a hint of fear in his voice that Momo could instantly pick up on. "I did no such thing." He wasn't a good liar, it seemed.

Todoroki gave her an expecting look, and she was confused for a second before realizing what he meant. She placed the documents she was holding on the table, glad to be getting rid of them so she could finally move her hands freely. She put her hands behind her back, a victorious smirk forming on Todoroki's face as he watched the man go through the documents perplexedly.

"These documents that my dear secretary compiled for me, contain evidence of you sending people that you paid to spy on us and take all of our ideas. They also contain proof of some ideas that you have already shamelessly stolen from us." He placed his hands on the table and looked down amusedly at the man fuming from rage, his heterochromatic eyes glowing eerily, the smirk still on his face as he whispered in the man's ear, sending chills down his spine, "We've already filed a lawsuit against you and your company. You can't win now, you know that, right?"

Shoto Todoroki was a very meticulous man.

The raven haired girl only realized that now, when they turned to leave in an orderly fashion, papers from the documents the man had tore out in a fit of rage flying around the room as they heard almost tantrum-like screaming from behind them, Todoroki simply smiling as he straightened his suit, Momo adjusting her glasses with a serious expression, the pair exiting the room with utmost grace.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

"Need coffee?" Momo simply questioned as she watched the dual haired man take off his suit and throw it onto a sofa near him, slumping onto his office chair with a sigh.

He was exhausted. They both were. His schedule was packed, and they had been running in and out of meetings the whole day. The sun already went down a while ago, and the midnight sky could be seen from the glass walls of his large office room. The lights were turned off, making the moonlight their only source of light.

"No, it's fine. You've worked enough.", he responded. His voice was breathless, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to relax himself. Todoroki was used to working with no breaks. He'd been doing it for years, and people wondered how he even managed to do it. He felt bad for involving Momo in it, though. Speaking of which...

"Oh right." His eyes opened as if he had suddenly remembered to do something. Momo stared at him with curiosity as he raised his head from the back of his chair and sat straight. He looked back at her, the words just on the tip of his tongue. "Where do you live?"

The raven haired girl raised a brow in confusion. "May I know the reason as to why you suddenly need to know where I live?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, his lips curving to form a smile that made Momo skeptical. "You're working for me now, I have to know, don't you think?" It felt like there were other reasons behind it, but she chose to not question it and gave him her address aside some necessary details.

He listened very intently and nodded, looking like he was deep in thought, as if he was planning something. Strange. Once again, she didn't question it.

"Well I'll be heading home, then." She informed him, about to turn around when he stopped her.

"I'll drive you there." Momo parted her lips in surprise. She opened her mouth to politely refuse, but before she knew it, he was already grabbing his suit from the sofa to put it back on. "It'll be hard to find a cab to go home this late at night. And I'm not gonna let you walk home alone at this hour.", he stated almost commandingly as he fixed his tie.

Momo watched him as he made his way to the door. "You really don't have to-"

"Let's go." Her boss- no, her dual haired friend of many years held the door open for her, his heterochromatic eyes landing on her own expectantly. The raven haired stood still for a moment, astounded by his sudden change of behavior.

And then she chuckled. Having to see him be professional and serious at work made her almost forget that even he too could be strangely kind at times. Seriously, she missed this side of him.

 

. . . . .

 

The atmosphere in the car was very... quiet.

Todoroki was driving in silence, only looking ahead, and Momo was leaning on the window, gazing at the boring view of the pitch black sky. Even the full moon was almost completely covered by hazy clouds. No other cars or people could be seen in sight, so it was just them, driving across the secluded street, a few streetlamps providing them light so Todoroki could see where he was going. Aside from Momo occasionally giving him directions, and the annoyingly loud sound of the air conditioning in the car, it was quiet.

"I could easily drive instead to spare you the hassle.", she reminded him boredly to break the silence even just a little bit, but he didn't really seem like he was listening with his focus more on the road ahead. "I'm your secretary and all, so..."

"And I'm your boss, so whatever I say goes." He was quick to respond, the two not bothering to look at each other with their eyes on different ways. There was a moment of heavy silence weighing over them again. This time, Todoroki's attention wasn't fully on the road. He was searching for the words to say something to her.

Momo started to protest, "But still-"

"I was worried about you, you know." He suddenly interrupted before he could stop himself, his voice sounding lower than he imagined. She looked at him with widened eyes, speechless, the air conditioning being the only sound to remedy the quietness that overtook them.

Todoroki put a calloused hand in his hair almost sheepishly, trying his best to avoid her shocked gaze as he placed his hand on his side instead in an attempt to hide his bashfulness. He cleared his throat. "I mean, it was only normal to be worried. You were suddenly gone, I found out about your parents, and I had no way of contacting you. You could've at least given me a call or-"

He was only silenced when she put her hand on his, giving him a soft smile. They looked at each other like they were the only ones that mattered in the world. And in a sense, they were.

"There's no need to worry anymore, Shoto.", she called him by his first name in a way his mother would, and at that moment in time, he felt like he was home. "I'll be okay now that you're here with me. That's all I need, really."

Her words gave him the most reassurance he'd ever felt in a while. Todoroki opened his mouth to respond, to say anything, but he couldn't. The soothing silence that followed let him know that it was okay, it was okay not to speak. So he didn't.

He set his gaze on the road again, and before Momo could retract her hand, he held it firmly, not letting her move even an inch. He felt her hesitate, before she returned it, holding his hand so tight as if her life depended on it. As if she was desperately holding on to what kept her living another day.

They didn't even need the words to say it. All they needed to do was hold each other like that to say, "I'll never let you go again."

 

~

Chapter 4: Questions

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 quite... chaotic, to say the least.

"Who wants McDonalds after work?!" The red haired one of the bunch screamed so loud it almost made Momo jump as she walked in the large office room.

"OOH! ME ME!" A man(if you could even call him one) with a particularly slim figure and blonde hair sprung up from his chair almost immediately, followed by two others who boredly raised their hands with their eyes glued onto their computer screens.

Only one of them didn't reply, and that was a way too tired man with purple hair and eyebags that Momo could see from a mile away. He looked like he hadn't slept in years, but his fingers moved across the keyboard at a speed so fast that even the computer couldn't keep up with him. Clicks and clacks were heard from his keyboard by passing seconds, and his friends looked at him, waiting for his response.

"I'm not going," He simply said in a gruff voice, not taking his eyes off the screen even for a second, "I have work."

"But you always say that, Shinso!"

Momo didn't know why she was here.

Well, technically speaking, she did know why she was here. Todoroki had informed her he would be in a private meeting which would probably take a while and that she could go home early for the day. She was more than ever relieved to be able to take some rest, but before that, she thought it would be nice to meet her coworkers that were nearby. She passed their room several times, but she had been too busy to even spare them a glance, and since Momo finally had free time on her hands, she decided to use some of it by getting to know them properly.

People who worked at Todoroki Corporation all seemed the same. High class, expensive looking, professional mannerisms, all that. So, naturally, she expected that from them too. But now that she was actually in their office room, she was second-guessing her judgements completely. A part of her was screaming at her to just turn around and walk away before she got involved with any of them.

But of course, that wouldn't be a very nice thing for her to do, so the raven haired girl slowly, very hesitantly, walked over to them, alerting them of her presence, and they all immediately stood up to bow, except for the one who was presumably named Shinso, who seemed too busy to care.

"Oh my! Aren't you the boss's secretary? Momo Yaoyorozu, right?", a girl with curly pink hair commented, immediately pouncing over to Momo in the span of a few seconds. Before she could say anything to respond, the girl took her hands in hers and spoke excitedly, "I always wanted to meet you! You're even prettier in person. We should totally be friends! My name is Mina. Follow my Instagra-"

"I'M DENKI!" The blonde pushed her away and pointed towards himself, and Momo gave him an awkward smile and nodded. "And my name's Ejirou.", the bulky red haired man was next, leaning his muscular arm over Denki's shoulder, giving Momo a toothy grin.

"N-Nice to meet you, Denki and Ejirou." She said as she adjusted her glasses uncomfortably, a little startled from everyone suddenly crowding over her. The only ones who spared her the favor of not doing so were someone presumably named Shinso, who was still working on his computer and not even batting an eye at her, and a brunette with her short hair tied up in a small ponytail, stood at the side of all the commotion, giving her friends disappointed looks.

The girl walked over to Momo and pulled her away from them, giving her friends death glares in the process. "Sorry about them, they're just... like that sometimes. I'm Ochaco Uraraka and he's Shinso, I look forward to working with you." She bowed politely, Momo being able to tell that she was the most composed one of the group.

"It's no big deal. I look forward to working with you too, Uraraka." The raven haired girl smiled at her, and they shook hands, staying completely professional and calm despite hearing what sounded like a very childish argument coming from behind them. The two grown(?) men who were supposed to be going back to work by now had somehow started arguing about genres of music, earning a concerned look from Momo along with Uraraka shrugging it off with a bored look as if this was a normal occurrence for them.

"Heavy metal is way better." Denki crossed his arms like a five-year old child and professed, setting his face in a serious expression, his light gray blazer not being able to do him any justice and remind everyone that he was actually a literal twenty-three year old man.

"But, dude, don't you think classical music makes you feel more... emotions?" Ejirou did random hand motions to try and prove his point, unintentionally flexing his muscles, catching Mina's eye as she secretly took a picture which Momo immediately noticed with her eagle-like vision, and she resisted the urge to facepalm. How were they even working here in the first place?

Uraraka, who was shorter than the raven haired girl by just a few inches, placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled lightly, bringing Momo's attention back to the brunette. "They may seem a little weird at first, but trust me, they're all really amazing." Momo raised a brow, intrigued, and Uraraka's eyes travelled back to her friends, who were still having a heated discussion over pointless things, Mina eventually joining in for no reason but to distract herself from work.

"You see Denki over there? He stopped focusing on his dreams to become a guitarist so he could provide for his mom's hospital bills.", Uraraka stated proudly, as Momo double checked the blond haired man, who was now challenging Ejirou to an arm wrestle, and wondered if she was even talking about the same guy.

"And Ejirou, Mina and Shinso once helped me finish all my reports when I accidentally fell asleep." The chestnut haired girl's eyes were glowing in admiration, and she looked back at Momo with her smile brighter than before. "Things were going rough for me when I first started working here, but they all willingly helped me. So no matter how they act, they're good people at heart."

Momo smiled back, this time it was genuine. Those were quite admiring things to do, she had to admit. Maybe her coworkers weren't so bad after all.

After engaging in more small talk with Uraraka and getting to know everyone, she decided to take her leave for the day. "I'll get going now. It was nice meeting you all."

"Wait, I have one last question!" Mina stopped typing on her computer to raise her hand like she was in middle school and exclaimed all of a sudden, spinning on her office chair a bit to face Momo who was about to open the door to leave before getting stopped.

The raven haired girl looked back at her, still keeping her grip on the doorknob. "Yes, Ashido?"

"Is it true you're having an affair with the CEO--" Momo almost choked on air.

Mina was stopped momentarily by Uraraka, who slammed a hand on her mouth before she could say anything more, mustering a wobbly smile which was way too big with sweat droplets running down her face. Muffled protests could be heard from Mina, but the brunette tried her best to ignore it and spoke, "Alright, that's enough for today! Goodbye, Yaoyorozu!"

Momo waved awkwardly, before immediately walking out the door and closing it shut behind her. She leaned on the door for support and breathed out a sigh of relief now that she was out of there. If only she knew what she was getting herself into...

Before she could even begin to think through what she had just been asked, she heard voices from behind the closed door.

"Why did you say that, you idiot Mina!" That was Uraraka speaking, she was sure.

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Uraraka's right, that was kinda uncalled for..." And that was probably Ejirou.

"But haven't you seen the signs?! Everyone talks about it!" Signs? What signs? And everyone already knew about them too? When she didn't?

Now Momo was interested. She hated eavesdropping on things that were none of her business- actually, this was kind of her business since she was involved in it- but if there were already rumors of it spreading around, she was going to have to do it anyway. Turning her head to the side so she could press her ear against the door, Momo listened closely.

Uraraka could be heard sighing. "And what signs might you be talking about, Mina?"

"Boss never treats anyone like he treats her! Like for instance, if anyone ever made the slightest mistake, they would be fired immediately. But when she first started working here, she made a ton of mistakes and guess what? She still has her job!"

The raven haired girl's face softened. She recalled how just many mistakes she made in her first few weeks working here. How she kept walking into the wrong rooms, how she poured way too much sugar in his coffee several times till he just decided not to order coffee from her anymore, how she accidentally brought him the wrong document at an important meeting(there was a lot of embarrassment on her part for that), how she once showed up hours late because she slept in... She was too clumsy to be working at a company as successful as Todoroki Corporation.

However, each of those times, he just brushed it off, saying it was no big deal, which she could never be more thankful for. It was because he understood her rough situation. That was it. There couldn't possibly be any other reason. Right?

"So? He was probably just being considerate. It was her first time working here after all." Uraraka went back to working on her computer, too busy to hear out her friend's exaggerated theories.

"But Boss never takes secretaries! He only ever had three before. Maybe he hired her because of a blossoming romance! Like in movies!", she reasoned dramatically, and Momo almost laughed in amusement. Surely there was no way he hired her because of that.

"You're not making any sense, Mina."

"Oh yes I am! Get this; he even smiles at her from time to time! Boss never smiles! It's probably because he likes her-"

"Just get back to work."

"Fine...", the bubblegum haired girl muttered dejectedly, and just like that, the room was silent and Momo couldn't hear anything more.

She couldn't help but feel a small smile making its way over to her lips. Todoroki may be her boss now, but he was still her old friend who she had known for years. A really sweet one too, perhaps. She just hoped the rumors weren't spreading as much as her coworker said they were.

And then, all of a sudden, she felt the presence of someone else's shoulder pressed to hers.

"Eavesdropping? That's unlike you, Secretary Yaoyorozu."

"Oh my God, you scared me, Todor- Boss!" She jumped from surprise, not being able to process what just happened until she pushed herself off the door and looked back, being met face to face with the dual haired man, his heterochromatic eyes boring into hers. She quickly cleared her throat at the sight of him. "What I meant to say was, it's nice to see you, Boss. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon?"

He chuckled to himself at her reaction, and stopped leaning against the door as well so he could turn to face her. "I eventually got disinterested in their discussion, so I left the meeting early.", he spoke as he checked his watch out of habit. She looked at him as if she was going to ask him something, which he immediately caught onto, and followed it up with, "Don't worry, you still have your day off. You deserve it."

Momo sighed of relief. But that feeling of relief was short lived as he questioned from mere curiosity, "And may I know what kind of conversation here caused you to be so focused in eavesdropping on?"

"It's nothing...! Nothing at all, really."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

The raven haired girl slung her purse over her shoulder as she exhaustedly entered the lobby of her apartment.

The trip home took a little longer than usual as she helped an old woman carry her heavy grocery bags out of the kind nature she inherited from her mother, and also because finding a taxi was unusually hard for some reason. Seriously, there were no taxis to be seen on the road. It was strange.

But there was no way she was gonna walk all the way home, so in the end, she called an Uber. It took ten freaking minutes for the Uber to arrive, but nonetheless, it was better than sitting around and waiting for a taxi to present itself to her.

She walked over to the woman behind the counter, and trying her absolute best not to sound out of breath, she informed her, "I'm here to pay my rent."

"Apartment number?" The lady was already putting her fingers on the keyboard of a laptop, and Momo responded as she opened her purse to search for her wallet, "3B, I'm pretty sure."

A minute was spent with the woman navigating through the laptop with her mouse and Momo counting the money in her wallet to make sure she had enough to pay. After a moment, the woman concluded, "It has already been paid yesterday."

"Huh?" Utterly confused, she looked up from her wallet to the woman and processed her words. Already paid? Momo didn't remember paying her rent yesterday, or any day for that matter. In fact, she spent those days saving up to pay that rent. Did she get amnesia and forget? No, that definitely wasn't it... Then what was it?

Failing to understand, Momo spoke, "I'm sorry, can you check again?"

The woman simply nodded and clicked on the laptop a couple times. Surely it was a mistake or some sort of malfunction in the computer, Momo thought to herself in the silence that took over.

After another minute, she confirmed, "Like I had said before, your rent has already been paid, miss."

"By who?", was the only thing Momo could afford to ask in that moment as she put her wallet back in her purse.

"A man named..." With her eyes scanning her laptop screen, she stated, "Shoto Todoroki."

And then Momo's mind went blank.

The sound of screaming from children behind her followed by a mother hushing them didn't reach her. The feeling of someone accidentally bumping into her and apologizing didn't reach her. The voice of the woman standing behind the counter asking if she was okay didn't reach her. Nothing reached her. Only her thoughts did.

"Where do you live?" Was this why he asked for her address so suspiciously the other day? Why? Why would he go out of his way to do such a thing? Nothing made sense to her right now. Millions of unanswered questions were running through her head, but first things first;

"Miss, are you listening-"

"Thank you for your time, I have to go now." And just like that, with an expression as hard as stone, the raven haired girl fiercely swung her purse over her shoulder again and strode out of her apartment building in her high heels, knowing exactly where to go so she could get the answers she wanted.

Her lips were set in a hard line, her midnight eyes uncharacteristically cold and uninviting as she scanned the street for a taxi. After a moment of standing around, immersed in her thoughts, she found one and got in, shutting the door beside her in a violent manner as she told the driver where to go. She leaned back on the car seat and closed her eyes with more of a groan than a sigh.

Momo didn't know what to feel anymore.

In one hand, she felt thankful. Her life was rough after her parents passed away and she kept running into one problem after the other. For him to be so considerate and understanding, so much that he had to do all this... Really, she was thankful. But as much as she was thankful, she was also furious.

She hated having people pity her. She was perfectly fine on her own, and as saddening as her situation was, being pitied made her feel pathetic. But Shoto Todoroki crossed the line here. Giving her such a high paying job that she was barely qualified enough for, to the extent where he would even pay her rent without letting her know- it made her feel belittled and indebted to him.

And they didn't even know each other that well, too. She hadn't seen him in numerous years ever since high school, so it was to be expected that they were strangers to each other again. They even had their awkward moments where they wouldn't know what to say despite having their conversations flow with ease back when they were teenagers. She didn't ask for him to do any of this. He could have just let her be and not do any of this if he wanted to. So why...?

"Boss never treats anyone like he treats her!", she recalled overhearing Mina saying this a while ago. Were there other motives? Was he trying to get something out of her? Then what would that something be?

Her brain wouldn't let her think. She tried hard, but no possible conclusion came in mind. Momo decided she would have to get an explanation from the man himself.

The taxi came to a stop, and before the driver could let her know that she had reached her destination, she got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She stood deadly still as the taxi drove off, her low ponytail flowing slightly in the breeze with the sun starting to set.

In front of her stood the building of Todoroki Corporation. Even with its tough glass walls and its height almost as tall as a skyscraper, she wasn't intimidated in the slightest bit.

With only one goal in mind, she went through the revolving glass doors and entered the building, her heels clacking against the marble floor as she strode forwards.

Before, when she came to work, she would need to push herself through the sea of businessmen to get inside the elevator in a rush. But now, there she was, having those same men clear out a path for her, intimidated by her harsh presence as she flipped her hair back and walked in the elevator with an unusual glare on her face. She reminded them of their boss, and only a few people were willing to get in the elevator with her. The raven haired girl could be incredibly terrifying if she wanted to be.

She hurriedly clicked the button with the number nine composed onto it and stayed silent, waiting for the elevator to go off with a ding to alert her that she reached the ninth floor. When it did, she exited the elevator with grace. She felt everyone's eyes go on and off her in an instant, like they did when they saw Todoroki and his scary demeanor. But this time he wasn't the scary one. It was Momo.

Before she knew it, she was stood outside his office, not even taking a second to regain her composure or think things through as she burst through the door menacingly and shut it behind her.

"Why?!"

Interrupted from his paperwork, Todoroki looked up cluelessly to his secretary who was supposed to be on her day off, and raised a brow. She was fuming with rage as she took a few steps forward, her expression more furious than he had ever seen her.

"Why... Why are you doing all these things for me when you didn't need to?" Her brows were furrowed with her eyes widened from anger. "Why do you have to leave me in the dark and make me so confused about everything?!"

Despite her sudden outburst, the dual haired man sat in front of her looked unfazed. He slid his paperwork on the side of his table and only smiled at her. "Simple."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, Momo breathing heavily with rage as she stood across from him, Todoroki's mouth curved in a smile as he looked at the confused raven haired girl with a meek sense of joy, the orange rays of the setting sun shining through the glass walls of his office and illuminating the pair within.

He leaned forward, interlocking his fingers and placing them under his chin, elbows on the table. A smirk painted his lips, an eerie glint in his heterochromatic eyes that made him unrecognizable to Momo yet again.

Time was going by in passing seconds, and before she knew it, he made a statement, a statement that she didn't know would begin to turn her life upside down,

"It's because I want you to marry me."

 

~

Chapter 5: A Special Offer

~

 

"𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 I want you to marry me."

Momo blinked once. Twice. Thrice. She unclenched her fists and stood straight, gazing at the dual haired man with a stupefied expression. He simply looked back at her with an easy smile despite his words that were just too difficult for her to process properly. Her rage was washed away by a state of utter shock and confusion.

"What?", was all she could say, unable to form coherent words to voice her rushing thoughts. This was too much for her to take in. She needed to calm down.

Okay, so Shoto Todoroki, her high school friend, her boss, just said he wanted to M-A-R-R-Y her. No big deal- actually, there was no use thinking that, it was a really big deal. Perhaps she heard it wrong? Maybe he meant to say something else? No, that probably wasn't it. The dead serious look in his eyes proved otherwise. Then what was it...?

How could he say something so important, something that shouldn't be taken lightly, something that probably meant the world to others, as if it was nothing at all?

He always made her so... confused. She could never tell what he was thinking with that stoic personality of his. And that was weird because Momo could always tell what others were thinking. Being given such a rough life where she had to learn who to trust, she had come to learn that people's body language gave away everything.

Yet, even so, she found herself failing to grasp the meaning behind his words with his dull heterochromatic orbs observing her every move, his mouth curved to form a smile that made Momo question everything even further, his posture rather relaxed as he leaned back on his chair, his statement echoing in her mind like a broken radio.

"You're struggling with financial issues, aren't you?" Momo didn't even notice that he had placed some sort of document on his table before he spoke again, thus came another wave of questions in her head. How did he know that? She didn't remember telling him anything about her financial state-

Oh.

He overheard her conversation on the phone the day they crossed paths again, didn't he? That explained it. It explained why he paid her rent too. But for the life of her, why did he want to marry her? It didn't make sense. Nothing about this situation made sense, actually.

The raven haired girl took a few steps closer to see what was on the document, and she had come to realize it was actually a contract. Her eyes widened as she read the contents. Todoroki clasped his hands together with his elbows on the armrests of his office chair, his eyes boring into the sight of her.

"One million dollars." He raised one finger and said, bringing her attention back to him. "Make your mind, Yaoyorozu."

"You're giving me... a million dollars...", Momo started, her voice lower than she wanted it to be as she stared at him with her lashes fluttering from bafflement. "Just for me to marry you?"

Todoroki simply nodded. "Indeed." She opened her mouth to say something, anything to offer a proper response, but nothing came out. She was at a complete loss for words.

Her whole life was filled with worries and worries. After her parents died, she just barely managed to sustain enough money to provide for herself and take care of her wellbeing. And now, there he was, offering her such a large sum of money as if it was no big deal. As if her whole life wasn't spent dwelling on whether she would be able to live like this or not.

Gosh, she was so overwhelmed by all this. All she wanted right now was to go home and rest and forget this ever happened. Was a simple life that didn't have so many complicated things happening all at once too much to ask for?

"I apologize if its too sudden.", the dual haired man seemed to notice her getting stressed and added as an afterthought. "Let me know about your decision tomorrow."

Momo had more questions lingering in the back of her mind, but decided not to voice them aloud. That would only add to her pressure. Instead, she turned around, not saying anything to respond or giving him even a mere nod to acknowledge his statement, and walked out of the office room with a heavy feeling in her chest.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The raven haired girl never found it this hard to fall asleep.

She had tried. She tried changing positions on the bed, blocking any source of light, keeping her brain unoccupied with thoughts- but each time she did, thoughts of the incident today kept seeping into her mind no matter how many times she tried to keep them at bay. She even found herself questioning if maybe, maybe she could just wake up tomorrow and this situation would turn out to have never happened in the first place, but she knew that wasn't true. This was the reality Momo was forced to face.

Todoroki wanted to marry her. It was hard enough to take in by itself, but it was true. For some odd reason, he did.

And there were no signs of any romantic intentions too. How could there be, really? He had simply proposed to her as if it was nothing at all, and on top of that, he even gave her a contract stating that he would give her a sum of a million dollars if she signed it. Perhaps that was how billionaires did their things. Maybe this was some weird way rich people professed their love.

No, how would Todoroki love her in the first place? It wouldn't make sense. He was a successful CEO of a well-known company, meanwhile she was just... someone. Someone who was pathetic and could barely fight against her own struggles. Shoto Todoroki was a star far up in the sky that Momo could never reach. Not anymore.

Back in high school, their relationship wasn't as difficult. They could talk freely in the safety of each other's company without a care about the dark world and their traumatic experiences threatening to close in on them.

They were complete opposites, too. Todoroki was stone cold, not wanting to waste time talking to others so he could overwork himself by studying like his father wanted him to. Momo on the other hand, was always optimistic and friendly with everyone she met. Yet, somehow, they managed to fit together perfectly. Like they found each other's missing half.

And sure, Momo may have loved him back then. A lot, actually. It was hard not to catch feelings for him when they spent so much time together. It wasn't easy for her to come to terms with that fact, but despite that, she accepted it. A part of her held onto the fact that maybe, just maybe, it was possible for him to feel the same. But Momo wasn't a teenager anymore.

They hadn't seen each other in eight whole years. Their personalities changed drastically and now they were almost like strangers to each other. Momo didn't know him as well as she did before. She had already lost her feelings for him a long time ago. And she wasn't so sure if she would gain them back.

Being laid on her back, she stared at the blank, white ceiling with an empty expression on her face and sighed heavily.

She knew that the money she could get from just signing the contract could help her. It could save her from all her burdens and maybe she wouldn't have to struggle so much anymore. But even so, she always wanted to marry someone out of love, out of attachment, not only for the means of money. She couldn't betray her dreams like that just for a mere contract.

Momo promised herself that she would live happily without any more regrets. She already had enough regrets she had to live with. Regrets of having her parents work too hard for her before they died in that fatal car accident, regrets of not being able to work as a lawyer like she always dreamed of, regrets of not noticing how precious some things were to her before she lost them...

Deep inside, Momo was just a sad story waiting for someone to help her out of this endless loophole of pain.

But Momo didn't want to live with these painful regrets anymore. Which is why, the next morning, she found herself standing in front of Todoroki in his office room, saying the words which had taken her hours of consideration, "Thank you for your generous offer, but I have decided to not accept."

Todoroki looked up at her from his seat with confusion written in his eyes, and reasonably so. For someone who had so many women swarming around him all the time in hopes of marrying him, it was quite new for him to be rejected even when offering her a large sum of money.

The arrogance he got from his father wouldn't let him accept this. He was Shoto Todoroki. Looks, intelligence, wealth- he had it all. He could even pay for all her living expenses if she wanted him to. And he certainly wasn't going to let himself be rejected like this. So, he tried to ask in the most nonchalant tone he could muster,

"And why is that?" He paused, repeatedly tapping a finger on his table and trying to gather his thoughts properly. "I could easily double the payment if you wanted-"

"No, no, you don't have to do that, it's just..." The raven haired girl cut him off momentarily, taken aback by his persistence. She took a deep breath to calm her speeding heartbeat. "I always wanted to marry someone by love, not for money or anything like that."

Todoroki stayed oddly quiet, making her feel the need to fill in the tense silence that came over them. "I-I sincerely hope you understand."

Momo bent over to bow politely, and as she did so, she realized how much of her mind this whole situation took up. She had barely gotten enough sleep last night because of it. It was all so confusing. Too confusing. Her old crush proposed to her, and would give her a million dollars if she accepted. She didn't know what caused him to take that course of action all of a sudden, but he did, and now she was ready to give him an answer.

Once again, the dual haired man offered her no form of response, as all he did was stay silent, gazing at Momo with an unreadable look. He was in deep thought, it seemed. Momo took that as her cue to leave, and spun on her heel to walk towards the door.

She felt empty inside for some reason, and questioned why that was the case. She got a complicated matter done and over with. It wouldn't bother her anymore. There should be a weight off her shoulders. Yet, somehow, she felt herself reminiscing about the time she first became fully aware of her love for Shoto Todoroki.

~~

"You do know class is starting soon, right?" Momo reminded her dual haired friend as she observed the way his heterochromatic irises stayed locked onto the clear, blue sky with keen interest. Then his eyes drifted to her, catching her slightly off guard, but she managed to hide it by a questioning raise of her eyebrow.

Time was passing in seconds, and she looked at him expectantly before he asked, "Can't we skip class just this once?"

"Hm, the best student in school wanting to cut class with me?", she put her hands behind her back and mused to herself playfully, a corner of her lips quirked up in a smirk as she watched the clouds slowly moving across the sky, taking in the simple yet still breathtaking view. Momo only ever realized how beautiful the morning sky looked when she was with him for a reason she couldn't quite place her finger on. "And why is that?"

"I don't know, I just..." He trailed off, looking as if he was searching for the right words, and Momo took his moment of silence as a chance to admire the sight of him. Her eyes traced over each of his admittedly handsome features, eventually landing on a large, red scar on the side of his face. She always wondered how he got the scar in the first place, but never bothered to question it. And his heterochromatic eyes were so easy to get lost in, too. He was always so dreamy...

"I enjoy your company a lot, I guess.", his words were enough to make Momo snap out of her everlasting trance.

The raven haired girl felt like her face was burning because of what he said, and she knew he could probably see her cheeks reddening. Okay, so Todoroki said he enjoyed her company a lot. That was nice. There was nothing else to it. Nothing else. Then why, why was she blushing so much?!

"Um, Yaoyorozu, your face is really red. Are you sick...?" Todoroki obliviously reached out to place his palm on her forehead so he could check her temperature, but she stopped him by grabbing his hand, which was still in the air, before he could make her heart beat any faster.

They stayed like that for several moments, as if they were frozen in time, with the breeze flowing around them in the school rooftop. It reminded Momo of the cliché high school romances her friends always made her watch. But this wasn't a typical romance drama. This was reality.

She gently intertwined their fingers together, and took his hand down with hers, giving him a soft smile as the realization dawned on her.

Of course, it was so obvious, how did she not realize sooner? The reason she liked spending time with him so much, the reason she felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he gave her the slightest compliment, the reason she always smiled like an idiot when he was around- the answer was right in front of her face this whole time.

 

Momo caught feelings for him.

 

She loved him.

 

Oh God, she loved him, didn't she?

 

Somehow, she found herself humorlessly chuckling to herself at this. Soon enough, she burst into a laughing fit with their hands still interlocked. Momo didn't know why she was laughing, but she was, and her head felt light all of a sudden. Todoroki looked at her cluelessly with parted lips, concern etched in his heterochromatic eyes.

"Sorry, sorry- it's nothing, really.", she said in between giggles, and swallowed back another reasonless laughing fit so she could speak properly.

"The thing is..." Her smile grew wider, and she turned her head up to face the sky. The sun seemed to be shining very brightly today. "I really enjoy your company too, Shoto."

~~

"Wait," Todoroki called out to her just before she could open the door to leave, causing her to stop in her tracks and look back at him with a perplexed expression. He was now stood up from his office chair, heaving a sigh of relief with his mouth curved into a smile.

'I always wanted to marry someone by love, not for money or anything like that.'

Of course, she was still the same ambitious Momo he knew from eight years ago. He couldn't afford to let her go that easily.

"Let's make a deal." He caught his breath, somehow starting to feel a little sheepish as her obsidian orbs bore into his, waiting for him to continue. God, he was acting like an idiot. Speaking was never as difficult for him as it was right now. He only needed to say the words...

"Date me. Just for three months." The dual haired man brought himself to look her in the eye with a determined gaze. She blinked. "You can make your decision by then."

Momo's eyes widened and her jaw fell from an utter loss of words. He stared back at her, looking like he was equally as surprised by his sudden behavior. She looked to the side, breaking their intense eye contact, and went into deep thought.

She had already concluded that she wouldn't accept his proposal last night. But perhaps what he was suggesting could open a series of countless possibilities. Possibilities of being saved from her pain at last. Possibilities of living without any more regrets or struggles to bear. Possibilities of being able to let go of her miserable past.

After staying silent for what felt like hours, she turned around to take a few steps closer to him, crossing her arms and gazing back at him with the same amount of determination present in her dark colored eyes.

"This is just a business relationship, correct?", she asked, hesitance showing through her soft tone which was kept barely above a whisper.

Todoroki crossed his muscular arms over his suit with a smirk, reciprocating her stance. "Sure, it could be."

"And you're not going to make me regret this, are you?", she inquired again, and this time, her voice was shakier than before. The very few times she tried her hand at dating all ended on a bad note. And Momo definitely didn't want to ruin her relationship with Todoroki if that ever ended up happening with them too. She couldn't lose him. She just couldn't.

The dual haired man's smirk didn't falter. In fact, it grew even wider at her words which gave her a sense of reassurance. "I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Then..." Momo paused, taking a moment to think everything through properly. She was going to date Todoroki, her old best friend from high school. For two months. And if she accepted his offer by then, they would marry. Okay. Deep breaths. This could help her. She was going to do this. For her future. For herself. "I'll do it."

His face seemed to have softened, and he smiled at her. Rays of sunlight seeped into the room, falling on the two, and they stared at each other for what felt like hours. Moments passed, and he brought himself to speak at last, breaking the everlasting silence that stretched between them,

"That was all I needed you to say."

 

~

Chapter 6: Don't You Trust Me?

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣𝗦 echoed throughout the conference hall which was almost the size of an auditorium as the pair entered, alerting everyone of their presence.

"He's here!", a businesswoman whispered loudly to someone sitting beside her, and the large room was soon after filled with hushed whispers. There were rows and rows of chairs with employees seated on them, and a lot of them could be seen hastily putting their phones in their pockets after their boss had finally arrived.

The dual haired man straightened his suit as he stepped up to the stage area, his secretary following behind nervously, having not yet stopped her persistent habit of getting intimidated by the serious atmosphere that she always felt during meetings. He stood behind the podium, ignoring his father's pointed glare as if it was nothing new.

"Late as always, Shoto?" Enji Todoroki's deep voice cut through the heavy silence, his sharp turquoise eyes holding a menacing sense of fury that his son didn't cower under at the slightest. He was seated in the front row along with the other chairmen and executives who looked just as impatient as him, checking their expensive watches that probably costed a lifetime.

Momo could feel her nerves tensing by the second, the dark lighting in the room only adding to her intimidation. She swallowed hard, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible.

Enji didn't seem to be satisfied enough though when his son had blatantly ignored him, as made evident by when he furrowed his brows and spoke again, "You're the one who brought us to this sudden meeting and now you dare show up late again. Where have you been for the past twenty minutes, son?"

"What I have been doing should not be any of your concern, I assure you, father .", Todoroki said the word bitterly, as if the thought of the red haired man being his actual father figure brought him only disgust and nothing more. Momo suppressed a sigh beside him. They always glared at each other in every single meeting without any apparent reason. She could only wonder how his relationship with his own father got this bad.

With keen curiosity, everyone watched their boss shuffle through the small pile of papers in his hands, which he eventually stopped doing as he put the papers on the podium in front of him instead. He stood deadly still, his heterochromatic irises surveying his employees who seemed to be growing uneasy. Todoroki cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone.

"As you all know, we have been working on marketing our products further around the globe for a very long time now.", he started, his staff listening to him concentratedly, not willing to miss even a single word that came out of the dual haired man's mouth. "After gaining advice from various entrepreneurs abroad, I believe that now I have assembled the perfect plan for us to do so."

He flipped through a couple pages of the papers he had previously placed on the podium. "With these few strategies, the sales of Todoroki Corporation will skyrocket at an unimaginable pace and our company will gain recognition from all around the world."

Todoroki carefully read out what was written on the papers and continued on with his speech, the majority of people in the room beginning to take notes as he discussed and debated with his workers, being understanding and patient with them as he made sure to have everyone feel included in the conference.

Despite his harsh demeanor, Momo often noticed that he was always very considerate with his workers. As pleased as she was by this fact, she couldn't bring herself to focus on the discussion currently taking place as her dark colored eyes remained locked onto the floor beneath her with a blank expression. Her lips were pursed together tightly, her figure not moving an inch or showing any sort of visible sign that she was listening.

The raven haired girl always felt severely anxious with crowds. She had spent most of her life being contented with her own company, and had only kept a few friends to hang out with whenever she felt like it. But after working at Todoroki's company as his secretary, she was forced to stay out of her comfort zone and meet countless people. And right now, standing in a place full of numerous professional businessmen and women was surely doing a number on her anxiety. Even while being in a large open space, she found it hard to breathe.

"So, what do you think, Secretary Yaoyorozu?" Todoroki turned his head to face her, and she glanced back at him with her eyes widened from surprise, as if she were to be suddenly snapped out of her trance. She struggled to understand what he was implying by his question, because she hadn't really been paying attention to his long speech, and didn't deem it necessary to do so until now. He raised a brow in anticipation, making her heartbeat quicken with fear as she realized that there was no time to be trying to remember the words he had spoken before.

"Ah- yes, I think it's a good idea.", she lied, trying her best to sound genuine. All she could really do right now was pray that her answer was good enough to suffice.

Momo almost let out a breath of relief as he silently nodded in response, the sudden attention being taken off her as he turned towards his audience once again with a deadpan expression. A good amount of time had already passed, and he decided he had to wrap up the conference meeting right about now. "You all may be dismissed."

Instead of unceremoniously exiting like he always did, he waited for everyone to leave with very little patience, feeling his father's suspicious glare on him in the process which he promptly ignored. Soon enough though, the hall was completely devoid of any other people other than him and his secretary.

Only the rustling sound of papers being shuffled by him could be heard, and the dual haired man showed no sign of initiating a conversation with her. There were words just on the tip of her tongue, words that she yearned to say but hesitated on. She opened her mouth nervously, but quickly closed it, deciding that her question wouldn't be of any use regardless.

"Whatever it is you want to say, say it." His voice echoed throughout the empty hall, heterochromatic eyes still locked on the papers in his hands as Momo struggled to figure out how he managed to notice that she had something to say even with his attention seemingly elsewhere. He was as mysterious as ever, it seemed.

She felt herself hesitating again slightly, but there was a sudden rush of determination which came over her. She had to say it. It was now or never.

"Where are you planning to go with our relationship?" Momo asked before she could stop herself, and she immediately regretted it as he finally brought his eyes from his papers onto her in an unreadable gaze. "I mean, it's already been two weeks and we haven't done anything about it yet so...", she trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed by her own question.

But she did have a point. Ever since the little deal they had agreed on two weeks ago, nothing changed out of the ordinary. If anything, their relationship only grew to be more uncomfortable. Momo stiffened uneasily every time they exchanged even the slightest of words. Todoroki on the other hand, hadn't spoken to her about anything other than work and always stayed in between the walls of his office room. If you were to tell someone that they were secretly dating, they wouldn't be able to believe it.

If the raven haired girl had to be honest, she kind of expected this. In the eight years she hadn't seen him, Todoroki turned out to be a highly professional man and didn't seem like the type of guy who was interested in pursuing an actual relationship. She wasn't so sure about how he would convince her to accept his offer and marry him, but he did promise it. And she wasn't going to forget his promise any time soon.

"Good question." A corner of his mouth turning up in a small smirk, Todoroki stepped closer to her as he adjusted his tie. His heterochromatic irises held a strange sense of amusement, and he stayed just a couple inches away from her. Momo could swear her breath was caught in her throat at how close he was. "I've been busy with work lately, but I cleared some time on my schedule so we could spend some time together today. I'm sure you won't be disappointed, Momo."

And with the utterance of her first name leaving his lips for the first time in years, he made his way up to the door so he could leave, his secretary quickly moving to grab the papers he had left on the podium. She stared at the papers in her hands blankly, her feet remaining glued to the ground as she thought about his words.

Momo was only snapped back to reality once her boss turned his head to her expectantly with his hand still on the doorknob, waiting for her. She held the papers close to her chest with a light smile forming on her lips.

"I'll be looking forward to it.", was all she said before going to follow him out the door.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Kirishima let out a sigh that was a little too loud, pinching his nosebridge and watching his blonde haired coworker with a look that Momo couldn't figure out whether it was from somewhere between disgust or just pure concern.

"I am fully convinced you never graduated kindergarten."

"Yeah, well, if I never graduated kindergarten, I wouldn't be smart enough to actually have a job here, would I?", Denki argued back like a child would, using a finger to adjust his glasses with his other hand still occupied by a keyboard, golden eyes not daring to look away from his computer screen for even a second.

A facepalm could be heard from Uraraka. "Well it sure doesn't look like it when you're literally playing some sort of video game on your work computer."

"It's Club Penguin to you!"

Mina raised her hands in an attempt to get everyone's attention. "Listen, can we all try to collectively calm down? Momo finally had the time to visit us again for the first time in weeks and if you're gonna play Club Penguin, then at least turn down the volume! I'm looking at you, Denki Kaminari.", she shot Denki a look, earning a childish groan from him.

The raven haired girl mustered her best attempt at a polite smile and waved at them sheepishly. "H-Hi everyone..."

"Momo?! I didn't even notice you were there! How have you been?" Uraraka quickly bounced over to her in a matter of seconds with the biggest smile Momo had ever seen. "Work has been hectic for you, huh? You've barely been visiting us. Gosh, I was so worried! Remember to take care of yourself and-"

Ever since her first visit, Momo frequently stopped by to see her fellow coworkers every chance she got. Even though they startled her a lot with their childish bantering and odd ways of doing things, she had come to learn that each of her visits were worth it in the end. There was always something new to learn about them, whether it be good or bad, and besides, she grew to be quite fond of the strange bunch if she had to be honest.

And Kirishima often bought them McDonalds so that was always a plus.

"I'm fine, everything's fine, there's no need to worry, Uraraka...", she cut her off with a white lie, deciding there was no need to let them know how exhausted she really was. Momo hated having people worry about her.

In all truth, the past few weeks kept Momo restless. There was so much work and numerous phone calls for her to answer every minute of the day. It didn't help with the fact that Todoroki always had so many meetings scheduled which were difficult for her to even keep track of. She knew being a secretary wasn't easy before she took on the job, but she certainly did not expect it to be this stressful.

A good night's rest also came to be a luxury that the raven haired girl could barely get her hands on, apparently. She went back home at unreasonable times and only received two to four hours of sleep before waking up again and tending to her ever so busy life. It was hard for her to get used to no matter how many times she'd done it.

This frequent routine was undeniably starting to get unhealthy for her, but it wasn't like she could do much about it unless she wanted to quit and struggle with paying off her living expenses like she used to. There was always concealer to cover her concerningly dark eyebags, anyway.

"I hate to interrupt your sweet little moment over here, but some of us are actually trying to work." Shinso leaned back on his office chair as he spoke, groggy voice sounding as tired as always, his purple eyes scanning everyone in the room with a deadpan. Momo was about to apologize but her bubblegum haired friend interrupted before she could,

"No one's working except for you now, Shinso!" Mina made her way over to him and put her hands on his shoulders, a wide grin on her glossy lips which contrasted drastically from his dull and utterly bored expression. "Maybe you should like, stop being such a workaholic and take some time to talk to us?"

He sighed. "Workaholic? I don't know what you're talking abou-"

"I'll take that as a yes!"

Without warning, she switched off his computer, and everyone could immediately tell that something bad was about to happen if the fuming look on Shinso's face was anything to go by. "Hey, what the hell? I had my work saved on there, you know!"

"It'll be fine, stop crying about it, you big baby."

"I'm not-"

Before their coworkers could even get a chance to figure out what on earth was going on, the two broke out into a heated discussion, the arguing more responsible on Shinso's part with Mina trying to calm him down but to no avail. Denki got himself involved too when their bickering made him unable to focus on whatever game he was playing on his computer, only adding to the chaos even more. Without a doubt someone was going to form a complaint on them if their yelling got any louder.

"They're back at it again...", Kirishima sighed disappointedly and placed his hands on his hips, making his intense muscles more apparent than they already were. His words earned a nod of agreement from Uraraka. Despite their friends' questionable antics, they seemed to be pretty used to it and weren't surprised in the slightest, only a bit concerned as they helplessly watched them quarreling like children. It brought a small chuckle of amusement to Momo's lips.

This was just the kind of break Momo needed.

 

. . . . .

 

"Don't you guys have work to do?" The raven haired girl asked with a clueless smile as she watched her coworkers who looked like they were on the brink of passing out from laughing at a funny story Mina had told them. They had been conversating with each other for a long time now and as much as she didn't want to address it, Momo was pretty sure that her visit was distracting them from their actual priorities. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy talking to them- it was quite the opposite actually, but she didn't want to be a disturbance or anything.

Their laughter momentarily died down and the silence that followed her question was deafening. Mina's mouth curved to form an 'o' as if she just remembered, while Uraraka's eyes widened from realization and she was actually starting to panic unlike Kirishima, who simply shrugged his shoulders with indifference. The only one who seemed genuinely confused was Denki, and he asked back obliviously, "What work?"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Uraraka hunched over and put her hands in her hair rather aggressively, a look of what could only be described as absolute horror on her face. Her breathing got progressively unstable with fear. "I was supposed to get that report done by today! Now I'm gonna have to send it in late, and then I'll get scolded for being incompetent, and then I'm gonna get fired, I'm gonna lose my job and-"

"Calm down, sweetie. It's okay." Mina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The day isn't over yet. You still have like, so much time to get things done."

"It would be unreasonable of them to fire you for a single report, you know.", even Shinso had joined in with his focus still on his computer screen as he worked unlike his friends(the man seemed to be seriously obsessed with working for some odd reason), though it was hard to tell whether he was trying to comfort her or just stating the obvious.

Kirishima beamed and confidently raised a fist as he spoke, "Yeah! You're the most competent person we know, dude." Denki nodded his head swiftly from beside the muscular man.

"Deep breaths, Uraraka..." Momo rubbed her back reassuringly, and Uraraka's nerves seemed to ease at last.

"Aw, you guys...!" She released her hands from her hair with a shy smile, looking like she was about to tear up any moment now from how kind her friends were being.

"Don't be all dramatic, just a simple thank you would suffice." Shinso rolled his eyes and interrupted before she could try to give them a long speech about how grateful she was, him knowing from experience that she would just burst into tears once she was done. And God forbid Uraraka crying, because if she cried then Mina would cry too, and then Kirishima would cry('shedding tears was manly', he had always said), and then Denki would cry because they were crying- yeah, that was far too much chaos for the purple haired man to handle.

"Alright, fine, I get it." The chestnut haired girl sighed, her face softening as she looked at her friends. "But really, thanks guys. I honestly don't know if I could do this without you."

"Don't thank me too much." Denki winked suggestively, immediately shut down by Mina, who smacked him on the head hard enough to make him whine in protest. "Ow! Why'd you do that for?!"

She narrowed her eyes at him in a death glare. "That'll smack some sense into you."

Momo's mouth curved into a gentle smile, and she was about to say something as a response to Uraraka before her phone buzzed with a new notification.

She fished for her phone in her purse and took it out. With her coworkers watching her with curiosity, she turned it on, only to see it was a text message. Her lips parted from astonishment as her eyes scanned the message over and over again.

"Ooh, did your boyfriend send you a message?" Mina teased and wiggled her brows when she noticed Momo's sudden moment of surprise. But the raven haired girl didn't offer any sort of reaction at her teasing words and instead looked like she was in a hurry as she quickly put her phone back in her purse. Uraraka started to scold Mina for being invasive, and Momo interrupted as she rushed to the door to leave,

"I'm sorry, I have to go now!"

. . . . .

 

Momo had her hands on her knees as she took heavy breaths out of sheer exhaustion. It felt like she ran a marathon. She couldn't recall ever running so fast in her life before. But she wouldn't have to worry now, because it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore because she had reached her destination at last.

Slowly standing upright, her eyes made their way to a particular someone.

"Ah, you made it." Ethereal heterochromatic irises gleaming in the moonlight, red and white hair swaying with the breeze, lips pulled in a pleased smirk, Shoto Todoroki stood, leaning on a black car, gazing at his secretary with keen interest.

Hazy clouds continued to drift in the night sky, only a few stars being present with the full moon shining down on them. Time seemed to slow around them, and for a moment, it felt like only they existed. Momo clenched her jaw, chest rising and falling with every breath she took. "Why did you call me here?"

"I told you this morning, didn't I?" He tilted his head questioningly and crossed his arms, the smile still present on his face as he spoke. "We're going to spend time together. Don't think I've forgotten.", his words caused Momo's eyes to widen in realization.

The raven haired girl clutched the strap of her purse tightly, feeling herself growing tense. She had known Todoroki for years, but she couldn't help feel nervous at the thought of going out with him. Of course, they started dating weeks ago, but not once did they have the chance to properly acknowledge their relationship with work constantly keeping them busy.

Her heart hammered in her chest when he opened his car door for her, looking at her with expectance. She swallowed thickly, mentally preparing herself as she took a few steps forward.

Momo spared the dual haired man holding the door open one last glance before going into the car, Todoroki shutting the door with an easy smile. She watched him making his way around to the driver's seat through the front window of the car, and buckled her seatbelt with trembling hands.

In spite of all the anxious feelings welling up inside of her, Momo was a bit excited, if she had to be honest. She had no idea of what he was planning to do right now, but still felt warm at the thought of getting to truly know him like she used to back in high school. Besides, spending time with Todoroki was a chance she wouldn't want to miss.

The loud sound of him slamming the door closed startled her, but she tried to maintain her composure when he got himself seated beside her.

She simply gazed at him in curiosity as he started the car, already having his hands on the steering wheel. Numerous questions rushed through her mind, but she was too hesitant to voice them aloud. "Where are we going?", was what she settled on asking instead.

"It's a secret. Don't you trust me?" His heterochromatic eyes seemed to be glowing even though it was dark inside the car, and he looked back at her with a smirk forming on his lips.

Momo didn't have to think about that one.

"Of course." After all, there never was a time where she didn't trust him.

 

~

Chapter 7: City Lights

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗬 breeze sent goosebumps on her rosy skin as Momo stepped out of the car into the bustling city.

The area was unfamiliar to her, seemingly a place where most wealthy people resided judging by the pricey clothes and expensive cologne she could smell from a mile away. There were fancy restaurants and famous stores she had heard about situated there too, which peaked Momo's curiosity even further.

Todoroki simply took the initiative to walk forwards, the raven haired girl following pursuit beside him. She still wanted to ask many things, but decided to set her questions aside for now as she nervously glanced around her surroundings.

A shiny white lamborghini drove across the road right beside her and Momo couldn't help but gape at the sight. She had seen rich people before, but holy cow she was sure she would end up passing out before they even reached their destination.

"This place is... quite nice, isn't it?", Momo lied just for the sake of starting a conversation with the person she was technically supposed to be on a date with.

When she looked over to him, he had a blank and unamused face, eyes fixed on what was in front of him. "Really? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Momo awkwardly cleared her throat, barely managing to hide the embarrassed blush that painted her features.

"That's not true.", she defended herself poorly, knowing very well that no one would be able to believe her when her face was as white as a sheet. Nonetheless, it was worth a try. "This area is quite new to me, that's all there is to it."

As expected, Todoroki looked unconvinced. The raven haired girl sighed in defeat.

"It's fine, I don't like this place too anyway." He stated bluntly, scanning his surroundings with a look of disgust as he fixed his tie.

She raised a brow, intrigued. "Hm? Why is that?"

"Too much obnoxious people.", was all he said with a discernible scowl.

Momo was about to open her mouth to respond just when a businessman came running to where she was stood.

Before he could bump into her and cause any sort of minor injury, Todoroki grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. She let out a shaky breath of relief.

"Sorry, I'm in a rush!" The man shouted frantically as he ran further into the distance, and soon he was gone from their line of sight.

"At least watch where you're going.", Todoroki muttered angrily under his breath. He brought his gaze to the raven haired girl standing close to him, his hands still holding her shoulders protectively, heterochromatic eyes eerily cold.

She looked back at him, her lips trembling. A slight shiver went up her spine, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the cold air or the scary aura that Todoroki held. They stayed like that for a moment, gazing at each other with only the sound of speeding cars and blaring horns on the road accompanying their silence.

"Are you okay?" His voice was low and patient, and she merely nodded in response. He looked away, finally letting go of her and nodding back in acknowledgement.

They continued to walk ahead with a more uncomfortable atmosphere this time, Todoroki not seeming too bothered by it as he kept the same blank and stoic expression as before.

Momo stared at the night sky mindlessly while trying her best not to think about what happened the moment before. She was a woman of composure, and she was going to keep that image no matter how difficult it was sometimes.

After some time, the dual haired man stopped walking, prompting Momo to do the same. He turned to face the entrance of what seemed like...

"...A restaurant?", Momo couldn't help but ask more to herself than him.

Todoroki just smiled at her curiosity. "You'll see."

He pushed the doors open and introduced Momo to the sight of a world that was completely unknown to her.

Massive crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling with pure gold lining the walls. Lavish decorations and fresh exotic flowers were scattered around. Filthy rich looking people were sitting and speaking with overly fancy words that Momo couldn't quite understand. Candles were set on the tables with the classical music playing providing a romantic sort of ambience to the dimly lit restaurant. The very few fancy restaurants she had visited in the past were immediately put to shame once she laid her eyes on this place.

She nervously scanned the area, feeling incredibly small because of how high the ceilings were. Momo had never felt more out of place.

Anxiety overwhelmed the raven haired girl, causing her hand's fingers to subconsciously cling onto Todoroki's sleeve. Before he could try to ask her about it, a butler came running to him.

"Mr. Shoto Todoroki! The young rising star of Todoroki Corporation! A mastermind! An absolute prodigy! We are more than overjoyed to have you here with us!", the man spoke in an overly exaggerated French accent, his way too loud volume making Todoroki visibly grimace.

"Don't." The dual haired man sent him a warning look. He had visited this restaurant numerous times before, and each time he was met by this exact same occurrence. He could only wonder why he was so unfortunate at this point.

He simply dismissed Todoroki as if his ice cold glare was nothing at all, and moved on to eye Momo up and down in a judgmental manner. She clung tighter onto Todoroki's sleeve with unease.

Being a secretary at a top ranking company, she always made sure to look her part as much as she could. But even in a white blouse and black pencil skirt, Momo could tell she was severely underdressed. Even Todoroki looked relatively distinguishable in his usual black suit and navy tie, and the watch he was wearing was definitely from an expensive brand.

People were sending her weird looks, and she could feel it. If only Todoroki told her to dress up in advance... Momo swallowed. She had never been too good at maintaining her confidence, yet couldn't help but feel self conscious at the moment.

The butler had a wide smile on his face which didn't quite reach his eyes, still staring at Momo which made her all the more uncomfortable. "Who is this mademoiselle you have brought along with you today?"

"She's just my secretary. We're here to discuss private matters.", Todoroki lied effortlessly, being aware of Momo's obvious discontent if it wasn't obvious enough by the way she glanced around in an anxious manner.

The man only nodded, clearly skeptical with his eyes on Momo's fingers which were still clutching Todoroki's sleeve for dear life. She noticed his suspicious gaze and bashfully dropped her hand in realization, grabbing the strap of her purse instead out of mere habit.

"You made a reservation this evening, didn't you? I shall escort you there.", he asked, and the dual haired man was already shaking his head to refuse.

"No need, thank you for your service." Todoroki responded monotonously. Once the butler was out of sight, he wrapped his calloused hand around Momo's and made his way further inside the restaurant. She hesitated before holding it back, his larger hand feeling warm in her own.

He gently dragged her from behind him through the crowd of people, Momo struggling to keep up with her high heels bothering her feet. She had never been too fond of heels as they were painful and difficult to walk in, but tried making it a habit to wear them at work more often to maintain a level of professionalism. Yet, no matter how many times she forced herself to wear those death traps, they always ended up inconveniencing her some way or another. She had to suck it in though if she wanted to survive this night.

"Sorry about that.", he finally spoke to her for the first time ever since they entered the restaurant. "I guess you could say I'm a regular customer here. Those guys kiss up to me every chance they get."

So that was why the butler from a moment ago was praising him so extremely. Momo felt herself inwardly cringing as she recalled how much attention the man dragged from his... loud antics.

"It's...okay.", Momo mumbled shyly in response, still feeling particularly uncomfortable after getting caught clinging on to the dual haired male's sleeve earlier.

He didn't say anything more after her response, his hand securing hers so that she wouldn't get lost in the crowd as he continued to make his way between the tables. Momo pursed her lips and stayed quiet as well for the time being.

She still had no idea where things were going to go from here on out in their relationship. It was all so confusing to her. He seemed to have everything under control, though. That was why she wanted to place her trust in Todoroki as she always did before.

She glanced at the tables surrounding them and silently questioned why he wouldn't just have them sit there. Was there another place where he was planning to take her?

At last, Todoroki came to a stop. The raven haired girl glanced around, realizing that he had taken her to the terrace of the restaurant.

Momo finally felt like she could breathe. Barely anyone else was there compared to when they were inside. It was more quiet, enveloping her in a sense of peace after a long day. Her raven locks flew with the gentle breeze, lips parting in awe as she examined what was around her.

The terrace overlooked the city and the star filled sky. String lights were aligned all around from above her, illuminating the terrace in warm hues. Small tables along with chairs were scattered about, as well as large potted plants and fancy decorations that seemed quite costly. The faint sound of classical music playing from indoors could still be heard, providing to the elegance of the place. Everything still looked extremely expensive like before, but it was much more comfortable and wore off her unease.

Todoroki stepped forwards, separating their hands at last. She followed him, and he pulled out a chair for her, staring at his secretary expectantly. He only smiled once she awkwardly sat down in compliance, having been taken off guard by his sudden politeness.

He took a seat across from her, slightly adjusting his suit as his eyes landed on the view of the city. "I reserved a seat for us somewhere more private. I know how uncomfortable you used to be with crowds back then."

He remembers?

"I see. Thank you for that.", Momo brought herself to speak as calmly as she could even though it felt like her throat went dry from his statement. In all the eight years they were separated, she didn't expect him to still remember such small things about her. Maybe she was more important to him than she thought.

He merely smiled. "How are you liking it here?"

"I think it's quite lovely, actually.", she chose to say, smiling back with her eyes wandering around her surroundings in awe.

