Work Text:
Todoroki Shouto and Yaoyozoru Momo had always gotten along. They had always done their best together. After all, they were very similar.
They both been born in respected families.
They had both dreamed of being heroes and both managed to enter UA with a recommendation.
They had faced difficulties and trials to arrive where they were, training relentlessly aiming for their dream with an iron will.
They had made friends and comrades, laughed, had fun, partied, studied, fought, cried. They had competed, won, lost, tried again and again and again.
They had both grown up together in the best class in the world, with the best classmates in the world, and had both graduated successfully with honours as some of the best students to ever graduate from UA.
Now in their second year of professional work, both were promptly rising in popularity as respected heroes.
They were also particularly popular in gossip magazines, closely rivalling Kaminari and Kyouka’s on and off relationship and Bakagou’s continuous scandals.
Their tabloid popularity though was mostly due to rumours of them dating.
Indeed, they partnered up a lot and were more than comfortable around each other. And even their friends continuously asked them about it and kept fueling the rumour mill. Be it of them at least favouring each other, going out on ‘dates’ or even feeding the media straight up lies in order to tease them. Not that the two heroes’ reaction when the topic was brought up favoured them much. Todoroki would always quickly change the subject while Yaoyozoru would just laugh and brush it off with a blushing “Please, stop asking that question!” and an embarrassed laugh.
They were both considered some of the most promising future top heroes and some of the best-looking people on the planet. Many modelling agencies had fought over them in the first few months of their career before Todoroki had finally decided that they were in the way and shooed them away. Yaoyorozu as the helpful ex-vice-president she was had ended up creating a façade talent agency linked to her newly formed hero agency for all the interested ex-3A students also overwhelmed by the demands. Her new agency added to her prestige as a successful rising hero with Shouto being the very first talent ‘recruited’ quickly followed by Froppy and the brilliant Earphone Jack, and Uravity -who didn’t want to deal with the agency charges-.
As the press, civilians and villains alike had quickly learned, both inspired respect and sometimes even fear-when you pushed the wrong buttons.
They both loved cats.
They both enjoyed tea.
They both cared for their friends in their own way, be it Momo’s daily caring gestures or Shouto’s comforting silent gaze.
They both would do anything to make the other happy.
They both had a hard time believing how the other thought so highly of them.
They both loved each other and both were oblivious to that very fact.
Of course, they were different, but they completed each other more than clashed.
Like how she was more logical and he was more emotional. Or maybe it was the other way around?
Like how the mask they would put on to hide their emotions was a warm polite smile for her, a cool inexpressive face for him. It was merely a question of education and public image preference.
Like how she liked him as a heater in winter and a cooler in summer and he found that annoying for appearances’ sake.
And like how he thought she was useful when he forgot his toothbrush while travelling and she didn’t want to use her quirk for that -because it could ruin the economy- but she did so anyway.
Maybe they weren’t similar or different but only human.
Defending each other in the face of the press, glancing repeatedly at the other but having the decency of looking embarrassed when caught, spending Valentine’s day and Christmas and Tanabata and New year and Halloween together because she “didn’t have anything better to do since everyone was going out with their boyfriend” and he was “free so he didn’t mind”.
Both came up with the lamest excuses to see each other like “I was in the area.” or “I came to give you back what you forgot last time”. Not like they didn’t see each other often enough, partnering up on missions -close to half of the time according to Midoriya. After all, you didn’t separate a winning team, successful operation after successful operation.
They were so similar, he should have easily understood what was going on that fateful day. Then maybe, he could’ve stopped her.
It was supposed to be simple night patrol. And yet, a villain attack occurred just two streets away from their meeting spot, barely ten minutes into their usual route. Two against eight of them. The villains were well equipped, several of them teaming up together to create a deadly poisonous cloud. She had tried to create oxygen masks for them to work with but had been unable to identify the varying chemical in the air. Which meant they were fighting at a disadvantage. They had entered a race against time to take down the villains. She had quickly strategized a plan after evacuating the few civilians left on the scene.
Jumping into battle, she rushed to put in motion the strategy she had so quickly but meticulously crafted. It was so like her, Shouto though. He ran into action right behind her, covering her back.
He wasn’t supposed to get severely injured after taking care of a bit more than three villains. They hadn't planned for backing out of the fight in a hurry to get to safety, out and away of the smokey cloud. But here they were. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Not when she had merely decided to join him because she'd thought that it'd be fun to patrol together 'like old times' once a week.
