Chapter Text
“Hey, did you see the mid season rankings?”
“Yeah! The ranks are crazy this year. I can’t believe we are getting a new Number Two finally.”
“But are you really surprised that she took the spot? That Creative chick is hot .”
“It’s Creati, or whatever. But yeah, she got the top of Hero Mag’s sexiest heroes last month, no wonder she spiked.”
“Wait seriously ?! Dude, please tell me you have a spare copy, I have to see the photo shoot—“
“Yeah of course I do, it has my queen Mt. Lady in the fourth spot, which side note she totally should have ranked higher, but can you believe it?! Creati actually declined the photoshoot—“
“And she still got Number Two?! What the hell man?”
“I know, talk about ungrateful, but they used some pretty sweet paparazzi shots of her in action and day to day.”
“ Dude , you have to let me see that.”
“So long as I get it back. I just have to say, that Ingenium guy is one lucky bastard.”
“Yeah, he gets all of that all to himself—“
Shuffling away from the two young men still caught up in their conversation, she pulled the hood of her jacket just a bit lower, staring a hole into the ground as she swiftly hurried away from the magazine stand. Her previous goal of buying the daily newspaper was soured now, and not even the little crossword and Sudoku puzzles inside could help.
Unfortunately for her wallowing, she neglected to remember that she was not quite alone today. “Ah, Yaomomo!” She felt the presence catch up to her swiftly, and she barely slowed her pace as her friend asked, “Were they out of your newspapers?”
She scowled, refusing to look up at him. “Sorry, Iida…I just did not feel like hanging around that spot anymore.”
He appeared puzzled for a moment, but then realization crossed his face. “Ah, were you bothered by what those two civilians were discussing? I thought you would be more proud of reaching Number Two—“
Skidding to a halt, she rounded on the other. “They acted as if I only got the spot because of my looks ,” she practically hissed out. “As if my accomplishments in the field, my spike in case closures over the past year, my continued high percentage of villain takedowns meant nothing .”
Adjusting his glasses, Iida carefully guided the fuming young woman off to the side of the busy walkway, out of earshot of the passing civilians. “Look, I know it can be upsetting to be objectified like that—“
“No, you really don’t know, Mr. ‘Lucky Bastard’,” she bitterly remarked back, turning to stalk away. “Not as a woman in this field, especially one with a quirk like mine that requires open skin—“
“Yaomomo, please ,” Iida interrupted, gently but firmly grabbing her shoulders and spinning her to face him. “Trust me when I say that while I may not fully be aware from your position, I do understand what it is like to be objectified in this career. My family has been entrenched in this long before I was born.” With a pained grimace, he added, “The number of fans who find my quirk… erotic is rather uncomfortable.”
Near instantly deflating, Momo worriedly replied, “Ah, Iida…I am so sorry, I just…”
He gave her a warm, encouraging smile. “It is alright. And look…I know our relationship might not be a typical dating scenario…but I am here for you, should you ever need it.” Then, standing up a little straighter, he added, “And just think: you are the first member of our class to break the Top Tens of the Rankings! And to be second, no less!”
She gave him a shakey smile about that. “Yes…yes, you are right. That is something to be proud of...”
Momo knew what a big deal that was. She knew she should be grateful to be in the top twenty , let alone the Number Two spot. Out of thousands of heroes, she had managed to be the one to climb the highest. While not openly appreciated by the masses for her skills, she knew her successes played a crucial factor… and she knew that it was a miracle that this even happened.
Especially given the whispers, the stares, the uncertainty surrounding her class…
The Cursed Class 1A.
Before she could say anything else, her attention drifted off, face scrunching in confusion as she glanced over his shoulder. Staring through the store front window, she could see the news broadcast flickering on the old TV set above the counter, the host reaching towards his ear piece with a concerned look, followed by the host’s look of sheer panic right before the static took hold and screen shifted entirely.
Shifted to another person they all knew far too well.
Darting around Iida and into the shop, Momo shoved her hood down as she shouted to the teenager working the counter, “Please, can you turn the tv up?”
