Chapter Text
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. No.
No.
Momo thought that her 'almost kiss' with Todoroki was the most intimate pose they would be asked to do, that she could simply take a breath and compose herself afterward, wash her mind of those indecent fantasies and then finish the shoot professionally.
She was wrong.
Of course she was wrong. After that, she spent another forty-five minutes - at least - in that wedding dress (and wondering how people make it an entire day in them), posing with Todoroki, holding hands with Todoroki, even dancing with Todoroki. Then she spent another thirty minutes in a sundress and pair of heels, posing with Todoroki, holding hands with Todoroki, laughing with Todoroki, acting like she was on a date with Todoroki.
And now...
Momo tries to close her jaw, only for her mouth to drop open again as she stares at the skimpy-looking pieces of red fabric that her stylist handed over after leading her back to the dressing room. She groans and starts fanning at her face, which seems to be permanently flushed at this point.
Sure, she had agreed, back when she negotiated her contract, that she was fine wearing swimwear for photoshoots. But that was before she ever imagined that she would be in this situation, posing rather intimately with a handsome classmate and friend. While wearing a bikini. While said handsome classmate and friend is also likely to wear a swimsuit.
Momo's face and chest grow hotter and hotter the more she thinks about it. As embarrassing and uncomfortable as all of this has been, part of her cannot help feeling some anticipation and even excitement at the prospect. She has seen Todoroki in a swimsuit before, of course, but she's never been that close to him in those circumstances. And she certainly never touched him. At that thought, her mind wanders to the various poses they could be asked to do. Her standing in front of him, one hand on his bare chest, another on his bicep, perhaps... Gazing into one another's eyes as if enjoying a romantic time at the beach... She can even imagine a sunset in the background.
Just thinking about it makes her heart throb as if eagerly anticipating a kiss. Momo clutches the fabric of her dress at her chest and wills herself to look up, to take a deep breath. She really needs to get a grip.
What is happening to me today? I've always known Todoroki is attractive, and not just in looks alone... Why am I feeling this way now?
Is she only infatuated with him because of the close proximity and romantic themes? She cannot help but conclude that, if they weren't in this situation, if they just ended up studying together like usual, she probably wouldn't be feeling this way.
Does that make her shallow? Is she insulting Todoroki by not appreciating the person he is on the inside enough?
She takes in another deep breath and puts her fingers to her temples. What can she -
"Miss Yaoyorozu?" comes her stylist's voice suddenly. "Are you doing alright? Do you need any help with the ties?"
Momo gulps and finds her voice, tries to keep it even as she apologizes and promises to hurry. She takes another look at the bikini and decides that, at the very least, this should be over with soon. She can figure things out then.
Momo finally emerges from her dressing room wearing the bikini and holding a towel around her shoulders. She was heartened to find that, at the very least, the swimsuit offers better coverage than she expected. Still, she finds herself practically shaking as she approaches the set. She would like to blame it on a chill in the air, but she really isn't all that cold.
She turns the corner and stops upon seeing Todoroki standing there in a pair of trunks, with a towel hanging around his neck. Her eyes rake over his bare chest and arms, and then drift upward to his face. She jolts upon seeing him looking right at her.
Oh, no! I was so obviously staring!
Dropping her gaze to the floor, Momo meekly steps forward, hoping that he won't notice her red, hot face.
Todoroki is quiet as she approaches. Once she reaches him, she peeks up to try to determine whether he was offended by her staring and finds him staring rather openly at her in return.
"Todoroki?" she asks in a quiet voice.
Todoroki seems to snap back to himself with a jerk. He gives a stiff nod, a quick, "Hey," and then turns his face away from her.
Momo furrows her brows at the odd, terse greeting, then follows suit and looks elsewhere around the room. Disappointment settles low in her stomach as she realizes that he complimented her other looks, but not this one. She doesn't usually enjoy the attention her body receives from others, but she cannot help feeling a little hurt thinking that Todoroki might find something wrong with it. What if he thinks she is too curvy? Or too pale?
