Chapter Text
Momo should’ve seen this coming.
The Yuuei students had been gifted a week to spend at home in-between studies—something Momo was honestly quite grateful for. As much as she adored Yuuei, along with her lovely friends and even lovelier girlfriend, Kyouka, she desperately missed her home. It was just something she was accustomed to, something familiar.
“Momo!” Her mother calls. “Darling, it’s time to eat dinner!”
With a smile, she makes a snag at her phone and hurries off to the dining hall.
Her father smiles at her. “Darling, it’s wonderful to see you! How’s Yuuei been treating you?”
She ponders this—how has Yuuei been treating her? Yuuei’s been incredible, if she ignores the times she’s been close to death. But that’s not Yuuei’s fault, the villains generally just seem to have it out for her class. There also seems to be a fuzzy memory tickling her, something purple and rat like? She really can’t remember.
“Pretty well, I would say,” Momo says. tapping her chin. “The classes are lovely and my classmates are wonderful.” Kyouka comes to mind—she’s so lovely and pretty and the light of Momo’s life.
“Oh, yes!” Her mother claps her hands. “I remember you bringing some over a few months ago—a study session, if I remember correctly!”
Momo nods. “Yes, that’s right!”
A smirk falls onto her mother’s lips. “Speaking of classmates, Momo, dear…” Momo’s mother taps a handkerchief against her lips gently. “I know you’re seeing someone…! You’ve been smiling at your phone ever since you arrived!” She cries. “Who is the lucky boy?”
Boy?
Boy? What’s a boy? Oh—
Ah. Fuck.
“Todoroki!” she blurts, slamming her hands on the table. “Todoroki Shouto. He’s a boy. Yeah.”
Both of her parents beam at her. “Todoroki? The son of Endeavor?” Her father asks, taking a sip out of a flute of champagne. “You’ve chosen well, Momo. As long as he makes you happy, we both approve. Don’t we, darling?” Momo’s mother nods furiously. “You should invite him to dinner, sometime! I’d love to meet him.”
Momo nods absently, now taking into account this disaster she may have just caused. She dazedly makes a grab for her phone, and clicks Todoroki’s contact.
——
Me | 18:34;
So we may have a teensy-weensy little problem.
——
Shouto curses Yuuei sometimes.
A week with family isn’t really too bad anymore—his mother had been allowed to have her own apartment so long as Fuyumi gave them updates (and money) to assure that she was, in fact, okay. He just stayed with her for most of the week, however, due to duties, Shouto’s dearest father had contacted the landlords to let Shouto know Endeavor requested his presence.
“You’ll be alright, won’t you, Shouto?” His mother asks, worried. Shouto manages something he hopes is a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Mother. I know how to handle him.”
The trek to Endeavor’s home is a familiar one. Not a pleasant one, but a familiar one.
It looks the same as it did the last time Shouto was here—when All Might’s true form had befallen the world, and his father had risen the ranks to number one. That was not a pleasant day; but hardly any with Endeavor are. With a deep breath, Shouto knocks on the door.
“Shouto!” Endeavor rumbles out, throwing the door open. “Welcome home!”
“Father,” Shouto greets coldly, entering stiffly underneath his father’s arm. His father merely grins the grin he does when he’s about to pummel Shouto into the ground, so Shouto sidesteps cautiously.
“I’ve heard of your placements at Yuuei,” Endeavor says. “You’re doing well. However, you can do better. If you’re not at least third in your class grade-wise by the end of the next term, then—”
“There’s no way that’s happening,” Shouto interrupts flatly. “Placement one, two, and three are all reserved for the smartest—there’s no way I’m going to be that. Not when some of the people in my class are the smartest. Besides, third place is a goal for another person in my class because his childhood rival is in third right now. I’m going to allow him to be petty,” Shouto shrugs. Izuku had spoken to him about it—how he wanted to take third because Bakugou was third.
It made Shouto laugh, when Izuku told him that.
Izuku makes him laugh.
Endeavor’s flames burn for a second, before flickering off and his grin widening. “Other classmates, hm?” Endeavor steps forward. “Are there any Quirks in your class you have an eye on?
