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It started years prior, when everything was easier and their biggest worry was what would be for lunch that day. Todoroki Shoto was a quiet kid, mostly keeping to himself and never straying far from his mother. While Yaoyorozu Momo was quite the opposite; an energetic and sweet little girl, she had a knack for bringing the antisocial boy out of his shell.
They met one hot afternoon, Rei Todoroki was tending to her garden outside with her little shadow when a couple of unannounced guests arrived. Ichika Yaoyorozu wanted to drop in for a quick visit to her friend Rei, bringing her daughter along with the intent for the two children to play. It made sense to her as they were around the same age and she knew the boy never liked to leave his mothers side, so some time spent with children his age would do him good, Ichika thought.
“I don’t know… He has a hard time being away from me for too long. And Enji…” Rei started, after greeting her friend and hearing the intent of her visit.
“Nonsense! I think this would be good for him. He should play with more children his age. I’m sure your husband won’t mind! Plus, it’ll give us some time to catch up. Momo, be a good girl and play with Shoto here. He can be your new friend!” Her mother said excitedly. Ichika motioned her daughter towards the boy now hiding behind his mother and took Rei by the arm to lead her towards the house.
“Let's go have some tea! The kids will be fine on their own for a bit.” Ichika said. Rei looked towards her son apprehensively, before gently pushing him towards the little girl.
“Alright... Shoto, you’ll have fun playing with Momo. But remember to be polite. I’ll be right inside if you need me.” She mustered her best reassuring smile towards her son before she was whisked inside by the older woman.
Momo gave a wide smile and took Shoto’s hand. “Your name is Shoto right? I’m Momo! Mom says we should be friends. So let’s be friends! What kind of games do you like to play Shoto?”
The young boy was taken aback by her blunt and straightforward attitude. He never really got to be around other kids, other than his siblings sometimes. Even then the interactions were few and far between. But still, even though he was slightly frightened by the bubbly girl, there was something about her that made Shoto feel a little at ease.
He looked down at their joined hands and said quietly, “I… I don’t know. I don’t really play games..”
“You don’t play games? Ever? Well, that's okay. I can teach you. Hm… How about we play hide and seek? You have a big yard so we’ll have plenty of room to play!” Momo replied brightly.
Shoto didn’t know how to react to her answer. It didn’t seem like she was bothered that he didn’t know how to play and was ready to teach him this new skill. Usually, Shoto would be afraid at the prospect of such a pushy stranger, but with Momo, he thought that whatever she was going to show him might be worthwhile and fun for a change.
At first, it was fun too. After Momo explained the instructions of the game and they started playing, the young boy could confidently say he was having the most fun he’d had in a while. With his father not around and finally being able to play a game that isn’t part of his training, he wore a smile that rarely graced the young Todoroki’s face.
That was until he was running to a new hiding spot as he heard Momo counting and misjudged the step in front of him and fell right on his knees. At first he didn’t know what to do, but as he looked down at the scraped skin that was slowly becoming more red by the second, all he knew to do was cry. He cried out rather loudly for his mother too, but instead, he found his new friend rushing over to him instead.
“Hey.. Shoto, don’t cry, it's alright. It's just a scrape…” She placed a hand on his back and patted gently. “My mom says that no matter how badly we get hurt, it'll help us be stronger and become heroes faster!” When that only made him cry harder, the young girl frowned.
Thinking of what else she can do, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. As she was pulling away, Shoto started to calm down, until only a small sniffling sound was heard.
“There, sometimes mom will give me a kiss and it helps me feel better!” Momo smiled brightly at the boy. Shoto lifted a hand to cup his cheek and looked up at the girl in wonder. He had never met someone like her, but he knew from that day on that he wanted to keep being her friend.
Things remained the same for a while after. Momo and her mother would come over so she could play with Shoto when Endeavor wasn’t home and he would learn all kinds of things from the young girl. They would play games and spend time together; for the first time, Shoto could just be a kid, with little worries of what his father had in store for him.
As time went on though, the play dates became few and far between as his training got harder and more time consuming. Shoto became more withdrawn and absent from the happy and carefree boy Momo caused him to be. Endeavor broke him and with that, their friendship slowly broke apart as well.
