"what a life we've lived together, huh?" momo says softly, fondly deepening your embrace.

it's a lazy summer's day; you and your wife spend it cuddling on a lawn chair, overlooking the luscious green of your mansion's gardens. you're retired, as is your wife, sporting gray hairs instead of h/c ones of your youth. you look down at the woman in your arms: she's smiling at you with the same grin as when you first met her.

"much too long for my taste," you smirk, tucking some loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

she laughs in mock offense, tapping your shoulder, "you love me more than anything, and you know it."

"i do know it."

momo reaches up and cups your cheek with her hand; her hands are warm with a coolness from the band of metal your love for her placed on her finger.

"when?" she asks.

you tilt your head, leaning into her touch. "when what?" you reply, not understanding what she means.

"when did you know that you loved me more than anything?" heat floods your cheeks, which she teases you lightly, adding to your embarrassment at the mushy question.

"do i have to answer that?" you whine.

"yes! i've wanted to know for ages, but i've never asked," her face was adorably curious, and you caved, overcoming your flustered state to satisfy her.

you sigh, answering honestly, "i'm not sure."

"well, think back," she kisses your cheek before settling back in your embrace, "we have all the time in the world."

-💐-

the air stills with anticipation. every decoration that lined the venue, every person that sat smiling in their seat, and every note the band played falls right into place; your wedding is perfect.

you and momo took countless pictures, greeted countless guests, and now it was time for the event you were truly excited about: making momo yaoyorozu yours forever.

you stand under a meticulously crafted birch archway, swaying back and forth to calm yourself. it's a funny sight to the audience watching you. they silently giggle at the way their stone-faced 'mad dog-senpai' squirmed in nerves. you have never been so nervous in your entire life, waiting for momo to walk down that aisle, and you are despising this drawn-out wait.

but that all washed away as the soft whispers of pretty melodies filled the room.

the crowd turns to the end of the aisle. momo appears, the personification of beauty in white, clasping onto her father's arm with a smile. you feel your heart flutter as your mouth drops in awe of momo.

her silky black hair, free from its usual style, flowed down her back and over one shoulder, which was decorated with little white flowers. the same flowers sprinkle down her body in the gorgeous design of her ivory dress. that was when the rest of the world melted away: it was only you and her.

but that's not the moment you realized that you loved her.

-💐-

it's a three-hundred and sixty-fifth of a chance for the hero billboard chart and momo's and yours fifth anniversary to fall on the same day. yet, the stars aligned. momo being awarded as the fourth greatest hero obligates her to give a heroic speech to top it all off. while your agency's (deku tower) hero, deku, is awarded as the first. so, even if you both wanted to ditch the event for a romantic dinner under the stars you couldn't.

not that attending an exclusive event where the two of you get to see each other all dolled up is a bad anniversary date.

momo wears her normal summer hero costume, nothing too special, so she's looking forward to seeing you in formal attire. momo turns around on your living room couch when you finished getting changed and smiles wide. your heart pounds, when you notice how she looks at you: with pure adoration.

"dear, look at you," she hums, getting up from her place and pecking your lips sweetly, "you're beautiful."

"shut up," you huff, flustered by her compliment; she laughs, kissing your cheek before heading out.

you follow right behind momo, feeling lucky to be by her side.

close, but this is not the moment you knew you loved her.

-💐-

"do i have to go with you?" you huff as momo adjusts your shirt's collar.

"yes," she replies, furrowing her brows. "i don't understand why you're so against coming to this party; you said you wanted to meet my class."

"yeah, i said i wanted to meet them for business, not for some bullshit mingling."

"why don't you do both? because i want my friends and my girlfriend to mingle."

you frown, "does it have to be now though?"

"if not now, when?"

"never sounds good to me," you smirk at the way her eye twitches in annoyance.

she turns her nose up at you, grasping your hand and pulling you to her dorm building's front door.

"too late, we're already here."

you sigh, hanging your head low in defeat.

walking up the stairs with momo by your side, you can hear the music playing upstairs (in their common room), and you're already dreading joining them.

the stark contrast between you and momo as she opens the door is comical. the class's party turns to the entrance to find momo, a ray of sunshine who is so happy to be there that sparkles swirl around her figure, and you, a living embodiment of a storm cloud with such a prominent resting-bitch-face that no one would be surprised if you barked. so blatantly opposite, yet you two are holding hands as if you were one.

looking at you, the class seems to collectively hold their breath; momo doesn't notice the tension at all and begins to merrily introduce you.

"hello everyone, i'm very sorry that we're a little late! but i'd like for you to meet my girlfriend, y/n l/n. she's in the business department," she smiles cutely, presenting you to her class like she's in show-and-tell.

"hey," you wave politely, getting over your reluctance to smile in the pursuit of leaving a good impression on these potential clients. "nice to meet you all."

"aren't you...mad-dog senpai?"

you deadpan, and the air clears in an instant to accommodate their jovial laughter. people start to come up to you, introducing themselves. you take mental notes of who interests you now and who had your interest before. eventually, you greet a vague acquaintance from work.

all spite's son.

