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When it started, they couldn’t stop.
Momo wrapped her arms around Shouto and his lips crashed onto hers; yearning. Making out in an alley was never her scene, but then again, she never in her life thought she would adore the man she was with so much.
.
.
.
She knew her classmates caught on when he found out about Endeavor’s fight years ago. They were seated in the common room, and it became breaking news that Endeavor was in a very horrible situation. She knew he didn’t favor his father in the least bit, but… he was his father . A complicated situation.
Momo knew death was the last thing Shouto needed on his shoulders.
Her palm over racing heart, she gulped as she witnessed the fight on TV. Then, she felt a presence: one that she knew all too well, and she turned around. She gasped; she had no words. It was written all over her face. Izuku and Eijiro yelled out his name in worry and rushed over; Momo did as well. She witnessed the relief wash over his features when his father came out okay, with his hands in thanks for his survival.
Complicated. That was one way to describe Shouto.
She left the common room that day still worried until she was pulled aside by Ochako. She had a look on her face she couldn’t read… concern?
“Momo,” she breathed in quietly. “You love him, don’t you?”
Momo stared at her for a moment in disbelief. She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked to the floor.
“I don’t believe that’s really appropriate.”
“Momo, you know we’ve crossed that bridge a long time ago,” Ochako whispered. When Momo looked up, Ochako had a small smile. Momo smiled back. It was hard to resist how cute Ochako was.
“Okay… maybe not… love…” Momo stumbled upon the words and shook her head. “Love is a strong word.”
“But you like him, right?” Ochako smiled.
“I don’t know,” Momo shook her head again, “I don’t know how I feel, if I’m being honest. All I know is, if anything happened to his father, I was about to go and kill the villain myself. When we went to get Bakugou, Shouto told us the plan was to get him peacefully. We did, honestly. But I know, in my heart, that if I were to go out and get… whoever that thing was…” she paused for a moment. Momo didn’t recognize herself when she continued: “...I would have wanted revenge for Shouto.”
It started after the fight with Aizawa.
Their hands brushed when they stood next to one another, an electric feeling Momo couldn’t describe. Even in a simple setting, such as when they hung out with friends, she felt it in the pit of her stomach. A certain yearning that she tried to push away.
When they were in class together, she would always look slightly to her right to catch a glimpse of him. His wispy, heterochromatic hair and eyes that seemed to send her somewhere else. Her heart beat quicker with every second, she had to look away. She enjoyed his calm presence and comments during Aizawa’s lectures. Shouto didn’t know how funny he really was; his deadpan humor made her day.
She sat in the common room couch with him often. They always found a way to sit next to one another.
Did her presence calm him as well?
It was easy to have a conversation with him. It relaxed her. She smiled often, even when his humor would turn sour at the thought of his father. She tried to make him feel the way she did: calm, confident, a trusted friend. Momo didn’t know what lay ahead for their future, but she slowly found herself not really caring about it. For now, this was good. It was okay. She couldn’t complain about something she was content with, right? They were heroes—not here for love, but to get stronger.
So she decided to look at him from afar, a light in a tunnel she could never reach.
When they graduate, she is genuinely happy for him. They are pro-heroes now; actual professionals who can help citizens. Their classmates surrounded them: making plans for their next hang-out, crying, and wishing the others well. As a class, they were very close to one another. They knew they would never lose touch.
That’s what she hoped, anyways.
Momo knew this should be the time to confess but something stops her. Why ruin a wonderful friendship? Why make it awkward? Why pull him away from his family (who are so unbelievably proud of him and united here) to discuss something as trivial as love him to him? She refused to be selfish and take his time away.
So instead, she waved her hand and smiled at him from a distance.
He nodded, and Momo understood.
“Give me the location of your hideout now!” Momo grit her teeth at the man who stood before her. He had killed five civilians and was apart of a new villain gang. He destroyed his villains psychologically, presenting their worst fears before their eyes. His victims would claw their eyes out and beg for a quick end.
Momo invented a device to counter this and with every moment, he tried to yank it from around her head.
“Fuck you,” he spit out and made one last lunge towards her.
She was definitely at her limit. She couldn’t even move her legs properly because he had made sure to attack those first. Momo couldn’t escape: she squeezed her eyes shut. It was a pathetic end, really. She worked hard as a pro-hero for three years and watched her future ripped out in front of her eyes…
Until she felt the cool air around her. Cool air turned to ice; fear turned into relief.
She opened her eyes and saw him stand in front of her. He froze the villain completely; the man became useless.
Shouto turned around and held out his hand, “You okay, Momo?”
They start a partnership. It began at a slow pace: once in awhile, Shouto would appear during an encounter with Momo and a villain. Other times, Momo did the same. She could recognize his presence instantly. They got the same alerts as the other heroes and she would always reply YES when it came to back-up for Shouto. He did the same for her.
Momo refused to have a sidekick. One, she didn’t want the extra help. Two, she could always request backup. She would tell herself numerous times there wasn’t any need.
Her heart would flutter when he would appear next to her; a gnaw at her heart.
He respected her; he saw her as her equal. They didn’t need to say a word to one another when they were in a fight. With one glance, they knew what the other needed.
She was happy.
Momo caught herself with a smile during fights, and she knew he smiled as well. She saw it. When she would make a final blow to a villain she looked at him, and he smirked; proud. She didn’t need his approval; she needed him by her side.
It terrified her in the best way.
They grew very close.
A quick lunch here, tea there. He shared the same tastes in food as her, and as always, the conversation was easy. Shouto did not need much to entertain him, and Momo never grew self-conscious when she talked to him. She could ramble about whatever study she learned, or a new technique they could try in a fight. He would nod and take in her every word, focused on what she had to say.
When they crossed the street, he held her hand. When they sat on a bench together, she leaned her head on his shoulder and close her eyes. When she had a cut, Shouto would carefully tend to her wounds, the relief of his quirk soothed her. She also cut his hair when it got too long in the front, careful to keep his signature style. She ran her fingers through it—maybe a bit too long—and took in his scent when she did. He was everything to her, and she knew from the depths of her heart that the villains knew, as well. She couldn’t think about them using her weakness against her, so she didn’t.
Was he weakness or her strength?
After a villain attack and near death: they looked at one another. Sudden desire filled her and apparently Shouto as well because she was pinned against a wall. Hungry kisses were planted alongside her cheeks, her hair, her neck. She breathed hard against him and desire overtook her. When their eyes met, she melted.
“Momo,” he said quietly, “If we do this, we’re going to do this the right way. I want you to meet my family. If you want, we can tell our friends... or not. We don’t have to go public with this. I want you to feel comfortable with whatever is ahead.”
Momo’s lips quivered.
“I don’t want you to think this is some… cheap hookup, you know. I really do… I really appreciate you.”
She smiled.
“I want to be with you Momo.”
.
.
.
It was there that she decided, forever: Shouto was, and will always be, her strength.