Author's Note: sorry for it being cheesy...I was listening to 'champagne coast' while writing this chapter.
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He chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You're already analyzing it, aren't you?"
"I can't help it," she said, but there was laughter in her voice. "Though I think my conclusions are more... experiential now. Less academic."
"Good."
They separated carefully, and Momo curled up against his side, her head on his chest. She felt warm and content, perfectly comfortable in his arms.
"We should shower," she said after a while, though she didn't move at all.
"Probably," he agreed, equally comfortable where he was.
"And I should make breakfast. You need to eat after... all that."
"Momo."
"Yes?"
"In a few minutes."
She laughed softly. "In a few minutes," she agreed.
Those few minutes turned into nearly an hour of lazy cuddling and quiet conversation. They talked about everything...her worries about upcoming exams, his concerns about training, their relief that they'd both survived the villain attack.
Eventually, they reluctantly left the warm comfort of her bed.
The shower was an adventure....learning how to move around each other in the small space, taking turns under the hot water, the simple closeness of washing each other's hair.
Ryuu found himself captivated by the sight of water running down Momo's skin, the way she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to rinse out the shampoo.
When she opened her eyes and caught him staring, she blushed but smiled.
"See something you like?" she asked teasingly, showing a confidence he hadn't seen before.
"Everything," he said honestly, which made her blush deepen.
When she nearly dropped the soap bottle, he caught it and took over washing her back. His hands moved gently over her skin, and she relaxed under his touch.
"This is nice," she murmured.
"Just nice?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
"Ok ok...it's perfect," she corrected softly.
They stayed in the shower until the hot water started running cold.
Momo gave him a fluffy towel and created a spare uniform for him with her quirk.
"The sizing should be right," she said, blushing. "I may have... memorized your measurements."
"Memorized them?" he repeated with amusement.
"For practical reasons," she insisted, though her expression said otherwise.
While she got dressed, Ryuu watched her through the mirror, admiring how carefully she moved, the care she took with her appearance.
Everything about Momo was neat and precise, but he'd learned that underneath that controlled surface was someone capable of incredible passion.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, catching his reflection watching her.
"You," he said simply. "How beautiful you are. How lucky I am."
She turned to face him, fully dressed now but with her hair still damp from the shower. "I'm the lucky one."
"We can both be lucky."
"True." She walked over and adjusted his tie with ease. "There. Much better."
Her hands lingered on his chest, and they just stood there for a moment, looking at each other.
The morning light coming through the window made her eyes sparkle, and Ryuu felt like he could die knowing he have lovers who really love him.
"I love you," he said, because he could, because it was true, because she deserved to hear it as many times as he could say it.
"I love you too," she replied, going up on her toes to kiss him softly.
"Now," she said when they broke apart, "breakfast. I believe I promised to make you something."
Momo's breakfast was, unsurprisingly, fancy.
She created ingredients with her quirk...fresh eggs, premium bacon, artisanal bread...and set about preparing what looked like it could have come from a high-end restaurant.
"You don't have to go to all this trouble," Ryuu protested, though he was touched by the care she was putting into it.
"It's not trouble," she said, whisking eggs with precision. "Besides, you need proper nutrition. Especially after all that... exercise this morning."
Even talking about breakfast, she made it sound scientific. Ryuu found it cute rather than weird.
It was just who she was...someone who did everything carefully and thoroughly.
"Can I help?" he offered.
"You can sit there and keep me company," she said without looking up. "That's enough."
"I'm serious, Momo. Let me help."
She glanced at him, considering. "Alright. You can make the toast. But follow my instructions...there's a specific way to do it properly for optimal browning."
Of course there was. Ryuu listened as she explained the exact butter-to-bread ratio and the perfect timing for golden-brown results.
It was probably the most detailed toast instructions he'd ever received, but her seriousness made it endearing.
They worked together comfortably, moving around the small kitchen like they'd been doing it forever.
When Momo needed something from a high shelf, Ryuu got it without being asked. When he wasn't sure about the toast, she checked it with a quick look and a nod.
"We work well together," Momo said as she arranged their breakfast perfectly on plates.
"We do," he agreed, then took a sip of orange juice. "So, what do you think about the festival preparations? Are we ready?"
"Logistically, yes," Momo said, cutting her bacon into pieces. "All the paperwork's done, safety measures are set, everything's assigned. But practically..." She paused, thinking. "I'm worried about security."
"Because of what happened at the research facility?"
"Partly. But also because festivals bring huge crowds. If something were to happen..." She trailed off, clearly imagining worst-case scenarios.
"Hey." Ryuu reached across the table to take her hand. "The pros will be there and they tripled security."
"You're right," she said, though she still looked thoughtful. "I guess I'm just over-preparing to cope."
"Nothing wrong with being prepared. What's our class doing again? I've been so focused on recovery I haven't kept track."
Momo's expression brightened...she loved sharing information. "We're doing multiple things. Food booth with international cuisine...Ochaco's been perfecting her takoyaki. Performance stage with music and dancing...Jirou composed an original piece. Activity stations....Tsuyu suggested making them wheelchair accessible."
"And let me guess, you're coordinating all of it?"
"Someone has to maintain quality," she said with mock seriousness, then smiled. "Though I have to admit, it's been fun watching everyone discover hidden talents. Did you know Bakugo is actually an excellent cook when he's not trying to explode things?"
Ryuu laughed. "I'm having trouble picturing that."
"He threatened to 'blow up anyone who ruins his perfect seasoning ratios.' It was kind of cute in a violent way."