"oh, hi," he says monotonously, but you see a glimmer of recognition in his heterochromatic eyes.

"yo, good to see you again." you don't know shoto todoroki that well, but he doesn't seem to respect endeavor all too much, so you don't think he's a prick. momo comes over, passing you a drink, which you sip immediately.

"right, you two know each other! from endeavor's agency," momo says, excited to see you getting along with her friends.

"yes, i've seen l/n-senpai with my father a couple of times," todoroki answers.

"i'm not older than any of you, so there's no need to call me senpai," you clarify, your tone barely masking your confused amusement.

"right," he replies curtly.

you notice denki waving you to come over to him like a maniac. you internally sigh, not wanting to get roped into his shenanigans, but you give him a nod. denki stopped waving at your agreement and his grin became twice as large. what an idiot.

"well, it was nice seeing you again, todoroki," you bid him farewell, wrapping your arm around momo's shoulders and leaving the boy with her to see what denki so desperately needed you for.

was it nice seeing him again? not really, you're sure you'll file away this interaction as irrelevant, keeping up cordiality to not have to deal with your boss's complaints. otherwise, you really didn't have any need for enbeaver's son.

a couple of hours pass and the party seems to be slowing down. everyone has collected into groups, taking a space and chatting with each other about whatever topic comes to mind. you're with denki, bakugo, and jiro, speaking about something that didn't hold your full attention. your mind is elsewhere, focusing on your girlfriend who is sitting on the couch with her friends across the room.

the pink one or the clear one must've said something funny to throw momo into a fit of laughter. she covers her mouth with her hands, hiding the way she snorts in between. objectively, it's such an ugly laugh, but something about it coming from momo makes your heart race. it's the soundtrack of the life of your dreams, the only sound you ever want to hear.

still, this is not the moment you realized you loved her.

-💐-

today is the worst kind of day. it started horribly: you woke up at four in the morning to pick up an emergency phone call, only to hear endeavor on the other line. he told you that some paparazzi snapped some photos of his wife through her hospital window, and you needed to make sure they didn't leak. you don't know much about his past with his wife or why she's been away for years: you only get the bill.

but you know that those photos look bad, no matter the reason.

your job then is to convince some desperate assholes that they shouldn't cash out on the biggest paycheck they'll ever get. exposing the number two hero could make these sorry souls rich in an instant.

how could you possibly compensate for that?

it doesn't matter as long as it's done. you have a limited amount of time to do it, and you need all of it to come up with a plan. lines begin to crinkle your skin from stress. you're not allowed to miss school either. your head is about to explode, and-

"sorry, l/n, but may i speak with you for a moment."

this is not what you need right now, another person to deal with. your first instinct is to send this person away without a second glance, but something compels you to look.

it's her, momo yaoyorozu from the rose-colored scenarios in your mind. you forget the stress, the worry, the urgency to wonder why she stopped you. the two of you have never spoken, only passing subtle glances and hiding secret smiles. yet, here she is now, holding out a golden box with pale cheeks flushed bright red.

"i know this might not be very appropriate to say, especially since i'm not even sure that you even like um," she stumbles her way through her words like a newborn deer on ice. "i like you! sorry, again for saying this but i've liked you for a very long time. my heart beats really fast when i see you; i admire how hard you work; i just want to be near you all the time."

she's breathing heavily, avoiding your eyes like the plague. you can hear your heartbeat in your ears, pounding, in complete disbelief: this must be a dream. when momo fidgets in your silence, you are brought back to reality. this is real, and you're too embarrassed to speak.

she lets her hairpiece fall into her eyes, locking eyes solemnly with her shoes. "i shouldn't have said anything i-"

"no!" you squeak, much too high-pitched for your pride. you quickly take the box from her: a spark is shared between the two of you at the slight touch. you clear your throat, willing the words to fall out your mouth. "no, i uh feel the same way."

"you do?" momo meets your eyes directly; the stars in them make you unknowingly smile.

"yes," you breathe, "i didn't realize it myself until recently, but you make me happy. without even trying. so, i'd be fucking stupid not to?"

"vulgar," she scolds, holding no negative emotion at all. "but, i'm glad."

you hum in mirth, examining the confession gift momo gave you. the box's bright gold with ornate patterns of leaves twisting around its surface. it has no label at all, and you shake it lightly to hear something inside.

"it's tea," momo says, becoming shy. "it's called gold tips imperial, one of my favorites."

you chuckle lightly, "you know, it's a pretty weird thing to give when you're confessing your feelings to someone. i'd expect flowers, chocolates, maybe a letter."

her grin turns awkward, internally cursing herself for giving you tea instead of flowers, "o-oh well i just thought-"

"i love it," you smirk at the 'oh' she makes in surprise. beginning to walk past her again, you pop the bubble that surrounds you, allowing the rest of the world into this moment as it ends. before you leave completely (going to your next class), your smirk turns to a grin, one filled with genuine happiness that makes momo's knees weak. "let's drink it together sometime."

this was, perhaps, the second time you knew, but not the first.