Thankfully, all civilians had already been evacuated. He at least wouldn’t have those lives on his conscience. Aid had been called, but for now, they were still the only heroes around to help. Shouto knew Ingenium was close and rushing to their rescue. Not even fifteen minutes had gone since the outbreak of the fight. The cold air was biting at their red irritated skin. They stood just outside the poison cloud, racking their brains to think up a strategy to keep the villains occupied and avoid their own demise. Todoroki was in no shape to fight and Yaoyozoru would do anything to keep him away from the fighting. Even he knew he shouldn’t be fighting. He could just look at the odd colour of the gash on his side. The spotlight above gave off a flickery orange light. The yellow cloud seemed to seep slowly towards them, spreading along the pavement, oozing into the road. Creati sent a message to evacuate the area from a brand-new radio and before he even realised it, a piercing cry could be heard on the street. It sounded dull to his own ears. He could see light turning on and heard the panicked opening of doors and the shuffling of feet moving in away from them. When had Ingenium arrived? With a prompt nod directed to them, Iida was already gone leading the scared civilians away from the danger.
Shouto’s ears still rang, but he wondered if the alarm was still on or if the poisonous cloud was affecting his perception.
Their shadows on the ground darker were than the night surrounding them. They were side by side, almost close enough for their shoulder to touch. The poison cloud was almost opaque now, yellow and screaming to anyone to run away. There was no way to see inside and know where the villains were hiding.
“Shouto, we need to do something.” She started still looking at the cloud. She had barely moved from her spot, only overseeing the evacuation, trusting Ingenium the famous ‘Exit Man’. She was so focused, almost lost in her head. While it could sound like she was still thinking the plan through, there was an edge in her voice that Shouto easily recognized. She had weighed all the possibilities and had decided on which one to go with. He trusted her judgement. He waited for her to start again and explain her plan. She didn’t, to his surprise, silence stretching out between them. Something was off.
“Hey, Shouto…” She started again after a moment. “You have to become number one for me, okay? I always believed in you.” He turned to face her, but she was facing the other way. Why was she bringing it up now? He was confused as to why she wasn’t explaining her plan. While he was happy to hear her say she believed in him, they needed to get moving soon. His mind was hazy but he could see something was different from usual. She never brought up irrelevant subjects. She was efficient like that.
“I really admired you all these years.” She turned back toward him. He was still lost as to why she was starting such a conversation at such a strategic moment in their fight.
And suddenly, it strikes him.
Because he knows her.
He can see the sadness in her eyes, the regret.
Because they are so similar.
And that fierceness and determination that makes her stand straight, so beautiful even when she’s covered in blood and bruises, skin reddish from the gas. Her hair is unruly as the wind blows through it. She stands proudly, facing him in her tattered hero costume. Yet, there is a slump in her shoulder that makes his throat dry and his eyes prickle and he doesn’t know why.
“Thank you…” She smiles at him, eyes brimming with tears. She’s so beautiful, so tragically beautiful…
His eyes lock with hers. Horror fills them as he finally fully realises what is happening. He wants to stop her, he needs to stop her. But his body is too weak and the shock prevents him from moving.
“…No!” He finally manages to spit out the word. He doesn’t want to believe his learned instinct, but a single look at her sombre figure confirms everything he doesn’t dare think.
“You can’t, I-” he stops when he feels something wet on his cheek. He’s crying? No, why is he crying? There isn’t any reason to cry, she’d never do anything this stupid. He feels her hand brush the tears away from his burned face. Why does she look like she’s going to cry, nothing bad is going to happen right? She won’t leave him too, right? She can’t! She can’t!
Before he can do anything, before he can even move to try and stop her, he feels her lips press against his. It’s a quick gentle shivering kiss. He doesn’t even have time to answer it. She’s already moving away from him.
Her last words are barely audible to him, a simple whisper. “I love you. My only regret is not telling you earlier.”
And Momo is gone.
She’s already running back inside the deadly gas, leaving behind nothing more than a despair-filled Shouto and the crushing feeling of her confession. His physical pain is all but forgotten in the turmoil of affection and grief that floods him.
The ringing of the police sirens washes over him without affecting his muted state. A few heroes try to get him to answer questions but his unresponsive self is finally gently moved inside a vehicle by Ochako.
When he is finally freed from his stupor and the painfulness of it all has temporarily winded down, all he does is let out a broken chuckle. Ochako sends him an odd but understanding glance while tending to his wound. He doesn’t seem aware that she’s there. He wants to run after her, but he doesn’t. It’s too late. He should have known. He should have seen it coming.
“... Don’t try to be the Hero...” he mumbles, the words eating each other. He should have said. He should've shouted. His voice is suffocated and breaks at the end of his sentence. His vision is blurring quickly, tears falling freely down his chin. He stays still, upright, unmoving.
You didn’t even let me answer. The tears don't stop. He half sobs. He knows she isn’t coming back.
I loved you too.
If only he’d known how similar they were.