Thick layers of snow covered the streets outside. The temperature had dropped well below freezing, and Momo was huddled up on her bed, wrapped in blankets. Strands of her hair fell in her face as she stared down at the open sketchbook in front of her. One of the secret passions she had never shown was art, she absolutely adored drawing.

Holding the sharpened pencil delicately over the paper, Momo flipped through images in her mind of what she should draw. Biting her bottom lip in thought, she let a small grin spread across her face. Momo set down the pencil and began to sketch out the outline of a face. Her pencil barely left the paper as the rough sketches of the graphite slowly began to show that of a boy. A boy that Momo had a huge crush on.

She slowly began to outline his eyes and the perfect line that separated his hair color. Drawing the rest of his hair, she grinned goofily every time she lifted up her pencil and examined the handsome face staring back at her. After a few more minutes of drawing, she waited until the very end to add his scar. Trying to think about the outline of the rough skin around his eye, she felt a prick of guilt in her heart for him.

It must be so tough, walking around with a huge scar on your face... Letting out a soft sigh, Momo slowly trailed the pencil down the paper. She wrapped the scar around the bottom of his left eye and connected it to the side of his cheek. She quickly scribbled down a U.A. shirt, tie, and blazer at the base of the neck. When she was finished, she took in a sharp breath and pulled the sketchbook close, clutching it to her chest.

Momo sat in silence for a few moments. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but all her peacefulness was instantly shattered with the sound of a door slamming.

Jumping at the sound, Momo dropped the sketchbook. It fell off the side of her bed and onto the floor, flipping to a new page. Momo felt her heart begin to race. She knew what was coming. It happened all too often.

"I swear to God, you're going to drive me fucking INSANE!" Momo's mother's shrill shrieks ran all the way from the kitchen into Momo's ears. There was a sound of what sounded like the fridge door slamming.

"I wouldn't be on your case all the time if you stopped leaving for the bar at two in the morning!" Her father's intimidating, deep voice thundered through the halls of the house. "For all I know you could be out fucking other men! You never TELL ME ANYTHING!"

"..." A few moments of enraged silence passed. It was then followed by the sound of a fist connecting with the wall. Momo's mother's rage had gotten the better of her. "I shouldn't have to tell you anything. You're my shitty husband, not my guardian!" she snarled, her voice breaking from all the screaming.

Momo's shoulders trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks. She brought her hands up to her mouth and tried to hide her choked sobs threatening to erupt from her. She bit her bottom lip and rubbed her eyes as the sounds of the yelling slowly slurred together, and she could barely pick out the words being thrown around.

Her breathing uneven and shaky, Momo wrapped her hands around her arms and dug her nails into her skin. She tried to stop her trembling with everything she had in her. As more cries were being heard from the kitchen, Momo grabbed a pillow from behind her and shoved her face into it.

She held her breath, refusing to let her sobs go. She didn't want her emotions to flow freely. It would be too difficult to get them back again. Instead, she held her breath and listened to the sound of her beating heart. It roared in her ears, torturing her. The sound of her thundering heartbeat was almost too much to bear, and she began to tremble slowly.

Just as she was falling into a mental demise, her phone went off. Momo jumped, her face flying up. She glanced down and felt her heart stagger in her chest. The contact on her phone was none other than Todoroki.

Shouto Todoroki was calling her.

Momo felt like she was about to faint, between a mix of anxiety and sadness.

She reached out a shaky hand and took in a deep, cracking breath. Tapping the answer button, she held the phone up to her ear. "H-hello?" she asked, unable to keep her voice from breaking.

"Yaoyo-..." Todoroki's voice trailed away. He sounded nervous, and he was speaking fast. "A-are you crying?"

Momo lifted up a hand and wiped her eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but an unsolicisited sob left her. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Y-yeah, but..." she closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Are you okay?" Todoroki asked softly, his voice lower.

"Not really." Momo chuckled, flinching as the sound of tears traveled to her ears from her parents. "I-I just... I don't know." Momo closed her eyes, and more tears ran down her cheeks. 

"D-do you want to meet me somewhere? We can talk- if you want." he offered, alarm running through him.

Momo smiled to herself, her breathing shallow. "Can you meet me at the park in a few minutes? I-I just need somebody to talk to."

"Of course." Todoroki responded. "But... Yaoyorozu?"

"Yeah?"

Todoroki didn't respond for a few moments. He let out a sigh, his voice quiet. "Do you have anything to cover..." he took in a slow breath. "To cover b-bruises?"

