Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"A little more to the left."

"Yeah, you almost got it!"

"No! Go slower idiot!"

Momo's black eyes sparkled as they darted around the arcade. Machines sat on top of one another. Each filled with different souvenirs ranging from cute stuffed animals to hero paraphernalia. It was all so new and she was having a hard time containing her excitement as her feet slowly pulled her towards the back of the shop where some of the class 1-A high school boys had gathered around one of the machines, shouting encouragements or advice to a boy with messy green hair.

Momo took a spot on the side.

Midoriya Izuku’s face was set in a line of deep concentration as he focused on lowering a silver claw into a pile of All Might figurines.

It missed.

Midoriya put another coin in, his scarred hands resuming their position on the controls. Momo's eyes darkened at the sight, a pang resounding in her stomach. Unlike her, Midoriya hadn't gotten into U.A. on recommendations. He had worked for every accomplishment and every win. He was even moving up in grades. Ever since he had rescued Eri in their first year he had been excelling faster than she could comprehend.

Momo’s eyes darkened. She shouldn't be here when exams were so close. She needed to maintain her top spot. She didn't have the strength or fighting abilities of Midoriya or the other members of the Big Three that would guarantee her a spot as a hero once she graduated.

Momo swallowed. If she let her grades slip, if she lost her position people would start to question why she was even in the hero course. She bite her bottom lip and took a half step back when a deep voice stopped her.

“Yaoyorozu, are you alright?” Momo jumped turning to face the class’ top student, Todoroki Shouto.

Todoroki was a recommended student like herself and one of the Big Three. He had been her seatmate for the last three years and the person she looked up to most.

Momo tilted her head back to meet Todoroki's heterochromatic gaze.

He was noticeably taller and more muscled than back then. When she had first met the red and white haired boy he had only been a few centimeters taller than herself but now he stood tall enough that if she stepped forward her head would rest comfortably under his chin.

It wasn't all that had changed. Although he hadn’t lost his stoic personality, there was something different about him now. He had grown warmer, less arrogant. He cared more about his friends and classmates and it showed in these little gestures.

Todoroki's blue and gray eyes searched her face and her stomach fluttered.

“Yaoyorozu?” he asked again.

Momo felt warmth spread through her. He always seemed to know when she was being silly and letting her anxiety get to her. She could already hear him chastising her for her thoughts, reminding her that her worth wasn’t tied to her grades.

He was going to be a great hero.

Momo smiled and shook her head. Her worries disappearing as swiftly as snow melting into spring. “I’m alright Todoroki-san.”

She meant it.

This was her first time in an arcade and she should be relaxing and enjoying the experience. Besides, being with her classmates, cheering each other on, even if it was only to win a figurine, was part of being a hero too.

Todoroki stared at her for another moment.

The claw clamped down onto a prize and Momo turned her attention back to the arcade game, joining in with the excited 'ohs' and 'ahs' of her other classmates.

Ever so slowly the claw dragged a figurine out of the pile of toys and then, the cheers died and a hushed silence descended on the students as it became apparent that something was wrong.

All Might’s signature yellow hair had broken off leaving him with a crew cut.

For a full breath the students stared stunned. Then, like the popping of a balloon, the moment broke.

"Midoriya, you're the only one who'd get a broken toy!" Mineta snickered as he and the other boys broke out into wild laughter. Midoriya hiccupped as his eyes began to water.

"Just think of it as if All Might got a haircut," said Todoroki. His low, even voice the only one not laughing.

Momo hid a giggle behind her hand at his deadpan comment before looking up as she felt Todoroki’s blue and gray eyes slid to the side to look down at her. Immediately, a different kind of feeling overwhelmed her. Momo felt her breath hitch and her heart skip a beat as he gave her a small, lopsided smile.

She tore her gaze away. Hiding behind her long, black hair that was out of its usual high ponytail, she tried to process the sudden feeling that had overcome her but she was finding it difficult to think over the pounding of her heart.

She was acutely aware when Todoroki's eyes peeled away and he turned to go comfort Midoriya.

Momo let out a silent sigh, placing a hand on her chest. What had that been? She had always prided herself as having a good head on her shoulders but recently she seemed to be getting more and more flustered around her seatmate. Which didn’t make sense but she didn't get to reflect as another presence appeared on her other side and Momo was met with her best friend's knowing smile.

Jirou Kyouka was a punk rocker with a short bob cut and a grungy style. She had been Momo’s best friend since first year when they teamed up to fight the USJ villains and had instantly bonded, despite being polar opposites. "You were staring again," Jirou said, never missing a chance to make fun of Momo and the crush she wouldn’t admit to.

"That’s just because we are standing next to each other. It doesn’t mean anything."

"Is that why you're blushing?"

"I was not," she said, feeling her face warm up at the accusation.

“Uh hum. Why don’t you ask him to play something or take pictures at the puri puri booth?”

“No! That would be so awkward."

“No it wouldn’t," Jirou said, looking past Momo's shoulder at Todoroki helping Midoriya get more money. "Want me to ask him for you?” she offered.

“No…please don’t.” Momo said. She could feel herself bursting into flames just at the thought. Even if she did like him, which she wasn't admitting to, Todoroki had never shown any interest in her.

She could count on her two hands the number of times they had interacted outside of class and dorm life. Almost all of their interactions were school related. For instance, during class, Todoroki always seemed to forget his textbooks and it wouldn’t be practical to share with Shoji. He was too big to sit next to comfortably, which made her the only option. And when he helped her with class rep duties it was only because he just happened to be around when she needed an extra pair of hands.

Then during practical exercises they would team up because they balanced each other out. That’s also why he had asked her to help train his ice quirk, not because of any hidden feelings.

If she was really counting, there had only been two occasions in which his actions could be remotely perceived as intimate. The first was the Ennichi festival, but that had just been Todoroki being considerate. And the second was when he finally refined his ice quirk enough to create an object, but that had been training related.

Besides, she thought with increased embarrassment, she had a tendency to overthink and ramble as much as Midoriya. There was no possible way the class' hottest guy (as he was dubbed by Ashido and Tooru) would like someone as awkward as her.

“Okay, okay. I’m just kidding,” Jirou said. “Anyways, they have an old Street Fighter game. Kaminari asked if we want to play with him and Mineta?”