Shoto would refuse to play with Momo when she and her mom would come to visit and soon, they stopped coming by altogether. The young boy thought it was for the best. If his father found out he was having fun and enjoying himself with a friend instead of training, he would surely take that away too.
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Shoto grew up in a home where he didn’t have many friends. Soon after he abandoned his friendship with Momo, he had lost his mother as well and things only went downhill from there. Even though he kept to himself and went through life relatively alone, he was grateful that when he started at UA High, he was able to reclaim some of his former self and start to make friends.
When he found out that Yaoyorozu Momo was in class 1A with him, he was surprised yet happy to see her well and following her dream to be a hero.
Even though they had a history together, both refused to acknowledge the past and speak to each other outside of what was necessary as classmates. It was awkward and uncomfortable for the both of them at first, but for different reasons.
Momo was under the assumption that he hated her and that's why he abandoned their friendship, choosing to avoid him now. She couldn’t help but to be mad at him in her younger years after everything, but now seeing him as he was in her class, she was upset with herself for not pushing harder to be his friend back then. She didn’t know much, but Momo knew about the pressure he was under from his father. Now, she just felt guilty for not being there for Shoto back then. Not to mention the other feelings that started to arise after meeting him again…
For Shoto, he knew that it was better to let her be. After all, he ended their friendship with no explanation and even though they were only children then, he still felt like he did her an injustice. So instead of confronting the issue, he ignored it. Because it was easier that way then acknowledging the weird feelings he got when around her now. He chalked it up to guilt.
It wasn’t until the class started bonding and getting together more often that he really got to spend more time with her. Shoto was silently grateful and took the opportunity to learn more about this new Momo. And through their time together in and outside of class, he could once again call her his friend again.
As the students went through tough battles and rigorous trials, they all became closer. So when it became time to move into the dorms at school, they all went with little complaint. Happy to be closer to their friends and all together be in a safer environment.
Todoroki Shoto was more than happy to be out of his house and away from the father he resented so much. Whereas Yaoyorozu Momo was glad to be away from the pressures of home and her overbearing parents. Once they all got settled, it seemed like this was the best situation for them. Until they both realized who they would be living near and getting to see a lot more of.
It was one night in particular that Shoto decided to take his friend's advice. Kirishima was always telling him that he needed to ‘dress cooler’ and be ‘less stiff’. He didn’t totally understand these new feelings that were developing, but he knew he wanted Momo to… notice him more. So instead of his usual choice of a button down and formal pants, Shoto tried out more of a casual look he’d see his classmates wear on their downtime.
Walking into their common area downstairs, Shoto would usually see a few students spread around either studying or talking amongst themselves in groups. Today, it had been barren except for one other person. Sitting on the couch he noticed Momo curled up on the end, a book in hand. He couldn't help but also notice the outfit she had chosen to wear that evening. A simple pair of leggings and a comfortable looking sweater, her hair pulled out of her face and piled ontop in a messy updo he rarely saw her wear. He made note of a few wisps of black hair falling out of the bun, making Shoto want to push them behind her ear to see the serene expression on her face better. Not expecting to confront her so soon, he slowly and quietly made his way over to the couch.
With the room silent other than the occasional sound of a page turning from her book, Momo took notice of someone entering the room. Turning her head she noticed Todoroki walking towards her. A soft smile on her face, she greeted him and offered the other to join her. As he approached, she noticed the unusual outfit choice he was wearing, not used to seeing him dressed like that. A pair of dark jeans with a warm and inviting looking hoodie, along with a matching baseball cap. She couldn’t help the light blush that covered her cheeks as she took in his appearance, quite liking the more casual look on him. Especially when she was so used to seeing him in his school uniform or hero clothes. Momo wondered if she could find herself wearing his hoodies for herself one day…
Shaking her head to push away the intrusive thoughts, Yaoyorozu placed a bookmark in her book before turning to give the boy her full attention as he sat beside her.
“Hi Todoroki-san, how has your day been?” Ever the formal women, she wasn’t sure how else to start a conversation with him other than small talk. Even with them getting closer again recently, it was still a bit awkward when they were alone together without the other students.
“It was… okay. How was yours?” Shoto was still new to having conversations that didn’t revolve around school or their hero training, so he was always a little apprehensive of what he should say.