Iida dashed in after her, half shouting and arm swinging, “Yaomomo! What is going—“ but then paused as he saw the broadcast she was staring at. “Oh. Oh, it’s him .”
The teen had finally managed to scramble and dig the remote out of the drawer, turning up the volume as she and the others crammed in the tiny little corner store kept their eyes glued to the screen.
“—have to say that once again, I am sorely disappointed in you all. While not the final results for this season, the hero rankings are looking to be dismal as always.” The man on the screen was lounging in what once looked to be a large, almost regal looking plush red chair, but it had been worn with years of age and poor care. He still sprawled in the chair like a king on his throne, one leg hiked up on the arm of the chair, the other spread wide as his chin was propped in his hand on the other side.
He looked so utterly bored .
Or perhaps he was simply disappointed. Momo had never met the man face to face so she could never get a good read on him. All she knew was just what she could glean from these video clips like this broadcast…and from the absolutely disastrous aftermath of fights he was involved in. The Heroes never came close to winning those fights.
The villain shifted a bit, however, seeming to become a bit more alert. His eyes almost seemed to flicker with a pleased look, like an owner whose dog just obeyed their command for a trick. “There was one newcomer on the list that I am curious about. She has some potential…” And that pleased flicker was soon gone. “Unfortunately, none of you seem to appreciate her.”
“I never know what to think about him.”
Momo glanced at Iida who had edged closer to her during the Villain’s speech. His eyes were glued to the screen, unwavering as the speech continued, with the Villain beginning to monologue about the Commission. Then, she remembered. “Ah, you’ve actually met him in the past, haven’t you?”
He nodded stiffly. “He has worked with the League since the beginning, back before Shigaraki disappeared. He watched as Shigaraki and that Noumu tried to kill us at the USJ…”
She shifted uneasily. “Kaminari, Kyouka, and I were stuck at the mountain zone…you saw him before and after you went to get help, correct?”
“Yes…and one other time.”
She startled at this. “ What ? When?!”
He startled, realizing what he let slip and quickly shushed her, looking around for anyone that might be listening. Then, leaning in, he hurriedly explained, “I cannot give details, but I will say…I met him, face to face, in Hosu.”
“ What— “
“I owe my life to Deku.”
Momo’s brain stuttered to a halt. All she had ever been told about Deku was how ruthless he was. The hulking figure that stood taller than most, dressed in sharp tailored suits and a wicked smirk to match toxic green eyes and green hair that looked almost black. The Snake of the Underworld, the Devil’s Heir, the boy with endless quirks—
Never had she ever been told that the boy—now grown into the man, the demon before them—might have a conscience .
She wanted to press more, but her eyes were drawn back to the screen as Deku’s words suddenly halted, head snapping to the side to stare at something offscreen. Then, with a startled look on his face, he stuttered out, “Babe, I’m a bit busy—“
And then someone else was trudging on screen, clad in an oversized hoodie and loose sweats, hair hanging loose rather than the usual braid during his public encounters. Beelining straight for Deku, everyone watched in confusion as the newcomer simply… flopped face first onto Japan’s most feared Villain.
And then they all watched in horror as he proceeded to snuggle the man.
Deku barely moved, simply glancing down at the man currently weaving his arms around his shoulders, burying his face into Deku’s throat. “Love…I am in the middle of something.”
The intruder huffed irritably. “Izu, I’m bored .”
Deku’s face twitched. “ Shouto —“
The dual haired man finally lifted his face out of Deku’s neck, and Momo could ever so slightly make out the features of his profile. She knows that she should not feel so… relieved , but she could not help herself. Everytime she saw the boy she once considered to possibly be a friend look so alive and well made her feel just the slightest be content.
Seeing him look so in love almost made the betrayal sting a little less.
… almost .
Shouto tilted his face to rest his cheek on Deku’s shoulder, completely disregarding how much he was wrinkling what looked to be a very expensive dress shirt. “Today was supposed to be date night.”
Deku looked a bit apologetic. “We can still have date night after—“
“Now.”
