Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Nyx Ulric, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret & Nyx Ulric Characters: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Nyx Ulric Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Ending, Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Bittersweet, Grief/Mourning, Sacrifice, Mutual Pining, Character Study, Fate & Destiny, Duty Versus Desire, Metaphors, right person wrong time, POV Third Person, Tags Contain Spoilers, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016), Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Spoilers Summary:

though our night is over, you shall always remain.

He had told her back then, during the practical examination against Mr. Aizawa, that he voted for her to become their Class Rep, because he had believed in her. Thinking back, part of him was still guilty to having betrayed his own trust in her in the spur of the moment like that, not asking for her own plan.

But she never disappointed him.

Never has, and never will.

Todoroki wishes he wasn’t so oblivious during their first year. It slowly began, step by step, like a flower blossoming. From admiring her top-class achievements and her skills as an aspiring to-become-hero in general, it shifted to the little details.

He may not seem like he reacts much to the normalcy around him and it’s true — silent observation has always been his forte.

In class, when she tilts her head downwards every now and then to scribble down the notes with her exquisite handwriting, the several strands of her silky dark hair she always lets loose would frame around the curve of her face in such a perfect fit that it was satisfying for him to look at. Sometimes she’ll brush them away and tuck them neatly behind her ear, other times she’ll leave them and allow her piercing gaze to be shielded from his glance.

He wonders if she knows.

Sitting next to her bears great advantages. Before the sudden development of his interest in Yaoyorozu Momo, he could care less to where he sat at, as long as it was not next to someone loud-mouthed, like Bakugou. He enjoyed the quietness and less attention directed towards him, being at the end of the classroom and all.

But lately it’s been setting off a strange trigger in his carefully confined emotions, because that small distance between their desks is too close and not far enough for him to reject the very, very addictive scent that comes from Yaoyorozu Momo. He doesn’t mean to sound like a creep, but he can’t help himself when it comes to her, and for the first time in his life, Todoroki Shoto is frightened by something that means no harm to him.

He shakes his head at the thought.

Her fragrance is subtle and sweet, fitting of her nature. She smells like jasmines, delicacy and a very faint scent of something familiar that he can’t quite put a grasp on— now that he thinks about it, it is a very distinct aroma of green tea, his go-to beverage, with a mix of another brand, assuming one she favors. All of those ingredients are added together to make an aura that is uniquely hers, and it’s dangerously intoxicating whenever he catches a whiff of that essence. It’d wrap him into a blanket of warmth, comfort and everything delightful in contrast to the sweaty, musky hindrance Kirishima counted as a “manliness odor” that he was used to.

At some points, Todoroki feels like he has managed to turn his mentality upside down and overanalyzed the situation, but he never overanalyzes and he has to consider the fact that it’s just something that happens when he starts paying closer attention to anyone. But the messy bedhead of Midoriya disinterests him, and Iida sure smells nowhere as pleasant as Yaoyorozu does. Then he tries switching to the other girls and quickly decides that he isn’t ready because it just feels... wrong for unknown reasons and it frustrates him, so he goes back to her.

And it gets worse, because he starts noticing the many ways her voice differs. When she gives her opinions on a serious matter, she sounds exactly like an adult would — mature and well-thought, her speech neatly organized in her head. Then he picks up on the rising pitches in the way she speaks whenever she gets excited about something, and what matters is that she’ll give a big, radiant smile then — one that shows off those cute dimples and twinkling eyes and—

He definitely has problems.

But there are times when she doesn’t smile, and he knows it all too well without her awareness. She’ll look traumatized, insecure, reluctant and stressed out all at once and it makes his hands clench into fists, because unknowingly when, he feels responsible to protect her smile and her well-being in general. It’s foolish, he knows, and he shouldn’t have any reasons for it but he does. He does and they’re selfish, but he can’t restrain them.

As if the more he tries suppressing these feelings, the higher chance it is for them to burst.

The evening of Ennichi Festival, he catches her wandering there, not quite participating in the event but not a complete outcast either, save for the fact that she is standing alone. She seems to be... nervous? And mumbling as well, he‘s not sure. But he has to stop for a moment to drink in the scene in front of him.

It’s the first time he’s ever seen her in traditional garb, he muses, which is a surprise given the time they’ve known each other.

Yaoyorozu Momo is gorgeous, even more so in a cherry red patterned yukata, its color matching her hero suit. He marvels over the way the outfit fits her wonderfully, with a golden obi around her waist. She has her hair up in a slightly different way tonight: instead of her ponytail, all of her hair has been clipped away neatly to reveal her neck, accompanied with some more flower hairpins that stood out against the dark tresses, and the fallout strands are there as always to frame her face.

This isn’t good. Should he approach her? Can he even?

“Yaoyorozu.”

His body moves before his mind can process, and he feels a little bad for startling her, because she turns to him with a short but punctuated gasp and stutters out his name, her eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

“T-Todo...Todoroki-san?! Why are you here?!”

“Why do you ask? Am I not supposed to be here at the Ennichi?”

He screwed up. He hasn’t intended for it to sound so rude in his head, but his damned mouth has already run and he can only pray she won’t get offended. Knowing her, Yaoyorozu wouldn’t, yet still.

“...That’s not what I meant.”

