TW : Character death, but the fic will end bittersweet.

1/4

It was a dark, wet night, the winds howling as the trees danced wildly outside of the UA dorms.

Shouto was relaxing on one of the common room sofas, a blanket wrapped around him snuggly as he curled up. On the other side of the sofa, Midoriya was sitting up straight. His attention was on the TV, which played an episode of a show Kaminari recommended to them. He was muttering lowly, most likely theorizing what could occur in future episodes. Shouto had given up on focusing on the cartoon long ago, instead letting himself sink into the sofa and start to doze off.

"Todoroki?"

His eyes crack open slowly, squinting as he quickly tried to blink away the heaviness in his eyes. His head shifted slightly to look at Midoriya, who was watching him intently. He turned away, a faint blush becoming noticeable on his face.

"Sorry." He said. "I didn't realize-"

He cut himself off, sighing deeply. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't." Shouto murmured, back aching as he sat up, grimacing slightly as he found his mouth had become dry. "What were you going to say?"

Midoriya stayed quiet, still staring at the TV. Shouto moved closer to him, ignoring the screaming of his muscles, begging him to stay still and get some sleep. He waited for Midoriya to speak, watching him seemingly debate under his breath whether or not to continue. Shouto looked back at the TV, squinting at the brightness of the colors. One of the characters, who was yellow in color, was staring angrily at another. The other character - I think her name was a gemstone - freaked out immediately after and ended the call. He looked down at the cable box, the time flashing repeatedly. 23:53.

"Have you ever thought about your soulmate?"

Shouto looked back at Midoriya, locking eyes. "I have. I think everyone does at least once or twice."

"Well, do you ever..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at the ground. "Do you ever think about your future first kiss with them?"

Shouto didn't respond immediately. "When I was younger, yeah."

Midoriya sighed, crossing his arms and sitting up, his back hunching over. "Well." He began. "I know this will probably sound silly, but I kinda try to avoid thing about it."

"Why?"

Shouto could see Midoriya's eyes start to shine as he blinked rapidly, ignoring the odd impulse to move closer.

"I just get worried, sometimes. That I did something to hurt them in the past, and they'll still hold a grudge against me now." He looked back up at Shouto for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut, voice cracking as he continued. "I don't want that to happen. We'll have bonded so much again, I don't know if I would be able to handle something like that."

Midoriya chuckled, one hand reaching up to his face and start to rub his eyes aggressively. "I've never told someone about that before, 'cause I know my soulmate will probably still care about me even if I upset them in one way or another, but it's still a lingering thought in the back of my mind."

"Most people worry about stuff like that sometimes," Shouto said. Midoriya stopped rubbing his eyes, lowering his hand and looking at Shouto intently. "I think. Your soulmate should forgive you if you made some mistakes in the past. I don't understand why they would leave you, anyway."

Midoriya didn't move for a moment, the two of them staring at each other. He slowly cracked a grin, laughing quietly and wiping his eyes again. Shouto gave him a small, soft smile, trying to dismiss the sound of his heartbeat, which seemed to grow louder and more noticeable as Midoriya gave him a tear-filled smile. "Thank you, Todoroki."

"You're welcome."

They stared at each other for a moment before Midoriya scooted a bit closer, a faint blush on his face. "Do you mind if I hug you?"

Shouto blinked once before nodding, humming in approval.

He didn't remember much of what happened after Midoriya embraced him - He was warm yet hesitant when he hugged me - and looked around him in surprise when he opened his eyes again. The sun was shining brightly, his head pressed against Midoriya's shoulder and their limbs tangled together.

2/4

When Shouto walked into class one day holding Midoriya's hand, he had anticipated his classmates to be confused by the sudden development, followed swiftly by them getting bombarded with questions.

He may have underestimated their observational skills, however.

"Hey, shitty hair!" Bakugo yelled across the room, a cocky smirk on his face. He was in the first desk closest to the door, and noticed the gesture between them first. "Look at Deku and IcyHot, andand don't you dare say that you don't have to give me a thousand yen since you made the bet half-asleep!"

Kirishima quirked his head to the side before turning to Midoriya and Shouto, promptly gasping. "Oh my god!"

In the blink of an eye, almost everybody in the class turned toward them, several people gasping in delight. Midoriya smiled shyly as he tried to hide his blushing face behind his free hand, squeezing Shouto's own with the other.

"Deku! Todoroki!" Uraraka called, smiling wide as she pulled out her wallet. "Are you guys finally dating?!"

Finally?

"Um." Midoriya started, looking back at Shouto before they both began nodding, Shouto humming as Midoriya spoke. "Yeah. We are, actually."

The class went silent for a moment, excluding a loud, exaggerated cough from Sero. Then, as if someone suddenly flicked a light switch on, chaos ensued.

"Oh, thank god." Shinso said, rubbing his eyes absentmindedly.

"Oh my god!" Hagakure squealed, throwing her arms up happily.

"Shitty hair, gimme me fucking money!" Bakugo screamed, rising from his seat and storming to Kirishima's desk.

"Congrats, you two!" Uraraka said as Ashido handed her two hundred yen. "I knew you two were gonna get together before the end of the year. I knew it!"

"Well damn," Kaminari exclaimed, one arm loosely wrapped around Sero's neck as he placed three hundred yen on his desk. "Now we got four couples in this class, and I'm pretty sure all of them are soulmates."

Several people, including Uraraka, Iida and Yaoyorozu, nodded in agreement. Ashido walked up to Uraraka, swinging one arm around her neck as she looked from Shouto to Midoriya expectantly.