“Shouto—“
“ Now .” Then, Shouto reached up and grabbed Deku by the chin, craning his head down to where Deku’s lips were just a hair’s width away from his own mouth. Then, he huskily whispered in a voice Momo could just barely pick up on the audio, “I went to that store you like…”
Deku’s entire body seemed to freeze, coiling like a lion just about to strike it’s prey…then, without breaking eye contact with Shouto, he called out, “Okay, villainous threatening and ominous foreshadowing, yada yada—show’s over, folks! Goodnight Japan!” Then, he pulled a little remote out of his pocket and clicked a button as he jumped to his feet, Shouto’s legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as the screen cut to black.
And then they were all left, standing in silence, wondering what in the hell they just watched.
Momo glanced to Iida, watching his arm uselessly chop in the air while his mouth floundered like a fish. Turning back to the screen that had now shifted back to the equally shell shocked news reporters, Momo could not help but blurt out, “To think, Shouto once asked me if holding a girl’s hand could get her pregnant.”
Iida dropped into a crouch, steepling his hands in front of his face as he tried to steady his breathing. “This is why people think our class is cursed.”
Momo could not help but agree.
“So. You and Iida?”
Her face contorted into a pained grimace. “Is now really the time to be discussing this?”
Shouji shrugged, continuing to walk at her side. He was one of the few members of their class who still towered above her. Most people found the man to be intimidating, but most people had not been on the receiving end of a hug from gentle giant.
Most people also had not seen Shouji drunk. He was quite the party animal and still owed her several favors for the accidental property damage she footed the bill on. She doubted she would ever collect on those, but it did lead to the two talking more. It also led to Momo discovering something she had never noticed before but in hindsight, made perfect sense.
He eyed her carefully. “I was simply curious.”
She let out a groan. “ Shouji Mezou . Just own up to the fact that you are a nosy gossip.”
“Lies and slander,” he replied smoothly, though the crinkle she could see around his eyes let her know that he was amused by her calling him out. “But while you mentioned it…”
“I should have known you switched to this patrol for a reason.”
It was a common occurrence with them. People tended to just…unload all of their issues onto her and expect a solution. Shouji, she found out by accident after snapping and venting all her frustrations to him one day, very much enjoyed learning rumors and secrets. He never shared what was truly private, only tiny tidbits of gossip from time to time, but he seemed to just enjoy hearing about random drama and relationship issues. Hence her current predicament.
“What can I say?” He drawled looking off towards a pair of children who watched them in awe and waving politely. “It took us all by surprise—“
“Can we just—“ She offered a her own smile and wave towards a couple of teenage girls shouting from across the street. “Can we not discuss this right now? We should be working.”
“ Fine ,” Shouji replied with a dramatic sigh. Then, after a pause, he asked, “So, what did you think of Deku’s broadcast?”
“ Shouji— “
“This one is work related!” He defended himself, holding his arms up in mock surrender.
She stared him down. “You just want to know what I thought about seeing Shouto.”
“…perhaps.”
Willing herself to take a deep breath, she turned her eyes away from him and swiftly headed off down the street. “What do you want me to say? That I miss him? That it still hurts?”
Shouji barely had to lengthen his stride to keep pace with her, but he had the decency to seem to regret the choice of topic. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“
Their comms chose that moment to crackle to life. “Unknown villains have just been reported as having attacked the local Commission office! And Shouto has just been spotted at the entrance to the city park!”
Momo suddenly looked very tired. “Why does he always have to attack during my shift?”
“Because he likes talking to you,” Shouji countered. “I would offer to take him and let you defend the Commission office, but—“
“But we both know that Shouto would throw another tantrum.” She grimaced, thinking back to the last time dispatch tried to redirect her away from Shouto during one of these attacks.
The city has one less bridge now.
Shouji offered her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry—“
“It’s fine, just go!” She answered as she started to head off in the opposite direction. “Be safe!”
“You as well!”
As she began to speed up, dodging with practiced ease amongst the crowds of civilians on the various streets, she quietly promised herself, “This time, he’s not getting away…”
She allowed a familiar weapon, one that she had recently taught herself for this soul purpose, to form in her hand.