“Street Fighter?”

“It’s a player verses player fighting game. I can’t believe you've never heard of it.”

“Mother says I shouldn’t waste my time on frivolous activities.”

“Well, she’s not here, is she? Come on, I’ll show you how to play,” she said before taking a quick look around them before dropping into a whisper. “That’s unless you were waiting for your turn to win an All Might figurine?”

“No! I’ll play” Momo said, feeling defeated.

"Good. I'll get the boys before these kids take all the good games," she said throwing her thumb over her shoulder to indicate a group of young kids, probably too young to even be learning how to control their quirks yet, dragging their parents into the arcade.

XXXX

They got to the arcade machine without hassle and, after basic instructions from Jirou and Kaminari and two rounds of crushing defeats; Momo was close to giving up. The old arcade game was difficult and she kept getting the buttons confused.

“You have to push B and then the left to block,” said a deep voice behind her and Momo jumped, her cheeks flushing as Todoroki looked over her shoulder.

"As expected of Todoroki," Momo said, pushing the buttons as instructed to block an attack from Mineta's ninja.

“Ey! When did you get to be such an expert?” asked Kaminari looking over Mineta’s head at the red and white haired boy standing behind Momo.

“I watch Midoriya play sometimes,” Todoroki said, "now press A and up."

“Hey! No cheating!" Mineta whined, before defeating Momo's fan woman.

Momo sighed, stepping away from the machine as Jirou patted her shoulder and took her place as she prepared to fight Kaminari again. “Maybe I should start with something easier?”

Todoroki shrugged. “I thought you were getting it.”

Momo smiled, tucking her bangs behind her ear. Should I ask Todoroki-san to play another game? He was her friend after all and it was normal to play games with your friends. It was a simple thing and yet why was her heartbeat speeding up and mouth going dry? She clenched a hand in front of her chest as she tried to summon the courage to ask what should be a simple question but before she could get the words out a group of young boys pushed past them in excitement and she stumbled forward.

“Yaoyorozu are you o-,” Todoroki reached out to steady her but his breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. Yaoyorozu was gone and staring up at him from a pile of girl’s clothing were two large dark eyes.

Chapter Text

The class 1-A dormitory was large but practical. Structured to look like a U, the boys dorms were on the left and the girls on the right. The common area connected the two sides with a large open floor plan that included a fully stocked kitchen, multiple tables and a 60 inch TV surrounded by couches and chairs.

At the moment, the twenty students that made up class 1-A had begun to squeeze onto those couches. No, nineteen. Shouto’s heart tightened as he looked down at the young child cradled on his chest.

"Awww, she's so cute!" Ashido Mina said, plopping down next to him and leaning in, not caring about Shouto's personal space as she looked at the child. A smile spread on her pink lips. "What's your name?" Ashido asked, poking at the child's foot.

"Yes! Yes! Tell us your name," Hagakure Toru, echoed appearing like magic next to Ashido (or maybe she had been there the entire time, Shouto didn't know). Soon all the girls from class 1-A had crowded around him and were cooing and fussing with the child.

Shouto felt his shirt bunch in her small hands and tightened his hold.

"Maybe Momo-chan is embarrassed," Asui Tsuyu said, a finger resting on her chin in thought.

Uraraka Ochako squealed, smiling happily and clapping her hands together. "That's too cute!"

Yaoyorozu buried her face further into his shoulder.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. We just want to be your friends. I’m Jirou Kyouka. What’s your name?" Jirou asked, her voice softening.

After a pause, the child pushed slightly against his chest and Shouto loosened his hold so she could pull back. Her big, black eyes looked up at him as if asking for permission. When Shouto didn't respond, a small, embarrassed smile spread across her lips and she mumbled "Momo" before falling forward and burying her face into the crook of his neck.

The girls surrounding him squealed.

Shouto felt a small half-smile pull at the corners of his lips.

“Attention! Ashido-san. Hagakure-san calm down. Everyone sit down,” ordered a tall boy with a wide frame and black hair parted neatly to the left of his head. His rectangular glasses slipped down his nose as he chopped his hand through the air to gain order. “As you know there has been an accident and Yaoyorozu…”

"You make it sound like she's dead," Ashido interrupted, leaning back on the couch to poke at Yaoyorozu's clothes. "Anyways, whose decision was it to get her the All Might onesie?" She asked, cocking her head as she looked over Shouto at Jirou.

"Don't look at me. You can thank Kaminari for that," Jirou replied, her ear jack pointing across the room.

"Hey," Kaminari said from the opposite couch. "You sent me alone and I panicked. But you have to admit, it's an awesome outfit! Who doesn't like All Might? Most of my boxers have him on them."

"Ewww! Too much information," Jirou laughed from behind her hand.

Shouto deadpanned as he imagined All Might's signature smile on Kaminari's crotch.

"Stop your whining and get to the point," snapped a boy with spiky, blonde hair and red eyes. Obviously fed up with the banter, Bakugo leaned forward, placing his elbows on his spread legs he shot a glare across the room at Shouto. "What the hell happened half and half?"

Shouto's eyes narrowed.

Bakugo's question grated on his nerves. As if the whole situation was his fault.

It wasn't like he wanted Yaoyorozu to be hit with the kid's quirk. And it wasn't like he wanted to be the one stuck taking care of her either.

Shouto’s chest tightened. He was the least qualified to care for another. Endeavor had made sure of that. In all likelihood he'd probably just screw up and make her cry like he had his mother. As if feeling his frustration, the midnight black head pulled back and onyx eyes looked owlishly up at him. "Are you mad? Did I do something wrong?" Yaoyorozu asked, her voice tilting with the cadence of a toddler.

The girls surrounding him immediately began to coo at the three year old. Shouto ignored them as he pulled Yaoyorozu back into his chest. "No, I'm not mad." He said, giving her a small squeeze. After a second, pudgy arms wrapped tentatively around his neck. Shouto felt the anger drain from him. Even as a child, Yaoyorozu was always worried about others.

Iida coughed, bringing his attention back to the front of the room. "That's right, perfect segue Bakugo-kun. I'm going to turn it over to Mineta-kun who will talk us through the events of this afternoon," Iida said, stepping back as a small boy with grape like hair stood up and cleared his throat behind his hand.

