Chapter Text
Izuku was nervous.
It wasn't the usual bone-crushing, jittery anxiousness he was accustomed to. That dreadful feeling that filled your throat and itching uncomfort you felt when you were left to anticipate, fear the unknown near future.
Instead, the nervousness he was feeling was light, genuine and exciting. Like whatever was going to happen was bound to go well no matter what. He was happy because he was excited, his jittery hands unable to contain themselves as he finished the last buttons on his crisp dress shirt.
The feeling wasn't new, he'd experienced it before but he hadn't felt it in so long, specifically since what had happened with Ochako.
But now, rather than that feeling infesting his insides at the sight of the brunette, it was triggered more so by a peculiar raven-haired beauty.
At first, Izuku was terrified at the prospect of falling in love again, the trauma of how much the first heartbreak had hurt still left him a little wary of the idea of sharing a romantic connection with someone again.
But, he couldn't help but fall for Momo. She was so...simple.
He didn't know how else to describe her. She made everything easy, her smile was pretty but subtle, the colour of her hair silky and alluring despite resembling a river of ink, the way she spoke and the sound of her voice were smooth like honey dribbling down a canal.
She was so simple to understand─when it came to him anyway─and it was so easy to look at her, just to be utterly captivated by her serene beauty. She was so subtle, so gentle and she slowly, so languidly, became the only thing Izuku could think about whenever he was left even just a second to his own thoughts.
Unlike how fast and hard he had fallen for Ochako, falling for Momo Yaoyorozu was a gentle descent. Like a calm breeze that brushed against your skin, easily forgotten yet so easily appreciated for it's existence, wrapping you in its embrace so carefully so as not to startle its victim.
The feeling didn't hit him like a truck so it was a lot easier to embrace and act upon. He can't live his life in complete abstinence and fear, might as well take the risk, no?
After all, Momo had always been there for him. Not as much as Tsuyu had been but she always made it known she'd be there as a friend to lean on. Caring and doting without being pushy and overbearing, silently helping him through the once dark void that was his life.
And on Camie and Eijirou's wedding, where she had attended as one of the bridesmaids and he as one of the best men, they grew a lot closer. Burning the buzzing night away as singletons while talking about whatever two nerds found interesting at the time.
The pretty culmination of amber hues and moonlight reflecting off her smooth skin, the haze and fog of the alcohol in his system, the pleasant smell of the salty sea as their backdrop and the pretty colour of the deep red bridesmaid dress hugging and accentuating her curves...
Momo had never looked more beautiful to him.
So, Izuku had mustered up all the courage he had and asked her out.
She had looked shocked but accepted anyway with an unnecessarily adorable blush on her cheeks. And over time, with more dates, more meet ups and more messages and calls exchanged, the two slowly─ever-so-slowly─began sharing that warm, fluttery feeling of love for each other.
They hadn't put a label on it yet. Momo was patient enough to understand he would need some time to open up and love again with reckless abandon and she wasn't in any rush either.
Besides, their small shared bites of affection were enough for now.
Whenever she took time out of her no doubt busy day to message and call him or meet up with him after not seeing each other for a few days due to clashing schedules or go out on planned or unplanned dates with him, it always made Izuku's heart flutter.
Speaking of dates, he remembered as he looked at his cleaned up reflection, messy green hair tamed somewhat, he was supposed to go on one with her today, which is why the familiar feeling of nervous-excitement riddled his entire being.
His week, for a pro hero, was relatively uneventful─well except for that one day he had unfortunately run into Ochako at a bar─so when Momo had called him to catch up and ask when they could meet up since she had a free day, Izuku's week was instantly healed.
And Tsuyu Asui was a lot happier he wasn't pestering her with questions about the ravenette anymore...
They planned to meet up at a quaint restaurant located in a relatively quiet part of the city, enjoy dinner together and chat the evening away without a care in the world.
"I don't think that *crunch* colour looks very *crunch* good on you" Shouto spoke in between chews of some crisps, bringing Izuku back to the present.
The green-haired man just rolled his eyes, "What are you? The fashion police?"