“Today is the day I arrest you, Todoroki Shouto.”
“Stand down, foul villain !”
Momo, who had just arrived on the edge of the scene, could not help but cringe at the hero in question. He was some newcomer to the scene that seemed to have more arrogance than common sense, which was a very poor combination and left her wondering how he managed to get a license at all. His plant based quirk was interesting, but nothing stand out enough to garner Commission backing, though by the looks of it, he could be a relative of Kamui…
The young hero was stared at by Shouto with the most bored expression before Shouto casually flipped his braid over his shoulder and twisted his foot, sending shards of ice forward at a terrifying pace. Within moments, the young hero was encased in a large slab of ice, unable to move an inch.
Shouto must be in a good mood today she briefly mused as she noted the villain had left the hero with some breathing room. Albeit, the hero was likely going to have major frostbite and potentially lose a few toes, but at least he’ll live…probably.
She darted into action, trailing around the edge of the main fight, hand shooting off to the side as she carefully gripped her weapon. Shouto far outclassed her and most any hero in power, and she knew that if she was not careful about this, he could easily defeat her. Her only chance based on past experience was to take him down stealthily…so a dart gun with tranquilizers would be her best option.
Not the flashiest, but she cared more about the civilians than the show.
Crouching down behind some debris, she edged her way closer, getting into range around the sporadic barrage of ice he had created, keeping a careful eye for where he shot his flames. Other heroes had arrived by this point, but none seemed to truly engage him, just skimming the outskirts, waiting for either an opening or backup. It made her stomach churn, but she had to focus. Clearly no one else was going to do their job, so it was up to her.
Momo lifted the gun, taking special care to aim. She had to be careful . She could not risk him noticing—
“Yeah, look at her go!”
“You go, Creati!”
“Holy shit, she made a gun, that’s so cool!”
Two toned eyes turned directly to her position.
She glanced at the fans who had snuck past the police tape onto an active battlefield , only to reveal her location to the villain .
She then looked back to Shouto before quietly but emphatically whispering, “ Fuck .”
Shouto glanced between the stupid civilians and her, then between her and the dart gun in her hands, before finally settling his gaze on her. He had the audacity to look offended .
She took a deep breath. “Shouto, you are attacking a public space. You cannot be offended that I am trying to stop you.”
He still pouted. “Friends don’t shoot each other, Momo.”
Her hand tightened on the gun. “Friends also don’t abandon each other to play Bonnie and Clyde with a villain .”
He scoffed. “Izuku and I have far more sex than those—“
“Oh my god, Shouto, I am not discussing that!”
Throwing his hands in the air, he irritably shouted, “Friends discuss their sex lives together!”
Momo threw back at him, “Friends do not discuss those things in public— “
“Momo, don’t be such a prude—“
“ Shouto , there are children here.”
“Children? Gross.”
“ Shouto .”
“Friends also tell each other about their relationships,” Shouto added, sending up an ice barrier behind him to prevent anyone else from sneaking up on him. “Do you know how upset I was learning that you were dating Iida ? Firstly, you deserve someone far more interesting—“
“Like who? A villain?”
“I have some options for you, if you’re into that,” he bantered back. “Secondly, I am offended that as your best friend—“
“ Debatable! ”
“—I was not informed of this—“
“Oh, you hypocrite ! You never told me when you ran off with Deku!”
“I found out about you and Iida from the news !”
“I found out about you and Deku from All Might! ” She countered with a shout. “And then because you two act like…like… that , Nedzu made All Might give us the sex ed talk!” Throwing her hands in the air, she shouted, “I will never be able to cope with seeing the man hold a banana every again!”
Shouto paused, then slowly replied, “I…am so sorry for that.”
“Even ignoring all of that!” She continued on, growing steadily more pissed and completely unaware of the audience surrounding them. “I am not the one who just…just gave up and ran away!”
His resolve seemed to waver. “I—I needed to leave.”
“Friends do not just…leave without a word and expect the other to be fine with it,” she replied in a tired tone, losing her steam as she stared at him sadly.
