Momo was released from the hospital early the next morning. It was the weekend now, and it would be two days until she returned back to school. The sun had just barely started to rise over the city when the door of her hospital room opened and her father stepped in, looking disgruntled.

"Dad?" Momo asked, confused.

Her father smiled at her weakly. "Hey, sweetie," he greeted. His black hair was messy and he had a concerning amount of scratches on his arms and a bruise on his cheek. Dark bags under his eyes made his face look sunken in. "We have to get you home fast."

"Why? What's going on?" Momo asked as a nurse walked in, ready to take her off all of the monitors.

Her father instantly tensed up at the sight of the nurse. "I'll tell you in the car," he muttered.

The nurse smiled warmly at Momo as she gently took the IV out of her hand. "Remember to just be careful with your burns and do your best to take it easy." her voice was sweet and calming, which made Momo even anxious about the fact that she would have to leave. 

After her father signed a bunch of paperwork for the hospital, Momo was allowed to walk out with him to their car in the parking lot. Her wrist and neck were both covered in bandages, and she clutched her phone in her hand nervously.

Her father took out his phone and checked the time before letting out a breath. He opened the car door and climbed inside, waiting for Momo before starting it and pulling out of the parking lot.

The first few minutes of the drive were silent. Momo watched as the sun started to cast orange and pink lights across the sky. People were just leaving their homes to head to work or buying food from stands on the side of the road. The closer that Momo and her father got to their house, the more nervous she got.

"W-why didn't you come to visit me?" Momo whispered. Her voice was so quiet that she could barely hear herself. "Ochako told me it was because you didn't want Mom knowing."

Her father's grip tightened on the wheel and he let out a frustrated sigh. "Momo, your mother would have gone crazy if I went to visit you. I-I wanted to, I did, but..." his voice grew shaky as he chewed his bottom lip. "When we got a call from your teacher telling us that you were in the hospital, she locked herself in our room. At first, I thought she was sad, but then she started calling you..." his voice slowly trailed off.

"Weak." Momo snorted. "She called me weak, Ochako told me." Her face started to burn as tears threatened to fall. Momo turned her gaze away from her father and stared out of the car window. "It would have been better if I just stayed in the hospital..." she whispered.

"I'm sorry." that was it. That was the last thing Momo's father said to her before they pulled up in their driveway. She shook her head and pushed the car door open, dragging her feet towards her house.

The walkway to Momo's house felt like it went on for miles. She was staring at the huge double door that led into her huge beautiful house, but a pit of worry and hatred grew in her stomach. She clenched her fists as she prepared to see her mother sitting on the other side of that door. 

Momo grabbed the handle and stepped into her house. The marble kitchen was covered in dirty dishes and a rancid smell of alcohol filled her nose. Her mother was sitting with her back facing Momo, watching something on the TV. She was holding a lit cigarette in her right hand and her head was leaned backward like she was asleep.

As Momo started heading towards her bedroom, her mother stirred. 

"Momo? Is that you?" she asked groggily, slurring her words. Her eyes were half-lidded as she brought the cigarette to her lips.

"Yes," Momo replied with clenched teeth. She refused to look at her mother and continued towards the stairs to her bedroom.

"Hah, wow." her mother scoffed. She chuckled and shook her head. "It's crazy to think that you got into the best high school for heroes and still managed to fuck it up," She rose to her feet and started heading towards the kitchen. "I guess that's not surprising, though. You've been disappointing for your whole life."

As her mother was walking past her, she rested a hand on Momo's shoulder. Momo instinctively flinched and ducked away without a word.

"Hm." her mother rolled her eyes and continued to the fridge. "Bitch," she added venomously.

Momo winced at her words and started to cry. Her tears felt like acid against her face as she turned and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. 

"Do you have to criticize her every single time she's around?" her father asked her mother.

"Oh really?" her mother started. "We do everything for that girl and what does she do? She goes and ends up in the hospital. I knew she'd never make it as a hero, she can't do anything for herself!" 

