Work Text:
She takes a glance outside, and immediately, her vision is filled with white. Freshly fallen snowflakes gently tap on her window, propelled by the chilling winds outside and carefully collecting on the sill. The season is winter, a time for new beginnings and hot tea shared with friends.
“It’s already January,” Momo muses, taking a sip of herbal lavender. It’s warm, trickling down her throat, as she exhales a satisfied ‘ah’.
Kyouka fiddles with her phone, bringing up the calendar to confirm even though they’re already well into the month, and nods her head. “Huh, you’re right. That means midterms are coming up.”
Momo hums: exams come and go, and whether or not she knew the exact dates, there’s a quiet confidence that she’ll undoubtedly ace them all.
“Not that you have to worry about anything,” Kyouka light-heartedly teases. Maybe some people would be envious, but the earphone-jack girl knew her best friend spent more time with derivatives, integrals, and complicated chemical compounds than anybody else.
“Helping others study also helps me review the material.”
“That’s just your kindness speaking. You’re practically doing charity work.”
A certain blonde and pink-haired duo pop in her mind, but Momo won’t name any names. She’s far too polite to do so.
The snow pile on the other side of her frosted window glass is blinding against the pitch-black night. She thinks of the color white, one half of his hair, and she thinks of cold, as frigid as the ice he creates.
“Speaking of charity, you know, Todoroki-san’s birthday is coming up,” Momo brings up, taking another sip of her drink and letting the flavor sit on her tongue as she contemplates. Kyouka brings the phone down from her face, wearing an incredulous look.
“How did the conversation jump to that?” the purple-haired girl asks.
“Well, charity involves giving something away, and birthdays involve giving presents. It’d only be natural to draw a comparison!”
If she is so insistent, then Kyouka’s inclined to agree. “Okay, sure, whatever. What about it?”
The refined girl hesitates, turning her cup round and round in her hands. “Do you have an idea on what to get him?”
“Not really,” Kyouka confesses, shrugging her shoulders. “I was just going to pitch in money for Iida’s idea. I don’t really know what goes through Todoroki’s head, and something tells me it’d probably bore me out of my mind.”
Momo doesn’t understand why the other girl isn’t more enthusiastic about this conversation. Finding the proper gift that’s to be appreciated by the receiver is a sign of compassion and understanding. Both are definitive characteristics of heroism.
Thus, the raven-haired teen comes to the natural conclusion that finding the perfect gift for Shouto Todoroki is nothing more than another milestone on her journey to be a respected heroine.
“Is that so?”
Kyouka frowns at the obvious dissatisfaction in her best friend’s voice. “Why? What were you thinking?”
“Well, since it’s the middle of January, I thought of giving him a nice, winter coat, but ultimately ruled it out given the nature of his quirk. Then, I considered maybe he’d like an assortment of imported tea, the very best I might add, but deduced that they probably won’t suit his tastes. And then—”
“You have no idea what to get him,” Kyouka interrupts. Momo’s mouth hangs open, the unfinished thought stuffed back into the depths of her mind, and she slowly presses her lips together, the corners twitching down into a frown. “Why not just give him money and be done with it? You know, skip the whole guessing game of what he’ll like or dislike.”
“That’s a cheap way out,” the rigid teenager protests. “And besides, he has no need for money.”
Kyouka throws her head back and laughs. “Yaomomo, everyone has a need for money.”
Momo glares at her uncooperative friend and chucks a small pillow at her face that Kyouka catches easily. “You don’t understand. He’s not… Todoroki-san isn’t like that. He probably won’t know what to do with it.”
“Fair point,” Kyouka concedes. This is Shouto Todoroki they’re talking about, after all, son of the number one hero of Japan. She doubts he even knows the difference between debit and credit.
Momo gently sets her cup of tea down, eyebrows fraught with worry. “What do I do, Kyouka? What can I possibly get someone who has everything?”
The problem is more severe than the short-haired girl previously diagnosed. Tapping on the table’s surface pensively, Kyouka is struck with an idea. “How about you get him something that money can’t buy?”
“Kyouka, I’m not going to use my quirk. It’s illegal, and it’ll ruin the economy.”
“I didn’t mean that,” her companion quickly dismisses. “I meant, hasn’t he ever mentioned something to you about wanting to go visit a place or something?”
