#ngl been enjoying rings of power more the second time round

[blackbulletsblackheart]

Came onto Tumblr for the first time in a couple of months after a conversation with someone saying everyone here hates Rings of Power and wanted to look at some of the discussion surrounding it but ended up doing the usual doom scroll and getting updated on the latest insanity exclusive to this site

[sweetbyte]

This turned out longer than I expected. I’m like sure send me a prompt and I’ll write a little something, ends up writing a 3k fic. I kinda rushed through the end, ngl, I was desperate to finish this… I hope you enjoy the read @purpletiger15, I did tweak it quite a bit, or a lot but sort of wanted to make it my own in a way? I guess I got carried away. I know Envy was the shape shifter, but Toga didn’t strike me as envious so I swapped with Lust. I also played around with the idea of Nomu being sloth, but then he wouldn’t have really fit into my story anyway so instead he was those soldier things… My bad. Also, many things were left sort of vauge, or else this would have been a multi-chap with an actual plot line….but for the purpose and focus of todomomo/royai….

Pair: Todoroki Shouto | Yaoyorozu Momo

Rated : T

There a light knock on the door, causing Colonel Todoroki to stir. He lets out a heavy sigh, and mumbles a ‘come in’ while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He knows who is at the door, and he knows they heard him.

The door opens to reveal his Lieutenant, who has a stern look of disapproval etched on her face and she walks in and softly shuts the door behind her.

“Sir, please tell me you didn’t spend the night here again.”

“Alright, then I won’t tell you.” He manages to reply before a yawn escapes him. He won’t tell her that, yes he did spend the night here in his office again, in effort to avoid his power hungry father. He doesn’t have to, she’s the sharpest mind in the division, she probably had come to her own correctly conclusion the moment she walked into the barrack. Not to mention she’s known him the longest.

She lets out a ‘tsk’ and begins to make coffee. She doesn’t drink coffee, she prefers tea. She is, however, the only one that can make his coffee the way he likes it.

“Sir, you can’t keep doing this. You’re not sleeping well, and stress and fatigue are bound to take its toll on you.” She’s lecturing him, and he can’t even bring himself to be annoyed, she always means well, and she’s usually always correct too. “Additionally, if I have to hear Aoyama whine one more time about your attitude, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up shooting him.”  

He raises his eyebrow in amusement as she turns, makes her way across his office and sets his coffee on his desk. “Or maybe it’s you I should shoot, being the root of the problem.”

“Now, lieutenant, do I have to lecture you about violence in the workplace?” He teases and takes a drink of his hot beverage.

Before she can reply, the phone rings and there’s a tip about an extraordinary alchemist up north and they’re off.

The tip ends up being a dud, but on the way back he does stumble across a brilliant and rather quirky alchemist by the name of Izuku Midoriya. At first glance, he would have only pegged him a scholar. But the guy is his age, has a boyish charm and a will and passion to be the best, he’s the type of guys who sees the glass as half filled and innocent until proven guilty and Todoroki is almost guilty for recruiting him. Almost. From what he can tell, he’s just short of being a genius, and he needs that kind of almost-genius on his squad.

Midoriya doesn’t accept immediately, but Todoroki isn’t too worried about it. He knows sooner or later Midoriya’s own hunger for knowledge will lead him to the valuable resources only he with the military can provided and fund. He has Yaoyorozu leave his contact information, thinking the trip wasn’t a total bust.

He gets a call about a month later and they set up an skill evaluation.

Several months later, Midoriya stumbles upon the theory of immortality and the Philosopher’s Stone. This information is kept on the hush, being the perfect thing to use as leverage to pave his path up the ranks.

Days after that, they stumble across the Homunculi. Or rather, the Homunculi stumble across them, and they are given a rather vicious warning to not meddle into the subject anymore.

Bakugou ends up in the hospital, sending the message of the difference in their powers.

The Homunculi have different abilities, they’ve come to find out, and aren’t human. They work for a figure they call father, which leaves a particularly bad taste for Todoroki. They also find out the secret of Philosopher’s Stone,the stone made from human souls, and there’s a new objective.

Find this Father, defeat him.

  It’s a wild ride from then on out. There’s betrayals, new allies made, and some lost. It all leads up to the promised day, where this all ends and he wouldn’t have it any other way, he thinks, as his squad gathers for the fight.

His squad is proficient, and specialized in different areas. From his sharp shooters to his strategist, to his mechanic, he has all his faith in them when they all separated to better assist with their skills in this war. His lieutenant, however, stays faithfully by his side watching his back.

Todoroki can wield both fire and ice at his control, so her protection isn’t really needed. She’s his pillar though, keeping him going down the right path, willing to shoot him shall he stray. She’s his queen.