Todoroki just nodded in response as he leaned back on his seat, seeming to be deep in thought once again as if he was searching for something to say. She couldn't blame him. They only saw each other at work now and didn't talk to each other as naturally as before, so it was going to be especially hard trying to maintain a conversation on a date.

Come to think of it, Momo hadn't acknowledged it as an actual date until now. It all felt strange, really. Years ago, he was her best friend and she hung out with him often throughout high school, and now here he was, a successful CEO, sitting in front of her in a way too fancy restaurant, on a date. She had been on a couple dates before, but none of them were all that special compared to this.

After a moment of silence, the dual haired man joined his hands together over the table. "To be frank with you, I'm not exactly good at intimate things like, well... this.", he started matter-of-factly. Momo nodded knowingly. "I wasn't able to make the time to talk to you properly for the past few days. I'm pretty sure you know the amount of pressure I was put under for our company's upcoming project."

"I understand. But if we're really going to do this, I have to ask you something..." She paused for a moment, lips trembling as she hesitated. Todoroki looked at her patiently, which gave her the courage to continue.

"Why do you even want to be in a relationship with me in the first place?"

Finally she had raised the question, the same question which had been bugging her for days on end. It had confused her so much she couldn't help but think of it every now and then, no matter how much she tried to not do so. But if they were going to try being in an actual relationship, they needed to have proper communication on both ends. And if she wanted to ask him about it any time soon, now was the perfect time.

For some reason, Todoroki suddenly turned his head to the side with a light chuckle, giving her a perfect view of his defined jawline. Momo gave him a look of utter confusion.

He sighed with a smile, lips devolving into an amused smirk as his heterochromatic eyes met hers in an unreadable gaze.

"All in due time, Yaoyorozu."

. . . . .

 

The raven haired girl struggled a bit as she tried to cut her steak with a fork and knife. She wasn't all that used to eating rich-people-food, especially since she basically lived on home cooked meals, but this was just a new level of wealth. The meal alone was probably double the amount she got from her salary when she worked as a preschool teacher, which she thought was high enough on its own. Todoroki just calmly chewed on his food as if the cost was nothing at all.

Rich people scared her.

"Anything you need?", Todoroki suddenly asked, snapping out of her daze as she realized that he had caught her blankly staring at him.

He raised a questioning brow with a half-smile, fork in hand. She seriously couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not.

Momo hid her blush of embarrassment behind her glass of wine as she took a sip. "N-No, thank you."

Todoroki simply nodded in reply, continuing to eat his food quietly as he was doing before. She did the same, with only the sound of cutlery being heard as Momo contemplated his words from before.

All in due time? What could he possibly mean by that? She couldn't understand, must there really be a need for him to be so cryptic when all she asked was a simple question?

Seriously, she could never tell what he was thinking sometimes. Him avoiding the question only made her even more curious. Just exactly how much time would she have to wait for his answer? Was he even planning to give her an answer in the first place?

She stared at her plate mindlessly with a rather serious look on her face, eyebrows furrowing in a weird sense of determination. Momo was sure that she normally had the patience of a saint, but even someone like her could be pushed to her limit sometimes.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Her blank gaze shifted to the concerned dual haired man sitting in front of her, but inside her head was a battle of thoughts. Yes, why of course she needed something! An answer was what she needed, mind you...!

"No."

"Alright then." And then they were enveloped in an uncomfortable silence once again.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Time passed, and their night had eventually come to an end. Their first supposed date went by pretty smoothly, better than expected at least.

Todoroki ended up paying for the food, despite Momo's insisting that she would help with paying as well even though they both knew that she could never possibly be able to afford that much of an expensive meal. She unwillingly accepted her defeat, and now they were on their way back, engaging each other in conversation every now and then.

"I need you to be honest with me on this," Todoroki spoke, having her head turn to him almost immediately as they walked through the secluded street, "how did you feel today? Do you have any suggestions?"

Momo stared at him, clearly clueless. "Do you mind if you could elaborate?"

He paused. "I mean, I already told you that I'm not exactly good at these types of things. Dating and all that. If I'm going to try to not leave you disappointed, then I need to know your own opinion first."

"I see." She placed a finger on her chin as she hummed in thought. Todoroki found himself waiting eagerly for her response. "Well, first of all, maybe choose a less... expensive place next time?"

His eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. "Really? I thought you would like it."

"It was nice of you, Todoroki, but I'd rather be somewhere I could feel more comfortable in. And it sort of crushed my self esteem to see you paying for it all, you know?" She smiled and playfully nudged him with her elbow on that last part. The gesture gave him sudden flashbacks of how she used to do the same thing back when they were best friends in high school. "But I had a pleasant time thanks to you."

He scrubbed a calloused hand on his face out of frustration, in disbelief that he had a flaw in his plan. Seriously, he felt like such an idiot. Todoroki sighed.

"You could've told me you were feeling uncomfortable.", his voice was gentle, and the way he looked at her made it clear he felt genuinely bad about it.

"Of course I wouldn't tell you if I didn't want to make you upset." She chose to avoid his gaze. "After all, the only reason I'm telling you this now is because you asked for my honest opinion."

He stayed silent for a moment as he aimlessly stared at the stars in the sky, pondering over her recent words. "Anything else?"

"Hm..." Momo pushed out her bottom lip in thought. Then she stopped walking. "Oh, I thought of another suggestion."

Todoroki stood still as well and turned to look back at his secretary behind him. "What is it?"

Her lips curved to form a soft smile at his question that rendered him speechless. Her eyes gleamed from the city lights, midnight colored hair flowing in the wind of a passing car. And right then and there, at that moment in time, the countless stars seemed dull compared to Momo Yaoyorozu.

"Don't push yourself too much."

He couldn't help but smile back.

"Fine."

 

~

Chapter 8: Enigma Of A Man

~

 

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗗 yelling from the other room. Loud yelling.

At first, it was just a minor inconvenience. It was perfectly normal. It happened all the time.

Then there was the sound of something shattering accompanied by a scream. The shattering and crashing sounds continued to persist, the screaming getting even louder than before.

Shoto didn't shiver, Shoto didn't whimper, Shoto didn't shed even a single tear. He just covered his ears to muffle out the noise. Again, it was just another minor inconvenience.

Usually, his parents fought a lot over the smallest things. He never understood why they did, but it wasn't like he cared that much anyway.

When they weren't arguing, they would give each other the cold shoulder which he found much more preferable. He didn't mind, he could enjoy some peace and quiet in the household.

But sometimes, if they argued for longer than usual, his dad would start breaking things in a fit of rage and his mom would scream so loud that he couldn't go back to sleep. This was probably one of those times.

Of course, this was all still perfectly normal. This was something that happened to everyone, right?

Eventually, the breaking sounds stopped. He lifted his hands from his ears. Looks like his dad had enough for one day.

He could hear his mom start to sob uncontrollably. Really, he couldn't understand the woman. It was just an argument. It didn't matter that much. It was a regular thing for them. So why would she cry every single time?

Human emotions were too confusing for him sometimes.

He got out of bed and opened his door slightly, wary of not making any sound, just enough to see her on the dining room floor next to a broken chair, cleaning up shattered pieces of plates on the floor as she cried nonstop.

Shoto didn't feel anything.

Fully opening the door, he slipped out of his room and approached her cautiously. She continued to clean the floor as she wiped one tear after the other, seemingly not aware of her son's presence until he spoke.

"Mom."

He had finally gotten her attention as she slowly turned her head to him.

Shoto stood there in front of her, remaining unbothered. "I can't sleep. Read me a bedtime story."

Her expression became cold.

"It's all your fault."

Suddenly, he couldn't see his mom anymore. Everything went pitch black.

He carefully took a step forward, his footstep causing an echoing sound in the endless void.

Shoto looked around his surroundings, only to still see the same pitch black.

"If you weren't born, this wouldn't have happened." He heard her voice say from behind him. No, he wouldn't let himself be deceived. Surely that wasn't his mom saying such a thing.

Shoto started to run. But he didn't feel like he was running. Instead, he felt himself becoming more and more enveloped by the darkness.

"You know, you remind me of your father."

He ran more and more. Nothing changed.

"All you bring me is pain."

He was in an empty, vast space of nothingness.

"I wish I never gave birth to you."

An empty

"I'm in misery, Shoto."

Vast space

"And it's all your fault."

Of nothingness.

"It's all your fault!"

Of course, this was all still perfectly normal, right?

...

Todoroki woke up in a cold sweat.

He propped himself up into somewhat of a sitting position, his heavy breaths coming out rather shaky as he stared at the palm of his hand, mind unable to think straight. Great, just when he thought he could finally get a good night's sleep for once.

Nightmares were a normal occurrence for him. Each time it happened, he woke up finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden, and it took him a while to compose himself. He swallowed and took another deep breath in an attempt to soothe his nerves. It helped, if only a little bit.

Still breathing heavily, he took his phone from his bedside table and turned it on with trembling fingers. The harsh blue light of the screen illuminated his face in the dark room.

4:27 AM, it read out to him in bold white letters. He turned off his phone and closed his eyes, running a calloused hand through his messy dual toned hair. God, he needed sleep.

Todoroki forced himself to get out of bed, his feet dragging him against the cold hardwood floor of his room. He opened his drawer and took out a container, immediately gulping down sleeping pills that his doctor prescribed him to help with his insomnia.

Waking up in the middle of the night because of some nightmare he had and having to take his sleeping pills was a normal practice for him at this point. There were no more pills left, seeing as he already finished them all. He was gonna have to buy more tomorrow.

Even after taking his meds, Todoroki felt no different. He was still wide awake, vivid memories of his nightmare seeping into his mind.

He sighed. Looks like he was on his own again tonight.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

"Holy... No way! I got a high score-"

"Literally no one wants to hear about whatever shit you're doing on Mario Kart, Denki."

The raven haired girl took a sip of her latte, silently preparing herself for whatever dumb fight would ensue as Denki Kaminari gasped dramatically at Shinso's words. He slammed his hands on the wooden table, startling everyone and attracting unwanted attention from other people in the small café.

"Excuse me?!"

As they started to throw arguments at each other, Denki just angrily spouting whatever came to mind with Shinso quick to shoot back with insults that would be enough to crush anyone's self esteem, the others sigh with a clear lack of enthusiasm.

Ejirou nervously glanced at the spectators who were staring at them and raised his hands as if he were trying to calm a wild animal(two wild animals in this case, might I add) to say,

"My dudes, let's chill out, yeah? People are staring so-"

"This isn't about you!"

"Hey- what?!"

Ochaco, being the only responsible one in the group alongside Momo, seemed to sense that they were going to get kicked out of the café soon if they didn't pull their shit together, and so she started to repeatedly apologize to the bystanders for bothering them.

She shot the guys a deadly look, Ejirou being a new addition to the bickering, and they seemed to get the hint and toned their voices down to passive aggressive murmurs.

"Uhm, isn't this a bit much?", Momo leaned over the table and whispered to the brunette who was still glaring at them to make sure they weren't going to cause any more disruptions. She had agreed to go out for coffee with her coworkers after work, and knew very well they could be a little... excessive with their bickering sometimes, but she at least expected them to have some self awareness in public when there were numerous people around.

Uraraka just heaved a sigh and turned to her. "They're a bunch of dumbasses. All of them." Momo couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

While the guys are throwing insults at each other in hushed tones, Mina, who was boredly scrolling on her phone a moment ago, appeared to have remembered something all of a sudden and took the chance to ask Momo,

"By the way, why were you in such a rush last night, Yaomomo?"

Uraraka nodded as she recalled, putting a finger on her chin in curiosity. "Yeah, I've been wanting to ask that... Did something happen?"

Momo was clueless for a moment, not really understanding what they meant, before remembering the way she rushed out of their office room in such a hurry after receiving a text from Todoroki. It must have made them worry because she was clearly panicked that night, and she immediately felt the need to address,

"Oh! You don't have to worry, Boss Todoroki just called me over for an emergency."

Mina smiled suggestively, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh really? What kind of emergency?", she teased, putting her hands on her cheeks.

It wasn't long before Ochaco smacked her hard on the head with her purse. "Mina, this is the last time-"

Momo couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. She was already used to Mina's nosy personality, and had long since learned to avoid her invasive questions. Rumors could circulate pretty fast if she disclosed any information whatsoever of her and Todoroki to the bubblegum haired girl(after all, Mina was known for spreading gossip everywhere she went), and she wasn't so sure if telling her- or anyone for that matter- that she had literally went on a date with their boss was a good idea.

"It's nothing really, something came up and he just needed me to deliver some files.", she settled on fabricating her answer instead.

Needless to say, Mina wasn't pleased with her vague response, as made evident by her raising a brow with a skeptical look, still rubbing her head from the impact of Ochaco's purse. "If you say so..."

Reaching in, Uraraka aimed straight for her head again, but Mina quickly blocked away her purse by her arm.

"Okay, okay, I get it, just don't hit me!"

"Are you guys talking about Boss?", The girls were startled by Kirishima suddenly joining in the conversation, leaving Denki and Shinso at each other's throats by themselves.

"Uh, yeah. Why?", Ochaco filled in for them.

The red haired man outwardly cringed, seemingly pondering whether he should tell them or not.

Just what made him appear so troubled at the mention of Todoroki? Was this something Momo should feel concerned about?

"Yesterday I heard him yelling on the phone a lot in his office. The dude seemed really mad. It seemed like he was arguing with the chairman or something...?"

"Isn't the chairman his father?", Mina commented, blatant curiosity evident in her voice.

The chairman? A feeling of anxiousness came over Momo. She recalled the times they glared daggers at each other during meetings or when they ran into each other in the company building. It was no secret that they despised each other, but she couldn't wrap her head around why that could be the case.

She knew, she knew it wasn't her place to know, but Momo couldn't stop the question from tumbling off the top of her tongue as an almost automatic response, "What did you hear?"

Kirishima suddenly seemed very conscious and alert, ruby eyes looking conflicted. "I don't know if I should be telling you this but..."

He leaned in and whispered to them,

"Something about not wanting to be in an arranged marriage?"

Ochaco and Mina gasped simultaneously in surprise, whereas Momo stayed quiet with her lips pressed together firmly.

The raven haired girl didn't know what to think anymore, questions swirling around in her mind that remained unanswered. It was weird enough that Todoroki seemed so committed to having her marry him, and now what was all of this about arranged marriages? Nothing seemed to make sense right now.

Just when she thought she knew him, there was always something unexpected and confusing she had to learn about the enigma of a man. This lead her to question, what really did she know about Shoto Todoroki?

Ejirou slumped back into his seat with a shrug. "But meh, I could be wrong."

"Hm... It's true that Boss has been seeming colder than usual. I've been wondering what that's all about.", Uraraka wondered aloud, Mina being quick to nod in agreement.

Denki had somehow managed to slip out of his back and forth with Shinso without anyone noticing, and randomly joined in the conversation at hand, "Yeah! Well he is cold, but lately he's been like... cold cold." He raised his cold coffee as if to prove a point.

"Dumbass. No one can understand you.", Shinso provided boredly. Denki chose to aggressively pretend like he couldn't hear him.

"What do you mean by Shoto being colder?", his first name accidentally left Momo's lips as she asked Uraraka, and she was grateful that Mina didn't hear it.

The brunette thankfully didn't pay any mind to the use of his first name, or at least she didn't seem like it, and started, "Well, he's been really unapproachable nowadays... It's almost impossible to speak to him about work matters too considering he hasn't been communicating with us at all. Not even in meetings."

"And he's so much scarier now too! I heard that he gave this guy an earful and fired him just because he made a small mistake on his report and it terrified me because, dude, what if that happened to me too?! Oh, just thinking about it gives me the chills..." Kaminari gulped in fear, and his words certainly didn't help in driving away Momo's unease.

"Momo, how has he been acting? You're his secretary so you probably know better than any of us." Mina inquired, and all the attention was immediately shifted to Momo with everyone at the table turning to look at her, eagerly waiting for her response.

"To be honest, I don't even know what you all are talking about... He wasn't as cold with me as you guys are saying.", she sighed, because really, she didn't know what they meant. If anything, he seemed normal aside from his scowling whenever his father was mentioned. But then again, wasn't that always the case?

Mina gave Ochaco a condescending look that read 'see, I told you' and the chestnut haired girl just rolled her eyes. Momo noticed the two vigorously communicating through mere eye contact but chose to dismiss it.

Kirishima, who was uncharacteristically quiet and deep in thought the entire time they were talking, took the chance to ask her,

"Or was it because you didn't notice?" His words caused a whole new array of questions to run through her mind.

"That could be the case...", she admitted, and immediately felt the need to clarify, "But I assure you, Todoroki definitely isn't like what he seems. He's actually a great person so there's no need for you all to be scared of him."

Silence filled the table once more as everyone just stared at her. She wasn't really sure why they were staring at her so hard, but nonetheless, she decided to turn a blind eye to it as she took another sip of her latte.

It was like that for a few more moments, before Shinso at last raised the question,

"You know, I've been wondering for a while... Do you know boss personally or somethin'?"

Even Uraraka nodded hesitantly. "Yeah... It seemed like that to me as well but I didn't want to address it."

"H-Huh? What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on, it's obvious! The way you talk about him-" She was quick to receive yet another smack on the head from Ochaco's purse. "Ow what-" The brunette shot her a warning look to which she just groaned.

Everyone fixed their eyes on her expectantly, and Momo felt conflicted. She wasn't technically planning to tell them that she knew their boss for years, but they had already backed her into a corner. She sighed. Todoroki never really said anything about keeping it a secret. And besides, it wasn't like there was any harm in telling them, right?

"I guess you could say that... He's an old friend of mine."

To her surprise, no one seemed shocked by it.

"Yeah, we sorta figured.", Denki stated, clearly unimpressed.

There was an awkward silence where they all continued to sip their drinks, not exactly knowing what to say after that. After a while Mina stopped typing on her phone and spoke up,

"By the way, what was it that Denki wanted to say about his high score?"

 

~

Chapter 9: Stay With Me

~

 

𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗢 𝗪𝗔𝗦 sure that she was physically moving, but she certainly didn't feel like it.

Her brain was occupied by a multitude of thoughts, specifically Kirishima's words from the other day at the café. Her lips pursed as she snuck a glance at the dual haired man walking alongside her.

'Yesterday I heard him yelling on the phone a lot in his office. The dude seemed really mad. It seemed like he was arguing with the chairman or something...?'

For once, she thought that she was actually getting to know him better, but now she felt like she couldn't be more wrong. For the life of her, she could never tell what was going on inside his mind.

"-and I need you to arrange a couple of files for..." His eyes drifted to her while he was talking, voice trailing off after noticing her blankly staring into nothing. It was already clear to him that she was spacing out.

He raised a brow. "Are you listening?"

Once again, she didn't offer any sort of response, her attention seeming to be somewhere else as she strode in the hall with him.

"Yaoyorozu." Just the simple mention of her name immediately made her flinch in surprise.

"Huh?" She finally looked at Todoroki, him staring right back at her with a questioning look.

She knew, she knew it wasn't her place to know, but Momo couldn't stop the question from tumbling off the top of her tongue as an almost automatic response, 'What did you hear?'

Kirishima suddenly seemed very conscious and alert, ruby eyes looking conflicted. 'I don't know if I should be telling you this but...'

He leaned in and whispered to them,

'Something about not wanting to be in an arranged marriage?'

It took her a moment before processing what he just said. "Oh- I'm listening, yes..."

He only nodded and turned away from her, still eyeing her oddly. By the time they neared the door to the meeting room, he stood still and took the chance to ask,

"You've been acting strange today. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Momo visibly stiffened.

"Really? I must be tired then.", she fabricated a response as best as she could.

Just as she expected, Todoroki still seemed skeptical, but he decided not to press on it any further as they entered the meeting room at last, being met by the eyes of workers who were sitting around a long rectangular table in the middle of the room.

He noticed his father scowling at him, and instead of dismissing it like he always did, he returned it with a cold look. His secretary watched the exchange cautiously as she recalled what Kirishima had said about their supposed argument.

They went to the front of the room, a cold atmosphere taking over as everyone waited for him to say something. He started to speak at last, and the chairman glared daggers at his son rather blatantly as he spoke, not going unnoticed by Momo and the other employees who shared nervous looks.

When Todoroki got round to answering each of his employees' questions, Enji crossed his arms and suddenly questioned,

"Wouldn't it be more profitable for the company if there was a certain external factor contributing to it?"

Momo's stomach churned, knowing that he was definitely implying something. Todoroki just scoffed, proving her suspicion as he replied, not even caring about the people listening,

"If you still want me to marry into another family for the sake of your money hungry needs, I refuse."

A series of quiet gasps followed, and the raven haired girl had to swallow the bile rising in her throat. Things were finally starting to make sense to her. He progressed the meeting as if nothing happened, not even sparing his father a glance. Momo could tell Enji Todoroki was fuming mad but tried not to concentrate on it as best as she could.

Despite it feeling like hours had passed simply from the tension alone, the meeting finally ended. Todoroki watched as everyone left, except for the red haired man who stayed seated, eyeing his son with a scornful look.

Todoroki just ignored him and made his way to the door with his secretary following closely behind him, before Enji finally stood up, his voice echoing in the large room,

"Shoto."

The dual haired man stopped in his tracks.

"I don't wish to speak with you."

He grabbed Momo's hand, startling her from the sudden gesture, and made an attempt to leave again with her, but his father beat him to it,

"You have no power to disobey me." His commanding voice cut through the air harshly. "You're meeting Ms. Kendo's parents tomorrow evening."

Todoroki stayed silent for a long moment, Momo giving him a look that begged for an explanation, his hand still holding hers.

"Let's not talk about this here."

Dragging his secretary along, he finally exited the meeting room with a heavy feeling weighing in his chest.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

(11PM)

As hard as it was, the raven haired girl saved all her questions about the incident for later when Todoroki basically collapsed onto his office chair, pinching his nose bridge with his fingers as he felt a piercing headache form. Every muscle in his body ached and he couldn't find it in him to move into a more comfortable position. It had definitely been a long day.

Just what the hell was he going to do now?

He could see Momo coming towards him, with nothing but pure worry held in her midnight colored eyes. The sight of her alone eased his speeding heartrate. "Are you feeling alright?", her voice was laced with only concern. He couldn't blame her. It was hard not to be worried when he looked like he could barely stand up straight.

"Yeah... I'm fine.", he said breathlessly, removing his hand from his face to get a better look at how the moonlight shined on her. He was fine for now. As long as she was there, he was going to be fine.

Her lips set in a hard line, sensing he was definitely lying. There was no way in hell he was actually okay. She just wished he could be more honest with her.

Momo had known him for years, and it was just enough time for her to know that Todoroki wasn't exactly the best at taking care of his own health. He probably looked fine enough to other people, but she could always tell when he seemed like he wasn't in his best condition. She tried not to let her personal emotions interfere with work, but she couldn't help worrying about him.

At this point, she had taken it upon herself to call his personal doctor. "I'm setting an appointment for you with Doctor Midoriya."

She turned on her heel to leave, but just as she did so, Todoroki stood up from his chair and made a reach for her hand. His fingers secured her wrist tightly.

"Just stay with me."

Momo froze in her tracks.

"Are you sure-"

She was cut off when without warning, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, sending shivers running down her spine. His head was buried in her shoulder and she could feel his dual toned hair tickling her skin. The intoxicating scent of his cologne so close to her made her head feel light all of a sudden.

At first, she didn't know how to react, and wasn't able to fully process the situation. This was the first time she saw him let his strong façade crack. But, in some odd way, he seemed desperate.

Finally, she realized something which she knew she should've realized sooner.

~~

Momo sniffled uncontrollably, wiping her tears that just kept falling no matter how much she tried to stop them.

"Yaoyorozu?" The sound of an all too familiar voice was enough to make her perk her head towards its direction.

Finding his raven haired friend huddled on the ground sobbing at the back of the school building was not something Todoroki was originally anticipating for his day. He approached her and kneeled down next to her wearily, setting his backpack down beside him as well.

"Um... What's wrong?", he asked just for the sake of being useful somehow, and she at least appreciated the effort. She slowly turned her head to him, still hugging her knees in shame, rosy cheeks wet and flushed.

"Would you still be friends with me if you knew my family was dead broke...?" She knew her question was sudden and strange, but in her crying state, she was unable to think things through properly.

"What?"

"I know I'm stupid and naïve and probably made the wrong friends or something, but it isn't something to be humiliated for, right...?" Her eyes were shimmering from tears and she looked up at him innocently, desperate for answers.

Her words made him finally able to understand the situation at hand.

"Who made fun of you?", was his first and only question, and there was a deadly look in his heterochromatic eyes which Momo recognized easily.

She chose not to answer, turning away from him to hide her tear-filled face. He probably thought she was so miserable...

He sighed from the lack of a response. A moment of silence passed by where only the soft sniffles from Momo could be heard. After a long moment of contemplating, he suddenly spoke,

"You know, it may not seem like it but my family is dysfunctional."

At that, Momo looked at him with widened eyes, at an utter loss for words.

"Huh?"

"My dad used to hit my mom and I when he got angry.", he said indifferently. "And I'm being forced to inherit his company or whatever when I get older."

When she turned her head to face him again, he seemed strangely calm saying that, his gaze focused on the clear sky with a hand resting on his knee. As if he didn't just voluntarily reveal his darkest secrets to her.

He looked back at her to see her shocked expression. "My point is, everyone has their own problems that they need to deal with. So it's not something you should feel ashamed for."

~~

Todoroki needed someone to be there for him. Much like her, he couldn't bare the weight of his pain on his own. She couldn't even imagine what he had gone through in all those years in which they hadn't seen each other.

Without thinking, her fingers found themselves gently stroking his hands that were in front of her waist. She offered it to him as a silent reminder that she was there now, and he wasn't going to lose her any time soon. Todoroki just embraced her tighter.

They stayed in that position for a while, none of them being able to find the words to say anything to each other, their feet glued to the ground. It felt like time had stopped altogether with the dim light of the moon seeping through the glass walls of his office. It was a moment only for them and no one else. The raven haired girl could feel a whirlwind of strange emotions dancing in her chest with his hot breath on her neck.

As confused as she felt, Momo didn't want to move.

 

~

Chapter 10: Along The Shore

~

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦 a moment of utterly baffled silence that occupied the room where Izuku Midoriya, a well known doctor and fairly successful for his age, deadpanned through his glasses at Todoroki who was sitting nonchalantly in his office chair.

"Shoto, I'm a doctor, not a psychologist.", the green haired man says with his voice bordering on a heavy sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he even tried to reason with Todoroki in the first place. "Surely you didn't schedule an appointment with me and bring me all the way here just to ask for relationship advice?"

"You sure have a big mouth for someone that's getting paid twice the original amount by me." Todoroki took a sip of his untouched coffee that had already begun to lose its steam, the lukewarm bitter substance cooling his throat. A condescending smile played on his lips which Midoriya just returned with a frown despite knowing his words were true.

"You may be right, and I'll forever be thankful, but you did that completely on your own accord. I never asked for it."

"Fair enough." He set his cup of coffee on his desk. "We've been doing this for years anyway. And this time I want to know how to make someone feel comfortable on a date."

The person sitting across him was a close friend of his who he had known for quite a while now. At some point they were in the same middle school and had kept strong connections ever since. As a doctor, Midoriya had actually helped him with his insomnia and gave him treatment which made things a lot easier for him. If Todoroki could trust anyone, it would definitely be him.

He raised a curious brow. "Where's all this coming from anyway? I never knew you were dating someone, Shoto."

"Well, it just happened, I guess." The dual haired man leaned back on his office chair, joining his hands together over his lap as he recalled Momo's words from that night.

"She said she... wanted me to choose a less expensive place for a date and that she felt uncomfortable."

Midoriya snorted, quickly covering his mouth to muffle his laughing. Todoroki shot him a pointed look.

After calming down, he finally spoke, still covering his mouth,

"As expected! Knowing you, you probably took her to one of those crazy expensive restaurants that nobody can afford!"

As he continued to laugh, Todoroki just stared at him blankly, which he soon noticed.

At this point, his laughter died down, both of them making a realization.

"Wait, you didn't seriously do that, right...?"

Silence.

"Was I not supposed to?"

His friend let out a dragged sigh.

"Just what are we going to do with you, Shoto? I'm surprised you even managed to get in a relationship in the first place."

"Are you going to help me or not?", Todoroki was starting to get fed up now. He knew he wasn't the brightest person when it came to relationships, but that didn't mean he had to get made fun of for it. And he wasn't even that bad, anyway. Or at least he thought so.

"Okay, okay. So, how to make someone feel comfortable on a date, huh?" The freckled man was quite surprised, to say the least. As far as he knew, his stone cold friend(who was actually insanely rich) was never really interested in the idea of pursuing relationships. So naturally, when he asked him such an unexpected question, he was bound to be shocked and was genuinely happy for him. He wasn't going to let himself pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity to help him.

Midoriya sat and was contemplating for a moment, starting to subconsciously mutter things to himself in deep thought, and Todoroki tried not to be impatient, he really did, but his friend's serious inability to think quietly was actually getting to him.

After a long moment, he finally said, "Well, if I was on a date, I'm pretty sure I would want to be somewhere... special, just the two of us to share."

Todoroki just stared.

"Anything else?"

"And... Uhm... What exactly do you want me to say here?!"

"Some useful advice, maybe."

"You know I'm not experienced with dating, Shoto!"

"Not my problem."

He rolled his eyes and started another round of thinking and muttering excessively to himself.

"There's not much else, actually.", Midoriya concluded with a bright smile, slightly adjusting his glasses. "Just make sure she feels happy with you. That's the only thing you need."

Todoroki sipped his coffee, seeming to be silently digesting all the information he had just been given. Eventually, he stood up. "I'm going now. You can leave too."

His emerald eyes widened with disbelief. "Wait, that's all?"

He didn't bother to answer his question and headed for the door.

"Good luck!", the green haired man shouted after him in encouragement though he wasn't sure if he heard him or not as he watched him disappear out of the room without offering him any sort of response.

He sighed ironically for the hundredth time that day. His mouth slowly morphed into a proud grin. "Man, that Shoto is really growing up now, isn't he?"

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

There was something off about him.

Momo couldn't help but come to this very conclusion when Todoroki came to her desk and just observed her with his arms crossed as she talked to someone on the telephone. Why he was staring at her like a hawk, she didn't quite know, but it certainly made her feel nervous and a bit self conscious if she were to be honest.

You see, Momo Yaoyorozu was a woman who tended to overthink a lot despite looking like she was in complete control of the situation. Which is why, she tried not to pay attention to the dual haired man and continued to be (calmly) speaking and doing her job as if she wasn't being closely watched by her boss and also continued to be (not very calmly) on the verge of panicking about if she did something wrong or not. She might as well have, because the way his eyes pierced through hers made her so anxious all of a sudden...

When she put the phone down at last, a continuous mantra of 'get yourself together, Momo' played in her head as she finally looked back at him, raising a brow as if to ask why he had been looking at her like that for the past few minutes.

He continued to stare. Yeah, there was definitely something off.

"Is there anything you-"

"Spend the night with me." He cut her off, a strangely determined look on his face with his gaze fixed on her. Momo's chest tightened at his straightforward words.

Sitting on her work chair, her obsidian orbs travelled up to him in keen curiosity.

"Another date? So suddenly...?"

"Well, you could consider it that. I had a few ideas in mind since last week.", he simply stated. Oh right. Last week. Ever since that night, she wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of going out with him again. Of course, the whole thing was still very overwhelming, but she was honestly finding it somewhat enjoyable so far and being in his company actually felt pleasant.

He didn't let her respond before continuing, "You're coming, right?"

"Now?!" Momo immediately covered her mouth with her hand after her not so quiet outburst. Her eyes quickly darted around their surroundings, and she almost sighed in relief to find that there was no one around to listen. She cleared her throat to regain her composure. "What I meant to say was, isn't it a bit too fast?"

He checked the time on his watch. "Technically, it's 6PM."

"But I still have work left-"

"You can take care of that later. This is an order from your boss, after all." Something had sparked in his heterochromatic eyes that Momo couldn't put a name to as his mouth curved to form a faint smile.

She sighed and suppressed a wide grin from materializing on her lips, already starting to gather her things.

"You never let me have the last word, do you?"

And that was how the raven haired girl ended up in this particular situation where she was now in his car, letting him drive as she absentmindedly stared out the window into nothing in particular, with the obnoxiously loud sound of the air conditioning being there to remedy their silence yet again.

Admittedly, this time she wasn't as nervous as before. A warm feeling of anticipation had come over her as she pondered over where he could be taking her.

Momo hadn't been looking forward to something so much until now. In fact, she even caught herself humming to a song she used to sing along to all the time in her high school days, subconsciously bouncing her leg along with the tune of the song in the process. And just to her luck, she was sure that Todoroki noticed this because he smirked and took his attention away from driving for a second to suddenly ask her,

"How are you feeling?"

Her smile dropped almost instantly, feeling a bashful tint of pink starting to spread on her cheeks. She fixed her posture to look more reserved, but she was sure she looked as stiff as a board right now.

"I'm okay." She kept a straight face and feigned composure, silently thanking the surrounding darkness for hiding her reddened face, and Todoroki, as if reading her like an open book, seemed to pick up on her little act.

Momo snuck a glance at the man sitting on the driver's seat beside her, just enough to notice him smile knowingly to himself with his eyes locked on the road ahead, his chest falling in a sense of what seemed like... relief?

He looked back at her, and she tried her best not to seem like she totally wasn't embarrassed after being caught staring at him. Curse his stupid good looking face for distracting her.

"Well, I'm glad to know that you're feeling okay.", he said in a way that was almost teasing her, a smirk on his lips that could actually be considered playful if it wasn't from Shoto Todoroki, only adding to her humiliation even more. He purposefully continued with,

"Just to let you know, we're almost there."

"Really?" As if on cue, her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

There was a stretched moment of mutual silence in which Todoroki, calloused hand still resting on the steering wheel, leaned towards the raven haired girl and just stared at her with a knowing smirk that read 'caught you', and she stared back at him with widened eyes, lips being pressed together tightly.

Thankfully for her, he straightened himself and drew his gaze back to the road once again. He chuckled to himself, somehow finding this situation amusing. Even in the dark lighting, he could see a noticeable blush of almost adorable surprise start to form on her face.

Momo broke their eye contact and cleared her throat once. Twice. Thrice, as if it would somehow erase her humiliation.

"I mean- that's nice. I was starting to get tired of waiting, anyway.", she crossed her arms and attempted to say in an indifferent manner. She leaned her head on the window next to her for support and looked at the sky, when really all she wanted to do was (quite dramatically, might I add) curl up into a ball and never show her face to society ever again.

"Alright then," he settled on saying with his voice bordering on sarcasm, the smirk still undeniably on his lips.

After some time passed, half an hour to be exact, the car eventually stopped moving, signifying that they had finally arrived. When Momo looked out the window in curiosity, she was made witness to a view she certainly was not expecting.

Todoroki was the first to get out of the car. He made his way around and opened the door for her with a smile like he always did.

His hand was outstretched to her, and she peered up at him from her seat to see a lively glint in his heterochromatic irises, introducing her to a side of him that she never knew until now.

For the first time, he wasn't a blank slate. For the first time, he wasn't cold and distant.

For the first time, he wasn't a man that constantly pressured himself with work and closed himself off from other people as a result of his traumatic experiences.

For the first time, he was an actual human being. And he was full of life.

Momo took his hand willingly, unable to contain her smile any longer.

He closed the door after her, and when she stepped out into the world, she was finally able to get a proper sight of where he had taken her.

A cold but calming breeze blew past her, and she untied her silky hair from its usual ponytail and allowed her raven locks to flow sideways with the wind. She closed her eyes, breathing in the all too familiar scent of the place that sent a thrilling sensation through her.

Carefully, she opened them again, and definitely knew for one thing;

They were at the sea.

"Knowing you, I figured that you would enjoy yourself the most here.", he leaned against the car and simply said, secretly finding her excitement oddly endearing for some reason. "So? What do you think?"

She couldn't bring herself to respond to his question, all sorts of feelings bubbling within her as she took a step forward.

"For me...?" Her voice was so soft it was almost above a whisper, not being able to think properly. The sand was just a bit further away and even from afar she could hear the sweeping waves of the ocean. This was everything she wanted and more.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.

"I could do more for you if you wanted."

Momo's gaze shifted to him. With widened eyes and a smile on her lips, she remarked,

"Are you kidding? This is perfect!"

In a strange way, Todoroki had found that her lighthearted words felt like a reward to him. He quickly shook off the thought, watching as she eagerly took off her heels and went out into the sand. Soon enough, she broke out into a light run, letting the excitement spread all over her.

"Don't go off on your own now," He was quick to say as he went after her.

She turned to the dual haired man walking behind her and strolled backwards, allowing him to see her beaming at him. Her midnight colored irises were sparkling from the light of the full moon, and his mind suddenly went blank from the sight.

"Is this really okay?", she had to ask him one more time, because even she wasn't sure if she deserved this much enjoyment, let alone handle it. She had never felt like this in such a long time and forgot how much she missed it.

It felt like his heart was lodged in his throat, making him unable to say anything to her, so he just nodded in response. And then he observed with fond eyes as she went off.

 

. . . . .

 

If you were to ask her, Momo could easily say that this was one of the very few best days in her painful life that was constantly met with struggles. And it really was, all thanks to him.

Spending time at the beach with no one else being there to see them and the ethereal night sky above her filled her with euphoric sensations that made her feel like a fifteen year old girl all over again. The comforting feeling of the smooth sand under her feet welcomed her as she strolled along. Even just listening to the waves of the shimmering ocean provided her peace that felt like the solution to all her problems.

And most of all, she felt safe, because she knew that he was watching her closely from behind as she enjoyed herself. Whenever she looked back, he would just smile at her, and in a way it was actually reassuring. Normally, she would feel bashful or embarrassed for acting so childish around someone, but he was there, and he accepted her.

Eventually they settled down somewhere along the shore, Momo crouching over on the sand as she felt the seawaves reach her hand, and Todoroki standing over her. With only the calming sounds of the ocean being audible in their comfortable silence, both of them were at ease for once.

There was a soft smile on her lips as she brought herself to speak at last,

"When I was a child, my parents would always bring me to see the ocean.", Momo whispered delicately, just enough for him to hear as yet another wave met her palm. He stayed silent, letting her speak.

Vivid memories flashed by in her mind. Memories of her father carrying her as she giggled in joy with her mother watching closely. Memories of holding her parents' hands when they walked on the shoreline. Memories of keenly watching her parents laugh together and feeling herself smile too. "I would enjoy every moment of it. Every last second."

It was bittersweet. Momo seemed unusually nonchalant, reminiscing the precious times she spent with her now dead parents. Her eyes stayed locked onto the night sky which was filled with several stars. She felt like crying for no reason, but she wouldn't show it. She wouldn't allow herself to break.

A chilling breeze blew past her, and she flinched from its touch.

She could hear Todoroki sigh from behind her. "You're going to catch a cold at this rate."

He took off his suit, leaving him in only his white shirt and tie, and kneeled down beside her. Then she felt a sudden warmth spreading over her.

When Momo looked back at the dual haired man who was now sitting beside her, she realized that he had given her his suit.

His heterochromatic eyes bore into hers, her heart skipping a beat as she just figured it was only because of the cold. It couldn't be because of him. Of course not.

He just smiled at her, which was enough to speed her heartrate even more. Even so, she brought herself to smile back as she rested her head on her knees, unable to keep her eyes off him.

"Thank you for everything, Shoto.", and she meant it.

Todoroki knew how sincere her words were.

"Of course.", was all he could say in response.

 

~

Chapter 11: Escaping Reality

~

 

𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 with the lead guitarist of a famous band was surely interesting, Momo thought to herself as Kyoka burst in through the door and invited herself into her home, a guitar case strapped around her back. The raven haired girl gave her a displeased look and crossed her arms despite both of them knowing that she was happy to see her as well.

"You have a lot of nerve barging into my house uninvited," Kyoka just smiled smugly, paying no concern to her words, and reached in for a hug which Momo, although still pretending to be upset, returned almost immediately.

"Aw come on, you know you missed me."

Kyoka Jiro was the polar opposite of Momo. While Momo worked hard to keep a humble and respectful image, Kyoka refused to take anyone's shit and glared at almost everyone, save for the very few people that had garnered a soft spot in her ice cold heart. Dark purple hair, numerous piercings, heavy eyeliner - you could even go as far as to say she's a hardcore goth. She played exclusively the electric guitar and was a part of a popular band from which she had gained tons of fans. Even just her autograph could sell for hundreds of dollars.

It was almost shocking how someone like her could be best friends with Momo. They had met a little over five years ago in a deserted coffee shop where their personalities had immediately clicked. Ever since that point on, they kept in touch, Momo being there to support her all the way as Kyoka paved her way into the celebrity life. They rarely got to meet nowadays as Kyoka's schedule was often packed with concerts and whatnot, but that wouldn't stop them from being close.

"Whatever..." Momo was now unable to suppress the smile that made its way to her lips, breaking the hug to lead her purple haired friend into the living room of her small apartment. "How've you been, Kyoka?"

"Eh. Could be better, honestly.", she responded in an exhausted tone as she slumped onto the couch, filling Momo with concern.

Momo took this as a sign to whip up something for her guest right about now. "Being a worldwide celebrity is hard, huh?" She made her way behind the kitchen island. "Tea or coffee?"

"You bet hell it is." Kyoka sighed heavily, quickly following it up with, "And I want coffee, thanks."

Momo just nodded in understanding as she began to prepare her some coffee. Kyoka perked up from her seat, getting a good look at her best friend. "What about you? You said an old friend gave you a secretary position at his company or whatever."

She stopped in her tracks at the sudden mention of Todoroki. The man she was in a contractual relationship with.

"Oh, me? Yeah, everything's fine..." Technically, she wasn't lying, right? She just wasn't telling her everything.

Kyoka seemed to pick up on her strange behavior but thankfully decided to not comment on it, instead choosing to say as she folded her arms over her lap, "Whatever you say, I guess."

A comfortable silence filled the room as each of them pondered on what to say next. As Momo continued to struggle with the coffee machine, Kyoka took her guitar out of its case and absentmindedly strummed a few chords. Well, it was comfortable, until Kyoka asked simply out of mere boredom,

"You never said anything about your love life. Any guys you're interested in?"

"Not really, I don't think. You can't expect any interesting answer from me if you're going to ask about my love life," She was quick to respond with a sarcastic laugh, not letting Kyoka get any funny ideas.

The purple haired girl clearly wasn't satisfied with her response, as made proven when she let out an uncharacteristically childish groan. "Aw, seriously? Are you really sure? Isn't there anyone that makes your heart go like...", she strummed a dramatically harsh sound on her guitar. "-this?"

A sudden flashback from a few days ago intruded Momo's mind.

She could hear Todoroki sigh from behind her. 'You're going to catch a cold at this rate.'

He took off his suit, leaving him in only his white shirt and tie, and kneeled down beside her. Then she felt a sudden warmth spreading over her.

When Momo looked back at the dual haired man who was now sitting beside her, she realized that he had given her his suit.

His heterochromatic eyes bore into hers, her heart skipping a beat.

"No, no, no. Absolutely not. Never.", Momo emphasized stubbornly. Cup of steaming coffee in hand, she went over to Kyoka and handed it to her with the intention of getting her to shut up. However, her words seemed to stir up an even bigger curiosity in Kyoka.

"Momo, I've known you for years now and I know when you're lying. You're totally in love! Who is it? Tell me!"

She sat on the couch in front of her and scoffed in hopes of drowning out the sounds of her heart thumping loudly in her chest. "Me? In love? Do you even hear yourself, Kyoka?"

However, Kyoka seemed to have completely dismissed her words as she exclaimed, "Oh, right! Speaking of which, I just remembered the actual reason why I came here."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Momo raised a questioning brow. Actual reason? For all she knew, she thought that Kyoka just came over to see how she was doing.

She eagerly pulled out something from her pocket.

"I got you free tickets for my upcoming concert!"

Momo gasped, taking the tickets from her so carefully and gently as if they were her most prized possessions yet. With a wide smile on her face, she took her sweet time to read what was written on the back.

Tickets to her best friend's concert. Great. This was just what she needed after a long week.

After processing the whole situation, she felt the need to address, "Thanks, but... Why are there two?"

Kyoka's lips pulled into a mischievous grin, a sight that easily told Momo she wouldn't like where this was going.

"Listen Momo, I know how lonely you've been these days, and I got you these tickets just so I can see you come to my concert with a date. You got that?"

"What?!"

"You heard me!" She declared proudly. "I swear, if I don't see a guy by your side in the audience tomorrow, you're not going to hear the end of it."

"Tomorrow?!" Momo's eyes widened in horror. "Kyoka, you can't be serious. How do you even think I'm going to-"

"Come on, please?" Kyoka pleaded and went as far as to give her puppy eyes which she knew Momo would be weak against. "I had to beg my manager to get you these tickets, y'know. Yaomomo, don't let my efforts go to waste!"

The raven haired girl sighed, already knowing she could never win this fight. And besides, Kyoka did have a point anyway. It was true that she was extremely lucky to be getting a free ticket which was probably really expensive to a famous concert, let alone two. And for what, something as measly as her bringing a date?

"You know what? Fine." She said defeatedly, knowing that she was going to regret this later as she watched Kyoka's soulless eyes suddenly light up with excitement.

"Wait, seriously? Holy, I didn't expect convincing you to be so easy!"

Momo's head just dropped onto the back of the sofa while she started to think about how her life choices had brought her into this particularly unfortunate situation, Kyoka's overjoyed chanting serving as mere background noise to her ears.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Katsuki Bakugo, heir of Bakugo Enterprises, was a hot tempered man with a rather... explosive personality.

His head was a mess of spiky ash blonde locks, and he possessed a striking set of ruby red eyes which could actually be considered attractive if he didn't use them to stare at people in a way that was almost looking down on them. He didn't hold back against anyone and was never afraid to speak his mind, which may seem like a good thing, but was more often not. The only time he could be considered somewhat calm was when he was working.

Despite his lack of manners and cooperation, Todoroki found that it was surprisingly easy to work with him. He was good at his job and always kept his word no matter how stubborn he was known to be.

However, he couldn't bring himself to focus on what the blonde sitting across him was saying at the moment with his own mind distracting him.

Thoughts of that one night wouldn't leave his mind that he normally should've had control over by now and it was impossible to stop them from coming at this point. It was impossible to forget how excited and genuinely happy she looked when she saw the ocean. It was impossible to forget the way her obsidian eyes shined with the moonlight and the way she smiled at him.

He knew she deserved more. He wanted to give her more.

Running a hand through his hair repeatedly, his heterochromatic eyes held a sense of determination as he tapped a finger on the table in thought.

To any other person, he could almost look like he was concentrated on working, when in reality, he was debating on what to do for their next date as Katsuki's gruff voice cancelled out in his ears. There were so many endless possibilities. Where exactly would she like to go? Last time he followed Midoriya's advice. Should he call him for help again? How could he see her smile again?

Hold on, why the hell was he even planning a date in the first place, right now of all times, when he was supposed to be working?

He was never interested in such insignificant things before. He used to consider it a waste of time. And what was that about seeing her smile again?

Wait, could that mean he...

All of a sudden, the buzzing of a ringtone pulled Todoroki out of his daze. Katsuki groaned, not even caring to excuse himself before taking the phone call.

"Didn't I tell you not to fucking call me during meetings?!", he borderline screamed into the phone, not sparing the dual haired man a glance.

Todoroki turned a blind eye to the fact that he could just barely hear a woman from the other end of the call yelling at him in an equally loud volume. While Katsuki argued nonstop over the phone, Todoroki took a moment to reflect on just what realization he was about to make before getting interrupted.

"Whatever, I'm hanging up!" And just like that, he aggressively slammed his phone back onto the table with a scowl, his mood being ruined. Not that he actually had a good mood to begin with.

"Fuckin' old hag.", he cursed under his breath to quite literally no one in particular, and finally looked back at the other male who just stared at him with unamused eyes.

He clasped his hands over the table and started speaking to him again as if nothing happened. And like before, Todoroki drifted back into deep thought, completely dismissing the important discussion taking place.

However, just to his luck, Katsuki seemed to have noticed him blankly staring at space and raised a brow. Trying hard to keep his cool, he asked, "Hey, you listening?"

He went completely unheard by the dual haired man who continued to think hard.

"I swear- are you paying attention or not?!"

Think, think, think. He needed to focus. Just what exactly did he feel for-

His train of thought was abruptly cut off when his face was smacked by papers that Katsuki threw right at him in a fit of anger.

"Fuck you, I knew there was something off with you, you dipshit! You weren't responding to me at all this entire time! That means you weren't even listening to a word I said!" More papers flew onto his face, and Todoroki, absolutely dumbfounded, just sat there with an utter loss of words. "You wasted my fucking time! Get out of my damn office, now!"

And that was how Todoroki got kicked out of the blonde's office, standing outside and being left totally clueless, sighing and pondering over how he brought himself into this situation.

He knew he was usually a professional person. He always made sure to separate his personal life from his work matters. So why was he unable to get this, or rather, her out of his mind?

His heterochromatic eyes travelled to the source of his confusion. Momo, who was waiting for him by the door, went to him with a concerned expression overtaking her features.

"Is there a reason as to why your meeting ended so short?", she asked, secretly leaving out her questions about the yelling she heard from outside in case he would feel bothered by it.

He took a moment before saying, "There was nothing else for us to discuss, so we decided to wrap it up early."

Momo simply nodded in response, clearly still skeptical about his vague answer. The two continued to walk through the hallway side by side, the raven haired girl listing off things from the clipboard she was holding that he couldn't really concentrate on listening to as he was busy taking in the sight of her. Just being able to hear her voice alone seemed like the solution to all his problems somehow.

A sudden urge to spend more time with her came over him.

"We should stop by a nearby café. I need coffee in my system before getting any more work done.", the words rolled off his tongue before he could think them through, and he silently hoped that she wouldn't notice his attempt to spend more time with her. Besides, it wasn't like he was entirely lying anyway. He was running on low hours of sleep and really did need coffee to keep him going.

She adjusted her glasses and looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Todoroki, I understand you're tired, but your schedule is too packed for us to rest in a nearby café right now."

"Oh. Right." Slightly disappointed that his plan backfired, he had to stop himself from sighing.

They carried on walking, silence overtaking the two of them. Eventually, Momo stopped.

"Your tie.", she simply said, making him realize that his tie hadn't been done properly in a rush to get to work.

Before he could say or do anything about it, she inched closer to him until they were only centimeters apart, gently holding the tie and starting to fix it herself.

The raven haired girl could sense his heterochromatic eyes locked on her with an unreadable gaze that she couldn't recognize. Trying her best to ignore the unidentifiable feelings that bubbled in her chest from standing so close to him, she continued to work on his tie with concentration.

"I could do it myself, you know." His voice was low, barely above a whisper, and she could tell he was hesitating.

She couldn't bring herself to respond to his words. Before any more tension could rise between the two of them, Momo finished and let go of his tie, immediately feeling like she could breathe fresh air again once she moved away from him.

Once they reached the exit, they made their way out of the building when out of the blue, Momo felt like making a decision. With a strangely serious face, she asked him,

"Do you have time tonight?"

Being taken aback by the sudden question, Todoroki only nodded in response. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she took his hand and placed something on it. "Here."

He looked down at his hand to see that she had given him a concert ticket.

"A friend of mine gave me tickets to her concert and I happened to have a spare." Despite feeling nervous, Momo managed to pull through. She could feel a light smile forming on her lips as her eyes travelled to him. "If you really have time, then you should come. With me, I mean."

At last, she let go of his hand and took a few steps back. When he finally looked back at her, he felt himself at a loss for words. Her midnight hair flowed slightly with the breeze, obsidian eyes shining as the rays of the sun fell on her.

In that moment, as the bustling people around them continued to live their lives and time kept on going, there was no need for words to be said. It was only them, choosing to forget about the dark world that threatened to consume them both, escaping reality with the comfort of each other's presence.

 

~

Chapter 12: Different Worlds

~

 

𝗔𝗡𝗫𝗜𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗗 in Momo's chest as she stood outside the concert venue, anxiously gripping the strap of her purse a little too tightly for her personal liking. Nonetheless, that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

Time passed in seconds, seconds turned into minutes. Before she knew it, the crowd bustling behind her had already dissipated until it was just a few people and her, waiting for a man that she knew she couldn't get her hopes up for. She knew, but it was hard to blame herself for being at least a little excited if she had to be completely honest.

Todoroki was an unpredictable person. It was impossible to know what went on in his mind. But ever since they met again for the first time in years, she had gotten to learn about his surprising charms that she didn't even know existed.

It was those charms that sparked a new curiosity within her. She wanted to truly know him and what kind of man he really was. And these past few weeks of spending time together had invoked a trust that she knew she felt with no one else except him.

She felt herself smile at just the thought of that.

Skin flushed and rosy from the cold, she shivered slightly from a passing breeze and knew she had to get inside soon.

The raven haired girl took her phone out of her purse. When she checked the time, her eyes lowered in disappointment, smile falling.

The concert had already started. And here she was, eagerly waiting outside for a man that didn't show up.

Of course this would be the case. She felt pathetic for letting herself believe that he would come. Todoroki was a busy CEO working for a large and successful company, of course he wouldn't have time to sit around with her in a concert.

Sighing softly, she put her phone back in her purse.

What was she even thinking in the first place?

Perhaps the idea that they had grown closer was all in her head.

Turning around dejectedly, she made her way inside the concert hall and stood in the middle of the crowd with an emotionless expression.

Her lower lip quivered as she tried to suppress her disheartened thoughts from taking over her headspace. It was already pointless, anyway. He must've had a reason for not coming, and as disappointing as it was, she was going to have to respect that.

Besides, after everything she dealt with in her life, Momo had grown to being used to taking disappointments. This wasn't any different. She wasn't going to convince herself otherwise.

She fixed her eyes on the stage in front of her, noticing Kyoka walk up to a microphone, guitar in hand. The corners of her lips turned up in a small, proud smile.

Right. This wasn't any different. For now, she was going to cheer on her best friend and her bandmates for being able to get this far.

If Momo had to be honest, she was a bit envious of Kyoka. She had managed to bravely accomplish her goals and shine with her pure talent for music. Unlike her, who was always putting her best efforts to fight against her difficulties in life and just barely managing to get by. It was a sad truth she had already accepted long ago.

But despite that, she admired her, she really did. She had always been wanting to go to one of her concerts and see her shine up close, but was unfortunately unable to do so until now due to her busy jobs and whatnot. Today she finally got the chance, and was glad she did, because seeing the way the purple haired girl's dull eyes literally sparkled as she looked over the large crowd, it was all worth it.

Kyoka started to deliver a speech, and she listened to every last word, her heart warming as the girl continued on. It wasn't everyday that you got to see your best friend up on a stage and achieving their dreams. And Momo was going to make the most of it.

"With a lot of forcing, I brought a special guest here with us today.", she chuckled lightheartedly. "Introducing my closest friend ever, Momo!"

Momo's eyebrows raised in surprise as a spotlight was shone on her from above, the audience starting to clap. Not used to so much attention, she just awkwardly smiled and waved in response.

"And being the great friend I am," A sly smile crossed her lips as she spoke into the microphone.

And one thing was for sure, Momo was definitely not prepared for whatever she said next.

"-I convinced her to bring a date along. I'm getting really curious to see who she brought, y'know."

All of a sudden, as if the universe didn't hate her enough, everyone turned to the raven haired girl. She looked around to see that all eyes were on her only. There was an unmistakable grin on Kyoka's face that really made her think.

Momo was going to kill her after this.

"So? Who is it, Yaomomo?"

Oh, and did she mention she was gonna kill her?

But she didn't have time to think about getting violent right now. She didn't have time to think about anything right now. How was she going to break the news that her alleged "date" that she promised she would bring wasn't there with her? How was she going to break the news that she had just basically wasted Kyoka's efforts? How was she going to deal with the shame and--

"It's me." The all too familiar voice was enough to pull Momo out of her panicked daze.

The spotlight shone on someone else and awed whispers immediately filled the audience.

 

"How handsome!"

"I'm jealous...!"

"She's so lucky!"

 

Her long lashes fluttered in utter shock, heartrate finally somewhat steadying in a sense of relief. She could hear Kyoka say something with genuine surprise in her voice, but she couldn't bring herself to focus on that right now.

All she could focus on was him.

Hands in his pockets, Todoroki walked up to her in a nonchalant manner and took his place beside her.

She nervously brought herself to glance at him. His face was blank and unreadable as he adjusted his suit, people continuing to cheer for them. He looked back at her, catching her off guard. She could feel a light blush painting her cheeks from the whole situation.

Not even an apology?

"You're late." Looking away to hide her blush, Momo crossed her arms stubbornly, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. If he thought he could show up late without any notice, then she could give herself the privilege to be upset with him for it. Even if she was pretending to. But it wasn't like he would know that, anyway.

"Ah, right. Sorry about that, something came up at work." He said, sounding genuinely apologetic about it. Then his eyes went back to her, finally realizing. "Are you mad at me?"

She huffed. "No. Why would I be mad?"

"Because you really seem-"

"We'll now be performing our first song!" His words were cut short when Kyoka spoke loudly into the microphone. The sounds of instruments playing filled the air, and the crowd started cheering even louder if that was even possible.

Momo immediately forgot about her little act of being upset with him once Kyoka started playing the guitar and singing. Being the supportive friend she was, she had always listened to her songs and knew for a fact that Kyoka's singing was angelic. But being able to hear it up close was a different kind of experience that really reminded her of why she admired her so much.

A wide grin made its way to her lips as she clapped excessively. Out of mere excitement taking over her, she nudged Todoroki who had his arms folded with her elbow, not even fully aware of what she was doing as she was too mesmerized by Kyoka on the stage. "Look, that's my best friend!"

He gazed at the raven haired girl still clapping excitedly and felt himself smile too. "Really?", he said in an amused tone.

Kyoka continued to sing, and she nudged him even harder.

"My best friend is singing up there!"

"I heard you the first time." He chuckled, finding her to be adorably amusing in a way.

She couldn't help but chuckle too at that, looking back at him with a smile that made her eyes crinkle in the best way.

"This is only the beginning, Todoroki!", she shouted playfully over the loud cheering of the crowd, and he turned his head to her, giving her full attention. "You're gonna have to prepare yourself if you want to survive how annoying I can get when I'm excited."

Todoroki simply smirked.

"I don't think it's annoying, though?"

Her smile dropped momentarily, eyes widening as color rushed to her cheeks once again from his words. It seemed like her ears weren't functioning properly as she couldn't hear anything except for the pounding of her heart in her ribcage.