She doesn't have long to think on it, however, because the team then calls for them to resume.
Momo is careful to keep a respectful distance from Todoroki - at least, as much as possible given the circumstances. She finds herself flinching often when they come in contact, whether it be an innocent touch of his arm against hers or the more nerve-wracking hand at her waist. The remainder of the shoot is miserable, as Momo ruminates on her regret of bringing him here and thinks about how embarrassing this whole thing has been for her.
Finally, she gets a sense of relief when they call for the last pose.
"Todoroki, can you lift Yaoyorozu up?"
The request sends renewed nervousness shooting through her. Momo looks up and turns widened eyes on the crew member who had spoken, then she peers worriedly at Todoroki, with whom she has barely met eyes since she came out in the bikini.
Lift her?! As if she needs another reason to be concerned about her weight and proportions!
But Todoroki merely gives a firm, "Yes," before glancing briefly over at Momo and then looking back at the crew member.
"Great! Then here's what we would like for the next pose..."
"Let me know when you're ready," Todoroki says to her, his gaze steely.
Ready?! Momo tries to keep herself composed - at least outwardly - as she looks back at him. She has no idea what would make her feel ready for this. But the sooner she does it, the sooner she can get out of this humiliating situation. And really, how can it get any worse?
She takes a deep breath, and then says, "I'm ready," in as calm a voice as she can manage.
Todoroki wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her into the air with an ease and swiftness that surprises her. Momo's hands fling out of their own accord to hold onto his shoulders in an effort to help keep herself balanced. Her face reddens as Todoroki shifts to hold her middle more closely to his warm chest. Her nervousness increases two-fold when she realizes that if she were to lean forward much more, he would get a face full of her well-endowed chest.
And yet, she finds, after slowly trailing her gaze up from his strong shoulders to his face, his eyes remain fully locked onto her own, never straying downward.
She wouldn't blame him at all for looking - it is right there - and yet he is treating her with the utmost respect.
That's because he's not interested!
And does that disappoint you? Would you be happier if he ogled?
Momo widens her eyes at the thought and looks away from Todoroki for a moment to compose herself.
"Big smiles, big smiles!" a voice encourages from behind. "Come on, Yaoyorozu! Try to look like you're enjoying a romantic day at the beach with your boyfriend!"
Boyfriend?!
Momo's heart skips. She tries to breathe deeply in an effort to calm herself as she forces herself to meet Todoroki's eyes once more, but the breath is all but knocked out of her as soon as she sees the smile on his face.
Oh, God. He's going to be the death of me -
"Yaoyorozu."
Momo blinks a few times, coming back to herself at Todoroki's whisper of her name.
"Can you imagine Bakugo singing in the shower?" he asks quietly.
What?
Momo is so taken aback by Todoroki's bizarre question that she forgets all about her nervousness. Her mouth hangs open for a moment and then she cracks a smile at the ridiculousness of it.
"Good, good!" she hears a crew member call. "That's a nice smile! Keep it up!"
Momo struggles to maintain the smile on her face as she continues to stare into Todoroki's eyes, searching.
Did he...mean to make me smile?
Before she knows it, the crew is calling the scene and Todoroki is gently lowering her back down to her feet. She releases a sigh of relief.
"I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" he asks, fingers barely brushing her waist as he removes his hands from her.
"No," Momo answers quickly, flushing at the tingle of electricity that seems to run from the tips of his fingers throughout her entire body. "Of course not."
She bites her lip and her mouth curls into a coy grin. "Does Bakugo really sing in the shower?"
Todoroki huffs a small laugh. "No. It was just the best thing I could come up with to try to make you laugh or smile." After a beat, he adds, with a grimace, "Kirishima does, though."
Momo lets out a snort of laughter before she can stop herself, and then covers her mouth with a hand. She blushes and looks back at Todoroki, wondering if it somehow escaped his notice. He is looking down at the floor, just smiling softly.