They run into the Homunculus who introduces herself as lust on their search for the Father. She’s wild and unstable and manages to separate them in seconds by having the ceiling crash down between them.

Shouto curses and wipes the blood coming out of a small scratch from his cheek with the back of his glove.

“Lieutenant! Yaoyorozu!” He calls, and calls again and when he receives no answer, he uses his left hand to let out a calculated burst of flame that creates an opening through the rubble.

When he sees nothing on the other side, he continues to call her name, while he starts to run down the corridor in search for her.

After the ceiling crashes down, Momo feels the ground disappear beneath her feet and then she’s falling into a different level. She manages to land, somewhat gracefully, on her feet with both guns loaded and alert.

She’s stands still and quiet for a moment and glances up to notice the ceiling she fell though has been sealed. She frowns. They purposely separated them. But they haven’t attacked her yet. This means they were after her Colonel. She curses, and cautiously starts to walk down the path she fell on, keeping her guard up and one gun out and ready.

Her Colonel is strong, the strongest she’s known, and smart. But the enemy is stronger and she’s had a hunch for a while now, that the enemy needed him. This scares her. She can’t let him fall, he has a vision for the future that’s worth fighting for, he has a heart worth dying for.  

From when they were young and reckless, and he had accepted apprenticeship with her father in hopes to learn the art of creation, in efforts to neglect the flame alchemy passed down by his father. From when she had shared the alchemy of creation on her back with him after her fathers passing. From when she asked him to burn it, to use his flames for good, for the alchemy of creation was dangerous, the world didn’t need another weapon like her. From when he chose her as his lieutenant and requested she shoot him, shall he stray from his vision like his own father had.

He’s always been the one worth dying for to her. And if she has to die today, she thinks as she rounds the corner, tightening feeling in her gut she’s gained in experiences of war, she will for him.

Momo comes face to face with her Colonel, who has his left hand raised ready to let loose flames, if he must.

She lets out a short sigh of relief, and relaxes her hold on her gun.

The Colonel lowers his hand, and nods at her. “Lieutenant, that was risky. Make sure to stay close to me. We can’t afford to get separated here again. It’s too dangerous, follow me. ”

She replies with a “Yes, sir.” but her gut tightens again. Something’s not right. Now that she thinks about it, he was ready to attack with his left hand, and she knows he’ll avoid using the flames when he can and favors the ice alchemy he learned in a book left from his mother…

She brings her gun up to the Colonels head and there’s a click.

He stops in front of her, and lets a minute pass by before saying anything. “Lieutenant, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Lieutenant? When we’re alone the Colonel calls me by my name, Momo” It’s a risky bluff, but it works.

The imposter lets out a giggle, and the form of her Colonel melts into Lust, or Toga as she insisted to be called, it was cuter.  

“So you two are like that?” Toga moves to turn around and is still giggling “huh, how cute, never killed a pair of lovers yet”

Momo is ready though, both guns out and lets out a simple “I lied” catching Toga off guard before she proceeds to unload all their bullets she has in the Homunculus.

It’s all fun and games for Toga, until one of Momo’s bullets catch the side of her bun and her cute hairstyle is ruined. Momo seems to run out of bullets and Toga just laughs, her bullets haven’t done any damage to her save for her hair, which she’s going to be paying for right now.

She charges at the weaponless lieutenant, and is taken off guard, as she witnesses her transmute a shotgun from a thick steel belt lined around her abdomen.

The bullets graze her cheek and arm, and they sting. So Toga pulls back to inspect the damage while the interesting lieutenant reloads her weapon. Her wounds aren’t healing, in fact she’s bleeding, or as close as she gets to bleeding. It’s oozing red velvet, but it has the wrong consistency. It might be the Philosopher’s Stone, she doesn’t care.

At the sight of her own ‘blood’, Toga laughs. “You’re special, lieutenant, Momo was it? Very special, Momo-chan. Makes me excited! I can’t wait to tell father.” She wipes her ‘blood’ and licks it, there’s no metallic taste that she’s come to crave and it fuels her hunger to see the lieutenant covered in red. “But first lets continue playing! It’s my turn to see your blood, it’s only fair! Ne, Momo-chan!”

The Homunculus is quick, and even more crazed than before. She has Momo disarmed and on her back in seconds. Toga has Momo straddled and subdued and is laughing over her in delight as the look of fear quickly flashes over it.

