Momo felt herself stir in the middle of the night. The moon was high in the sky, and she checked her phone to see that it was half-past two a.m. The house was completely silent, and Momo let out a sigh as she lied back and stared up at the ceiling. 

It was strange to think that even though she was spending the night in a brand new place with one of the most intimidating Pro Heroes, she had never felt safer. She didn't have to listen for the sound of pots clattering together or the screams of her parents. She didn't have to use her headphones to drown out the sound of their fights or study until they eventually fell asleep. 

She finally felt safe. For the first time in years, she felt safe.

The thought of it made her chest tighten slightly and she let out a shaky breath. Her thoughts slowly wandered over to Shouto, and her cheeks blushed a bright red. He was sleeping just a few rooms over. She knew only bits and pieces of the tragic upbringing he had endured, but if anything it made her admire him more. 

He was one of the strongest people she had ever met. Momo knew she was strong herself. Even though it took a long time for her to admit it, she was proud. Her heart was heavy with the years of screaming and fighting, but it was beating stronger than ever. 

That was when she heard the sound of her phone buzzing. She lifted her head from her pillow and leaned over to pick it up again. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that it was a text from Shouto. 

Shouto: are you awake?

Momo frowned at the message. She was surprised he wasn't asleep by now, and even more surprised at the fact that he was texting her. She leaned back and let out a deep breath, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard.

Momo: yes. 

That was the only thing she sent. Anxiety welled up in her chest as she tried to figure out why he was awake. She practically counted the seconds as soon as she saw him typing again.

Shouto: could you come here for a second?  my room is just down the hall.

Momo read the text twice over before she realized what he was asking. She didn't have a clue why he wanted to see her so late, and she didn't want to ask in case it was for a bad reason. She texted back a quick yes before taking a deep breath and standing up.

She had taken her hair out of her ponytail before falling asleep, so it fell messily over her shoulders. Momo's eyes were still heavy with sleep as she cast a glance into a mirror hanging on the wall. Fuyumi had ended up lending her a hoodie and shorts to sleep in, and she had small bags residing under her eyes. She tried to calm down her racing heart before tiptoeing towards the bedroom door and pushing it open.

The hallway was completely pitch black. Momo used the flashlight on her phone to guide her through the big house, careful to make as little noise as possible. As she was walking down the hall, she heard heavy snoring coming from one room. Based on the gruff sound, Momo had assumed it was Endeavor. She felt her heart leap into her throat when she heard the bed shift, but thankfully he didn't seem to wake up.

Right before she got to Shouto's door, Momo saw an open door. Out of pure curiosity, she briefly shone her flashlight into it, and her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

She stepped into the room to see what looked like the shrine of a little kid. There was a small picture of a little boy with bright red hair and chilling turquoise eyes staring back at her. He looked no older than five or six years old. There were several unlit candles placed around the picture, and a small plate of food placed in front of it. Momo pointed the flashlight downward to see a name inscribed at the bottom.

Touya Todoroki.

Frowning, Momo turned her attention back up to the picture again. She immediately realized the chilling resemblance between Touya and Enji. The same spiky red hair and bright blue eyes. They even had the same frown, for Touya was not smiling in the picture. She didn't know what happened to him but a few assumptions swam into her mind. Trying to shake away those thoughts, Momo slowly backed out of the away and continued towards Shouto's room.

Before entering the room, Momo knocked quietly. She turned off her phone's flashlight and gently pushed open the door.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the room was smoke rising from Shouto's left side. His right was covered in a light sheen of frost, and Momo quirked a brow up at his state. He was staring down at the blankets on his bed and only noticed her come in when the door clicked shut behind her.

"What happened?" Momo asked him. A lamp beside Shouto's bed was turned on, and his gaze flicked towards Momo's arms.

Shouto reached out his hand towards Momo, beckoning her forward. "Could I check something?" he asked quietly.

Momo stuffed her phone into the pocket of her hoodie and walked towards him. "Sure."

When she reached his side, Shouto gently grabbed one of her wrists. It was with his left hand, and Momo noticed that it was uncomfortably hot. Shouto pushed up the sleeve of her hoodie and examined her arm for a moment. After realizing nothing was there, he let out a sigh of relief and checked the other.

"What's this about, Shouto?" Momo asked him as he released her arm. 

He didn't respond for a moment and leaned back in his bed. Eventually, he reluctantly lifted his gaze to meet Momo's. "I had a nightmare..." his voice was quiet. "I don't remember exactly what happened, but I think I grabbed one of your arms and accidentally burned you." he ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to make sure that it was just a dream."

Momo nodded slowly. She knew how apprehensive he was about his left side, and the thought of him just finding another reason to hate it made her feel uneasy. "It was just a dream, okay? I'm completely fine."

The corner of Shouto's lips turned up into a small smile. "Thank you for coming over. I'm sorry if I woke you."

Shaking her head, Momo bit back a yawn. "Don't worry, I was already awake." She took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time to see that it was just past three.

"You can go back to sleep, it's late." Shouto murmured. She could tell how tired he still was by the tone of his voice.

"You should too, if you can," Momo told Shouto. She locked eyes with him again, and without thinking, lifted her hand and brushed the back of it against his cheek. Her heart warmed when he nodded and gently leaned into her touch. "Goodnight, Shouto."

Momo pulled her hand away and turned to go back to her room. Just as she was about to close the door on the way out, she heard Shouto's sleepy voice.

"Goodnight, Momo."

_______

I've been playing a lot of "My Hero One's Justice 2" lately and it's so much fun. :) Shouto's obviously my favorite character but I would also pay money for Momo to stomp on my face. <3

This story will undergo major editing in the near future, I just have to figure out when and what I want to do with it. The main plot will stay the same but small things will change.