Chapter Text
Kyouka twisted an earring between her fingertips anxiously. She’d given up on the pacing about fifteen minutes ago, but it had done nothing to burn the nervous energy that seemed to rattle into her bones.
Now she was sat outside the dean’s office on a rather uncomfortable bench, waiting for Momo to return to her. She had gone in a while ago, to give her account on what had happened last week. To their understanding, Yamada had found him halfway down the hall with a dripping nosebleed and insisted on an explanation. When Yajima couldn’t provide one, and tried to drop the class that night, their professor was concerned enough to bring in administration.
Kyouka had told her side of the story earlier that day, around her own Monday classes. They seemed sympathetic enough, but were generally put off by her methods. She couldn’t really blame them for that.
The office door opened, and Kyouka sprung to her feet to see Momo and Mr. Yamada exit the office. Momo looked more tired than she had when she entered, but overall no worse for the wear.
“Alright,” Yamada started, in a voice quieter than Kyouka thought he was capable of. “I don’t want to speak too soon, because there are a few more procedural things the suits have to take care of.” He said, looking between the two girls. “But you ladies should be in the clear. “
Kyouka’s shoulders dropped in relief.
“It’s pretty clean cut, since Yajima initiated the conflict verbally and physically. If you had hit him first, this would be a different story entirely.” He said, with a pointed look at Kyouka. But his voice lacked any ounce of scolding. “Now, I can’t speak to the extent of his punishment, but I can guarantee that he will be removed from my class. If he seeks out either of you outside of that, you need to tell me or another faculty member, okay?” He asked, seriously.
The two soulmates nodded in unison, tensions melting away.
“Now get out of here why don’t you.” He said with renewed energy, waving them off.
“Thank you sir, we’ll see you in class.” Momo said with grace, as she tugged Kyouka away by the cuff of her jacket.
“Are you okay? How did it go?” Kyouka asked lowly, once they got out of the administration building.
Momo heaved a sigh, threading her arm around Kyouka’s before responding. “I think it was good. They were very concerned about me and how this would affect how comfortable I was on campus. I told them about how he had been bothering me, but not enough for me to be too worried and that this was a severe escalation.” She paused. “I think Mr. Yamada feels guilty that he didn’t notice anything, but I assured them that it wasn’t obvious, and it wasn’t his fault. I also made sure that they knew your actions were necessary. That I froze and wasn’t able to get myself out of there.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Momo. If they wanted to punish me I would’ve taken it, I don’t care–“
“Kyouka.” Momo said firmly. “It’s the truth. I needed help, and you helped me. I think they needed to know that to understand what really happened.”
Kyouka could only stare up at her, the firm line of her lips and the determination in her dark eyes. She deflated. “Okay.”
They continued to walk, at a more relaxed pace as they approached the building that housed Momo’s final class of the day. If it were anyone else, Kyouka might have suggested they ditch all together, after they day they’ve had. But after only four days of knowing her soulmate, she knew better than to get in between this girl and her studies.
“Are we still on for tonight then? My friends have been dying to meet you.” She asked.
“Of course. I’ll have to run home after class though, but that shouldn’t be too long.”
“Yeah just shoot me a text and I can come by so we can walk together?” Kyouka asked, coming to a stop in front of the sciences building.
“Perfect.” Momo said with a smile. God, Kyouka could die in this moment, looking up at her in the afternoon sun. She didn’t connect the dots as her soulmate glanced around for a moment, pulling her back and around the corner from the doors.
Kyouka blinked into the shade, now that the neighboring building obscured the sun. Her eyes refocused to see Momo looking down at her, hands settled lightly over her shoulders.
“I don’t think it was very fair of you. On Friday. To kiss me and run away.” Momo said, a teasing lilt to her voice.
Kyouka’s heart leapt to her throat at the insinuation. She tried to laugh, but it shaped up to not much more than a heavy sigh.