"At about 0300 a group of us went to the arcade, then, at about 0330 a group of kids came into the arcade and one of them used his quirk to reverse Yaomomo back to a child. We think between 3 or 4 years old."

"We also know from discussions with the bra-" Mineta faked a cough. "The kid's mother and observation that Yaomomo will stay a kid for the next 24 to 48 hours, has lost the majority of her memories after age 3 and will only follow around the first person she saw when turned. As such, we have dubbed this the duckling quirk."

"Why? Ducks don't follow the first person they see. Isn't it more like a gosling?" asked Sero Hanata.

"That's true kero," said Asui. A murmur of agreement rustled through the students.

"Quiet! Quiet! Gosling or duckling; who cares? The problem is that Yaomomo's hot body is gone!"

Shouto frowned. It was no secret that Mineta had lecherous tendencies and had tried to prey on Yaoyorozu over the last three years. Using her innocence and naivety to trick her into falling for his plans. Anger welled up inside him at the memories and he felt the familiar chill of his quirk but when he looked down nothing was there.

"So what do we do now?" asked Ochako hesitantly.

Midoriya fidgeted next to her. "I don't know. I...I guess just wait?" he said, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Heated discussion broke out on what to do next. Shouto sighed, he wished Yaoyorozu was here. She always knew what to do. She was reliable and mature and that's why he trusted her. His chest tightened strangely at the thought of her.

"What about changing her back? Don't quirks have a limit or something? Didn't you say something like that Bakugo? Back during the sports festival." Kirishima asked, turning to Bakugo.

"That was different dumbass."

Midoriya looked up. "Technically that could work," he said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Usually all quirks can be reversed or weakened one way or another. Like Mineta-kun's quirk can be countered by fire or ice. Maybe if -"

"Midoriya," The teenagers looked up. Standing in the doorway was Aizawa Shota, their homeroom teacher. His tired eyes narrowed on Midoriya. “Time altering quirks are extremely sensitive. If forcibly reversed they could do permanent damage."

Shouto's throat felt dry. Aizawa continued.

"Iida already informed me of the situation," Aizawa said, his gaze leaving Midoriya to sweep over the rest of the class. “It's best not to try anything extreme, unless any of you are looking to adopt.”

“We’d never do anything to hurt Yaomomo,” Jirou said, a flush had worked its way over her face at the unspoken accusation. Shouto saw some of the other students nod in agreement.

“But what if we just try something easy to turn her back, like trying to get her memories back with games or something?” Kamanari asked.

Aizawa sighed. “That should be fine. Just nothing that would endanger her or yourselves. And don’t have her practice her quirk," he ordered, his voice sounded more tired than usual. A murmur of agreement passed through the students. "I'll be back later to check in on her and I'll bring dinner for the rest of you. In the meantime don't go out and don't do anything stupid.”

The class nodded again.

"Iida, notify me if anything in Yaoyorozu's condition changes."

Iida saluted (yes, sir!). Aizawa stared at his class for another moment before turning around and leaving as silently as he had entered.

The tension in the room visibly relaxed.

"Yeah! Free food!" Kaminari, Ashido and Mineta shouted.

"But that's one powerful quirk. I can only imagine if the kid becomes a villain," said Sero thoughtfully.

"That's true but we don't know how it works, it could just turn whoever he touches his age," said Midoriya.

"Hey! Focus on one thing at a time nerd," Bakugo barked and for once Shouto agreed with Lord Explosion Murder. They needed to get Yaoyorozu back and soon. He didn't know how long he'd be able to take care of her like this. He was already afraid his hand crushing curse had infected her. If he made her cry, he'd never forgive himself. Shouto gulped.

"Todoroki-kun? Are you alright?" Midoriya asked, concern evident on his face. "Don't worry. I think it's still worth it if we try and get Yaoyorozu back but, if we can't, it's only for a day or two and we'll all be around to help out. Or I mean I don't mind helping," he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't back down Midoriya! It's not very manly," said Kirishima punching his fist into his other hand.

"Yes, as class president, it is my duty to help all my classmates. You can count on me," said Iida, adjusting his glasses.

"And me too," Uraraka smiled.

"Yeah, as friends I don't mind helping out too Todoroki," Mineta said, nodding in agreement. Shouto looked down at Yaoyorozu. He had been forced to grow up in isolation. Training until his body nearly broke but now he wasn't alone.

Yaoyorozu was looking up at him with a big smile. Absently, he smoothed down some of her hair as the rest of the class joined in agreeing to help anyway they could. Their support filled him with warmth. Friends. He had never thought he'd be so lucky to have so many people that would care and support him. He didn't have to do this alone. "Thanks."

"Good! Now let's begin operation get Yaomomo's boobs back!" Mineta said, pumping his fist into the air.

Shouto internally grimaced. No one said he had to like all of his friends.

Chapter Text

Operation turn Yaoyorozu back had started off as a complete failure. Hagakure had Yaoyorozu draw pictures, hoping her memories would be triggered by her subconscious. Instead Yaoyorozu had drawn a family portrait of him and herself. Ashido hung it up on the fridge.

Kaminari and Mineta's contribution was even less helpful. With the excuse that Yaoyorozu liked to read, they went into her room and pulled out her favorite encyclopedia. Except, the three year old could only make out the basic words and no one else understood the thick text either.

Bakugo even had tried his hand at helping by tying her hair up into its usual high ponytail – but that could have been because he was annoyed with the length more than any intention of truly helping.

Jirou had the most realistic idea, she had Yaoyorozu listen to music and when that didn't work, had the three year old sit down at her keyboard to see if muscle memory kicked in.

It didn’t.

Shouto leaned back against the couch, his eyes unintentionally drifting to find the three year old on the opposite side of the room. Koda had brought down his pet rabbit and Yaoyorozu and the rest of the class 1-A girls were currently preoccupied with it as the remaining guys sat around the couches exhausted.

Uraraka was holding Yaoyorozu's tiny hand teaching her how to properly pet the animal. At some point Ashido or Hagakure had pulled the hood up on the All Might onesie and were busy taking pictures of Yaoyorozu.

As if feeling his heterochromatic stare, Yaoyorozu’s black eyes glanced up for the hundredth time that day. Scanning the room, her face began to scrunch in worry until they landed on him and her shoulders visibly relaxed allowing Asui and Uraraka to pull her attention back to the rabbit.