“Mine was good too. Pretty uneventful today if you ask me. But that usually means it's a good day for us.” It's always one crisis after another. So a quiet day for the students was a good day in Momo's book. Everyone was safe and they had no big worries for that moment.
“I agree..” Replied Todoroki.
It was quiet for a few moments after, as neither of them knew what else to say. It was Momo who broke first though, knowing there was a conversation that needed to be had to help clear the air for them.
“Todoroki-san listen I… I think we should talk about what happened back when we were kids. We didn’t leave off in a good place and I think for us to move forward, we should talk things through.” Momo looked away, down at her hands folded in her lap, afraid to see his reaction.
“Yes, I think we should.” Shoto leaned back to give her his full attention, wanting to show her he was ready to listen and patch things up. The conversation should have happened a long time ago, he thought, but he was too much of a coward to bring it up; Thinking the worst would happen.
She looked up, her expression relieved. “Oh! That’s great! That you want to, I mean.. Uh, so, I want to start by saying… Well, I know that was a long time ago, we were kids after all. And I know you had a lot going on then.” Momo didn’t think it appropriate to bring up what was happening in his home life, knowing that was a whole other conversation for another day. “But I just want you to know I have no hard feelings for what happened back then. I know I may have been upset at first, but I was just so sad to lose such an important friend to me… You were the only person I was excited to see, the only one I looked forward to playing with between my studies.”
Shoto was taken aback by that information. It made him feel even guiltier for his selfish actions. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t think I could have a friend, that I was allowed to have one. Not with my father around at least… But that's no excuse for not talking to you.” He didn’t know how to put it in words, he just hoped she’d understood.
“You don’t have to apologize, I understand now. I’m just sorry I didn’t understand back then and that I didn’t fight harder to keep our friendship… Can you forgive me?”
“Of course.” He didn’t hesitate, knowing the answer before she even asked.
Momo couldn’t help the bright smile that came across her face, making Shoto feel like his heart was about to stop. “I’m so happy to hear. Thank you Todoroki-san. And maybe… maybe we can go back to how things used to be?” She wanted to be able to have that comfortable and carefree relationship with him again, like when they were kids and things were so much easier.
“... Shoto…”
He had said it in such a low tone, she almost didn’t catch it. But what he said still confused her.
“What..?”
“You should call me Shoto… it's how you referred to me back then, isn’t it?” He replied.
That was confirmation enough to her question, but she couldn’t help but blush at his statement. Referring to him in such an informal manner, it almost felt like they were together…
“S-sure, I’ll call you that from now on then. Shoto…” Momo offered a shy smile with her words.
For her, it felt really warm all of the sudden, and she also realized how close they had shifted during their conversation. Sitting so close to him, it was hard for Momo not to take in how handsome he really had grown to be. She tried to avoid those thoughts before, knowing it wasn’t right when they still had a rocky friendship. But now…
“So Shoto.. What now? Where do we go from here?” Todoroki couldn’t keep his eyes off her either. He hadn’t even realized he had leaned in and how close she was to him now. Only noticing because her soft, almost whispered words were clearly heard by him.
Being this close, he unconsciously flipped the hat he was wearing backwards, afraid he might bump her with the brim of the hat when she was sitting mere inches away from him.
Wait… why was he…
Shoto didn’t even know what he was doing as he subconsciously leaned in, only registering that he was acting on pure instinct, wanting to be nearer to her. He quite liked being this arrangement though, he decided. Being able to see the pretty pink hue on her cheeks and..
Momo herself didn’t know why she leaned further in, but the feeling it gave her to be inches away was almost euphoric. It wasn’t until she was so close that she felt the need to close her eyes, feeling his breath against her lips that she registered what was going on. But before she could react, the girl heard a loud shout from behind them.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING?!”
Sitting face to face and taken by surprise, they couldn’t prevent the accident that unfolded. Both Momo and Shoto smacked into each other's foreheads and backed away from the other, bringing a hand up to hold their bruised skin. Both of them looked up to the source of the loud noise and weren't surprised to see Bakugou glaring daggers at them. He looked like he was ready to implode.
“IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THAT, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. NOT THE COMMON ROOM. Idiots!!” He stomped away, his own blush coating his cheeks after having walked in on the two.