Shouto has to fight with himself so he doesn’t clench his fist tightly. “Of course there are,” he bites out. “My classmates all have rather… interesting Quirks.” Ashido, Aoyama, Shouji, Tokoyami, and Hagakure come to mind.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Endeavor replies. “For our family line, Shouto. Any interesting Quirks? Powerful girls? Powerful girls you have your eye on? ”
What?
Girls? Eye on?
“Girls—um,” Shouto blanks. What’s a girl? “Yao...yorozu,” he blurts. “She’s, uh, a girl. She got in on recommendation,” Shouto says, voice getting quieter as he continues.
“Recommendation?” Endeavor’s grin reaches full capacity—it’s ugly. “What’s her Quirk?”
Shouto can’t get out of this. He’s so screwed. “...Creation. She can create inanimate objects out of the fat in her body.”
“Perfect,” Endeavor murmurs. “You will introduce her to me in three weeks from now,” he orders.
Distantly, Shouto can hear the war bells ringing. He grabs his phone, and sends a text to Yaoyorozu.
——
Yaoyorozu | 18:34;
So we may have a teensy-weensy little problem.
Me | 18:34;
Oh.
Same.
Yaoyorozu | 18:36;
I kind of need you to fake date me for like. A week.
Because I accidentally told my parents we were dating because I’m not out to them and you were the first boy that came into my head so now they think I’m dating you. You’re invited to dinner.
Me | 18:37;
We’re in pretty similar situations then.
My father kind of wants to meet you now.
You were the first girl I thought of when he asked. So…
Yaoyorozu | 18:38;
Fake dating?
Me | 18:39;
Fake dating.
——
Kyouka likes to think she always has a vague idea of what she’s doing.
She especially likes to think she always has a vague idea of what’s going on. When she gets back to the Heights Alliance dorms, the first thing she does is check up on Momo. The two had been dating for a few months now, but it was kept horrendously on the downlow for the sake of word never getting out to Momo’s parents. But Kyouka respects that, and she’s totally cool with it.
As long as she gets to hold Momo’s hand, everything will always be okay.
“Yaomomo?” Kyouka knocks on her girlfriend’s door. “Are you in there?”
The door swings open, and Kyouka’s manhandled inside. “Um!” She cries as she’s tugged inside her girlfriend’s bedroom. As quickly as it opened, the door slams closed and Kyouka takes in the people around her.
Midoriya and Todoroki are seated on the floor, Midoriya lying on Todoroki’s lap and Todoroki playing with his hair. Momo’s hand is still around Kyouka’s arm, and she looks nervous.
“Hello!” Momo greets. “We have a problem.”
Midoriya raises his hand. “Does this have anything to do with what Shoucchan told me yesterday?”
“It has everything to do with that, actually,” Momo breathes, obviously panicked. “Alright—um, Kyouka—so, at my home over the break, my parents asked if I was seeing a boy. I panicked and said that yes, I was, and that it was Todoroki. Because I didn’t want to say I wasn’t seeing anybody but I didn’t want to tell them I’m a lesbian either—not that I’m ashamed of you or anything, I’m just not… ready. To tell them,” Momo finishes quickly. She almost sounded like Midoriya—nervous, rushed, trying to spill all of her thoughts as quickly as she can before she loses what she’s going to say.
Kyouka smiles. “Yaomomo, it’s okay. I’m not upset.”
A relieved sigh escapes from Momo. “Alright. Todoroki-san—should I call you by your first name? Um, we should walk into class holding hands. To start this, um,”
“Wait,” Midoriya interjects. “You’re going to try fake dating?”
“Only for about a month,” Todoroki says. “My father wants to meet Yaoyorozu as well. After that we can ‘break it off.’”
“What about me and Midoriya?” Kyouka asks. “N-Not that your idea is bad or anything—you’re both stuck in that situation but, we’re kind of dating you guys so are we just going to keep our secret dating hidden while you two fake date? Or…?”
Momo blinks. “Ah—well, we could still go on dates, but we’d have to frame them as double dates. Between, um, Todoroki-san and I and Midoriya-san and you. But it’d really between you and me and Todoroki-san and Midoriya-san.”