Shouto swallowed over a dry lump in his throat. The tear stains from earlier were still visible on her cheeks and the guilt from it tore into his stomach like a knife. They had been taking a break and playing hide and seek. Everything had been fine until he had been 'it.' When the rest of the class had tried to lead Yaoyorozu away she had broken down, crying and begging for him not to leave her. The knife in his stomach twisted painfully at the memory of her tears soaking his shirt.

The worst part was that at that moment all he had felt was anger. Anger at seeing Yaoyorozu so desperate and scared and anger at himself for being the cause of her breakdown. Anger at just the whole situation.

Why him?

He knew it was just the quirk and the whole accident had been a coincidence but he had wanted to scream at her that this wasn't her. Yaoyorozu was brave and level headed. She wasn't driven by her emotions like him. She'd never get so upset over someone like him if she was back to her normal self. Would she?

“Well what's next?” Sero asked, breaking Shouto out of his thoughts. Half of the class had migrated away after the incident as it became more and more apparent that Yaoyorozu was stuck until the quirk wore off.

“I don’t know, let's take a break,” Kamanari said, leaning back against the couch and looking up at the ceiling absently. "When is Aizawa coming back?"

As if on cue, Shouto's stomach rumbled. He looked at the clock on the wall and discovered that it was already late afternoon. He felt famished.

His last full meal had been at breakfast and with everything that had happened he hadn't thought to eat since. He'd just make something quick for himself. He stood up. Immediately Yaoyorozu's dark eyes darted to him. Watching as he walked into the kitchen before she allowed Jirou and Ashido to talk her back into returning to the rabbit.

Shouto sighed. It was disconcerting being the center of another's life.

He grabbed a pot from the drying rack and filled it up with water, placing it on the stove. He hoped she was okay with soba. He only knew how to make noodles and protein shakes but he doubted she would want the latter.

Shouto looked over at the girls. "Yao -Momo-chan want food?" He asked. He felt heat crawl up his neck but used his right side to counterbalance it. He had already been scolded by Ashido once for still calling Yaoyorozu by her last name. He didn't get it but sometimes it was better to choose your battles.

Yaoyorozu looked up and bobbed her head, the All Might hoodie sliding off, leaving her hair frizzy.

Shouto held back a smirk. Of course she'd want food. When was Yaoyorozu not hungry?

He opened the cabinet. Each student had their unspoken section for just their items. Shouto looked at his designated section. It was bare except for whey protein powder and a few noodle boxes. Grabbing a box of the soba noodles, Shouto paused. Yaoyorozu usually ate quite a bit, would one box be good enough? He hesitated before grabbing a second just in case.

Light footfalls stopped at the edge of the kitchen. Shouto glanced over at Midoriya.

The green haired boy shifted. He seemed nervous again, his eyes falling to the floor. “Todoroki-kun, are you okay?” he finally asked.

Shouto paused. Was he okay? He guessed he was, but he didn't know. This all felt like a test that he was failing miserably. Even before the quirk incident, he and Yaoyorozu were on opposite sides of a coin, so to speak. He'd like to think they were friends but they didn't have that much in common and hardly ever spoke outside of school.

Most of their interactions over the last three years had been Yaoyorozu sharing her textbooks with him, but that was something she would do for any of her classmates. And the few times she had invited him to study sessions, it was due to his quiet personality and the fact that they worked well together on homework.

Admittedly, they had been hanging out more frequently ever since he had asked for her help refining his quirk. She had agreed, of course, and without hesitation because “heroes have to cheer each other on,” but outside of those training sessions, the only real time they had ever hung out was at the Ennichi festival back in first year. Still, he’d like to think they had grown closer as friends since then, but they certainly were not close enough that she would forgive him for making her cry.

Shouto looked away. It felt like an anvil had lodged itself in his stomach, holding him back from...something he couldn't name.

“Fine…” he finally said, pouring the noodles into the water. Whatever he was grasping for wasn't clear and, as he did every time he didn't understand his own feelings, he shoved the emotion away. Compartmentalizing it to be dragged up and examined later when he was alone.

Shouto turned his attention back to his friend. Midoriya hadn't moved from the edge of the kitchen. He wrung his hands together. "It just seems like you've been on edge."

"On edge?"

"Yeah, on edge. Or not yourself." He explained hurriedly.

Shouto hummed. Perhaps he had been a bit colder since that morning?

"That's because he likes her idiot."

Shouto tensed. He hadn't heard Bakugo approach and by Midoriya's shocked and red face clearly he hadn't either. Shouto frowned. "Of course I like her, we're friends…" Shouto said, not looking at Bakugo. The statement made him feel suddenly uncomfortable. As if the word didn't fully explain the amount he trusted and relied upon Yaoyorozu.

"Eh! Todoroki likes someone?" Kaminari said, overhearing the end of the conversation. He put his arm on Bakugo's shoulder and gave Shouto an assessing look. "How can you tell? His face never changes?"

"Mind your own damn business, sparky," Bakugo snapped. Swiping a fist at Kaminari who danced away, obviously used to Bakugo's antics.

Bakugo sneered at Todoroki. "Are you really that dense?"

Shouto didn't answer as he brought the pot over to the sink and poured the noodles into a strainer. Bakugo scoffed and walked away. Shouto could still feel Midoriya's green eyes on his back, most likely analyzing and picking apart Bakugo's words, but he ignored him as he turned on the cold water to cool down the noodles.

Shouto exhaled through his nose. “Foods ready,” he said, scooping noodles into two bowels and bringing them over to the table.

As if those words were a summoning spell, Mineta appeared out of thin air to sit down in front of the first bowel. “Oh boy I'm hungry!” He said, picking up a set of chopsticks.

Shouto swiped the bowel out from under him. “Not for you.”

“What?” Mineta asked, his face screwed up in mock hurt.

Shouto glared, unperturbed as he sat down. “Make your own.”

“Isn't Aizawa bringing food over later?” Jirou chimed in as she led Yaoyorozu over to the kitchen to wash her hands.

“Yeah, you just have to wait,” Kirishima added grabbing his bag from one of the chairs. “Anyways, I got to get some studying done. I really don’t want to fail another one of Present Mic Sensei's pop quizzes.”