He just shrugged, "No, but I don't think navy blue looks very good on you"
"Oh shush Shouto," Tsuyu finally cut in with a roll of her eyes, "stop acting like you have impeccable fashion sense *kero*. Besides *kero*, I think the shirt looks good on Kuzu"
Izuku smiled and gave her a thankful nod, both for her level-headedness and her ability to not make him want to roll his eyes out of his skull whenever he was stuck dealing with his dual-haired friend, "Thanks Tsu".
He had invited her─and by extension Shouto since he was quote: bored out of his mind─over as a subtle form of emotional support. No matter how many dates he'd gone on with Momo, he always needed a pick-me-up just so his nerves wouldn't get to his head and make him bail out on her last minute.
"Anyways, Mr. Lover boy~" Izuku's face immediately cringed at the mocking new nickname, "it's almost six o'clock so you better get going *kero*, don't want Princess Momo thinking you're standing her up no?"
Oh shit.
To confirm, Izuku checked the time on his phone and sure enough, the bright screen blared back at him with a blinding '5:58pm', making his eyes widen immediately.
Without missing a beat he grabbed his phone and keys, shoved them in the pockets of his slacks and rushed out of his bedroom towards the front door of his apartment, leaving his friends unfazed by his abrupt change in tempo.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow! The spare key is where it usually is when you two are ready to leave, Tsu!" he reminded, blindly waving his friends a quick farewell.
"Alright *kero*," his froggy friend waved back with a small, naturally thin smile, "Good luck and make sure to tell me how it went when you get back *kero*!" she said just as he got to the front door.
Izuku nodded, "I will, promise!" and with that he was out the door and off to his date.
A comfortable silence then settled in between the two remaining friends in the apartment...until, Shouto broke it.
"How much do you want to bet this is the date he asks Momo to be his girlfriend?"
Tsuyu rolled her eyes at him a second time that evening, "I'm not betting on Kuzu's love life with you Shouto"
"Ugh, you're boring Tsu..."
₊• ⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ •⁺
Surprisingly, Izuku managed to make it to the restaurant on time. Yet, Momo was already there, sat at a more intimate table in the corner, because God forbid she let someone else come earlier than her for once.
She hadn't noticed him yet, too busy scrolling on her phone to look up. She was dressed simple but elegantly, her subtly radiant beauty made her the brightest light in the building.
She wore a pretty dark green off the shoulder dress that stopped just above her knees, the belt that sinched her waist was encrusted with small diamonds, the dark green colour accentuated with simple glimmering gold bracelets, a necklace and earrings. Her flat shoes also a similar, glittery gold colour that glinted under the restaurant's warm lighting.
She looked absolutely breathtaking...
"Hey Momo!" Izuku finally spoke once he got close, mentally giving himself a pep talk before making his arrival known, "you're here early, as per usual"
The ravenette's head instantly shot up, eyes wide and expression upturned in surprise, only to quickly morph into a sweet smile at the sight of him, a pink blush subtly dusting her cheekbones.
Placing her phone down as he took a seat across from her, Momo giggled, "Maybe you're just late, Izu. You ever think about it like that?"
He just chuckled in response, "Last time I checked, the agreed upon time was six o'clock on the dot"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," she grumbled playfully with a roll of her pretty dark eyes as she picked up the menu, Izuku soon mimicking her action, "stop fact-checking me and let's order, shall we?"
And so, that's what they did. Humming in approval as they scoured their surprisingly verbose number of options for dinner and dessert, Momo sometimes stopping to unnecessarily explain the origin of some exotic dishes offered and their cultural significance.
She didn't have to but she couldn't help herself, if she knew something, she had to share it with someone. Besides, Izuku didn't seem to mind and listened to her borderline ramblings with unwavering attention and thoughtful contributions.
Finally, the couple ordered, relaying their choices to a soft spoken waitress before they fell into a comfortable rhythm of pleasant conversation.
"So, how's your week been?" Momo asked before taking a sip of water from her glass.
Izuku smiled his usual innocent bright smile at her before answering, a gesture that made her heart thump against her rib cage, "It's been a relatively tame one. A little boring, dare I say" he laughed and she followed suit.
The woman leaned forward a little, bracing her elbows on the table, "Really? Nothing even remotely interesting happened?" she probed further, mostly joking.