Shouto had this…look on his face, something almost like regret. “Friends don’t hold grudges!” He insisted weakly, throwing another fireball at a hero who tried to rush him during their talk.
“Friends don’t—“ She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “Shouto, I am not having this argument, you are under arrest!”
Shouto turned slightly towards the other heroes, having to reinforce his ice wall against their constant attacks. “Izuku says I’m not allowed to be arrested— OW! ”
He spun back around towards her in shock, glancing between her and the dart sticking out of his arm. With a sad smile, she commented, “Good thing Deku isn’t here right now.”
He slowly began to drop to his knees as he pulled the dart out of his arm before giving her the most wounded look. “That…was uncalled for.”
“You know I could not let this continue,” she told him, her smile melting away as she finally reached him.
She dropped to kneel next to him as he slumped forward against her, and she barely caught him in time. His frame was so much taller than when they were kids—despite herself being rather tall compared to the average woman, he was taller still, making it a struggle as she laid him down on the ground.
Producing a pair of quirk resistant handcuffs from her wrist, she set about restraining him while he was still unconscious, rolling him onto his stomach and pulling his hands behind his back. As the locks clicked into place, she distantly heard this…wispy sound, something that seemed familiar but she could not quite place.
Then, a civilian, one who gave away her position earlier, shouted, “ Creati ! Behind you!—“
She was already moving before the civilian even finished speaking. Grabbing Shouto by his cuffs, she twisted to the side, dragging the dead weight along with her as she dodged a blast to her back. Shifting in a fluid motion, she maneuvered herself to face her opponent while tossing Shouto a few paces behind her and out of range.
He was bound to wake up with several scrapes to the face, but it was better than the alternative.
The alternative being yet another familiar face, but one she had not encountered in person for years . Despite Shouto and Izuku being lovers, this man, the one casually lowering his arms after trying to shoot her with his quirk, was Deku’s true second in command.
“Fucking, half and half,” the man drawled as he sauntered further away from Kurogiri’s familiar portal, clad in near solid black tactical gear sans for some dark green and orange accents. His high collared top was partially unbuttoned and hanging open, but the familiar bright orange X still decorated his chest. “Can’t keep himself out of trouble for one damn day. Today’s supposed to be my day off, but no , I get orders to save Deku’s weak ass boyfriend—“
Her body shifted ever so slightly, causing the villain to pause in place, head slowly tilting to observe her in an almost calculating manner, asif trying to decipher something...only to immediately dismiss whatever idea he had, shifting back into a casual stance.
“Tch,” he began in an almost bored tone. “Most extras can’t dodge my AP shot.”
She quickly lifted her tranquilizer gun back up to take aim. “I am no extra, Bakugou.”
The man in question gave her a near feral grin, face contorting into a terrifying visage, like a more twisted version of the face she remembered all those years ago during their battle trials. “Nah, you never were the normal wallflower, Princess.” He dropped into a crouch, hands crackling at his sides. “And the name is Ground Zero!”
With that, he let out a battle cry, launching himself forward with his explosions, fully prepared to take her down. Which, momentarily, Momo panicked over. Shouto was bad enough, but the years had given her the knowledge that he still saw them as friends, still clung to the idea that they were playing some kind of twisted game and never crossed a line that would cause Momo any permanent harm.
He had done so once, only once, and she had woken to find her hospital room smothered in sunflowers and daisys, along with letters upon letters asking for forgiveness. He left behind several traumatized hospital staff members who had to deal with villains popping in to check on her unconscious body…
And apparently they came back an afternoon after she left…
A poor Residency student stumbled upon the wrong closet and saw far more of the two villains than she wanted.
But still, she resigned herself to focus now and worry about traumatized interns later. Barely managing to dodge off to the side, catching herself in a handstand before flipping over to land on her feet in a crouch, she quickly twisted around, ignoring the shouts of praise from the civilians who were far too close to the fight.
Bakugou had already skidded to a stop along the cracked concrete, hunched over and gloved hands grabbing at the ground to slow his skid backwards. She took this moment to toss the tranquilizer gun to the side, knowing that she was not going to get within range to shoot it before he launched himself at her again. Instead, she focused on creating a new weapon as he let out another yell, his voice twisting into a growl as an excited grin stretched across his face.