“That’s it Momo-chan? I wanna see that trick again” She leans down and she’s so close to Momo, she’s practically whispering on her skin. “Momo-chan you look so lovely with your hair loose, a shame I have to kill you. You’re boring me now…” Toga’s grip is stronger than expected, even more so when she goes to pull out her knife and is holding her down singlehanded. This doesn’t stop Momo from fighting, and Toga’s smile widens even more. “Don’t be scared, I’ll make it quick. How about I kill you like this” She takes the form of her Colonel again, causing Momo to freeze in shock. “That’s right, once I get your blood, I’ll enjoy killing him as you!”

One second the blade is plunging towards her heart, and the next Toga is being blasted off her as she feels heat just barely lick the skin of her wrists where she was being held.

She quickly sits up and sees her Colonel, the real one, with the coldest look she’s ever seen in his eyes. He glances at her, and then returns his attention to the burning Toga.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to my lieutenant.” Toga’s body regenerates, minus the two wounds from Momo’s bullets. Toga laughs and stands. “Colonel, we were having some girl time, stop trying to butt in!”

Momo watches as he burns Toga, again and again without mercy. She notices Togas body isn’t regenerating quick enough, and tries not to let the girls screams of agony shake her. The cold look is still on Todoroki’s eyes as he sends another wave of flame and in that moment, it’s not her Colonel, it’s not the man she shared her secrets with, not the man she looks up to, rather the man she knows he doesn’t want to be, the man she knows he has nightmares about.

She watches Togas form go limp and fall to the ground, her body the shade of charcoal. She’s wheezing and Momo knows the Homunculus is done.

Todoroki is about to release the finishing blow, when he hears the familiar click of a gun behind him.

“Lieutenant, what are you doing?” His voice is gruff and monotone, and this strengthens her resolve.

“Sir, I can handle it from her-”

“Stand down, she’s as good as done” He aggressively cuts her off and she can’t back down, not now.

“I’m afraid I can’t, sir.”  She replied, tone calm and collected, betraying the emotions raging inside her.

“Are you defying a direct order?” She shows no reaction at him pulling rank immediately responds.

“Yes”  

“Lieutena-” His tone rises and she’s had enough.

“I cannot let you do this Todoroki. Just look at yourself, look at her, look at the damage you’ve done. For what, for my sake?” He doesn’t say anything and she curses because she’s shaking now.

“Is this the future of our nation? A man who can’t controls his emotions scorching someone to death with no remorse. A man following the footsteps of his father.”

It’s a low blow, she knows this, and regrets it as soon as she says it. He’s still and quiet and when he finally speaks, her heart drops.

“Then shoot me.” His voice is quiet, and raspy and she almost stutters.

“Excuse me?”

“Is your gun raised just for show? Shoot me if you’re going to.” He hasn’t turned to face her, and she’s grateful. Her hand is shaking and she doesn’t want to believe it’s come to her holding a gun to to his back….

“What are you going to do?” He asks. “What are you going to do after you’ve shot me?”  She doesn’t have to think.

“I have no intention of living….”

He finally turns around, and the unforgiving look is gone, instead there’s nothing but regret and sadness.

Her hand is still shaking and she only notices when his hands come up to hers. He lowers her hand and eases her to drop the gun.

“I can’t.”

He doesn’t have to say more, because she understands him.

“You humans really are pathetic” Toga manages to rasp out, still on the ground immobile. She tries to laugh but comes out as a wheezing fit instead. “Lets see how far mercy will get you.” Her arm suddenly lifts and the two are alert, but she instantly brings her knife down onto her own chest crushing her Philosopher’s Stone. Her body starts to degrade into ash, and all is left is her ominous wheezing slowly fading away.

The pair barely have time to compose themselves, before Midoriya and a Bakugou round the corner. No one says a thing and they all continue down the path in search of the Father, none paying attention to the Homunculus on the wall, slipping back into his portal keeping the what he witness from the female in mind.

They’re fighting. Again.

And they’re losing.

Everything is happening so fast, Momo only focuses on the back of her Colonel.

The things they’re fighting are experiments, they’re jack up mutated immortal monsters, and they only listen to the gangly man compulsively scratching his neck in the center of the room. It’s sudden, but Midoriya suddenly vanishes and she can barely hear the man mutter about gathering the sacrifices with Bakugou’s loud cursing.

In a matter of minutes they’re all captured  by the creatures the man gleefully calls Nomu. The man is giving a speech and Momo could care less, she’s scanning the surroundings and trying to find some way out of this mess. She doesn’t notice when the man points at her until all eyes are on her.

“And you. A little birdie told me you were special.”  He drawls out. Her eyes widen and she goes to look at Todoroki, who’s mirroring her expression. “You almost slid under our radar…. but it’s time to see what you can do shall we?”  

She sees blood first.

She sees her Colonels body fall second.