“You think he’s going to give us another one so soon? We just had one.” Ashido asked, her face looked pale at the thought as she walked over.

“That was three weeks ago,” Midoriya replied, sitting down opposite of Shouto. “And since half the class failed, I can’t see why he wouldn’t.”

Kaminari and Ashido moaned in unison.

"Spiky hair! Let's go! I don't got all night to cram that head of yours with English," Bakugo's eyes narrowed dangerously as he walked towards the front door.

"My hairs no more spiky then yours," Kirishima sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Kirishima turned to the rest of the group, "Well, I'll see you when Aizawa-sensei arrives. Todoroki," Kirishima said, giving his usual sharp toothed smile.

Shouto nodded in understanding.

"Ugh...what will I do now that Yaomomo can't help,"Ashido said, flopping over a chair.

"I can tutor you if you are willing to pay for my services," Mineta's eyes gleamed suggestively.

"No! Gross!" Ashido snorted, kicking at the grape haired boy. "I’d rather fail!"

Sometime during the conversation, Iida's mind had short circuited. "What a dilemma! I should be a good friend and stay with Todoroki-kun and Yaoyorozu-san but my duty as class president calls for me to help my classmates in the stead of Yaoyorozu-san! What do I do? What do I do?" He finally broke with a cry.

"Calm down Iida-kun," Midoriya patted Iida's back. "It doesn't look like Yaoyorozu-san will change back anytime soon. I'm sure it's okay if you help."

"Oh Iida please tutor me!" Ashido pleaded, pressing her hands together.

"Yes! Tutor me too!" Sero said, getting up from the couch.

"Oh, I could use some help too," Uraraka said, rubbing the back of her head. "Todoroki-kun, will you be okay?"

Iida and Uraraka looked at Todoroki.

"Its fine," Shouto said, as the other students still hanging around the common area began to beg Iida for assistance as well. Iida's concerned expression evaporated, replaced with a big grin. And with an Iida type proclamation he promised to do his best to teach them in Yaoyorozu's place.

This left just four people in the common room. Todoroki, Midoriya, Jirou, and Kaminari (who Shouto wondered why didn't leave with the rest of the study group).

“What's this Todoroki,” Jirou asked helping Yaoyorozu up into the seat next to him.

“Soba. Cold,” he replied around a mouthful of noodles.

Jirou picked up the chopsticks and Yaoyorozu frowned. "I can do it myself."

Jirou looked down. "You sure? Can you use the big kid chopsticks?"

Yaoyorozu nodded. "Okay, let me know if you need help." Jirou said, moving to sit next to Kaminari.

Yaoyorozu picked up the chopsticks and after two tries was able to pick up the noodles. She took a tentative bite.

Shouto looked over and almost choked on his noodles. Yaoyorozu's eyes had grown to gigantic proportions. Slowly she chewed and Shouto could see the wheels begin to turn in her tiny head before a huge grin spread across her face and she shoveled more noodles into her mouth.

"Hey, don't eat so fast Momo-chan. You don't want to get sick," Jirou chided, leaning across the table to pat Yaoyorozu on the back as she inhaled her food too fast. Shouto hid a smirk behind his dipping bowl.

"She's so cute. Did Yaomomo always like soba noodles this much?" Kaminari asked.

Jirou paused, twirling her ear jack around her fingers. "I don't think she's ever had them before."

"Really?" Kaminari asked shocked. Shouto paused to watch as Yaoyorozu recovered to proceed and shovel more noodles into her mouth. All proper manners seemed to have disappeared as she chewed happily. He had always thought she preferred European food. Her impeccable manners and high class lifestyle seemed to lead him to believe that. It had never occurred to him that maybe she had just never had some common Japanese dishes he had grown up with.

Well if she liked his soba, which was barely edible, he should take her to his favorite soba house. Todoroki's heart faltered. What was he thinking? They weren't that close.

"Anyways, did you like the bunny Momo-chan?" Kaminari asked.

"Yeah."

Kaminari's eyes glittered. "So who do you like more Todoroki oniisan or the bunny?"

“Oniisan,” Yaoyorozu said, without hesitation as she looked up, her face flashing in indignation at the question. Shouto contented himself with a deadpan expression as Kaminari looked across the table and winked. Jirou elbowed him in the side and Kaminari crumpled.

"Don’t ask stupid questions," Jirou hissed.

"Okay. Okay," Kaminari said holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Sorry, what else am I supposed to ask?"

"I dunno, why not what she wants to be when she grows up?"

"Fine," Kaminari turned to look at Yaoyorozu again and smiled. "Momo-chan what do you want to be when you grow up?"

“I’m going to be oniisan’s wife.”

Shouto choked on his noodles.

Chapter Text

"I dunno, why not what she wants to be when she grows up?"

"Fine," Kaminari turned to look at Yaoyorozu again and smiled. "Momo-chan what do you want to be when you grow up?"

“I’m going to be oniisan’s wife.”

Shouto choked on his noodles.

XXXXX

In the span of one breath, Midoriya’s face had turned a red so bright he matched Shouto's hair. Kaminari and Jirou looked like they had both been petrified, struck mid-action from Yaoyorozu's answer.

Shouto coughed and turned to stare at her in disbelief. Yaoyorozu’s answer had been innocent. What any three year old would say, but hearing it from her made his stomach knot and his heart palpitate. This must be how a heart attack felt like...

Kyouka recovered first. “Momo-chan we don’t usually say those kinds of things to people.”

Yaoyorozu looked around the table and blinked. “Why?” she asked innocently.

“Well…” Kyouka sputtered. “You usually only say them to the person you love.”

“I love oniisan,” Yaoyorozu said without hesitation, turning to look up at Shouto. His heart stalled. “Oniisan do you not love me?” she asked, with all the tact of a three year old.

Shouto hesitated. He could feel his ears heating up. He was burning, like dry ice had lodged itself in his throat. Freezing and burning him at the same time. What did one say at times like these? If he said he did, would the others misinterpret his response? But she was only a child. It shouldn’t matter, should it? Shouto realized he was taking too long to respond as Yaoyorozu’s face scrunched and water began to accumulate at the edge of her eyes.

“Don’t cry Yao - Momo-chan,” Midoriya jumped in, saving Shouto from the situation even though he was the one blushing more fiercely than anyone at the table. “It’s...It’s just usually you answer that kind of question with what kind of career you want… like to be a hero or a teacher or -” he trailed off.