"...Why...?" Momo instantly felt alarm shoot up within her. Her heart skipped a beat at the strange request.

"I'll tell you later, I just..." Todoroki shook his head. "I-I'll see you at the park in a few minutes, Yaoyorozu." And with that, he hung up.

Momo put down her phone and buried her face in her hands. She felt so broken. So hurt. So guilty. She didn't know how to fix any of it. She didn't know if she could.

After a few moments, Momo rose to her feet and grabbed her coat, pushing open the window. She listened for the strained screams of her parents, which was still coming loudly from the kitchen. It sounded like they were both on the verge of tears. Feeling another crack form in Momo's heart, she snuck out of the window and slowly dropped into the snow on the other side.

______

As Momo approached the park, she crossed her arms to warm up. Her snowboots were trudging through the white powder, and her breath came out in puffs of white smoke. When she saw the park in the distance, she glanced up and narrowed her eyes. Up ahead, she could see Todoroki waiting at the entrance. He was staring at something a few feet away, so he hadn't noticed Momo yet.

Quickening her pace, Momo kicked up a clump of snow and hurried towards him. The tears on her face had frozen, and it had caused her face to turn cold. Her skin was red, and her eyes were puffy with tears. When she approached Todoroki, she took in a deep breath and stared up at him pitifully.

"Yaoyorozu..." Todoroki took in a deep breath. He was wearing gloves, and he slowly glanced down at his hands. Momo followed his gaze as he slowly pulled off his gloves and rolled up his sleeves. That's when her breath got caught in her throat.

Blue and purple bruises covered his arms. They reached up from his elbows down to his wrists, leaving nearly no mark of his pale skin untouched. Momo felt guilt writhe within her as she slowly lifted her hand and traced the outline of the bruises with her cold hand.

"How... How did this happen?" she glanced up at him, narrowing her eyes. That's when she noticed something else. A huge black eye covered the left side of his face, making his scar appear darker and more purple. She widened her eyes and reached up her hand, cupping the side of his face gently. "Who did this?" she asked softly.

Todoroki didn't respond. He stared down at the ground, hesitant to respond. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh. "My arms hurt. So bad."

Momo's heart nearly split in two. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and without even thinking, lurched forwards and wrapped her arms around Todoroki. She pulled him close to her and buried her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry. Y-you don't deserve any of this..." she sobbed, her body trembling.

After a few moments, Todoroki's arms slowly lifted and wrapped around Momo. Hi rested his chin in the crook of her neck and closed his eyes, keeping his emotions bottled up. He refused to cry.

"You told me you'd tell me what happened." Momo let out a sigh. She didn't let go of Todoroki. That was the last thing she wanted. "How'd you get your bruises?"

Todoroki's grip tightened around Momo. "I..." his voice was gentle and quiet. "You can't tell anybody, Yaoyorozu." He slowly pulled away, and Momo wished more than anything that he hadn't. "Promise me that."

Momo gazed up into his dual-colored eyes. She nodded. "I won't tell anybody. I promise you."

He nodded. Todoroki ran his hand down Momo's arm and wrapped her hand. He held out his arm and wrapped Momo's hand around it gently. "M-my father. He... he hurts me Yaoyorozu..."

"Todoroki..." she gazed down at his bruises. They completely covered his arms, and she brought up her other hand, resting it on his. "You deserve so much more than this." she gestured towards his arms, and then up at his scar. "I'm sorry."

"Why were you crying, Yaoyorozu?" he murmured. "Please tell me."

Momo let out a sigh. She pulled her hands away from Todoroki and rubbed her face, still red from crying. "M-my parents. They just-" she shook her head. "They fight all the time. It scares me. I'm afraid..." she bit her bottom lip. "I'm so afraid they'll hurt each other, Todoroki." she gazed up at him, searching his gaze for any type of emotion. "I'm afraid they'll hurt me."

Without saying anything else, Todoroki pulled Momo against him again. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her shoulder. Momo didn't hesitate in responding. She hugged him back, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. 

At his point, they didn't have their parents. They didn't have their homes. They just had each other. And that was the best they could have asked for.

______

this is a really corny chapter and i don't like it that much but oh well

ALSO 1K READS WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKK THANK YOU SO MUCH! <3 I DIDN'T THINK THIS STORY WOULD GO ANYWHERE, I WAS BASICALLY JUST WRITING IT FOR FUN. THANK YOU SM! 

comment please i need feedback and opinions and want to see what people think of the story

i love todoroki so much ugh he's my husband okay goodbye y'all <3