The vivid lights in the concert hall flashed on his face, defining his features. His lips were still pulled into that ridiculously attractive smirk, heterochromatic eyes looking over her almost calculatively, waiting for any sort of reaction.

She just breathed out a laugh and tried to brush off the way her heart seemed like it was going to burst out of her chest at any moment.

"You're going to change your mind soon.", she remarked and looked back at the stage again to avoid his gaze, secretly hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Oh am I?" He urged, and she forced a smile with her eyes purposefully locked onto whatever she was looking at because even she didn't know at this point. She just knew that it wasn't him, and wasn't going to be him anytime soon.

"Just be quiet and watch the performance."

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The concert ended way better than Momo had initially expected it to.

With a lot of excited squealing over her best friend on her part, it was one of those nights where she could finally feel free and take a breath of fresh air for once. It was even better that Todoroki was there by her side, just smiling in response and accepting her. At times like this, she really couldn't be more thankful to have him.

Ever since she became an adult, she had completely forgotten what it meant to enjoy small joys like this, too busy drowning in her own worries and troubles. But for some reason, whenever she was with him, she had gotten the chance to experience blissful moments that made her feel youth again. With him, she could just be herself.

This thought was enough to make her smile as they headed backstage to see Kyoka, who was waiting for her in the hall. When Momo saw her she immediately ran forward and didn't even think twice before enveloping her in a hug.

"So, was I good out there?" The purple haired girl grinned, already knowing the answer as she looked at Momo who stepped back to wipe her tears.

"You were amazing, Kyoka!", she took her hands in hers and spoke, meaning every last word she said. Even for the first time being in one of her concerts, it was the most fun she ever had and couldn't even express how proud she was for her.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself to the point you're crying now." Kyoka joked, feeling her eyes well up too, but it would be a cold day in hell before she would ever let her tears fall in front of people. Which led her to realize that there was also someone else standing behind Momo and silently watching the whole interaction.

Kyoka broke the rather heartwarming moment to walk up to the dual haired man. She looked up at him with a menacing glare that could've actually been considered intimidating if not for their height difference.

"And you." She pressed a finger to his chest accusingly. There was venom laced in her voice, which was a complete switch up from the tone she held with Momo just a bit ago. At that Todoroki felt the need to keep his guard up, narrowing his eyes at her in an equally cold manner.

Momo's eyes darted between the two nervously, not knowing what would happen next. The atmosphere became cold all of a sudden and she could definitely sense it.

"How do you think you can be good enough for my best friend?"

Well, that was a question neither Momo or Todoroki was expecting.

"To me, you just seem like a rich guy that has nothing to do with his life." Kyoka crossed her arms, looking him up and down in a judgmental way. "You know, I've been friends with Momo for over five years now and know for a fact that she's terrible at choosing men. The last guy she dated was a scumbag con artist.", she stated matter-of-factly.

"Kyoka!-", Momo tried to interrupt but failed miserably. Todoroki glanced at her to see her face reddened in embarrassment, him feeling protective over her all of a sudden.

"So how can she trust you? Do you really think you deserve her? In what way?"

He was rendered silent at her question, being lost in deep thought. His eyes stayed locked on the raven haired girl who tried her best to look away from him. Kyoka, not daring to back down in her argument, furrowed her brows when he looked back at her with a sense of confidence.

"Well, I can say that I've known Yaoyorozu since high school. If you didn't already know me, I'm Shoto Todoroki, CEO of Todoroki Corporation. She works for me as my secretary." He spoke without missing a beat, purposefully fixing his eyes on Momo when he continued, "I believe I'm the best person for her."

If Momo wasn't blushing before, she definitely was now with her cheeks feeling like they were on literal fire.

Astonished by his words, she tried to process what was going on while her purple haired friend looked at her with equally wide eyes, giving her a face that begged for answers. It was only a normal reaction, after all. He had just casually disclosed that she was dating the man who was her boss. Now that she thought about it, that kind of stuff only happened in TV shows.

But this wasn't the time to just stand still in shock. She knew just how dangerous Kyoka could be and knew she had to get him as far away from her as possible.

"Ahaha, you're so funny, Shoto!", she gave an awkwardly strained laugh, stepping closer to him so she could grab his forearm. He stared at her with utter confusion written in his heterochromatic eyes, and she tightened her hold on his arm, secretly shooting him a warning look. "I think it's about time we head out now. Bye, Kyoka!"

Before Kyoka could do or say anything more, Momo straight up dragged him by the hand, looking back to give her a quick friendly wave before exiting the room.

Once they were out of harm's way, she didn't stop there. Not giving him a chance to talk, she continued to drag him until they were completely outside. Fresh air entered her lungs once again and she took a second to slump down onto the entrance stairs of the building, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Most of the people who attended the concert had already left, leaving them alone in the deserted area.

"Are you going to let me speak now?", he asked from behind her in a rather unamused tone, startling her from her distracted state. A bashful tint of pink spread on her face in realization.

Todoroki simply chuckled, moving to sit down beside her. "I didn't know you had such brutal friends. I thought she was going to kill me." His voice bordered on sarcasm but he was in fact dead serious. Momo at the very least gave him the courtesy of sparing him an apologetic look.

"I apologize for her rudeness but I really don't appreciate you calling my best friend brutal.", she was quick to shoot back lightheartedly, narrowing her eyes at him as if he didn't already get that enough from Kyoka.

He stayed quiet at that, a pleasant silence filling between the two as they contemplated on what to say next.

She sighed and leaned back on her hands, counting the stars absentmindedly. Her eyes travelled to the dual haired man beside her, who was gazing at the night sky with a nonchalant look. There was something so pure about the moment that made her believe that it was okay, it was okay to be transparent with him, only for now.

"I was waiting for you, you know.", her voice was barely above a whisper as she suddenly said without taking her words into careful consideration. He looked back at her with genuine surprise evident on his face. But it was too late to go back now, so she brought herself to continue, "For a really long time. But you never showed up and I was... it made me worried."

That was all she needed to say for him to understand.

A rare soft smile formed on his face.

"Why am I kind of glad you did?"

And that was all he needed to say for her to smile too. Momo gave him a playful nudge with her elbow and turned her head back to the sky again, feeling herself giggle in the process.

Surprisingly, he spoke again, more sincerely this time, "I won't be late again, I promise."

"That's a pretty hard promise to make." She hummed skeptically despite knowing he could very well be telling the truth. Todoroki was a man who could do anything he set his mind to. And by anything, she meant anything. Even so, she hated being an inconvenience. "But you're a busy person, I really don't want to disturb-"

"Even if I'm a busy person, I can make time for you whenever.", he was quick to cut her off with.

She turned to meet his gaze, his determined eyes creating numerous questions circulating in her mind. Was he being serious? Would he actually do something like that just for her? No one had ever showed such care for her like he did.

But why? As far as she was concerned, they were in different worlds. She believed she was just an ordinary person that had no distinguishable qualities. Unlike him, she was always unsuccessful in everything she tried to do. Nothing worked out for her ever since the passing of her parents and all she could do was deal with the pain on her own.

Compared to him, she was absolutely nothing. So why...?

They stayed like that for a while, Momo staring at him in shock while he started to gaze at the night sky again. As she continued to ponder over his words, out of nowhere he suddenly stated,

"They called me your date." His simple statement was enough to pull her out of her thoughts.

Her eyes widened in realization and she felt her face heat up again from pure embarrassment. Of course. It was only normal that he heard what Kyoka said on the microphone during the concert. Right now, she felt stupid for not realizing that sooner.

"A-Ah, right...", she stuttered hopelessly.

Momo sighed. She was going to have to tell him the truth sooner or later anyway. It was best to do it now.

"Kyoka wanted me to bring a date along to the concert and... I couldn't think of bringing anyone except you so..." She struggled as she tried to form words to explain. "I know our relationship was probably meant to be a secret and... I'm sorry if it bothered you in any way."

She looked away from him in shame, nervous as to what he would say.

"I don't mind."

When Momo looked at him with her lips parted from surprise, she saw him staring back at her, an unidentifiable look on his face.

Her heart began to thump even louder than it was before. His simple sentence played in her mind on repeat as she tried to make sense of it, but failed to do so. At that moment, she couldn't help but ask something.

"You said you believed you were the best person for me.", she uttered without really thinking it through properly, but that didn't matter to her right now. "Did you really mean it?"

He smirked and leaned closer to her until their faces were only centimeters apart, clearly intrigued. "Why? Are you thinking about accepting the contract?"

His persistence had taken her by surprise, that was for sure. Trying to hide her blush from him, she placed a finger on his forehead and pushed his face away as gently as she could.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I'm just asking."

He let out an amused laugh in response. Unfortunately for her, he still had that smirk on his face which made her head feel like it was on absolute haywire.

"To answer your question," As fast as the lighthearted atmosphere came, it was gone, the air becoming more serious now. He looked back at her, smirk dropping, his two toned eyes telling her everything she needed to know. "I meant every word I said."

She didn't know why, but just those words seemed to give her a feeling of reassurance. Everything was just so confusing with him. Too confusing. She couldn't understand anything right now. She couldn't understand the strange feelings that fluttered in her stomach. But she did know for one thing, he was telling her the truth.

And that was enough to make her heart race hard, or as she chose to call it, a mini heart attack.

 

~

Chapter 13: Bizarre Request

~

 

𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 thunk sound could be heard when Mina dropped her head on her desk rather dramatically, causing her friends to glance at her. The lights were off and the only sources of light in the room were their computer screens and the moonlight peeking through the windows.

"I think I'm gonna have to work another late night shift today...", she mumbled against the desk dejectedly, just barely being heard by her brunette friend who was sitting beside her and genuinely worried for her sanity at this point.

"There, there..." Uraraka patted her on the back. Mina was usually the most cheerful one in the group who always helped to brighten things up. But even she had her moments where she was nearly at her breaking point from so much pressure. This concerned the others whenever it happened, but no matter how much they tried, they never really knew what to do or say to put her at ease.

The brunette's attempt in comforting her didn't seem to work though, as made proven by when Mina suddenly jolted up and threw her head on the back of her office chair instead, letting out a wail that made all heads turn to her in concern. "Ahh, how am I gonna get all of this done?!", she whined to the ceiling as if that could make things any better.

Shinso had somehow managed to overhear, which was surprising because it was almost impossible to distract him when he was busy being absorbed in his work, and took his eyes off his computer screen for a second to shoot Mina a look. "Stop overexaggerating and just get to work. I can't focus because of you."

However, she proceeded to ignore him and carried on with her rant. "Adulthood freaking sucks! Curse our boss for giving us so much work!"

Now that had gained Momo's attention.

"Hey, don't blame Todoroki for your problems.", Momo crossed her arms and lectured, feeling overly defensive from the mention of Todoroki for some reason. She had decided on visiting her coworkers to check on them and see how they were doing, but ended up being witness to an on edge Mina and the others trying and failing to make her feel better. After knowing them for a while, she had actually found herself wondering before if they ever lost their energy, and well... this was the answer to just that.

Mina just groaned even more childishly. "You're just defending him because you're the only one who actually gets his favor!"

The raven haired girl started to blush out of mere embarrassment at that, and she was sure the others could see her face beet red even in the dark lighting. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly in an attempt to say something in retaliation, but nothing managed to come out. Uraraka sighed, resisting the urge to scold Mina but having decided not to as this was definitely not the time.

"Don't worry, Momo, she's just like this when she's stressed." She reassured her friend with a clearly forced smile, turning back to Mina wearily. "Okay, how about I help you finish your work for tonight, Mina?", Ochaco offered unwillingly, knowing someone was going to have to do it anyway. She had just finished her shift and was dying to get home so she could finally get some rest, but Mina had helped her countless times when she was on the brink of sanity and this served as an opportunity to pay her back for it.

Her words made Kaminari perk up from his seat, winking as he started to speak in a flirtatious tone, "I could use some help too--"

He was promptly cut off by the door suddenly bursting open. Everyone, even Shinso, turned to the source of the sound in curiosity, only to see a certain red haired man holding the door, his ruby eyes widened as large as the size of saucers, panting as if he had ran all the way there.

"Y-You guys..." Kirishima sucked in a deep inhale, being unable to properly speak as he was still breathing heavily.

His friends gulped nervously, readying themselves for what he was about to say.

He turned the lights on, a bright shark-toothed smile forming on his face, "An awards ceremony is gonna be held this week!"

Silence followed his announcement, no one daring to make a move. Once they recovered from their shock, Mina was the first one to jump out of her seat excitedly, having completely forgotten about her previous meltdown.

"Woo! An awards ceremony!", she threw her arms up and exclaimed, Uraraka and Denki also standing up to cheer with her too, their loud voices surely being overheard by the other people in the building. Unlike the others, Shinso didn't seem to be too happy about it though(not that anyone expected him to) as he groaned something about it being a pointless event that wasted his working time.

Momo just stood still, overwhelmed and not knowing how to react as she was trying to figure out why her coworkers were so excited. Uraraka seemed to take notice of this and bounced over to her side.

"When you're working at Todoroki Corporation, the awards ceremonies are practically the best thing to look forward to!", she explained cheerfully. "They're only held once a year! There, they hand out awards to employees for their hard work!"

"But that's not the important part!" Mina cut in abruptly, a wide grin on her glossy lips which completely contrasted her sulking expression from earlier. "We can wear formal and pretty outfits, have a great time after a long week of working, eat fancy food... And get this, there's even a dance!"

Momo found herself smiling too just from their enthusiasm alone. "That does sound fun."

She was confused at first, but their explanation had definitely helped in clearing it up. It did sound like something she could look forward to, and besides, she could really use a break. Being a secretary was no easy job and she barely got time to use for herself. And seeing her coworker friends so excited, she was sure that this supposed awards ceremony could be as interesting as they had described it to be.

Right?

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Todoroki seemed to be in a bad mood.

That fact was what Momo picked up on almost immediately when she entered his office that morning to see him scowling at the pitch black screen of his phone. For someone who knew him for years, it wasn't easy to miss the obvious annoyance and frustration radiating off him. His icy heterochromatic irises were narrowed into a glare, being colder than she had last seen them. He repeatedly ran a calloused hand through his hair in frustration, as if he was trying to get his mind to think straight.

At last, his eyes landed on her nervously standing at the door. "Come in."

She took careful steps forwards, feeling his intense gaze fixed on her when she took the seat from across him. Silence filled the room, and Momo considered herself to be a patient person, but right now she couldn't help but raise the question that had been running in her mind ever since he called her to his office.

"What is it?"

For a moment, he said nothing, only staring at her with his eyes focused, as if he was finding the words. Then he clasped his hands on his desk, choosing to start with, "I'm sure you heard about the awards ceremony coming up."

The raven haired girl nodded slowly, unsure of what he was getting at. "Yes, I've been informed."

The air suddenly grew tense. His eyebrows furrowed in displease just at the thought of what he had to say. He took a deep breath in a clear attempt to ease himself, looking her straight in the eye.

"What I'm about to say may come off as a shock to you," His voice was rather calm, but she could notice the littlest of things in him that suggested otherwise. Such as the way he slightly fidgeted with his fingers, or kept adjusting his tie and collar like he couldn't breathe, or glancing down every few seconds as the time went by. Momo had already figured Shoto Todoroki out a while ago, she just wasn't aware of that fact herself. "I... I only ask for your full cooperation."

"Whatever you're going to say, I'm sure I can handle it.", the words left her lips merely on impulse, pressing him to speak as she tried to steady her own rising heartbeat.

He looked back at her with uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She kept her guard up determinedly, her charcoal irises boring into his and waiting for him to continue. Needless to say, she definitely wasn't prepared for what he said next.

"I need you to pose as my fiancé, Yaoyorozu."

And then she lost her composure that she was trying ever so desperately to keep. Her throat went dry at a loss of words, unable to process what she just heard at first. Gears were turning in her head at a rapid pace as she tried to piece together his statement, and before she knew it...-

'I need you to pose as my fiancé, Yaoyorozu.'

-a blush spread on her face like wildfire.

"Huh?!"

Posing as his... fiancé?! She knew she said she could handle it, but what kind of bizarre request was that? What did he even mean in the first place? Just the idea of it made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. These past few weeks they had been taking their 'relationship' slow and it was comfortable enough for both of them, but what was she supposed to do now?

Her lashes fluttered repeatedly in utter surprise as she stared at him with wide eyes, her mere expression begging him for answers. Todoroki just let out a breath as if he had already expected this sort of reaction from her, and seeing her face, he felt the need to follow it up with,

"Only temporarily."

But even that didn't seem to calm her down as she stumbled over her words in a failed attempt to ask, "Y-You want me to pretend to be... your f-fiancé?! I-Isn't this a little...?"

"I'm sorry if this is too much to ask of you.", his voice bordered on a sigh as he spoke, seeming genuinely apologetic for bombarding her with such a strange demand. He couldn't bring himself to look at her and Momo could see it.

He showed no signs of elaborating any further, though she couldn't back down quite yet. If he thought he could suddenly ask her to do something like that, she knew she had the right to know the answer to such a simple question,

"But... why?" She knew it was pointless to ask. He didn't even tell her the reason of why they were dating. Leaving things unanswered was the thing with their relationship, she supposed. Even so, it didn't hurt to try.

Todoroki seemed to be bothered by her question and visibly grimaced. He looked to the side and cursed something about his father under his breath, though she couldn't hear it properly. He drew his gaze back to her, and catching her by surprise yet again, he encased her hands in his over the table.

"I'll tell you everything one day. I promise.", he spoke, and it was hard not to believe him when he whispered so softly to her. Maybe it was because of how warm his hand was, but Momo couldn't quite hear him out as she stared at their interlocked fingers with a blush spreading across her face. She tried her best to ignore it and looked back at him to meet his usually cold heterochromatic eyes almost pleading, only for her.

Momo was left speechless when his grip on her hands tightened. "Please, do this for me. Just for one day."

She blankly stared at him for a moment, processing his words, before a sigh left her lips at last. And of course, they both knew her answer.

 

~

Chapter 14: The Show Begins Now

~

 

𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗥𝗦 dangled from above her, which Momo couldn't stop to admire now. She fixed her gaze on what was in front of her, pondering over how she got herself into this position. The pressure started to build up inside of her and she felt rather lightheaded all of a sudden.

What was she even doing in the first place?

She knew she shouldn't have agreed to this. She knew, but he seemed so desperate that day for a reason she couldn't place a finger on. Something just didn't sit right with her.

"I'll tell you everything one day. I promise."

Those words were the one thing that kept her from refusing. It was strange. She didn't know what he would need to tell her, but she took it upon herself to find out. And if pretending to be his fiancé for a night would be the price for that, she was going to pay that price if it meant she could get one step closer to the truth.

Besides, how bad could it be anyway? She was sure that Todoroki would have things under control like he always did. Even so, she felt worried. Both of them knew she was terrible at lying, so how was she supposed to take on something that required just that?

The raven haired girl mentally prepared herself and took a step forwards, only to feel an oddly familiar warmth encase her wrist.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Todoroki said, his face blank and expressionless. He was dressed formally in a black suit and tie. His hand adorned an extravagant watch, and was wrapped around hers, making her face go pink.

She attempted to speak, "I-"

"How do you feel about the dress I chose for you?", he diverted the topic smoothly, which she couldn't be more grateful for.

Momo looked down at herself to gaze in awe at the crimson red dress that flowed behind her gracefully. It wasn't too much, but stood out just enough. The only downside was that it felt rather tight on her, but she could ignore it for one night. Normally she wouldn't be able to wear, let alone afford such an expensive attire. Though it was a new experience, she felt like herself.

A fond smile spread across her face as she moved her silky hair to the back. "I love it."

"Good. I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste." He smiled as well, and let go of her hand so that he could reach in his pocket to pull out something that seemed like... a jewelry box?

Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed a necklace now in his hands. He inched closer to her, then her heartbeat accelerated when he started to put the necklace around her neck. Time appeared to be slowing down then and there. His face was just inches away from hers and his eyes were concentrated on the act. She swallowed and stood frozen in place, feeling his hot breath on her neck in the process.

After seconds that felt like hours, he stepped back, seeming proud of his work. She recovered from the shock and hid her blush expertly when she reached to feel the gold pendant necklace. It was simple yet elegant in its own way. "You really didn't have to..."

"Consider it as a gift from me." A corner of his lips turned up in a smirk, making her composure falter for a moment.

He went to her side and they began to walk through the hall together, the atmosphere growing serious.

"Todoroki Corporation holds these award ceremonies every year, each of them being more memorable than the last.", he started to speak again with a monotone voice. Momo listened closely, not willing to miss a single word. "These ceremonies are quite well known in the business world, so you will have to meet a lot of entrepreneurs and whatnot."

He noticed her becoming nervous and added, "But I'll do all the talking so you don't have to worry too much." Momo let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking back. She could hear the distant chatter of guests now as they progressed through the hall. The faint sound of classical music played in her ears. It reminded her of their first date. She shook off the thought from her mind.

"I hope you're ready." Todoroki leaned in her ear to whisper, "Because the show begins now."

A strange sense of determination sparked in her obsidian eyes. If they were really going to do this, then she needed to prepare her acting skills beforehand.

Suddenly, she linked her arm with his. She caught the look of genuine surprise in his eyes, but as soon as it came, it was gone, replaced by a satisfied smirk as he looked ahead.

Then it all came into view. The overly fancy setting for an awards ceremony. The massive chandeliers and the high ceilings. The businessmen and women taking a moment out of their most likely work-related discussions to look at them.

Momo looked to her right to see Mina and Uraraka straight on gaping from utter shock at the sight of them both. She looked to the left and saw Kaminari pointing at them and nudging Kirishima a little too hard with Shinso looking unsurprised at the news.

She took a deep breath. That was right. She was his supposed fiancé for only one night, but to everyone else, they would never see their boss and his secretary the same again.

Momo sighed and readied herself for a long day.

"Shoto!" A freckled man who she recognized as Doctor Midoriya called out to him, and she assumed that they were both close by the way he addressed him. Todoroki smiled and shook his hand. She noticed another person with spiky blond hair fuming beside him. That was Bakugo, she was sure. Todoroki often had meetings with him, and it was impossible to forget him due to his hot-tempered personality.

Midoriya turned to her with a polite smile. "You're Yaoyorozu, correct? It's a pleasure to finally meet the girl Shoto's been talking to me about all the time!"

Caught off guard by his last comment, she blushed and looked at Todoroki for answers. He just scratched the back of his neck in an oddly bashful way. Momo accepted his handshake while she stuttered in response, "Ah- uhm, yes."

"So you're finally getting game, huh, Half And Half? I thought your ass would be lonely for the rest of your life.", Bakugo remarked as he adjusted his tie that he deemed too suffocating for his taste, eyeing her rather unmannerly as he spoke. She noticed Midoriya lightly smacking his side to scold him while maintaining a clearly forced smile. Todoroki seemed displeased by the nickname, but chose to ignore it.

"I should be saying the same to you. You and Midoriya came together, didn't you?", he said knowingly. This caused Bakugo's face to go red, and Momo couldn't tell whether it was from anger or because he was flustered.

"YOU-"

Before the blonde could send millions of vulgar insults his way and attract unwanted attention, Midoriya, who was blushing just as much as him, immediately dragged him away the arm. Todoroki just watched as they disappeared from sight, unbothered by his behavior that he was used to at this point.

When Momo had barely gotten the chance to process what just happened, a group of businessmen who were wearing expensive suits approached them, but this time she couldn't recognize who they were. 'Lavish' seemed to be the best word to describe them.

"Ah, Mr. Takashi. I didn't fancy seeing you here.", Todoroki smiled robotically, starting small talk with the unknown person, almost as if he was trained to do so. She listened to their conversation silently, realizing how unnatural and hollow he sounded. She was already starting to get uncomfortable as a thought crossed her mind. Was this really how Todoroki had to live?

The spotlight was suddenly shifted to her and pulled her out of her thoughts when another man spoke, looking her up and down in a way that made her feel self conscious, "I wasn't aware you knew such a stunning woman, Todoroki."

Todoroki put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, how rude of me to not introduce her to you all. She's Momo Yaoyorozu, my fiancé.", he emphasized purposefully, his words being heard just enough for all heads to turn to them. A blush spread on her face like wildfire.

You're just pretending, Momo. Just pretending., she was quick to remind herself.

The man seemed displeased by his announcement, his eyes darting between the two. "Is that so?"

Just then, a butler came to them and served them wine. Todoroki took a glass impassively. Momo did as well, remembering to thank him for his service as he left. She felt someone's eyes on her, and when she looked back, she noticed Enji staring at them both with a discernible scowl. Her stomach dropped.

"Is something troubling you, darling?" He suddenly asked. She was caught off guard with the nickname, but had to remind herself again that they were just acting so she could ease her heart. She shook her head with a light smile in response to his prior question.

With his arm still around her shoulder, he smirked and clinked his wine glass with hers. "Cheers."

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Momo chewed on her food quietly, the sound of cutlery being heard as people had dinner. Todoroki was sitting beside her, seeming just as bored but unwillingly engaging in small talk with the other men at the table. Their discussion escalated to talking about work matters which just cancelled out in her ears while she ate.

Out of the blue, he checked his watch. "Ah, it's time."

"What?" She raised a brow in confusion, her expression asking for him to elaborate. He just smiled, which definitely did not help in clearing anything up.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for!", an announcer exclaimed into a microphone, successfully gaining everyone's attention. "The highlight of tonight, the dance!"

Clueless, Momo looked around her to see everyone starting to cheer and clap loudly. She recalled something that Mina had said before and it clicked.

'And get this, there's even a dance!'

So this was what she was talking about.

"I told the party organizers to cancel it, but they didn't listen.", Todoroki sighed, his arms folded as he leaned back on his seat, ruthlessly ignoring the words of praise he received from the other men at the table. Of course, after knowing him for so long, she had already figured he wasn't exactly the type of person to enjoy these kinds of events.

"It seems fun." She simply commented with a positive smile.

He didn't seem to agree though. "No, it's pointless."

A ballad song started to resound in the hall and gradually more people stood up. Momo grinned and chose to sit and watch as the lights dimmed, secretly being a romance lover at heart. He leaned closer to her and spoke over the noise, "Don't you like this kind of thing?"

"How did you know?", she asked back with the smile still undeniably on her lips. Her midnight orbs were quite literally sparkling in the lights and made him wonder if it was really possible for someone's eyes to shine that way. Then again, with her, anything was possible.

"You were always reading those romance novels back in high school. I was bound to figure out." The picture of a young Momo sitting alone in the library and burying her head into a cliché romance book formed in his mind. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"Oh, what is this? Mr. Todoroki isn't going to dance with his fiancé?", the announcer from before pointed out lightheartedly, much to their surprise. "Everyone, we simply cannot let this happen!" His voice echoed loud, and everyone stared at them both with eager expectations.

Momo could do nothing but look over to him for help. He waved his hands at the waiting crowd to refuse, but they relentlessly dismissed him and continued to cheer for them even louder than before.

"Do it!" "Do it!" "Do it!"

Todoroki sighed defeatedly, standing up from his seat as he straightened his suit. Her face reddened even more when he extended his hand to her, an unreadable look on his face. She gulped and scanned the crowd which was cheering for her to accept it. At last, she took his hand shyly.

He led her to the dance floor where there were already people slow dancing together in pairs, and she could only recognize a few of them before her line of vision was completely taken over by him.

He twirled her into his arms. A spotlight shone on them when they started to move to the music. With anxious feelings weighing in her chest, she let him lead the dance.

Dancing with Todoroki and feigning to be his so called fiancé. How shameful, she shyly thought to herself.

The raven haired girl snuck a glance up at him. A bluish hue of light was casted upon his features, defining his jawline and the prominent scar on the right side of his face that she often found herself curious about. His expression was devoid of any emotion, but his glowing heterochromatic eyes told her how much was weighing on his mind.

When the music slowed, Todoroki drew her close to his chest, so close that her head was buried in the crook of his neck. She was sure he could feel how fast her heart was beating now with their bodies pressed against each other.

He whispered softly in her ear, sending goosebumps on her rosy skin, "This will be over soon."

As soon as he pulled away, he could see her flushed face. How she looked ethereal under the light in the red dress that he remembered picking out for her the day before. How her midnight irises dazzled as she concentrated on following his movements with almost perfect precision. A smile traced across his lips, and it was genuine.

They fell in step, letting the rhythm control their movements as they gazed into each others eyes. Everything else dissolved around them and they could only see each other, lost in the moment. All eyes were on them now. The way he looked at her made Momo wonder if this moment meant more to him than just a mere act.

But that couldn't possibly be true. Of course not.

 

. . . . .

 

After Todoroki handed out the final award for the ceremony, he started to give a long speech to his employees. Momo was normally an attentive person, but somehow found herself spacing out through half of it. Thoughts of their dance lingered in her mind. How he held her so gently in his arms, how he looked into her eyes-

Wait, she was getting distracted.

She fixed her eyes on the stage where he was stood, speaking into a microphone as he scanned over the audience. She managed to catch the last parts of his speech.

"Because of your hard work, we as Todoroki Corporation were able to succeed in reaching our dreams and ambitions, and have become globally recognized." Todoroki continued on, carefully choosing his words. "I am here to personally thank you for your never-ending support, and I am confident we can reach even greater heights in the future.", he finished, and everyone began to applaud him.

Her hands moved on their own, and she clapped too, a soft smile forming on her face. For some reason, she felt proud. The aloof boy that was once her close friend in high school, was now standing on a stage as a successful CEO. Even though she wasn't quite sure yet if he really desired this job or not, she had seen how passionately he worked with his employees. And that was enough to keep her happy.

"Even in a moment like this, Boss isn't smiling, huh?", she heard a whisper that sounded suspiciously like Kaminari. She chose to just ignore it.

"That was a wonderful speech! Truly amazing to hear!" The announcer cheered, and she noticed the way Todoroki cringed slightly from his tone. However, the man paid no mind to it and continued, "Say, we all have been awestruck at your dance with your fiancé earlier. And since everyone here has been very curious, what made you fall in love with Momo Yaoyorozu?"

Momo almost shrunk in her seat. A very noticeable blush formed on her cheeks. Just what kind of question was that? It wasn't like they were in some sort of talk show or anything...!

To her surprise, he didn't seem all that bothered by the question, or at least appeared to be so. He casually hummed in thought, and she had no idea what he would say next. He stayed like that for a brief moment before taking the microphone.

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to be asked something like this. But I will answer anyway.", he began. He seemed cool and collected, as if he had full control over the situation. Yet she wished she had prepared herself for what he was about to say next.

"There are a lot of things to love about her. Like her sincerity in everything she does, or her resolve that shaped her to be the beautiful woman she is now." More people were watching her now, but that didn't matter to her. All her focus was on him and his words. "I guess you could say we had a reunion lately. That was when I realized she was the right person for me." His eyes landed on her, and in that second, her heart stopped. "She is the woman I will marry."

Despite the cheering and applause around her, Momo couldn't hear anything. All she could see was him, standing up there, microphone in hand, a smile on his face that was meant only for her. And she knew, she knew it was all fake. She knew it was all an act.

Even so, why did it feel so real?

 

. . . . .

 

Once she found a perfect chance to slip away so that she could breathe some fresh air, she was immediately snatched by her coworkers.

Mina now stood in front of her, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. The others surrounded her, and she knew there was no way she could escape from this now. She gave her best attempt at a smile and waved rather awkwardly, her voice cutting through the deadly silence, "Hi, guys..."

"So, don't you think we need an explanation, Momo?" Uraraka started first, squinting her eyes at her rather accusingly.

"Wh-What could you possibly mean by that, Ochaco?" She fidgeted with her fingers behind her back, feeling uncomfortable from how they were staring at her like she just committed a terrible crime. And sure, Momo did feel bad for lying to her friends for so long, but it wasn't like Todoroki and her were actually in a relationship anyway. Well, at least a temporary one. But that wasn't the point.

Kaminari was the next to speak, "You know very well what we mean."

"Tell us everything. And by everything, I mean everything." Mina took lead of the discussion, and it was only normal after all, as she had always been the most curious of her relationship with Todoroki out of the group. And now that she had found out that her theory that everyone else called nonsensical was true(well, as true as could be), she was going to confront it head on.

Momo struggled to form an explanation, "Well, I...- erm-"

And just as she expected, she was bombarded with numerous questions.

"How did you two start dating?"

"Since when were you his fiancé?!"

"Did he hire you because he liked you?"

"Why did you never tell us about this?"

"Is our cold boss actually capable of love?"

Okay, that last one was just uncalled for.

She let out a dragged sigh, thinking of plausible answers to each of their questions so that she could just get this over with as soon as possible. That was until she noticed the large shadow of a certain person looming over them. They stepped aside wearily at the realization of who it was. Momo swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

"Hello, Momo Yaoyorozu." Enji said her name in a way that sent chills down her spine. But she stood her ground, not allowing herself to waver under his gaze.

From the corner of his eye, Todoroki could see the man he despised most standing in front of her. His heterochromatic eyes narrowed into a cold glare at the sight, resentment stirring within him all over again. Excusing himself from the discussion he was taking part in, he proceeded towards them and stood in front of Momo protectively.

"What do you want?"

To their surprise, Enji just chuckled in a strangely unsettling way. She was sure that this was the first time she saw him smile, genuine or not. "I'm going to meet the woman who my troublesome son is going to marry, is there something so wrong with that?"

His words were sour, almost mocking, which sparked the dual haired man's temper. Momo put a hand on his shoulder to calm him when she noticed him getting worked up, giving him a look that told him she could handle this. Todoroki's eyes softened ever so slightly and he stepped back. She simply smiled as a way to silently thank him.

"I've heard many things about you." His turquoise eyes glinted meticulously, and she was sure she wouldn't like where this was going. Still she chose to listen, not daring to give in quite yet. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind me inviting you both to dinner at my house?"

Momo's shoulders visibly tensed.

"I just want to get to know you more as a father.", Enji went on, but she wasn't listening, his offer running through her mind like a broken radio.

Todoroki wasn't having any of it though, and being blinded by rage, he roughly grabbed her arm to take her with him. "Bullshit. Someone like you could never call yourself a father."

"Shoto." She warned, her voice dangerously low. He sighed and let go, making sure to stay near her in case anything happened.

The raven haired girl closed her eyes and took in a sharp breath, and when she opened them again, a fire of determination was present within them. They couldn't run away from this forever. They were going to end up having to face Enji regardless. And that time was now. So even if she knew that this could very well be a scheme of his, she wouldn't let herself give away this opportunity.

"We'll do it.", she responded at last. "We'll... We'll come."

Todoroki's eyes widened at her decision, but he knew there was no use in trying to stop her even if he wanted to. One thing about Momo Yaoyorozu was that once she was set on something, she never backed down from it. And even if he loved that fact about her, it didn't mean that he supported her choice.

Eminently pleased with her answer, Enji's mouth curved into a malicious smile, as if she had just played right into his trap. "Very well then."

 

~

Chapter 15: A Night To Remember

~

 

𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧 of them stood a moderately large mansion, towering over them rather intimidatingly. The entrance was imposing and elegant, with doors made of oak engraved in an intricate pattern. And the very same house where Todoroki held those traumatic memories of his childhood.

The all too familiar sounds of his mother and siblings crying rang in his ears, causing him to feel sick. He was struggling to breathe, but he wouldn't show it. Not in front of her.

Trying to keep a cool demeanor, he glanced at the raven haired girl beside him, who was wearing something formal for the occasion. A full-sleeved navy blue dress that hugged her hips and went down to her knees. White heels clacked with her every step, and she was holding a simple black purse that complimented the look.

Her hands were squeezed in tight fists, and her eyes stayed locked onto the ground blankly. Just by that, he could tell how overwhelmed she was by all this. His gaze slowly softened. Unlike him, who had been trying to run away from his past for several years, she had the courage to make the choice of confronting his father.

"You okay?", he asked gently.

"Hm?" Snapped out of her trance, Momo looked back at him with her lips slightly parted, trying to process his question. It ran through her head a few times until it had finally hit her. And with that caused a battle of thoughts to ensue in her mind.

How could she be okay? She was about to face one of the most anxiety-inducing situations in her life! Having dinner with the chairman all while needing to put up an act for being Todoroki's fiancé? Enji Todoroki was a man known for being unrelenting and incredibly cruel. She couldn't even begin to imagine what could happen at this so called dinner.

But she promised herself that she wouldn't regret her decision. If she did, then that would mean she was admitting her defeat. And Momo was a woman of her word.

"Oh- I'm fine, yes.", she answered at last, and knew she probably looked otherwise to him. She wasn't anxious at all though, she was completely fine and okay and-

"Liar." Todoroki's voice was barely above a whisper, and almost inaudible, as if he had meant to keep it to himself, but she could hear it clearly. Just the simple word had caused her eyes to widen in surprise, unable to figure out how he was able to see through her so easily. He could read her like an open book, when she on the other hand never managed to understand what he was thinking.

He turned to her to meet her confused look, his heterochromatic eyes remaining unreadable yet strangely resolute. "If anything happens, I will protect you no matter what. So you don't have to worry. Alright?"

Taken aback by his sudden behavior, she merely nodded in response, and positioning themselves, they both knew what was left to do.

Todoroki's finger rested on the doorbell for a moment, before he found it in him to ring it. The sound echoed loud enough for them to hear, the sense of an old fear coming back to him. This was the first time he was visiting his old household ever since he moved out, and he didn't have a good feeling about it.

A housekeeper opened the door for them. Momo squeezed his shoulder, and he looked at her with confusion written on his face, finding her gesture to be rather comforting in a way. She just smiled softly to let him know that everything was going to be okay. His nerves relaxed. Wasn't he the one reassuring her just a moment ago?

He drew in a deep breath and they both went inside, being greeted by a massive, well-lit hallway. Taking off their footwear, they proceeded further into the hallway, bringing back memories for the dual haired man. And they weren't exactly good ones either.

"Mr. Enji is waiting for you in the dining room.", the housekeeper said robotically, and they both nodded in thanks. When they went beyond the hallway, Momo's jaw dropped as she looked around. The marble floors and wallpapered walls gave the whole mansion a luxurious atmosphere. There was a spiral staircase in the middle of the huge space, and she couldn't help but wonder how only one person could be living in such a large house.

Todoroki remained indifferent, as he had been living there since he was young after all. His hands were dug into his suit pockets while he glanced here and there, familiarizing himself with the place again. Although he'd lived here as a child, it felt odd to return here, to see the rooms while being grown up.

Her eyes landed on a massive framed picture on the wall. She realized it was a family portrait.

A beautiful woman with snow white hair was holding a baby that she knew was Todoroki. A younger looking Enji Todoroki was standing beside her with his arms behind his back sternly. Two sons, one with red hair and the other with white hair, were stood beside each other. Those were probably his brothers, Natsuo and Touya. Closely behind them was a girl with white hair and red streaks, holding their shoulders. And that was probably Fuyumi.

The most prominent fact about the picture Momo had recognized was that none of them were smiling. They seemed cold and distant, and there was no sort of familial love present in the photo. A heavy feeling weighed on her chest at the realization.

Still nervous, she followed him to the dining room, where Enji was sat at the end of the table, having his usual scowl on his face. He looked up at them, his face turning into an uncanny smile as he watched them enter.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would come.", the red haired man's voice boomed as he spoke. The dining room was huge, with an elegant and luxurious setting that would be enough to fit a king. A chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, enveloping the room in a warm glow. Cautious and alert, they both sat down beside each other.

Enji clapped his hands together. "Misaki, serve us dinner, will you?"

And just like that, there was a sudden flurry of activity across the room. The housekeeper, who was presumably named Misaki, soon came to them and set down several plates of food on the dining table. Her movements seemed unnatural, almost like she wasn't really a person, but she was just someone who had been called into the room on cue. Momo's unease grew more and more as each plate was placed.

"Good." His smile grew wider and more unnerving. The housekeeper left the room, leaving them alone. Momo took her food quietly, and so did Todoroki. Enji started to speak, "If I were to be honest, I didn't expect you to accept my invitation."

"So did I. But here we are.", Todoroki remarked bitterly as he began to eat. He seemed calm, too calm, and she could understand he was trying to keep himself from getting worked up so early. His father just let out a dry chuckle.

"You're a bold woman, Yaoyorozu. I really do wonder how you've managed to attract my son.", he continued, and Momo found his words to be quite off-putting. She tensed, choosing to force an uncomfortable smile in response as she chewed on the food that was overly fancy for a mere dinner. Todoroki looked like he wanted to say something but stayed quiet.

A tense silence stretched between them. They both continued to have their meal, feeling Enji's sharp turquoise eyes on them in the process. He was staring at them with a meticulous expression, as if he was looking at prey he was certain he was going to be able to catch.

Enji started once more, breaking the silence yet again, "I had my men look into you, you see. And I managed to get hold of some surprising information about you. "

There was a sudden clang when Todoroki slammed his fork onto his plate. He shot his father a piercing glare that would have caused any regular person to cower in fear.

"Didn't I warn you not to use your so called men to get your way all the time?"

However, Enji Todoroki was no regular man.

"You must've forgotten who is really the one in control here, Shoto." His words were laced with venom, and his smile didn't reach his eyes anymore.

Todoroki didn't feel threatened in the slightest, but he wasn't ready to start an argument in front of her either. That would just cause her to be even more stressed than she already was, and not once in his life did he ever want to stress her out. And so, trying his best to suppress the anger stirring within him, he leaned back in his chair, gulping down a glass of water to compose himself.

Enji paused for a moment before he carried on. "Your parents passed away, didn't they?"

The raven haired girl's stomach dropped at the sudden mention of her parents. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to respond to him but struggling to get the words out.

Her fingers trembled nervously, but they relaxed when he took her hand in his underneath the table with a firm grip, just enough pressure to let her know that he was there. His calloused hand was warm, and in an odd way, it made her feel safe.

"That's none of your business, stop prying." There was an unmistakable threat behind his words as Todoroki gave him a warning look. He was definitely furious now, and she could hear it in his voice.

His father looked at him directly, a wickedly satisfied smile on his face, as if he knew he had the upper hand. "Oh but it is my business if she is going to be my son's wife."

"This is pointless." Not being able to take his emotions anymore, Todoroki finally gave in to his anger and stood up, their interlocked hands causing her to get pulled up along with him, the table shaking violently from the sudden motion. "We're leaving."

She noticed Enji's eyes on them as she let herself get dragged out of the room by him. She stayed silent with her gaze glued to the hardwood floor. Her senses seemed to have completely shut down. Everything was a blur, and she couldn't even feel herself moving.

The dinner had gone not at all how she planned. She was supposed to protect Todoroki and stand strong in front of his father. But she couldn't. She couldn't say a single thing, and let herself take his comments that were obviously meant to mock her, like a coward would. Momo was stuck, and felt as if she was completely powerless.

Just when they reached the door, Enji came behind them.

"Shoto.", his deep voice called out from behind them, sounding like a command. She could tell it was serious by how low his tone was. Todoroki stopped in his tracks, seeming to have sensed it too. Enji stepped towards him, his intensity clear for them both to see.

"I-I'll wait outside." Momo headed out the door before Todoroki could try to stop her, leaving him alone with the last person he wanted to talk to at that moment in time.

He reached for the doorknob, until his father uttered,

"Maybe it's because you're my son, but I know what you are." He gave a mirthless laugh and crossed his arms in an overly confident manner. "And I know you don't love her, nor is she actually your fiancé. This is just all a part of your grand plan to get out of that marriage with Kendo Itsuka, isn't it?"

With his grip tightening around the doorknob, the dual haired man turned back with his icy heterochromatic eyes holding all the pent up anger left in him, shooting him a piercing glare that spoke volumes, not even trying to hide the resentment.

"You can make assumptions all you want, but just know..."

He held his breath and almost hesitated for a second before regaining control of himself.

"I love her."

And with that finally being said, he slammed the door shut and left once and for all.

 

~

Chapter 16: Once Upon A Time

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗡 haired girl drew in a deep breath, sensing her heart racing in her chest. It was her first day of high school, which meant new faces, and new experiences. It was almost impossible not to be nervous on such an occasion.

Her fingers clutched the straps of her backpack tighter, feeling rather strange in her new school uniform. She had no idea what to expect. All her worries were rushing together, but she tried to ease herself after she recollected how restlessly her parents worked to save up for her, all so that she could get the best possible education.

Right. Her parents. She loved them more than anything, and no matter how anxious she was feeling, she wouldn't let their efforts go to waste.

With a sudden glint of determination in her gaze, Momo took a step into her new classroom.

Numerous thoughts were running through her mind nonstop. But they were silenced when in that split second, her eyes fell on a boy. A boy with strange red and white dual toned hair, sitting in the back with his own company amidst the conversing of students. Even from afar she caught his unique set of heterochromatic eyes.

"Momo Yaoyorozu, isn't it?" The voice of the teacher pulled her out of her trance. She nodded meekly, her high ponytail bouncing in the act. The man adjusted his glasses and checked over a sheet of paper. "Your assigned seat is that empty one in the back. Go ahead."

Gulping, Momo pushed herself forward and made her way over to her seat, noticing that it was right beside the boy who had caught her attention just a moment ago. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but in the blink of an eye, she was sitting at her desk.

She glanced at her new supposed seatmate. From up close, she could see his eyes even clearer than before, and he had a beautiful case of heterochromia. One side was an icy shade of turquoise, reminiscent of a deep swirling ocean. The other was a more dull gray, reminding her of the sky on a calm rainy day. They contrasted one another, making her more curious as to what kind of person this boy could be.

While the room was filled with chattering from everyone socializing and getting to know each other, he was quietly studying by himself. She watched the way his eyes scanned through the pages of his book, and was lost in them, feeling her worries wash away somehow.

He glanced at her, taking her by surprise. She froze under his sharp gaze, not knowing what to say or do.

Then he raised a brow, as if to ask why she had been staring at him for the past three minutes. She immediately looked away from him and felt her cheeks reddening in shame. First day of high school and she already ended up embarrassing herself. Not so much of a good look on her part, given that she planned to keep a good reputation beforehand. But she was going to have to pull through and hope for the best.

 

━

 

Momo's eyes fluttered open, finding that she was slumped over her desk with her head resting on her arms. It didn't take her long to realize that she must have fallen asleep in the middle of the lecture during the last period, due to not sleeping enough the night before.

The classroom was enveloped in warm rays of sunlight, and a gentle wind had entered through the open windows, engulfing her in a sense of peace for once. She got into a more comfortable position and let herself rest for just a bit longer, since she was alone after all.

Or so she thought. When her vision cleared, she noticed that the strange boy from earlier was there too, still studying in silence. She didn't want to alert him of her presence just yet though, and watched him as he wrote on his notebook. His pen was moving at a fast speed, and he appeared to be extremely focused.

She observed him and how the soft sunlight captured his features and the scar on the right side of his face. It was red and seemed like a burn. She pondered over why he would have such a scar, but no possible conclusion came to mind.

His eyes caught hers again, but she didn't back away this time. Her lips curved to form a friendly smile as she sat up and leaned closer to him, looking over his shoulder to see his notebook.

"What are you writing there?"

Her attempt to start a conversation with him was almost immediately crushed when, he not very kindly, ignored her and adjusted himself to turn away from her with his notebook in his hands. Her smile fell, and she felt her ego shatter. Not a very talkative one, huh?

Momo wouldn't give up though, an odd sense of determination coming over her to befriend this mysterious boy. She stole a glance at his notebook and noticed that he was struggling on what seemed to be a math problem.

"Oh, I'm good at equations!", she perked up suddenly. The dual haired boy ignored her yet again and continued to write. Feeling bold, she snatched the pen from his hand. He gave her an offended look which she simply dismissed, examining the mess of scribbles on his page. Her eyes narrowed. "You're doing it wrong, by the way."

She leaned closer to him and started to solve it with the pen she had taken from him, explaining it to him in the process. She could feel his breath on her neck as he watched over her shoulder, but it didn't slow her down at all as she quickly worked out the problem in front of her. She was much more serious than before, and didn't look back at him until she finished the equation which she solved with no actual effort needed.

Once she was done, she turned to him. "You can do it now, right?"

A moment of silence passed in which he just stared at her.

"Do you have a tutor?"

The question was so out of the blue it managed to catch her off guard. His voice was deep yet gentle, cutting through the air like ice. For some reason, she felt accomplished for getting him to finally speak to her.

"Ah- I study by myself." Momo scratched the nape of her neck in a bashful manner, though she wasn't exactly lying either. She didn't come from a family as privileged, a reality which she had to accept long ago. Her parents worked in a small, rundown tea factory which was just barely getting by. If it meant that she could lessen their burdens and make their lives brighter, then she was willing to depend on herself to live.

Todoroki's gaze softened ever so slightly, his interest in her seeming to grow.

"You were staring at me earlier."

A bright red blush painted her cheeks. Did he really have to be that straightforward?

"Oh I-I'm sorry it's just-" She stuttered and stumbled over her words as she hopelessly attempted to form a proper sentence. The remainder of what she tried to say came out as an almost hesitant whisper, "I was just... fascinated by your eyes, I suppose..."

"My eyes...?" He spoke to himself more than her as his fingers reached to hover over his eye, clearly taken aback by what she said. Momo shyly tucked a strand of her raven hair behind her ear, her cheeks even rosier than before. An awkward silence filled the room, the two not knowing what exactly to say after that.

"W-We're seatmates! We should get to know each other better,", she suddenly blurted out in another attempt to initiate a conversation with him. "What's your name?"

He dropped his hand from his face and stared at her, locking their eyes. The intense eye contact made her swallow hard, and she mustered a tight smile on her face.

It was strange. She felt so drawn to this mysterious boy who she hadn't even known for a day, and was oddly eager to know his name. A tension was growing between them in every passing second, and before she knew it, he simply said,

"Shoto Todoroki."

Hearing his name for the first time, her heart fluttered.

"Shoto... Todoroki?", she repeated, as if she was testing the name on her tongue. A wide smile blossomed on her lips. "Shoto Todoroki... Shoto Todoroki... You're Shoto, then!"

His ears went pink from how she said his name so casually. He tried his best to ignore it and adamantly avoided her gaze as she continued to be in her own little world beside him, reciting his name with no apparent signs of stopping any time soon. At last, he found it in him to look at the raven haired girl.

"...What about you? What's your name?", he murmured, his voice coming off uncertain.

But she heard him, and when she looked back at him, her smile was as bright as the sun.

"Oh me?" She placed a hand on her chest, the enthusiasm just radiating off of her. "I'm Momo Yaoyorozu!"
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"Straight As?! I'm so jealous of you, Momo!"

Momo continued to read through her test results gleefully, her newly appointed friends standing around her and praising her for her achievement.

All those all-nighters she had pulled had finally been proven to be worth it. She could just picture the proud smiles on her mother and father's faces. After all, she had put so much effort into studying for the sole reason of making them happy.

It seemed as if she had suddenly remembered something from the way her eyes widened, and she turned to her friends with an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, I have somewhere to go. See you later!"

She didn't stop to hear their response and rushed away from them. A feeling of excitement bubbled in her chest. She started to skip through the hallway, humming her favorite song to herself in high spirits as there was no one else around to see her. Soon she reached her classroom with a particular someone in mind.

Once Momo saw her new little friend, aloof as ever and studying in the back of the room as he always did, she allowed the excitement to spread all over her. She grinned and called out,

"Shoto!"

Todoroki was obviously startled by the sudden call of his name which was evident by the way he momentarily jumped in his seat. He quickly recovered from the shock though, and glued his eyes to his book as she made his way over to him. "I told you not to call me that."

She just dismissed his words that barely registered in her ears and with her hands behind her back, she looked over his shoulder to see his results paper. He immediately put it away from her sight, but it was too late. "94?! As expected of you, Shoto!"

"But it's not 100." He was deep in thought, subconsciously crumpling the paper in his hands with a dark look in his eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the raven haired girl.

"Does that even matter?" Momo raised a brow in plain confusion. "You did amazing, you know!"

He stayed silent without giving any sort of response, seeming as if he was staring into a distant world. A world she couldn't see. She took it as a cue to divert the topic, and started to go on about the reason she came to see him in the first place, "I think I did really good too! I stayed up all night to study for these tests, and I barely even got any sleep... I just really wanted to make my parents proud! Speaking of which, I can't wait to see their reactions and-"

She began to tell him about her day, her feelings- everything that was on her mind. She didn't know if he was even listening or not, yet strangely found comfort in speaking to him for some reason. Then the realization dawned on her. She was rambling.

"S-Sorry, I seriously have a bad habit of rambling sometimes...", Momo sighed, clearly embarrassed with herself and unsure of where to go from there with the silence that overtook them for a moment. Maybe she was being a bother to him. She pondered on whether she should just leave him be, before he spoke gently,

"You don't have to apologize."

A bashful smile spread across her lips, her cheeks becoming rosy as she gave him a rather harsh nudge which almost made him fall off his chair.

"Oh, Shoto! Stop flattering me, really!"
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Momo found that the school library was one of her safe spaces.

Sure, she enjoyed the life and activity that would constantly surround her at school, but sometimes the noise became too much for her. Whenever she entered the library, the familiar smell of books would greet her and serve as a break from all her worries. The only sounds that could be heard were the rustling of pages and soft voices, and she could allow herself to forget everything and read for hours on end. Thus, it was her safe space and she loved it.

She decided to make the trip today and stepped in the library without thinking much of it. Picking up one of her favorite cliché romance novels to indulge herself in wholeheartedly, her eyes travelled around the library to find a place to read in for the time being.

What she wasn't expecting however, was to see her dual haired friend sitting at a table nearby and silently reading by himself, undisturbed by the ray of sunlight that fell on him. A smile graced her lips and she stepped towards his direction.

He didn't take notice of her until she sat beside him, pulling his attention away from his textbook when she spoke, "When do you ever stop studying, Shoto?"

Todoroki didn't respond to her lighthearted remark and tried to bring his focus back to what he was reading.

Momo just gave a soft chuckle and settled in her chair as she opened her book. Both of them started to read with a comfortable silence pouring over them. She took note of how focused he seemed and tried to be as quiet as she could to not interrupt him. Even so, she couldn't suppress the softest of giggles that spilled over her lips whenever she reached a good part in her book every once in a while.

"What are you reading?", he inquired out of mere curiosity, glancing down at her book to see if he could find what was making her laugh like that. However, that seemed to be a mistake on his part, because the instant he asked, her head snapped in his direction excitedly, and he knew she was about to go on one of her never-ending rambling sessions again.

"You really wanna know?" She has literal sparkles in her eyes now, and it was almost impossible for him to refuse. He slowly nodded his head, unsure of what was to come. She grinned, "This book is a classic romance, written by one of my favorite writers! Basically, it takes place in the more medieval times-"

She slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized she had accidentally caught the attention of the students trying to study around them. Feeling their piercing stares, blood rushed to her cheeks in the form of an embarrassed blush as she forced herself to go back to reading.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Todoroki's mouth twitch into the ghost of a smile.

Everything in her body froze and she had already forgotten about her embarrassment. Momo couldn't believe it.

"Wait, did you just smile?"

His eyes widened ever so slightly and he immediately glued his eyes back to his book.

She took his obvious reaction as a yes and nudged him with her elbow. "So I'm right, you did smile!"

"What do you mean? Stop making things up, Yaoyorozu."

"Shoto just smiled...! And I saw it...!"

"No I didn't."

A wave of warmth spread through her whole body, and she felt like she couldn't stop smiling anymore. Momo could feel people shooting them looks again, and continued to read her book with a knowing grin on her face.

"I really didn't...", he mumbled to himself almost inaudibly. She could hear it though, and she smiled even wider. It was the first time she'd ever seen a smile on his face, and to her, that was a massive step forward.
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The sun was setting, which had casted a pink hue across the sky. A gentle breeze blew past him as Todoroki carried on walking towards the school gates with the rest of the students. His heterochromatic eyes were locked on the ground while he stayed in deep thought.

"Shoto, wait for me!", he heard a voice call out from behind him, pulling him out of his daze, and he recognized it almost immediately. With her hands gripping the straps of her schoolbag, Momo sped to catch up with him, and began panting shortly after. He didn't know how it was possible for a person to lose their stamina that easily, but chose not to question it.

It seemed she had caught onto the fact that he was troubled, because her smile dropped and she hesitantly asked, "Is something on your mind...?"

He stayed silent for a long moment. Momo grew more worried for her friend with every passing second, but waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. At last, he finally spoke,

"Yaoyorozu, what do you want to be when you grow up?" His question was rather sudden, which definitely didn't help in clearing up her inner confusion at all.

"Huh? That's a random question to ask." She decided to just answer him, and placed a finger on her chin as she hummed in thought. "Well, I've always aspired to be a lawyer."

Todoroki raised a brow, clearly intrigued by her response. "A lawyer?"

Her mouth curved into a smile and she nodded. "I think it's fascinating how they could help people fight for justice. I always spent my time exploring the different perspectives that could be taken on certain cases...", Momo trailed off. "Even though people may call me a boring person for it, it's my dream. And I'm happy with it.", she finished proudly.

He listened intently to every last word that left her lips, and she couldn't help but feel a little shy from all the attention that he was unknowingly placing on her. She shifted the focus to him instead, "Is there anything you want to be, Shoto?"

Todoroki went back into a state of contemplation, seeming troubled again. He shook his head which took her by genuine surprise, and sparked her curiosity even more. "Really? Not a single thing? Don't you have any passions?"

"My dad would never let me develop an actual passion. He thinks it's a waste of time.", he disclosed rather nonchalantly. His disturbing words that were said with such indifference caused red alarms to go off in her mind. Wasn't that a little...?

"Your interests aren't a waste of time at all, Shoto." Momo sighed as if it was obvious, and he gazed at her with a look of genuine surprise. She felt her heart squeeze, but brought herself to continue nonetheless, "Figure out a way to be your own person, not under your father's control- and be true to yourself. You are filled with more potential than most people, so I really hope you'll be able to find your dream one day. It... It would be amazing if you did."

A soft smile appeared on his face.

For the second time, she saw him smile.

"Thanks. I'm glad... to have you as my friend."

Her eyes widened in shock. She always self appointed herself as his friend until now, which was why actually hearing it come from him made her heart feel all fluttery. She smiled like an idiot.

"I am too."
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The first thing Momo saw once she entered the classroom was him.

Momo didn't exactly expect to find him there, especially so late after school when everyone else had probably left. There was a dim ray of sunlight on him as he stood near the window with his back turned to her, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Shoto!", she greeted him like she always did, and just when she approached him, he turned to her, only for her to see the cut on his bottom lip. Her smile was replaced by a look of genuine concern as a million questions came into her mind.

"What happened to your...?", she pointed at her own lip to get her point across.

The classroom was still and quiet, and Todoroki remained speechless, not knowing what to say. He didn't know what to say to explain his own dad punching him in the face during a heated argument between them the other day. But the warmth in her midnight irises told him he didn't need to. So he didn't.