Momo sniffed, the tears still threatening to fall. Shouto's stomach twisted. He didn't know if he could handle her tears again. What did it say about him if he made her cry twice in less than twenty-four hours? What kind of hero would he be? What kind of friend?

In a split second decision, he held up his hand. Ice began to form in his palm, chilling the air around him.

Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the shape he had practiced a million times.

His ice quirk was destructive; powerful. And for the longest time, Shouto had thought that was enough. That he had nothing else to learn until last year when he almost lost a match due to his inability to refine his power.

He had learned that day that sometimes delicacy was just as necessary to winning as power.

He had since begun the grueling process of honing his quirk. Enlisting Yaoyorozu's help as she understood the complexity of creating details for her own quirk. She had made him practice forming small ice sculptures. It was hard work. His quirk not naturally inclined to the intricate details he needed to perfect. Then, after six months of difficult practice, he finally made his first tangible object.

He thought of that now. As his eyes darkened in focus. The ice forming in his hand slowly twisted and chipped. Tiny particles falling like snow onto the table until a single rose emerged.

It wasn't perfect. The petals weren't detailed and it took incredible effort on his part, leaving him out of breath, but it would do.

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened at the sight and he was reminded of the first time she had seen him get it right. Her face had glowed and her lips had parted in wonder in the same exact way they did now.

Shouto held the rose out to her. Yaoyorozu hesitated before wordlessly accepting the gift. Her tiny fingers brushing his as she took the ice flower with a tiny shiver at the chill of it.

Midoriya let out an audible breath. "Good thinking Todoroki-kun."

Shouto didn't answer as he watched Yaoyorozu turn the flower in her small hands.

"It’s so pretty!" Jirou breathed, looking across the table at him. "I didn't know you could do something like that?"

Shouto shrugged. "I've been practicing."

Midroiya began to mumble under his breath. Analyzing Shouto’s ice abilities and most likely thinking of benefits and countermeasures but it was the last person at the table who caught Shouto’s attention. Kaminari had been unusually quiet during the demonstration.

Shouto’s eyes narrowed wearily, as Kaminari stared at the rose. A thought was developing in his mind, but it was obvious Kaminari wasn’t used to many of those. Then, as if an old car was starting for the first time, a spark crossed Kaminari's face and he lit up in a smile. "Momo-chan do you like heroes?"

Yaoyorozu looked up from the rose and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you know only heroes are allowed to do cool things like make ice flowers?”

She shook her head. Her brows pulling together in the endearing way they always did when she was piecing together information.

"Kaminari," Jirou warned. She must have swatted at him underneath the table because the electric hero jumped and turned towards her.

"Relax. I know. I know," Kaminari said, holding his hands up in self-defense. Jirou frowned but leaned back in her chair.

Realizing that he was out of trouble, Kaminari smiled again and turned back to Yaoyorozu. "Did you know your oniisan is a hero?”

Momo’s eyes widened and she swiveled to look up at him. Shouto gave a small nod and her eyes grew bigger. Shouto could feel a flush working its way up his neck but he ignored the feeling as he focused on Kaminari.

“We're actually all heroes,” Kaminari continued, pointing proudly at his chest.

“Really? You don’t look like one,” Yaoyorozu said with all the honesty of a kid as her big, round eyes assessed him with a slight tilt of her head. “How come you aren’t as cool as oniisan?”

Kyouka snorted as Kaminari deflated. “See Yaomomo’s smart even as a kid.”

Kaminari coughed into his hand before letting the comment go as he leaned forward on the table. “Well I’m one of the top heroes around so don’t be judging a book by its cover.”

“As if you’ve ever seen a book,” Jirou sniggered under her breath.

"Ignore Jirou.” He said with a wave of his hand. “What I’m asking is do you want to be a hero like your oniisan?"

Shouto jumped as Jirou pulled her chair back with a loud screech. "Kaminari! You heard Aizawa. We can't let Yaoyorozu use her quirk."

"I'm not -"

"Jirou-san is right. We have to be careful Kaminari-kun," Midoriya added, his eyes clearer than they had been all day at the seriousness of the situation.

Shouto frowned. Yaoyrozu had grabbed onto his shirt when Jirou had stood up and he could feel her tiny body shaking. Shouto put his hand on her back and began to rub small circles to calm her down. It seemed to work as her grip loosened.

"Calm down. It's not like I'm telling her what her quirk is. Besides maybe thinking about heroes will change her back," Kaminari looked between the three teens. "Unless any of you have any better ideas?" He asked exasperated, leaning back in his chair.

A pause hung over the table. Jirou pursed her lips and looked down.

Midoriya frowned. “Jirou-san is everything okay? Did you have an idea?”

Midoriya's question instantly roused Kaminari who whirled around and grasped Jirou’s hands within his own. “What is it Jirou? If you have an idea, share it! We need to save Yaoyorozu!”

Jirou jumped and looked away at some invisible spot on the floor. “Don’t get your hopes up. It’s just what you said made me remember something.”

“What is it?”

Jirou pulled her hands out of Kaminari's and sighed. "Yaomomo's going to be so mad…" she said burying her face in her hands for a second before straightening. "It's the reason Yaomomo decided to become a hero."

Shouto blinked. “The reason Yaoyorozu decided to be a hero?”

He tried to recall if had ever asked Yaoyorozu before. Maybe at the Ennichi festival but he wasn't sure. He had definitely told her his reasoning during one of their practice sessions but couldn't recall if she had said anything.

Jirou played with her earphone jack, twisting it around her fingers nervously. “Do remember that old video of All Might? The phone one! You know the one that's all shaky? I think it came out like thirteen years ago or something.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened. “The one where All Might is carrying people on his back?”

“Yeah, that one,” Jirou nodded. “Yaomomo wanted to be a hero ever since she saw that. So I was thinking if it made such an impact on her back then that she wanted to become a hero maybe…” she let her voice trail off.

Xxxx
That was how all four of them ended back in the living room in front of the TV. Midoriya, no surprise, had saved the clip to his computer and was mirroring the All Might video onto the TV.