At long last, Momo and Todoroki are given the go-ahead to change and leave for the day. Momo slowly dresses herself, caught up with thoughts of the day's shoot and the surprising feelings it elicited in her. Her mind continually conjures the image of Todoroki smiling up at her while he held her; each time she does, her face grows hot and she has a feeling like her heart is about to stop.
What's happening to me?
Feeling uncertain as to how to move forward regarding her friendship with Todoroki, Momo absentmindedly meanders back to the entrance. She is surprised when she looks up to see him leaning against a wall, scrolling through his cellphone as he undoubtedly waits for her. She supposes she should have expected that he wouldn't just leave without her, but still... She wasn't thinking about the fact that she would basically be alone with him as they make the return trip to the dormitory.
"Todoroki?" she greets meekly once she reaches him. When he looks up, she adds, "Sorry for taking so long. I...wasn't thinking."
"It's no problem," he replies. "Are you ready?"
Even him saying something so neutral manages to stir something in her. Momo manages a quick nod and a, "Yes," under her breath, then evades his gaze as the two of them walk out together.
It's Todoroki. It's just Todoroki. You see him every day. Granted, not in a tuxedo or a swimsuit, but...
Momo clamps her lips tightly together upon realizing that she may not be able to logic her way out of these confusing and overwhelming feelings. She peers just slightly in Todoroki's direction and finds him staring ahead, apparently content to walk in quiet.
Yes...perhaps it's better that we don't -
Before Momo can even finish the thought, a low growl emits in the otherwise blissfully quiet late afternoon air.
Momo freezes, one of her hands jumping to her stomach. She hasn't eaten in hours. Her feelings have been so all over the place that she worried she would vomit all over Todoroki if she had any of the food they offered at the shoot.
She continues walking as if nothing happened, but -
"Are you hungry?"
Momo slowly turns to look at Todoroki. Her face couldn't possibly feel any hotter even if he set her on fire right now.
"Uh - uhm -"
"Because, we could eat something together. If you like," he says nonchalantly as he glances up toward the sky.
Momo reasoned with herself that sharing a simple meal together couldn't possibly be that bad. They eat in the vicinity of each other on a daily basis. And, besides, maybe her hunger has been exacerbating all of the crazy thoughts and feelings she has been having, and she will find herself in a more normal frame of mind after having fed herself.
But, again, she couldn't be more wrong.
Because eating, funnily enough, puts far too much emphasis on the mouth and the lips. And Momo doesn't need anything extra to bring her attention to Todoroki's mouth and lips. Her damn hormonal teenaged brain has been doing a good enough job of zeroing in on those already today.
And it's not just the fact that they are there and they look nice (and maybe they would feel nice too), but it's also the way he eats, just being all cute and taking surprisingly (adorably) dainty bites and chewing -
Oh. God.
Momo finds herself practically on the verge of hyperventilation when Todoroki briefly pokes out his tongue to deftly retrieve a crumb at the corner of his mouth. For goodness sake. Who the hell has the right to be so cute, yet sexy at the same time -
"Yaoyorozu?"
"Mhm?" she hums in return, snapping her gaze back to him. "Yes?"
"Are you ok? You must be hungry, but you haven't been eating much."
Maybe that's because it feels like a whole damn hoard of obnoxious butterflies has taken up residence in her stomach. Stupid, uninvited -
"I'm fine," Momo answers, hoping that Todoroki doesn't notice the slightly higher pitch in her voice. She then takes a good-sized bite of her food and prays that she can swallow and keep it down without anything horribly humiliating happening (she must have met her quota for the day by now, right?).
Todoroki stares at her for a few moments longer. She can tell that he doesn't quite believe her, but apparently he is tactful enough not to continue to question her, because he simply turns his attention back to his own food.
Momo sags in her chair in relief.
Help me.