Momo pauses and carefully considers her best friend’s advice. She’s reminded of the scent of summer, the chilly breeze, the sound of exploding fireworks, and his small voice. Things that were ‘obvious’, that were ‘normal’, that ‘families do’.
She’s reminded that no, nobody is ever born to have everything. Every blessing comes with a price.
“I got it!” Momo excitedly declares, standing up from her seat. She’s practically bouncing. “Thank you for your help, Kyouka.”
The other girl mockingly salutes her. “Don’t mention it. Think of this as payback for having to teach me math.”
Momo laughs and quickly takes out her cellphone. For her plan to succeed, she’d need to pull a few strings. The chance for success? Fairly high, if she’s being completely honest.
Shouto thought of birthdays to be trivial occasions. Another year added to a value of little importance. Out of 365 days, why should one be treated more special?
That is, until he’s introduced to a world of celebrating birthdays. The surprise party that Tenya planned did little to catch him off-guard (everyone had been acting strange a few days before, so the observant hero-in-training knew something was up), but having his classmates show their appreciation through gifts made him realize its importance.
One after another, they line up to hand their presents. Some are practical, like the fuzzy socks Izuku gives or the tracking journal from Tenya, while others made him tilt his head to the side, like the Endeavor stress toy Katsuki threw at his face. Still, he treasures each and every one, giving the entire crowd a small but genuine smile.
When comes Momo’s turn, everyone holds their breath in, anticipating what she’s gotten him.
“How much do you think she spent?” Minoru whispers over to Denki. The blonde shrugs his shoulders.
“I dunno. Probably more than this entire party combined.”
To everyone’s surprise, she comes up emptyhanded, but there’s an unmistakable smile on her face to indicate that it’s entirely intentional.
“Are you free this weekend, Todoroki-san?” she asks brightly. He blinks, pondering over her question for a moment before slowly nodding his head.
“I’ll be visiting my mother Sunday, but I’ll be free Saturday,” the aloof boy answers, intrigued by the unexpected enquiry. “Why?”
“Keep your schedule open. I’ll give you my present then,” Momo says eagerly, clasping her hands together. Meanwhile, the entire class sits in silence, eyes wide open as they turn to Shouto with bated breaths, anticipating his answer.
If it’d been any other person in class, he might have grown suspicious and declined. But this is Momo Yaoyorozu, the girl he voted for because he trusted her abilities, so he nods his head and says,
“Okay. I will.”
There’s a surprising lack of reactions from the other students, maybe because they’re too astonished that the two recommended students just shamelessly planned a date. Tenya clears his throat, announcing that it is time for the cake cutting when he notices the birthday boy shifting uncomfortably from the gawking, and then everyone’s attention switches over to the delicious cake that Rikido made the night before.
Minoru stabs his slice with a pout. “Dammit, Denki, you’re right. A date with Yaoyorozu is priceless!”
Shouto doesn’t know what to expect when he meets Momo in the common room. She greets him with a wave and smile that eases his anxiety, but when he enters the car she borrowed from her parents, complete with a chauffeur, and puts on the animal eared headband upon her insistence, his wariness grows.
She’s busily scrolling through her phone when he asks, cautiously, “Yaoyorozu, where are we going?”
“Hm? Oh, it’s a surprise, Todoroki-san!”
“If I’m to be completely honest, I’m tired of surprises.”
Momo laughs at the deadpan delivery. “I promise you, this one will be good.” Staring into his mismatched irises, she tilts her head and innocently asks, “Is that all right with you?”
He can’t really decline when she does something underhanded like this. Turning his head to stare out the window, the city buildings blurring past them, he murmurs, “…No complaints here.”
Although, maybe he should have raised one.
It’s too late for retrospection when the car drops them off in front of a large amusement park, colorful buildings and boisterous children all around. The ostentatious sign at the front reads ‘Heroland’, and on the front lawn are a bunch of flowers arranged to make All Might’s face.
Confusion must be written on his face because she tells him, “This is an amusement park.”
“I can see that,” Shouto curtly replies, shuffling behind her to let a child pass through him. “Why are we here?”
“This is your birthday present!”