Izuku hummed in genuine thought, as if mentally recalling every significant and insignificant thing he did over the past few days. He'd babysat Shouto's cat (begrudgingly of course, but he liked Chocolate the cat─yes, that's his actual name─so, he didn't mind it too much), helped his mom deep clean her apartment, went out patrolling with Denki for the first time in a while, oh and he also─
"I mean, I guess the most interesting thing that's happened to me is I unfortunately ran into Mrs. Bakugou at a bar earlier this week" he said nonchalantly with a shrug, swirling his straw around his drink.
Momo's jaw instantly fell open, almost choking on air as she quickly abandoned her casual sitting position, "What, how?!"
He shrugged again, "I dunno, maybe she heard about the new bar opening and decided to go, unfortunately for me"
"Yeah, I guess..." she mumbled before looking off to the side, brows furrowing with lips pursed in suspicion, not for Izuku but for her brunette friend.
"Is something wrong?" the man across from her asked at the sudden change. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned Ochako, he didn't want to ruin the mood or the date.
"Stupid, stupid Izuku!"
"No, nothing's wrong" Momo tried to reassure him but he didn't buy it for even a second. Finally relenting, she sighed, "I just thought it was odd Ochako went out to a bar alone, she usually only goes with a friend" she explained, "typically drinks just to be social, y'know?"
Izuku arched an incredulous brow, "So, what you're saying is..." he started off slow, "she probably tracked me down all the way there...?"
"...Perhaps"
"And how exactly would she have even had an idea of where I'd be, hm?" he gave her a pointed look as though she was guilty of something, which she was but did he have to be so perceptive?!
The raven-haired woman pulled a face, making Izuku's eyes narrow, "I mean, y'know, I'm sure she had her sources" the pitch of her voice raised gradually as she spoke. Why was she cursed with the professional inability to be a good liar?!
Izuku seemed unimpressed, leisurely sipping his drink through his straw, "Yeah, and I'm guessing these so-called sources are you?"
"No!" she instantly denied but his pointed stare didn't let up, "...Okay so, I may have slipped up and mentioned you in front of her"
Her companion threw his head back and let out a loud groan, "Momo..."
"Hey, in my defense! In my defense, Tsu was the one who mentioned where you'd be that night!"
"Wow," he rolled his eyes, "some friends you guys are"
"I'm sorry, Izu~" she cried, moving to cup his large, scarred hand in her smaller pale ones, caressing it as a silent apology, "Did she say anything to upset you?"
Izuku scoffed, quietly enjoying the feel of her soft, warm hands, "Every word that came out of her mouth made me want to pop a blood vessel"
"Yikes, that bad?"
He just nodded with a small hum of confirmation.
Momo frowned a little before she moved to place a timid kiss on his knuckles, he didn't pull away so she assumed it was okay, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
The man shook his head, giving her a wide reassuring smile as he intertwined their hands together rather than have her cradle his hand, "Nah, I don't want to dampen the mood, this is a date after all" then, he nodded his head to the side, towards the waitress approaching their table all while balancing trays with dishes on them effortlessly, Momo's eyes followed the gesture, "Besides, our food's already here"
"You're right," she smiled, squeezing his hand, "but just remember, if you ever want to talk about it─about anything─I'm always here..."
"I know, Momo. I know"
.
.
.
After a delicious dinner and an even tastier dessert, Momo and Izuku reveled in the pleasant buzz you get after a good meal, still chatting away without a care in the world as though time had been frozen in place just for them.
The bill was already paid and the plates had already been cleared, nothing held them back from just up and leaving. Well, nothing except for the obvious fact that the two weren't ready to part ways just yet.
But alas, time was indeed not frozen and the restaurant was in fact not going to stay open forever.
"Izu..." Momo called softly, politely cutting him off mid-ramble, his green eyes met hers with a slight confused tilt of his head, "it's getting late, we should probably leave" she said and almost instantly, a childish pout shaped his lips.
Slouching in his seat, Izuku whined, "Do we have to?" she laughed at his tone, deepening his pout, "This is the second most interesting thing that's happened to me all week!" he joked and the ravenette couldn't help but snicker.