Shouto’s breath felt like lead in his lungs. He didn’t know what to expect. A strange feeling had overcome him upon learning that Yaoyorozu had chosen to become a hero because of All Might. He had never doubted that she admired the former number one hero, but somehow learning that All Might was the driving force behind her decision, as he had been for Shouto's own conviction to become a hero, made him feel...happy? As if the distance he had imagined between them was shrinking.

The clip started. At first all you could see was fire and destruction everywhere then a laugh was heard and All Might emerged from the rubble carrying no less than five people. "It’s fine now. Why? Because I’m here."

The clip ended.

Shouto looked down at Yaoyorozu and fought down a smile. She was beaming at the TV with stars in her eyes as if she had just found her passion in life. And he supposed she had.

Yaoyorozu jumped off the couch. "Again!" she cried.

They repeated the clip two times more and then Midoriya started showing her clips of all the other heroes. With each clip, her eyes would grow larger and her face would light up. At the end of the last clip, Midoriya smiled and turned to Yaoyorozu. "Momo-chan, Who's your favorite hero?"

Without hesitation, Yaoyorozu turned around and threw her arms around Shouto's leg. "Oniisan." She beamed.

Shouto let out a closed mouth laugh.

Black eyes looked up. "Who's your favorite hero oniisan?" she asked.

Shouto smiled softly. "Momo-chan is my favorite hero."

He had meant it as a joke but didn't realize how true the words were until they left his lips. And he didn’t mean just as a hero, she was his favorite classmate and friend. Someone he could always rely upon and trust. Someone who made him happy by just being in her presence. And then, as if in a movie, he felt like he had been hit in the head and it all made sense. The palpitating heart, the purposeful forgetfulness to bring his books to class, Bakugo's comment... He was in love with Yaoyorozu.

Shouto froze at the revelation, but if anyone noticed his sudden stiffness they didn't let on as Yaoyorozu let go of his leg and twirled away. "Oniisan and All Might are the top two heroes. Who's your third favorite hero Midoriya-oniisan?"

Midoriya opened his mouth and then seemed to realize what Yaoyorozu's question had been and flushed. "Third favorite?" He asked flustered.

Yaoyorozu frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "You don't know?"

"Come on Midoriya. This should be easy," Kaminari jeered. Midoriya went red and suddenly the knowledge that he was falling in love didn’t matter anymore as Shouto laughed at his friend’s obvious distress.

He didn’t know when it had started and perhaps it didn’t matter. It was as if all the signs had been pointing to his feelings for his classmate but he had been too blind to realize it. Too dense to notice that below their different upbringing they were so similar. He didn't know what to do with the information but he had never been one to dwell on things he couldn't change. So he concluded he'd do what Yaoyorozu had said she admired about him and improvise a solution later.

Aizawa arrived shortly after with bento boxes made by Lunch Rush, the chef hero. As the class sat down for dinner and Yaoyorozu animatedly told the table about how she was going to become the best hero, Shouto couldn't remember a time he had felt happier.

By the time they were done Yaoyorozu was beginning to fall asleep. It had been a long day and with a quick goodnight Shouto carried her to his room. He helped her change into one of his larger shirts (in case she transformed back during the night).

Yaoyorozu yawned as she crawled into bed. “Oniisan I love you.” she mumbled.

Shouto didn't fight the smile as he pulled the sheets back and got into bed next to her. He briefly wondered if he should make her a separate bed but gave up on the idea as soon as he thought it. He was too tired and it would be too much of a hassle. Instead, he positioned himself on his side and pulled Yaoyorozu into his chest.

He could feel Yaoyorozu's smile through his shirt. She looked up into his face. Her eyes were already starting to drop with sleepiness but she blinked to try and stay awake. “When I'm big are you going to marry me?” she asked. Her mouth was set in a determined line Shouto was more used to seeing on her older self when challenging a teacher's answer.

Shouto chuckled. “First we'd have to date.”

“So you are going to date big me then.”

“Only if big you wants me to.”

“Why wouldn’t big me want that?”

Shouto sighed. “It’s complicated. I might hurt you.”

Yaoyorozu frowned. “No you wouldn't. I'm a hero. I save people so you can't hurt me.”

Shouto paused, tucking her head underneath his chin. As much as he had decided earlier in the night that he liked Yaoyorozu, he had no idea if that was the right thing. He had never known a stable relationship. His mother's tear stained face flashed through his mind and Shouto gave Yaoyorozu a small squeeze. "Sometimes even heroes get hurt or hurt the people they love."

"Is that how you got your eye boboo?"

Shouto's eyes widened. He could almost laugh as he brought a hand up to cover his scar. Trust Yaoyorozu to be able to read him so easily. He closed his eyes and had to swallow twice before he could speak again. "Yeah…"

A light touch pulled Shouto's hand away and Shouto opened his eyes to find Yaoyorozu staring up at him, her large black eyes dark with emotion. "You won't hurt me because you are my oniisan." She said so resolutely that Shouto could almost believe it. She smiled and leaned in to kiss his scar with a quick peck. "There! All better." She said leaning back to look at his face. "It..it doesn't hurt anymore does it?" She asked.

Shouto shook his head at her concern. "No it doesn't."

"That's good," she gave him a small, soft smile and something about it reminded him of the Ennichi festival. "And you know, big me is still me and I love you so big me will love you too. And if you make a mistake I'll forgive you!"

Shouto swallowed. "Ahh, I see. Then I'll do my best."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Shouto smiled.

"You have to pinky promise otherwise you won't do it." She held up her hand and Shouto let her loop her much smaller pinky around his. "Now. Take a picture otherwise it didn't happen." Shouto's eyes widened but shaking his head he did what he was told and picked up his phone from his bedside to take a quick picture of their interlaced fingers.

It seemed to satisfy her as she let go and immediately snuggled into Shouto's chest.

"Oniisan?" Shouto made a small sound to let her know he was listening. "Will you get me more soba? I liked it."

Shouto smirked, tucking her head under his chin and giving her a small squeeze. "Sure."

XXXXX

Light streamed through the window landing in rays of soft yellow on obsidian hair.

Momo scrunched her eyes and buried herself further into the warmth wrapped around her. It was too bright. She must have forgotten to pull down her blackout curtains before falling asleep.

Something moved and wrapped itself tighter around her waist.

Momo's eyes snapped open.

