maneuvering through

Confessions

Momo listened to the measured beeping of the machine beside his bed. The hypnotic rise and fall of the green line kept her steady from falling on her feet, the regular waves indicating life was enough to wash her with relief. It kept the flickering light of hope alive in her heart and mind. Clenching her fist one last time, Momo reached for the sliding doors, turning one last glimpse then to the door, nearly colliding with the equally startled Fuyumi.

"Momo-chan.." She acknowledged after a brief process of her identification, expression split between relief and worry.

"Good evening, Todoroki-san." She bent low on her waist, giving way to the elder sister of Shouto.

"Fuyumi is fine, Momo-chan." She replied with a barely-there smile. Momo noticed nothing has changed in the female Todoroki since the last time she saw her, and unfortunately, for the same setting and reason, no one hoped for.

"I believe we've met right?" Her silver hair spilled on her shoulders, the specks of red standing out. "I'm following your social media."

"Oh...I uh... I'm aware of it." She politely replied, a coy smile inching up at her lips. The way her friendly, gray eyes smiled at her eased out the intense feeling of being around people that Shouto holds dear in his heart.

"Were you about to leave?" Craning her head a little to catch glimpse of her peacefully sleeping brother. "Join me for a while Momo-chan."

She was thrown off the familiarity of her invitation.

"Won't I be a bother?"

She tilted her head in thought. "In what sense you'd be a bother..." giving her an assuring smile, "I don't even think you're on his list of a bother. I think we both need someone to lighten the burden..."

Her legs moved before she knew it, following after the cascading rich white threads of hair under the minuscule wash of light.

Momo followed her to an available couch. She did have ample time to spare before her shift started, plenty of time to watch over him. Plenty of time to contemplate and stay in touch with reality.

"The doctors said that he's out of harm's way ..." Fuyumi began filling the silence in the air, brushing off the stray bangs off the sleeping face of her brother before she joined her in the seat. "Ingenium found him and..."

Momo was torn between relieved that someone had been there for him, and devastation of knowing she almost lost him. The incident report had her in shambles, and it was the first time, at least for her. She hinted a glum look of sympathy at the distressed sister sitting next to her. She wondered what the woman must have felt for three years, waking to grievous news similar to this.

"I'm glad he has you..." Fuyumi breathed out, her glasses catching up the sliver of light as she spun her head towards her sleeping brother.

"I'm not discrediting his friends but...ever since he got back from Osaka, and sometime after, he seemed to have been happier, smiling more than often, radiating a positive aura, something I rarely see and feel from him.."

"Among us, Shouto has been the one who has taken most of the... burden." Her gray eyes fixed unseeingly at a distance. "Every time, my thoughts and worries always find him... I worry that his resentment finds no rest, that he'll carry on with the burden, as someone's means to an end...but...

"... he discovered friends, supportive and trustworthy friends... then you..."

"I couldn't thank you enough Momo-chan, you changed the world for him..."

"I.." She stammered at the candid pouring of words but she knew she couldn't take all the recognition. She was merely just an onlooker. "I don't think it's just me..." calming just a bit... "You were there Fuyumi-san, his family... you were there when I wasn't..."

Fuyumi smiled and gazed gently at her. "... and you have been a great addition to that family Momo-chan..."

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Momo strode out of the agency after another night of patrolling, a lot earlier so she could work on her itineraries. As much as she wanted to head straight to the hospital, she couldn't. Not until the visiting hours allowed her to. Just a week and a few days ago, she was walking the revolving doors with a much livelier and healthy Shouto. The hope of seeing him later after another scheduled appointment for a photo session was enough to pull her out of her depression. Her schedule was hectic while Shouto was lying on a hospital bed and unwary of the world.

"Momo-san."

She turned -- at no longer a surprise, to her former partner, holding another cup of coffee. He had not missed an early morning without greeting and offering her a cup, but she felt it improper to accept it. Most days she abided as a courtesy at his kind gesture until it felt wrong. The amicable part of her says it's just a cup of coffee, and the much louder sensible side of her now yells, it was no longer a friendly gesture, Momo! Who in their right mind is consistent with such gestures when he isn't a boyfriend, not a friend? Probably not even a brother would be that consistent.

She gulped.

"Sato--Raven-san...th--that's nice of you...but uh...I coffee keeps me... "

"Oh..." He muttered, lowering his gaze down the steaming cup of coffee, then at her. "Oh... that made me feel bad..."

"Oh...no! Raven-san! Don't be! I uh..."

He chuckled. Almost to himself. Or more like a scoff. She hardly knew what was. He wasn't looking at her.

"Don't feel bad Momo-san..." "In fact, I may have known for some time you were just accepting it out of courtesy..."

"Eh---"

"Saya might have talked to you about it. We knew each other since middle school..."

Momo shushed that little jolt of guilt with a taut mouth, ignoring the slight jab on their gossiping.

"Let me just cut to the chase then..." the raven-haired hero had not shifted nor adjusted his hold on the two cups, something someone in intense focus mostly does, finding her reflection ensnared in the irises of his prominently ashen eyes.

Without skipping another beat, he opened his mouth to speak but the words remained stuck in his throat as something or someone behind her stopped him.

"... I think I might have lied..."

"-wha?"

"And I thought I have never seen stranger days..."

Bakugou stomped into the morning air and straight away battled on the gaze of the hero before them.

'What was he even doing this early? Did he just get out of his shift? He doesn't look the part.'

"Two coffee grandes on an empty stomach? Feel sorry for you already ..."

Raven's brows slightly writhe at the intrusion but not given out an offensive negation. "Needed the extra ounce to stay awake."

The blond scoffed at the words like a bitter pill folding his arms in and that's when Momo figured he had gone out for a morning jog. His eyes then pierced with a cynical glare. She blinked her eye off the domineering sleepiness.