The fighting started. Momo rushed to her room, slamming the door behind her and backing up until her legs hit the edge of her bed. Tears were streaming down her face and she clutched at her chest, clutching the soft material of her shirt. Her room was silent and empty but it couldn't stop the sound of her parents' voices screaming that bounced off of the walls. 

"I can't do this," Momo sobbed, grabbing the hair tie holding up her ponytail and yanking it out. She ran her hands through her hair and tried to slow her breathing from painful wheezes to silent breaths. "I can't do this, I can't do this."

You've been disappointing for your whole life.

...She can't do anything for herself!

Momo took her phone out of her pocket and flung it onto the floor. The carpet of her room seemed to cushion its fall as Momo sank onto her bed and covered her face with her blankets. Her tears sank through the fabric as she trembled with a mix of sadness, anger, misery, and the feeling that she was worthless.

"Why am I back here?" Momo sobbed into her blankets. "I-I can't escape. I'm stuck here..." her voice trailed off as her sobs got caught in her throat. Her chest was burning with anxiety. Her neck stung as the tears sank through her bandages onto her burns. 

"I'm sorry," Momo cried out. She didn't know who she was apologizing to or why, but she just had to say it. "I'm so sorry."

The faint sound of Momo's phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and back to her room. She pulled the blankets away from her face and rushed over to the phone, picking up the call without realizing who it was from.

"What?" her voice was weak and shaky, and she sounded harsher than she had intended.

"I-... hello?" Shouto's voice sounded from the other end of the call.

Fuck. Momo ran a hand down her tear-streaked face.

"Oh, God... I'm so sorry, Shouto, I didn't realize that it was y-you..." she dropped her voice to a whisper.

The call was silent for a moment. "What's the matter? You sound like you're crying." Shouto murmured.

Momo pushed herself to her feet and dragged herself back to her bed, her legs feeling like blocks of iron. "I-I just..." she fell silent again. "I got discharged from the hospital today and came home to a house that I wish I could just run away from." she cleared her throat and stared down at her hands, tears falling onto her pale skin.

Shouto didn't answer for a few moments. She could hear his footsteps over the phone which made her realize that he was moving to another room.

"I-it's gonna be okay," he told her. His voice was quiet. "Just talk to me, alright?"

Momo put her hand to her mouth as more tears spilled down her face. "O-okay, Shouto," she whispered. She leaned back and rested her head on her pillow, her hand resting on her heart. "Thank you,"

"I want to see you," Shouto whispered. "I'm sorry for not coming to visit you in the hospital. I-I just didn't know if..." he let out a slow breath. "I want to see you."

"Okay..." Momo smiled through her tears. "I-I can't be here anymore, Shouto." her throat was raw from her sobbing. "They're fighting. Always fighting. M-my mother... Shouto, am I a good hero?"

"Momo," he muttered. "I want you to breathe, okay? Breathe. You are a great hero. You're amazing, Momo." his words rushed to Momo's heart immediately, and she felt her breathing begin to slow. 

"C-can you meet me somewhere?" Momo asked him quietly. "I can't be here anymore. I have to leave."

"Yeah," Shouto replied. "Just give me a few minutes, okay?" 

"Thank you." Momo hung up the phone and closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath and felt her heart begin to slow.

Thank you, Shouto. 

_____

It's 2 in the morning. :) I finished season 4 of BNHA and let me just tell you- I miss Shouto so goddamn much. I read the manga, but it's still not the same. I miss the anime :( They say that season 5 should be coming out in July of 2021... My heart hurts.

I also don't know if all of you know this but I was being an idiot and accidentally deleted chapter 20 of this book. I went back and rewrote the whole thing, and I actually like the rewritten version better so if you haven't read it yet then go check it out! That's all for now, I'm going to make myself a sandwich. Bye guys :) <3