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The perfect match.
The power couple.
Meant to be.
There are a lot of things said about them, some more dramatic than others, some summarized with, “Well, that isn’t really surprising.” Everyone has a soul mate, their name spelled on their wrist, usually appearing sometime in their teenage years, and it’s not at all uncommon for it to be two people who already know each other. After all, the universe works to bring them together, or so they say.
However, that is not the only reason that this particular couple doesn’t surprise anyone. The two of them have a lot in common, in terms of strength and circumstances, and the fact that they turn out to be soul mates only serves to prove that they are a perfect match. Of course, nothing is ever truly perfect, and neither of them are, so their relationship is more complicated than it seems.
~X~
They still barely know each other when Momo finds the name of her classmate written on her wrist. She isn’t sure what to do about it, or if she should say anything to him. Despite their similar circumstances, they aren’t particularly close, but then again, Todoroki isn’t particularly close to anyone, as far as she can tell. She’s slowly making friends with her classmates and doing what she can to fit in, but the two of them have not talked much at all.
People talk about them , and how they both got into UA in the same manner; she’s even heard a few soft rumors from other classes about the two of them being romantically involved, but she always blushed and pushed thoughts like that far from her mind. Even if she were interested in him, there’s no point in dating before you know who your soul mate is, and what your relationship with them will be.
But now, staring at the name that’s appeared overnight, she knows that she and Todoroki will have to start talking soon.
~X~
Shoto always assumed that, in the beginning, he would ignore whatever name appeared on his wrist, and carry on as usual. With bigger goals and a life that he thinks is far too complicated to bring anyone else into it. However, when he does finally wake up to find a name, he realizes that ignoring it might not be an option.
Yaoyorozu will have found his name by now as well, and, since they have to see each other nearly every day, he’s going to have to say something to her, he just doesn’t know what. Of all the people in his class to be paired with, she’s certainly not the worst, it’s just that he’d hoped that he would have a complete stranger, so that he might have some time to figure everything else out, before having to worry about. Though he’s sure he could try to just brush her off, he doesn’t want to; he doesn’t know her well, but he knows that she doesn’t deserve that, no matter how complicated he may be.
~X~
In the end, when Momo gets to school, Todoroki is waiting for her outside their classroom, and he asks if she doesn’t mind walking with him. The two of them are quiet for a moment, and when he finally speaks, it’s low, so as not to attract eavesdroppers. “I’m sure you know what I want to talk about.”
“I...yes, I do,” she says, matching his tone, hoping that her blush isn’t as obvious as she feels that it is.
“I don’t want you to think that I’m pushing you away or anything,” he starts, and she is already certain that she’s being rejected before they’ve even began, that he’s already seen how inadequate she is. “It’s just...things are complicated for me right now. I don’t know...I don’t really know what to do about any of this, so…”
“That’s fine!” she says quickly, so quickly that she’s a little embarrassed. “We’re still young, after all, and this only means as much as we make it mean, so...so...take as much time as you need! I won’t tell anyone.”
Todoroki looks surprised, but then gives her a small smile, and she wonders if it’s the first time she’s actually seen him smile. “Thank you for understanding,” is all he says before they go back to class, and she doesn’t ask him if he thinks she’s not worthy, or if he thinks that she’s not as strong as everyone wants to believe she is. That’s not something that she needs to trouble him with, after all.
~X~
Yaoyorozu takes things surprisingly well, and it’s easy for them to go back to acting as if nothing has happened. He notices that, whenever she is in her hero costume, she has added a bracelet on her wrist, to keep his name covered, and he appreciates her efforts to be discreet. It’s not that he’s ashamed to be known as her soul mate, it’s just that he knows how some of his more... enthusiastic classmates are, and outside pressure would not make figuring things out easier on either of them.
For quite some time, the two of them mostly keep to themselves- though he is quick to work with her during the sports festival, and even then, they don’t do anything out of the ordinary- and then it comes time for their final exam.
~X~
Something major changes between the two of them during their exam. She confides in him and he confides in her, and she learns just how much he’s always been watching her, when she thought that she wasn’t worth watching to begin with. After that, things are different, even if it is a change that only the two of them notice.
It starts in their exam and extends beyond that, as Momo, now assured by one of the people she admires most that she is adequate, strives to prove herself worthy of such high praise. What was she doing, moping all this time? Why did she waste so much time in self-doubt?
It is never set in stone that a relationship with a soul mate will be a romantic one, but it is a given that a soul mate is somebody who will have a strong impact in your life, somebody who will be there when you need them most. Somebody that will need you, just as you need them. Momo does not yet know how Todoroki needs her, but someday, she will. For now, she is pleased to know how she needed him, and how he helped her.
~X~
Watching the way Yaoyorozu changes after that day is certainly something, and Shoto wonders if he should feel proud for pushing her to that point, though really, he knows that she is the only one he needs to be proud of. They still keep their secret, but whenever anyone notices them getting closer, more rumors about their possible romantic involvement spread, and he thinks about it more often than he’d like to admit.
Things are still too complicated to consider anything of the sort, and yet, knowing now that there already people who think they’re romantically involved without their status as soul mates being made public, he has to wonder what their relationship will eventually be. Of course, it doesn’t have to be romantic; they could stay like this, as friends who aren’t frequently involved but who don’t mind helping one another, but even now, he has a feeling that that isn’t how things will stay forever.
Shoto has never had a crush before; he wonders if this is what one feels like.
~X~
Eventually, Momo has to admit to herself that she’s liked Todoroki for a while, perhaps from the beginning. Well, no one can really blame her for that, all things considered. He’s widely considered one of the best looking boys in her class, and she supposes that he does have that mysterious and brooding air about him that’s so popular. It only makes sense that she’s had a crush on him from the beginning, and that, as her admiration for him grew, so did her crush.
But her crush carries more weight, given their status as soul mates, and now that she’s acknowledged it, she has to acknowledge the fact that she knows exactly what sort of relationship she wants to have with him. She doesn’t know when, or if, they’ll ever get to that point, or how, but she knows what she wants, and she knows that there’s no point in lying to herself about it.
~X~
Shoto takes the first step in approaching the subject, going no further than asking her to spend time with him outside of school, but all the while, his heart beats faster than he’s used to, and he supposes that answers all his questions on the matter.