And of course, she didn't mind it, since after knowing him for quite some time, she had expected it from an aloof person like him. But that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to be worried for him. The cut looked painful, and it definitely had a chance of leaving a bruise.

Wincing, she stood on her toes and reached to touch it lightly with the pad of her finger. She examined the cut with pure worry in her eyes. Todoroki was oddly stiff for some reason.

After a moment, he suddenly grabbed her arm. Then she finally snapped back to her senses, realizing how close she was standing to him, and also realizing the finger she had placed on his bottom lip.

Momo immediately retracted her hand and felt her face heating up from the shame that consumed her.

"O-Oh! I didn't know what I was doing I-"

Before she could stammer out excuses to try and save herself from the situation she had put herself in, he cut in, "It's fine, Yaoyorozu."

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, finding it in her to look back at him shyly.

"You're okay though, right...?"

His breath hitched in his throat. Todoroki tried his best to keep a calm expression, but he knew it was pointless in front of her.

"I... don't know."

And he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her in a desperate embrace.

The raven haired girl was caught by surprise and stayed frozen in place. Still shocked, she slowly returned the hug with trembling hands. He was strangely warm and had a minty scent, and she felt herself relax at last. She began to pat his back in a soothing manner, hoping to comfort him in any way she could, even if she didn't know the circumstances. He buried his head in her shoulder and hugged her even tighter.

Momo had never even dreamed of being so close to him before, especially like this. She had no idea of what went on in his world, but from how he held her, she could tell that he was going through a lot. And so, she decided that she was going to be there for him.
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The gentle spring breeze drifted past her as she slumped into the bus stop bench, too drowsy to take in and appreciate the sight of the cherry blossom trees around her.

Momo could be considered mostly a morning person, especially since she always woke up early enough to watch the sunrise. Even so, she couldn't help but silently curse the sun for being so bright as she fought back the sleepiness.

She knew it was probably her fault for studying so late in the night, and should've taken into consideration of the aftermath. She knew, but her stress for her upcoming exams had gotten the best of her and led her into a state where she was now trying her best to stay awake while her eyes shot up and drooped down in a continuous motion.

But it was quite peaceful, though...

At last, her body gave in and Momo's eyes closed, the raven haired girl slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

 

━

 

When Momo woke up, her vision was hazy and she needed a minute to come back to her senses. And as soon as she did, she could notice a familiar tuft of dual toned hair in the corner of her eye. She also noticed that her head was resting on something firm.

Momo put two and two together and the realization dawned on her.

She was resting on someone's shoulder.

Todoroki's shoulder.

Her face reddened and she instantly jolted up, and as she saw those unique eyes of his, she exclaimed with shock, "Sh-Shoto?! What are you doing here?"

"You fell asleep on me.", his words hung in the air for a moment, and Momo, being incredibly flustered, realized he was right. She had been leaning on him, and she figured she must have dozed off. Hesitantly, she brought herself to meet his gaze again.

Even when Todoroki kept his usual blank expression, he tried to ignore how he could hear his heart pounding in his ears way too loudly for his liking. Even someone like him could be thrown off balance sometimes. He had been surprised to see her fast asleep at the bus stop, and when he sat beside her trying to be as quiet as he could, her head dropped onto his shoulder, making him tense the entire time until she woke up. But it wasn't like he was going to tell her that.

"I thought you didn't take the bus to school...?", she asked with genuine confusion evident in her voice, a small blush still remaining on her face and having painted her cheeks light pink.

The warmth of spring had brought life into the cherry blossom trees. They danced in the gentle breeze, and the delicate pink petals of the blossoms slowly came drifting down onto the ground with the wind. They were such a beautiful sight, serving as a gift in the midst of all the pressure of the final exams.

"You're right. I don't." He let out a sigh and drew his gaze down to his lap, getting lost in his thoughts. "But I figured I'd make the trip today. Thought it would help me put my mind off that old man.", he scowled at having to mention his dad.

Momo pressed her lips together in a hard line. For someone who was always raised with love, she found it hard to believe a father could be so terrible. A heavy feeling weighed on her chest.

As if he had somehow managed to read her mind, he spoke, "You're worrying about me, aren't you, Yaoyorozu?"

"E-Eh? How did you know that?" She gasped and brought her fingers over her lips, eyes widening in disbelief as if she had just made some sort of life changing discovery. Then she looked back at him, and her face set in a serious expression as she leaned closer to him. He gulped, not knowing why she got so serious all of a sudden, and mentally prepared himself for whatever she would say next.

"Shoto, are you secretly some sort of mind reader...?"

Todoroki snorted out loud.

"Don't laugh, you meanie!" A blush spread over her cheeks, and this time it was even more visible than before as she nudged him with her elbow in an attempt to get him to stop laughing. But she failed, and his shoulders shook as he laughed even harder to the point where he reached to cover his mouth. She crossed her arms, feigning annoyance.

Despite the humiliation on her part, Momo found that she didn't mind the outcome of it so much. Todoroki was always cool and closed off, and his real emotions were a mystery due to how he kept a blank emotionless expression most of the time. She had never heard him laugh before, but it was soft and almost melodic in her ears, and she felt like she could listen to the mere sound of it all day.

She couldn't quite bring herself to look away from him either. Not when she could finally see the life in his heterochromatic eyes, and how ethereal his smile looked under the sunlight and with the cherry blossoms around them.

Unfortunately for her, his laughter eventually died down and he stood up. Momo looked up at him cluelessly.

"The bus is here. Let's go."

The raven haired girl took a second to process his words, and when she saw the waiting bus in front of them, she felt herself smile softly.

"Okay."
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Whenever Todoroki had a lot on his mind, he resolved towards taking a brisk walk.

It was a simple tactic, but it was certainly effective and never failed to set him at ease. And today he decided on doing just that, at his usual spot since no one else was there most of the time. There was just one small problem, one that he wasn't originally anticipating in the first place.

He heard someone crying.

Normally he would've just ignored it and carried on with his usual stroll, but he recognized the voice too much to keep going. The mere thought of it belonging to a particular girl he knew made his insides ache. And so, he let out a defeated sigh and followed the direction of where he could hear it coming from.

Imagine his surprise when he found out that it was in fact his raven haired friend, leaning on a wall of the back of the school building, hugging her knees and helplessly wiping her tears that poured like ongoing waterfalls.

"Yaoyorozu?" There was clear hesitation in his voice, and he immediately felt himself tense up once she glanced at him with tear-filled eyes. He approached her and kneeled down next to her wearily, setting his backpack down beside him.

"Um... What's wrong?", he asked just for the sake of being useful somehow. She slowly turned her head to him, revealing her wet rosy cheeks which were flushed from crying.

"Would you still be friends with me if you knew my family was dead broke...?"

Absolutely baffled, Todoroki was left at an utter loss for words and the only thing he could say to that was, "What?"

"I know I'm stupid and naïve and probably made the wrong friends or something, but it isn't something to be humiliated for, right...?" Her eyes were shimmering from tears and she looked up at him innocently, obviously desperate for answers.

Her words made him finally able to understand the situation at hand.

"Who made fun of you?", was his first and only question, and there was a deadly look in his heterochromatic eyes with a strange protective feeling coming over him all of a sudden.

She didn't answer though, and turned away from him, causing him to heave a sigh from the lack of a response. A moment of silence passed by where only the soft sniffles from Momo could be heard. Todoroki contemplated hard on what to say next, and suddenly spoke before he could stop himself,

"You know, it may not seem like it but my family is dysfunctional."

At that, Momo looked at him with widened eyes, clearly dumbfounded by his words.

"Huh?"

"My dad used to hit my mom and I when he got angry.", he carried on rather indifferently. "And I'm being forced to inherit his company or whatever when I get older."

As unbearable as it sounded, it was true. His dad was a cruel man, and always pressured and reminded him of his responsibilities as a future CEO, which in turn made him grow an unhealthy habit to studying whenever he could.

Even though he just voluntarily revealed his darkest secrets to her, he was fine with it. He felt strangely calm recounting his traumatic experiences because he knew he could trust her. He focused his gaze on the clear sky with a hand resting on his knee, and looked back at her to see her shocked expression.

"My point is, everyone has their own problems that they need to deal with. So it's not something you should feel ashamed for."
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Momo was confused, to say the least.

After realizing her feelings for him, she was unsure of what to do next. Even though she always read the romance books she saw in the library, she was inexperienced at love. Now that she had to face it for the first time, she found herself sitting at her desk in deep thought.

What exactly did people do when they found out they had a crush on someone? Did they confess? No, that wasn't an option for her. But then again, was she supposed to just ignore it...?

"Momo!", her friends came up to her, and she wasn't really paying attention to whatever they were talking about as she continued to think hard about her ever so confusing feelings.

Somehow, an image of Todoroki's face formed in her mind. She began to recall his features- his beautiful heterochromatic eyes that she always found herself lost in, his unique dual toned hair, his sharp jawline, his intriguing scar- everything. A smile crept up on her face. He really was dreamy...

Wait no, she was being a creep, wasn't she?

Momo slapped her cheeks which were already growing rosy to get herself to snap out it. She wasn't supposed to be daydreaming, she had to think about this rationally!

She thought about their moments together. Like the time when he suddenly hugged her, or how he smiled around her, or how he trusted her with things she was sure he would never tell anybody else... She found herself considering the possibility of him liking her back. But that would be absurd. There's no way, right?

Suddenly, someone slammed a hand on her desk, startling her and snapping her out of her thoughts. She finally looked up at her friends. "Eh?"

"Momo, what's on your mind?"

Momo smiled, starting to picture his face in her mind again.

"Oh, it's just Shoto- Oh no I meant Shoto- Wait no not Shoto- Ah- Uhm-"

She slapped a hand on her mouth to get herself to stop speaking, knowing it would only make her embarrassment worse. The damage had already been done, and her friends glanced at the unoccupied seat beside her which belonged to Todoroki. Then their eyes widened in realization.

"You like Todoroki, don't you?!"

A blush spread on her cheeks like wildfire and she whispered rather loudly in a panicked state, "Shh, keep it down!"

They grinned mischievously, their teasing words making her face practically identical to a tomato, "Of course, you spend so much time with him after all!"

"He only smiles around her too! He's head over heels for her!", one of her friends felt the need to mention, causing her to shrink deeper in her seat. She felt her heartrate speeding at the idea that maybe... maybe there was a chance he liked her too?

"I have an idea!", another one of her friends raised a finger in declaration, making everyone turn to her curiously. "Momo is good at writing and stuff, she should write him a love letter!"

"Ooh, like the classic romance stories?"

The raven haired girl perked up at this, and her friends turned to her, waiting for her final decision. She contemplated hard. After all the signs, maybe it wouldn't be so much of a reach for him to share her feelings. Still, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Wasn't this too fast? What if he rejected her? What if-

"We're graduating soon, you know. You might never have a chance see to him again, Momo. You have to confess!"

Momo took in a deep breath, staring down at her desk with a fire of determination in her obsidian eyes. That was right. She needed to tell him her feelings before they graduated. And a love letter didn't sound like much of a bad idea either.

She sighed. It was now or never.
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That night, Momo was in her bedroom, sitting at her study table. Her exhaustion was clear in the heavy bags under her eyes, and her fingers tightened around her pen as she gazed concentratedly at the empty sheet of paper on her table.

'Just write your feelings into words!', Momo recalled her friends' advice and glanced back at the mess of discarded papers on the floor, reminding her of her numerous failed attempts to write a proper love letter for him.

She knew she had a skill for writing which she was always praised for, and took the love letter idea without giving it much consideration. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as she thought of it to be, and her mind was all over the place at the moment.

"Writing my feelings into words, huh...?", Momo whispered to herself absentmindedly.

She thought about Todoroki, his smile, his voice, his warmth. Slowly the words were coming to her, and a rush of energy flowed within her as she began to write. Her heart was racing faster than her hand, and her bursting adrenaline didn't allow her to stop until she was done.

Once Momo finished writing at last, a tired yet proud smile spread across her lips as she dropped her pen to look at her work. Her eyes scanned through each of the lines on the paper at an almost inhuman speed, and before she knew it-

A squeal of joy escaped her throat.

She cupped her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks heating up. She had never done anything like this before. Was this really okay? Who was she kidding, she was sure Todoroki would love it! He was always so nice to her, after all. There was no doubt he would appreciate the love and passion she had poured into that letter!

Momo giggled like a child, not feeling self conscious for acting so immature as she normally would because of the excitement and lack of anyone there to see her. She felt like she was floating, and started to make up scenarios in her mind that only deepened her blush even more, relishing in the moment, until she heard the ringing of a phone.

The sound didn't really register in her ears at first, but once it did, she paused her little squealing session, and picked up her old fashioned phone which her parents bought with all their saved up money and gave to her as a birthday gift a few years ago. The small device would always have her utmost appreciation, and she did whatever she could to keep it safe and unharmed.

When she looked at the name of the contact, to her surprise, her mother was the one who had called her so late in the night. She had assumed that her parents were working overtime again and was waiting for them to come home like she always did. She smiled, knowing her mother was probably calling to reassure her that they were coming soon.

Momo answered the call and put the phone next to her ear, eager to hear her dear mother's voice. She could hear unknown people talking from the other end of the line.

"Is this the daughter of the Yaoyorozus?"

Her smile dropped. It was a man speaking. She didn't recognize this voice.

"Y-Yes I am, what's the matter?" Being taken aback, she couldn't help but stutter a bit from surprise. Why was there a stranger calling on her own mother's phone? Did she lose her phone? Or did she misread the contact name? Either way, she felt an odd feeling weighing on her stomach for some reason.

"Your parents have gotten into a fatal car accident! By the time we arrived on the scene, we already lost their pulse-"

In the space of a single heartbeat, Momo's world shattered.

Whatever the man said didn't reach her ears. Her mind went blank. Everything seemed to spin around her, and she couldn't hear or think. Her whole body felt completely numb as she just stared into nothing, not knowing if she was even breathing or not. And in such an unimaginable time of grief, there was only one thought in her mind.

Would she ever be able to see them smile again?

"-llo? Hello? Are you still there?"

Having the light completely drained out of her eyes, Momo raised the phone to her ear once more with trembling fingers, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again.

"I'm coming."
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"Yaoyorozu didn't come to school again, huh?", their professor spoke, breathing out a sigh of concern as the bell rang, indicating that class had ended.

Todoroki's eyes landed on his raven haired friend's desk beside him, left vacant and untouched. His gaze darkened. She hadn't been coming to school for weeks on end, and he was starting to get worried at this point. He understood Momo well enough to know for a fact that she definitely wasn't the type to skip school.

And he knew that something must've happened. He knew, but he didn't know what that something was, and that bothered him even more. It was strange. Normally he should've had control of his emotions by now, yet he still couldn't pull himself together. Not with all the anxious thoughts and possibilities clawing at his mind.

It baffled him how a girl like her could have such an impact on a boy like him. His mindset and view of the world had been changing so much in the past few months. And it was all because of her and that bubbly personality of hers that he never seemed to get enough of.

But she would come back soon, right? It had only been a few weeks, after all.

A few weeks could definitely be considered a lot of time, though...

Todoroki stared hard at the ceiling. He tried his best to think of a reasonable and non-worrying explanation as to why her, one of the top students in class, had been absent for such a long period of time. In the end, he was left frustrated and stressed with no answers.

"Is Momo really going to be okay...?", he heard someone say, and upon hearing the sound of her name, he immediately looked towards the direction of the voice.

He identified the person as one of her friends who he had seen her hanging out with before. Knowing they wouldn't see him because he was in the back of the classroom, he leaned over his desk and listened intently to the conversation taking place.

"She must be going through a hard time, huh?", another one of her friends said in a sympathizing tone that only made his unease worse.

"It's normal for her to be," Someone else chimed in who Todoroki couldn't really recognize all that well, and he gave his full attention to whatever they were going to say next. "After all, her parents passed away in a car accident."

His stomach dropped.

"Shh, you can't just say it like that!"

Todoroki was shocked, but his thoughts were way too scattered- it felt like everything was going a million miles an hour in his head, and everything he had just heard only made it more difficult for him to focus. Deep down he had hoped that everything was okay, only for it to be crushed into shreds and leaving him to deal with his guilt.

It felt like he had been hit in the gut. How did he not see the signs of how serious things actually were for her? How could he have just been pretending that everything was fine when he knew it wasn't from the beginning?

He couldn't even begin to imagine how a person as lively as Momo would handle something as painful as this. She always talked about her parents with so much fondness in her eyes. What was going to happen to her now?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she was really on her own. She must've been suffering alone all this time. What if she wasn't okay? What if she decided to just quit? What if she completely shuts down?

Todoroki tugged at his hair, struggling to breathe. Momo was his one escape. His one escape from his past, his trauma- everything. She was the light at the end of a pitch black tunnel. Chatting with her was like a breath of fresh air that he never wanted to put an end to. The only reason he looked forward to going to school was her. He just hoped that she would come back to him soon.

Oh who was he kidding, he missed her already.
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Graduations are supposed to be memorable. Special. Significant.

They're supposed to be a real achievement in a person's life. All the effort they've put into studying has paid off and they managed to make it this far; it was certainly a cause for celebration. It could be a good time to just ease off and relish in your work, and take a break for the time being.

But Todoroki couldn't feel any of that. All the cheering and vivid signs of life around him wasn't quite reaching him as he roamed around aimlessly, holding on to the hope that he could find her if he kept looking. Yet deep inside, he knew that the truth was inevitable.

Todoroki had searched almost everywhere, and was yet to find a single trace of her. He was panting heavily now, but he wouldn't allow himself to stop- he couldn't.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, hastily searching through his list of contacts. His breaths were coming more quickly as his heart started to beat at an abnormal rate. At last he found her number and dialed it, pressing his phone to his ear as he continued to shove his way through the bustling crowd of students.

His heartrate sped at every ring. But she didn't pick up.

"Come on come on...", the dual haired male muttered under his breath and dialed her number again, desperately waiting for her to answer.

Again, she didn't pick up.

His throat tightened with the realization that it was hopeless. There was no point in waiting when he knew she would never come.

When he reached a secluded space, his arms went limp by his sides and he felt time slow down all of a sudden. It felt like it was just him and his thoughts alone.

When Todoroki closed himself off from everyone else, she pushed her way in without a second thought. She brought colors into his dark world and made everything seem bright. Just talking to her made him feel at peace, like he was finally free of his troubles. But now that she was gone, he had no idea what to do.

He had so many things he wanted to say. So many things he wished he had the chance to say to her. He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. He wanted to tell her to keep pushing through. He wanted to tell her how much he appreciated her. He wanted to tell her how he valued their friendship more than she could have ever known.

But he had already lost her. And it was too late.

 

━

 

Momo let the tears fall, hugging her knees closer to her chest as she leaned against the wall in the corner of her bedroom. The lights were off while her phone vibrated on the floor beside her. She had no strength left in her to check who was calling. She already knew it was him.

Her stomach churned, and she felt sick as she realized that she was going to miss her graduation ceremony, the moment she had been waiting her whole life for, so that she could be there at her parents' memorial service. In spite of the pain that stabbed at her heart, she had to set aside her emotions because she knew there was no use.

Life was hell. It felt like the loneliness was mocking her and all she wanted to do was shut everyone out and never come out of her room again. But she knew her parents would never want that, so she had to stay strong and do her best to survive on her own from now on. She couldn't help but wonder if they were watching her suffer from above.

Momo trembled violently. Before she ventured into the reality that was the harsh world, all she wanted was to see his face for just one last time. But she knew that wasn't an option, and it terrified her.

He was her sun that woke her up in the morning and gave her energy for the rest of the day. He was the soft clouds in the clear blue sky that made her feel all fuzzy inside. He was the cherry blossom petal that landed on her hand and gave her butterflies. He was her everything, and more. And Momo was so scared to lose him.

"I'll miss you, Shoto.", she whispered softly to the darkness that surrounded her, closing her eyes as the last tear trailed down her eye.

 

━

 

"I'll see you again, Momo.", Todoroki whispered as he gazed up at the sky, hoping his words would reach her someday.

 

~

Chapter 17: I'm Here For You

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜 household was a lot farther from Momo's house than they had originally thought of it to be. There was a reason why the area felt so foreign to her, after all.

And so arose the suggestion of her staying at his apartment for the night. Even if Momo didn't want to be a bother to him, she accepted his offer, as she didn't really have much of a choice on the matter in the first place. It was either trying to find a hotel in the middle of the night in a district she barely knew, or sleeping at Todoroki's place, which she found to be a bit shameful, but much more preferable.

He opened the door and allowed her in. She followed shyly behind him, taking the chance to observe his home since it was her first time ever being there. His house was more on the modern side, and was strangely cold. No pictures, no decorations. Nothing to give away more about his personality. It was almost as if he didn't have a personal life.

Todoroki stumbled and put a hand on the wall beside him for support, breathing heavily as he pinched his nose bridge. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling an unbearable headache begin to form within him. His father's sickening voice rang in his ears.

'I had my men look into you, you see. And I managed to get hold of some surprising information about you.'

'Maybe it's because you're my son, but I know what you are.'

'This is just all a part of your grand plan to get out of that marriage with Kendo Itsuka, isn't it?'

Todoroki was breathing at an unsteady rate now. He couldn't protect her like he promised he would. Did he still fear that old man? He was a coward, wasn't he?

'You must've forgotten who is really the one in control here, Shoto.'

It felt like his head was splitting apart, especially with the added pressure of what happened at that damned dinner. He knew they shouldn't have come the moment Enji gave them that invitation, but still went along with her decision, and now he was left to deal with the consequences of his actions.

"T-Todoroki, are you alright?" The raven haired girl was clearly alarmed at the sight of him like this. It was the worst condition she had ever seen him in. Being in such an awful state was a normal occurrence for him, but he could hear nothing more than worry in her voice alone.

Still panting heavily, he couldn't quite bring himself to respond, and she seemed to already know the answer. He slowly opened his eyes and felt himself calming down after seeing her. She touched his forehead with her palm to check his temperature.

"You're burning hot. Come here." Momo took hold of his arm and dragged him out of the entryway. Her movements were careful and steady. He just let her, not taking his gaze off her for even a moment. Once they reached the living room, she brought him to lay down on the sofa.

Todoroki took off his suit, leaving him in a white shirt and tie, and complied to her without saying a word more. Finally being able to relax on the soft surface of his sofa, he closed his eyes at last.

He could hear the sound of rummaging come from the kitchen nearby, and knew she was probably trying to make something for him. But his mind couldn't think properly, and before he knew it, he was already drifting off to sleep...

 

...

...

...

 

"That child... His eyes... I can't raise him anymore... He reminds me too much of his father..."

Shoto could make out some words that he could hear his mom speaking, and hesitantly creaked opened the door to her bedroom only to see her sobbing on the floor.

But of course, he was merely a young soul, and didn't know what to do in sentimental situations that required actual human emotions.

His siblings walked past him on their way out of the room, sending him dirty looks. "It's all because of you."

He just stood there with an empty expression and watched as his mom cried more, not knowing how to react. Was it really his fault? Was it all because of him?

Finally she looked back, trembling even more than before with fear and horror in her eyes. But she wasn't looking at him.

"Look at this pathetic excuse of a mother," his dad taunted mercilessly, "Emotions are just a weakness, Shoto."

Shoto gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling angry for some reason. But then the air came out of his lungs and he found himself choking. He looked down to see a black, shadowy figure of his dad's hand grasping at his small neck.

"What a sad soul. Do you pity her?"

"Todoroki, are you okay?!"

Shoto struggled as he desperately tried to gasp for air.

"Even when she's suffering because of you?"

"Todoroki!"

"It's all your fault. You know that, don't you?"

"Shoto!"

Todoroki jolted up almost immediately after hearing her shout his name, only to see her panicked and incredibly distraught expression. He was sitting up straight on the sofa now, and Momo let out a shaky sigh, relieved that she had finally managed to reach him in the middle of what seemed to be a panic attack of his.

Her mother once told her that the eyes could easily reflect the emotions of a person. And right then and there, her heart ached in her chest as she noticed that his heterochromatic eyes were wide, sad- terrified even.

She pulled him in a tight embrace without hesitation, her eyes shimmering from the tears that threatened to pour.

It was only normal, after all. Momo had went to check up on him, but saw him sweating immensely with a concerningly pale face, struggling to breathe properly. She ran over to kneel beside him faster than her legs could carry her, and had to frantically call him multiple times before he finally woke up.

Todoroki dropped his head on her shoulder as he took unstable breaths. For once, he felt safe in her arms. So he allowed himself to break down, even it was just for a moment.

"It's all because of me, isn't it?", he mumbled without taking his words into consideration beforehand like he usually did, still breathing heavily with his eyes widened in fear. The visions of his nightmare weren't going to leave him be any time soon, and he had no power to stop it. "It's... it's all my fault."

"You've been bearing the weight of all this for so long, haven't you?" Momo secured her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer, just enough for him to hear her whisper those soothing words in his ear,

"But it's okay, because I'm here for you now. And I know you well enough to understand that you're a good person. You...", her voice got watery, and a silent tear trailed down her cheek. "...You saved me. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to keep going after my parents died. So whatever it is, it's not your fault."

Hesitantly, she pulled back from the hug to look him in the eye, gently placing her hands on his. "So please, don't say that to yourself, Shoto."

Todoroki caught his breath for a second. No one had ever treated him like this before. No one had ever managed to tear down the walls he built to isolate himself. Yet she did. She understood his own emotions more than him. And that scared him to death, because he wasn't supposed to be cracked open so easily. He wasn't supposed to be so easily read, or understood, because he couldn't bear being vulnerable. It felt like he was giving in to his father, and he hated it.

But if she was the one to do it, he figured he didn't mind so much.

His gaze softened as they both looked at one other with nothing needed to be said. Their eyes told each other everything they needed to know. Their interlocked hands held warmth and compassion, and they weren't willing to let go quite yet.

The moment was so genuine, so delicate, they weren't even aware of how much time was really passing. It could have stretched on forever if not for Momo suddenly standing up so she could move to sit beside him.

"I was planning to make you soup, but your fridge was almost empty so I had to go to the convenience store..." She quickly wiped the tear that had still remained on her cheek, and fiddled with her fingers on her lap, starting to feel shy especially after hugging him like that. "Have it. It'll help you get over your fever."

Todoroki looked at the bowl of soup on the coffee table in front of him, already losing its steam. When she glanced back at him, he was smiling softly.

"Thanks, Momo.", was all he said before he began to consume the rather cold liquid. She surely wasn't the best cook out there, but he savored each sip. After all, she made it for him with all the love and care in her heart.

It seemed as though something had suddenly come to his mind, and he put down his spoon with a clink. He brought himself to make eye contact with her again, catching sight of the look of surprise that spilled over her features.

"...I'm sorry. I should never have made you pretend to be my fiancé that night. Because of me you were dragged into this mess and had to deal with the provoking of my father."

She stayed silent for a long minute, letting his words sink in. And when they did, she felt the need to reassure him, "You don't have to apologize, really. I was the one who accepted the dinner invitation."

A comfortable silence overtook them in which he continued to have his soup and Momo just looked at him, thinking about... well, everything really. There wasn't anything not to think about, especially after everything that occurred that day. It was almost too much for her to take in. Momo was just his secretary before now, or at least it seemed so to her, but she found that she could connect with Todoroki on a more personal level after seeing it all for herself.

She thought about his pale, sweating face. She thought about his unstable breathing pattern. She thought about what he said.

'It's all because of me, isn't it?'

"About earlier... It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." She paused, taking a moment to organize her thoughts. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm always here to listen."

Todoroki finished his soup and looked back at her. She felt herself shrinking under his intense stare and found herself wondering if she shouldn't have said that. But it was too late now, and he gazed at the palm of his hand as he started to speak,

"When I was young, I always had trouble sleeping because of my parents' arguments. I guess my insomnia developed from there." His words formed a lump in her throat, but she listened patiently as he continued, "Just now I had one of my usual nightmares that remind me of my trauma. I wasn't meaning to make you witness it, though..."

Momo felt sick from the realization that dawned upon her. "You mean you have to deal with this frequently...?"

"I've been managing.", the dual haired man simply stated, his indifferent tone only making her concern grow. He still felt lightheaded, but his headache had definitely calmed down after having the soup she made for him. His heterochromatic eyes travelled back to her. "You know, I think it got better after I met you again."

Her lashes fluttered from genuine astonishment. "M-Me? How so?"

"I get less nightmares nowadays, and I can sleep more peacefully." He smiled to himself. She had been driving away his late night demons without even knowing it. Even when she wasn't there with him, he found that his mind would often wander to her. As hard as things got, as much as his insomnia tormented him, he knew that he still had her. She would be there, with her kindness and support, and he wouldn't let anything change that. She really had helped him more than she realized.

Todoroki turned to her, and upon seeing her still seeming to be a bit clueless, he carried on, "So thank you. For being there for me."

Momo took a second to process what she had just heard, and in the end, a small smile spread across her lips. It was a rather silly thought, but she didn't want to leave his side ever again.

 

~

Chapter 18: Her Decision

~

 

𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 on the doorknob for a brief moment, Momo breathed in deeply as an unsuccessful attempt to ease her rising nerves.

She had to keep her guard up. She couldn't allow herself to show any form of weakness once she stepped into that room. And that included fear.

Trying to ignore the battle of thoughts that ensued in her mind, she twisted the doorknob to not waste any more time pondering, and entered chairman Enji's office.

She took in her surroundings. His office reminded her of Todoroki's house from the other day. It was cold and showed no signs of personality. The sunlight was thoroughly blocked by curtains, causing her lungs to feel more constricted than they already were. In the corner of the spacious room was a small living area, with two sofas separated by a coffee table. A tall glass shelf displayed numerous awards and certificates for all to feast their eyes upon.

There was a large framed photograph on the wall behind his desk. In that photo was Enji, the other chairmen, and more important executives and staff members of the company standing behind a red ribbon. But what especially caught her attention was Todoroki beside his father, in a black suit, holding scissors to cut the ribbon and staring into the camera with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes at all. Her chest tightened.

"Take a seat." A hoarse voice pulled her out of her thoughts, causing her gaze to land on the red haired man sitting in his office chair across her. Her eyes narrowed in a dark look.

"No thank you. Just say what you want to say."

Momo didn't even want to be there in the first place, though it wasn't like she had the power to disobey his orders as a mere secretary. She kept it from Todoroki as she knew he wouldn't like the idea of her being alone with his father, but she wanted to hear what the man had to say for himself. However, Enji Todoroki had a vile glint in his turquoise eyes that just told her she wouldn't like where this was going.

"You didn't fool me, Miss Yaoyorozu."

He reached in a drawer of his desk and pulled out a document. A document that was way too familiar for her liking.

"I found this in Shoto's office. Would you mind explaining it to me?" Enji held up their relationship contract paper for her to see plain and clear. Her eyes widened in surprise. He turned the paper to face him and read it aloud, seeming sure that he won, "A million dollars, isn't it? I should've known you weren't pretending to be his fiancé for nothing."

Momo's utter shock caused her to stammer on, "I- I- This-"

A devilish smirk spread across his mouth, indicating that he wasn't quite done yet. "From today onwards I don't want to see you anywhere near my son. Sign out of this contract. This is an order."

A rush of adrenaline surged through her veins. Momo clutched the strap of her purse until her knuckles went white. She clenched her jaw, a sudden determination coming over her to go against him.

Her whole life, Momo had grown accustomed to listening to what the others said. Being looked down upon. Not taking herself into account. Staying weak. But deep inside her were the bottled up emotions that she had kept locked in for the longest time, begging to be unleashed.

She couldn't leave Todoroki just like this. After everything they've done, after all their promises- she simply couldn't. And especially not to the cruel man that ruined his life.

"I refuse."

Enji's conceited smile dropped. "What?"

He seemed to be taken aback by how she quite literally refused an order from the chairman himself. Momo couldn't blame him, if she had to be honest. But those emotions wouldn't allow her to stop just yet.

"Our relationship is between Todoroki and I only.", she stood her ground, and for some reason, she couldn't help but think about their moments and the light fluttery feeling in her chest that came with them.

 

'Funny we happened to cross paths again, huh, Momo Yaoyorozu?'

 

'Honestly, I missed you.'
'I missed you too, Todoroki.'

 

'It's because I want you to marry me.'

 

'Don't push yourself too much.'
'Fine.'

 

'For me...?'
'I could do more for you if you wanted.'

 

'Thank you for everything, Shoto.'
'Of course.'

 

The warmth his heterochromatic eyes held. The things he did for her. How he made her feel free in a life where she didn't consider her own emotions necessary. Finally, Momo came to a realization she knew she should have come to sooner. "I refuse to leave the man I love just like this. Even if you are his father, I- I can't do this."

An everlasting silence dragged on. Enji stayed quiet, clasping his hands under his chin over the table, deep in thought. A part of Momo thought if she should have just turned and left, but then he spoke again,

"Very well then." He crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair and giving her a look that suggested he was looking down on her. "I think you forgot who I really am and what I am capable of. If you refuse to take my warning, I suppose I'll have to fire you from company myself."

Momo's breath hitched in her throat.

"Make your choice, Momo Yaoyorozu. Him, or your job?"

That same question played in her mind nonstop ever since she left that office.

Momo was stuck, conflicted, and scared. She had finally become fully aware of her feelings for him, but all of it was immediately shattered and ruthlessly crushed into shreds. Her eyes burned with tears threatening to pour and she didn't know what to do anymore.

Suddenly, she could hear that familiar buzz of her ringtone. She quickly blinked away the tears and fished in her purse, taking out her phone and reading the contact name to see who had called. It was Todoroki. Her lips parted in surprise while her phone continued to ring, but it was replaced by a grim expression as she answered the call at last, continuing to walk through the hall.

"Todoroki?"

"Finally. I was starting to think you wouldn't pick up." Momo was greeted by his soothing voice next to her ear. It sounded almost relieved. A possibility of if she would never get to hear it again crossed her mind for a split second, but she disposed of that thought as soon as it came.

"Why did you call?", she got straight to the point, because the tears were threatening to pour again and she didn't want to accidentally have him hear her crying. If he did, he would get worried and ask questions, and that was the last thing she wanted right now.

"Why did I...? Oh right. I, uhm...-" He trailed off, as if he was looking for the words, or rather, trying to find an excuse. Momo would have laughed at this, but she didn't have it in her to do so after everything she had just been hit with. "I wanted to see if you went back safely this morning. You left without telling me.", he settled on as an answer.

He was clearly referring to how she stayed at his place the day before. Her throat dried up at the mere mention of it. His pale, frightened face after being woken up from his nightmare flashed in her eyes. That night, she had made a silent promise to herself to stay by his side as she long as she could.

Still walking, Momo stayed silent, lips quivering as she pressed them together firmly. She could hear Todoroki speaking, though his words drowned out in her ears. She was about to break down any moment, and the sound of his voice was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Everything in her body was aching, and she ever so desperately wanted to just tell him everything. She yearned for his care, his reassurance. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to tell him, and it hurt. Momo knew this was a situation she had to deal with on her own.

Her own thoughts were cut off when she found him.

"Yaoyorozu? Are you there?" Unknowingly striding towards her direction, Todoroki had his phone to his ear with his other hand buried in his pocket, seeming to grow concerned as he waited for her response from the other end of the line.

The raven haired girl froze. His eyes finally landed on her in front of him, and he too stopped in his tracks at a distance away from her in the hallway. The arm that had been holding his phone went limp by his side.

His mouth curved into a smile at the sight of her. Her stomach churned.

Momo felt numb to the pain all of a sudden. In a way, it was odd. She was facing one of the hardest decisions of her life but she just felt empty inside.

At that point in time, she couldn't hear anything except for Enji's voice that resonated in the back of her head.

'Make your choice, Momo Yaoyorozu. Him, or your job?'

Of course, she loved Todoroki. She always had. He made feel safe, and reminded her of what peace was like. He did so much for her without needing to, and even though it confused her at times, she couldn't be more grateful.

But Momo couldn't keep depending on him forever. He owned a highly successful company, and she was nothing more than his secretary. As much as she was hoping, she knew this little contractual relationship of theirs was bound to blow over.

With his power and capabilities, Todoroki could have everything he ever wanted. There was no good in having him stay with someone as ordinary as her. He could find someone better, someone who could actually provide for him and do everything she couldn't. So there wasn't a reason for her to stick around any longer.

Bringing herself to look him in the eye, Momo knew what had to be done.

 

~

Notes:

short chapter but be prepared for the angst 😭

Chapter 19: Cold, Empty World

~

 

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 his pen repeatedly, staring with an intense look at the paperwork on his desk like he had been doing for the past seven whole minutes. Though it wasn't like his attention was actually on those papers anyway.

Yet again, Todoroki had fallen into the same occurrence where he seemed like he was professionally working, but all that was running through his mind was her.

It wasn't exactly a good look for a CEO like him to be distracting himself, he knew that. He was known to be a strictly professional man, and after he inherited Todoroki Corporation, all he knew was work. Well, until he met Momo again, that is.

Being in love was confusing, and that was what frustrated him the most about it. If you were to tell him a few months prior that he would willingly neglect his work in favor of occupying his mind with thoughts of a woman, he would call you absurd. Not once did he ever think he was going to set aside his work just to think about that mesmerizing smile of hers.

As much as it baffled him, he didn't quite mind it. The way the corners of her peachy lips turned up at something he did or said was always enough to fill him with an undeniable sense of pride. He smiled at the mere thought of it, and leaned back in his office chair, getting himself comfortable.

Her words from that night hadn't left him since. Todoroki never bothered to open up about his past to anyone, knowing that they would only back away once they knew how messed up and broken he really was. Although he didn't expect her to be the same, he was still surprised when she hugged him, even crying for him.

No one had ever treated him like that. People always kept their distance from him, deeming him too intimidating; leaving him to a cold, empty world where he only had himself. And for the longest time, he thought he was fine with that. Before she came in and filled him with a warmth he never knew he could feel.

Her tenderness and care reminded him of his mother and somehow made him fall in love with her all over again. Somehow she always knew how to comfort him, even if she didn't know that fact herself.

He wanted to see her.

"What excuse should I make to see her this time...?", he mumbled to himself absentmindedly, putting a wrist under his chin in thought.

The three months he had given her were about to pass and their little deal was coming to an end soon, unless she agreed to marry him by then. Until then, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible to make sure she would accept his proposal. Maybe he could ask her to bring him a file. Or he could schedule another date. Or maybe...

The sound of a knock on the door broke the silence.

"Come in." Todoroki spoke without really thinking it through, still debating ideas in his head and lost in thought. He could hear the door gently opening.

What he wasn't expecting however, was to hear her voice.

"As of today, we are no longer in a contractual relationship anymore."

He looked up to see Momo standing before him, utter confusion written on his face.

"Yaoyorozu?" His voice was small, coming out shakier than he had intended.

There was pain in her eyes. Momo balled her trembling fists, gulping heavily as if it took everything in her to say those words. But he didn't even have a moment to fully comprehend it, because he noticed a single tear trail down her cheek. His chest tightened.

"I'll be g-going now." Her face remained devoid of any emotion despite the stutter in her voice which he easily recognized. For a split second, he was reminded of when she came to his office that day to decline his offer, and his sudden rush of adrenaline that came with it.

She bowed and turned to leave.

No. He wouldn't let her.

He couldn't lose her again like this, like he had all those years ago. He didn't want to experience that again.

She brought meaning into his life. She was all he had left in his cold and empty world. He didn't want to be left all alone again.

So before he could think, Todoroki stood up and was already right behind her in long strides, just in time to grab her wrist before she could open the door. His hold on her was firm yet gentle as his heart raced rapidly in his chest.

"What do you mean?", his voice was breathless and unsteady, pupils shrinking as he tried and failed to compose himself. Momo froze. "You're just going to leave like this...?"

Momo turned on her heel to leave, but just as she did so, Todoroki stood up from his chair and made a reach for her hand. His fingers secured her wrist tightly.

'Just stay with me.'

"This is for the best, Shoto." She sounded distant, like she was in another world. A world that he couldn't understand for the life of him. His breath hitched in his throat, and his grip on her wrist loosened, allowing her to break free.

The sound of the door closing behind her echoed in the office room, leaving an unbearable silence in its trace. Todoroki just stood there, staring at the palm of his hand which was already cold from the lack of her warmth.

She didn't stay this time.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The air was quiet and comfortable around them in Momo's dimly lit room as Kyoka stared at the ceiling from where she was sprawled on the bed, recounting a story of one of the various crazy encounters she had at work. Momo would've listened with all ears as she was always eager to know what went on in her best friend's life, especially since they barely got to meet due to their overlapped schedules. But she just hummed in response every now and then as she rested her chin on her knees that were brought to her chest.

Kyoka came over that night, having found some free time to see her. Though she barged into her house like she always did, Momo saved her complaints for next time as she really couldn't be more thankful. After everything that happened, she didn't know what she would do with herself if she was alone.

"-and then I told him...", Kyoka trailed off when she glanced over at Momo to see her blank face, a gloomy look in her onyx eyes as she stared off into nothing in particular. Kyoka knew that look. "Momo, what's wrong?"

When she was met with silence, Kyoka propped herself up on her elbow to sit up properly, already getting prepared to punch a certain someone if necessary. "It's that bastard Todoroki isn't it?! I knew that guy was no good the moment I saw him!"

And Momo would usually defend Todoroki on the matter and scold her for badmouthing an innocent person, but her throat felt dry and she didn't have the energy to argue, so she stayed silent, still deep in thought. Kyoka seemed to understand this as she adjusted to sit right beside her, and the concern was apparent in her voice when she asked at last,

"Are you okay?"

Was she okay though?

She was forced to give up the man she loved. The man who reminded her of true happiness after her parents passed away. The man she promised to always be there for. And all because she was weak.

When his cruel father invited them to that dinner, Momo swore to tell that man a thing or two and free Todoroki from his troubles once and for all. But she couldn't say anything, and ended up letting him look down on her through his obviously backhanded remarks. She wasn't expecting to make that same mistake when he called her to his office, but she did, and now she had to deal with the consequences, which was losing Todoroki.

"We broke up.", she finally spoke, giving the purple haired girl a vague input on the situation at hand. Though it didn't exactly answer all her questions, Kyoka understood.

"Momo..." Kyoka looked at her with worry in her usually intimidating eyes, and when Momo looked back, that was all the guitarist needed to pull her in a tight hug. She patted her back while Momo kept an empty expression, trying her best to hold the tears in.

Once you got through her hard exterior, Kyoka was a rather sweet person in her own way. It was why Momo found a best friend in her and could always confide in her about whatever was bothering her, without needing to worry about if she was burdening her with her problems or not like she did with everyone else. And that she did. She went on telling her everything- how his father didn't approve of their relationship, how she was forced to end things with him, how she felt- everything that was on her mind in that moment.

"I don't want to leave him, Kyoka...", the raven haired girl said with shaky breaths, voice cracking as a terrible sensation churned in her stomach. It was painful, and she hated it. "I... I love him. I really do."

And Kyoka just ran her hand through her back in soothing motions, keeping quiet and listening to her speak.

But Momo purposefully left out the fact that their relationship was only part of a contract, knowing very well that there would be hell to pay if she told her that.

 

~

Chapter 20: The Truth

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦 an unspoken cold atmosphere in the meeting room which everyone could sense.

Even the men who were known in the company for their pretentious attitudes could be seen gulping in the presence of their notably ticked off boss. The employees remained quiet, keeping themselves from saying anything unnecessary. Getting on his nerves was surely something they did not want to experience, especially after witnessing for themselves the unlucky people who had to face his wrath. This had become a much more regular occurrence the past few days, and no one managed to figure out the actual reason for the sudden change of air.

Momo's fingers tensed around the edges of the clipboard she was holding, listening intently as the dual haired man took charge of the meeting and continued to speak professionally. He maintained a straight face the whole time, not even the slightest of emotion slipping out. Momo chose not to read too much into it.

It had been roughly a week since she ended things with him. And as time went by, it was getting harder and harder for Momo to keep being by his side as a secretary pretending like nothing happened between them.

Todoroki grew silent and closed off, and quite ill-tempered now that she thought about it. She had heard rumors about him supposedly being much more intimidating and angrier than usual, but didn't believe it at first as that was how he always seemed. But now that she was seeing it for herself, she could understand everyone's unease around him.

"We will release the product in three days time. Any objections?", he joined his calloused hands over the table and scanned his workers, the screens of a couple laptops providing light to the dimly lit room.

A timid looking male raised his trembling hand as he slid his glasses up his nose. His voice wobbled when he spoke, "Um, sir?"

Todoroki turned to him, almost glaring, as if he was daring the male to object to him, unlike the soft eyes he gave Momo in the short period of time they dated. She quickly shook off the thought from her mind as that was already long gone now.

"Yes?"

"We were thinking of delaying the release..."

His voice was small and rather hesitant, but everyone could hear just fine. You could hear a pin drop in the dead silence that took over. Todoroki drew in a long breath to calm himself before looking back at the employee who was practically shrinking in his seat. "And why is that?", he pressed.

"Th-there was an issue with the production-"

"Then make it work."

Momo drew her gaze up from the contents of her clipboard to him. One thing was for sure, Todoroki was definitely not in the mood. He leaned back in his chair and pulled at his tie, the gears in his jaw tensing. His breathing pattern was rather quick and unsteady which she could tell from the rise and fall of his chest. Worry overtook her senses, and for a brief moment she wondered if she should end the meeting or not.

But she was brought back to the present as the bespectacled guy stuttered, clearly confused, "Wh-what?"

"Didn't you hear me?", Todoroki crossed his arms sternly, "I said make it work."

"But sir-"

"I hired you all to this company for a reason." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Even though the room was perfectly air conditioned, there was sweat visible on his forehead. "No matter the issue, you should be able to work your way around it."

Knowing him, it seemed like something else was bothering him, and he was taking it out on the poor boy who had nothing to do with whatever was on his mind. Momo was not having any of it though, and even though she knew she probably should've kept quiet and stayed in her place, she was not one to keep her mouth shut when someone was getting needlessly berated in front of her. That was most certainly not the person her parents taught her to be, and so, she finally spoke up,

"That's absurd."

Everyone's eyes were on her, but it was too late to go back now. "You should know better than anyone that nothing good would come out of rushing the release of a product, especially when there was a problem in the production of it. That would just be unreasonable."

Momo would be lying if she said she didn't feel the slightest bit of unease with all the attention she put on herself, still she carried on.

"I suggest we give it at least a few more days. There shouldn't be a problem with that, right?"

Todoroki stared at her for a long, long time. As if he was trying to figure her out. She returned his gaze without hesitation, staring at him with a look that told him it was time to calm down now. Momo could feel her heart beating rather quickly, and she didn't know if it was simply from the adrenaline or from the way his eyes were boring into hers.

At last he looked away from her and spoke, momentarily breaking the tension between them, "You're all dismissed."

Then he got up and disappeared out of the meeting room without saying anything more. His employees were still seated, looking at each other in complete disbelief of what just happened. A mere secretary telling off her boss must've been quite an odd sight to behold.

Momo hastily picked up her clipboard and followed him out into the hallway. She struggled to keep up with the pace of his long legs in her heels as he strode through the hall in front of her, hands buried in his pockets. People could be heard whispering around them, but it didn't seem like Todoroki could care any less.

Finally they reached his office. Momo walked past him and into the room, turning to face him as she breathed heavily from the exhaustion. She could feel his gaze piercing through her as he waited for her to speak up, hand still on the doorknob.

"I don't know why you've been so ticked off nowadays, but you really should manage that temper of yours." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "You shouldn't take it out on people like that."

She hoped she made her point clear enough and took a step forward to leave, but Todoroki slammed the door shut and locked it, effectively blocking her exit. Her lips parted in surprise.

"Do you really not know?" Hearing his voice, Momo looked up to see an unreadable look in his heterochromatic eyes. "Or are you pretending not to?"

A strange chill ran down her spine. "What are you talking about...?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Yaoyorozu. You know exactly what I'm talking about." He inched closer, keeping his eyes locked on her. Out of mere instinct, she took a step back.

"I'm usually levelheaded, but I've been racking my damn brain the past week, and I just can't figure it out." His slow, powerful steps made Momo feel as though her body was being pushed back by an unstoppable force as he walked towards her. "The reason you suddenly ended our relationship out of nowhere."

Todoroki came closer and closer, and she continued to back away, alarmed by his unusual behavior.

"You're driving me fucking crazy, Momo. And I can't control it anymore." When Momo finally felt her back hit the wall, he slammed a hand on the wall beside her, pinning her in place. "I'm in love with you."

It took Momo a second to fully render those words.

I'm in love with you.

Her eyes widened.

He pushed himself against her and came even closer until they were only inches apart, keeping his hand on the wall. His breath was hot on her face while her eyes remained on the floor, unable to look at him. Todoroki gazed down at her calculatively, not even blinking an eye, waiting for her to say or do something.

She could hear her heart pounding and reverberating in her ears and he was so, so close, that their noses were almost touching, and for a slight moment Momo even contemplated if she should just give in, if she could just forget about everything else and submit to him and tell him that she loved him just as much, but she knew that wasn't possible, so she resorted to the one thing she was capable of in that moment. Avoidance.

Finally she brought herself to look up at him. "You're crossing the line, Todoroki."

He tensed at her words. Momo's heart squeezed with guilt, but she took the chance to push past him, making her way to the door.

"Then I'll cross it."

She stopped and turned to see him now facing her with a fire of determination in those beautiful heterochromatic eyes of his. One thing she had learned about Shoto Todoroki after knowing him for so long, was that he never backed down so easily. "Until you give me a definite answer, I won't give up. I'll keep on crossing whatever this line is that you put between us, and I'll keep on professing my feelings to you."

Her eyes burned with tears of- sadness? Frustration? Even she didn't know anymore, because why couldn't he just leave her be and move on with his life? He was perfect in so many ways, so why would he involve himself with someone as selfish and weak as her when there were so many opportunities right in front of him to take? Why did he even bother loving her?

But Momo didn't have the strength to argue. Instead, she turned her back to him fully, leaving the room without saying a word more.

 

~

Chapter 21: Too Stubborn

~

 

𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 certain incident, Momo was stuck in a tight spot. She even used one of her vacation days to take a day off from work due to her inability to face him. And in that one day, she stayed home, not allowing herself to shed a single tear and taking some time to really think. To think about how she had ended up in this position, to think about the choices she would make from here on out and to think about what she would do about Todoroki.

Although it seems Momo hadn't managed to properly figure out that last one. The instant she came back to work and saw him, everything that happened and everything that he said to her came resurfacing in the back of her mind again. She could feel his calculating eyes burning holes into her the entirety of the day, and she tried to maintain a straight face the whole time, acting as if she was completely unaware of his piercing gaze.

But of course, not everything goes as one wishes, and despite the fact that Momo even prayed for him to not approach her, the instant Todoroki found some spare time on his hands, he headed straight to her small office where she was typing on her computer. Normally she would've taken pleasure in reminding him that knocking was in fact a thing, but in these circumstances Momo could do nothing but ignore his looming presence as she kept her eyes locked on the screen.

"Yaoyorozu."

Only the faint sounds of her fingers clicking against the keyboard could be heard, and when Todoroki didn't receive a response, he tried asking again, "Yaoyorozu?"

"Yes?" Her throat had run dry, and her answer came out rather strained as if she hadn't used her voice in years.

"Do you have some time after work?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Then I'll let you off early. Eat dinner with me."

Todoroki really wasn't joking when he said he wouldn't give up until she gave him a definite answer. Momo should've figured as much, as knowing him, he was never the type to back down so easily. When Todoroki was set on something, he made sure to succeed no matter what.

But little did he know, the definite answer he had been longing for so badly was chained somewhere in her heart, completely powerless to break free.

"Why?", she shot back, keeping her eyes on the screen as if her life depended on it, "We're not even dating anymore."

"Then date me again."

Momo suppressed a sigh as she adjusted her glasses and scanned over a file in her hands, although she couldn't focus on reading those lines of text at all with him watching her every move. "That's not how you ask someone to date you.", she remarked almost tiredly.

Todoroki, still clueless to her obvious attempts to avoid him, straightened himself and paused for a second, looking upwards as if thinking of what to say. At last he spoke again,

"I'm in love with you. Go out with me."

For a brief second, Momo's fingers tightened their grip around the file she was holding.

"I refuse."

Then she stood up and made her way out of the room, file in hand, marching down the hallway and hoping to God he wouldn't follow her. Todoroki very unfortunately caught up to her quite easily with his long legs, walking right beside her with his hands stubbornly stuffed in his pockets.

She quickened her pace in hopes he would get the hint. He indeed did not, and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking, "I mean- what is there to refuse? I have the appearance, wealth, personality, and- and I'm perfectly capable as well.", he counted off his points on his fingers, and it was clear that he was starting to lose his composure with the way he was speaking like a madman. "So just why would you reject me?"

He had raised his voice without even knowing, and Momo had to double check to make sure nobody was around to listen. But when she decided that she has had enough, she spun to face the dual haired man behind her, finally looking him in the eye with a deadpan.

"Your only flaw," she says, "is that you're too stubborn."

Todoroki seemed to have found the situation amusing somehow, as made evident by the way a corner of his lips turned up.

"Oh yeah? This is only the beginning."

Momo just scoffed and turned around, striding down the hallway again.

"Stop following me."

Todoroki was in fact, still following her.

"I'm not following you."

"You clearly are."

"Well, I'm your boss."

"Are you just going to use that excuse every time?"

She could hear him chuckle, and let out a dragged sigh as she asked once again, "Do you find entertainment in stressing me out?"

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate.

"Ugh!"

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

"Cheers!"

Glasses clinked together, and each of the peers who were exhausted from work began gulping down their drinks at once. They were certainly having a blast, and it didn't take them long to erupt into conversation as per usual, filling the small diner with noisy chatter.

"Man...!" Kaminari sighed with a satisfied grin on his face, raising his glass in the air and almost spilling the alcoholic beverage. "Beer tastes way better after having the energy drained out of our souls the whole day, don't cha think, Ejirou?"

"You can't be more right, dude." Kirishima flashed his shark teeth at the blonde, before noticing Shinso who had just barely managed to dodge Denki's arm from smacking his face, grumbling and muttering. He frowned. "Hey- wait, what are you doing?"

Shinso brushed a hand through his wild purple hair, the screen of his laptop that was on the table illuminating the already apparent eyebags under his tired eyes. He kept on typing, clearly uninterested in the conversation.

"It took us all our strength for us to convince you to come drink with us and you're just going to work here?!"

"I don't have time to drink. My work will pile up."

"Gah!" His words seemed to have sparked something in Mina, as she clapped her hands together in realization, panic written on her expression. "Didn't Boss tell us we needed to work on the advertisements of the new products?!"

Ochaco nodded swiftly from beside her with widened eyes, her beer-filled glass already long forgotten. "Oh right! He di-"

"He did.", Momo cut in, looking rather sullen at the mention of him. She took a long swig out of her drink, gulping it down without an ounce of hesitation.

Her silky hair was more unkempt than usual and her eyes lacked their usual concentration. She sighed and leaned on the table a bit, staring at her empty glass absentmindedly with sleep deprivation getting the best of her.

The raven haired girl was worn out both mentally and physically, and she had joined her coworkers to blow off some steam. But really, the main reason was to get her mind off Todoroki.

Seriously, why was he so persistent? From what she could recall, she had clearly cancelled the contract, loud and clear. She couldn't even hold back her tears and probably looked pathetic to him. What was there to even like about someone as ordinary as her?

Everyone went quiet and was exchanging weird glances around her now. Of course, Momo wasn't blind to this, but she didn't question it as she set her glass back down on the table with a louder thunk than she had intended.

"Uhm, Yaomomo..."

Momo looked up through her lashes at Mina sitting in front of her, though it looked more like she was glaring with the way her cat-like eyes were narrowed sharply. Mina visibly flinched under her intense stare.

"About you and Boss Todoroki..." She fidgeted with her fingers awkwardly and pondered over what would be right to say, sweat droplets forming on her face as Momo just blinked at her. Everyone watched cautiously as Mina finally asked the question they had been dying to know the answer of, "Did something happen between you two...?"

That snapped Momo out of her daze for sure. Immediately she tensed up, not sure of how to save herself out of this one.

"Huh? W-What gives you that idea?"

She couldn't keep back the slight stutter that left her mouth and bit her tongue as an instant reflex, silently cursing herself for making herself seem even more suspicious to them than she already was.

"You guys are barely seen talking anymore, you know...!" Kaminari filled in for them. The others nodded along to his words that were in fact true. "You both don't even look at each other in meetings or anything. For a fiancé and fiancée, it's just strange."

Hearing that, Momo's mind went into a spiral of thoughts. Did they really seem that... distant? Even in the eyes of other people too? Hell, even Kaminari had managed to pick up on it. Her heart tightened with a miserable feeling that she couldn't ignore any longer. She didn't like it.

"It's just...", she cast her gaze downwards at her hands on her lap, trying to find the words to say. Maybe she shouldn't have even responded and entertained the idea of it in the first place. Maybe she should've just kept quiet and denied all their suspicions. But it was too late for any of that.

And now, it didn't seem like they were going to drop it anytime soon.

"Was it a lovers' quarrel?!", Mina's eyes widened and she placed both her hands on the table, leaning over the table towards Momo with a mixture of curiosity as well as worry for her dear friend. Uraraka however, was definitely not having any of it, as made clear by the way she was glowering and balling her fist.

"Did he hurt you, Momo?", the normally bubbly and carefree brunette that Momo came to know asked in a rather intimidating tone that contrasted completely from her usual behavior. Her eyes darkened dangerously when she was met with a lack of a response. "That scumbag, when I find him I'll-"

"N-No! Todoroki didn't do anything wrong..." Momo was suddenly hit with the impulsive urge to defend the dual haired man almost as soon as Ochaco was about to curse him. She couldn't let Todoroki be seen in a negative light, especially after all he'd done for her!

"You broke up, didn't you?"

She looked up to see Shinso leaning on his palm boredly, with his tired eyes fixated on her other than his computer screen for the first time. Her throat felt dry all of a sudden.

She tried to speak, "I-"

"Wait, really? Did you actually break up?"

"Well-"

"Please tell us it's not true, Yaomomo!"

Momo felt as if she had lost the ability to speak. Words were clogged up in her throat and she opened her mouth to let them out but to no avail. Even though the whole thing was a contractual relationship, in a way, they did break up. But despite that, a part of her deep inside didn't want to admit that. She felt utterly stuck, and didn't know what to say or do.

"The truth is..." Her voice wobbled a little, and a horrible sensation churned in her stomach.

'A million dollars, isn't it? I should've known you weren't pretending to be his fiancé for nothing.' Enji's voice mocked her in the back of her mind relentlessly.