Kyouka laughs. “This sounds like it’s going to be a disaster. I’m in.”
Realistically, Shouto should’ve taken into account the fact that his classmates… are like that.
As promised, Shouto and Yaoyorozu both enter the classroom clasping each other’s hands. They’re not like Izuku’s hands—Izuku’s hands were usually pretty cold and they’re bigger than Shouto’s hands. Yaoyorozu’s are warmer, smaller. They’re both rough though—perhaps it comes with being a hero in training.
They walk into the class together, and residual chatter all drops to zero when the class sees Shouto and Yaoyorozu holding hands.
It’s silent for about five seconds before it all goes to absolute chaos.
“W-What!?” Ashido cries. “Are you two dating!?”
Kaminari’s pointing at them, arm twitching. “I— Bro, I thought you were gay!”
It takes all of Shouto’s self-control not to proclaim ‘I am’ to Kaminari right then and there. But they need this—Yaoyorozu and Shouto need this for at least a month. It’s not that they doubt their classmates, either; it’s just they have to have as many people as possible think they’re actually together. For a month. Shouto doesn’t know how long he and Yaoyorozu can manage that.
Shouto’s never thought of a girl romantically before. Honestly, he’s never really thought about romance before—he’s only sixteen and he lived his entire life under the thumb of his shitty old man. But, looking back—it’s always been boys.
“Todoroki-kun!” Hagakure gleefully calls, interrupting his train of thought. “What’s your favorite thing about Yaomomo-chan?”
Oh. Oh.
“I, uhm,” Shouto’s brain is moving at lightning speed. “I like that she has... “ What’s a generic feature what the fuck. “Eyes,” he finishes lamely. Thankfully, he’s still blank-faced despite his mind is absolutely chaotic. “I mean, there’s… so much. I can’t choose one,” Shouto tries. He hopes it sounds romantic or cheesy or whatever.
“Awwww!” All the girls cry out. “That’s so cute, Todoroki-kun!” Hagakure gushes.
Soon enough, the chatter ceases once more. Yaoyorozu looks vaguely queasy— me too.
The two walk to their seats, and Yaoyorozu quickly deposits her stuff before rushing to use the bathroom. Someone appears over Shouto’s shoulder.
It’s Kirishima.
Kirishima places a hand on Shouto’s shoulder, looking uneasy before parting his lips to speak. “Listen, man, I know that sometimes it’s hard being like us. And it might feel like it’d be easier to pretend and overcompensate, which is understandable. But don’t feel like you have to hide it from me, okay? I’m here for you.”
Shouto blinks. What.
Kirishima just nods grimly before walking away.
Yaoyorozu returns, face pink, with Tsuyu trailing behind her and she hurries back to her seat. “I think… I think some people can see through us much easier than anticipated,” she hisses.
“Kirishima just told me I don’t have to ‘hide it from him,’ whatever that means,” Shouto twirls his pencil in his hand. “Is he referencing me being gay? I think he’s referencing me being gay. I guess that means we are transparent to those looking,” he hums.
When Aizawa-sensei enters the class, the two stop talking and turn attention to the board.
Shouto can feel Kirishima turning around to look at him.
This is going to be hard.
Momo just wants to use the bathroom.
Thankfully, she does manage to do so before another person enters the bathroom. She’s washing her hands when the door creaks open. She wipes her hands dry on her skirt and turns around—
—and comes face-to-face with Tsuyu. “Momo-chan,” Tsuyu greets. Momo waves. Tsuyu clears her throat. “You’re not a good actress. I hope you know whatever you and Todoroki-kun are planning—it’s not going to work on our classmates for very long. Besides, aren’t you dating Kyouka-chan?” Tsuyu asks, pressing a finger onto her chin.
Momo flushes. “W-We’re not trying to fool you guys, j-just our parents. For a little while, that’s all.”
Tsuyu clicks her tongue, leaning forward before replanting her feet to the floor solidly. “If you say so. I’m here if you need someone to listen.”
“Right,” Momo says, tired.
This is going to be hard.