He surveys his surroundings. There is a family taking selfies in front of the Best Jeanist character. Another is chasing after the Endeavor-lookalike, who’s in character by ignoring their request for an autograph. A child bumps into his leg, dropping their ice cream. A sniffle, a cry, and then there’s a mother profusely apologizing to Shouto as she drags her kid away.
Shouto turns to Momo who has difficulty hiding her amusement. “I’m not good with kids.”
She clasps her hands together behind her back. The twinkle in her eyes makes him wary.
“How unfortunate, because today, you are one!”
“…Pardon?” he sputters. He must have misheard her, but judging from her determined expression, perhaps not. “Yaoyorozu, I thought you said this is to celebrate my birthday. Isn’t the point that I’ve gotten one year older?”
“Well, if interpreted literally,” Momo corrects. He can only furrow his eyebrows together at her answer. “But with birthdays comes a wish. And I recall that you would like to know why families do certain things, correct?”
He squints his eyes. Perhaps he had said something to that effect once, but he’d never imagined for her to remember. “And you came up with this?”
“Are you not happy?”
The upwards slant of her eyebrows shows her distress as she stares at him expectantly for his answer. His throat closes, and he shoves his hands into his pockets. He turns and begins heading for the huge arch with a ‘Welcome!’ on it. “I never said that.”
“Where are you going?” Momo calls out, trotting after him. Shouto glances over his shoulder.
“You said you’d show me why people come here, right?” She nods her head. “That won’t happen if we just keep standing around.”
Momo beams at his sudden willingness to participate. With renewed vigor, she fishes the neatly folded map from her purse and opens it in one, smooth motion. “Then, let’s begin in Ryukyu Land! I heard they’ve got a ride where you pop out from a dragon’s mouth.”
Clearly, she’s more excited about this than he is. Her child-like zeal brings a smile on his face before he’s even aware of it. A group of children run past them, shouting,
“We have to hurry before the line gets long!”
Alarmed, she turns to Shouto and offers her hand. He looks at it quizzically.
“Come on, Todoroki-san! You heard them. We can’t afford to wait long.”
He silently laughs through his nose. “They’re children.”
That doesn’t extinguish the eager glimmer in her eyes. “Ah, you forget Todoroki-san. Today, we are children!”
Shouto doesn’t know what compels him, but it’s as if some invisible force takes his hand and fits his fingers between hers like puzzle pieces falling into place. He doesn’t know where the sudden burst of energy originates, but he can feel the wind tousling his hair and the sweat forming on his forehead as he’s lead by an overly-enthused Momo past the crowds and into the forming line. When they pause to catch their breath, she takes one glance at how disheveled and ridiculous they look, especially when his bear-ears are barely hanging onto one side, and bursts out into laughter.
His hand is still in hers as they reach the front, and when she lets go to settle into the seat next to him, he notes the odd loneliness welling up in his chest with wonder.
Their shoulders touch and bump as the cart rides over the uneven tracks. He can’t help himself from peering over and up at the course.
“It’s huge.”
“Yes! It’s estimated to be 456 feet tall.”
“It’s long.”
“Mmhmm. It supposedly spans 2.48 km.”
He doesn’t even bother asking how she knows all this because it’s Yaoyorozu. She always knew the most trivial of all facts.
The conductor presses the button to signify the start of the ride. He jerks with alarm as the machine whirs to life, slowly taking them up a terrifyingly long uphill slope. It’s the first time that Shouto’s ever felt this way, but he turns to the composed girl and says,
“Yaoyorozu, we’re going to die.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Todoroki-san!” He doesn’t care about appearances in the face of death. “There’s a lot of physics that goes behind this. You know, centripetal acceleration, kinetic energy—”
“How can I rely so much on a science that has no explanation for quirks?”
“Inertia, gravitational forces, weight—”
“Yaoyorozu, I changed my mind. I think I’ve learned enough to conclude that I don’t want to be a kid anymore.”
“Friction, centrifugal force—Oh! And feel free to lift your hands up, Todoroki-san!”
“I’d like for my arms to be attached before and after this—”
He doesn’t have time to finish his statement as his body careens forward then back. He shakes and jumps, every little movement made more aware with the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He doesn’t even have the energy to scream or wave his arms up like Momo suggested, instead sitting frozen in place as he lets these new sensations take control.