-💐-

"you haven't been happy for a long time," he says turning to you with a sympathetic expression.

"i'm not sure what you mean, sir."

your mentor sighs, "you do, but it's hard for you to see because now you are."

you brought him to the beach every once in a while; when he thought more clearly, he told you how much he loved the ocean's breeze. those were the times when he brought you here instead of the other way around. it's hard to sit with him like this now: you never know who he's talking to.

"i don't understand," you reply, not recalling any time you've been so unhappy. "i think you're confusing me, toga."

his words are losing their weight.

he shakes his head, "not at all. i've seen the way that girl makes you feel. the one that makes you smile a little before she leaves school."

your eyes widen and your face feels hot because only one girl makes you feel that light and happy enough to smile. even still, what he's saying is frivolous if that's not who he means at all.

"i don't-"

"you do," he insists, cutting you off, "momo yaoyorozu is good for you, and you love her for it."

your lips tremble as you try to hold back the tears that threaten your cool composure. he knew, and he was right. every dot connects in your heart, recognizing that love is, in fact, what you feel for momo. but, you have to collect yourself-

"it's okay to cry, y/n."

that was the first time he had said your name in a very long time.

"i love her," you smile shakily; tasting the saltiness of your tears didn't dampen your sweet feelings. "i do."

this is when you knew.

-💐-

reliving those moments split your lips into a smile, and you're happy to report your findings to your lovely wife. you glance down, prepared to make those onyx eyes widen and her pale cheeks blush, but you're met with the sight of momo sleeping softly.

you sigh, shaking your head with a grin. you melt into her comfortably, lulling yourself to sleep by matching her deep, rhythmic breath. you kiss her forehead before closing your eyes.

"i guess, you'll just have to stay curious for a little while longer."

message from ast3roids:

now here we go! gay fluff <333 i love momo with all my heart so this was so fun and self-indulgent for me to write. sorry mom and sorry dad. college essays nah i write lesbians in love 😼

a reminder this is NOT CANON to out of my league; y/n is very much in love, in a relationship with shoto, and does not like momo even platonically.

but the cute mentor reveal is canon ;)

everyone who guessed that y/n's mentor was himiko toga's grandfather is correct! here is an oc character file for him.

(this is him when he was young because i couldn't find an old man pic crew lmao. so this is him before becoming y/n's mentor and probably before himiko toga was even born. imagine this image but old and that would be how he looks currently)

Touma Toga

Quirk: Armor Claws

'He can manipulate his blood to solidify over his fingers, giving them a hard, sharp, and claw-like armor'

Age: 86 (currently), 34 (in image)

Affiliation: Endeavor Agency, Head Manager (retired)

Height: 160 cm

Birthday: 4/9

Blood Type: AB

Likes: Red Velvet

basic backstory on touma:

touma toga is the father of himiko toga's father. his side of the family contains blood-related quirks, however, the stigma against blood quirks in their family has occurred for many generations. this led to touma's belief that they should hide their quirks as much as possible and put up a front of being 'normal'.

this belief stemmed from touma's mother and father, but it also corresponds to his priority of running a perfect business and being at the top of his field. touma wanted to be the best there ever was and having an 'evil' quirk threatened that.

when touma discovered enji todoroki, fresh out of ua, he saw potential. that is why he offered to help enji build and manage the endeavor agency. touma was truly a master strategist when it came to business decisions, and the majority of endeavor agency's success is attributed to him.

however, touma got sick. he was diagnosed with alzheimer's disease and before it could completely impair his ability to work touma had to find a successor. endeavor wasn't gifted in the skills of business, so he had to find someone new and train them before he was gone.

touma spent a very long time trying to find someone suitable, but he was running out of time: his dementia was worsening. then, he stumbled upon a little girl who was selling snacks outside of a baseball stadium at truly ridiculous prices (he correctly assumed that she bought snacks for cheap and sold them for higher to the baseball fans who passed by). yet, her business was booming. this little girl knew how to manipulate and market her products so well that people had no problem spending way too much for a bag of chips.

this little girl was y/n l/n, and touma made her his successor.

now y/n agreed and underwent touma's harsh and demanding, probably too much, training to make her fit to take his place. the training hardened y/n and her personality even more than it already was naturally, but she never truly noticed. she gave up pretty much everything to do this; it became her dream and only goal.

during this training, touma and y/n bonded in a father-daughter or grandfather-granddaughter kind of way. this led to y/n taking care of touma as his disease progressed. y/n refused to put touma in a nursing home when his dementia became severe, instead, she learned to take care of him, and when she couldn't she hired someone else to in her absence. with touma unable to work, y/n acted as she was trained to and took over all of touma's roles as the head manager of endeavor's agency. overall, her relationship with touma when his condition got worse softened y/n up and made her more kind (this happened in her middle school years, but only integrated with y/n's behavior after momo's middle school confession), so if you guessed that then you are correct :)

touma's relationship with himiko, however, was strained. touma loved himiko truly and he never viewed her as a monster. in fact, he was honestly impressed with her strength of character to challenge the toga family's blood stigma. but his pride and reluctance to break away from his