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Arranged marriages are sometimes based on Quirks, and other times solely on status, and sometimes, the parents consider strength alone, not concerning themselves with how the Quirks might match up in a child. Strong parents will always produce strong children, after all- or, at least, that’s the logic behind it.
But when Tenya finds out about his arranged marriage, he is still in high school, and children are still far from his mind. The Iida family is one of great prestige, always looking for the best matches for their children. his older brother has recently married the older sister of one of his classmates- a part of another prestigious family. But the Todoroki daughter really didn’t have much to offer in terms of strength, so for Tenya, his parents have decided to look at more than just blood for his bride.
The fact that it’s somebody he already knows is a coincidence, and certainly not something that he’s expecting. In the days leading up to his first meeting with his future bride, Tenya is nervous, wondering if she will like him or not. No matter what, he is determined to do his best to have a fulfilling marriage and make his family proud, but what if she hates him, regardless of how hard he tries? Interacting with others has never been his strong suit, and he’s lucky to have made such good friends at school.
He’s not good at reading people as it is, and he retreats more into himself due to nerves, and doesn’t even notice anything off about his fellow class rep. She is a bit more on edge than usual, or at least that’s what he hears later, but he doesn’t notice a thing, right up until the day that he’s meant to meet his bride.
“This is Momo Yaoyorozu,” his mother says with a bright, warm smile.
“I know,” he says too quickly, before realizing how rude he’s being. “She and I are in the same class together, and…” Is this really happening? He trails off without realizing it, as he and Yaoyorozu make eye contact for the first time.
“Yes, he and I work together a lot,” she says. It’s hard to tell just from looking at her, but she doesn’t seem quite as shaken about this as he does. But, then again, she’s been waiting for him to come in, so she must have at least already been told the name of her groom.
“Oh! Isn’t that quite the coincidence? Well, we were going to give the two of you some time to get to know each other, but I suppose if you already do, we can get on with discussing things.”
And just like that, Tenya watches his parents and Yaoyorozu’s parents talk things out as if they aren’t in the room, and as if the two of them are already a couple. Everything moves so quickly that he can hardly keep up, and whenever he looks over at her, she is staring down at her lap, impossible to read.
The rest of the night goes by in a blur, and before he knows it, he and Yaoyorozu are politely saying their goodbyes, and it’s all over. Just like that, he’s found out that he’s engaged to one of his classmates, and as he tries to sleep that night, Tenya tosses and turns, wondering why he feels so strange about all of this.
~X~
The next morning at school, he arrives more early than usual, and is not exactly surprised to see that Yaoyorozu has as well. They have the classroom all to themselves, which means that this is the perfect time to discuss what’s going on.
“I only found out recently it was you,” she says. “Just a few hours before I went over to your house. I had no idea...but I probably wouldn’t have known what to say even if I did.”
“I understand that,” says Tenya, struggling to think of what to say next. “Are you...happy that you aren’t marrying a stranger?” As soon as the question is out of his mouth, he regrets asking it. How could he just come out and ask her if she’s happy to be marrying him?
“I was a little nervous,” she admits. “I didn’t know what I would talk about with a complete stranger. But, at the same time...I don't know, if it was someone I didn’t already know, then they would always just be my husband. Having someone I already know means…”
“That you already see me as something else,” Tenya finishes. “I feel the same way, when I think about it. I supposed I just have mixed emotions...oh! But I don’t mean that as anything against you!” Once again, he wishes that he could take what he’s just said back. He really isn’t very good at conversations like this.
“There’s not really anything we can do about this,” she says. “But, for what it’s worth...if I had to pick anyone from the class, you’d probably be one of my first choices.”
There isn’t much left to say after that, and it isn’t long before other early comers begin trickling. Nothing much has changed, seeing as there isn’t much that they can change to begin with, but Tenya feels more at ease, somehow. Truth be told, if he had to be engaged to anyone in his class, Yaoyorozu might be one of his top choices as well, though he’s never really put much thought into things like that.
~X~
For the most part, time passes as if nothing is different. From time to time, Tenya is made to have dinner with his family and Yaoyorozu’s, but these meetings are less frequent than the ones Tensei had with his bride, because their parents figure they don’t have to put so much effort into getting to know one another. Tenya tells Midoriya and Uraraka about this, but doesn’t necessarily broadcast it, and he isn’t sure who Yaoyorozu has chosen to confide in, if anyone.
They continue to work together as class reps, and continue to go through the motions like always, and it’s almost as if nothing is different between the two of them. One day, they are going to be married, and Tenya knows that, but it seems so far off that sometimes it’s hard to see her as anything other than the same Yaoyorozu he’s always known.
Well, that’s not entirely true, but he tries to push any new thoughts to the back of his mind. Some of the other boys still like to look at girls, and talk about who they want to go out with, and some are even bold enough to do so, claiming that they can still have fun when they’re young. Some people never get marriages lined up in the first place, though that’s less common at a school like UA. Tenya has never been one of the boys who thinks about girls, both because he knows that there’s no point and because he doesn’t know what to think in the first place.
Perhaps it’s just the knowledge that it’s okay to look at her, or perhaps he’s just trying to play his role perfectly, but he does begin to notice how beautiful she is. He’s always known that she’s considered desirable by a lot of his classmates, but that wasn’t something he thought about, upon finding out that they’re engaged. It becomes easier to understand why, the more time he spends with her as his fiancee. What this means for him, he still doesn’t really know.
Tenya isn’t much good at any of this, so maybe he’s lucky that his bride-to-be is somebody who already knows him, and might understand how difficult things like this are for him. Maybe he’s lucky to have someone serious about her career- someone who is generally a serious person- and maybe he’s lucky to have someone that he knows is strong and capable. And maybe he’s lucky because she’s such a beautiful girl, but he’s still getting used to the fact that that’s something he notices about her, so he’s not going to think about that for now.
It’ll still be a few years yet before they even begin planning the wedding, and between now and then, they might continue to act like acquaintances at school while having awkward family dinners together, and Tenya doesn’t think he minds that. He’s determined to do his best to have a fulfilling marriage and make his family proud, and now, he’s determined to be the best husband he can to Yaoyorozu, because he knows that she deserves it. But there are still a few years between now and then, and there isn’t much he can do for now other than wait.