Their relationship... it was never real anyway. It was merely a contract bound on paper for both of their personal benefit. The whole fiancé and fiancée thing was all an act too. So why, why was it so hard for her to just tell them that they broke up? Why couldn't she just say the words-

"Yaoyorozu."

Each of them turned to look in the direction of the voice that was all too familiar.

Walking towards their table was Todoroki, a bold smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Jaws were dropped, and Kaminari would've dropped and shattered his glass too if it wasn't for Shinso nudging him to get his act together. Those heterochromatic eyes that Momo would never forget were looking at her only and no one else.

Her eyes widened.

"Todoroki...?-"

"I wanted to have dinner with you tonight but it seems like you were drinking with your friends, huh?" The male who was known for his cold and serious demeanor even pouted a bit to display some sort of childish disappointment and pulled out the chair on her right, shifting his gaze towards his employees who hadn't seemed to have recovered from their shock quite yet. "Going past that, I can sit here, right?"

They merely blinked at him in a very uncomfortable silence.

Out of nowhere, Kaminari slammed his hands on the table and jolted up from his seat, his eyes wide open. The sudden sound caused everyone to look up at him blankly, wondering what the hell he was doing. Todoroki raised a brow.

"I..." He inhaled through his nose deeply, and as if a switch had been flipped inside him, he suddenly placed a hand on his chest and exclaimed a little too loudly, "I AM DENKI KAMINARI! Twenty one years old! You probably have no idea who I am but I work in the creative department of Todoroki Corporation!"

Silence. No one said a word as Kaminari took a moment to catch his breath. He had a very stiff smile on his face, hand still on his heaving chest. Then, Mina raised her hands and clapped slowly. Each of his friends followed and started slowly clapping with unamused expressions for the golden eyed boy.

There was another loud slam. Everyone looked at the source of the sound to see Kirishima standing up now, the impact of his fists shaking the glasses and utensils on the table.

"And I am Ejirou Kirishima! You definitely don't know who I am either but I also work in the creative department of Todoroki Corporation! I've been working at your company for over four years and-"

"I'm aware of who you are." Todoroki stated bluntly, already sitting in his rightful spot beside Momo. He crossed his arms and leaned back on his seat, secretly feeling smug over himself as he felt her confused gaze directed on him.

"Really? You do?", Kaminari and Kirishima asked in unison, their eyes lighting up at the prospect of their boss actually knowing them in a company filled with so many people.

Todoroki simply nodded, running a hand through the side of his neatly parted hair. "The troublesome ones that always get reported for being too loud, are you not?"

Momo could literally see the souls slowly flying out of their bodies as the two slumped back in their seats dejectedly. She spoke to the man sitting beside her in a low voice, "Why are you here?"

He smiled and threw an arm around the back of his chair to face her. "To see you."

The others gasped and started whispering things to each other about how they didn't break up after all. Momo scoffed in disbelief at his straightforwardness, but she couldn't deny the sound of her heart beating in her ears way too loudly for her liking as he was completely face to face with her now.

Breaking the silence, Uraraka clasped her hands together with a tight-lipped smile. "Well, to celebrate our boss so kindly joining us tonight, I'll pour him a drink."

She grabbed a nearby bottle and stood up. Todoroki watched her pour the beer in his glass from across him, and he took the glass when she sat back down and gestured for him to drink up. Everyone began chanting, breaking the tension that surrounded them,

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

He gave Momo a sideways glance before smirking and bringing the glass to his lips.

Although the raven haired girl was still baffled by the turn of events, she found it quite hard to keep her eyes off him. His chiseled jawline was only made more visible as he squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head upwards to gulp down the beer, his Adam's apple bobbing with each sip.

He emptied the entire glass in seconds and set it down on the table with a loud thunk, letting out the breath he had been holding. They all clapped and cheered, yet his attention was only on her. The corners of his lips curled up.

This was going to be a fun night.

~

Momo would have never even imagined that the usually noisy and chaotic group that was always filled with so much energy, would so easily manage to turn into awkward, cowering idiots under the eyes of their boss, but here she was.

Kirishima even tried to crack a few jokes at times to lighten the mood, only to end up making the uncomfortable atmosphere even worse. Shinso was the only one who dared to speak casually with their boss, going on about work-related matters as he always did whereas Todoroki just nodded and listened boredly while drinking.

And as Momo choked out yet another strained laugh at one of the redhead's excruciatingly unfunny dad jokes, she decided that this torture had to end someway or another. And so, with a forced smile directed at the others, she leaned closer to Todoroki until their sides were almost touching, whispering in his ear through gritted teeth,

"They're uncomfortable because of you. Just leave."

He blankly stared at her for a moment, processing her words. Then he looked at the others.

"Am I making you all uncomfortable?"

They shook their heads to refuse almost immediately.

"Of course not, Sir!" Kaminari blurted out with a wobbly smile plastered on his mouth, grabbing a beer bottle to pour it into his glass, only for it to completely miss and spill on the table instead. "We're cozy as ever! See?"

"Y-Yes!" Mina raised her trembling hands to give him finger hearts. "We love you, Boss!"

Satisfied enough by their very obviously forced words, Todoroki smiled and turned to meet Momo's eyes, shrugging his shoulders as if to say "See? They're fine". She furrowed her eyebrows and whispered rather loudly,

"Do you expect them to be straightforward with their own boss?!"

 

. . . . .

 

Momo didn't know how much time had passed since then. Maybe an hour or two? She always seemed to lose her concept of time whenever she drank.

Either way, everyone was dead drunk, except for Todoroki who could hold his liquor pretty well. Even Shinso was wasted after Denki challenged him to a bet on who could drink more. Her intoxicated coworkers began spouting random things to each other that they sure as hell wouldn't be caught dead saying in front of their boss if they were sober.

"Ejirou... Why are your muscles so perfect?" Mina slurred out in her alcohol-driven state, causing Kirishima's face to be even redder if it was possible. "Nice to look at too... I wish I had muscles like yours."

"Work... I need to work..." Hitoshi mumbled in his sleep with his head resting on the back of his chair, eliciting a groan of discontent from Kaminari who was also completely knocked out with his cheek squished against the table.

"Just shut up, Shinso..."

And as Todoroki was simply observing these drunken interactions with his arms folded, Uraraka grabbed a fork and pointed it right at his throat.

"Listen up, Todoroki.", she addressed him in a way that completely differed from how she treated him with such formality earlier, and there was a dark look in her chocolate orbs that screamed deadly. "If you do something to hurt Momo, I will personally slice your throat off. You hear me?"

Todoroki, still having his arms crossed, leaned towards the brunette to look her directly in the eye with a serious expression on his face. "I'm sure you won't have to worry about that."

"Prove me wrong then," She leaned back in her seat and seemed to have calmed down, though there was no saying what she would do with herself when she sobered up tomorrow and realized just how she had threatened her boss the day before.

He nodded at that, and found himself glancing at the raven haired girl beside him who also seemed to be a bit tipsy. She was very silent and her eyes were half closed. Her head lolled up and down as she seemed to be fighting back sleep.

"Momo." He softly whispered as he placed a calloused hand on hers, gently intertwining their fingers and bringing their interlocked hands on his lap. "Let's go home," Stroking her knuckles with the pad of his thumb, he tilted his head down to get a better look at her face. "okay?"

Momo slowly looked up to meet his gaze, seeming quite lost on the situation as she batted her long lashes at him. Her cheeks were flushed from alcohol, and though Todoroki thought she looked rather cute in that moment, he had to pull himself together as she weakly nodded in response.

No more words were exchanged between them after that. Todoroki helped her stand up and took her out of the small deserted diner into the bustling street, keeping his hand wrapped around her wrist to prevent her from stumbling.

"What time is it?", she murmured incoherently to herself and tried to pull her hand out of his warm grasp so that she could reach for her phone, about to trip over on her heels before Todoroki tightened his hold on her, pulling her even closer to him as he said in a low voice,

"It's past twelve. Stay here."

While Momo tried to figure out how he had managed to even hear her (though the alcohol in her system slowed down her mind quite a lot), he used his free hand to pull out his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his list of contacts until he dialed his driver's number and pressed the phone to his ear.

It didn't take long for his driver to answer the call, and he soon began telling him their location, not missing a single detail. As Todoroki spoke, he could feel her big eyes focusing on him the whole time. He felt a bit self conscious, which was quite new as he had never really cared that much about how he looked, and felt a repressed urge within him to hide his nasty scar from her sight.

Once he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, he could hear a soft sniffle. He immediately looked at the girl beside him.

"Momo?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks before she could control herself, and in no time Momo dissolved into drunken sobs. Todoroki stood there, not knowing how to react to this sudden outburst.

"Momo... Hey," He released his grip on her so that he could place his hands on her shoulders, bringing her to face him. Concern was etched on his features as he watched those gut-wrenching tears flow down her peachy skin. "Are you feeling sick?"

"Why?", she mumbled with her head hung low, a shadow cast over her face which made it difficult for him to see her.

"Huh?"

When Momo looked up at him, Todoroki could finally see her face. Her glistening obsidian eyes, her voluminous lashes that were wet from booze-induced tears, her cheeks that were damp and reddened- Sure, she might have looked like a mess, but to him she was just about a goddess. The goddess he fell for.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Those words brought him back to the present, and he just looked at her, scanning her with a calculative gaze and trying to understand what she meant. "Wh-Why are you so patient and understanding with me when I k-keep pushing you away?"

"Because I love you." He stated as simple as that, as if it was obvious. A car sped past and blew a gust of wind where they were stood. Fluorescent city lights flickered in the tall buildings around them. Momo blinked through the tears and looked into his unwavering gaze.

"Why?"

Todoroki almost chuckled at that. Why? It was such a silly question to him. Because as he looked at her face, those twinkling midnight eyes of hers, he was given all the answers he could need.

"It just feels right." He tucked the stray strand on the left side of her face behind her ear so he could get a better look at her. If only she could see just how she looked in his eyes. If Todoroki had lost his senses completely, he might've even wiped those tears from her face, but he held himself back.

"There was never a moment where I didn't love you, Yaoyorozu. That's why I can't give up on you."

Momo sniffled one last time. Her heart was beating fast, but it felt like it was splitting apart at the same time.

"You really are stubborn...", she croaked out.

Shoto Todoroki was always thinking. Even since he was a child, he was always analyzing the world around him, never losing his sense of reasoning not even once. He always did what seemed the most rational and had never acted on impulse.

But at that moment in time, Todoroki lost the self control he had been trying so hard to keep. Without thinking once, he slid the hand on her shoulder up to the side of her neck and used it to pull her closer to him, tilting his head and leaning straight in. Momo did nothing but close her eyes, letting a single tear seep out as a final remainder.

Their lips were only centimeters apart now, and just when Todoroki was about to close the distance between them, the faint scent of alcohol snapped him back into his senses. His barely open eyes travelled down to her glossy pink lips that were parted for him. Then to her warm, flushed cheeks.

Oh. That was right. She was drunk.

The more reasonable part of him told him this was wrong. As much as the dual haired man wanted to kiss her until the tears stopped flowing, he didn't want to take advantage of her when she was in a vulnerable state. He slowly let go of her, watching her eyes open as she gave him a cute look of confusion. For now, Todoroki would have to wait.

For now.

"My driver is here. I'll take you home." He took a few steps back as he shoved his hands in his pockets, nodding in the direction of the black car that stopped right by them. Momo's confused look dropped.

"Oh."

Her cheeks became even redder, if that was even possible. Seeing the clear shame and disappointment consume her features, Todoroki felt an urge to try and kiss her again- but he shook away those thoughts for later.

 

~

Chapter 22: Guardian Angel

~

 

𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗢 𝗚𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗗 as she woke up, sitting on her bed with widened eyes, a hand over her chest that rose and fell every breath she took. The frustratingly bright glare of the sun shone through the windows into her bedroom and Momo felt her cheeks warm up as she gradually came back to her senses.

What a strange dream she had indeed.

Todoroki trying to kiss her? How ridiculous!

When she stepped foot onto the cold tile of her floor, a stabbing headache overcame her completely. She groaned out in pain and raked her hair back with her fingers, clutching its silky tresses to let out her frustration. Why was her head hurting so much?

Her tired thoughts were promptly interrupted when she heard the click of her front door and rustling from outside her room. Her eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

Then there were thumping sounds that sounded suspiciously like footsteps.

Was it a burglar? The headache was long forgotten by now as Momo slowly dropped her hand from her head, red alarms blaring in her mind and putting her on alert.

She scanned the room for anything that could serve as a weapon, and instinctively grabbed the dull lamp that sat on her bedside table. Slowly yet steadily, she inched towards the door of her bedroom, lamp in hand as she took careful steps.

Momo took a deep, shaky breath before opening the door and rushing towards what seemed like the back of a person in front of the counter of her kitchen island.

"Freeze!" She yelped out, her heartbeat speeding up as she raised the lamp to attack, before this unsuspecting 'stranger' turned around to meet her frantic expression. Wait. Wasn't he...?

"Y-Yaoyorozu?" Wide heterochromatic eyes stared back at the raven haired girl behind him, a mixture of surprise and utter confusion on his face as he blinked at the lamp that was just about to make contact with his skin.

When Momo heard his voice, she at last took a proper look at the man in front of her. "Todoroki?"

Breathing heavily, Momo took a few steps back, her arms falling by her sides as she finally felt herself relax. At least it wasn't a burglar.

Actually, that was the least of her concerns right now. She almost pounced on Todoroki with a lamp, for goodness sake! Going past that, why was Todoroki here? Without any notice? Nevermind that, how did he even get inside her house?!

"Wh-What are you doing here?", she brought herself to ask. There were a million other questions circulating in her mind.

"I- Ah..." Todoroki warily glanced at the lamp in her grasp before looking back at her, trying to find the words to say. He was still in the navy shirt and white tie from yesterday. He slowly raised the plastic grocery bag in his hand, clearly still confused. "I went to the convenience store to get you some hangover soup as I figured you might need it. I-I didn't know you would try to assault me with a lamp as soon as I got back?"

Momo just blinked. Hangover soup...? That didn't sound quite right. Did she drink yesterday?

She avoided his bewildered gaze, looking to the side as she clutched her hair once again. That would explain the throbbing headache. But why was he here?

Momo let go of her hair and looked back at the dual haired man, drowsily processing the situation at hand. She looked at the stunned expression on his face, then at the grocery bag he had placed on the counter in the middle of her contemplating session- then it all finally clicked.

'Drink! Drink! Drink!'

'Momo, let's go home, okay?'

'Wh-Why are you so patient and understanding with me when I k-keep pushing you away?'

'There was never a moment where I didn't love you, Yaoyorozu.'

'My driver is here. I'll take you home.'

As all the events from last night came rushing into her mind all at once, all the prior fear and agitation of a potential burglar breaking into her house had been washed away by a wave of humiliation and shame.

So it wasn't a dream after all. But Momo wished it had just been a really embarrassing nightmare.

~

Momo felt like she was going mad. The sound of the air conditioning in the car that was all too familiar for her by now, added by the dead silence and the fact that her brain felt like mush only made it worse.

But she wasn't drunk. Of course not.

Her gaze drifted to Todoroki who was sitting on the far right of her. It was a bit dark in the car, but she could still see his perfectly refined features. He seemed quite at ease.

The sleep deprivation kicked in and she felt her eyes almost close again. What time was it again?

She looked through the heavily tinted black windows to the full moon. Past twelve. Right. He already told her it was past twelve.

It must've been quite late then...

Momo rested the side of her head on the window. A soft yawn left her mouth before her eyes slowly closed at last, and she settled into a dreamless sleep.

-

Todoroki heard something that sounded suspiciously like soft snoring. He looked to his right and found the raven haired girl who had fallen asleep with her head against the window.

He silently observed the way she was groaning a bit in her sleep and kept restlessly adjusting positions. She must've been uncomfortable.

Slowly, Todoroki moved to close the large gap between them, inching closer until he was right beside her. His hand carefully wrapped around the side of her head, lifting it away from the firm window, and he gently placed her head on his shoulder.

As if she instinctively knew in her sleep, Momo seemed to have found his shoulder much more comfortable, which was only made more evident by how she instantly snuggled into him.

Todoroki released her head and just watched her sleeping peacefully with fond eyes. She was breathing in a rhythmic pattern, and her adorably flushed face was only highlighted even more by the moonlight.

The corners of his lips turned up in a small smile.

"You must really love your girlfriend, Sir," the driver broke the silence and commented from the front seat, a pleased look on his face at seeing his usually stoic boss having such a warm smile on his face. Todoroki's smile immediately dropped.

"We're not-..." The rest of what he was going to say trailed off as he glanced at the girl nestled against him and realized just the position they were in. He felt the tips of his ears heating up.

"Ah, don't be shy! I know young love when I see it," The man let out a sly chuckle. This was the longest conversation Todoroki could recall having with him despite the guy being his driver for several months after he fired his last one. "Treat the lady well, you get me?"

Left at a loss of words, Todoroki merely nodded in response.

-

"Momo."

Momo groaned again, squeezing her eyes closed as tight as she could muster. She didn't want to wake up. Not so soon...

"Momo, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?"

She could feel a warm hand stroking her knuckles and applying a bit of pressure to her wrist as a silent request. And hearing that soft, familiar voice, Momo couldn't help but comply. She slowly opened her eyes to meet a pair of heterochromatic irises looking back at her. Her face lit up.

"It's Shoto," Momo grinned, quickly turning to face him so that she could cup his face in a way that made his cheeks squish a bit. He blinked at her with wide eyes as she burst into ecstatic giggles. "You're kind of like my guardian angel. Always here to save me when I'm in trouble..."

He cleared his throat repeatedly, clearly taken aback by the situation as she kept on playing with his cheeks. He had a very defined jawline, but his cheeks were softer than she thought. Like little stress balls that she would never get tired of. Momo didn't miss the way they reddened ever so slightly as Todoroki kept glancing over at the man in the driver's seat.

"Y-Yaoyorozu, what are you...?"

The drunken girl burst into high pitched giggles as if he had said something particularly funny, finally releasing him from her grip.

"Let's go!"

Filled with excitement, Momo opened the car door and hopped out, swaying a little as she staggered towards her apartment building.

"Careful there!" Todoroki was immediately behind her, grabbing her hand protectively so that she wouldn't stumble over. A smile spread over her full lips as she looked at her newly dubbed guardian angel beside her who was breathing heavily now. "Don't go anywhere without me... I mean, you could get hurt."

"Sir, yes, sir!" She straightened up, using her free hand to salute him with a serious look on her face. Then her lips spread to form another grin. "Or should I say Boss? Because you're technically my boss?"

Todoroki sighed, and ultimately failed to suppress the breathy chuckle that left his mouth at her words. Stuck between being amused by her antics and also feeling responsible for her, he gave her one last defeated smile before tightening his hold on her wrist and guiding her inside the apartment building.

After a moment spent in silence inside the elevator, before Momo knew it, they were already at her front door. She fumbled for her keys in her purse and unlocked the door, immediately barging in as she kicked off her heels in the entryway, unable to contain herself anymore.

"Home! We're home!" Momo's excited voice filled the air as she twirled around, giggling with purely unadulterated joy. She felt like she was on cloud nine. Todoroki quickly shut the door behind him and rushed towards her.

"Hey- What did I say about going off without me?" He got a hold of her arm and spun her around to face him, his hands resting on her shoulders. Momo beamed at him, a hint of innocence in her clueless expression. Todoroki sighed once more. "Let's get you to bed, okay?"

~

Momo brought her fingers over her gaping mouth, eyes widening in pure horror.

"Wh-Wh-Why didn't you leave?" Her voice wobbled a bit as she dropped her hands from her face. A blush was spreading on her face like wildfire. She suddenly felt dizzy from all this.

Realizing that she had finally remembered what had happened the night before, Todoroki let out a small sigh as he leaned back on the counter, shifting his gaze to the floor. "I tried. You wouldn't let me, remember...?"

~

She nodded, letting him lead her to her bedroom. Once they were inside, all the exhaustion hit her like a wave and her limbs felt tired all of a sudden. Momo immediately collapsed onto her bed without thinking, laying flat on her stomach. Todoroki stood beside her and leaned down to carefully pull the blanket over her frame.

"It seems like you'll be fine on your own from here." From the corner of her eye she could see him standing back up and scratching the back of his neck in a bashful manner. "I'll be going now."

But just as Todoroki turned to leave, he was stopped by a sudden death grip on his hand. He turned back to the raven haired girl who had his wrist completely confined within her slender fingers. She had her eyes narrowed in a death stare.

"Yaoyorozu, I really should get going now..." He forced out a nervous laugh. But Momo wasn't going to let go of him any time soon, made evident by the way she tightened her hold on him the moment he tried to pull away.

Her heart raced as she clung tightly to his hand, her eyes shimmering with desperation. Deep down, beneath her tipsy demeanor, she yearned for his presence, for the comfort he brought, the sense of safety and reassurance she found in his gaze.

In her intoxicated state, the feelings she had been trying so hard to suppress had bubbled to the surface, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.

"I don't wanna be alone," Momo pushed out her bottom lip in a pout, her irises somehow sparkling as she looked at him with those pleading eyes. "Stay. Please?"

~

Silence. For a moment, no one dared to even speak. Todoroki being unsure of what to say in such a compromising situation, and Momo being left in a state of denial and utter shock as the flashbacks finally stopped pouring in.

To be frank, Momo wanted to go back inside her room and never come out. These past few days, she had been preparing herself to avoid any sort of moment between them. For the sake of both her own heart and his. But now, not only had she gotten drunk and acted so shameful and intimate with him, she even let him inside her house. And he was still there. That needed to change. As soon as possible.

"I slept on the couch..." Todoroki felt the need to mention amidst the unspoken tension that surrounded them, as if that would make things any better for her. Nonetheless, Momo just nodded in a daze-like state.

"Oh. Right." She snuck a glance down at herself, looking at her wrinkled pajamas and her tangled mess of hair cascading over her shoulders. A deep flush of embarrassment tinted her cheeks for looking so improper in front of him. Sure, they may have been close enough to know each other on personal terms, but he was still her boss. And she was his secretary. Which brought her to her next issue.

"I sincerely thank you for everything you did for me last night, and for the hangover soup too," She made a move to inch closer to him, and Todoroki, sensing the strange shift in her demeanor, took a step back out of mere instinct. "Now if you don't mind me, I'll be respectfully asking you to get out."

Once she was right in front of him, Momo grabbed his shoulders and forcefully spun him around before he could even react, and using all her might, she began pushing him towards the door without an ounce of remorse or hesitation left in her.

"Ow, what on earth-" Todoroki stumbled repeatedly from the immense pressure of her hands against his broad back as she kept pushing him. When they at last reached the doorway and Momo shoved the young CEO to the hallway outside, he exclaimed as he almost lost his footing, "Is this your idea of 'respectfully asking'?"

"I'm sure you have work to attend to instead of sticking around at my apartment," And with that, the woman who was known for her saint manners and grace slammed the door on him without even sparing him a second glance.

In that moment, it was the only way she knew how to cope with the overwhelming surge of emotions and the fear of facing the consequences. She needed to create distance, to regain control over herself and the situation. Pushing him away seemed like the easiest way to do that.

And when Todoroki was safely out of sight, Momo pressed her back against the door and let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

That moment of relief unfortunately didn't last very long. Of course, she had to go to work as well, which meant that she had to see his face again. Which, after all that occurred, did not sound too pleasant for the raven haired girl. Nonetheless, she wouldn't let her personal embarrassment get in the way of her job and kept her professionalism in check as she talked to Todoroki about work-related matters in his office.

"They plagiarized mostly everything, down to the labelling and even the entire concept of the product," Momo used her fingers to zoom in and scroll through a couple pictures of evidence on the tablet she was holding, making sure to keep her eyes off him the whole time and trying to act as if she didn't just kick him out of her apartment a few hours ago.

Luckily, his attention was on the tablet for now as he carefully observed the pictures in his office chair, not looking away for a split second while she carried on, "And now they're using their reputation as a company to point the accusations at us instead when we filed a lawsuit against them. They want to take this to court."

Todoroki had his fingers pressed to his lips, deeply contemplating over their options as his hand slid down to scratch at his chin. After a moment of consideration, he looked up at her, the normal action catching her slightly off guard as he spoke at last, "Search for a lawyer that's capable enough for us to win the case if necessary." He glanced at his watch. "As soon as possible."

"Yes, sir." She nodded, until a certain memory flashed by in her mind.

'Sir, yes, sir!'

Just before Todoroki could see her face reddening, she immediately turned to leave the room holding the tablet close to her chest. Much to her dismay, he spoke again, stopping her right in her tracks, "Are you feeling better now? How was the hangover soup?"

Momo squeezed her eyes shut in utter mortification, feeling her cheeks heat up from just the mention of what happened.

Throughout the day, Todoroki seemed occupied with his own duties, and she tried her best to maintain a professional demeanor whenever their paths crossed. She avoided any unnecessary conversations or lingering gazes, determined to keep their interactions strictly business related.

But now that he had approached her so directly, she felt cornered. Momo wasn't sure what he was trying to pull here, but still tried her utmost best to compose herself as she slowly turned her head to meet his gaze with her back facing him.

"Aside from a minor headache, I'm fine. Thank you." Her voice was small, and she wasn't sure if Todoroki could even hear her or not. He must have, though, judging by the way he smiled at her response.

"That's good to hear," He was standing up from his office chair now, and the serious look on his face from just a moment ago had already faded at the sight of her. His heterochromatic eyes lit up in a rather strange way as he crossed his arms with a smirk playing on his lips. "If you want to thank me, treat me to dinner instead of kicking me out of your house."

Todoroki must've really enjoyed watching her suffer.

"With your wealth, I think you can treat yourself just fine." She blatantly shunned his quite obvious attempt at flirting with her, walking away from him and towards the door with a straight face. He clearly wasn't satisfied enough by her response, only made more evident by how he followed her out of the room.

"Come on, you should express your gratitude." He walked with her in the hallway, paying no heed to the people watching them. She furrowed her eyebrows at his persistence, despite the way it felt like her heart was about to beat out of her ribcage. Todoroki's smirk only grew wider at seeing the very apparent blush on her face. "I'm your guardian angel, aren't I?"

Momo pinched her nose bridge, feeling her stabbing headache grow more painful by the minute. She shot him a deadly look. "Unless you want this headache of mine to get worse, I advise you to stop talking to me."

Just when the dual haired man opened his mouth to respond, he was promptly interrupted by a few young employees who scurried over to him, ultimately blocking his view of her.

"Good afternoon, Boss!" One of the employees exclaimed with way too much enthusiasm for Todoroki's liking, and they all bowed immediately after, flashing him eager grins. A corner of Todoroki's mouth twitched in a rather awkward attempt at a smile to greet them back. Usually he wouldn't have even spared them a second glance. Maybe Momo's politeness was rubbing off on him a bit too much.

"Well, thank you, but I'm quite busy at the moment...-" He tried to gently push past them to get to Momo, just wanting to get this over with before a random cup of coffee was shoved in his face.

"Don't be like that, Boss! You must be tired, have some coffee!"

And while Todoroki struggled to get rid of the guys who were clearly looking for a promotion, Momo took her chance to slip away from them and out of his sight as she strode away, silently thanking the employees for letting her escape that embarrassing conversation.

"Good riddance..." she mumbled with her bottom lip pushed out in a small yet noticeable pout, trying to ignore all the lingering feelings and the warmth flooding her cheeks in a rosy hue. That man really wouldn't let her breathe, would he?

She made her way back to her desk, silently grateful for the familiarity of her work. It gave her a sense of stability amidst the chaos of her emotions. Momo focused on the task at hand, burying herself in the research and preparation needed for the upcoming lawsuit. It provided her a temporary escape from her own personal turmoil.

As the hours passed, Momo found herself growing more busy, which allowed her to just forget everything for the time being. The initial embarrassment began to subside slowly yet surely, replaced by a determination to prove her worth in her role as his secretary. She couldn't afford to let her personal feelings hinder her performance or jeopardize their relationship.

However, there were moments when their eyes would meet or when she caught a glimpse of his distinctive two-toned hair from across the office. It served as a painful reminder of what had transpired between them. Momo's heart wavered numerous times, torn between longing for their connection and the fear of losing her job due to her selfish desires.

By the end of the day, Momo felt mentally drained. She had given her all to her tasks, pouring the little energy left in her body into her work to distract herself from her ever so complicated feelings. As she gathered her belongings to leave earlier than her usual time, she couldn't shake off that longing and yearning of her heart.

Setting those lingering feelings aside, she stepped through the glass revolving doors and out of the company building. Her gaze travelled towards the sky in an absentminded sort of daze. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow over the city. Momo closed her eyes and took a deep breath, maintaining her utmost composure and trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. At least not until she got home.

As Momo stood at the edge of the street, lost in her thoughts, a sudden gust of wind blew through, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Just when she was about to take a step forward to cross the street, a car sped by, its tires splashing through a puddle on the ground. The trajectory of the car threatened to drench Momo's clothes, a frustrating end to an already emotionally draining day.

But just before the car could reach her, a pair of strong hands firmly grasped her shoulders, pulling her away from harm's way. Momo's heart raced, her initial shock being exchanged by a mix of relief and surprise. She turned to face her alleged savior, her eyes widening.

"I-Iida?" Her voice trembled with nothing but astonishment as she recognized the familiar face.

"Yaoyorozu, it's been a long time," the bespectacled male holding her shoulders said as he smiled warmly, genuine care and concern evident in his blue eyes. "Are you alright? That was a close call."

Momo just nodded, her voice still caught in her throat and hindering her ability to speak.

And from afar, a pair of calculative heterochromatic eyes observed the whole encounter, narrowing sharply at the sight of them standing so close to each other.

Todoroki, who had stopped at the sight of the man he knew all too well, balled his fist and tightly clutched the painkiller that he had bought to give her for her headache until his knuckles went white. A mixture of emotions stirred within him, a particular one standing out all too much and bubbling to the surface before he could control himself.

Jealousy.

 

~

Chapter 23: Jealousy

~

 

𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧, Tenya Iida was a principled guy with a strong sense of justice.

He was a rather tall and well built individual. He always gave off an air of discipline that was pretty hard to miss. His neatly combed dark hair framed his face, accentuating his sharp features and determined expression. Behind his square-rimmed glasses, his blue eyes held a spark of sincerity.

Momo knew him as an old friend in her class from high school. As top students, they both bonded over their equal passion for studying law, although she didn't get to fulfill that passion whereas he did. Momo admired his unwavering dedication to his studies, and respected him as a close acquaintance.

One thing was for sure, she certainly did not expect to be seeing his face today after so many years, not in front of the company building of all places. The whole situation was giving her deja vu.

"It seems like fate brought us together again, doesn't it?" He kept the warm smile on his face and released his hold on her shoulders, his gaze fixated on her. Momo took a moment to compose herself and finally found her voice.

"Th-Thank you... Iida." She spoke, not knowing how to react. It felt quite unreal, saying his name after eight whole years. She was reminded of him from time to time but didn't know they would be meeting again like this. "How have you been?"

"Turns out specializing in corporate law is not an easy task," Iida chuckled as he brushed a hand over his suit. Her gaze dropped. She knew it wasn't right to compare, but couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy that Iida had the means to accomplish their shared dream while she had to take a different path because of her parents' sudden passing.

"Your family must be proud of you." Momo mustered a small smile.

He nodded, but something changed in his eyes that she couldn't quite place a finger on. "They are. Have you been well? I hear you're working for Todoroki now."

Her lips parted in confusion. "How did you...?-"

"I've been asking around about you." He glanced at the building of Todoroki Corporation where numerous people were entering and exiting. The smile never left his face as he looked back at her. "To be frank, I missed you."

'Honestly, I missed you.'

Todoroki's words from that day suddenly replayed in the back of her mind before she could even think, and that very strange sense of deja vu came back again. Momo zoned out for a slight moment until she was snapped back into reality at the realization that she still hadn't answered his prior question.

"Things have been manageable..." Shifting her gaze to the ground, Momo held the sigh that dared to escape her lips. She had been giving her all into working so that she could make up for her guilt towards Todoroki, because it felt like it would slowly chew her from the inside out if she didn't. But of course, it was manageable.

"We actually have a situation at the company that requires legal expertise. We're facing a potential lawsuit, and I'm searching for a capable lawyer to handle our case."

Iida's expression changed to one of curiosity. "Is that so? Well, if you need me, I'd be more than willing to help."

"Huh? No, no, you must be busy-" Her eyes widened as she waved her hands at him to refuse, but before she could get a proper chance to drop the subject, Iida seemed to have already made his decision.

"Consider it done. I'll review the details," he was quick to say without looking back, his determination quite evident. In a swift motion, he took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her not thinking twice. "Your number?"

With his cellphone in her hands, Momo blankly blinked up at him, clearly clueless. When he took notice of her confusion he followed up smoothly, "We'll be seeing each other a lot more often now. It would be easier for us to communicate regarding the case, don't you think?"

"Ah- Right!" Her ponytail bounced behind her as she nodded, immediately starting to type out her number on his phone without putting much thought into it.

Todoroki, who had silently been observing the interaction from a distance, felt a pang of discomfort at the exchange. His nails dug faint marks into his palms as he clenched his fists tighter, a bitter feeling simmering within him. Momo's casual response only fueled it even further.

How could he ask for her number...?!

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The next day had been long and exhausting for Momo, and all she wanted was to escape from the prying eyes and unnerving presence of him.

As if it wasn't already enough, Todoroki was starting to get even more persistent than before. Despite his noticeable attempts to spend more time with her, she had been avoiding him at every turn, hoping to keep her stirring feelings in check before they spiraled out of control.

But it wasn't like her efforts were of good use, anyway. Being by his side was technically her whole job, and no matter how much she would try to feign ignorance by hiding in her office, or by avoiding eye contact, or by speaking strictly work matters, or by trying to delude herself into thinking nothing ever happened in the first place- she knew very well that it all would come back to her eventually. She just wanted to sort her thoughts for the time being and prepare herself before that confrontation would end up happening.

As Momo stepped into the unusually empty elevator, the soft exhale that left her lips held a sense of relief that had been building within her for a while. The solitude the elevator offered served as a much needed break from all the hustle and bustle that constantly surrounded her at work. However, just as the doors were about to close, a familiar hand slipped in between them, halting their closure.

Momo's heart sank as the doors slowly opened to reveal the person she wanted to see the least right now.

Todoroki stepped into the confined space with an air of nonchalance. He stood right beside her, hands in his pockets. Before Momo could even think of making an escape, she was forced to watch in horror as the doors closed in front of her very eyes.

It was very hot all of a sudden, which was strange because she was sure that there was air conditioning in the elevator- maybe she was unwell? She shook her head at the possibility. That couldn't be...

She snuck a glance at him, and a thousand thoughts barged into her mind all at once as the elevator began ascending down. Momo thought she had finally managed to control her overthinking habit, but apparently not. All sense of composure left her whenever she was with him. That was something she needed to fix sooner or later. The sooner the better, actually.

It seemed like Todoroki was barely acknowledging her presence in the drowning silence. That was, until his deep voice interrupted her train of thought, "I was looking for you for a while now. Where were you?"

"I was just... around. Here and there." She let out a strained chuckle in hopes of breaking the tension between them, clearing her throat immediately after. "Did you want to say anything?"

Todoroki didn't respond, a stoic look fixed on his features, only making her grow more uncomfortable. Her eyes drifted up to the passing floor numbers on the small screen. Why was the elevator going so slowly today? She just wanted to get out already...

As she continued on with her little pondering session, a sudden jolt sent her momentarily stumbling, her heels pounding on the steel floor. A soft mechanical whir filled the air. Momo's heart raced as the ceiling lights flickered. Her first instinct was to glance at Todoroki, who seemed to be accessing the situation with widened eyes.

She wanted to get out as soon as possible, but unfortunately for her, it seemed that fate had other plans in store.

"What's happening?" Her voice came out wobbly as she struggled to process things.

His brows furrowed as the elevator continued to shake sporadically. "I don't know. This isn't normal."

Then the lights went out entirely. Momo found herself reaching for her phone, and she felt him watching closely as she turned on the screen with trembling hands, only to realize she was out of battery. Her breath hitched in her throat.

As if he had suddenly regained his senses, Todoroki cursed under his breath and walked up to the keypad, his fingers hurriedly searching before finding the emergency button. His voice could be heard through the darkness, sounding surprisingly calm as he spoke into the intercom.

"Todoroki speaking. We're stuck in the elevator. The lights are out, and it keeps shaking. Send help."

When he released the button, she let out an inaudible sigh, her breathing pattern gradually growing unstable. It was too much for her to handle. Momo couldn't take it any longer. But she didn't even have a moment to compose herself until the elevator shuddered once again, even rougher this time. The elevator continued to shake, the mechanical groans and creaks echoing and ringing in her ears.

Todoroki's eyes immediately darted to her. Without a second thought, he suddenly pushed the raven haired girl up against the wall beside her in the heat of the moment. His arms were on either of her sides as his hands gripped the railing behind her, shielding her protectively. Momo felt the warmth of his presence that enveloped her.

"Are you okay?"

She slowly looked up through her lashes at those heterochromatic orbs boring into hers, shining in the dark. And for a second, she almost forgot the feeling of the floor shaking beneath her feet. But it wasn't long before she finally snapped back into reality,

"I-I'm fine," Momo stammered, her chest heaving with deep breaths while she tried her best to steady her heartbeat. He fixed his gaze on the doors, turning his head to the side where Momo could see a thin layer of sweat forming on his neck. She was beginning to feel foolish for blanking out like that. What on earth was she doing, just letting him protect her when she was supposed to be his secretary? "Do you think help will arrive soon?"

He nodded, still having his focus elsewhere, accessing their surroundings in deep thought. "Most likely since they know I'm in here."

She could barely make out his side profile with the dim light from the emergency button casting a faint glow on his face. Her cheekbones warmed. All her anxiety and fear of the actually threatening circumstances had been washed away by the fact that she could practically feel his body heat. This close proximity really reminded her of when he...

'You're driving me fucking crazy, Momo. And I can't control it anymore. I have to tell you the truth.' When Momo finally felt her back hit the wall, he slammed a hand on the wall beside her, pinning her in place. 'I'm in love with you.'

Momo visibly gulped.

"Y-You're... really close."

"Am I?" Todoroki finally turned back to her, and just then she realized how close they really were. Their faces were mere inches apart, his breath lightly fanning over her. And although her mind was screaming at her to move away from him, to not give in, her heart kept her body locked in place, trapped between his arms with her back against the wall while the elevator continued its erratic movements.

Maybe Momo was reading too much into things, but he didn't seem all too bothered by what she had said. There was an unreadable glint in his eyes as he gripped the railing behind her with a little more force, leaning into her. "This is more practical. I'm just ensuring you won't fall or get thrown off your balance. It helps me too."

She stayed quiet. While she did find some truth in his words, Momo easily noticed the way his gaze flickered down to her lips for a split second, and could've sworn she felt goosebumps rising up her skin. Her heart pounded from the sensations swirling in her stomach, her head light from his scent that she had already memorized by now.

This... wasn't right. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She couldn't be selfish and blow her cover like this. Her fate was sealed the moment she left his father's office that day. She needed to move, as far away from him as possible and-

"I saw you with Iida yesterday."

Momo immediately looked up, and their eyes locked.

"Huh?"

"Our old classmate... Iida." Todoroki clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth, almost as if he felt sour at the mere sound of that name. "So tell me. What happened between you two?"

Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. He must've seen them yesterday outside the company building. That didn't make any sense though... Why was he there in the first place?

As Momo continued to contemplate in confusion, she felt his piercing gaze accessing her, waiting for her answer. She could notice veins appearing on his jaw as he clenched it harder at her silence. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine. The elevator had stopped shaking at this point, but Momo didn't know if he would move away.

Even though she wanted to avoid him again, to tell him this wasn't the time, Momo found herself running her mouth before she could stop herself,

"Iida and I ran into each other coincidentally yesterday..." For some reason, she felt a sudden urge to justify herself to him and she didn't even know why. It was as if he could get her to tell him the truth with a single look. "We only had a friendly conversation. Nothing more."

She was looking away from him, but he remained firm, not taking his eyes off her for a second. "Nothing more? Are you sure?"

The raven-haired girl nodded meekly. He let out a soft sigh.

"I just wanted to make sure. The way he was looking at you... didn't quite sit well with me," he went on with a breathy tone of voice, leaning closer to her. "Maybe it's because I know he had feelings for you back in high school, but it made me self conscious. I don't like him."

Momo found it quite hard to breathe as he tilted his head, perfectly aligning his lips with hers. She was frozen in place as her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt a bit dizzy now as their lips were mere centimeters apart--

"Is everything okay in there?" A distant voice echoed through the elevator shaft, and both of them immediately turned to look at the source of the sound. Momo audibly squeaked and pushed him away from her with a red face, rushing towards the doors. Todoroki stumbled from behind her but found his footing as he awkwardly fixed his tie.

"Yes! We're fine! Please get us out!" She yelled out, her cheeks burning.

Much to her relief, a faint glimmer of light broke through the darkness as the elevator doors began to creak open. The gap widened gradually, revealing the concerned face of a worker peering inside.

 

. . . . .

 

Momo stared out of the car window, her thoughts in disarray. The day had been long, and her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She couldn't shake off what had happened in the elevator, the tension between her and Todoroki hanging heavily in the air.

She thought she could avoid him, keep her distance until she could sort through her feelings. But of course, Todoroki had insisted on driving her home since it was getting dark, his determination made apparent in the intensity of his gaze. Of course, she had tried to protest, to tell him that she could manage on her own, but he had brushed off her objections without letting her get a word in for herself.

And so, here she was, sitting in his car beside him, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Momo glanced at Todoroki out of the corner of her eye, taking in his profile illuminated by the soft glow of the street lights. He seemed focused on the road, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel, but she couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind.

Momo looked at the darkening sky with a blank look placed on her face. The last time she was in his car was when he was driving her to see the ocean. When they were still...

She quickly dismissed the thought. That relationship was bounded to a contract. It was merely for their mutual benefit. Nothing more or nothing less. But she could still remember the familiar rushing of her heart, the bubbling excitement within her whenever they went out together.

A gloomy feeling fell over her, momentarily interrupted when her phone buzzed with a notification.

"Who's messaging you at this hour?" Todoroki's voice cut through the silence, curiosity evident in his tone as she took her phone out of her purse. The light of the screen shone on her face, her eyes landing on the new text message from Iida.

Momo bit her lip as she unlocked her phone and read the message. Her fingers hovered over the screen while she stayed torn between answering truthfully and avoiding the impending storm that she sensed brewing in the car.

"It's Iida. He's asking about the case," she finally admitted, barely audible above the hum of the engine.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles turning white. A tense edge had entered his voice when he brought himself to speak, "Iida?"

She nodded with her eyes still fixed on her phone. "I told him about the lawsuit. He wants to help us."

A muscle in Todoroki's jaw twitched, his gaze flickering between the road and her as she typed out a reply to Iida. Momo honestly felt a bit concerned when she glanced at him after hitting send, confused by the shift in his demeanor all of a sudden.

But she remembered what he had said to her in the elevator, and then it hit her.

Without warning, his foot pressed down on the accelerator, and the car surged forward. His secretary's heartbeat quickened considerably, the sudden change in speed throwing her off balance. Momo looked at him with her eyes widened in alarm.

"H-Hey, Todoroki, what are you doing?"

His gaze was focused on the road in front of him, his mind clearly elsewhere as Todoroki's self control slowly but surely slipped from his fingers.

"I just... need some air."

The car's speed increased slightly, and Momo felt the change in momentum as they took a turn with more force than necessary. His stare turned icy, locked onto an unseen target. A fluttering sensation filled her chest as she stole a glance at him, sensing the emotions that were far stronger than she had anticipated.

The city lights blurred into mere streaks of color as they continued to speed down the road. Momo's fingers instinctively clenched the edge of her seat. She could practically feel the intensity radiating from Todoroki, his normally calm and controlled exterior unraveling in his jealousy.

The next turn turned out even sharper, and her body was jolted sideways. She gasped as she grabbed onto the handle on the roof of the car to steady herself. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. At this point, Momo was starting to lose her saint-like patience, and she didn't intend on just staying put in her seat and waiting until he decided to quit his little temper tantrum. Which brought her to exclaim(rather loudly, might I add),

"Shoto, snap out of it! Are you out of your mind?!" Honestly speaking, she sounded like she was scolding a misbehaving child. Well, in this case, a grown man with one too many insecurities. Momo really didn't want to have to come to this but in the end he had left her with no choice.

But it appeared to have worked on him at least, made proven by how his eyes suddenly went wide, as if snapping from an everlasting trance. Much to her relief, the car started to slow down. Finally Todoroki looked at her, seeming to be getting a hold of himself at last.

Judging by how he stayed frozen in shock for a moment, her volume must have shaken him, that was for sure. Knowing the calm and forgiving person Momo usually was, it must've been... quite surprising, to say the least. She sighed, letting go of the car handle and pinching the bridge of her nose to ease herself.

"What's gotten into you?" Her tone softened, concern winning over her previous display of frustration. Todoroki stared back at her with his heterochromatic eyes still widened, the car stopping in the middle of traffic, which would be convenient for him to finally focus on the raven haired girl sitting beside him. "You were putting us both in danger. I understand you're upset, but this isn't the way to handle it, you know."

Todoroki's grip on the steering wheel finally relaxed, though his gaze remained locked on hers. Relief flooded her at the fact that she finally got through to him. His breathing pattern was uneven as his chest rose and fell, a result of his sudden outburst.

"I-..." Todoroki found his voice at last, completely lost for words as he looked at his calloused hand still on the steering wheel, processing what just happened. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to realize what he had been doing. He definitely did not mean for things to escalate like this.

For some reason, he always lost his self control whenever it came to her.

"Are you alright?" He blurted out, voice tinged with guilt. The seconds that followed felt like an eternity as he held his breath, waiting for her response.

Momo's surprise was evident in her widened eyes and slightly parted lips. His question seemed to have caught her off guard. Her concern had been for him, despite the fact that he had been the one acting irrationally just moments ago. Todoroki would never be able to understand her selflessly caring nature, her ability to see beyond his flaws.

"I-I'm fine, Shoto," she replied softly, although he didn't know how to tell if she was being honest or simply trying to reassure him. He glanced at her lap, where she was nervously fiddling with her fingers. Probably the latter. "It's you I'm worried about. You seemed... lost, for a moment there."

Lost. The word echoed in his mind, a stark reminder of how close he had come to spiraling out of control. It was unsettling how easily he had allowed his emotions to cloud over his sense of rationality, how his jealousy had driven him to recklessness.

Todoroki let out a shaky exhale, dropping his hand from the steering wheel as he tried to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, unable to look her in the eye. "I was a bit... out of it."

At that, Momo couldn't help but wonder if this happened more than once. She had never seen such a side of him, but it made her worried. Was this a one-time occurrence, or had he been suppressing his emotions like this all along?

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and mustered a smile. "Just promise me you won't drive like a maniac again."

He merely nodded, the tension finally lifting and becoming a lot more bearable, much to her relief. The night had grown quieter around them, the distant hum of the city the only sound that filled the air as the car sped forward. The streetlights cast a soft glow, illuminating the subtle expressions on their faces. She glanced at him, realizing he was back to his usual self.

Seizing the opportunity, Momo decided to take her chances.

"Iida..."

Todoroki gritted his teeth. Not a very good sign.

"What about him?"

She lowered her gaze to her hands, trying to fight off her unease. "He wanted to take on our case as a lawyer. I'm sure he's capable enough to...-"

"No. He'd cause distractions."

"This isn't the time to be childish, Todoroki," Momo snapped, her patience wearing thin. She shot him a look, her eyes a reflection of her growing frustration. He wasn't even looking back, putting his focus into driving as if he had already made his mind. She had enough of his stubbornness and she was making it clear now. The last thing she needed was his unwarranted jealousy clouding their judgment.

Letting out a sigh, she put a hand on his arm that was resting by his side, her gaze softening as she leaned closer to him ever so slightly. That seemed to do something to him, judging how he just barely flinched, finally meeting her eyes.

"He genuinely wants to help. We can't let our emotions get in the way of what's best for the company. I'm sure you know that more than anyone else," She went on, standing her ground. Momo took a deep breath, "If you're really sorry, then consider this making it up to me by taking Iida's offer seriously."

Her words hung in the air for a hot minute. They kept eye contact, and she could almost see the internal conflict play in his eyes.

Slowly, his shoulders sagged, a surrender she wasn't expecting to get out of him so easily. "Fine, I'll consider it."

A genuine smile spread across her lips, conveying not only her victory for getting through to him but also her appreciation towards his eventual agreement. It was a reminder of the impact she could have on him, and how he always listened to her in the end.

Even though she could sense his uncertainty, she knew he was trying to suppress it, to make her happy. In that moment, Momo remembered why she admired him so much, from high school and even to now.

Shoto really was amazing.

 

~

Chapter 24: Embers Of Longing

~

 

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 himself tossing and turning in his dimly lit bedroom, the digital clock on his bedside table casting a blue glow across his face. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the city outside, and his thoughts seemed to echo even louder in the silence that was about to drive him mad at this point.

Sleep had become an elusive stranger again lately. He knew he needed rest, but no matter how hard he tried, slumber remained just out of reach. His father's expectations, the weight of the Todoroki name, the unresolved issues with his mother, Momo avoiding him- it all swirled in his head like a whirlpool of darkness. It was almost like his mind was subconsciously keeping him from falling asleep so he wouldn't see those visions in his nightmares again.

The digital numbers on the clock blinked to 4:37 AM, a cruel reminder of the hours he had pathetically spent lying awake. Just when he thought his insomnia was finally getting better.

Todoroki sat up in bed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He couldn't escape the unease that gnawed at his insides. He felt trapped, as if the walls of his room were closing in on him. Sweat matted his face, but shivers kept running down his spine.

Too cold.

He couldn't stop feeling so fucking cold.

Unable to shake off the feeling of restlessness, he padded across the room in his sweatshirt. The wooden floor was cool beneath his feet, a stark contrast to the clammy heat that seemed to radiate from his body, the heat he just couldn't feel.

Todoroki stepped into the bathroom and flicked on the light, not even wincing at the sudden brightness. He splashed cold water on his face, over and over again, as if it would help clear his thoughts, but the exhaustion that weighed on him felt bone-deep.

Returning to his bedroom, he felt like he was slowly suffocating in the darkness. He pulled the window open, letting in a rush of frigid air. Moonlight spilled into the room. The sensation of the chilling air sending goosebumps against his skin was strangely comforting.

He let out a deep exhale and sat on the edge of his bed near the window, silently watching the starless sky as his thoughts began to drift to her, as they often did. Momo had a way of infiltrating his mind at the most unexpected moments, Todoroki would give her that. He couldn't help but wonder what she would say, what kind of face she would make if she knew about his sleepless nights, about the nightmares coming back to haunt him again from time to time.

He didn't know if he wanted to find out, though.

With a heavy sigh, Todoroki leaned back against his pillows, pulling the covers tighter around him. The weight of his exhaustion was finally beginning to catch up with him, and he closed his eyes, hoping that, just for tonight, he might find just a few hours of freedom from his relentless thoughts.

But even as he lay there in the darkness, the insomnia lingered, an unwelcome companion that refused to release its grip on him.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The morning sun bathed the city streets in a soft, golden glow as Momo breathed in the crisp autumn air. Her heels clicked against the pavement with each step, mirroring the steady beat of her heart while the breeze played with her hair.

As Momo continued her leisurely stroll through the sun-kissed streets, the warmth of the sun felt comforting on her skin. She loved going out in the mornings. It was one of those moments when the bustling city seemed to pause for a breath. The gentle rays of the sun shone through the tree leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.

It was a rare day off, a day when she could escape the confines of her busy work life and enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday living. She had dressed casually, opting for comfortable jeans and a loose-fitting sweater, deciding to take a stroll to the nearby store.

Months passed since she started working for Todoroki, but Momo had already forgotten how much of her time was taken up by her newfound job. Maybe that was why she wanted to make the most of the free time she had left, finding enjoyment in something as small as a walk.

As she turned a corner, she noticed an elderly lady standing at the edge of the sidewalk. The woman was clutching a cane, and seemed to be looking for something, her frail form swaying slightly in the gentle breeze. A deep sense of empathy welled up in her.

"Ah, Miss, careful with that-!" She came to her side just as the lady was about to trip, holding her gently by the shoulders with a worried look on her face. The lady was mumbling something incoherently, looking lost, and just then Momo's eyes landed on an amulet laying on the ground, practically gleaming in the sunlight. She gingerly picked it up and handed it to the woman. "Could this be yours...?"

The lady's eyes lit up as she took the amulet, her endless words of gratitude warming Momo's heart. It was clear the woman needed assistance in crossing the busy street. She extended her arm towards her for support, "I'll help you cross the road."

With a polite smile, Momo guided the elderly lady safely across the bustling street. The old lady's eyes brightened with gratitude, wrinkles forming at the corners as she returned Momo's smile. "Oh, dear, thank you. My old legs don't carry me as they used to."

As they made their way across the street, Momo could feel herself being intensely stared at. She didn't pay much thought to it until the woman commented out of nowhere, "You're such a kind and polite young lady. We don't see much of that in the world these days."

"I have my mother to thank for that," She was quick to reply, feeling her smile grow wider. She was always good with old people even since she was young due to her natural friendliness that came with effortless grace. Her inviting personality, and her genuine willingness to listen and help, often put the elderly around her at ease. She had heard all about how old people got chattier with her. It was a trait she had gained from her late mother and no one else.

"And you're very beautiful too. Oh my, how is that possible?"

The tips of her ears flushed red at the sudden rush of compliments that were coming her way. "No, not at all..."

The old lady chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "You remind me so much of my grandson. The one who gifted me that amulet you picked up for me. He's a fine young man, you know. Perhaps you'd like to meet him someday."

Momo immediately shook her head, shifting her gaze away to the bustling city around her. "Oh, no, that's very kind of you, but I'm quite content as I am now."

"Is that so? What a shame." She sounded disappointed, to say the least. "You must already have a partner. That makes sense since you're so pretty."

With that, they reached the other side of the street, and the elderly lady bid her farewell with a warm embrace. Momo continued her journey to the department store, her heart a little lighter from their encounter. However, as she walked further, her eyes were drawn to a towering billboard.

There, in bold letters, was the image of Todoroki, labelled "JAPAN'S YOUNG HANDSOME CEO". The picture showed him in a sharp suit, his striking heterochromatic eyes gazing confidently into the distance. It seemed to capture the essence of success and power.

Her expression dropped.

Momo couldn't help but feel a growing distance between him and her, the gap widening with each passing day. He lived in a world of wealth, power, and privilege, while she was just another person in the crowd.

She knew that their paths had diverged, that her place in his life was bigger now. Yet, seeing his image on that billboard served as a stark reminder of just how far apart their worlds had become. It was a lonely feeling, one that left her with a forbidden sense of longing that she tried to ignore to the best of her ability as she continued walking down the street.

It had been like this for all those eight years. That same, lonely feeling she would get from time to time when she was still a pre-school teacher. It was hard, but she always tried to push it back down because she knew it wasn't right. She knew all about his struggles. But no matter how hard she tried, it kept coming back to her recently.

The gap between them was just... too big. Momo couldn't do anything for him if she wanted to because he already had it all.

Another reason to distance herself before it came back to bite her in the ass.

 

. . . . .

 

Todoroki was pissed.

It was quite obvious he was pissed, actually. He just couldn't help himself. The moment Iida joined them to work together on that damned case, he started getting too comfortable.

Too comfortable with Momo, more specifically.

It was almost like he couldn't miss a single chance to talk to her or smile at her. Maybe this was why the rumors about Iida's feelings for her spread so easily back in high school. It bothered him back then and still did now, because Iida's feelings from before probably still hadn't faded. It was starting to tick him off.

As Todoroki entered the meeting room, he found himself counting down the days left before the blue haired man was going to be gone for good as he caught him yet again engaging in a conversation with her, all smiles and whatnot.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand what there was to smile about so much. But he stayed silent and took his seat across those two, watching as the room quieted down at his presence.

"As you all know," Todoroki began, his voice steady and composed, "we're facing a critical situation with the impending lawsuit. Our goal here is to discuss a strategy that will lead us to the best possible outcome."

He shot Iida a look, not even trying to hide it.

"Iida, would you like to start by sharing your thoughts on the case?"

Iida nodded and began discussing his proposed strategy, demonstrating his knowledge of law. His voice was measured and professional, his confidence apparent. He was experienced, Todoroki could tell. But he could also see as clear as day, those occasional glances he would give Momo as he spoke. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

When Iida finished, Todoroki leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and wearing an expression of mock interest. "Impressive. It's almost as if you've been preparing for this your entire life."

Iida's jaw tightened, but he maintained his composure with a rather stiff smile. "Thank you, Todoroki. I believe in being well-prepared for any work I need to fulfill."

He quirked a brow, and the sarcasm in his voice was hard to miss as he retorted, tilting his head to the side with his arms folded, "Well, we all know how committed you are to your profession."

The meeting room was filled with a palpable air of discomfort as Todoroki and Iida stared at each other for a hot moment, their rivalry thinly veiled beneath forced professionalism. The employees exchanged concerned glances, sensing the shift in atmosphere, and the dual haired male could practically feel Momo's eyes darting between the two in worry.

"I've reviewed the details thoroughly, and I believe our best approach would be to seek an out-of-court settlement. It would save us time and resources." Iida, ever the epitome of professionalism, carried on with the discussion, laying out his thoughts on the case.

Todoroki, however, had his own ideas, and there was a clear edge to his voice as he countered, "I think taking it to court might send a stronger message. We shouldn't back down so easily."

Iida, not one to back down, raised an eyebrow, his glasses glinting. "Well, Shoto, sometimes it's better to approach these situations with a bit more diplomacy, especially when there's no guarantee we'll win in court."

"There is. Why wouldn't there be? We're packed with evidence," Todoroki shot back again, his heterochromatic eyes sharp with determination.

The raven haired girl almost facepalmed as they continued to throw pointed comments at each other, their words laced with thinly veiled sarcasm. She could feel the tension in the room rise, and the other employees in the meeting were shifting uncomfortably in their seats, unsure of how to react to their boss's rather passive-aggressive exchange.

She could never catch a break, seriously.

"Don't you think we're getting a bit... distracted?" Desperate to diffuse the situation, Momo took it upon herself to interject, her voice firm. "Let's focus on the case, please."

Iida just nodded, but Todoroki didn't even respond, the two exchanging one final icy glance before begrudgingly returning their attention to the matter at hand.