“Would you like me to make it up to you?” She asked, doing her best to mimic Momo’s playful tone without exposing her nerves. Fake it ‘til you make it, she thought as her hands reached out to rest on the other girl’s waist.
Soft soft soft and warm and–
“Very much so.” Momo answered quietly before leaning down and pressing their lips together.
Kyouka had died and gone to strawberry-flavored heaven.
Their kiss lasted nowhere near long enough, and despite Kyouka’s attempt to follow Momo as she pulled back, her platforms weren’t breaching the height difference.
Momo straightened up with a smile, blushing over her nose and cheeks. She brushed some invisible lint of off Kyouka’s shoulders before smoothing out her own hair and blouse. If Kyouka didn’t know any better, she’d bet that Momo just wanted to touch her a little longer.
Perhaps she doesn’t know better.
Momo cleared her throat. “Now that’s fair. Thank you for walking me to class, Kyouka. And I’ll text you afterwards, okay?” She said quietly, as if to avoid bursting their bubble of privacy between academic buildings.
Kyouka could only nod, still coming down from cloud nine.
-
“You kissed her! In PUBLIC?!” Ochako screeched. “Who are you and what did you do with my roommate?”
Momo buried her face in her hands, muffling her voice as she said “I don’t know, okay? I was just so happy that she wasn’t going to get expelled for protecting me that I couldn’t resist! But I made sure no one could see so it wasn’t really in public. Just… public adjacent.”
“You’re a real piece of work sometimes, you know that?”
“Thank you, Ochako. Real helpful.”
“Just don’t let her corrupt her with her delinquent style and violent tendencies towards men.”
Momo shot up, mouth gaping as she tried to defend her soulmate who wouldn’t hurt a fly (that didn’t deserve it).
“Relax, relax, girlie.” Ochako laughed, turning back to her cooking. “I’m just playing. You should’ve seen your face though. Wait– doesn’t she have a lip ring?”
Heat flared up Momo’s neck as she recalled the cool texture of a labret piercing cutting through their kiss.
“She does.” Momo admitted, avoiding eye contact.
“Ooh, kinky.”
“Ochako! It’s not like that!” Momo scowled as she slumped back into her seat. She relaxed only for a second before her phone chimed with a text.
>> Hey! I’m outside whenever you’re ready :)
<< Perfect, I’ll be right there
“She’s here, I’ve got to go.” Momo said with a start, making for the front door.
“Have fun! Use protection!”
“Ochako!”
-
Kyouka’s friends were… a lot. Not in a bad way, by any means, but very energetic and very comfortable with one another. It was nice to see Kyouka in her comfort zone, after only seeing her in class, in trouble, or undergoing her roommate’s interrogation.
Momo, ever a scientist, observed. She had come to the conclusion that Kyouka has a natural beauty, in the way she laughs at a joke, or listens attentively to a story. Her style only adds to the beauty that is already there, Momo found. People like her parents often said modifications– piercings, tattoos, dyed hair, you name it– can only ruin a pretty girl’s pretty face. Perhaps Momo had believed that too, for a spell.
She didn’t, anymore.
How could she? How could anyone think such a thing when silver hoops stretched over a perfect smile, or when just the right shade of purple framed a smooth cheekbone?
A weight manifested in Momo’s stomach at the thought of her parents not feeling the same way– not seeing all the beauty and personality Kyouka had to offer, simply judging from foreign perspective. A tug on her hand brought her back, a wordless smile said that’s not a worry for this moment.
And that was that.
-
Kyouka hadn’t left her side the whole night. This was very fortunate during her (multiple) interrogations when she first arrived. Unfortunately, that meant Momo was too preoccupied with the rate of her own breathing than the plot of the movie they watched. Please don’t ask her about it later.
Now that the group had dissolved into playing Mario Kart or having a smoke outside, Momo could breathe easy. It may also have a little something to do with the drink she has been nursing all night, but hey. Semantics.
“Kiri are you even trying? Or has all the protein powder finally suffocated your last brain cell?”