The fact that her voice sounds a lot more timid than it is usually doesn’t help him feel any better, and one of the most logical solutions now is to fix the situation quickly. He is probably overreacting again, but...

“Suits you well,” he mumbles, but she misses it and looks at him questioningly.

“Your yukata,” he explains, and mentally signs in relief as he watches her face goes from a rosy hue to full-out blushing. She stammers a little before she can properly thank him, as though she has never received a compliment before. He notes that she isn’t looking directly in his eyes anymore, and that’s good. He’ll make a risky move next, but if it works out, it’ll be worth it.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go,” he tells her, not as request, but not quite as stern as a command either.

“Let’s go? Where are we going?” She questions back, puzzled.

This girl...is going to be the death of him someday.

“It’s obvious. We’re going to the festival. Or are you going to just loiter around and hide?”

Heavens above, that might as well have been his second chance thrown away out of the window. It is normal of him to speak that way, but he knows some people think of it as him being rude, and while they’re both classmates he still doesn’t want to ris—

“...In that case, please escort me if you don’t mind, Todoroki-san!”

If he doesn’t mind? Of course he doesn’t mind. Not when she’s granting him that ever so radiant smile of her and calling his name like that, even if it’s his family one. He is thankful for his quick reflexes, has it not been for him to turn his head away in time, she would’ve surely seen the very obvious fluster on his face underneath all of these lanterns.

“I don’t know much about the festivals, so don’t depend on me...”

The rest of the evening goes on smoothly, much to his delight. The food is acceptable and the events are fairly entertaining enough to keep him around, though he has to admit, he enjoys them better because Yaoyorozu is around. Only then, he gets to see her face lights up at all the wonders around her, gets to see more and more of her smiles, her laughs, her quirky antics — and all of those make the moments worthwhile.

“...Todoroki-san, can I ask you a question?” She speaks up suddenly, trailing behind him as they head towards an open field of grass. He nods.

“Do you like the festival?”

Does he like spending time in her company? Yes. Does he like talking to her? Yes. But the festival itself... Well, it’s true he didn’t know she was going to be here in the first place.

“To be honest, I neither like it or hate it.”

Yaoyorozu seems to hesitate slightly at his answer before continuing on with the conversation.

“Then... why are you here?”

He stops in his track. They are standing in the middle of the field now, letting the summer breezes dance through their hair. He makes sure Yaoyorozu can only see part of his face, because it’ll be rude if he turns away completely, but he doesn’t want her to see even if he’s barely showing any emotions.

“I thought I should come here once, since I’ve never been before. To Ennichi, or any other festivals that have happened...”

A surprise and confused gasp escapes her lips. The next part of his reply comes without any thinking.

“Normally, you do this with your family. By the looks of it, all of these families here look like they’re enjoying themselves. It’s obvious. It’s a normal thing to do, but I...”

“...Todoroki-san...”

He pauses mid-sentence and lets out a huff, looking away from the ground. He must’ve completely made a fool of himself now. Who was he to say such words? He doesn’t want pity from anyone, especially not from her. Hell, he didn’t want to complain or whine about it in the first place and he still doesn’t know where all of that suddenly came from. Does she see him as a pathetic child now? A loner? Would she think any less of him?

“...Sorry. What am I doing, talking about this to someone else?”

She doesn’t respond, so he clenches his fist and turns to walk away from her completely.

“I’m going home. See you later, Yaoyorozu.”

“Todoroki-san!”

He has barely turned to look back at his classmate when the sounds of small explosions fill the air. For a brief moment, the whole world is lightened up and he is glad he hasn’t left, because if he has, he wouldn’t have been able to see this now.

“Fireworks.”

He says, but he is staring at her rather than the actual show going on. She is looking in awe at the numerous colors and patterns being drawn out on the sky, her glimmering eyes and delicate beauty illuminated in the glow of the fireworks, her smile bursting with joy and it is that moment that he decides, awestruck, that Yaoyorozu Momo is the most beautiful human being on this planet, inside and out.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” She whispers dreamily.

He means to say you are, but can do nothing else but gives a short yes in reply.

“...But I’m not just someone else.”

The statement comes so suddenly that it takes him aback. Todoroki turns to the dark-haired girl, whose eyes are still focus on the bursting display in front of her, but her attention directing towards him. You’re not, he wants to say, but instead the words never form and he only gives her yet another yes.

“I am... a classmate friend of yours from the hero course. Iida-san, Midoriya-san, Uraraka-san... All of us. We are Todoroki-san’s comrades from Class A.”

Ah, yes. He doesn’t want to keep getting stuck in the past, so he’ll have to focus on the present and the future. That’s why his friends are here. All of them, even though they have their ups and downs, there isn’t one moment where he’s regretted meeting any of their classmates.

/ Yaoyorozu, thank you for reminding me. /

He looks at her, but doesn’t have the courage to say his thoughts aloud. For now, he is content with watching her from afar. They’re still so young, despite almost graduating UA, with their hopes and dreams unachieved and a whole career of potentials ahead of them. Sometimes later in the future, he’ll ask her out. When they’re both older and their works have settled down, then he’ll definitely take his chance if she’d let him.

For now, this will be sufficient.

“...Is that so...?” He asks again just for reassurance, but trails off, and with her ever so gentle voice that works like a charm to engulf him with warmth, she replies, proudly.