Word Count: 1,395

For as long as Todoroki could remember, he was able to see the red thread tied around his pinky leading off into the unknown. When he asked, his mother told him it was the Red String of Fate; she knew and believed him because just as he could see his string, she could see her own.

"Not many people can see it these days, Shoto," she had told him, her expression as solemn as it could be, "but I'm glad you can." The serious façade fell away, and the woman looked almost amused as she cuddled Shoto close and whispered, "I hope you find them someday, the person on the other end of your string. They're your soulmate, you know, but if there's one thing the legends got wrong, it's that life won't go out of its way to let you two meet. You'll have to fight your own way there, write your own fate in the stars, if you ever want to see them."

And that would have been literally true, had he gotten into U.A. the normal way, but he didn't. He was a recommended student, she was a recommended student, and he found himself unable to speak when he first found himself face-to-face with the girl at the other end of the thread, Momo Yaoyorozu.

If he were being honest, he had kind of expected more to happen to him, physically speaking anyway, when he met his "soulmate". After all, he had a vague memory taking place a few days before his scarring where his mother told him that if he ever got to meet his soulmate, they would undoubtedly fall in love, for that was simply how the red string worked. He wasn't sure what he had been anticipating. Maybe his quirk would have gone haywire?

But inside, he was glad that nothing so flashy had happened when their eyes first met, for he suddenly felt far too shy for all the attention it would have drawn.

She smiled at him, then turned away to chat with another one of the recommended prospects as if nothing happened.

He knew he was doomed the second he had to put his ear out.

What to do, what to do. They both got into U.A. They both got into the same class. Hell, they even sat next to one another.

She didn't remember their brief encounter at the recommendation testing, but how could Todoroki forget? He had reached the end of his line.

He could have told he about the red string after the first day of school, when they were still unfamiliar with one another, just to get it out of the way and to keep their relationship free of secrets. But that was too soon, and even socially stunted Todoroki could tell it would have weirded her out.

He might have told her during the sports festival, after she had lost her duel against Tokoyami and needed comfort. By then they had become acquainted, but not much more; it was just enough to excuse telling her about their destined relationship. But he met his dad in the halls, and his mood became far too sour to talk about such light and fluffy things as a predetermined love.

He should have told her during their final exams, during those spans of time when they were alone in their arena. He had already told her one of his secrets about her, that he had voted for her, but when he saw how that alone had overwhelmed her with emotion, he decided against it.

He would have told her after they finished rescuing Bakugou and he saw her home. He had plenty of opportunities then, as the conversation morphed easily from topic to topic. They had certainly become a little more than mere acquaintances at that point. But they reached her front door too soon, and he didn't stop mentally kicking himself over his cowardice for weeks.

It ended up happening in the dead of night, at almost half past one in the morning, in her room. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how to simplify this one specific complex fraction, and the homework was due the next day. Well, technically that day, but regardless, what mattered was that Shoto found himself knocking on her door long passed lights out with a crazed desperation and an armload of schoolwork, and she answered.

"Todoroki-kun?" she asked, with just the barest hint of sleepiness finding its way into her voice. "What are you doing here? You should be asleep."

"I could say the same for you, Yaoyorozu," Shoto quipped lightly in reply. "Please. I need help with number sixteen of the math homework. I got everything else so please, can I copy what you have?"

It took a moment for his words to register in her mind, but not much longer before her expression changed from confusion to amusement. "Now those are words I've heard countless times from the likes of Jirou and Kaminari, but I never expected to hear them coming from you, rec student."

Shoto hadn't thought it possible for him to blush due to the temperature-regulating aspect of his quirk, but if the heat he felt rising to his face was any indication, he now knew it was. "I—" he began, but Yaoyorozu waved him off.

"I'm just teasing. C'mon, I'll walk you through it," she said, and that was how he ended up in her room, sitting next to her on the bed because there wasn't enough room by the desk.

Shoto stared at his paper, question sixteen now completed, wondering how on earth he had forgotten about the existence of cross-multiplication. The clock struck one, Yaoyorozu commented on how remarkable it was that she wasn't yet exhausted, and Shoto could feel the words he had been waiting to say bubbling up in his throat. They say that late nights make the brain tired and more prone to spilling secrets, and maybe they're right.

Shoto fiddled with the magical red thread tied around his pinky, not daring to look at the other end, where Yaoyorozu's pinky was.

Maybe they are right.

"Momo," he said, feeling just a little bit like he were drunk. He didn't have to see her to know that she flinched in surprise at his use of her first name. He could feel her beside him, their bodies too close to be just acquaintances, mere friends; there was something more. Something that he knew about but she didn't, not yet. "You know the legend of the Red String of Fate, right?"

"Uhh, I think so, Todo—"

"Shoto," he interrupted, his gaze turning abruptly to her. His mind was growing buzzed; he found it hard to focus. Yet, he couldn't miss the strange combination of fear and confusion on Momo's face when he corrected her, so he forced his expression to relax and his voice to soften as he clarified. "Call me Shoto. It's only fair, since I slipped and called you Momo."

(Except it wasn't an accident, but she didn't have to know that right now.)

He noticed she couldn't even say anything aloud at that point; the best she could muster was a nod. The little voice inside him told him to back off, she was getting scared or weirded out or whatever, but he had already opened this can of worms. He might as well lie in it.

"We're connected," he said. He hoped she could connect the dots because saying that they were soulmates bound by the red string of fate seemed like an insult to her intelligence, and would sound awkward out loud.

Momo blinked at him, not quite understanding, so he held up his hand with the string and extended his littlest finger out to her as if making a promise. She shakily put her hand out as well, unsure but trusting.

Then, she froze, their fingers just barely brushing up against each other, and Shoto panicked when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

The briefest reflection of the red string flashed in her eyes, and she linked fingers.

"We're connected."

author's note: this was supposed to be a drabble. you know, less than 1.2k in my book. but whoops this one got out of hand. fun fact i finished this yesterday but i'm publishing it today because today is the three-year anniversary of my twenty-minute boyfriend and i just think that's hilarious. ahhaha. anyway, feel free to fave or something. i'm not super confident in todo's characterization in this one tbh, but either way, reviews are nice if you're down, and as always, have a greaaat daaaay~~