“This will only hurt a little, Princess!” He crowed as he reared his right arm back as he hurtled through the air towards her.
“Sadly for you,” she called out as she gripped her weapon tightly, poised for when he was finally in range. “This is going to hurt a lot!”
And then before he could course correct, she swung the electrified end of the baton towards the man, making full contact with the bare space of skin on his shoulder, eliciting a sharp scream . Bakugou then proceeded to crash land on top of her, having had no time to dodge his momentum, sending them both sprawling on the ground and likely tearing up her back in the process.
As they finally came to a halt, she let out a pained hiss, barely able to move because of the ache down her spine. Open skin and no armor really was fun to deal with sometimes…It probably didn’t help that she had a very muscular villain sprawled on top of her, but she likely would not be moving immediately anyway.
The villain question twitched a bit, aftershocks of the high powered cattle prod she had created at the end of the bo staff. Eventually, he shifted, and she could not help but ask, “Are you alright, Bakugou?”
Silence reigned between them for a beat, then aslow, husky chuckle came from the man as he shifted once more. Lifting one of his arms in a sluggish way to brace himself and push up a bit, he hovered above her. He looked like he wanted to be pissed, but the snickering broke out as he just watched her in disbelief. “Aren’t you tired of being nice ?” He cooed as he leaned in closer to her face, and Momo felt her cheeks heat up as she realized how he was straddling her. “Don’t you ever just want to go ape shit? ”
Her arm shifted as she kept eye contact with him, trying to reach towards the staff just a little ways next to her.. “Aren’t you tired of going ape shit?” Her fingers could just barely feel the metal of the staff. “Don’t you ever just want to be nice? ”
Before she could fully grab the staff, Bakugou’s hand shot to the side, grabbing her wrist to stop her, still hovering above her. “Oh, Princess …” he chuckled once more. “You still think you're siding with the good guys, don’t you?”
She froze. “What’s that supposed to— nevermind , it does not matter.“ Lifting her chin despite her position, she boldly declared, “I order you to surrender, Ground Zero.”
He barked out a laugh. “Are you serious right now? You heroes are all so brainwashed that it’s hysterical!” Still laughing, he barked out bitterly, “To think, I used to be as deluded as you !” He leaned in once more. “Open your eyes, Princess, and look at the big picture—!“
“Oh, I am seeing plenty,” she countered, still doing her best to maintain her composure. “And I would like to thank you.”
His head tilted slightly. “Thank me? For what—“
“For being one of the few men who kept their eyes on my face when speaking to me.”
A puzzled look crossed his face. His eyes drifted to her chest, and then, he quietly muttered, “Oh shit— “
KA -THUNK—
Momo was nearly yanked off the ground as Bakugou lost his grip on her wrist and went flying, courtesy of the partially formed high pressure air cannon currently sticking out between her breasts. Slumping on the ground for a moment, she quietly muttered, “That is the first time a boob window has actually been useful…”
Then she shoved her way up off the ground, ignoring the screaming pain in her back from the scrapes and harsh landing. Stumbling to her feet, she watched in disappointment as a portal opened up under both Bakugou and Shouto, taking their unconscious forms from the battle site as other heroes could only just be seen approaching.
With a heavy sigh, she did her best to put on a good face as she trudged forward towards the other heroes, wanting nothing more than to get medical treatment and sleep. Unfortunately, she saw the news reporters pushing past the barricades and heading on over, the police barely putting an effort to stop them.
“Would you like me to intercept them?”
Momo glanced towards Shouji who looked just as roughed up as her, and she let out a tired sigh. “No, that will only make things worse.” Straightening her back and plastering on her best interview face, she muttered, “The burdens of being a hero…”
As she moved to meet the reporters halfway, a little voice rang out in her head.
“You still think you’re siding with the good guys, don’t you?”
She brushed off that thought. Bakugou had always been antagonistic, even as a student. His words today meant nothing…
…nothing at all.