Todoroki grounded his jaw. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, his coat hung on the back of his chair. Iida's remarks left him more pissed off, and he rolled up his sleeves as he tried to focus on the discussion, revealing his muscles hiding underneath. Momo wasn't blind to it, and looked away the moment she glanced at him, hiding her flushed face behind her clipboard.

She mentally berated herself for even beginning to think so shamefully in a meeting, for goodness sake. Sure, he may have had a really good build, and maybe he was just a little attractive, but-

Momo slapped her blushing cheeks before her thoughts could spiral even more out of control.

That was a bad idea, apparently, because everyone suddenly went quiet. Iida gave her a concerned look. She could even feel Todoroki staring at her.

"I-It's just hot, that's all," She immediately felt the need to cover for herself, a corner of her lips twitching in a nervous chuckle. Her stomach dropped when the silence stretched on, Todoroki continuing to stare at her.

"Turn up the air conditioner," He said blankly, taking her reddened face into account.

"Yes, sir!" Some guy responded, promptly complying to his words. The discussion continued like normal after that and Momo couldn't help but want to erase herself from the face of the earth. She was more embarrassed at the fact that she was thinking about Todoroki's muscles than that show she put on in front of everyone. When was she going to stop making a fool of herself?

Luckily the meeting ended soon enough, and on her way out, she noticed Todoroki walking away by himself. She frowned, thinking about his bad mood earlier.

Momo made a move to approach him, hoping to confront him and maybe even help him feel a bit better, just when a cup of coffee was handed to her.

"You seemed tired there," She looked to her side and saw Iida standing there, his own cup in hand with a kind smile on his face. "You okay? I've been meaning to ask you that."

"Yes- Thank you." She took a sip from the paper cup she had been given, relishing the bitter coffee as it flowed over her taste buds. It definitely helped in waking up her senses.

Out of mere instinct, Momo looked back at the extending hallway, but felt her shoulders sag as the dual haired man was already gone.

"I'm sorry for acting up earlier," He suddenly spoke, taking her back to the present. She gave him a confused glance as he adjusted his glasses. "I don't usually act so rash. I suppose Todoroki just... got that out of me."

"Ah, right. It's okay," Momo reassured as she swirled the paper cup around in her hands, looking down at it as she tried to gather her thoughts. She pondered over their back-and-forth in the meeting room earlier. "Even if he seems a little... prickly on the outside, I hope you know Todoroki is a good person at heart. He's been through a lot."

"I know." Much to her relief, Iida just nodded in understanding with a small smile. "We never really spoke to each other much in high school. He didn't seem all that fond of me. I'm wondering if it could be because of a separate reason." He was looking at her knowingly. She didn't miss it.

"Thank you for understanding..." She sighed, glancing at the hallway where she last saw him. "I'll try to talk to him."

Iida nodded, seeming to be getting a grasp on the situation himself. He didn't comment on it though as Momo stayed in deep thought over just what she was going to do with Todoroki.

 

~

Chapter 25: Drowning Deeper

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗡 was shining all too brightly on a day like this.

That was all Momo could think about, numb to the pain swallowing her inside out as her footsteps carried in the cemetery, a sea of gravestones basking in the waning daylight. There was an empty feeling in her chest as she approached her parents' graves. Birds continued to chirp from above, a stark reminder of how the world carried on without her, oblivious to her anguish.

The universe was too cruel to her sometimes.

"How have you been, Mother and Father?" She mustered out with an empty expression fixed upon her features. Her eyes drifted down to the fresh flower bouquets in her hands, which she knelt down and placed both on each of their graves, bowing silently to pay her respects.

Today marked the anniversary of her parents' passing, a day etched in her memory as a wound that had never truly healed. The clear blue cloudless sky above offered no solace, no sympathy for her grief. She couldn't help but feel bitter.

"Ah, the flowers started to wilt..." Momo muttered to herself in a faint whisper as she looked at the dried out flowers she had left on their graves during her previous visits. She knelt beside the tombstones, her fingers trembling as she traced the engraved names of her parents. "Looks like I have to get new ones, huh?"

A heavy silence weighed in the air.

...

Momo wasn't going to cry.

She was not going to cry.

She had recited it to herself over and over again before coming here, that she wouldn't cry. Because she knew that would only end in revisiting those painful memories. She didn't want to relive that misery from before again. But just sitting by here, beside her parents, the memories of their warmth, their love, came rushing back like a tidal wave, and Momo was completely powerless to stop it. And she was drowning deeper, in her own sea of guilt and pain, yet she was powerless.

Her eyes stung.

"It's been too long... I miss you so much..." Her voice quivered terribly, vision blurring up as tears welled in her obsidian orbs, tracing salty trails down her pale cheeks and dampening her lashes. She just couldn't understand why they had to leave her so soon. Maybe if they had given her just a bit more time, a bit more time to prepare...

The sunlight disappeared, leaving a peaceful yet eerily quiet atmosphere in its place and intensifying the heaviness in her chest. She could almost hear their voices in the rustle of the leaves if she listened closely, see their smiles if she closed her eyes. But they were just cruel tricks her mind played on her.

Leaning on her parents' graves, Momo's shoulders shook as she covered her face with her lithe fingers and broke down, her sobs echoing in the desolate cemetery. She clutched at the earth beneath her with one hand as the other stayed covering her eyes, feeling the coolness of the soil in her shaking fingers. It was as if the ground held the only connection she had left to her parents.

Momo didn't know how long she spent sitting there and sobbing her soul out. Probably an eternity. Her heart was aching so much it actually hurt. She felt so fucking lost, and couldn't even describe how much she hated it.

The tears were flowing to no end, and it was almost like she forgot how to stop it, or at least she wasn't trying at all. She wanted to let it all out today, so she let herself have that little moment to herself, to unleash all those bottled up emotions that had been piling up inside her all this time.

Her sobs echoed in the empty graveyard while the world around her became a blur. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, fingers curling into fists, then relaxing, only to clench again. Momo's breath came in short, shallow gasps, as if she was struggling to breathe beneath the weight of her emotions. Her body shook as she hiccupped, desperately gasping for air. She was completely and utterly lost in her own world of grief, oblivious to everything else around her.

It had been so hard for her all by herself. She had to fight so much on her own, and it hurt to think about even to this day. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of her parents watching her from above, and Todoroki.

Even though he wasn't there with her during those times, just imagining his proud heterochromatic eyes made it feel like it was worth it. Momo wanted to visit him numerous times, to finally give in to her desires and just see his face one last time. But her heart kept her from doing so. She had heard all about his successes and whatnot, and it almost felt like she was being mocked, pushing her further away.

They were simply in different universes. That was a fact she forced herself to believe from the start, and kept her feelings buried away and suppressed, convincing herself he could achieve so much more without her being there. In all truth, Momo had never really stopped loving him. Even during those eight years. She had just forced herself to believe otherwise to ease the pain in her heart.

'There was never a moment where I didn't love you, Yaoyorozu.'

It was like that for her too. But unlike Todoroki, she was a coward who refused to confront her feelings. She was too scared. He was a star she couldn't reach, and even if she tried, she would just be holding him back. So in that moment all she could think about was bringing distance.

But now Momo was starting to second guess her judgements completely. Maybe it would have been easier if she just reached out to him sooner without there needing to be a chance encounter in the first place.

Then again, would anything have changed...?

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

She was acting off, that Todoroki immediately knew.

She seemed distant, lost in her thoughts, and oddly detached throughout the day. Todoroki tried hard not to make assumptions, not to get ahead of himself, but it was hard not to when the signs were right there. A shadow had fallen over her usual vibrant presence in the office. Even when she was actively avoiding him, she wasn't that... quiet.

He was always observing, and easily picked up on her strange change of behavior. During their meetings, she appeared distracted, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. She spoke only when necessary, her voice devoid of its usual enthusiasm and confidence. Todoroki found himself stealing glances at her, concern gnawing at the edges of his mind.

Evening came, and they both found themselves alone in his office. Momo was awfully silent, standing in front of his desk and arranging his paperwork. He watched her from behind wordlessly, seated on his sofa.

That particular day had been a relentless loop of meetings, negotiations, and decision-making. His busy schedule had left him too fatigued to even think, and all he could do was hang his head on the back of the sofa, panting and dragging a calloused hand down his face to block the daylight from his eyes. Thinking about his condition alone, he couldn't even imagine how exhausted she was. Before he could bring himself to ask, the soft hum of his ringtone filled the air.

"Mr Neito is calling," Momo stated simply, her tone distant as she glanced at the caller ID on his ringing phone that was laying on the surface of his desk.

"Don't answer it." Todoroki was quick to respond, breathing heavily. His head was throbbing with a headache. He was tired out of his mind and definitely did not need more to add to his list of work. He would have to think about it later. Just not now.

With the hand still on his face, from the corner of his eye he examined her. Her presence alone put some weight off his shoulders, but her unusual behavior was taking up a lot of his thoughts. She wouldn't even look at him. He knew damn well something had happened, but Todoroki didn't know what that was, and that was driving him crazy. He had enough. He needed answers.

"Fix my tie."

Momo raised a brow, her gaze finally meeting his, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. His words must have been sudden, to say the least. "I'm sure you're perfectly capable of fixing it yourself," she shot back in her unusually monotone voice.

"Well, I'm the one in charge, aren't I?" That was the only thing Todoroki could come up with in that moment. It was a half-assed attempt to cover up his true intent, but it would suffice for now. Or at least he sure as hell hoped it would.

She let out a sigh of slight frustration. His stubbornness would irk her to no end, it seemed.

"Again with that..."

Having already given up, too tired to argue, she walked up to the dual haired male sitting on the sofa with almost no hesitation, leaning over him and carefully holding his tie. Todoroki had little to no time to prepare himself, not expecting her to give in so easily to his childish request. He silently observed her as she began working on his tie.

There was a soft concentration in her gaze. Todoroki didn't fail to notice that her eyes were red.

His stomach dropped in realization.

He gently held the side of her face, tilting her head upwards and bringing her to look at him. He examined her red, puffy eyes, suggesting she had cried the day before.

Momo was taken aback. Her heart raced in her chest, and she could finally feel it beating after feeling numb for who knows how long. She couldn't escape the intensity of his gaze, his heterochromatic irises holding a depth of concern she hadn't expected. She thought she was doing a good job at concealing her emotions, but with him she supposed not. It was as if he could see right through her, read her like an open book.

Her whole life, Momo was readily convinced that no one could save her from drowning in her troubles, that she was alone. But in that moment, as she looked closely, she could find so much love, so much care in his eyes, it was entrancing her. It felt like a breath of fresh air she could never want to put an end to. She craved more of that love, that care. It made her feel free.

So for the first time, she simply decided not to push it away.

Holding his hand that rested on the side of her face, she leaned in, unable to control herself any longer, softly closing the distance between their lips.

Todoroki froze under her touch. At first, he didn't react, his eyes remaining half-open. But when he finally got a hold of himself, he tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he closed his eyes and indulged himself. Time seemed to stand still as Momo squeezed her eyes shut, pulling him closer by his tie and melting into him. She allowed herself to be selfish, even if it was just for a moment.

Todoroki thought of himself as a rational person. He analyzed first before acting. He was far from impulsive. Yet the sudden kiss lit some sort of fire in him, a fire he didn't even know was present. It brought out a side of him he didn't know was there before, a more greedy one. Now that he finally got to know just what she tasted like, he encircled her in his arms and looped his fingers through her soft hair, practically pushing her onto his lap as his lips did the rest of the work.

Momo Yaoyorozu tasted magical. She tasted like strawberries and honey all at once. She tasted like the only source of warmth in the chill of winter, the warmth he desperately grasped onto. She tasted like freedom. It sent shivers running down his spine.

Addicted was an understatement for him. He needed her, and he made that known when he captured her lips more hungrily, more wanting, if it was even possible. He didn't know how he had gone eight years without this. Kissing her felt like fresh air, even though she was technically taking that away from him. He couldn't care any less, though, and had no intentions of letting go anytime soon. She was his alone.

Momo was surprised by his urgency, but that shock quickly subsided as she cradled his face in her slender fingers, letting him have his way. He had so easily broken down the barriers she built around herself. Goosebumps were rising on her skin. He had so much love to give her, and she could feel it in the way he kissed her so desperately. It spoke volumes. A stray tear seeped out, spilling down her cheek.

Their breaths mingled, their mouths moving in sync in a delicate exploration of feelings that had been buried beneath the surface for the longest time. In that moment, they were lost in each other, entangled in their emotions. Until the ring of a telephone cut through the silence.

Todoroki almost audibly sighed as she slowly separated herself from him, immediately missing her warmth, leaving them both gasping for air as their eyes met, just gazing into each other. It didn't take long before Momo realized just the position they were in, her eyes widening as she sat there on his lap, which he found adorably amusing.

She made a move to get off him, but Todoroki pulled her back to him by the hand he had placed around her waist. Her hands landed on his shoulders. The silence that stretched between them only made her more acutely aware of the situation she put herself in. Momo gulped.

"Where are you going?" His voice was breathless, proving the effect she had left on him after that kiss. He cupped her cheek, wiping the faint tear that had remained there with his thumb. His gaze kept drifting from her eyes to her lips, indicating he wasn't quite done with her yet, and she could practically hear her heart pounding in her ears, the ringing of the telephone serving as mere background noise.

"The phone..."

He finally released her, albeit reluctantly, and Momo took her chance to get off him, making her way to the telephone on his desk. While she picked up the phone call, Todoroki stared off into space, processing what had just happened.

He didn't even know where to start.

 

~

Chapter 26: Calm Before The Storm

~

 

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗡 the case was no big deal, especially with the company's connections and their practically guaranteed success. The biggest challenge, however, was keeping the atmosphere tame when Todoroki and Iida were in the same room.

Although Todoroki was managing to control himself better, he was still quite ill-tempered under presence of Iida. He still stared him down like a hawk when he tried to make conversation with Momo, and he still made backhanded remarks when given the chance. Momo played a crucial role as the mediator between the two, ensuring their discussions remained focused on the case at hand. While they didn't always see eye to eye, luckily they mostly found common ground when it came to the case.

But there was still one thing. After that incident in Todoroki's office, nothing much changed between them, except for that underlying tension the both of them couldn't deny. The biggest difference was that now Momo had to even more frantically avoid him.

Todoroki started to make all sorts of excuses to see her. He had tried making numerous plans with her at this point, and was all grumbling and muttering whenever he saw her give Iida as much as a friendly look. The worst part was, she couldn't even say anything because of her own bashfulness after sharing such a moment with him.

She really couldn't understand how she had screwed up this badly. Just looking at him made her chest feel all warm, and even making eye contact was a hard task now. She scurried away the moment they were alone together. She couldn't escape the memory of his taste, the warmth of his embrace.

That impulse-driven kiss continued to haunt her thoughts while Enji's warning kept echoing in the back of her mind, casting a dark shadow over her desires. His father's power and influence was undeniable and going against his wishes could have severe consequences for her career.

Momo knew that, yet she still tried to be greedy, even if it was just for a moment. She would be lying if she said she wanted to turn back to when the kiss never happened, because honestly, she needed it really damn bad. But she pushed those thoughts down for the time being. It was all pointless, anyway.

Their teamwork had paid off, and to no one's surprise, they won the case smoothly with their combined efforts. The afternoon they won, while Momo was writing an email in her office room, her phone buzzed with a call. Picking up without giving it much thought, she was met by Iida's voice next to her ear.

"Yaoyorozu, would you be free tomorrow night?" There was an enthusiasm in his voice that she quite quickly picked up on.

"Most likely," She hummed, silently pondering over her list of things to do as she leaned back in her chair. "Why is that?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to get dinner with me since we won the case and all. There is a lot we have to catch up on."

"Dinner? That sounds nice." A small smile spread over her lips. While immediately collapsing into her bed and getting some sleep was her original plan for the night, dinner with an old friend didn't sound too bad. Besides, she supposed he was right. There was a lot they needed to catch up on that they couldn't before due to being occupied by the case. "When can we meet?"

"Really?" She could practically sense his smile from the other end of the line. Her quick agreement seemed to have raised his spirits a lot. "I'll see you tomorrow at 8PM, then."

After exchanging goodbyes and ending the call, Momo slowly lifted her gaze to the looming presence she couldn't ignore any longer.

There he stood, in front of the door, arms crossed in a way that emphasized his muscular forearms, and his heterochromatic eyes narrowed in a sharp look. She didn't know how long he had been there, silently listening to her conversation on the phone, but it must have been a while judging by his disapproving stare. Her breath caught in her throat.

'Maybe it's because I know he had feelings for you back in high school, but it made me self conscious. I don't like him.'

Momo couldn't help but feel a sudden tinge of guilt, and she didn't even know why.

"Dinner plans, huh?" His voice held an icy edge to it as Todoroki scoffed, slightly tilting his head to the side like a cat would. His bi-colored hair fell over his eyes a bit which casted a shadow over the upper part of his face in a way that could've actually been considered intimidating to anyone else.

She let out a soft sigh. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to find out," Todoroki answered simply, dropping his arms from his chest and stepping towards her. "You seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Going past the fact that you've been rigorously avoiding me all week, I thought I made it clear that I didn't like seeing you two together so much."

"You don't like that?" Momo folded her arms and leaned back in her seat. She mustered all of her willpower to glare up at him convincingly. "What if I don't like you intruding on my personal conversations?"

"He likes you. You and I both know that," he balled his fists. "So don't go."

She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "And I'll deal with that on my own, Shoto. You don't get to dictate-"

Before she could get to finish her sentence, Todoroki lunged forward, placing his hands on the armrests of her office chair and caging her between his arms. Momo's eyes widened, and she could do nothing but bat her lashes at him while the scent of his cologne drew closer, confused and caught off guard.

A lingering heat crept up her spine when he whispered in her ear, his eyes staying glued to her lips with a soft yearning as he made sure she could hear every last word, "You're all mine. I'm not letting him take you away from me. End of conversation."

Momo stayed frozen in place as he stood back up, letting go of her chair. Her phone screen lit up with a notification which caught both of their attention. It was Iida, texting her the location of the restaurant. She watched as Todoroki silently took note of the message, his gaze as unreadable as ever.

"T-Todoroki..."

"Remember what I said today," His eyes softened, carrying a silent pleading, "Please."

And with that, he disappeared out of the room, already gone from her line of sight before she could try to say anything more.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Momo nudged a pebble that lay there on the concrete street, a solemn look on her face as she stayed lost in her wandering thoughts. With a heavy heart, the city's distant blare of car horns and distant chatter became mere background noise. The dried autumn leaves crunched beneath her feet as she took one step after another on the sidewalk, her eyes on the ground with her hands buried in the pockets of her coat.

She was in her own world, disconnected from all the signs of life around her. No sound seemed to reach her except her mind's ceaseless echoes. Uncertainty and questions. All centered around Todoroki. Moreover, his actions from earlier. She replayed the scene in her mind, dissecting every word, every glance, every touch.

You're all mine.

Those familiar sensations fluttered in her stomach with a mixture of apprehension and something else she dared not name. She pushed out her bottom lip thoughtfully.

His determined efforts to pursue her would leave her confused to no end. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why he just couldn't move on with his life instead of wasting it on her. Although it would probably sting if he forgot about her so easily. But Momo was in no place to complain judging by the circumstances. One thing was for sure, his father really had put her in a tough spot.

"Yaoyorozu?"

Now that she ever so recklessly kissed him like that, Todoroki didn't seem like he intended on stopping there anytime soon. Just what was she going to do...?

"Yaoyorozu!" A voice suddenly reached her, a voice she recognized all too quickly, calling out to her. Momo immediately raised her eyes from the concrete ground, finding herself face to face with the person standing in the distance. Her lips parted.

Hair as white as snow, flowing down to the shoulders and flecked with crimson streaks. Her eyes a gentle shade of gray that reminded Momo all too much of the dual haired man she knew. The woman Momo least expected to be seeing on her way home.

"Oh my, it really is you!" Fuyumi trotted over in her direction, a wide smile blossoming on her lips as she adjusted her glasses as if to see if her eyes were really playing tricks on her or not.

"F-Fuyumi?" Momo blinked twice, trying to process the sudden encounter, snapped out of her daze when Fuyumi wrapped her arms around her in a hug that momentarily sent a flood of warmth running through her veins and eased her inner turmoil.

Fuyumi ran her hand up and down her back in a soothing motion before finally releasing her, her eyes glimmering as she intertwined her hands with the raven haired girl's. "It's much too cold out here, isn't it? Let's talk inside."

 

. . . . .

 

Momo stared out the window of the café beside her, watching the passing cars and the rays of the sunset that bathed the streets in an orange hue, her cheek resting idly against her palm. The sound of the television in the café filled the ambience. The exhaustion of her workload was starting to hit her amidst the calm atmosphere, and her eyes drooped downwards tiredly.

"Well, Mr. Todoroki, we're especially glad to have you on our interview today."

Hearing the familiar name, the sleep immediately left her senses as her eyes went wide open. Momo perked up, dropping her hand from her cheek and trying to find the source of the sound, when her eyes drifted to the television above the counter.

There Todoroki was on the big screen, in a fancy suit and tie, sitting on a red couch across a female interviewer who seemed to be particularly excited seeing him. A small smile on his face that barely reached his eyes.

"And we'd all like to ask, how is it like managing such a large and successful company as Todoroki Corporation at your young age? I must say, you have quite the impressive work ethics."

"You're praising me too much," He let out a dry chuckle, clasping his hands over his lap as he hummed in thought. "Of course, I wouldn't have made it this far without the help of my--"

"Ah, Shoto's on TV," Fuyumi commented, coming towards her with her eyes on the television as she set two cups of tea on their table. She seemed rather unsurprised at the sight. Momo quickly thanked her for the tea and picked up her warm cup, Todoroki and the interviewer's voices fading into the background.

"Woah, that guy is hella handsome," A spectator remarked, catching her attention.

"Y'know, I heard he comes from one of the richest families in the country."

A gasp, "Rich and handsome? He's the whole package, that's for sure."

Momo's gaze darkened as she stared down at her steaming beverage. She looked up at Fuyumi, who was now sitting across her and taking a sip from her tea. Through her years of working with her at that pre-school, they both grew close over time. Unlike her younger brother, she was much open and held a warm, bright aura that immediately drew people in. She was a humble and compassionate young woman, always selflessly looking out for the students. That was one of the many things that Momo admired about her.

She was even similar to Todoroki in some aspects besides their obvious appearances. They were both considerate in their own ways, and barely took their own health into consideration before the ones they loved. Momo set her cup down, unable to look away from the dual haired male on the television screen with her expression strangely dull.

"Todoroki's amazing, isn't he?" The words slipped from her lips before she could fully process them, in an almost trance-like state. Fuyumi seemed to notice her change of demeanor and stayed silent for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face.

"He told me about how you're working for him now," she recounted with a small smile, her eyes crinkled softly. "How is it? Going from a pre-school teacher to working for one of the most hotshot companies in Japan?"

"Ah- well, it's certainly stressful..." The way Fuyumi had phrased it made her feel a lot more self conscious, to say the least. Momo concealed her flustered expression behind the porcelain cup as she took another sip.

The white-haired woman chuckled at her reaction, nodding as if she knew all about it. It was only natural since the company was owned by her family, after all. As Momo looked closer, she could find Todoroki a lot in her. Their resemblance was almost uncanny. Her calm facial features contrasted a lot from his sharp ones, although they still shared their noticeable similarities. Maybe it was the hair, or the eyes, or the sense of security they both brought, but they paralleled each other in a lot of ways.

"I'm proud of you. I know it's not easy with the sudden change of atmosphere."

Those reassuring words put Momo's heart at ease, and she felt like an invisible weight was lifted off her shoulders. Fuyumi must've had some sort of hidden ability to immediately make the people around her feel safe with her mere presence alone.

"To be honest, I never really wanted to work for Todoroki Corporation as our family was basically fated to. So did Natsuo and Touya. We sort of rebelled out of it in our own ways, I suppose. Shoto was the unlucky one, being the only one left 'worthy enough' to inherit the company. I'm assuming you already know all about our abusive father," Fuyumi went on, her gaze turning gloomy, and the dark-eyed girl sitting across her nodded in response.

"It was hard, of course. Every day was a living nightmare. Touya and Natsuo constantly snuck out. Mother and Father always argued to the top of their lungs to the point where we couldn't go back to sleep. Poor Shoto was next in line, subjected to our father's relentless beatings after Touya was discarded as the heir of the company, which only arose more and more arguments. And all I wanted was a happy family."

Momo silently digested all the information, feeling a physical pain in her chest as she watched Fuyumi wipe her glassy eyes, her smile clearly forced.

"Constantly trying to keep the atmosphere tame was tough, but I can't imagine what Shoto must have went through. The rest of us had an easy way out since Father couldn't care less about whatever we chose to do. The guilt makes it hard for me to even face him sometimes."

"It's not your fault," Momo was quick to say, reaching over the table to intertwine her fingers with Fuyumi's comfortingly. "All of you were trying your best to hold on as much as you could. It's admirable how you still persevered through such a rough environment. I'm sure Todoroki is as grateful as I am for you just being there with your endless support even though you're hurting inside yourself. He knows it all."

Fuyumi smiled softly, her eyes shimmering with the tears she held back as she caressed Momo's knuckles with her thumb.

"Shoto loves you a lot. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

Her throat ran completely dry, and it took her a long moment to push down the guilt before she slowly drew her hands away from Fuyumi's grasp, mustering out the words,

"I... can't."

Fuyumi paused for a while after receiving that vague response, a look of what could only be wonder on her face. Soft murmurs of conversation, the clinking of cutlery, the distant hum of traffic, and the voices in the television filled the silence between them in the small café. Until finally, she spoke up,

"Is it because of that?" She gestured with her head in the direction of the TV, and Momo looked to see Todoroki's face on the screen. Her lips parted to say something but not even a sound could come out. At that, Fuyumi simply smiled, knowing she had gotten her answer. "The feeling of becoming more and more detached from him each day. The gap between you two feels much too big, doesn't it?"

Yet again Momo found herself unable to respond. Fuyumi went on knowingly,

"Believe it or not, I think fate brought you two together. It's fascinating, really, how you stumbled into each other after all those long, lonely years," Her eyes glimmered as she looked at her younger brother speaking on the television screen, before her gaze travelled back to her old friend. "I'm truly glad you both met, Yaoyorozu. You stepped into his life, brought him somewhere brighter when he was isolated in a scary world by himself. He was in so much pain but never dared to say even a word. No one else was there to take care of him back then until you came in. If anyone could save Shoto, it's you."

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze at that. "There's too many things I owe Todoroki..."

"And there's too many things we owe you," She finished. "So don't think of yourself as a bother- or a hindrance- or anything of the sort. Because you mean so much more and I know Shoto agrees. You brought him warmth, something he desperately needed but couldn't ask for. And if you ever decide to bridge that gap, to accept your love, remember that you're not just entering his world, you're bringing your own beautiful world to him."

Momo remained quiet, her mind a whirlwind of doubts and fears. She knew she could never bring herself to fully believe those sincere words. That heavy weight still clung to her no matter how much she would try to shake off the feeling. Yet, even if she couldn't exactly pinpoint it, she felt something in her heart change.

The conflicting emotions that churned within her were not something she could easily put into words, but for now, she simply offered a small, grateful smile to Fuyumi, unable to bring herself to respond.

 

~

Notes:

prepare yourself for the next two chapters, folks! all i can say is we're in for a ride 🤫

also, down to business is also available on wattpad! i recommend reading there for better experience :) https://www.wattpad.com/story/318307105-%F0%9D%90%9D%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%B0%F0%9D%90%A7-%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%A8-%F0%9D%90%9B%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%AC%F0%9D%90%A2%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%9E%F0%9D%90%AC%F0%9D%90%AC-todomomo

Chapter 27: Fate

~

 

"𝗔𝗛, 𝗜'𝗟𝗟 have to look into Todoroki's schedule to see if we can make time for a meeting. Mhm. Thank you for working with us."

Momo dropped the telephone with a soft sigh, seated at her desk in the pristine office, a stack of documents awaiting her attention. The morning sunlight streamed in through the curtains, radiating a warm glow in the room. Rustling of papers could be heard as she silently flipped through them, reviewing contracts, schedules, and emails.

Her thoughts, however, were far from the tasks at hand. The encounter with Fuyumi yesterday had left her with a whirlwind of doubt that she struggled to make sense of. Everything seemed blurry and she couldn't come to a proper conclusion with the jumble of conflicting feelings in her mind as she organized the paperwork.

Those reassuring words from Fuyumi had her uncertainty wearing off, slowly but surely. She felt a weight lifted from her shoulders, a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to bridge the gap between her and Todoroki as his sister had said.

But doubt still gnawed at her. Could she actually be the one to bring peace to his life? Her fingers paused over the keyboard as she lost herself in thought. She couldn't help but replay the conversation with Fuyumi in her mind. As much as she tried, her lack of confidence wouldn't allow her to believe it. He did everything for her and she could barely even pay it back.

She loved Todoroki. That was made awfully clear in her impulsive actions. She had seen the pain in his eyes, the scars of his past. It made her want to keep him close. Yet because of her own self consciousness she ended up doing all the wrong things, pushing him away. Endeavor's threats definitely didn't make things any better.

Momo didn't want to keep her head low any longer.

She dropped her pen back on the desk with a gentle thud, grabbed her coat and stood up. Everything seemed to be spinning because of how dizzy she was from all this. Until how long was she going to keep restlessly occupying herself with work to distract herself? She needed to catch a breath.

And so, with a silent decision being made, Momo now walked down the hall, passing the door of Todoroki's vacant office along the way. It only fueled the rush of adrenaline coursing through her. He was supposed to be returning any moment now. Maybe she could run into him at the entrance by mere chance.

The thought of him smiling at her made her heart slightly skip a beat as she reached the lobby, her heels pounding against the marble floor. Then she stopped.

Surrounded by intimidatingly tall men in suits, there in front of her was unmistakably him.

Enji narrowed his eyes when he noticed her, surveying. Her mind instantly went blank and all she could do was offer him a small bow, her expression as hard as stone as she carefully avoided his intense stare, hoping to end it there. But before Momo could even make a move to leave, he cut in,

"I trust you've been following my instructions."

She balled her fists.

"I have."

"Good." A sinister smile played on his lips. With one look, the men that had been with him were already gone from sight. He eyed the several employees around them passing through the security body scanners on their way to work, the soft beeping sounds ringing in her ears. He lowered his tone, "It's for the best, you know. My son's future is of utmost importance. I've already made arrangements for his marriage with a suitable partner."

Her blood ran cold.

Enji eyed her pale face. His smile only grew as if he knew he had her in the palm of his hand. "I'll be sending him to a business trip in Europe in due time so keep staying away from Shoto. Your presence is nothing but a distraction to him from where he really belongs-" He pointed to the sky. "The top. And he'll be there soon enough. I'll make sure of it. So don't go letting foolish emotions cloud your judgement." He gave a cruel chuckle, "You want the best for him, don't you?"

Lost in a daze, her eyes remained on the marble floor as she moved to the side in a robotic instinct, allowing him to walk past her. Then something seemed to hit her, and she snapped back into the present.

"Todoroki isn't your puppet."

The man stopped and turned back to meet her fiery gaze, one that put all the pent up rage she had been holding back for the longest time, right there on full display. He raised a brow.

"I didn't quite catch that."

Her lips twitched in disbelief.

"Didn't you hear me?" She raised her voice much more daringly now, her voice booming against the glass walls as she spun around to fully face him. People stopped to stare, others quickly looked away at the sight of their chairman. Momo couldn't help it. "I said, Todoroki is not your puppet. He's not yours to control. What isn't there to understand?!"

Employees, caught off guard by her words, now stood frozen in their tracks, shock and curiosity etched on each of their faces. Faint whispers began to ripple through the onlookers. Some exchanged surprised glances, eyebrows raised incredulously. She could hear it all, see it all, and she knew Enji Todoroki did too.

Momo always held her tongue and never spoke back, used to being pushed around by others as she trudged her way through her miserable life on her own.

Yet for the first time, standing there in a navy coat to shield herself from the autumn chill, Momo didn't feel like she was drowning in the intense atmosphere. Rather, she felt like she was on top of it. That was a power she wasn't quite used to, but it felt good, looking at the seething red-haired man while she breathed heavily, her heart drumming and thudding in her chest.

Enji scoffed.

"You seem to have forgotten your place." He looked down at her with a condescending smirk that concealed his own agitation for all the eyes on them. "But do understand this, my son's life and future are my responsibility. You're just a little ant I can crush. Don't meddle where you don't belong, Yaoyorozu."

And that crushed her temporary spirits completely.

 

. . . . .

 

The faint melody of a piano, the low hum of hushed conversations, and the sounds of clinking cutlery, all echoing in the restaurant. Soft golden lighting illuminated the area. The restaurant was quite posh, not as fancy as the one Todoroki chose on their first "date" of course, but Momo did question a few times why Iida picked such a lavish place for an occasion as simple as catching up. Although she did appreciate the gesture on his part.

"I made a reservation in a nice area, didn't I?" Iida smiled, his words pulling her out of her trance. His eyes twinkled under the gleam of the chandelier. The tall window beside them provided a fine view, reflecting their faces. Momo returned the smile and nodded.

"It is nice."

Right. Being able to associate with an old friend who you thought you'd never see again was a chance not most people would be lucky enough to have. Not to mention they'd be willing to have a chat with you at an extravagant restaurant with an upcoming bill you're sure he won't let you pay for. It was... nice.

Her expression went blank again as she looked back down at her plate, picking on the food with her fork, deep in her thoughts. The food seemed quite expensive... She could've ordered something much less costly but Iida had already made the arrangements. She would have to pay him back sometime.

Oh, right. Todoroki wouldn't be happy with that. But then again, it wasn't like they were even dating or anything. And especially after stumbling across his father again, it wasn't like she could reach for him even if she tried. Albeit harsh, Enji had brought her back to reality. She already made a decision and would just have to accept that. That way no one would get hurt, and Todoroki could live the life of his dreams without her worthless presence.

Something about that felt oddly wrong for some reason.

"You seem like you have a lot on your mind..." Iida cut off her train of thought, catching her off guard. She looked up at the curious expression on his face, glancing down to her plate where she was twisting the fork around on her filet mignon. "Or maybe the food is not to your liking?"

"It's just work. The lack of sleep is probably catching up to me," She forced out a brief chuckle and took a quick bite of her food, coughing shortly after due to not digesting properly. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong. If someone were to look closely they would be able to see the bags under her eyes, a result of her horrid sleeping schedule. Todoroki's confessions and his father's taunts had been keeping her up at night recently.

He pauses for a moment, and she knew he had already seen through her little lie, but thankfully he brushed it off.

"I can definitely understand it. Even after working with Todoroki Corporation for a week I know it's definitely not easy. Working there, I mean." He clinked his wine glass with hers and they both took a long sip. "Speaking of which, I can secure a position for you at our law firm if you're interested."

"Thank you, but I'm fine working for Todoroki," She immediately turned him down with a small, tired smile. Then that voice invaded her headspace again, just it had been for practically the entirety of the dinner.

'He likes you. You and I both know that. So don't go.'

Momo couldn't shake off that underlying guilt as she sat there, the faint melody of piano playing in the background, but chose to ignore it. It wasn't an easy task, to say the least.

"Well that's a shame," Iida let out a defeated sigh, gave an easy chuckle as if he had already expected this answer beforehand. "I would have loved working with you." Then he decided it was time, putting his hand on the bouquet of fresh flowers behind him in his chair, about to take it into her view. "Speaking of which...-"

"Todoroki?"

There he was, his bi-colored eyes darting between the phone in his hand and the surrounding tables, before he met her confused gaze. The look on his face was indecipherable as he approached them in a few long strides, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"You're done, right?" Todoroki grabbed her wrist the moment he was near her, prepared to do whatever it took. Iida's face was as hard as stone, but his eyes couldn't hide the disappointment that shadowed over his demeanor. A momentary jolt of panic spiked through her when he pulled her to her feet. "Let's go."

"W-Wait!-"

Paying no heed to her protests, Todoroki gave the blue haired man who was frozen in his seat one last look, a look that said more than words ever could, his eyes narrowed. In that split second, Iida knew what it meant and it sent shivers down his spine. The air was thick, and Momo looked from Todoroki to Iida, oblivious to the competition that had been simmering between the two men since high school.

Iida already lost this battle a long time ago.

His gaze darkened as the realization slowly settled in, still clutching the bouquet behind him as Todoroki dragged her away, his eyes following the two as they disappeared from sight.

Momo felt the warmth of his hand capture hers, but that did little to mediate the situation she was in. Multiple eyes were on them as he continued to drag her, and she did nothing to stop him until they were outside of the restaurant, into the chill of an autumn night on a deserted sidewalk.

The cold air bit into her skin causing her to shiver. She yanked her arm out of his strong grasp, jolting him back to his senses. He looks at her like she just slapped him.

"You really went."

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop to think.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"You know what? I did. But I came just in case, holding onto the hope you didn't go. Turns out you did." He gave a shaky chuckle, looking up to the pitch black sky. The hint of betrayal in his voice caused her to feel a crushing pang in her chest, swallowing her up. It hurt like hell, but Momo found the last ounce of resolve in her to face him with a deadpan.

"Right now you're being unreasonable, selfish, and overly possessive."

Another mirthless chuckle as the faint hum of the city echoed in her ears.

"I can't live without you, Momo," His smile momentarily dropped, his voice low, barely above a whisper. A wave of despair washed over her. The stoic man Todoroki was, he had never showed so much raw emotion before, and it was starting to become unsettling. "I need you by my side. Or else I might really..."

"Don't," She whispered before he could shatter her heart into a million pieces, her eyes pleading, "Don't finish that sentence. please."

"I thought you loved me," He went on, much to her demise.

Momo levelled his stare with her own, her lips visibly quivering while she tried to keep a composed façade. But cracks were beginning to form on the surface, and Shoto Todoroki could read her like an open book, deciphering her every motion. Her eyes burned.

Seeing the hurt etched in his eyes, Momo began to feel his blood on her hands for bringing such a look on his face as they both stood there, motionless.

Maybe Fuyumi was wrong.

'So don't go letting foolish emotions cloud your judgement.'

Maybe she wasn't worthy of his love after all.

'I've already made arrangements for his marriage with a suitable partner.'

Maybe her presence really was nothing but a distraction.

'Don't meddle where you don't belong, Yaoyorozu.'

He had a whole future ahead of him, and yet she brought him here, pining for a broken woman. She couldn't let that happen.

"You were wrong."

An empty lie.

"Then what about that kiss?" Still refusing to believe it, he took a few steps towards her, looking down right at her. Todoroki studied her with a furrowed brow, searching her eyes for any sign of what was truly going on inside her. It made her flinch. "Did it mean nothing? Was it empty all along?"

She gulped the rising bile in her throat and nodded weakly, unable to speak with the way he was looking at her, surveying her with that unreadable gaze. Todoroki stepped back, sighing shakily as he started to laugh again in pure disbelief, his eyes glassy. He almost seemed crazed.

"And I'm supposed to just fucking believe that?"

"You can choose to not believe it if it helps you feel better," She said sharply, slicing a dagger through his heart and her own, not having meant for her words to sound so harsh. Momo couldn't help it, overwhelmed by her own emotions. "That kiss... it was meaningless. It was empty, Shoto. Let's... Let's leave it at that."

Todoroki stared her down for a long moment, trying to figure her out. She remained expressionless, not allowing the slightest emotion to show through. At last he let out an unsteady breath, his hair flowing in the breeze of a car that sped by beside them.

"You said you were going to be there for me."

That struck something in her. Moments of that day at his house began to flash in her mind. His pale, sweating face. The warmth of his touch when she embraced him. The silent promises made that she could never forget. It all blurred into one and she felt lightheaded.

She did. She did promise that, but she was unable to keep that promise even if it was tearing her apart.

"I... I did." In a trance, she placed her palm over her cheek only to feel a singular tear trailing across her skin. Momo hadn't even realized she was crying.

"What went wrong?"

His question came out in an almost hesitant whisper, as if it had slipped out of his tongue before he could come to his proper senses. But she caught it, and another tear seeped out.

"Everything- from the start to the end," her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions. Before Momo knew it, silent tears were streaming down her face, and she was completely powerless against them. "Maybe we weren't meant to meet again. M-Maybe...-"

"Momo." He warned, giving her a look that could melt glaciers, his own eyes moist and glistening underneath the full light of the moon.

"Maybe we weren't meant to meet at all," She found the strength to continue, her volume rising despite the cold look he gave her with an intensity that was telling her to stop there.

"Maybe this was our fate all along. The distance between our worlds is just too far."

And there it was. The final nail in the coffin.

Todoroki looked off to the side with a mixture of denial and utter despair when he realized he wasn't reaching her anymore, fists clenched. He was always a master at concealing his emotions, so much that she had never seen him in such a state, and her heart sank painfully.

"You deserve better, Shoto."

"D-Don't give me that bullshit right now," His eyes snapped back to her, begging. "You think you can just throw it all away? Everything we had? Because I'm- I'm not letting you."

"What's the point?" She broke, her face empty, devoid of the light she once carried, the light that was everything to him and more. A final tear trickled down her face, cold against her skin.

Then Todoroki knew it was inevitable.

Once Momo Yaoyorozu was set on something, she never backed down from it. Although it was a beautiful thing about her, it didn't mean her choice wasn't ripping him into shreds right now.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Momo sat with her coworkers in their usual haunt, the small deserted café near their workplace. It was an unspoken ritual at this point. Although they had suggested trying different places multiple times and complaining about being sick of going to the same place all the time, they always gravitated back here. Maybe it was because it was nearby, or it was the unspoken attachment they'd formed over countless coffees in that same spot by the window, or some other indiscernible reason, we may never know.

"Let's speak the facts- you're terrible at pick-up lines, Denki." Mina and Ochaco both outwardly cringed at his failed attempts to convince them he was 'good with the ladies'(as he so claimed), paying no mercy to the pleading blonde.

"At least Yaomomo would be nice to me!" He whined, and then leaned over the table to flash Momo literal puppy eyes, his eyes twinkling in an almost cartoon-like fashion as he proceeded to push out his bottom lip in a small pout. "Right, Yaomomo?"

Mina let out a dramatic gasp and immediately latched onto Momo's side, pressing her cheek up against the raven haired girl's. Momo just blinked. "Nuh-uh, you're not touching my Yaomomo!"

Denki clutched his chest, holding on to the last bit of hope, "Yaomomo, you'd have lunch with me, right? Right?!"

However, Momo had a blank look on her face, pointing between them as the words came out before she could quite process it, "Who? Me? You? Us?"

The spirit slowly floated away from his body as Denki sunk back into his seat in utter denial, a dazed look on his face, shaken to his core after her ruthless rejection. It was quite a comical scene, that was for sure.

"Nice try, dipshit. Todoroki's already claimed her," Shinso yawned as he placed his fist against his cheek, thoroughly amused by the sight of Denki's suffering and unaware of the way Momo tensed at the mention of his name.

"You're just rubbing salt in his wound, man!" Kirishima borderline cackled out loud, covering his mouth to muffle his laughing. The blonde sent them both deadly looks that didn't phase them in the slightest.

As the group continued to bicker and laugh, Momo wasn't physically present, lost in her own world as she stared off into space blankly. She barely even slept the night before, too busy being a sobbing mess with her thoughts consumed by that heart-wrenching argument with him, left both emotionally and physically drained. Even now just the thought of it made her want to break down again. But she couldn't make her friends worry, could she?

Momo felt soulless.

"By the way, is Boss really leaving today?" Kirishima suddenly spoke up in the middle of the bantering. His words instantly caught her attention, yanking her out of her trance.

Shinso ran a rough hand through his hair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, as if the weight of the news was settling in on him. "Yeah."

Everyone fell silent. Momo's mind raced with already millions of unanswered questions as she tried and failed to process what they were saying, her eyes darting between her strangely quiet coworkers, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts. Then Shinso looked from his empty coffee cup to her.

"Aren't you supposed to be going with him?" His voice was hoarse as he raised a questioning brow, his curiosity barely evident. Everyone's eyes landed on her. "You're his fiancé after all."

What on earth?

"What... are you talking about?" She asked, genuinely lost.

A collective gasp rippled through the group.

"Y-You didn't know?!" Mina's eyes widened in disbelief, and she slammed her hands on the table, causing her to flinch. "Boss is going on a business trip for three years! He's leaving tonight!"

The world around her seemed to have frozen then and there, her eyes looking up at Mina and not moving as the bubblegum haired girl leaned back in her seat with a sigh. Their voices became muffled in her ears while Momo drifted out of reality.

"I can't believe you didn't know that... Seriously, we thought you'd be the first one to know." Mina.

"Three years is a lot of time. What's he gonna do out there for that long by himself?" Kirishima.

"Maybe he just needs a break. Managing a company that size definitely sounds stressful..." Ochaco.

"True, but three years? That's like a whole career break!" Kaminari.

"I heard from someone that it's a new project overseas. Some big expansion deal or something." Shinso.

"Still..."

Then Momo slowly began to regain her bearings, her senses coming back to her one by one.

Three years.

She couldn't wait that long.

No way in hell was she letting him leave like that.

"M-Momo?" Ochaco looked up at her with a look of pure concern as Momo grabbed her purse without a single thought and stood up, eyes wide and hands trembling.

"I have to go. Now."

"Wait, you don't-"

And just like that, followed by the stunned looks of her coworkers who were calling out to her, Momo was already rushing out the door of the café into the frigid grasp of the midnight breeze with only a single thought in mind.

 

~

Chapter 28: Promise

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗦 simply no way.

No way in hell was she going to let him leave for three whole years after everything they'd been through, and especially with not even a word to her after that talk they had outside the restaurant. Three years was... much too long. What would she even do without him for that long? What would he do, all by himself in a whole different country? And the way he was leaving the day after their argument only made her gut twist into knots. Momo couldn't bear to lose him again.

She wasn't going to let him.

Dizzier than ever, Momo hastily looked from her phone to the busy street in search of a cab, the ringing of her phone where she dialed Todoroki reverberating in her ears all too loudly. Her breath caught in her throat when the line disconnected, leaving only a voice prompt in its place.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

Just when she was about to be consumed further by her own racing mind, a text message from Mina flashed before her eyes, notifying her of the airport he was at as well as vigorous words of support. Momo had no time to think as she hailed a cab and rushed inside, struggling to catch her breath.

The driver sped off towards her destination, and without a second's hesitation she proceeded to call Todoroki again with trembling fingers as she prayed to the heavens.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

He wasn't picking up. Her grip on the phone only tightened in silent resolve.

She called him once more.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

Her heart sank deeper in her chest.

"He won't pick up. Why isn't he picking up...?" She murmured, panic coursing through her veins when she realized there was no reaching him, the silence on the other end a painful reminder that he was slipping away from her. Was he ignoring her? Was he already on the plane? Would he really leave without even saying goodbye?

The pain in his eyes when she was adamant to push him away. His shaky breaths and the cracks in his voice. She remembered it all so vividly that she couldn't even sleep a wink that night. Momo knew she was the only one who could bring out such a state in him and the only one to make things right.

What if she really lost him this time? What if he left without knowing how much she needed him?

A sickening feeling churned in her stomach but Momo couldn't afford to let these thoughts cripple her. She had to find him, no matter what it took.

Just then the car came to an abrupt stop.

"The traffic's as nasty as ever, eh?" The driver muttered under his breath while Momo looked out the window to see the car frozen in the middle of what seemed to be an endless sea of blaring horns and chaotic traffic. Her heart pounded in her chest as she slumped back into her seat, closing her eyes and taking a moment to compose herself.

She waited around for a few minutes, watching the unmoving vehicles around her with her patience growing thin by the second. But the car wasn't budging any time soon, and it was then that Momo realized she couldn't sit by idly any longer.

"I'll be off now! Thank you for your service!"

With a sudden surge of determination, she flung open the car door and stepped out into the bustling road, ignoring the bewildered gaze of the driver. The airport wasn't too far, and her own two legs were her best option now.

Her heels clattered against the pavement as she dodged people and vehicles, the honking of cars sending a throbbing sensation across the back of her skull. Her heart was practically beating out of her ribcage from the adrenaline, but she couldn't stop. She had to reach him, had to come clean with her feelings.

The chilly wind whipped against her face, and her breath came in ragged gasps while she rushed down the sidewalk, followed by the baffled glances of strangers around her. Momo knew the airport was somewhere in the distance now, and it brought her an ounce of hope as well as a faint reminder of how little time was in her hands.

She needed to get there, she needed to find him, she needed to tell him the truth. So she ran at a relentless pace, faster and harder than she ever had, her desperation driving her forward as she dialed his number again. But her lungs were burning and she could barely breathe and Momo didn't know how much longer she could keep up.

The air was suddenly knocked out of her when she tripped onto the ground, her phone slipping out of her hands with an audible crack.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

For a moment Momo lay there panting heavily, sprawled across the ground, her mind blank and her pupils shaking within the depths of her eyes in denial.

Then she weakly props herself up into somewhat of a sitting position. She lifted her skirt slightly to examine her scraped knee, lithe fingers lightly brushing over the trail of blood oozing from the wound as she fought to regain her breath. Before she could comprehend it, tears were dripping onto the pavement.

It was almost unbelievable how fast she broke, covering her face with her hands as her shoulders shook with muffled sobs and hiccups. Her chest felt like it wasn't getting any air, no matter how much she gasped for it.

Momo didn't know if he was gone, but she yearned for him, yearned for his warm touch and his gaze of understanding that told her everything would be just fine.

She missed him. She missed Todoroki so badly she didn't know what she was supposed to do if he left her.

A frigid breeze blew past her, and a slight shiver ripples down her spine. She sniffs and brings her hands away from her dampened face. Momo looked around to see the streets slowly being showered in white. Her lips parted in awe.

She outstretches a quivering hand and watches as the snow reaches her palm with a strangely peaceful look upon her features.

"The first snow," Momo whispers to herself breathlessly, the words bittersweet on her tongue. Her soft breaths formed puffs of clouds.

It was a rather cliché sentiment, but somehow the frost covering her surroundings gave her strength, as if it was some sort of sign meant for her only.

With a new fire lit in her gaze, the raven-haired girl wiped her tears with the back of her hand and grabbed her phone, her injured knee stinging against the chill of the weather as she found the strength to rise to her feet again.

 

. . . . .

 

"I'll carry your luggage, sir."

Todoroki simply watched with an empty feeling in his chest as the assistant his father had sent to accompany him on his flight tended to his suitcases. He had only packed the bare necessities for the upcoming three years he'd be spending utterly alone. His gaze fell.

That father of his was the one who sent him on the business trip yet he didn't even bother to see him off at his departure. Todoroki was relieved he wasn't, honestly. Seeing his face would only make him feel more shitty than he already was. He wouldn't have agreed on going if not for what went down that night and the sudden need to be isolated as far away from everyone else as possible.

Solitude suited him, anyway. He had always been the loner type. The absence of others brought him a certain peace of mind, where the world wasn't constantly breathing down his neck and demanding for him to act. It was quiet, and that was exactly what he desired in the first place.

Right. It wouldn't be much different, except for the new void in his heart that would continue to ache and threaten to consume whatever shred of life was left within his soul for the rest of eternity.

No matter how much Todoroki tried to understand why she abandoned him, he just couldn't wrap his head around it.

But at that moment, standing in the middle of the airport, aiming to run away like he always did, he didn't blame her. Todoroki was a coward. A coward who never knew how to love. And that cowardice ended up causing the only woman in his heart to push him away no matter how much he tried to make her stay.

There really wasn't a point anymore. That much was clear.

His heterochromatic eyes were lowered wistfully, only looking up once a monotonous voice blared through the airport speakers, reminding him of his soon departure. Todoroki let out a soft breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Soon, he would be dragged back to the familiar lonely world he knew. Soon, he wouldn't have to burden her with his presence any longer. Soon, he'd be gone for good- for a limited period of time, at least.

"Mr. Todoroki, let's get going." The man addressed him and shook him from his trance, bringing him back to the present. He only nodded with a stoic expression on his face as he began to take the steps towards his new reality, the steps his father had so carefully built for him to take, for him to fall under his control.

Just once he was about to ascend the escalator, his eyes snap wide open when a voice booms across the hall like a thunder of lightning. A voice so sweet it was dripping with honey, like music to his ears. A voice he couldn't possibly ignore because he knew.

"Todoroki, don't you dare leave!"

At first, Todoroki thought he was dreaming. So deep in his longing that he was starting to hear things. But when he turned around, he almost smiled.

The stars seemed to align at that point in time, because there she was, standing on the other end of the airport at a great distance away from him, focused on the dual-haired man only. Momo's chest heaved with each intake of air, her cheeks flushed with color from both exhaustion and the rush of emotions. Her volume had drawn attention from the surrounding bystanders, yet to her it was almost as if the rest of the world ceased to exist, as if only they existed. Only they mattered.

"You want a definite answer? Fine! I love you, you stubborn jerk!"

She was yelling to the top of her lungs, making sure her voice could reach him. Tears were already beginning to blur her vision but she had to keep going. "I... I love you so much I pushed you away because I wasn't- good enough for you..." Momo paused to catch a breath, "...But I'm selfish too, and I can't even think of a world without you!"

Todoroki could do nothing but stare at her speechlessly, refusing to look away as she carried on.

"So... If you want to escape by yourself, you're going to have to face me!"

As she stood across him breathing heavily, Momo didn't dare to say a word more. The feelings she had been bottling up for the longest time finally spilled out and the realization only dawned on her after her outburst. She almost felt a little bashful for pouring her heart to him like that- he'd probably take her for a fool, wouldn't he?

"Sir, your flight is in a few minutes," His assistant made sure to remind him, but to no avail, Todoroki's eyes were fixated on her only. "We really have to-"

Then Todoroki dropped his suitcase and ran to her.

Momo let go of all her doubts, proceeding towards him just as fast. There was nothing holding her back anymore, and she felt all her worries melting away when he closed the distance between them, grabbing the back of her neck and pressing his lips to hers.

Warmth flooded every inch of her body as he took initiative, wrapping his free hand around her waist and giving her butterflies all over. She didn't back down this time, winding her arms around his neck and putting everything she had into the kiss, all for him to take.

Euphoria rushed through her veins, and the world around them simply faded away as Todoroki weaved his fingers through her hair, his rough fingers carefully wrapping around the delicate skin of her nape. He was careful with her at first, but her intoxicating scent was driving him crazy and he tilted his head, his nose ghosting over hers as he softly devoured her, feeling her shiver against him.

Todoroki hated being vulnerable, hated having people read him. But for her he might as well just put all his feelings into full display.

Their lips parted with a soft sigh, both of them left panting for air. Momo looked down, unable to bring herself to look at him as he examined her with an unreadable intensity in his gaze, their faces mere inches apart. His calloused hand caressed her cheek, gently wiping her tear with his thumb as he silently admired her- his beloved.

Her midnight eyes and her parted lips, her hair that had let loose from its ponytail, her pink cheeks and her soft voice- everything about her drew him in like a moth to a flame from the moment he first laid his eyes on her. She was beautiful without a doubt. Todoroki still couldn't quite believe it, couldn't fathom how such an angel could love him. But they were here now, and he basked in the moment, his eyes holding his need for her, telling her everything she needed to know. He was all hers, and she was all his.

"Do you know how worried I was? Why didn't you pick up, you jerk...?" Momo finally looked up at him with her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. She cupped the sides of his face, tracing his scar with her fingertips. Her heart skipped a beat now that she got a good look at the effect she left on him, at his own reddened cheekbones and his outgrown hair all messed up, and his beautiful eyes she'd always adored.

Todoroki just remained lost in her eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "My phone was off. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Momo's eyes widened only a fraction when he suddenly buried his head into the crook of her neck and inhaled her. She could feel him smile against her skin, his words coming out in a low murmur,

"I'll never leave you."

His arms encircled her tightly around the waist, and his hair slightly tickled her, making her feel all feverish inside. She almost giggled.

"Swear?"

He slowly pulled away to look at her, and she ran her fingers alone his jawline, stuck in a trance. Todoroki took her wrist and brought it to his lips.

"Swear."

Her gaze softened, as if she'd finally found peace. Momo felt like she was on cloud nine.

A smile blossomed on her full lips. Before he could say a word more, she pulled him close by his tie, taking him by slight surprise as she melted into his lips once again.

 

~

Chapter 29: A Dream

~

 

"𝗦𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗥𝗘 saying... my old man was the one who threatened you into staying away from me?" Todoroki's eyes flicker to her in an instant, his voice almost drowning in the calm of the night, thinly veiling the storm brewing underneath. Another wave crashes over the shore, and he swallows hard, failing to keep his head straight.

After Todoroki cancelled his flight, they were back at the beach, the same deserted place from several nights ago during their contractual relationship. But it was real this time, and although she was still unable to quite believe it, Momo cherished it, cherished the warmth of his presence and snuggled into him, her head resting on his shoulder. They were sitting on the sand a distance away from the ocean, bodies pressed flush against each other.

Momo let the question hang in the air, a tranquil expression on her face as she silently counted the stars dotting the pitch black sky, absolutely no idea what the time was, neither did she really care in the moment. She was caught in a daze, and it was as if the entire world around them no longer existed. But Todoroki knew her, could tell what she was thinking with just one look. And at the lack of response, he balled his fist until his knuckles paled. It was all starting to come together.

"That bastard, I'll-"

"Shoto," she interrupted him before he could lose his self control again, wrapped her fingers around his clenched fist. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she brought her eyes to meet his. "Let me handle this. Don't you trust me?"

His gaze softened, slowly yet surely, because the small smile that curved her lips was all he needed to untie the knots in his stomach. Fuck, it was impossible for him to say no to that face. But the uncertainty still remained, more than he'd like to admit. Todoroki looked away. "...I do."

Her smile grew wider, stretching to the apples of her cheeks. He couldn't help but stare in awe. The answer to her question was obvious- of course he trusted her, he trusted her with his life. But the thought of his damn father trying to intimidate her again was much less than pleasant. Thinking of how he tormented her put an uneasy feeling in his gut although he knew Momo wouldn't falter so easy. Not anymore, that he knew for sure.

His eyes land on her knee.

"You bruised your knee," He said, gently grazing his fingers over the injury.

"I must've gotten it while running to the airport..." She pushed out her bottom lip in thought, as if she'd just realized, as if it was the least of her concerns. Todoroki tensed at her words that she probably hadn't meant to say out loud and immediately turned to her, thrown off guard.

"You ran all the way here?"

Momo felt slightly sheepish at the baffled look on his face. She didn't even think it would make him worry so much. She never liked making anyone worry about her, yet strangely enough, it made her feel all warm inside knowing someone was there to care about her more than she cared about herself. "I had to get to you as fast as I could. I didn't have much time left in my hands. All I could think of was you."