In a blur, it’s all over.
The first thing Momo does when they leave their seats is seek the photo that’s been taken. Although she can’t get a clear view of her face with her bangs waving all around, she can’t help but burst into a fit of giggles at the stunned expression on Shouto’s. She turns to him, about to share the 3x3 card, when she notices his slightly hunched form, bangs covering his eyes.
“We can take a break if you’d like, Todoroki-san.”
“No.” He lifts his head up, and Momo’s taken aback by the sparkle and subtle glee in his eyes. “Let’s go again.”
They manage to ride all the roller coasters, even the ones aimed for kids, by skipping out on dinner. Although Momo would usually never pass on a meal, she can’t find it in her heart to put a pause on Shouto’s eagerness. It’s the first she’s ever seen him act this way.
As they reach the last destination for the day, a Ferris wheel with All Might’s face in the middle, Momo manages to snag some cotton candy from a vendor in line. She offers some to Shouto who takes it graciously, filling his empty stomach with some sustenance.
She can’t help but click her tongue. “This is ridiculous.”
“You’re right. The price for these things are at least three times the norm.”
“You’re worried about the price?” Momo raises an eyebrow. “Todoroki-san, I meant we skipped dinner, and we’re eating candy as a substitute. This is unacceptable as heroes-in-training.”
“Ah. You’re right.”
Laughing and shaking her head, they nonetheless finish the sweet treat before they get on the ride. She sits on one side, and he settles himself on the other. It’s quite small, meant more for children half their size, so their knees involuntarily touch. Neither pulls away, however.
It’s a slow descent. Even just a quarter of the way up, there’s a clear view of Musutafu’s skyline, twinkling stars from the city lights littering the Earth. Momo’s eyes widen with glee as she takes the sight in front of her.
“Isn’t it beautiful, Todoroki-san?”
He glances over at her profile, busy engraving the scenery in her head, and hums. “It is.”
There’s a comfortable silence that lingers between them. It’s natural; they feel no need to fill the space with meaningless chatter. They keep to their thoughts until the Ferris wheel reaches the middle point.
“I had fun today.”
Momo shifts her line of sight over towards the normally wordless teen. He’s looking directly at her.
“Did you? I take it that you enjoyed my present then?”
“I did. I didn’t realize how fun…” A soft exhalation through his nose. “How fun it is being a kid.”
Her beam is dazzling. Pride oozes out from every pore of her body because she, probably the only person in existence, got the ever-so distant and always so serious Shouto Todoroki to admit enjoying being a kid.
“You’d think I’d learn by now to trust your judgment. I’ve yet to be let down.”
“And your words are always far too kind, Todoroki-san.” Her fingers tap against the side of her seat. “Can I confess something?”
He answers with a small nod.
“I must admit that this trip, though mostly aimed for your enjoyment, is also a selfish whim of mine.”
“How so?”
She sets her gaze out the window and back into the past. “When I was a child, my mother insisted that crowded places were nothing more than a congregation of ineludible danger.” Shouto opens his mouth to tell her that statistically, it is true that villains tend to attack congested spaces, but Momo holds a hand up to keep him silent. “Though I don’t doubt her judgment, it’s always been a wish of mine to come as well.”
“So, it’s a present for the both of us,” he remarks calmly.
Momo blinks owlishly at him, running a hand through her hair. “I…suppose it is.”
“I think I wouldn’t mind coming back, present or not.”
“You should.” She slams a fist in her outstretched palm, as if remembering something she had forgotten. “With your family, of course.”
“That could work,” Shouto murmurs, leaning back against the wall. The small compartment shifts slightly so Momo tilts closer to him. “But I wouldn’t mind coming back with just you.”
Maybe they’ve spent too much time sharing body heat in the cramped space because Momo is suddenly feeling very warm. Before she can ask what he means exactly, the door opens and it’s just now that the two realize they’ve completed the 360. A couple stands on the other side, waiting for them to step out for their turn.
As her feet touch the soft snow on the ground, a small squish with every step, she glances over towards the reserved boy, the tips of his ears stained as red as her cheeks, and decides that she can come up with her own solution to her question.
The chances of it being right? Fairly high, if she’s being completely honest.