The first thing she noticed was that she was in a bed that wasn't her's. The second was that she was lying almost on top of a man.

Momo's heart began to thump so loudly she could barely hear herself think. She tried to pull back but the arm around her waist tightened. "Just a few more minutes Momo-chan. It's still really early," the voice she would know anywhere grumbled, pulling her back into his chest.

Momo's heart paused, all the blood in her body rushed to her face and she turned beet red. What was going on? What was she doing in Todoroki-san's room? In his bed? And was it just her imagination but had Todoroki-san just called her by her first name?

She couldn't breath. Black spots were starting to hamper her vision. "To...To..Todoroki-san!"

Heterochromatic eyes slid open. Sleep still fogging them as he pulled back just enough to look down at her. "Ah. You're back."

He said it so calmly. So casually. As if it was completely normal to wake up with someone else in his bed. Momo would have screamed if she could but all her brain cells had seemingly fried at hearing his voice.

Then everything went black.

Shouto's eyes widened as Yaoyorozu fainted in his arms but he was still too groggy from sleep to react. He briefly wondered if he should bring her back to her room but a quick glance at his alarm clock showed it was 5am and standard medical training was to keep an unconscious person rested on their side he thought drowsily. So he just wrapped his arm tighter around her waist and went back to sleep. He'd deal with the situation in the morning when he was awake.

Chapter Text

“I’m so sorry Todoroki-san,” Momo buried her face in her hands. If only she could make these last two days disappear.

"It's fine," Todoroki replied, flipping through the menu, looking wholly unconcerned.

He must hate her.

Momo's stomach knotted. "It's not fine," she said, dropping her hands. "I’ve caused you and everyone else so much trouble and I even fainted. It's shameful for a hero. And now Ashido-san and Hagakure-san are teasing me with all those pictures."

Todoroki shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It could have happened to anyone," he said, closing the menu and looking up just as the waitress arrived.

Momo exhaled, dropping her gaze while Todoroki ordered for them.

But it hadn’t happened to anyone an inner voice reminded her.

She was supposed to be the top of the class, the everything hero. How could she have been so stupid; so unaware of her surroundings? He must think she was a complete idiot now, unworthy of being in U.A.

She twisted her fingers together on her lap. She felt horrible about this whole situation and him acting like it wasn't a big deal wasn't making her feel any better.

She had woken up that morning in Todoroki's bed with no recollection of how she had gotten there. The shock of realizing that she had spent the whole night there in only his oversized t shirt had sent her into a panic. Then she had ended up fainting, forcing Todoroki into the uncomfortable position of taking care of her again.

Momo bit her lip, her gaze darkening. If that wasn't enough to cause her a lifetime of embarrassment then the fact that she had turned into a toddler that couldn't function without Todoroki being in the same room as her was the proverbial big fat cake. And the pictures as well as Kyouka recapping how she had proclaimed that she was going to marry Todoroki were just the icing on that desert.

Momo swallowed and looked away to try and distract herself from her thoughts.

The restaurant was a small, hole in the wall shop with traditional Japanese decor. It wasn't the type of high class place she'd usually visit but it seemed to fit Todoroki's low key style.

Why had he brought her here anyways?

Momo ducked her head and glanced back at Todoroki underneath her lashes. He was watching her. She had gotten better at reading him over the last three years but the look he was giving her didn’t make sense.

It was too warm.

It must be because he felt sorry for her. That was the only logical conclusion.

Momo blinked to stop herself from crying at the revelation and turned her head away. Todoroki was just acting like a gentleman. A perfect hero she had to remind herself. He only brought her out here because he saw how humiliated she was. He would never voluntarily go out with her, especially after yesterday.

The thought hurt more than it should have. Sniffling, she let her gaze drift over the wall. In the far corner, on a tiny chalkboard were the day’s current specials.

"They have the best cold soba here."

Momo looked back at her companion. He was watching her. His heterochromatic eyes softened as they met hers.

Momo swallowed and tried to collect herself. She could at least keep up a conversation. "You've been here before?"

Todoroki nodded.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath. Maybe if she tried she could still salvage their relationship. "Well, for all the trouble I’ve caused you and for escorting me here to hide from Ashido-san and the others at least allow me to treat you to lunch."

"No."

Momo's eyes widened at his abrupt refusal. "But, please Todoroki-san! I owe you..."

Todoroki shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "I made a promise."

"Promise?"

Reaching into his pocket Todoroki pulled out his phone and passed it over the table to her.

Momo turned the device around in her hands and cocked her head to the side to study the image. It was a picture of two hands hooking their pinky fingers together.

One was significantly smaller than the other.

No! This couldn't be?

Warmth spread up her neck.

"Picture or it didn't happen," Todoroki stated, answering her unvoiced question. "I promised to take you on a soba date."

Momo's eyes darted up to meet Todoroki's heterochromatic gaze. "A….a date?"

Todoroki hummed, reaching across the table to pull his phone out of Momo's frozen fingers. "You asked me yesterday to get you soba.”

Momo jerked, her heart pounding. “I’m so sorry! That was completely inappropriate of me. I put you in such an awkward position!” She brought her hand up to clench in front of her chest as guilt and embarrassment waged war for control. “I hope I didn’t make you promise anything else, but if I did, please just forget whatever I said.”

Todoroki shook his head. His heterochromatic eyes seemed brighter when he looked back at her. “Yaoyorozu, you worry too much,” he said. She flinched at the accusation but his eyes were soft as he continued. “I didn’t bring you here because I felt bad for you or anything. I brought you here because I wanted to, Yaoyorozu.”

Momo’s eyes widened as he reached across the table and took her hand. “And as for the other promises I made yesterday?” he said, hooking his pinky finger with hers like in the photo and giving it a light squeeze. “You’ll just have to wait to find out.” His blue and gray eyes flicked up and a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as he looked at her.

Momo opened and closed her mouth. Her mind was having a hard time keeping up as fire raced across her face. So hot she was sure her brain was frying, like an egg on hot asphalt.

Before she could pull herself together, the waitress arrived holding a tray with two bowls. Todoroki let go of her hand. "Two cold sobas?"

"Here," Todoroki answered, his face returning to its neutral expression.

Momo’s heart started to somersault in her stomach. She ducked her head and buried her face back into her hands to hide her expression. Why was she suddenly feeling so happy?