"Hey, we can always plan another date," she reasoned, "you're free tomorrow too right? We could go to the park or something!"
"I mean, yeah─ I guess, but uh..." he suddenly began stammering, a crimson blush slowly creeping onto his face as he averted his eyes and fiddled with his shirt sleeves─a nervous habit.
Momo's brows furrowed, "Izu? Are you okay?"
He nodded his head, quick to reassure her, "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just...ugh─ My apartment just gets pretty lonely at times, I don't wanna head back just yet y'know?"
"Oh..." her face relaxed and softened, but then it turned into a mischievous smirk, "Wait, is this your way of luring me into your bed Mr. Deku? How scandalous!" she feigned a surprised gasp.
Izuku's cheeks heated more as he slouched further into his seat wishing it would just swallow him whole. Despite that though, he didn't deny or shut her down, "Sure...if that's what you want".
Pause.
Instantly, Momo's face flushed, the colour of her face as red as a tomato, "Wh-what?! You don't just say things like that Izu!" she yelled, manners thrown out the window as she reached over the table to assault him with light smacks that could barely hurt a baby.
Izuku just laughed, trying half-heartedly to protect himself from her attacks. He could get used to this, he could get used to her flustered face, her scolding, teasing, her smile─her everything.
With Momo, he didn't need to feel scared. They've been going steady for long enough and she's been unwaveringly patient with him as he slowly got over his fear of falling in love.
Maybe he could take the risk again, the idea of loving someone doesn't sound as bad anymore...
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•₊୨°『ALTERNATE ENDING』｡୧⁺.
In another universe far far away, where Toga left the LOV, got therapy and became a pro hero named Vampyre...
Ochako couldn't believe her eyes. In fact, her eyes were so wide she was sure they would bug out of her skull.
Her eyes must be playing utter tricks on her, surely.
Because there's no logical reason why Toga and Deku of all people were strolling down the street with their arms linked, ice creams in hand as the chatted the day away─well, more like Toga psychotically rambled on about something and Deku happily listened to every nonsense word that fell out of her mouth.
Whenever Deku would contribute to her tangents, Toga would flash him an adorable, sharp canine-filled smile. And whenever she would say anything─Ochako assumed─Deku found humourous, he would give her a snort and playful eye roll.
Ochako stood there watching them as they disappeared around the corner, her brain short-circuited and her bag of groceries forgotten as they clattered to the paved sidewalk.
But just before they could fully disappear from her sight, she saw Toga lean forward, on the tips of her dainty toes as she placed a sweet kiss on Deku's lips...on his lips?!
That was when Ochako's brain fully stopped working.
Well, it stopped working until Kyouka came up from behind her, bags of groceries in her hands as well as she slapped the back of her head with an earphone jack.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Ochako whined with a pout.
Kyouka just rolled her eyes, chewing on some gum with a bored expression, "Why are you standing there gaping at nothing like an idiot? Did something glitch in the matrix?"
"I'm not gaping at nothing! Did you not see Toga and Deku just now? They kissed!"
Kyouka seemed unfazed, "Yeah, they're dating duh. Where were you when that happened?"
"You guys don't tell me jag shit when it comes to Deku!"
"Okay damn, why you so pressed?"
"Why am I so pressed?! I'm pressed because it makes literally makes no sense!!" Ochako yelled, referring to the uncanny pair of blonde and green.
Kyouka just shrugged as if she was merely overreacting, "I mean, it makes more sense than you getting with Katsuki"
"Can you shut up about me and Katsuki for just a second?!"
"Oh? I thought we were listing out things we thought don't make any sense"
Ochako glared at her purple-haired friend, "At least Toga and Deku being together actually doesn't make any sense"
"I beg to differ..." Kyouka mumbled, then shrugged, "what's so nonsensical about it though?"
"She's borderline psychotic!"
"Like you were when you decided to fuck Katsuki?"
"Doesn't he hate her or something?!"
"Hate her? Deku was literally the main person involved in advocating for her rehabilitation"
"She literally tried to kill him once!"
"...Uhm, it's called love and relationship bonding?"
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..."
"How about character development? Does that make it better?"
"No it fucking doesn't, Kyo!"