Her head is pounding, and she can’t tell if she’s screaming. A Nomu drags his body to where the man is standing over a transmutation circle. A human transmutation circle. She knows what this man wants, from her conversations with Midoriya she can only conclude he wants her to open the gate via human transmutation.

Her mind is racing, and she sees the blood gathering around her Colonels body.

“YOU SICK FUCKS, WHAT TH-” Bakugou is silenced by a Nomu punching him in the gut.

“Calm down, you wait your turn.” The man turns to her again and smiles. “You know what we want. I heard your brilliant. We did just put a potential sacrifice in danger. We can’t let go to waste…. Don’t tell me you’re going to wait until your precious Colonel is dead. That’d still work, but then we’d have to hunt down another sacrifice to replace him..” He looks around the room “which can be arranged.”

“Why would you risk a potential sacrifice then. What if she can’t do anything!” Iida speaks up

“Because she will. She is willing to die for this man, that much I know, isn’t that right? Oh. Did you wait too long. I don’t think he’s breathing…”

It’s too much for her to handle. Too much. She’s panicking she doesn’t know…

“Yaoyorozu, don’t.”

She snaps her head up and Todoroki is glaring.

The man frowns. “I wouldn’t talk if I were you, if you make it, you’ll be opening the gate next.”

“No. Lieutenant. It’s an order”

“This is hardly the time to be pulling rank, when your life-”

“Yes, sir. I won’t. ” The man stares incredulously and begins to furiously scratch at his neck. “I don’t think you all realize the position you’re truly in! Unfortunately for you, I don’t have the time to-”

It happens so fast that no one reacts. The man is gone. And they take advantage of the distracted Nomus to free themselves.

It’s chaos. Their backup consists of chimeras and old faces, but she has no time to pay attention to any of that. She’s rushing to Todoroki and pulls at the fabric of her shirt. She knows what she needs. She needs, gauze pads, medicine she needs to stop the bleeding. She needs. She needs. A Philosopher’s Stone! That man was playing with one in his pocket, she was sure of it.

“Breathe”

She looks down in shock and Todoroki’s cold hand is over hers trying to calm her down. “Just breathe and take things one step at a time.” She wants too yell at him, that he’s probably dying, but he’s right. It’s disgraceful, the way she’s acting.

She manages to seal up his wound, having an understanding in medical alkehestry. She then rips some fabric off of her shirt, being the perfect combination of soft yet sturdy, and wraps it around his neck just in case. When she’s done, he’s staring up at her with something she can’t name, so she takes it as gratitude. She’s just relieved and still not aware of the what’s going on around them. More back up starts to show, including Enji, Colonel Todoroki’s.

She decides that it’s a good time to move, and she helps Todoroki up. She’s careful with him, and he huffs that he’s alright, it’s only a minor injury….. As if to prove his point, he encases a Nomu in ice, being easier to deal with, now that their leader was out of the picture.

Bakugou is going on a rampage, demanding to be told where this Father was, because “he’s done with this shit”.  

The tables turn from there.

Father is strong, but All Might, is stronger.

With his Homunculi defeated, he’s the only obstacle left.

In the end, they’re victorious and it’s all thanks to the combined effort of All Might, Midoriya and a Bakugou who wasn’t going to be shoved to the side lines. Todoroki, chipped in where he could with his walls of fire and ice, but ultimately decided not to get in their way with his injury, something he can feel his father judging him for.  

The moment the rush of the victory starts to die down, His lieutenant is dragging him to a proper medic, to get treated despite his protests that she’s treated him effectively. He lets her drag him though. She once said, she’d follow him into hell, if he wished. He’ll tell her one day that, its most likely him who will be doing the following…. one day.

A/N - Also there’s no way I couldn’t make Momo an alchemist. She’s basically one on BNHA and I like the idea of her having so much knowledge that it ties into her equivalent exchange, if she knows how things work and the composition. She’s basically an multi purpose alchemist, thus transmuting a gun from her belt, which she purposefully carries around a heavy ass steel basically brace/belt in cases of emergencies because her Colonel has a tendency to get into trouble.   She’s always been smart, so shes researched and understands basic alkehestry. No one else knows she can preform alchemy and she refuses to be an alchemist. Despite her requests, Shouto doesn’t burn her skin/ tattoo he smudges the top other than that the tattoo of her secrets are still intact. He sets her straight that creation is beautiful and she’s more than a “weapon”.  thanks to her he was able to learn the alchemy of two elements instead of the one he’s been forced to learn. with the tatoo in tact she doesn’t need to draw out transmutation circles when’s she has one on her back. But she has a theory of better safe than sorry so she predraws her cricles on anything she sees she might need to transmute to keep her colonel alive.