"That doesn't mean you can just-" He suddenly grabbed her face between his hands, moving her head from side to side with his heterochromatic irises scanning carefully. A bashful shade of pink blossomed on her already rosy cheeks. "Did you get hurt anywhere else? Do you remember anything? Let me see."

For a second, Momo just stared at him with wide eyes, blinking. Then she burst into a fit of feverish giggles. She couldn't help it.

Todoroki's hands loosened around her face. He let out a soft sigh. "I'm being serious, you know. When are you going to start looking out for yourself?"

He was silent watching her as she kept trying and failing to suppress her bubbling laughter, keeping his grip on her. He wanted to say something but his throat ran completely dry at the sight of her. Her eyes were practically glistening with euphoria and for the first time he couldn't really tell what she was thinking. Damn it. Who gave her the right to be so cute?

"I have a question I've been meaning to ask you," she finally spoke, sucking in a deep breath to calm down. The smile remained on her lips, wide as ever, and she placed her hands over his own which were still cupping her cheeks. "And don't you dare try to avoid it again, you sly jerk!"

At that Todoroki dropped his act of being upset and breathed out a chuckle as he brushed the hair out of her face to get a better look at her. "What is it?"

"Why did you want a contractual relationship with me?" For a whopping million dollars, at that.

"To run away," He admitted, watching her expression change. Todoroki had seen that question coming, to be honest. He did realize he should've come clean from the beginning, since he was acting a little rash in the first place. Although there was no point in hiding anything from her anymore. She was his girlfriend now after all.

"That old man wanted to marry me off to a high status family. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't run into you that day, because you're the only one I could rely on, the only one I could see myself with. So I took my chances and proposed right away. Unsurprisingly, you declined at first, and I was afraid to let go of you. In the end, that was the only thing I could think of. A contractual relationship."

Momo was back to resting her head on his shoulder, and they both watched the ocean in a mutual silence. The silver light of the moon danced over the water, the melody of the ocean's waves brought them both peace. She listened carefully to his breathing, to the steady rise and fall of his chest. After a long pause, Todoroki looked at her with a corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk.

"Cowardly, right?"

"I beg to differ," She nudged him playfully with her elbow, "You were doing what you could. And you reminded me of what love was like. Pretty charming of you, if you ask me."

Todoroki laughed, although deep down he knew she was dead serious.

"Really?"

"What, you don't believe me? Do I have to prove it to you now?" Momo turned to place her chin on his shoulder and peered up at him with a deadpan. He just smiled at her, clearly amused, and she tried hard to hold back a smile of her own.

"I can't say I'm not intrigued by the idea," He placed a brief kiss to the pout on her lips, not missing how the tips of her ears went red from his sudden boldness. He let out a content chuckle at her reaction and turned to look back at the ocean.

She practically malfunctioned, not used to this side of him. "Y-You-"

"My scar," he said, the words flowing gently from his lips as an almost hesitant whisper. His fingers hovered over the red burn on his left eye. Momo stiffened. That same scar had always caught her attention whenever she observed him. Even though it bothered her at times, she didn't want to ask about it in case it was a sensitive subject. He was willingly opening up to her, and she noticed his breathing grow more rapid, more shallow. Her silent presence was the only thing keeping him sheltered. "Aren't you ever curious about it?"

She laced her fingers with his. "You don't have to tell me, Shoto."

But Todoroki shook his head, already seeming to have made his decision.

"No, I do. You're my girlfriend, it's only right you know."

And she would've protested, insisted that just because they were together didn't mean they had to tell each other everything, but the soft yet determined expression on his face made her retract. He grabbed on to her hand as if it was his only source of life support, a somewhat nostalgic look in his eyes while he looked off, his features illuminated by the moonlight.

"My own mother could never bear to look at me when I was a child. I guess she saw my father in me, but one day she... snapped."

Momo looked at him, but he wasn't looking back.

"Poured scalding water on me. I should've known better when I walked into that kitchen, really. My father saw the burn on his precious heir's face, and he was livid. Sent her off to a hospital to 'think about what she's done'. After that I never saw her again- only in my dreams," Todoroki let out a shaky sigh, gulping heavily as he lifted the palm of his hand into view, gazing at it with something akin to resentment. "No one talks about it, but it's obvious it's my fault. I'm the one who did that to her. The damage can never be undone. I can't even face her now."

The silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever, stretching into an endless pit of nothing. And Todoroki could see shadowy figures of his father's hands round his neck, could feel them strangling him, threatening to swallow him up as he watched her face crumple into pure sadness. The air was leaving his lungs and the world was suddenly spinning around him and only one thing echoed in the back of his mind- it was all his fault.

"I'm a monster."

He took in a sharp inhale, feeling pathetic for even revealing his sob story to her. Now she finally saw through him, through the walls he's been so carefully building all these years of shutting everyone out. She could finally see the ugly mess that lay underneath. He knew it was impossible, but the thought that she wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore was horrifying.

Her silence felt longer than an eternity, and he was suffocating in it, was going to suffocate forever until she gently laid his head on her shoulder and Todoroki could feel like he was breathing again.

"You're not a monster, Shoto. It's far from that," Momo said softly, carefully, and the shaky exhalation that left his lips was filled with more relief than he's ever felt in a while. He closed his eyes as she gingerly threaded her fingers through his hair the same way his mother would whenever she read him a story and let her lull his nerves into rest. "You're just a little boy who's asking for love." She paused, looking at the sky to avoid letting the tears collect.

"My mother once told me a long time ago that a person's past doesn't define them. It's how they've grown."

She felt him tense against her at the mention of her dead mother and something in her told her he felt guilty for making her bring it up.

"And I know your mother would never want you to say such cruel things about yourself. She loved you just as much, and I'm sure she'd love to hear the beautiful person you've grown to be," For a moment she hesitated while stroking his locks, mixing up the red and whites of his hair, "It might be a bit out of line for me to say this but... why not visit her?"

Momo held her breath as his eyes slowly snapped open in clear shock. For a moment she was about to think she was overstepping her boundaries until she saw a sliver of consideration cross his features for a split second. But it was gone before she knew it and he shut his eyes and nuzzled his head into her shoulder again.

His voice was breathless, "Let's just stay like this."

The raven haired girl simply nodded and went back to caressing his hair again, still deep in thought. She'd give him as much time as he needed. Hell, she'd stay with him here by the ocean forever if he wanted.

"Do you know the actual reason I never contacted you after high school?" She changed the topic steadily, swallowing the nothing in her throat. He bared his soul to her- it was only fair.

That seemed to have garnered his attention. "Hm?"

"Because I was scared," Momo admitted, "Scared to know if you'd forgotten about me, and scared to burden you with my never-ending problems when you were already so ahead of me. Just picturing your face in my mind got me through hard times. I lied to myself that I was content with it, that it was just how things had to be. But now that I'm here with you now, none of that really matters anymore, does it?"

He spoke in an instant.

"You're not a burden. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," Todoroki said as if it was obvious, lifting his head from her shoulder to look her in the eye. Her lips spread into a genuine smile.

It all felt so surreal to her, a dream that she feared would suddenly end and leave her back in the harsh reality that was her life. A dream she never wanted to wake up from.

For that brief moment, the world outside ceased to exist as all their troubles merely faded into the background. It was just the two of them, their emotions laid bare, and a silent promise that they would face whatever challenges lay ahead together.

"I know now. That's why I'm going to make things right from now on."

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

There was certainly a lot to think about as Momo marched through the polished hallways of the grand Todoroki Corporation, which she had always found herself getting lost in when she first got the job but now the practically maze-like layout of the building was just muscle memory for her. Yet at that point in time, one objective and one loudly beating heart, she felt strangely clearheaded.

She found herself recalling the moment Todoroki first presented the job offer to her in that café, a clear ease in his demeanor and smile when he came to a decision almost as if he was picking out which suit to wear for the day. It had certainly arose some confusion back then, but now Momo understood.

He was trying to reach out to her all this time. She just failed to notice before.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass walls, cascading over her form, reflecting in her orbs and highlighting their dark hues, the warm rays almost comforting her in a way. She looked out the glass to see a huge view of the city underneath her. All these people must've looked like insects from this high up. The cold breeze of the air conditioning sent goosebumps over her skin as she silently gathered her resolve.

Sucking in a deep breath, Momo opened the door.

"Knock before you enter," The man in the office chair declared gruffly. His turquoise eyes seemed to be made of steel as they met hers in a glare. She didn't miss the slight surprise that flickered across them at seeing her.

She took a few long strides to be directly in front of his desk, and without even sparing him so much as a glance, she slammed a piece of paper on the wooden surface. Her face set in a dead expression.

Enji examined the neat writings on the document, the same document which cost her multiple tear-filled nights of contemplation. But after being with Todoroki the night before, her head was so much clearer. The answer was right there in front of her, in his waiting arms. She didn't even have to think twice anymore.

Momo braced herself as Enji slowly looked up at her with a furrowed brow, bafflement written on his face. "What is the meaning of this, Yaoyorozu?"

She lifted her chin, satisfied with his reaction.

"It's my resignation letter."

The words tasted refreshing on her tongue. Although the part of her deep down that was more used to obeying without question was screaming at her from the hidden depths of her mind, Momo stood her ground, a soft breath leaving her lips.

Her hands were trembling at her sides- it was her first time defying her superior so blatantly. It was a new experience, and quite frankly, it felt nice to have free rein for once. Despite the fact that she had no idea what she was going to do from here on out, Momo decided to leave that thought for later.

"You..." A muscle in his jaw visibly twitched. Enji leaned back on his chair and feigned composure. "You're the one who made Shoto cancel his flight last night, aren't you? Everything was going to plan but you had to ruin it. Aren't you aware you're crushing his future because of your foolish fantasies?"

Momo clenched her fists. She didn't want this man dictating Todoroki's life as well as hers any longer. No, she wasn't going to let him.

"I humbly appreciate your concern, but I don't think I'm crushing his future. I'm simply breaking him free from his chains. And I've decided that protecting him is far more important to me than my job. Because I love him. Although I don't think you managed to grasp that concept just yet," She deadpanned, making sure to heavily emphasize on her words. "You've given him enough scars to reflect on for the rest of his life. It's time to end things here, Mr. Todoroki."

Enji's eyes bore into her for a long, long time. She levelled his stare with equal intensity. The weight of those words hung thick in the air, and he seemed to be contemplating deeply. The silence was palpable. Her breath hitched when he let out a final sigh, his gaze directed on her resignation letter laid out on the table.

"You're going to regret this."

Momo just smiled.

"That's something I will decide for myself. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off."

 

~

Chapter 30: I'm Cold

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 of winter came a lot sooner than Momo Yaoyorozu would've thought. She barely even noticed the seasons changing, much less the chill sneaking into the air, too caught up in her own personal complications and whatnot.

Yet now Momo found herself wrapped in a heavy beige coat that could barely fend off the biting cold, her nose and cheeks flushed a noticeable shade of red. The lower half of her face was almost buried underneath her scarf, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular as she stared off into space. Her breaths formed clouds in the frost-bitten air.

The city lights blurred into a sea of colors, the snow filled streets bustling with life. She faintly recalled how her parents would get her ready for the holidays as a child with the brightest smiles she'd ever seen, all the joy and laughter echoing in her mind. Her gaze travelled to the night sky and Momo wondered how they were doing up there.

She spent every winter alone indoors ever since they were gone. It was a rather bittersweet change, but in the end she succumbed to the loneliness and became used to it.

Yet when Todoroki offered her an umbrella that day everything in her world took for a sudden change.

A smile almost tinged her lips. Momo almost wanted to tell the previous her from last year that everything would be okay, that someone was waiting for her all along. Now that she thought about it, where was he? It had been a while since he said he was coming. Momo let out a breath and mentally reprimanded herself for expecting too much.

It was only normal for him to be busy, after all. With the end of the year nearing he must've had a bunch of work piling up on his plate now. Of course that would be the case...

"Momo."

In the span of a single heartbeat Momo immediately turned around, met by a smiling face and those beautiful mismatched eyes, walking up to her. She beamed.

"I kept you waiting, didn't I?" Todoroki sighed, delicately cupping her face in his rough hands. She merely peered up at her boyfriend, watching the slight frown cross his features after taking notice of her red nose and cheeks. "You shouldn't have stayed out in the cold like this..."

"Exactly. So what took you so long, hm? I was getting all bored," She huffed as she smacked his chest lightheartedly. He blinked at her for a moment before the corners of his lips spread and Momo figured it was worth the wait to see that soft smile. "You're lucky you have that handsome face of yours to save you."

Todoroki's usually well-kept hair was now grown out and held a certain disheveled charm, parted over the middle and falling over his eyes the way it did in their high school days. He was dressed in a buttoned navy coat over a black vest and tie and a white collared shirt. And although he looked effortlessly attractive as always, Momo couldn't help but fixate on the fact that he wasn't wearing nearly enough layers to protect himself from the numbing cold. Thick sheets of snow had heavily coated the streets and he didn't even have gloves on.

"And this handsome face of mine will make it up to you," His hands slid down to her waist, pressing warmth against the chill that had settled on her skin. The gentle caress of his fingers caused her heart to skip a beat. Although she had been in his embrace before, the fact that they were actually dating now made her a little shy at the prospect. And just when Momo was about to let herself melt into his arms a sudden realization interrupted her momentarily.

"Right, I almost forgot!"

Todoroki regarded her with curious eyes, his hands still encircling her waist while Momo proceeded to pull something out of her purse. Then she flung her arms around his neck and before he could quite process the situation,

"Ta-da!" She tied a thick woolen material around his neck, grinning as she watched his eyes go wide, "I knitted you a scarf! I have a lot of free time to spend now, and I figured you'd be stubborn about being properly warm in this freezing weather."

A moment of silence hung in the air while Todoroki stared at her, his expression shifting from surprise to something deeper, more profound. She giggled obliviously, adjusting his scarf under the glow of a streetlight that illuminated her face and highlighted the sparkles in her eyes.

Todoroki's gaze lingered on her, his eyes searching hers with an empty look on his face, deep in thought. Then finally he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice,

"...How are you so enthusiastic even after you had to give up your job?"

Her smile softened, as if she fully understood the weight behind his question. She kept her arms around his neck and met his eyes. Momo wishes she could wipe that guilt right off his face.

"Because you're here with me, of course," She only said as if the fact was obvious by itself, shooting him a playful look while releasing him to lace her gloved fingers with his.

He gave her a strange look for a moment, trying to figure her out. Then Todoroki let out a breath. "You really are something else."

The smile on her face only doubled. "What, did you really think I would be sulking--"

Without a word more he pulled her closer by the hand, burying her head in his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder, muttering low,

"I'm cold." A cute little lie.

And quite frankly, Momo didn't care that she could barely breathe from how tight he was holding her because the feeling of safety flooding through her veins was showering her in magical sensations and all she could do was wrap her arms around her in return, embracing her walking furnace of a boyfriend.

She knew he was lying because Todoroki was always warm. He always had heat running through his body as if it was meant to fill in her emptiness. Her numbness. It was so exhilarating yet so scary at the same time. Scary as she was worried that this warmth would slip from her fingers again like it did eight years ago. So Momo grasped onto him like a lifeline, feeling him stiffen.

His voice was as soft as the snow falling in sheets around them when he spoke, "Momo?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know how I managed to survive eight years without you."

She pulled back to meet his eyes with a small smile. "Me neither. Let's not do that again, okay?"

"Agreed," He breathed out a contented sigh, linking his arm with hers as they walked through the street, her handmade scarf on his neck. As they talked, a gust of wind carried the scent of something familiar- a nostalgic aroma that caused her eyes to literally shimmer. Todoroki followed her gaze to see a food stall in the distance, lit up by colorful traditional lanterns.

The midnight-haired girl could barely contain her enthusiasm as she tugged him forward, almost throwing him off balance.

"Momo-"

"Ah, I haven't been here in such a long time!" She clasped her hands together, scanning the menu above them with excitement. They were both standing in front of the stall, their arms still joined. Todoroki silently admired the unfiltered joy on her face while she placed a finger on her chin in thought, muttering and mumbling to herself. Then she smiled brightly and raised a hand to get the stall owner's attention.

"Five skewers of dango, please!"

"Coming right up!" The stall owner was quick to reply. His dirty blond hair was visibly greying, face wrinkled with age. Although as a businessman, Todoroki could tell just by looking at him that the man carried himself and his job with pride.

The stall seemed fairly old and worn out. He was honestly surprised at how it was still even standing. It definitely needed a renovation. Maybe even more lanterns to light up the place, too. Maybe then business would be a lot more lively around here.

But then he ran a rough hand through his hair, frustrated at his inability to be on a date without thinking about work. It was practically engraved into his brain at this point. He had his father to curse for that.

And so, in an attempt to shake off the business-related thoughts, he decided to redirect his focus to Momo, shifting his gaze to her. "I didn't know you like them so much."

A slightly bashful grin parted her lips. Just before she could come up with a response, the man handed her a bunch of steaming skewers, and Todoroki presumed it could've been considered some sort of hidden talent for her to be able to easily hold that many.

"It's a nice night. You're dating, are you not? Or maybe you're not in that stage yet?" He sized them up playfully while they were having a hushed argument about being the one to pay, catching them both off guard.

Momo's eyes widened a fraction and she exchanged a surprised glance with Todoroki. He only raised a brow, processing those words while she nervously laughed.

"That's..."

"We are. I'm her boyfriend," He cut in, cool and composed, sneakily pulling her closer as he stood tall. He had an iffy feeling about this guy, but Todoroki could read people well, could tell how he was warm at heart by the way he chuckled knowingly.

"Ah, don't mind this old man. Just thought I'd ask," the man eyed their linked arms, a wistful smile across his face. "Have a good one, lovebirds."

By that point Momo felt like her face was on fire, barely able to look neither Todoroki or the stall owner in the eye. Sure, it was pretty clear they were in a relationship, but they never outright said it, or in other words, verbally acknowledged it. The mere prospect of being boyfriend and girlfriend made her feel all giddy inside.

"Th-Thank you, sir!" She found her voice.

"Thank you, sir." Todoroki slightly bowed, a hand on her back as they turned to leave.

The snow crunched softly beneath their feet while they walked side by side in the bustling streets. Momo couldn't resist immediately taking a bite of her warm snack. The sweet, chewy goodness filled her mouth. He merely watched as she closed her eyes and rested the side of her face against her palm, savoring the moment with a bubbly shade of pink tinting her cheeks.

"Mmmph, fis ish sho good...!" She attempted to speak within a mouthful, and Todoroki found it absolutely amusing how muffled her voice sounded, so much that he breathed out a ghost of a genuine laugh, releasing the tension in his chest. Swallowing down, Momo looked to him and held out a skewer, her cheeks still tinged with pink, "Do you want one, Shoto?"

"I'm already full from just watching you," He replied while burying his hands in the pockets of his coat, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. She blinked for a moment and regained control of herself, just in time to hold back the blush that would threaten to spill over her face.

"Shame. More for me then," Momo adjusted all the skewers in her hands in an easier position, munching away on the rice treats. She couldn't help but notice a subtle shift in herself. She wasn't as self conscious about her mannerisms or being ladylike as before- not something she'd find common in her very short list of previous relationships. It was almost like Todoroki's company alone had created an invisible bubble around them, a bubble where she didn't have to think before saying whatever came to mind, not afraid to show him her carefree side, especially now that they were officially dating. It felt quite liberating.

"You know," She started, his heterochromatic orbs immediately finding hers, "As a child, my mother and father loved buying me dango from that exact stall whenever we went out. It was like tradition at one point."

"Really?" His eyebrows rose in actual curiosity.

The raven-haired girl stifled a chuckle at his reaction, and she carried on with pure fondness in her eyes, "I thought the stall owner would've retired by now! He's grown old so I don't think he recognized me, but I'll always remember how he used to give me extra skewers for free behind my parents' back since I enjoyed it so much. But my parents found out one day, and then I understood why he would ask me to keep it a secret- because then my parents had a whole back-and-forth with him about having to repay him for his kindness. It was so funny!"

Her bubbling laughter never failed to pull a smile from him. "So that's where you got your top class manners from. Your parents."

"That's right! And maybe I'll teach you a thing or two about etiquette too sometime," Momo teasingly jabbed his side with her finger, thinking back to how blunt and standoffish he was at work. The way he made people shrink back in fear with just one look was surely something to remember, and not to mention how he always unceremoniously left when ending a meeting. He acted so cold he almost would've had her fooled too.

Momo stole a glance at him to see his eyes still unmistakably on her, in that unreadable gaze.

"Whaf a' you looking af me wike that fo'?" She asked, her mouth stuffed with food. And despite the whole hindered pronunciation he seemed to get the gist of it at the very least. Todoroki honestly found it cute how full her cheeks were, how innocently her midnight eyes sparkled when she looked up at him. He almost wanted to reach in and bite...-

Well, nevermind.

"Like what?"

"Like you want to buy me the entire stall," Momo joked, bumping him with her shoulder in an attempt to clear the air that's suddenly surrounded them.

Todoroki didn't seem like he was joking though. "How did you know?"

Heat poured over her cheeks, flushing them a bright strawberry hue as she snapped her eyes away from him and fidgeted with the ends of her scarf. Somehow he always said things that sent butterflies dancing in her stomach, knowingly or not. She had no idea how to act when her heart was literally beating out of her chest and her brain was turning into mush and that was odd because Momo always knew how to act. This man was going to be the death of her, seriously.

"You're funny, you know that, right?" She mumbled, seeing him smirk out of the corner of her eye, evidently amused.

"Or so I've been told," He played it off with his signature blank face, messing with her was undoubtedly starting to become one of his guilty pleasures. He really needed to remind himself to stop doing that more often.

Eventually though she had managed to somewhat recover, and began to go on about how he needed to make a savings account instead of making unreasonable purchases, and then her plans for the winter, and all sorts of recommendations for different tea blends, all of which he just listened, not missing a single word. Falling too hard just did that to you. To the point where suddenly your entire world circulates around them and you're addicted to everything little about them and you find yourself sinking deeper until there's no coming back. Ask Todoroki, he'd know.

And while Momo talked dreamily, lost in her own world where nothing mattered anymore, a vibration in his pocket prompted Todoroki to pull his phone out. He stared down the message on his screen with an indecipherable look, enough for her to take notice.

She stopped mid-sentence. "Shoto?"

"It's nothing," A small smile rolled over his lips as fast as it had disappeared when he shoved his phone back in his pocket, brushing it off. "Continue what you were saying."

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Todoroki silently prepared himself as he walked into the vast lobby of Kendo's workplace. His eyes swept across the whole grandeur. The high ceilings that soared to the heavens and sparkling chandeliers, down to the polished marble floors and gilded pillars and meticulously arranged flowers in life-sized vases- everything just screamed wealth. It was surely a sight to behold, there was no denying that, but he didn't have it in him to be impressed when he's been surrounded by this sort of setting all his life. Besides, it wasn't like it was his first time there anyway, having Kendo design his suits from time to time for special events.

"Well, if isn't the rebellious Todoroki," A voice rang out, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked up to find Kendo descending down a grand spiraling staircase, her hand sliding across the banister. He noticed the easygoing smirk resting on her lips as she walked right past him, settling herself on a plush red couch. "Have a seat. It's been a while."

He stood there expressionless for a moment before sitting on the couch across from her. She merely smiled.

"I hope you like tea," Kendo leaned back, legs crossed comfortably as a server placed a platter of two teacups on the glass coffee table separating them. He thought she was supposed to be mad at him for stirring so much trouble, but as she looked at him, a playful light danced in her teal eyes, rather laid back in demeanor.

Her style was as eccentric as ever, an ensemble of vibrant colors that seemed to challenge the monotony of their surroundings. She wore a feathered hat and a flowing dress that she probably designed herself, crafted from shifting fabrics and intricate embroidery. Her ginger hair was styled in a striking side ponytail, her outfit completed by oversized rings, beads and mismatched jewelry. She was nowhere near the traditional match his father had envisioned for him, with her high status family and all.

"I figured I owe you an apology," He remained aloof, maintaining a straight face as he clasped his calloused hands over his lap to which she just laughed while taking a sip out of her tea.

"Ease up, someone might think we're about to have some serious argument," Fortunately for him there was no trace of anger or resentment. Rather she almost seemed amused by the situation as she traced the rim of her teacup with her finger, pretending to hum in thought. "Let's see... You've ditched a grand total of six family dinners, caused a whole ruckus of arguments by defying your father continuously, practically wasted our time altogether, shall I go on...?" Her eyes drifted back up to him with a knowing look, watching him tense. She smiled that sickly sweet smile again.

Todoroki picked out his words carefully, levelling her gaze and staying as formal as possible, "It wasn't my intention to disrupt your family, though I apologize for causing so much inconvenience."

"Well, after all that, I didn't expect you to even acknowledge my text message asking to meet up. I suppose you had it in you to feel some sort of conscience for your recklessness. Can't say I hate your decision, though," She set her teacup back on the table, waving her hand, "In fact, I should be thanking you. I never actually wanted to be in some arranged marriage anyway. I'd rather let fate decide my path for me, you could say I'm a romanticist."

Kendo winked, and he honestly felt kind of envious at how she so easily brushed off the entire situation just like that. Unlike him she was more of a free spirit, accustomed to her own goals and going with the flow. He almost sighed of relief she was that way, since it all worked out for him anyway. "I'm glad."

"Glad that I'm a romanticist?" She laughed again.

"Partly," He felt a slight smile forming on his lips.

"You have a sense of humor, I'll give you that. But I'm still curious about something. So, Todoroki," Kendo started, leaning forward, her intrigue evident, "There must be another woman who influenced your decisions in all of this, is there not?"

Todoroki's eyes widened. She hit the nail right on the head, and she must've known too, taking his silence as reason enough to continue, being as awfully good at reading people as him, "You do love her, right?"

"I'd give her my life," he responded in less than a heartbeat, his gaze dead set. Kendo's smile softened as if that was all she needed to hear.

 

~

Chapter 31: Favorite Crime

Notes:

title based on "favorite crime" by olivia rodrigo :D highly recommend giving it a listen!!

~

 

"𝗜 𝗧𝗢𝗟𝗗 you I'm not drinking! Not tonight, not ever!" Ochaco crossed her arms, as stiff as a board with a daze-like look in her eyes as Mina continued to whine while shaking her from side to side in hopes of getting her to crack. Of course, this did little to nothing at all.

"C'mon, just one drink won't hurt! This is your chance to loosen... up! Stop... being... so... damn... stubborn...-" She pressed a beer glass to the brunette's mouth (rather forcefully, might I add), who kept her lips clamped together as tight as possible while Mina continued to struggle against her.

"What's up with Uraraka?" Kaminari cringed, his voice bordering on actual concern at this point.

"Apparently she got crazy drunk and threatened Boss Todoroki with a fork or something when he joined us for drinks that night. She hasn't been the same since," Kirishima whisper-yelled back, equal concern written on his face. Kaminari and Momo just nodded simultaneously with an oddly serious look in their eyes, hands on their respective glasses.

"So this is what, some sort of trauma response?" Fed up, Shinso joined the hushed discussion, cheek against his fist as his gaze stayed fixed on the two dorks in front of him, Ochaco looking like she just had the life sucked out of her soul and Mina trying to pry her mouth open with whatever strength she had. They seemed like they were making up a whole new third World War by themselves but he knew better than to tell them that.

All of a sudden Mina's eyes darted to Momo, as if realizing her presence. The midnight-haired girl braced herself.

"Yaomomo, it's been hell trying to deal with these guys ever since you resigned!" She straight up wailed, flopping flat onto the table, "Knock some sense into her, will you...?!"

"Now, now... Mina, enough with the pushing," Momo tried to smile, eyeing the multiple people staring at them, her voice taking on a soft yet authoritative tone. They always somehow managed to revive her motherly nature, and so she had been unwillingly dubbed the 'mom' of the group. Whatever the hell that meant. "And Ochaco, I'm sure Shot-- Todoroki doesn't even remember a thing!" She paused, recalling her boyfriend's terrific memory, which was at the point where nothing went past him because he was so calculating all the damn time. "Well even if he did, he wouldn't mind... You were drunk, after all..."

"Come on, he has better things to do than worry about whatever murderous threats some employee gave him whilst completely wasted," Shinso provided boredly after taking another shot out of his glass. Both Momo and Mina's eyes darted to him in a glare that could almost be considered deadly. He merely shrugged as if to say 'What? Just saying'.

"Agh!" Ochaco let out something akin to a groan, like they had just unlocked both her most suppressed memory and greatest fear. Spoiler alert: they actually did. Not much to go on in that regard. "I've been walking on eggshells around him like my life depended on it lately and I think I'm going mad! I was waiting so long to get a chance to make a good impression on him, and all that flew straight out of the window...!"

As she continued to sulk and her friends struggled to reassure her, Kaminari scrolled on his phone mindlessly before landing on a certain article which caused his eyes to widen.

"Woah! Check this out, the lead guitarist of HEROES:INFERNO just came out with a new single!" He exclaimed excitedly, clicking on the article faster than the speed of light and also coincidentally managing to catch Momo's attention while she was in the middle of explaining to Uraraka that Todoroki was a lot more considerate than he let on. He gazed at his phone admiringly, resting the side of his face on his palm. "She can play all these instruments and sing? She's so awesome..."

Kirishima hummed as he looked over the photos on the blonde's screen which displayed a striking girl with heavy winged eyeliner and various piercings that screamed punk rock, a bold smile on her face. She exuded a sharp vibe that was pretty hard to miss(Sound familiar yet?), only making the difference between her and our obliviously carefree Kaminari more stark. "Wow, didn't think she was your type, Denki."

"Denki's been raving about her a lot recently like some kind of fanboy," Mina remarked, giving up on Ochaco. For now, at least.

"Ho-ho-ho, have you guys already forgotten that I also, in fact, play the guitar?" Kaminari snickered dramatically and placed a hand on his chest, all proud and mighty. He had the privilege to brag and he was going to put that privilege to use at every chance he got. "I just happen to have a lot of respect for her formidable talent and playing techniques."

The situation was undeniably starting to get more and more clear to Momo, until she couldn't help but ask, "Are you guys talking about Kyoka Jiro?" When they nodded in response, she merely said, "Oh, that's my best friend."

Everyone just stared at her for a moment.

And maybe a warning to cover her ears would've sufficed.

"You're friends with the Kyoka Jiro?!"

"How come you've never told us this before?!" Mina leaned over the table to grab her shoulders, even Ochaco nodding rigorously from beside her with her fists raised eagerly, and Momo's awkward smile twitched as she looked around to see equal looks of shock and curiosity on their faces, save for Shinso of course who seemed more fed up with all the shouting than anything.

"I... Well... Didn't think it would surprise you that much...?"

"Of course it would! I mean, you both are so different, how come-"

Suddenly Kaminari clasped his hands together, head lowered, his hair casting a shadow over the upper half of his face. Her smile fell when he looked at her directly from across the table with his golden eyes filled with a fire of determination. It was quite a new look on him to say the least.

"Momo Yaoyorozu. I, Denki Kaminari, am at your utmost service."

She raised a brow, honestly nervous with the weird change of atmosphere. "And?"

"I thereby implore you..." He clasped his hands harder, squeezing his eyes shut tightly, "PLEASE LET ME MEET THE WOMAN OF MY DREAMS!"

Momo flinched from his sheer volume. She looked around the diner for a second(to no one's surprise, all eyes were on them) before reluctantly looking back at him, raising a finger with a clearly strained smile, "Okay, how about we quiet down first...?"

"Please, please, please! I'll do anything! Hell, I'll even lick your floors clean if you want me to!" He pushed even further, very unfortunately paying no heed to her words. She outwardly cringed from that last statement which she really didn't wish was true. She figured maybe all the alcohol was finally getting to him or something. But although Kaminari was a quitter at most, he could really put his mind to some oddly specific things if he wanted to. "Just get me in contact with her!"

"First of all, I am perfectly capable of cleaning my floors without your assistance, thank you very much, and Kyoka's really busy so I don't think-"

She stopped mid-sentence when Denki pulled out puppy dog eyes. Out of everything he could've possibly done, he chose puppy dog eyes. Her one weakness for God's sake. She was really starting to see the similarities between him and Kyoka now. "Yaomomo, you're her best friend! If anyone can help me, it's you! All you have to do is set me up with her and I'll take it from there!"

Momo squinted her eyes skeptically as she examined him up and down and set her fingers on her chin in a thinking position.

He pressed his forehead to his clasped hands, his desperation clearly escalating by the second, "Imagine a future where I meet Jiro, we hit it off, and she becomes my girlfriend! You trust me, don't you?!"

"Not really."

Kaminari looked at her as if she had just shattered his hopes and dreams with her bare hands.

"The dedication! Very manly, I like it!" Kirishima smacked him on the back using way more force than necessary with his signature shark-toothed grin. In other situation Denki would've folded over in pain but he stayed as stiff as a rock. "Come on, Yaoyorozu, you gotta consider it. Let a man dream! This is practically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"I wonder how he's gonna try to seduce her when he always somehow ends up electrocuting himself in the strangest ways," Ochaco pondered aloud. "He's definitely gonna need more than those God-awful pick up lines."

"Or maybe he could just ask her out like a normal person?"

Shinso, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke up, deadpan, "I'm still wondering why we're even entertaining this request."

"I still haven't agreed on anything, you know," Momo narrowed her eyes, her arms crossed firmly.

In the midst of all the chattering, Mina scrolled on her phone like usual, seeking a distraction through the numerous media outlets that held all the juicy gossip. Suddenly she gasped, a sharp intake of breath that immediately drew the attention of everyone at the table.

"Guys, look at this!" She exclaimed, holding her phone up with no hesitation to show everyone the headline that had evoked such a reaction from her. The group leaned in to get a better look at her screen, their curiosity piqued. Mina quickly scrolled through the article to show them the contents, but what really got their attention was the photo capturing Todoroki and Momo together from afar, genuine smiles on their faces.

The midnight-haired girl realized it was a picture taken of them yesterday when they went out together. She swallowed the nothing in her throat as Ochaco furrowed her brows, expressing her clear distaste, "This is ridiculous! I mean, 'Young CEO Todoroki Spotted On A Date With A Nameless Girl In The City'? They're making Momo seem like some nobody!"

"What a bunch of crap," Shinso muttered as he scanned what was written in the article, clearly most of it was pushing a certain narrative against her to salvage more clicks.

"Seriously, these tabloids are getting out of hand, man!" Kirishima crossed his bulky arms, everyone immediately nodding in agreement. A soft exhale escaped Momo's throat as she pursed her lips together and chose to stay silent. There were too many thoughts swirling and swirling in her mind. She needed to clear her head.

She needed to think.

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

"Ensure that everything is in order. I don't want any delays. Time is crucial, and we can't afford mistakes at this stage," Todoroki went on monotonously as he leaned back in his seat, regarding each and every one of his employees with his usual stoic gaze. The air was charged with the usual seriousness that accompanied his presence. Each word seemed to carry the weight of authority. "We've seen significant progress in the new implementations so far, but I expect even better results in the upcoming..."

He didn't know when his mind had wandered elsewhere while speaking, but it did, although going through with the meeting was no hard task when Todoroki was practically operated to work like a robot, willingly or not.

He'd gotten used to this repetitive lifestyle of course, until his brain had granted him the grand idea of making Momo his personal secretary. It was nice while it lasted- he wasn't as lonely, added by the fact that her job required her by his side 24/7, and it was adorable how much of a fluster she could be at times.

But now she was gone, and he was all by himself again. Quite frankly work didn't seem nearly as interesting as before now that she wasn't around anymore, and even if he was always used to this lifestyle there was no denying his boredom.

He couldn't help but sigh every now and then in the manner of a lovesick puppy that had been begrudgingly separated from its owner, occasionally glancing down to flip through a report on the table, fist absentmindedly against his cheek as he droned on about work matters.

His watch ticks to 4PM. Todoroki's eyes narrow ever so slightly as he pauses for a slight second in the middle of giving out orders. How much time had passed? He just wanted to see his girlfriend already. These people were wasting his time, even if it technically wasn't their fault he could only meet up with Momo at nighttime save for his rare off-days. For the first time he found his job tedious.

And when he was about to wrap up the meeting at last, a few employees hesitantly spoke up with urgent expressions etched on their faces, "Boss, you might want to see this..."

Todoroki, curious yet visibly unaffected, quirked up a brow as he was handed a tablet, the brightness of the screen illuminating his face in the dimly lit room.

A muscle in his jaw twitched as he silently examined all the distasteful articles that casted Momo in a negative light, scrolling through the pictures taken of them ranging from their meet-ups to hell, even their exchange at the airport all those days ago. His employees seated around him started murmuring and mumbling things to each other that he could hear as clear as day but just tuned out the voices,

"How could this happen...? They took so many pictures too..."

"The awards ceremony party was confidential so it's possible the news of his fiancé didn't reach them..."

"Wow, these news industries are something else..."

"The articles are spreading like fire..."

"Boss Todoroki is not going to be happy about this..."

An icy look flashed across his eyes. The brewing silence spoke volumes, and no one dared to utter a word to their clearly displeased boss, his fingers tensing around the edges of the device in his hands.

"Find out who's behind these pictures," He finally set the tablet down onto the table with an audible thud, he didn't know what he'd do if he kept reading those damn lines of text. "Make sure every single one of these articles are taken down by tomorrow- no, tonight. And make it clear that anyone attempting to smear Momo Yaoyorozu's name will face consequences they never saw coming," Leaving no room for argument Todoroki suddenly stood up and grabbed his suit off the back of his chair, heading for the door.

"Meeting's over."

With that, he was already marching down the hall, losing his grasp on his crumbling composure. All he could see was red.

Todoroki found himself outside the door of Enji's office without even realizing it. He flung the door open.

"Knock when you enter," Enji grumbled, and was honestly surprised when he looked up from his paperwork to see his son standing in front of him, practically fuming as his heaving chest rose and fell. Enji clenched and unclenched his fists on the armrests of his office chair, exercising his fingers.

The red-haired man had no idea what to expect. Shoto had been avoiding him up until now after what had transpired in the airport, the news of which he'd easily gotten his hands on. He defied his orders and pursued his little affair with the woman he had been trying so hard to keep away from him, or so Enji had heard. He had no idea why he had stormed in all of a sudden, but he didn't even have to wait until something in Todoroki snapped.

"I was going to let you off for that stunt you pulled of trying to separate her from me just because Momo told me to, but you always have to find a way to piss me off, don't you, father?"

Enji cocked a brow. "Wha-"

"Exaggerated accusations. Distorted images. They're dragging her name through the mud," He raised his voice, gritting his teeth, "You really think I can't tell that it was your doing? That you sent your men to keep an eye on us? Or maybe you're provoking me on purpose? Even after all these years, you still think you can control my life?!"

He took a split second to catch his breath. His thoughts were rushing at a million miles per hour, rendering him unable to process anything properly, and each accusation he hurled at his father was a release of all the pent up rage he'd been holding for so long, "Do you know how hard it is to have to keep seeing your fucking face after witnessing everything you've done to Mom? You left her to rot in that hospital and you don't even feel an ounce of remorse...!"

Throughout his outburst, Enji seemed strangely composed, his inner conflict barely hidden beneath a mask of stoicism. His shock, though not apparent, manifested in the rigid set of his jaw and the intense glare he fixed on his son. "Watch your mouth, Shoto."

Todoroki breathed out a shaky chuckle of disbelief, his eyes wide in a way that almost seemed crazed. Enji's blood ran cold.

"Or what? Are you gonna hit me again?"

 

. . . . .

 

Todoroki sighed softly as he looked off, hands buried in his pockets(surely Momo would give him an earful for not wearing gloves again), his hair tousled by a passing breeze. He really needed to get a haircut soon, he silently thought to himself as he brushed a few strands away from his eyes.

The night air in the park carried a crisp chill, but it was enough for him to withstand. The cold never really fazed him. Maybe he'd grown used to it over the years, especially his childhood...

He scrubbed a calloused hand over his face, irked by his own train of thought. His mind just kept going back to the confrontation that had broken down at that old man's office. Although that was the last thing he wanted to think about. It was frustrating.

Everything about this whole situation was frustrating in itself, honestly. The only thing that could set his inner turmoil at ease right now was...

His gaze landed on the raven-haired beauty in front of him, oblivious of his presence. Her hair was loosely tied in a low ponytail. Her outfit looked as if it had been made on a whim, but she looked gorgeous nonetheless, all wrapped up in a coat and scarf. If only she knew what she looked like to him. Todoroki still couldn't believe that woman was his. He'd find himself pondering about it from time to time how he could've possibly gotten so lucky.

Her eyes caught his. He watched how her face lit up immediately, how a grin spread seamlessly over her peachy lips.

"Shoto!" Momo skipped over to him, his hands already wrapping around her waist the second she reached his waiting arms. "Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all," He smiled, placing his chin over her head as he tightened his hold on her. He didn't want this moment to end. He pulled back to get a good look at her face, as if to reassure himself she was there.

"How was your day at work?" She asked, snapping him out of his trance.

His lips parted but no sound came out. It wasn't really something he'd rather talk about, even if he knew it had to be brought up eventually. He wanted to admire her for just a little longer.

And so, instead of answering, he threaded his fingers through her silky hair, opting for the easiest route. "What about you? How was your day?"

Running away was always easy.

He saw her smile falter slightly for a split second, but it was back immediately, a look of understanding in her eyes. Todoroki had to love that nature of hers.

"Me? I've been managing, of course. You know how Jiro keeps me company all the time! Speaking of which, she did something really funny the other day-"

Just like that, they were walking through the pathway with their fingers interlocked, Momo's voice carrying through the park. Dry leaves crunched beneath their feet. Few stars dotted the night sky. They talked about anything and everything, like nothing really mattered at all.

It was like any other day- except the fact that neither of them could deny the invisible weight in the air that was starting to loom over them more and more as the time passed.

Todoroki swallowed a lump in his throat. His eyes held an intense array of emotions, all swirling in the depths of his heterochromatic gaze as he watched her with such a look, guilt running through him. A part of him wanted to keep quiet, to pretend like nothing happened. But his concern completely overshadowed that, and the words were already on the tip of his tongue. He found his voice, "Did you-"

"I've already seen it," She just smiled. His eyes widened. But before he could try to say something, anything, Momo spoke again, "I have to admit, I was pretty down over it at first. People were scrutinizing me left and right just because I'm in a relationship with you now. The rumors didn't quite help, either. Love isn't a crime, is it?"

He fixed his gaze on the ground and held his breath.

But then Momo chuckled, seeing her boyfriend so tense. "Then I thought this. A few articles aren't enough to tear apart what we have," She held up their intertwined hands as if to prove her point. She wasn't going to run away anymore. She wasn't going to make the same mistake again. "I'm never leaving you again."

When Todoroki looked back at her, he could so clearly see the shimmer in her eyes, her aura just radiating pureness. She was so bright.

"So whatever comes our way, we'll face it together, okay?"

He stared at her for a long moment.

"Hm?" She was clearly trying to suppress a giggle, tilting her head to the side in a cat-like manner, her shoulders shaking in her failed efforts, a grin on her full lips. "Don't just star-"

Unable to help himself, he tackled her on the spot.

 

~

Chapter 32: In Actuality, A Hot Mess

Notes:

...hey! 😅

now i know you might be wondering, 'where the hell was she for all this time'? i owe you loyal readers an explanation, although i don't have an actual answer to give you, if im being honest, other than the onslaught of life being LIFE and my finals approaching right around the corner. i will say that i absolutely have *no* intentions of discontinuing this little book of mine after all the late-night dilemmas and writing blocks it's taken me to get here, no matter how slowly things progress, i'm happy to know you're still engaging with it and little by little these past two months, i've written just about enough shitty material for you readers to indulge yourselves in while i work on the rest 💕
(P.S due to the length of this chapter i've split it into two parts on wattpad if any of you are interested)

~

 

"𝗜'𝗩𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 faring well these days. I can get a good night's rest, and nightmares haunt me much less than they used to," A small smile crept up his face which stayed hidden behind his cup as Todoroki sipped his coffee, rather relaxed in behavior, which Midoriya instantly managed to pick up on since he used to be tense all the time.

He placed the cup back on the desk separating them, leaning back against his office chair with an air of serenity surrounding him. Midoriya's eye twitched. "You didn't bring me all the way here again just to tell me how well you're doing, did you?"

Todoroki merely blinked at him. He was clearly pretending to act clueless and that only set off the normally merciful green haired man even more.

"I don't know. I needed relationship advice again?"

"Should I even be surprised at this point...?" Midoriya felt a mild migraine forming now, massaging his fingertips against his temple. Something told him his longtime friend was just pulling excuses to see him and while a part of him was honestly content with that, he still had to be the reasonable one. "Shoto, you do know that you could meet up with me... outside of working hours, right?"

To that he raised a brow. "You're always on the job even outside of working hours, you and I both know it'd be impossible to reach you."

They both stared at each other in mutual silence for a moment. Todoroki looked all sure of himself- clearly he was quite used to always being right. It took a while for Midoriya to crack, letting out a dragged sigh of defeat. He could never have the last word with this guy, could he?

It was true, he was always spending an unhealthy amount of time on his job and although he could always make some free time for himself, his selfless nature of wanting to help others with everything in his power was something he always struggled with. And being a doctor definitely wasn't easy. He opted for shifting the topic, adjusting the reading glasses perched on his nose. "Well it is good to know you're getting the adequate amount of sleep. You were practically a walking zombie before. No matter how well you hid it, I'd always noticed."

Todoroki just nodded, his expression turned pensive for a moment at the thought. He looked back at him, finishing the last of his coffee. "It's thanks to you that I'm getting better, isn't it?"

"You can drop the pretense. I only prescribed some medication," Midoriya had a small smile on his face. "The real one who sped up your recovery is your girlfriend that you're so constantly bringing up. Miss Yaoyorozu."

The dual haired man fell silent at those words, his gaze softening. Izuku's smile only got wider.

"See, I'm right this time."

"She's... someone I've known for a long time," Todoroki joined his calloused hands over his lap, thinking deeply. "Someone I loved since the start. My life suddenly felt like it found meaning after I saw her again. I still can't quite put it into words myself."

"Sounds like you really are in love, huh?" Midoriya teased, more than proud deep inside that he found someone to bring back the life in his eyes again. He knew enough about Todoroki to have a rough idea of what his past was like, and how he always put up such an unapproachable front to prevent having to be even slightly vulnerable in front of anyone. It was something he easily caught on to ever since he first met him, and even still caught instances of it now. So to hear that the same guy had finally learned to open his heart up to someone filled him with joy.

"That's enough about my love life," Todoroki decided to address the main elephant in the room- the real reason he even called him here, looking him dead in the eye. "You. You're finally with Bakugo now, aren't you?"

"K-K-Kacchan?!" Todoroki figured he already got his answer as he watched his freckled cheeks go bright red, and back was the awkwardly timid greenette from middle school that he knew. Midoriya choked on air, cleared his throat one too many times, and kept on continuing that cycle until he found it in him to speak, "H-How on earth did you- I mean, I swear I was gonna tell you but-"

"Word gets around pretty fast. There's eyes and ears everywhere," Todoroki crossed his arms, visibly unamused. He didn't even look shocked, already well aware of their history that went way back. "You childhood friends must've done a poor job at hiding it. You two really thought I wouldn't have caught wind of it from the get-go?"

Midoriya's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, clearly in disbelief himself at the fact that the news was already spreading this much. He just barely managed to recover from the shock, his face still quite red as he adjusted his glasses in a show of bravado, trying to keep a smile, "Well, I guess it's about time I tell you how I managed to successfully woo the most stubborn man on this planet. I'm kind of an expert on relationships now, you see. You needed advice, didn't you?"

"Oh please, enlighten me," He replied dryly, although he honestly felt curious as to what advice he would be given here. If Izuku really could 'woo' the most stubborn man on planet Earth, as he had called it, then at least hearing him out couldn't be so bad, right?

"How long have you two been dating now?" Midoriya leaned back in his seat all confidently, a rather dramatic shift in demeanor.

"Two weeks and five days," Todoroki said in an instant.

"So almost three weeks. Got it. And how many dates so far?"

That he had to take a moment to ponder on.

"Do late night walks count?"

"Wha- No!" His sudden outburst startled Todoroki quite a bit, his eyebrows arching in slight surprise. Had Midoriya yelled at a volume any higher than that he might as well have alerted the entire floor. It wasn't often he got to see the doctor lose his composure like this- the strong reaction brought a look of confusion and mild amusement on his face, but he veiled it well beneath a mask of trained stoicism.

Todoroki just decided to raise a skeptical brow, providing a very reasonable point, "Anything counts as a date if you want it to be."

Midoriya sighed, he was clearly trying to suppress the urge to facepalm.

"Traditional dates! What about dinners? Movies? Anything of the sort?"

Todoroki sat and thought about it for a while as pools of emerald green stared him down intensely(why did this suddenly feel like an interrogation session?). Nothing of the sort came to mind. He almost found himself hesitating before he responded,

"Not that I can recall...?"

"So you're telling me you still haven't taken her out yet?! When it's already been this long?!" Grabbing both armrests, Midoriya leaned forward on his chair with his eyes wide in disbelief. "Just what are you thinking, Shoto?!"

Although most wouldn't be able to tell with a single glance due to how he carried himself, Todoroki just wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to anything dating-related. He never bothered in exploring that field after becoming an adult, only before Momo came into the equation. He did, however, scour through a shit ton of relationship articles during working hours after they first started dating so he thought that had to count for something.

But if he were to have to tell you that Izuku's exclamations of terror didn't freak him out at least a little bit he'd be lying. All that confidence he'd been slowly building up prior to this very moment was about to be in tatters.

"Well, it's been a busy few weeks..." He let out a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. It may as well have sounded like an excuse but it was in fact, entirely true. "My workload's only been piling up as it's almost the end of the year, but we have been meeting up at nighttime frequently."

The greenette fixed him with a dramatically serious look, his expression grave as if he were delivering a dire warning, "Shoto, this is an important stage, you know. How you handle it can either make or break things. If you don't do something for her to remember she might start to feel unappreciated and decide that she doesn't want to be in this relationship anymore!"

Maybe Midoriya might have been exaggerating(quite a lot actually), but Todoroki's thoughts were running rampant over him and his eyes went wide for a split second as if he had just been told he only had seven days left to live. The voice of reason in the back of his mind bringing him back to his senses was the only thing keeping his composure somewhat steady.

"I don't think she'd feel that way. She knows how much I care about her," Yet even as the words left his mouth, even he didn't know if he was just saying that to reassure himself or not. He refused to admit the conversation planted a seed of doubt somewhere inside him. For someone who was always so certain in everything he did or said, Todoroki didn't like this feeling of uncertainty one bit.

As if he had somehow managed to read his thoughts, Midoriya didn't seem convinced. "You never know. She just might not be showing it."

Todoroki fell silent for a moment, mulling over everything he'd just been told. Then with all the seriousness of a man on a mission, he leaned forward, arms resting on the table, and looked at him with a fire of determination in his eyes just to say,

"What should I do?"

It was surely a sight to behold- our typically reserved and assertive Todoroki now reduced to a clueless seeker of dating guidance from Izuku, who happened to be equally lost on the realm of relationships but blissfully unaware of it(and also secretly uncertain of his own romantic prowess but just keeping up a confident front because his dual haired friend rarely ever asked for advice like this and he wanted to look cool with this opportunity, but that's a secret between you and I). Both grown men, may I have the dutiful privilege of reminding you.

Midoriya smirked, sliding his glasses up his nose bridge once again, "I'm glad you asked."

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Keeping track of time was a foreign concept whenever Momo did anything whatsoever with her purple haired best friend, and that was something she always had to appreciate about Kyoka, especially when she restlessly spent half of her life being extra methodical on how she spent her time just so she could make a proper living for herself.

Which is why living freely unemployed felt rather strange to her. Though she had technically decided it for herself, actually having a moment to catch a breath and lay back for longer than a day felt wrong, but not necessarily in a bad way. She just needed some time to entirely adjust. She was already set financially for a few more years with all she had earned from her past job and with her doubled earnings from being Todoroki's secretary for a while, enough to ponder over just what she was gonna do with her life when the time came. It was mostly a time for self reflection, and she always had her loved ones to keep her company if she got lonely. She could be content with that.

"I mean, it's kinda flattering and all, but sometimes I really just can't believe people actually recognize me. I dove into this career without expecting much, and to think I've gotten this far..." Kyoka pulled her mask down with a shy smile. Contrary to popular belief, and although her whole public persona would strike people the opposite, she happened to be secretly self conscious of her rising fame. All the eyes on her made her uneasy, more than she'd like to admit, but all of that just seemed to fade away when she was up on stage and singing her heart out.

Momo listened to her intently as they made their way through the mall, both their hands loaded with shopping bags. She had decided to treat herself today and not be so stingy on the price tags for once, and found that splurging turned out to be no hard task in the company of Kyoka, which she was still trying to figure out if it was a good thing or not. Probably the latter, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment, the pink glow of the sunset spilling into the quarters of the building as they laughed.

"I still didn't expect you to be so startled when that group of high schoolers asked for your signature! You do signing events pretty often," The raven-haired girl chuckled to herself as she remembered the look on her face. Quite a lot of people had managed to recognize her today- her purple hair and the whole piercings and black leather jacket look was definitely not something to miss, while others just asked because they saw other people do it and presumed she was a celebrity and so on. Some people even took Momo for a celebrity since she was with her, and due to her model looks(as Kyoka put it), which definitely kept her face red for a good while after the incident.

"Yeah, but at least I come prepared for that! This was just... too sudden!"

"Well, you better get used to it, rockstar, you're a celebrity now," She bumped their shoulders teasingly, eliciting another slew of laughter from Kyoka who couldn't contain it for the life of her.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" But the whole moment was short-lived as Kyoka stopped on their way towards the main exit of the mall, her smile fading and face returning to her default blank expression.

Momo follows her gaze to see what had drawn her attention, only to notice her boyfriend standing before them, hands casually tucked in the pockets of his coat and his icy set of heterochromatic eyes staring Kyoka down with an equally dead look. The atmosphere took a strange turn, replaced by an invisible tension that seemed to crackle in the silence. Well, moreover, they looked like two on-guard alley cats having an intense staredown, but she knew better than to tell them that.

"Oh, you're here!" A wide smile spread across her face as she sprang over to his side with a skip in her step, wrapping her arms around his forearm, practically brimming with excitement. Her eyes drifted back to Kyoka who didn't seem too pleased with the situation, still in the process of shooting him a cold glare that could even rival his own in terms of intimidation, yet didn't work on him one bit, and definitely not on her best friend who could see the uncertainty and doubt thinly veiled behind those sharply narrowed eyes. "I didn't know how to tell you we're back together so I figured making you two meet up would be the best way to get you to warm up to each other!"

Kyoka furrowed her eyebrows, clearly sour about the whole thing. "You mean to tell me he knew about this too?! That stuck up CEO dipshit?!" Todoroki took lightly to whatever slew of insulting words that had just been hurled at him as Momo had both warned and reassured him about beforehand, saying something along the lines of the fact that Jiro had no truly ill intentions. His girlfriend was such a saint, really. He did, however, silently mouth a sarcastic "ouch" that she probably would've pinched him on the arm for if she wasn't so occupied in clearing the air with the fuming guitarist.

"I made sure to let him know beforehand!" She nodded eagerly in response, the smile still remaining with ease on her ever so delicate features as she continued with a nervous chuckle, "I didn't know if you'd take it very well if I told you... Ahah..."

Todoroki let a smirk play at the edges of his lips, eyes fixed on Kyoka as he lifted his chin with a smugness that was trying to gloat over his little victory in the subtlest way possible. A quiet assertion of his position in Momo's life, just enough to get under Kyoka's skin, and surely enough it only served to piss her off even more as made evident by how she muttered another string of curses under her breath and balled her fists.

But getting on her nerves was not on his to-do list today, and admittedly he was getting a little carried away with this. And so, taking in a breath he pulled his hands out of his pockets and stepped towards her, holding his hand out to her to offer a handshake. A simple gesture that might be able to diffuse some of the tension brewing between them(which was more one-sided than not, he never really had an inherent issue with her). "Well, we should start off on the right foot, shouldn't we, Miss Jiro? After all, Momo speaks highly of you."

To tell you the truth, Todoroki had been mentally preparing himself for this particular encounter the second Momo informed him they'd meet, since he wasn't all too sure if he made an appropriate impression the last time they met with how she dragged him out of there before things could have gotten any more heated. He intended to get on as friendly terms with her as conceivably possible, seeing as the person she was to Momo definitely wasn't anything to disregard.

He'd thought long and hard about the best approach to take, the most ideal way to break the ice- which he didn't really end up with much, he didn't really do the whole socializing thing and was never one for small talk but he was going to make an effort if it would make Momo happy- and it would probably be nice if he somehow managed to attain her approval of their relationship by the end of this. It had been nagging at him for a while, albeit not consciously.

Kyoka's expression didn't shift in the slightest as she crossed her arms across her chest and glared up at him, which still wasn't very intimidating quite yet due to their stark height difference.

The first time she saw Todoroki, she didn't exactly get a good vibe from the man. He seemed like another rich snob- all classed up in a tailored suit, to a concert for Pete's sake, even the way he spoke with so much self-assurance had her riled up. Overly handsome guys will always be the one to break your heart, that much she had learned, and she didn't want her best friend going through any of that. But the day Momo cried to her when they broke things off, confiding in her about just how much he meant to her, it had her second guessing her stance.

"I still don't approve of you yet. You know that?"

Todoroki dropped his hand and sighed inwardly, already having expected the immediate shut-down. But he kept his face impassive and voice measured,

"I'm aware."

"Good. So if you're serious about Momo, then prove it to me. Show me you're worthy of her."

This caught his attention quite quickly, and being on full board with this proposal, he raised a curious brow. "And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Let's settle things once and for all..." Her voice suddenly dropped an octave, a hint of mischief that Momo knew all too well sparking in her eyes as the dual-haired man and the raven-haired girl gulped in anticipation, drowning under the suspense. They braced themselves as Kyoka slowly raised a finger, and with a dramatic sweep of her hand, she pointed in the direction of the arcade. "Through arcade games!"

Both Momo and Todoroki merely blinked at her for a hot minute, registering her words and double checking if they heard her correctly. Then Momo broke the silence with a bemused "Huh?"

 

. . . . .

 

Momo figures Kyoka had just wanted an excuse to mess around at the arcade for a chance to unwind, watching as she let out a villainous cackle after beating her boyfriend at a car-racing game again. Todoroki sighed and resisted the urge to slam the machine, seriously miffed as he stared hard at the screen as if that would somehow make his wrecked digital car come back to life after crashing into the side of the road in a fateful turn of events.