They continued eating in comfortable conversation, discussing everything from the upcoming week's classes to Momo's ideas for improving her hero costume design.
It was domestic and peaceful in a way that made Ryuu's chest warm with contentment.
"I should probably head back soon," he said eventually, though he didn't want to leave. "Mr Aizawa wants to see me at 1 PM, and I told Kirishima I'd study with him and Mina at 2."
"Probably just a routine check on your recovery," Momo said. "Is your quirk seems to be stabilizing well?."
"Yeah... I guess..."
They moved to the couch after breakfast, and Ryuu pulled her close.
"You said you've things to do...they will wonder what's keeping so late." Momo said with a slight blush on her face.
"Let them wonder a little longer," he said, pulling her closer on the couch where they'd migrated after breakfast.
She settled against his side with a contented sigh. "Hmm...this is nice. Just... being together without any pressure."
"We should do it more often."
"Agreed. Though maybe not always so... intensively," she added, blushing. "I might need recovery time."
Ryuu laughed, kissing the top of her head. "Fair. Though for someone worried about being inexperienced, you learn really fast."
"I have excellent instruction," she replied primly, which made him laugh again.
They stayed like that for another hour, just talking and enjoying each other. Eventually his phone buzzed with a text from Mina.
*"Hope you're having a good morning *wink* *wink* Don't forget Aizawa wants to see you at 1 PM in his office!"*
"Mina?" Momo asked, noticing his expression.
"Yeah. She's reminding me about my meeting with Aizawa and the study session this afternoon."
"She knows where you are, doesn't she?"
"Probably," Ryuu admitted. "She's good at reading these things."
Momo smiled. "I like that about her. She's very perceptive when it comes to emotions and relationships."
"Will you be okay? With me going back to normal, being discreet about this?"
"We're not pretending it didn't happen," Momo said gently. "We're just being private, which is appropriate. What we have is ours. We don't owe anyone explanations."
She was right. Momo had a way of making complicated things seem simple.
"Besides," she added with a mischievous smile, "I kind of like having secrets with you. It makes normal interactions more... interesting."
The way she said it made heat pool in his stomach, and he had to resist pulling her back to the bedroom.
"You're going to be the death of me," he muttered, echoing his earlier words.
"I certainly hope not," she said seriously. "I have many more hypotheses to test."
This time he did kiss her, deep and thorough, until they were both breathless and her hair was messed up again.
"Okay," he said when they broke apart. "Now I really do need to go, before I lose all self-control."
"Before we both do," Momo corrected, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright.
They stood together, and Ryuu felt again how right this was, how natural it felt...and how happy he felt at that moment.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"For what?"
"For trusting me. For sharing this with me. For being exactly who you are."
Momo's expression softened. "Thank you for seeing me. Not just the perfect student or class rep, but me."
"I love all of you," he assured her. "The brilliant, responsible parts and the passionate parts. All of it."
"I love all of you too," she replied. "Now go, before I decide to keep you here all day."
He kissed her once more, soft and lingering, then headed for the door. As he reached for the handle, she called out.
"Ryuu?"
"Yeah?"
"This weekend... would you like to do this again? The breakfast part, I mean. And perhaps some of the other parts as well."
The hopeful note in her voice made him smile. "I would love to do this again. All of it."
"Good," she said with satisfaction. "I'll schedule it."
"Schedule it?"
"Definitely schedule it," she said with a grin full of mischief.
Ryuu left her room with that image burned in his mind...Momo Yaoyorozu, perfect and proper class representative, grinning at him with thoroughly disheveled hair and love-bright eyes, planning their next time together with the same care she brought to everything.
As he walked back toward his own room, he felt lighter than he had since the attack.
His quirk hummed contentedly in his chest, even though he can't do anything with it, but his heart felt full in a way that had nothing to do with power levels and everything to do with connection.
He was in love, genuinely and deeply, with someone who loved him back just as completely.
Someone who understood his quirk, his responsibilities, his fears, and chose to stay anyway. Someone who was brilliant and caring and passionate in ways that still surprised him.
Life was good.
For the first time since the attack, Ryuu allowed himself to believe that everything was going to be okay.
He had no way of knowing that across the city, metallic fingers traced patterns on a steel desk as a pair of Grey eyes...watched him through stolen security feeds.
"Fascinating," Kurogane murmured, rewinding the footage for the third time. The screen showed Ryuu laughing with his friends, genuinely happy. "Such beautiful, naive bliss."
He paused on Ryuu's smiling face, then zooming in.
"Tell me, Resonance," he addressed the frozen image, "how does it feel building a life on lies?" His metallic features shifted into mock sympathy. "Your father thinks of you often, you know."
A subordinate emerged from the shadows. "Sir, festival preparations are—"
"Patience." Kurogane never looked away from the screen. "Let the boy enjoy his happiness." His smile turned predatory, frost spreading across the console. "The fall is always more devastating when you've truly learned to fly."
He stood with liquid grace.
Metallic skin rippled, reflecting the screen's glow like living mercury.
"Soon, young Yamamoto." He touched the screen, frost spreading across Ryuu's face. "You'll learn what your father's research truly built. And discover that some falls aren't accidents...they're carefully orchestrated symphonies of destruction."
But for now, walking through UA's sunlit halls with Momo's kiss still on his lips, Ryuu was simply, genuinely happy.
That happiness was about to make his inevitable fall so much more devastating.
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Author's Note: support the book!!!