“I… I think I should go upstairs and study. Goodnight Shoto!” Momo squeeks out, quickly standing up and grabbing her book. Fleeing the scene to go back to her room with a heavy blush on her cheeks and a red patch on her forehead.
What just happened? Shoto didn’t know how to process the last few minutes as he sat there in the now empty common room.
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It wasn’t till the next day of class that the two saw each other again. Shoto comes in and can’t help letting his eyes scan the classroom until his gaze meets Momo’s. She looks away with a blush and Todoroki notices the small bruise that adorns her forehead; an identical one to his own.
He moves past the students to sit at his own desk, expression blank as usual and not speaking to anyone as he takes his seat. Planning to ask Momo how she was in private later.
It isn’t till Shoto is sitting down and taking his books out that Kirishima takes notice of his friend walking in.
“Hey Todoroki! How’s it… woah! Are you okay dude?! What's that bruise on your forehead?!” Kirishima's loud voice carries across the classroom until everyone is looking at the pair.
Shoto chooses to ignore Bakugou's glare and looks up at Kirishima.
“It's nothing..”
“It's nothing?! What do you mean? Wait, didn’t…” His gaze turns to Yaoyorozu who was very engrossed in her book at that moment.
Jirou snickers, looking between the two. “Well it's about time..” She says with a smirk on her lips. Momo looks up to glare at her friend.
Kirishima wanted to comment but was interrupted by their Sensei walking in slowly, looking at all of them tiredly and telling them to take their seats.
Momo stole a glance at Shoto then, offering him a sheepish smile and mouthing the words ‘I’ll talk with you at lunch’.
Well, they’d talk about it later then.
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By the time lunch rolled around, most of the other kids forgot and stopped teasing the pair, going about their own business.
At some point in the day, Momo had given Shoto a note asking him to meet her outside at lunch time. He figured it’d be better to talk with her away from the other students anyway. So he walked outside and found her sitting against a tree, looking out at the quiet school grounds as everyone milled about during their lunch break.
Walking over, she looked up when she heard him approaching and stood up. “A-ah! Todo- I mean, Shoto. Sorry, that'll take some getting used to… Anyway, thank you for meeting me out here. I knew if we were inside with everyone, they wouldn’t give us the chance to talk alone..” Momo said, shyly looking up at him.
“I don’t mind.” He wanted to talk to her anyways, after the events of yesterday, he came to realize a few things. But he also knew they couldn’t ignore what happened before Bakugou walked in on them the night before.
“Y-yes so… well. I was hoping… What happened yesterday wasn’t an accident? That you wanted to…?” She wasn't sure how to ask the question, feeling awkward bringing up the fact that they had almost kissed.
“You mean this?” Shoto leaned forward, taking her by surprise and bringing his lips to hers. It only lasted a few seconds, so by the time the shock wore off and Momo had closed her eyes, he was pulling back.
Her cheeks were bright pink and she looked incredibly flustered. Shoto decided he liked that look on her.
“Y-yes, that… Did you.. I mean..” She didn’t know what to say, how to move forward from that.
“Yes, I meant it. And yes, I like you. I didn’t understand the feeling at first, but now I know.. I can only hope that you’ll feel the same..” This was as straightforward as she'd seen him respond. Usually it was hard to get him to say more than a couple words, let alone confirm how he felt. Momo knew then he took this seriously.
“I do, Shoto. I also… like you. I just didn’t want to say anything and ruin our friendship so soon after…” Momo subconsciously moved closer to him, still a little flustered but intent on getting the truth out.
“It wouldn’t change how I feel about you.” Todoroki replied, taking her hand, his gaze never leaving hers.
“I’m glad… But, where does that leave us?” She asked, squeezing the hand now holding hers.
“Well, that’d make me your boyfriend, right?” Shoto offers her a small quirk of his lips, one of the rare smiles she gets to see.
The action alone makes the smile on Momo’s face brighter. “Yes, it would. And that’d make me your girlfriend.”
“I think I like the sound of that..” She can’t help but to chuckle at his words, before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his cheek; an action similar to what started it all all those years ago.
Shoto was glad they got the chance to start over, never expecting their future to take this turn. But he knew it felt right, and he looked forward to a future alongside Momo.