"Now, are you gonna ask for another rematch," Kyoka had a lopsided grin on her face, turned to him with her side propped up against the machine. In all truth, she was having fun, which, by her definition fun meaning getting to cripple Todoroki at every single game they touched and watching his confidence slowly deteriorate. He, on the other hand, didn't seem to be having any of it. "or are you finally gonna accept your royal defeat to me?"

He simply shoved another coin in the slot, eyes fixed on the screen, blazing with one purpose as the game started up again and illuminated his dead-set expression. He's always been a relentless one- he'd stop at nothing before getting what he wanted.

Kyoka huffed, lips easing into a smirk with her hands already on the controls.

In the count of three, the race had begun. The atmosphere was suddenly charged with a tenacity that Momo could've sworn wasn't there before as they both furiously steered their vehicles along the obstacles in the digital track, her unsure of where to even look. All while the teenagers around them absorbed in their respective brain-rotting coin-operated games, much more experienced than the actual adults themselves, sent judgmental looks their way. Quite a spectacle to behold.

As the race progressed, it seemed as though Kyoka's victory was already set in stone, leaving Todoroki in the dust as she surged ahead. But just as it seemed inevitable, he suddenly picked up his pace, pushing the controls to their limit, and barely managed to get past her on the finishing line.

He won.

He really did.

"Last minute redemption, huh? Not bad," Kyoka leaned back in her seat with a hum of acknowledgement.

With his eyes widened ever so slightly, he looked back at Momo out of mere instinct. She smiled widely, raising her hand to give him an approving thumbs up. His expression lit up in the blink of an eye.

It was his first time at an arcade, to no one's surprise. He had always heard of them especially throughout high school, but never bothered with the knowledge of their existence, antisocial and way too wrapped up in his studies.

Todoroki, CEO and shareholder of several other companies, deemed a young prodigy by many in the business department for his sheer wit, who was initially confident that a bunch of games designed for teens would be a cakewalk, was forced to watch in something akin to horror as he somehow managed to lose to the claw machine for the eighth time. A tragedy.

"Lost again? I've been telling you to give it up already," Kyoka taunted from the claw machine to his left with an unmistakable smirk on her face, standing all proud and mighty with her own brag-worthy hoard of plushies that she had accumulated without breaking as much of a sweat. She might as well have laughed right in his face.

"Now, now, don't beat yourself up too much about it..." Momo pat him on the back with a faltering smile, his eyes remaining stuck to the glass enclosure in front of him with pure disbelief, trapped in a daze until he snapped himself out of it and took out his wallet with his body acting on its own, preparing to ram another coins into the slot. He was going to get her this plushie no matter what.

"I've already gotten the hang of the mechanics. I just need to drop it into the hole," He muttered to no one in particular, not ready to finally surrender to this cutesy machine quite yet, while she just blinked. Gripping on to the joystick like his life depended on it, his heart went into overdrive as his claw got a hold of the plushie he'd been keeping his eye on. Even Momo found her hand clutching slightly onto the side of his coat in anticipation.

But even the ninth time wasn't a charm, it seemed, as the moment he even got to moving the plushie back to the chute, it somehow managed to fall out of the grip of the claw which had been growing loose and right back into the pile of stuffed toys. Yet another loss. He slammed a hand on the glass out of despair, and Kyoka groaned in defeat beside him, also happening to face her defeat practically the same time as him.

And while watching them acting like they were battling to the death on arcade games was entertaining to an extent(keyword: to an extent), the longer they kept at it the more genuinely conflicted she got, torn on whether she should be concerned or rooting for them- Todoroki more especially since she would be pleased for him to get on good terms with her closest friend, and also attain her approval of their relationship, if that was even gonna be possible at this rate.

She pressed her palms together with a nervous smile, "Alright, how about we have a break and cool down for a moment?"

"No!"

"No!"

Her smile fell, startled by the instant response as they both continued to vehemently abuse their respective controls. There really was no stopping these dorks. Momo just let out a sigh mixed with mild amusement and decided to slip out for a moment to try out a game for herself. She could vaguely recall being to an arcade only once in her life, and that was when her middle school friends practically dragged her along, but she only chose to stand to the side and cheered them on while they played, so that didn't really count.

She had a look around the place, eventually stopping at a digital game that seemed enjoyable enough to pass the time until those two finally decided to give it a rest. She inserted a few coins into the machine and sucked in a breath as the pixelated game started up.

Truth be told, Momo never really touched video games, or any games for that matter, which meant that she was pretty much out of the loop and always found herself lost whenever it was a topic of discussion. That didn't mean she didn't entirely object to the idea of trying out something new, however.

It felt quite foreign to her at first, fumbling the buttons and moving in all the wrong directions a number of times, but it was only a matter of time before she got absorbed, her face settling in a focused expression. These things were incredibly easy to get lost in- she didn't blame Todoroki and Kyoka for getting so competitive.

Her brow furrowed in concentration as her character was about to hit a dead end, getting tense until two strong arms wrapped around her back to hold her hands that were struggling over the controls.

"You're supposed to go here," A deep voice spoke. She glanced back to see Todoroki's head over her shoulder, his gaze fixed on the screen, the tips of her ears burning red as his rough hands guided her own through the game controls. His warmth was making her head all cloudy. Was he doing this on purpose?

"Look at you. You're a professional at this stuff now, aren't you?" She tried to sound as natural as possible when she spoke, letting out a constrained chuckle.

"Or maybe I just want to be close to you like this," His words, spoken ever so casually, made way for heat to break out all over her cheeks and taint them in visible shades of bright red. To think the sixteen year old Todoroki who lacked situational awareness was now yielding some hidden talent of sending her heart into overdrive. How time flies, really.

"Enough damn flirting, lovebirds!" Kyoka shouted out from behind them. "Our bet's still on, Half And Half!"

Todoroki lifted his chin from her shoulder with a peeved sigh, "Seriously, why do people keep calling me that?"

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

The night breeze carried a wintry chill to it as they strolled through the quiet snow-ridden street, catching some fresh air after parting ways with Kyoka. The distant hum of the city and road served as a backdrop to their casual banter that barely even held any particular topic, not like they minded.

Todoroki didn't hide his sourness, muttering and grumbling to himself about how all the games were all rigged, how they served as a front for a fraudulent scheme to extort as much money as possible. All while somehow holding all her shopping bags in one hand without a word of complaint. Momo chuckled behind her palm.

"But you're rich anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem for you, right, Mr. Stuck-Up-CEO?" She bumped him with her elbow teasingly, the use of the nickname he'd been given by a certain angry purple-haired guitarist earlier that day eliciting another sigh from him. She giggled her sunshine laugh again, directing her eyes back to the plushie in her hands, the one he barely managed to snag for her back at the claw machines. She's very smiley and appreciative of the little black bunny, actually, especially after how hard he fought to get it.

"It looks like you," Todoroki provides, eyes focused as he watches her play and tug at its ears. This very sight was the whole reason he was so hellbent on obtaining it in the first place. "I sold my soul into getting that."

Her grateful smile grows tenfold, honored, her eyes glittering with a light shade of pink tinging her cheeks that clouded over his train of thought until he couldn't even see where it began because that pretty smile on her pretty lips was all Todoroki could register in his brain. The sight alone was enough to make his existential crises experienced all at once in a single day worth it. And Momo couldn't be anything but polite, now, could she? "Thank you, Shoto. I really like it."

"You don't have to go that far. I just happened to get it," after approximately thirteen tries if we're being nit-picky, but don't let him know I told you that— With that, he let his arm slip around hers, weaving their fingers as he averted his gaze, because damn her for being this impossibly beautiful. She seemed to find his words funny, releasing another genuine laugh.

"Of course. You're my Shoto who absolutely never fails," She drew him closer by their interlocked arms, and he couldn't quite place whether she was being entirely serious or not, not that it really mattered to him anyway, too busy being absorbed in much more important matters, matters like tracing every inch of her angular features with his eyes all he could while she had her obsidian gaze elsewhere. His favorite pastime, of course. "Which reminds me of how absolutely relieved I am that you and Kyoka ended up warming up to each other in the end. She seemed much less tense earlier."

"You should've expected it, since I never fail, after all," He replies simply, his tone light, in silent hopes of drawing another one of those angelic laughs from her, in which Todoroki grandly succeeds, of course.

"I never knew you had a sense of humor?" A massive grin parts her lips.

"Now you're just being hurtful." He raised a brow.

"You're the one who barely ever cracked a smile, much less found a normal way to propose to me."

"Well, I've changed, and to prove you that, I have a proposition to make for you," Todoroki inhales deeply before stepping in front of her all dramatically, hands in his pockets, effectively stopping her in her tracks while turning to meet her confused, blinking eyes. He mentally played over Izuku's words for the umpteenth time before snapping back to the present. "Go out with me tomorrow."

The look on her face was mere proof that she was trying to bite back another grin. "Are you asking me out right now?"

"Yes."

Momo sets her fingers on her chin, pretending to hum in thought as she looked him up and down through squinted eyes. "Mm, I'm not sure if my boyfriend would be pleased to hear that. He gets jealous very easily."

He suppresses a low chuckle and plays along steadily, "You can always leave him for me."

"Mmm... I don't know about that..." She tilted her head, playfully mulling over his words although her painfully fast pulse already knew what her answer would be. "He's a handsome man, you see. And quite loaded too. Maybe a bit too loaded now that I think about it."

"Is that so?" Todoroki stepped even closer to her, slow and unhurried in his movements. At this point he wasn't even trying to hide it, his voice practically dripping with flirtation. "I suggest you reconsider, Yaoyorozu," Smirking, he bent down at eye-level to lean his face towards hers. "Take a good look at me. Don't you want to be with me for the rest of your life?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and for that split moment, Momo almost forgot what it was like to breathe, butterflies crowding up every ounce of space in her body, her lungs, her heart, and right up her throat as his gleaming eyes roved over her features, as her fingers clutched onto the long forgotten stuffed animal for dear life because God was Shoto Todoroki a tempting, tempting man.

She managed out a small laugh although it felt like her insides were melting under his intense gaze. "Are you trying to seduce me with your eyes?"

"Maybe I am. Is it working?" His heterochromatic eyes subconsciously lingered on her lips for a little longer than a millisecond before meeting hers. The streets had cleared as the night carried on, noticeably less people than before.

And there it was, the cherry red blooming across her cheeks in the way Todoroki had always adored, the tips of his own ears heating up. She finally mustered whatever it took to break eye contact, drawing in deep breaths that could easily be drowned out by the sounds of her accelerating heartbeat.

"...Agh, you got me."

"I take it that's a positive answer," Gently, he wrapped his fingers around her chin to tilt her head back upwards. She peered up at him shyly.

He just couldn't hold himself back anymore.

So he leaned in slowly, giving her just enough time to take catch her breath but not enough to react when he crossed the distance in a matter of seconds and made a lunge for her lips.

Her eyes shot wide open in shock, but she squeezed them shut, the stuffed animal pressed up between their chests being the only thing to serve some miniscule distance as he kept his grip on her chin, kissing her under the golden glow of a streetlight for a moment that probably didn't last very long but felt like it spanned whole eternities, softly having his way with her until her head was all fuzzy and until their lungs were on the verge of giving out. He only snapped out of the spell she'd somehow put him in when she grasped onto the back of his coat with more force than before.

His nose ghosted over hers as drew away breathlessly, their faces still mere inches apart, not able to look at each other. Finally managing to suck in enough air, Momo whispered, "I'll be there."

"Good."

 

~

Chapter 33: Yes To Heaven

~

 

𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗡𝗘 too many blind dates gone unsuccessful, Momo could state with great confidence(or lack of thereof) that she simply was not built for the whole dating scene. It was as simple as that.

She had no idea how to employ or handle smooth-talk, neither did it ever really work on her, but she'd pretend it did to humor them for the sake of the night of course, with dragged out nervous chuckles to fill the unbearable silence that would be soon to follow if she couldn't make up an adequate reaction in time.

She'd originally gotten into the idea of searching for a romantic partner when times were rough, juggling part-time jobs to meet ends, her high school friends that kept in touch convinced her into it so she could have someone to lean on (in other terms, put an end to being so pitifully lonely). Her looks had backed her up quite a lot, but even endless rodeos of mascara and lip gloss were inevitably fated to fall apart when she had the flirting skills equivalent to a rock. Each subtle cue and signal was a struggle in itself for her to pick up on.

Making advances was an idea lost on her, and although Momo tried to make up for it by trying to be interesting, how on all earth was that supposed to work out when majority of the guys only saw her for her pretty face? It was a relentless loop that she eventually broke out of when she realized it just wasn't going to work.

So to say dating Todoroki was a whole new experience was an understatement, he made her feel safe enough to voice her thoughts and somehow always knew what to say or do to make her chest warm. And surprisingly good in the art of smooth-talk, which when she asked him rather interrogatingly where he learned to say such things he simply replied it came naturally whenever he was with her. And of course, she blushed at such a statement.

Now they were out on a date, and it was real. Not bound to the wall of a needless contract, everything was real, and Momo has never felt anything like this before.

Todoroki went all out, having made a reservation at a seven star restaurant. It wasn't too pretentious and the food was genuinely good, not to mention they had an entire private room to sit at. She had an extremely pleasant time, and she could tell he did too, judging by how he couldn't hold back a smile each time she talked, conversation flowing easily with them as always. He didn't even let her take a look at the bill but she figured she'd let it slide considering the occasion, and he always seemed to want to treat her at every chance. He was spoiling her too much, really. Momo learned to just accept it.

After dinner he dropped her off somewhere more remote in the city yet still brimming with high-end stores she would've missed if she hadn't paid attention, him saying something along the lines of wanting to take her to a specific place and they would need to walk a little further to get there. Now Momo had no idea where this place exactly was, or what to expect as they walked on the sidewalk which was wide enough for the both of them but their arms still bumped every now and then, each time causing her to be relatively shyer than the last for some reason.

The air was noticeably quieter too, only occasional traces of small talk to salvage the forming tension. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so bashful, and why they were being so strangely awkward with each other now. Even Todoroki was avoiding eye contact, only looking ahead and clearing his throat often which was driving her even more insane.

Maybe because this was their first date in an actual relationship, but even that wasn't supposed to feel so unfamiliar for them. Momo never really considered herself much of a romantic. What do couples normally do in times like this?

"You wore the necklace," Todoroki commented, taking her locket within his fingertips which caused her to nearly jump, his hand brushing against the skin of her collarbone. Momo quickly reminded herself that such little contact wasn't supposed to make her heart beat as fast as it was, and silently appreciated his little attempt to revive the atmosphere.

She had noticed his eyes wandering to the necklace several times during dinner, the observant one he was- it was the same gold pendant he gave her on the night of the awards ceremony, when they were pretending to be each other's fiancé. What times those were...

"A-Ah, I guess I did," Her hand hovered to the necklace when he let go of it, fidgeting with it while avoiding his lingering gaze.

She dressed up quite a bit to see him today, putting on an elegant beige full-sleeved dress comfortable enough for the weather(there was barely any traces of snow due to the temperature increasing considerably over the past few weeks). Her hair was down and styled too which was something Momo never found necessary to do, cascading down her shoulders in sleek waves. She practically dressed up for him, and her cheeks warm at that realization just when Todoroki speaks up again.

"You look nice today," Her blush burns brighter when he for some unforeseeable reason feels the need to bring it up. Of course, she knew she looked nice today, not that she was normally a self-positive person but how could she not come to that conclusion when he'd magically lost the ability to keep his eyes from roving over her for the entire dinner? Hearing it from him made her insides feel all fuzzy though. "Beautiful, actually." He adds, not helping her at all in case of an oncoming heart attack.

"Come on, that's not like you!" Momo huffs out a strained chuckle, lightheartedly smacking his side a lot harder than she probably should've since the man was practically flung sideways from her, but Todoroki was just accustomed to it at this point and has already crossed the distance she's made in a matter of seconds.

"I'm only being truthful," He says, and she really can't understand how he manages to say such things with a straight face. The butterflies in her stomach were growing tenfold while she tried to form a response,

"You-"

The spell was broken when they were momentarily interrupted by sounds of wailing in the distance, high-pitched and impossible to ignore. They looked at each other in mutual surprise. The wailing only got louder.

"That must be a... child, right?"

Todoroki only nodded, and she took that as reason enough to slowly inch forwards, her boyfriend trailing directly behind her with a hand on her back, the other hand buried in the pocket of his suit. When the source of the noise came into view, Momo gasped.

"Hana?!" She ran towards the crying toddler who seemed to be the 'Hana' in question, the girl's screaming had drawn bystanders' attention and some even stopped to stare but none bothered to take time out of their day to help, yet Momo did in a heartbeat. He stopped in his tracks and just watched as she kneeled down to Hana's level with an expression of pure worry. "What are you doing here all alone? Are your parents not with you? Are you lost?"

"M-Miss Yaoyorozu?" The girl in pigtails showed a sparkle of recognition, wiping her overflowing tears- no older than six, he presumed, and judging by her attire she clearly came from a loaded background. That mumble was enough to confirm his suspicions, it was one of her old students from the pre-school she used to work at before.

Her warm aura gets the child to immediately sputter out how she'd been following her parents when she stumbled across a puppy and now they were gone. Momo reaches out, taking her face between her fingers and wiping the tears from her puffy eyes.

"It's okay, him and I are going to help you find your parents," She motions between the both of them before scooping Hana up in her arms, the girl easily falls into her embrace and wraps her arms around her neck. Momo gives her the most reassuring smile he'd ever seen. "Is it okay if he checks your bag? Maybe your mom or dad left information in there."

Todoroki waits for the nod. He opened the satchel which was hung over the girl's shoulder, pulling out a laminated card that had her parents' contact information, just as he suspected. After showing it to her he stepped away to call a number, and heard the frantic panic in her mother's voice. Within a moment of telling the lady their exact whereabouts she hung up immediately.

"They're coming," He turned back to Momo and said, mostly to himself. Momo was too occupied with calming the young girl to pay him any mind. She was bouncing Hana in her arms softly while engaging her in a clearly made-up story about a puppy, coddling her with a grin on her face. She moves the hair out of Hana's face and something about the sight was so admirable to him. Todoroki observed fondly, crossing his arms as he stood from a distance.

She poked her on the nose, cooing sweet nothings and singing a nursery rhyme to keep her entertained. It did more of the opposite however, Hana rolling her eyes and declaring that she wasn't a baby anymore. There was a startled look on Momo's face for a second and he released a laugh, turning his head to the side.

The dual haired man was still smiling with amusement that seemed to amplify as she stammered and tried to come up with something else to gain the child's interest. He could practically feel the warmth bouncing from the two.

Momo held her the entire time, him just watching silently for a while before the parents came running. She quickly let her down and Hana's footsteps pattered against the concrete, jumping into her father's arms and excitedly recounting to him one of the stories Momo indulged her in over the past few minutes. Her mother pulled her into the biggest hug she could muster, and after thanking them once more, and a brief moment of her and Hana cheerily exchanging goodbyes, they parted ways and the two were back to walking in silence again.

Except there was a lot more on Todoroki's mind than before.

He couldn't erase it from his mind, how absolutely adorable she looked coddling the child. Just as he expected, she was good with children, and a sweetheart too, although that was nothing new. His thoughts trailed on, and he set his fingers on his chin thinking seriously. Somehow his mind wandered to the idea of having kids.

He never really thought of it before, but he definitely wasn't opposed to it, maybe two or three didn't sound so bad. But he'd have to marry her first to get to that point. Marriage, marriage, marriage... Where could their wedding venue be? They would keep it private and pleasant. There were so many countries, places he could take her for the honeymoon. Germany, perhaps? He'd need Izuku's judgement beforehand. And for their future house...

"Shoto, are you okay ther-"

"Marriage!" Todoroki blurted out, broken out of his contemplation all of a sudden. He looked over to her to see her staring back at him, eyes wide like his own, clearly taken aback. They stayed like that for a moment, neither speaking up as their silence stretched on uncomfortably. He took it upon himself to save the situation, and his own dignity while he was at it, "Huh? Did you say something?"

Momo just blinked in what seemed to be concern, and he almost felt sheepish as she started, "I mean, your face was all like..." She placed her fingers under her chin in a thinking position the same way he had and furrowed her eyebrows with a serious look on her face, mimicking his expression. Then she dropped the whole imitation and joined her arms behind her back, eyeing him with curiosity, "Just what were you thinking of so deeply?"

"I was..." He let out a sigh, out of words to explain himself. This was the situation he put himself in. "Thinking of marrying you. Someday."

"S-Someday?" She echoed incredulously, her voice soft. Her face was beet red, and Todoroki felt a blush creeping up his neck too, finally realizing the weight between his words. Only two weeks into their relationship and he was already thinking about marriage. But the look on her face was just so cute, the temptation to redden those cheeks even more was impossible for him to resist.

"Thinking about marriage has its benefits, like picturing you in a white dress," Todoroki hummed, glancing back to her, and just as he would expect, his words had a visible effect on her. Heat rises to her face, mouth hanging open, her eyes as big as they could possibly be, swirling pools of obsidian he'd never tire of looking at. The rush of the moment was filling him with some boldness even Todoroki couldn't provide an explanation for, and he leaned down, closer to her face. "If you keep looking at me like that I might have to marry you tomorrow."

He heard her gasp, a smirk instantly spread across his face as he turned away and walked off. Momo stayed frozen behind him for a second, obviously not used to this side of him, before she quickly snapped back to the present.

"How sly! Where's the aloof Shoto I knew?! Bring him back!" Her face felt like it was on fire as she sped up to catch up with him, swatting him on the back. Then there was an audible crack and she momentarily latched onto his arm to steady herself.

The two just looked at each other as seconds passed on. Their wide eyes slowly trailed downwards towards the sound's source as she tightened her hold on him to keep herself from stumbling over and making things even worse. Her heel snapped. In the middle of their date.

And yes, Momo was absolutely mortified.

 

. . . . .

 

"These are brand new too... Were they knockoffs?" Momo muttered to herself with her eyes at her feet while sulking in the frigid night breeze that nipped at her skin, listlessly kicking a pebble on the concrete ground with her intact heel. The sound of crickets chirping was slowly driving the raven haired girl mad. She was sitting on a bench just outside an upscale shoe store and pondering over how she could possibly be so unfortunate in this world.

He had planned this day out for the both of them and she just had to ruin the moment. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder how he always put up with her.

"I still can't understand how it just snapped like that," Todoroki's remark broke her from her trance as he came out of the store after minutes that felt like hours, and she could practically hear the smile in his voice and the chuckle he was clearly trying to hold in.

"It's not funny," She pushed out her bottom lip and kept her eyes down as she crossed her arms, biting the inside of her cheek. Okay, so maybe it was a little funny. But she could still act upset about it, it wasn't like she was particularly anticipating to get ripped off for a pair of decent-looking heels, and for that to consequently leave its ungraceful outcome on their little date night.

She found it mortifying, he found it an opportunity to get her a pair that didn't make her look like she was holding her breath walking in them. But of course, Todoroki wouldn't voice this thought of his aloud as he approached her holding a sleek box and kneeled down.

"Oh, you don't have to...-" Momo was quick to say when he opened the box and set it to the side, pulling out a pair of white sneakers that she could tell was branded with a single glance, her voice trailing off as he gently helped her place her foot in one.

"Let me," He muttered, his eyes focused in the act, causing her to purse her lips hard to hold back a smile.

Her boyfriend really was so sweet, always eager to be of aid to her even with the slightest, most miniscule gestures. She resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek- Momo still found it surreal that they were in a relationship where they could be affectionate and do these little things at any moment they so wished. She knew she had to adjust eventually, but eventually was definitely not going to be anytime soon, if her stomach wouldn't stop doing flips with the slightest of skin-to-skin contact.

Silence loomed in the air, and when she glanced down at him, he was eyeing the swollen red marks on the back of her feet with a simmering gaze. Momo knew that look.

"Why did you always wear these things to work? You're never even comfortable in them," Todoroki finally spoke up, in a low gruff tone she would've missed if she were not observant. Her breath caught in her throat at that last sentence. How did he always manage to pick up on these things? Even she was sure she had been doing a good job at pretending she wasn't holding her breath walking in those all the time.

"It would look unprofessional to wear sneakers at such a prestigious company, you know," She reasoned. That still didn't seem to put him off, however.

"Momo, you know I prefer performance over appearance in work. Others' opinions don't matter. I didn't build this company for you to hurt yourself trying to look the part," He finished tying her shoelaces and rested an arm on his knee, looking back up at her. She reached out a hand to run her fingers through his hair, caressing his locks delicately.

"It's easy for you to say that," her voice was soft, "But appearances do matter at times, especially for someone like me. It's about maintaining a certain image. So people could take me a little more seriously, no matter how small the difference may be."

He stayed quiet for a long moment, taking in those words as he stared deep into her eyes. She almost gulped under the intensity. What was with this atmosphere?

"I hadn't thought of it that way. It makes sense," Todoroki released a sigh, interlocking his fingers with her hand that had ended up on his cheek somewhere in the middle of their little staring contest. Something akin to guilt flashed in his eyes for a moment when he thought of those bruises on her feet. "I apologize. For walking so fast back then too. I know it must've been hard to keep up like that. I ended up giving you pain without realizing it."

"Stop thinking so hard. You had your fair share of pain, working like a robot all day. It was my job to keep up with you. I like to think it still is," She smiled widely. Silvery moonlight glancing off her skin. He gave her a long look, to which she interpreted immediately and followed up with, "But apology accepted, if it helps you feel any better."

Todoroki smiled too at last, and stood up, keeping her hand in his. "Let's get going."

 

~

Chapter 34: One Step At A Time

~

 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 had built up over the course of their stroll, and now they finally arrived at this place she still had no idea about, even after having gone through the gates and being checked by security several times before being let go immediately upon seeing Todoroki. What she did know was that this place was beautiful, that there were lanterns and gardens and meticulously arranged decorations everywhere she looked, that she didn't mind the scent of exotic flowers attacking her from every direction, and that she loved this place already.

It was an open area with a breathtaking view of the skyline, and they had been halfway through the cobbled path when Todoroki's phone suddenly started buzzing in his pocket, and he notified her of an urgent phone call he had to take.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a second," was what he said to her before disappearing out of sight. Momo let out a contented breath and looked around, wandering a bit and eventually sitting on a nice spot near the edge of a grassy hill. The air was cool, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. She took in the sight of the flowers all around her and resisted the urge to pluck one off the ground. She was never one to disrupt the flow of nature, anyway.

"It's been four minutes. Just where has he gone?" Momo whispered under her breath, her hands placed on either side of her on the dense grass that was normally emerald green during the day but was now darkened with nighttime. She remembered the alerted look on his face and wondered what that call was about.

Letting out a "psh" and deciding to pass the time, she reached in her purse and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. Smoothing out the wrinkles, Momo gazed at it fondly. It was the love letter she had written for him in high school after she first realized her feelings for him. The letter she never got to give him.

It had slightly yellowed with age, yet she immediately recognized it when she found it the other day in the drawer she locked it in so long ago. It brought back bittersweet memories.

When she got to mustering the courage to read it, she soon realized it was a poem. A rather corny one at that, and her soul cringed as she read through her elegant computer-like handwriting(which hasn't changed to this day) and felt her head spin. Whiplash, was it?

"S-So I was this type of schoolgirl, huh? Momo, you lovesick fool..." She almost facepalmed, thanking the heavens this letter hadn't reached him, but there was a small smile making its way to her glossy lips as she took her sweet time hanging on every last word. She recalled the image of sixteen year old Todoroki in a uniform with that seemingly permanent scowl etched on his young handsome features, and laughed to herself. This really brought her back.

"What are you reading over there?"

She jumped, her heart leaping to her throat when she looked to see Todoroki peering right behind her, bent at the waist to lean over her shoulder. Her eyes darted between him and the piece of paper in her hands. The paper he was never meant to know the existence of. But Momo wasn't quick enough to react before he caught sight of "Dear Shoto" embedded in worn out ink at the very top of the page.

"A letter? Is that meant for me?" Her soul flew when he took it out of her grasp, turning around to read it closely with his free hand in his pocket. Momo was on her feet in an instant, smacking his back as her cheeks burned harder.

"Shoto! Give that back!" She was sure that her face was a bright shade of pink right now as she tried to snatch the page back from him, but to no avail, as he only lifted it higher, out of her reach. They were so close in height back in high school, since when had he gotten so tall? Now she barely reached his chin- Admittedly it made her heart flutter the first time she saw him again, but this situation definitely not as exciting or preferable for her own peace of mind.

"When you walk by, my heart skips a beat..." He began to read the poem aloud from where his arm had raised it high above his head, much to her horror, "In your presence, with every glance, my world feels complete..."

"Enough with that! I told you to hand it over!" Her fingers managed to graze the letter after she jumped another time, but he turned away from her again, as if the letter was enough to garner his undivided attention.

Momo had already let go of her dignity at this point as he kept on reciting it, jumping over and over again in repeated attempts to reach it, even trying to pull his arm down, with him turning the other way or bringing it out of her reach each time. They were practically going in circles now. "Shoto, that isn't meant for you, okay? Just put it down and we'll talk-"

"Shoto, my heart is yours, if you'll have it," His evergrowing smile sent a wave of fluttering sensations flooding through her veins, and when he continued, "These feelings I've kept hidden, now I must admit."

His arms were suddenly around her, pulling her in tight.

"I love you," A whisper in her ear that made Momo shudder.

The raven haired girl had stopped breathing altogether. Every fiber in her body felt like it was on fire. She felt like she would explode like a firecracker and light up the sky in sparks. Because this, this fairytale love was exactly everything she needed, everything her heart yearned for but lacked the courage to ask for even once.

And as he held her so close as if she was his one lifeline, his feelings unabashedly on full display, Momo decided she'd be just alright spending the rest of her life like this. In his arms.

 

. . . . .

 

They hadn't let go of each other since that, their fingers tightly intertwined like a clingy teenage couple that just started dating(vision it how you will), Momo swinging their joined hands back and forth with an eager grin as they walked through the place that was starting to seem noticeably secluded.

She's in the middle of her usual unrestrained chatter of animatedly telling him about what she's been up to that just seems to come out naturally in his presence, when her wandering eyes land on a glowing sign that compels her to nudge his side.

"Hey... isn't this where they hold those exclusive firework shows and it's been all over the media?!" She pointed out while nudging him an uncountable number of times by now, and he watches the excitement break through her features. "I've wanted to come here for so long now!"

"Who said it's that place?" His voice is flat, but the smile that creeps up his face at her ever-so-evident enthusiasm betrays him. She looked back at him and her grin doubles in size. His heart throbbed so hard he had to hold himself together to not give away anything more. This woman was adorable, surprise be damned.

They reached the spot of the night, and to say Momo was breathless would be an understatement. The steel railing in front of them overlooked the glistening river below, the cityscape across the river, its lights reflecting on the calm waters. A view to behold.

Todoroki checked his phone for a split second, anticipating. Fiddling with the knot of his tie. It was any moment now... "So...-"

One.

"Hm, why's there no one else here?" She separated their fingers to step forward, turning back to him with a giggle as if she had just thought of something comically absurd.

Two.

"Ahah! Don't tell me you rented out the entire place and there's going to be heart fireworks bursting in the sky and suited men bringing in flowers--" Three.

She was cut off short by a deafening boom that echoed in her ears, a sudden burst of color casting a bright glow on her form as her hair flew with the wind. Momo slowly turned, her mouth hanging open as she watched the sky erupt in bright, vivid colors she would never be able to erase from her mind.

Fireworks in all shades of gold and red she could think of exploding high above the river, one after another. Her heart fluttering faster than a hummingbird's wings against her ribcage. The pictures she had seen online couldn't hold a candle to having it in front of your very eyes.

"...Did you... plan this so we could see the fireworks together?"

Blood rushed to the tips of his ears and he stepped towards her, bringing a hand in front of her eyes in a weak attempt to divert her attention, feeling sheepish all of a sudden. "D-Don't look at that."

But Momo was awestruck, gently pulling his hand down with her gaze locked on the little show in front of them. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist from behind, staring at the side of her face.

Todoroki had forgotten all semblance of language, because God was she so utterly mesmerizing. He didn't even bother glancing at the fireworks, even the most ethereal sights would come second to her, her and those rosy cheeks and those parted lips and those sparkling pools of obsidian that reflected the fireworks. She slowly brought her hands in front of her gaping mouth and yes, pouring an unimaginable sum of money into this was definitely worth it.

He'd give her his everything.

This internal monologue of his was promptly interrupted when just as she had described a moment ago, a man came to hand him a massive bouquet of flowers. Todoroki grabbed the flowers, scrubbing a hand over his notably warmer face with a small, resigned sigh because really, this was not at all how he had pictured this, nor how Izuku adamantly described it to be "Hollywood-level romantic" when the greenette first presented the idea. Momo predicted it right away, whether she was being serious or not.

Deciding to just go through with it, when he turned around, she was already gazing back at him in wonder. The pure surprise on her face was cute- though he had to hold himself back from voicing that thought out loud, for now.

He cleared his throat, looking to the side as he stiffly outstretched the bouquet to her. His cheekbones were flushed and Momo could swear she had never seen his face this red before.

This was certainly something she would tease him about in the future, but right now, the raven haired girl was filled with so much appreciation she could barely even speak as she gingerly took the massive bouquet in her arms, practically the size of the upper half of her body.

Red roses. How cliché, she thinks as a smile breaks across her lips, slow at first and then all at once. But it was, in fact, one of the greatest things anyone had ever done for her.

"F-For me...?" Her voice wobbled, and were her eyes welling up now? Todoroki never wanted to make her cry. But when she shifted the bouquet and blessed him with a better view of that smile of hers, the words were rising to his throat in an instant.

"Anything for you."

A watery chuckle, "I always knew you were a flirt!"

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Just how had they ended up here?

Even Momo didn't quite know the answer to that herself, she didn't even realize how or when things escalated so fast, but here they were. In the confined space of his car he had insisted on driving her back home in, warm calloused hands keeping a dizzyingly firm grip on her waist, stuck on his lap in the driver's seat, facing him with her arms around the base of his neck. Heavy gasps for air and flushed faces.

And she certainly had a knack for making him feel the unexplainable, pressing their lips together in the most addicting possible way. She was sickly sweet, the kind you just couldn't get enough of, so he kisses her and kisses her and kisses her and she lets him have his way for a while, until the (unfortunately necessary) need for air was getting increasingly urgent. He didn't seem to care, or even notice.

But when Momo tried to draw away twice, he only chased her lips and pulled her back in as if he'd been a starved animal, stuck in some sort of trance before she managed to pull away once more with widened eyes, putting her hand on his face when he tried to lean in again.

"I can't... breathe..." She manages out while panting, her entire face red, clearly flustered.

She moves her hand away to notice the look of genuine guilt that passes over his charming features. It was almost cute. Her heart thuds harder.

"Do you want me to stop?" He brushes the hair out of her face with deft fingers, his voice a little strained as his eyes studied her intently.

Her heart just stayed lodged in her throat because fuck, how was she supposed to resist him when he looked like that staring up at her with underlying desperacy, his hair left all messed up and traces of lip gloss around the side of his mouth. Whatever her rational side was trying to tell her was being tuned out by the sound of her pulse and heavy breaths and she just wanted to wipe that guilt off his face already.

So, without further thought, she cupped his face in her hands and grabbed him and crashed her lips into his, Todoroki freezing for a split second before reciprocating just as fast. She was making it so damn difficult for him to stay levelheaded, and his obsession for her spills from his lips unwarranted- she has him blindly confessing every cheesy thought, whispering "God, you're perfect" in her ear between kisses.

He suddenly pulls back with wide eyes and Momo doesn't quite know what's gotten into him, so she tilts her head in confusion and that seems to do something to him.

"Momo, I..." He attempts to speak, swallows roughly and just when she thought he was ready to speak, he lunged forward and reached to turn up the air conditioner, accidentally hitting his head on the rear view mirror with an audible thunk. A string of curses escapes his throat.

"Sh-Shoto? What's wrong?" She tilts his head up with slender fingers, examining his red face worriedly, his skin warm to the touch.

"It doesn't make sense..." He mutters, panting.

Momo just bats her eyelashes at him. "Huh?"

"I've never... felt so attracted... to anything like this before... I didn't think I could want for something this badly...."

She runs her hand through his hair back and forth, giving him the space to compose his thoughts as she looked over him with those gorgeous eyes- enormous, glittering, beautiful eyes that made it even harder for him to think straight or hold onto any shred of self control. If she knew the effect those eyes had on him...

Todoroki takes a deep breath, struggling to keep his emotions in check while trying to figure out where to start, deep shades of red dusting his cheekbones. "It's just... you. Everything about you. You drive me insane in the best possible way. I didn't know I could feel so strongly about someone. All I knew, all I've been taught was to raise my dad's empire, and not to let these worthless feelings distract me or make me show weakness. I thought that was my life's only purpose, that it was just the way things were."

He caressed the side of her face in his palm, looking at her and holding her as if he was afraid she might disappear. She could tell that he'd never been in such a situation before, that he'd never been this transparent with anyone.

"I was never shown love, much less knew myself how to love, Momo. I always abandoned or had others abandon me. This is all new to me. So when you openly show me affection like this, it just makes me want to grasp onto you and make sure you never run away... It's strange. You're right here in front of me, yet I can't help but still want more and more of you. You've made me question everything I thought I knew about myself," His voice hardens. "Sorry, I'm overwhelming you with all this, aren't I?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "It's actually kind of refreshing, hearing you speak your mind like this. I'm not going anywhere, Shoto. We'll figure it all out together. One step at a time."

 

~

Chapter 35: Home Is Where You Are

~

 

𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗗 definitely been a while since Momo was last at his house, and the place was pretty much the same as she remembered it, a point made clear in her little observation quest as she glanced here and there curiously, taking in the whole spacious loft apartment bathed in a dim ambient glow of the lights. The soft click of the front door closing behind them echoed. There was something almost surreal about being here with him at this hour.

This was in no way how she anticipated her night would go. She thought they'd meet up like usual and chatter for a while and be done with it, but Todoroki just had to insist on driving her back to his house with the excuse of being much too fatigued after a long day of work. It definitely gave her a start, but how could she reject that tired face? This man certainly had a way of persuading her into things.

"Make yourself at home," he uttered simply, his words going on deaf ears as she looked around like his place was some sort of landmark even though she'd technically already been there before. A comfortable silence filled the air.

"Shoto, have you ever considered hanging up pictures?" She asked out of the blue just the second he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. Momo cleared her throat as softly as she could, eyes wide.

She was at his house in the dead of night. Just the two of them- alone. And their relationship status wasn't the same as last time, making it feel all the more intimate. Scarily so. Just how was she gonna survive? Why did she even agree to this again?

"Pictures?" Todoroki murmured drowsily as he buried his face in the side of her neck, barely even registering the spontaneous question before she suddenly pulled away and turned to face him with a strained chuckle, unsuccessful in her attempt to get him to let go of her, his arms loosely around her lower waist. He almost raises a brow.

"Y-Yeah, pictures! They'd definitely liven up this place a lot more," It had weighed on her mind since the first time she came over, and even now, how monochrome his apartment was, the interior more on the modern side and consisting of only shades between black and white, and marble everywhere. Everything looked sleek and newly furnished. It didn't feel lived in. Clearly he was barely ever home, given the late hours he always worked.

"Mmm. I see," He was staring at her hard, and Momo seriously couldn't tell if he was focusing more on her suggestion or her face. Her breath caught in her throat and she stepped back smiling nervously, him following behind her with slow steps as she sunk into the living room couch and stretched her arms.

"I'm starving because I haven't gotten the proper chance to eat something and I'm tired because doing nothing all day is so exhausting and my feet hurt," She straight up whined, pushing out her bottom lip while Todoroki after taking off his coat and putting it up on a coat rack proceeded towards her and kneeled down in front of her, taking off her shoes for her so she could get comfortable.

"Long day?" He inquired.

"Pretty much. Denki's been talking my ear off about letting him meet Kyoka. Should I just give in?" Momo put her feet up on the couch and leaned back, arms crossed. She felt like she would fall asleep any moment with this air conditioning.

Todoroki just stood up and let a half-smile roll over his lips, looking down at her. Something about how she seemed more tired than him was funny. "I'll see if I can get you something to eat," he rolled up his sleeves as he walked over to the kitchen island and opened the fridge, which had, not many options. Well, the only option available really was a bowl of soba noodles he was supposed to have last night and just forgot about. He sighed and turned back, "Do you-- you know what, I'll just order something."

"Hm? Do I what? Spit it out," She prodded from right beside him, hands joined casually behind her back, nearly giving him cardiac arrest because he never actually noticed her getting up from the couch. "Your fridge really is empty, Shoto... I keep reminding you to have proper meals. You need to have at least something in here."

"I eat out. I'm barely ever at home. Its nothing to worry about," he closed his fridge and took out his phone, looking for food delivery services. She sat on the countertop behind her, swinging her legs. "...I was just gonna ask you if you'd like soba."

That statement seemed to make her whole face light up. Momo grinned from ear to ear, a little too enthusiastic about this information, "Oh my God, soba's still your favorite? After all these years? That's legendary!"

"I simply haven't found anything that tops it, nothing to get all excited about now," Todoroki put his phone back in his pocket after making an order, trying hard to suppress the smile that was gonna creep up any moment. Deep down he actually found it so endearing how thrilled she was to hear such a small thing about him.

"Do you still prefer it freezing cold? I remember when we were younger I would be so confused trying to figure out why you liked it so much. Ahah! This is the best," She clapped her hands and rejoiced.

"You seem to have picked up on a lot of little details about me," He smirked, stepping forward to place his hands on either side of her on the counter without preamble, hoping to get a reaction out of her. How she did react however, was definitely not what he had expected.

"I am very keen on studying you after all," She leaned even closer to his face and raised a finger to boop him on the nose. "Here I was thinking my Shoto is all grown up. There's so much that hasn't changed. And there's still so much more I want to learn." Her cat-eyes narrowed deliberately, lips spreading to form an inscrutable smile that was bound to drive him mad. "You seem awfully flustered."

A significantly redder Todoroki averted her gaze, grinding his jaw to try to gain some sort of control over his rampant thoughts and pretend like her thinly veiled advances weren't doing things to him. A blush creeps up his neck, and he takes in what barely counts as a breath, muttering as he runs a hair through his hair, "...you've gotten bold."

"Really? Something tells me you enjoy it," She winds her arms around his neck, their noses mere centimeters apart. A corner of his mouth twitches upwards in disbelief. "Look at you, all shy."

"Careful. You're playing with fire," and with that, he gripped her chin and pulled her forward, engulfing her lips in a heated kiss, stealing the breath from her lungs with a fervor that made her mind go blissfully blank, as if determined to claim back the ground she'd stolen within a matter of seconds.

When he pulled back, the smirk returned full force at the sight of the cherry red spilling across her cheeks that he so adored, both of them left gasping for air. She pinched his bicep and let her mouth drop open at his brazen forwardness, playing innocent after technically inciting it. Todoroki had just leaned in for another go at it when the sound of his doorbell ringing resounded through the apartment causing the two to jump like frightened cats.

They just blinked at each other for a moment with widened eyes, and when the knocking persisted and a very familiar voice called out, "Shoto, I know you're home! If you don't want me prying this door open-" that's when the panic truly started to settle in.

"Why's Fuyumi here at this time of night...?" Momo hopped off the counter, him catching her by the hips with his eyes on the front door far beyond them.

"I'll go get the door," He simply stated, about to walk away when she yanked him right back by the ear.

"No, you dimwit! What would she think seeing me here?! Alone with you?! At this hour?!" She whisper-yelled, her face equivalent to a tomato at this point as the doorbell repeatedly ringing played like a dreadful mantra looming over them. "Quick! I need to hide somewhere!"

Todoroki nodded like a soldier on alert, and after a second of them both frantically pacing around to find a spot, as if a light switch had been flipped on in his mind he suddenly grabbed her hand and hurriedly led her to his bedroom down the hall. Ensuring she was safely inside, he separated their fingers, holding the doorknob, looking like he was about to go to war, "Stay put and keep the door locked. I'll deal with her."

The jittery raven haired girl didn't have much of a chance to say anything in response before he shut the door, rushing to the entrance. Putting on his trademark stoic expression, he drew in a long breath before mustering the will to open the front door. Upon being greeted by Fuyumi's smiling face he didn't know whether to feel pleasant to see his older sister after weeks or pissed at the interruption. He just decided on somewhere in between the two very mixed emotions.

"There you are. What took you so long, Shoto?" Fuyumi pushed past him in her way in rather unceremoniously, and he pinched his nose bridge standing at the doorway before following behind her.

"I was sleeping. Sorry," He simply said as he watched her place a stack of food containers on his dining table. "You could've called before coming over."

"Sleeping? You didn't even change clothes. Looks like you were incredibly tired," She eyed his shirt and tie with an unamused look. "What a way of greeting your dear elder sister. I just dropped by to give you these side dishes since Mother keeps nagging me to make sure you're eating properly."

His throat felt like sandpaper at the mention of his hospitalized mother. Before he could really digest the information, she began wandering around his house, looking around strangely. What was it with everyone treating his house like a museum? "Oh well. I suppose that gives me the chance to see how you've been living these days," Fuyumi hummed lightly, "You've kept this place nice and tidy, I see. I must say, I'm impressed."

"What about you?" Todoroki crossed his arms, taking silent notice of her eyebags, her eyes noticeably tired but bright. "How have you been?"

Fuyumi looked back at him with a grin, tugging at his cheek, "Worried about me now, are we, my high-and-mighty little brother?"

He just pulled her hand away from his face as she laughed and started casually strolling down the hall that led to his bedroom. The one forbidden place.

"Don't go there!" He declared, hot on her heels. Fuyumi didn't show any intent of stopping in her tracks however.

"Why not? What's over here anyway? Your room?" She reached for the doorknob, just when he stepped directly in front of her to block her way. Todoroki swallows audibly, lips drying even as he dips his tongue between them.

"You can't just enter someone's room like that. Invasion of privacy."

Her eyebrows shot up, lips curving into a mischievous smile that definitely meant no good. "Oh? Is it really such a mess that you're worried about me seeing it?"

He jerks his chin up defiantly, eyes darting to the side. Unable to form a response. A look of skepticism passes over her features, and then, she smirked.

"If you're going to invite a woman over," Fuyumi began slowly, eyeing him with growing amusement, "at least make it less obvious. I saw the heels in the entrance, Sho."

Todoroki's brain stalls where it sits in his skull and terror spreads like ice in his bones. "Wh-What?"

"Pfft! Got you red-handed, didn't I? Hm, let me guess, it's my lovely former-colleague Momo, is it not?" She clapped her hands with a huge grin like she had just cracked the biggest case of all time, seeming to take great enjoyment in his suffering as his face flushed bright red like a deer caught in headlights. "How long have you two been together? Natsuo and Touya are gonna have a field day with this information!"

"You've overstayed your welcome," Todoroki cleared his throat, the warmth on his cheeks multiplying by the second as he firmly grabbed her shoulders with the full intent of getting her out of his house.

"Wait! You have zero experience with women! I should at least give you a word of advice!" Fuyumi sputtered out as he began pushing her(did she really have to yell that out loud?), "Be affectionate! Did you even tell her she looks pretty tonight? You're always so stiff! Touch her hair or something-"

They were already back at the entryway at this point, and he just wondered when this whole fuss was going to end as she kept on going, "Oh, oh, and tell her I said hi!" With one shove, he had finally managed to get her out the door when her smile got horribly smug. "Don't forget to use protectio-"

Todoroki didn't even dare to let her finish before slamming the door in her face. His eyes landed on the clearly feminine heels she must've noticed and he dragged a hand down his face, releasing a sigh of exasperation while his heart thumped way too loud for his own liking.

When he had made his way to his room, he braced himself internally before knocking on the door. It opened in a heartbeat, Momo looking up at him with big, shimmering eyes, her own face tinted in pink.

"Sorry about that," He muttered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. Looking at her, the moment in the kitchen came rushing back- how close they'd been, her bold advances that caught him so off guard. He just prayed she couldn't hear what Fuyumi had said out there, and the last remark too. Especially not the last remark.

"She really found out... about us... just like that, huh?" She fiddled with her fingers, staring hard at the floor, too shy to face him now. The taller male, unable to quite help himself, held her chin and tipped her face up to meet his gaze.

"It was bound to happen anyway," Todoroki reasoned steadily, the two bathed in the dim lighting of his room with only the lamp on his bedside table turned on. Still, Momo had doubts, rooted from her self consciousness she could never shake off entirely.

"Do you think she-"

"It goes without saying that Fuyumi absolutely adores you," he cut her off, brushing the stray hair strands away from her face. His words said with a certainty so resolute a big smile parts her lips, just what he wanted to see.

"You know, it's funny how your room is exactly how I envisioned it."

"Hm?" He quirked up a brow, watching her walk around his room, her fingers grazing his bookshelf, stopping to lean against his desk.

"It's so... you. Everything's in its place. Neat, minimal. Very straightforward," She let out a soft laugh, "It almost feels unreal being here with you."

"Is that so?" Todoroki put his hands in his pockets as he stepped towards her. A smirk stretched his lips exhaling through his nose in amusement. "You envisioned my room?"

That was certainly one way to ruin the moment. Momo coughed profusely, barely managing to catch her breath- he kept managing to twist her words into innuendo somehow and it was actually going to be the death of her. Could he just control himself for Lord's sake?

"You're insufferable!"

 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

 

Momo watched her boyfriend inhale his bowl of ramen across the table like he hadn't eaten in years, obsidian eyes blinking repeatedly as he slurped another mouthful of noodles. His eyes met hers, and she instantly burst into a fit of mirth letting go of her chopsticks, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Shoto, how hungry were you?" She managed out, laughs still bubbling up her throat at his oblivious expression but she maintained her self control for the most part. He always seemed so put-together, it was a rare sight to see him like this, where his every action wasn't so calculated and precise and he let his guard down to just breathe for once. Her heart squeezed.

"Ah," Todoroki swallowed his food, leaning back in his seat to catch a breath. His hair was all tousled and messed up from her hands being in them when they kissed, and he had taken off his suit jacket and tie, leaving him in a black shirt with the first two buttons undone. "My work schedule was packed. I had to negotiate with some important investors from overseas and I didn't get a proper chance to get something in my stomach. Well, that's more of an excuse actually- I rushed everything so I could wrap up early because you told me you could meet today."

"So this... is the first actual meal you've had all day?" Her lips pulled into a frown he would give everything he had to turn upside down for even a moment, even if the care and concern glimmering through her eyes and manifesting in the furrow of her brow made him want to experience it a little longer. It was a guilty pleasure, Todoroki could never get enough.

"It's nothing I can't handle," He went back to scarfing down the noodles sensing her intense gaze burning holes through him, his attempt at downplaying it getting shut down by her almost instantly.

"You're not a machine, Shoto. If you don't remember to take care of yourself especially when you have to push yourself to your limit everyday I'll take it as you disregarding your girlfriend's orders. I won't hesitate to sign your resignation papers for you, you hear me?"

Momo had leaned forward, chin placed on her clasped hands, silky hair pulled back in a high ponytail, a tone of authority in her voice that had Todoroki losing his grasp on the mantle of composure he was sporting. She didn't even hesitate to scold him so brazenly when no one else in their right mind would dare to. It was almost hot.

"Alright, alright, point taken," He chuckled and raised his hands in surrender when he finished his bowl, keenly watching her help herself to her own after huffing out a "that's what I thought", his fist absentmindedly against his cheek. "Maybe I'd remember more often if you were living with me here."

This man needed to learn how to hesitate.

In the next instant, her hand slipped and ramen broth spilled over her. She hissed, immediately standing up to get a look at the horrendous stain left on her cream-colored sweater. Truly, why was she so unfortunate in this unforgiving world?

 

. . . . .

 

Momo stared at her red-faced reflection in the bathroom mirror disconcerted by a mixture of disbelief and sheepishness. The smear on her sweater hadn't disappeared even after she scrubbed it over and over again under sink water, so it wasn't like she really had any other option, she tried justifying the situation to herself.

His shirt was multiple sizes bigger on her, and she had to fold the sleeves in several times to actually free her hands. The material was soft, though, and the fragrance of his cologne lingered, dizzying her.

This was stupid. Why was she standing here mustering resolve to face him? As far as she knew, sharing this kind of thing was normal with couples. Very casual, in fact. Momo had to be rational about this. They were grown adults.

And so, heaving a sigh, she left out the bathroom door and made her way to the living room connected to the kitchen island, where he was standing in front of the counter, a white mug in hand.

"I hope it's okay for me to borrow this for now," Momo cleared her throat, clutching the bottom hem of the shirt which was almost draping over her thighs. The fact that he had said this was the smallest size he had made her feel so awfully tiny, even though she was a relatively tall woman herself. If only she could go back to the time when they were close in height.

Todoroki's jaw went stiff as he nodded in acknowledgement. Piercing heterochromatic eyes, giving her a once over. He looked away and sipped his coffee, seeming so nonchalant about the whole thing she internally berated herself for getting so flustered in the first place. She didn't even know what kind of reaction she had been expecting from him. Momo needed to cleanse her mind- a whole factory reset was very necessary.

"You can keep it as long as you need," He simply stated, setting his mug down on the counter. Electricity crackled between them.

"I really tried getting the stain out. How am I gonna go home wearing this?" She twiddled her fingers, sighing again in slight exasperation and speaking more to herself than him. Momo was still engrossed in her own musings when he was quick to speak up.

"What? No, you're staying the night here," His voice left no room for objection, his brows slightly furrowed as if it was an obvious conclusion to make. Her mind drew a blank.

"H-Huh? I never agreed to such a thing!"

"You agreed to it the moment you walked into this place," Todoroki sauntered towards her, crossing the distance, and he took her wrist and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. Bringing her palm to his cheek and intertwining their fingers, his mind far from calm as he grabbed the opportunity to sweep his gaze over her from head to toe, as if trying to imprint the sight into his memory.

He swallowed the nothing in his throat, the way his shirt hung loosely off her frame was starting to muddle up his senses. A smirk painted his lips as he turned his head to cover his mouth in her delicate fingers. "You look good."

"So you're telling me I did this to myself?" Momo just let her head drop on his chest, too tired to really argue.

"Mhm. You're stuck with me now," Todoroki pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, his face buried in her shoulder as he inhaled her vanilla scent, Momo patting his back struggling to hold up against his massive weight. They were pressed flush against each other, close enough to hear each other's heartbeats. It felt like minutes were stretching on to hours yet she'd let him hold her forever.

"...Are you sleepy?" She whispered, having taken notice of his drowsy state, his breathing getting softer.

It took a couple seconds before he finally murmured in reply, his voice slightly rougher than usual, "We should get to bed."

 

. . . . .

 

"The thought of being in the same bed as me makes you this nervous?" Todoroki breathed out a chuckle, looking down at the flushed raven haired girl who was clutching the hem of the covers for dear life.

"I find it hard to believe you don't have a guest room in this big, expensive house," She fired back, shooting him a look that had him biting the inside of his cheek to suppress a huge smile. The attempt failed and he smiled nonetheless, getting himself under the covers beside her.

"That's right. I lied."

"Y-You're despicable!" Momo sat up, sharply marking an invisible line between them on the mattress with her fingertips in an effort to establish some distance. He was only focused on how her adorable cheeks were visibly bright red even in the dark. "Whatever you do, you're not allowed to cross this line under any and all costs!"

"Now you're demanding too much of me here," In a show of despair he pushed out his bottom lip, pouting slightly. A pout. At his grown age. Momo could hardly believe this was the same aloof, apathetic CEO she used to know.

"You're the one who played unfair by lying to me," She crossed her arms and let her head drop back onto the fluffy pillow. It did nothing to put her rapidly beating heart at ease.

They were lying sideways facing each other now, albeit the huge gap between them, silence weighed thickly in the air but it wasn't suffocating in the least.

Momo had her eyes shut, cheek resting on her hands as her breathing steadied, her silky midnight hair spilling across the pillow. Todoroki continued to silently admire every inch and angle of her face as if seeing it for the first time. She looked so peaceful like this.

"I thought you were sleepy," she mumbled.

"I am," He whispered back.

"Then I suggest you stop staring at my face and actually get to sleep," Momo opened her eyes and looked him dead in the eye. His soul almost flew out of the window because how the hell did she notice he had been staring at her when her eyes were closed?

"Can we really not cuddle?" Todoroki had to ask.

"Oh my God, unbelievable. Get over here," she let out a fed-up sigh and crossed the line she had drawn herself, getting closer to him and flinging her arms around him. A smile lit up his face and he crossed the remaining distance so that they were pressed up against each other, holding her in his arms, finally satisfied.

Todoroki caressed her hair, and it was so natural, so easy to fall into this quiet intimacy, fitting together like each other's missing half. All those years of emotional torture that had haunted them, threatened to close in on them up to this very moment were washing away just like that. Finally, they were home.

"Shoto," Momo whispered in the darkness, and of course, he answered.

"Hm?"

"Have I ever told you how warm you are?"

"You did. While you were drunk the night we drank with your friends." A small smile crept up his face at the memory.

"I... did?" She repeated shyly, pink dusting her cheeks. The memories of how childishly she had acted in front of him all came flooding by her eyes like a VHS tape. Todoroki's hand slid up to gently cradle the back of her head and he pulled her in even closer, burying her blushing face in his chest and resting his chin on top of her head.

"Mhm. You were sleeping so comfortably in my shoulder I almost didn't wanna wake you up. You kept mumbling on about how warm I am in your sleep."

"How shameful...!" Momo had covered her face in her hands, her speech muffled.

"Come on, you were cute," He said, voice deeper and throatier than its normal smooth texture, rubbing small gentle circles on her back.

"That's what you think... you're insane," She sighed contently, about to fall asleep anytime soon.

"Really? Then I guess I've really lost my mind then," Todoroki released a soft laugh and the comfortable blanket of silence envelops them once again. They were perfectly intertwined in their own little universe, their bubble of safety, and he had been running his fingers through her silky hair and playing with the ends of the strands when he came to a definite resolution.

Feeling a peaceful fog encompass his heart, Todoroki wanted to wake up next to her everyday. The notion hit him like a tidal wave, washing over him with so much ease.

"You really should live with me, Momo," Todoroki spoke up after a while, not sure if she was even awake to hear, his voice had gone quiet and his inner thoughts unguarded. The fortification guarding his heart had crumbled into dust at her feet.

For a moment he pondered if he said too much, yet he was too drowsy to really think over it. And so after a full minute of no response, Todoroki was about to doze off when she murmured into his chest, the raven-haired girl clearly half-asleep, "I'll think about it."

He smiled, looking over her with pure reverence, as if he was gazing at something sacred. Something precious. For that is exactly what Momo Yaoyorozu is to him.

Todoroki didn't have any nightmares that night.

 

~