“Y’know I thought you were going to be nice today with your new lady friend around but I guess she’d have to see this side of you eventually.” He griped, not tearing his attention from the screen.
“Shut the fuck up.” Kyouka laughed at the same time Mina asked “Who the hell says lady friend anymore?”
Momo only laughed from her place on the couch, comfortable among the blankets and pillows, and Kyouka leaning back against her legs.
Mina gestured, drawing her attention.
“Kyouka really does have a competitive streak. I dunno what’s worse, being her opponent or her pong partner.”
Momo laughed lightly, watching Kyouka pull ahead of Kirishima and win her race.
“Hey now,” She said, turning and resting an arm on Momo’s lap to talk to Mina. “Don’t make me into a bad guy for being good at games.”
“I’m just speaking the truth, bro.” Mina said, arms raised in surrender. “Kiri, back me up.”
Kirishima, who had sprawled out on the floor after a crushing defeat, piped up.
“Jirou’s a menace at anything that can be won.”
Kyouka scoffed, rolling her head back to look at Momo. “Don’t listen to them, they’re just sore losers.”
Momo only laughed in agreement, promising that she found it endearing. Kyouka’s head, heavy in her lap, was inviting. Dark purple hair splayed out over her legs, just begging to be combed through with gentle fingers. So she did just that.
Hesitant at first, but growing bolder, Momo’s manicured nails smoothed and separated through the strands. Kyouka hummed in approval.
Sero and Kaminari returned from their smoke and insisted on taking on the next round, blessedly leaving Kyouka where she had settled.
It was easy to half-listen to the commotion of the game while truly focusing and detangling hair from earrings (of which Kyouka had many, making it an honorable task, in Momo’s humble opinion).
Her task lasted longer than she realized, though, when the group began to disband for the night. It was still relatively early, but late enough for a Monday.
Kyouka sat up with a stretch and audible crack-crack-crack of her back. She heaved a contented sigh, turning to Momo.
“God, you almost put me to sleep.”
“Oh, I’m sorry–“ she tried, but was shut down.
“No, no don’t be sorry that was awesome.” She said, stifling a yawn as she stood. Another stretch, another snap-pop that Momo believed to be from her knees.
“You ready to head out? I’ll walk you home.”
“Yes, thank you.”
-
“Well, I’m glad you liked them because they certainly loved you.” Kyouka laughed.
“Oh, wonderful. I was worried that I wasn’t, ah, cool enough.” Momo said, taking silent pleasure in the gentle swing of their clasped hands.
“Ha! No way, we’re all total dorks. If anything, you’re the cool one.”
“Why, I am flattered you think so.” Momo responded teasingly.
They idled about outside Momo’s building for a little longer making small talk.
“Would you like to come up? I can make some tea, or if you’re hungry...?” Momo tried offering when they hit a lull, not quite wanting to part yet.
“Ah, I would, but I shouldn’t. I’ve got class at eight, and I am wholly dysfunctional without enough sleep.”
Momo agreed, disappointed but understanding. She’s usually the responsible one, calling it quits early, so there’s no hard feelings.
“But,” Kyouka started again, a sly smile curling over her features. “You could kiss me goodnight?”
“I could.” Momo said with a blush. Taking a step into the shorter girl’s space, she added lowly, “I think I will.”
Kyouka raised her hands this time, cupping Momo’s jaw and pulling her in. She went without a struggle, looping her arms around her waist in a bit of a squeeze.
The silver hoop was cooler than this afternoon, likely from the chill of the night air. But Kyouka was as warm as she remembered, from the hands on her face to the lips against her own.
Kyouka, breathless, broke the kiss first, but held Momo down at her level for a moment longer. Fingers smoothed over her cheekbones, tucking stray hairs behind her ears.
The shorter girl, seeming to have caught her breath, leaned back up for a final, chaste kiss before releasing her soulmate.
After a few more hushed, giggled words, the two parted for the last time on this day. But not without the promise of tomorrow.