"Have you two smooched yet?" She asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

The discussion in the room seemed to quiet down, almost everyone turning toward them with a similar look. Shouto could see from the corner of his eye Midoriya looking down at the ground, a bead of sweat visible on his forehead.

"Don't worry if you haven't, Midoriya." Ashido continued, resting her chin on Uraraka's head. "Ura and I haven't, but I know Yaomomo and Jirou have, surprisingly."

Midoriya sighed in relief, leaning on Shouto and loosened the grip he hand on his hand.

"We want to wait a little longer for that since we only started dating around a week ago." Shouto said, trying to ignore the hitch in his breathing that had occurred when Midoriya pressed his head onto Shouto's shoulder, or the smell of smoke that had started developing. Don't set on fire again. Don't set on fire again.

Ashido shrugged, a small smirk on her face as she looked at Shouto; there was a small flame visible near the center of his head. "That's fair." She looked like she wanted to say more, but decided against it as Iida stood up and ran over to them.

"I am very happy for you two," He exclaimed, his arms moving quickly. "But please don't let your relationship affect your grades negatively."

"It won't, Iida." Shouto said, a small smile on his face. "But thank you for showing your concern about our academics."

Midoriya nodded, a grin noticeable on his face as Iida hummed in acknowledgement.

The class became louder for a moment as people resumed their chatter, but quickly silenced as Aizawa entered the room, still in his sleeping bag, and everyone scrambled to their seats.

3/4

Ashido and Uraraka are soulmates.

They told Shouto and Midoriya this only hours after they discover the fact, both of them wearing large smiles and remnants of tear stains. Ashido had one arm tightly wrapped around Uraraka's middle, holding her close even as they walked, or ran, or sprinted, from one area to the next.

Midoriya was the one to congratulate them first. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Shouto hummed in agreement, his left hand gently taking hold of Midoriya's right.

"Thank you!" Uraraka said, wiping her eye again. "I honestly had a hunch that we might be bonded cause I was able to see, um, other people when I looked at her early on."

Ashido nodded and rested her head on Uraraka's shoulder. "I saw 'em too, but it's kinda easy to dismiss them."

Midoriya pressed his hand to his chin, humming. "Yeah, that makes sense. That sort of thing happening is pretty rare, but it's also not impossible. Most people report seeing new people in their dreams, which turn out to be their soulmate in their past lives, although some people don't even experience that-"

"Have you two experienced anything like that yet?"

He stopped talking, his grip on Shouto's hand tightening as he looked up at him. "We've actually never talked about that."

Shouto nodded, looking at Ashido and Uraraka, but refusing to turn his head toward Midoriya. "I haven't, although I never remember my dreams."

"Same." Midoriya said, letting go of Shouto's hand.

"Huh." Ashido hummed, looking at them with her eyebrows furrowed. "Out of all the couples in this class, I would've expected you two to have the most amount of 'past life dreams' or experience other soulmate related stuff. Literally everyone in class thinks you're bonded, so..." She trailed off, gazing dropping to the ground before she picked her head up.

"Well, it was nice talking to you guys. See you later!" Uraraka said excitedly, the tense wall that had rapidly been built crumbling into pieces as they quickly walked away. Shouto looked back at Midoriya, who was awkwardly scratching his neck, before starting to move forward.

"Come on." He said firmly. "Let's go get something to eat."

Midoriya opened his mouth to say something, but let it shut with a sigh. "Alright."

4/4

"Do you think we should kiss?"

Shouto blinked, looking at Midoriya blankly. The question wasn't completely out of the blue - they had talked about their first kiss several times, from where they should do it to what they would do if they turned out to not be soulmates. However, despite these talks, neither have decided to initiate it. Shouto didn't mind.

"Do you want to?" He asked, lifting his head up from Midoriya's shoulder and resting his arm there instead. He pressed his other hand into the sofa as Midoriya pursed his lips.

"I-I mean, we could. Only if you want to, though. I don't mind if you want to wait some more-"

"Let's kiss, then. I don't mind."

Midoriya's eyes widened, head jerking up. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "Alright. I've never done this before, so I apologize if I'm not great at it.'

"I've never kissed someone either. Don't worry."

Midoriya blinked before nodding as Shouto moved his arm. He moved his face closer, despite the pounding in his ears and his rapid breathing. He wrapped his arms around Midoriya's neck and felt ice on his cheek as Midoriya cupped his face gently, like a glass teacup - something he handled with care. Something he didn't want to break. He moved in closer-

"Oh my fucking god, get a room!"

Midoriya and Shouto jerked their head behind the sofa, where Bakugo stood holding his phone. His face was contorted angrily, eyes twitching and mouth hanging agape as he spoke into the phone. "Kirishima, do you mind if I use your hair to fucking stab my eyeballs out?" A pause. "Fucking IcyHot and Deku were gonna make out on the common room sofa, where I could see them!" He turned away, walking quickly through the dining area as he screamed. "Yes, he is on fucking fire!"

Midoriya turned back to Shouto, squeaking in alarm as he looked at Shouto. "Your hair!"

Shouto blinked and lifted his hand, feeling the burning warmth on his scalp. Oh. He thought. I lit myself on fire. Again.

He rose his right hand and activated his quirk, sighing in relief as he felt ice developing. "Oops."

Midoriya laughed awkwardly, his face a vibrant red. "I'm, uh, I'm so sorry." He said. "I didn't expect that to happen. Then again, Kacchan has a bad habit of walking in on awkward stuff. Like, in our third year of middle school, he found our English teacher and one of the dean's-"

"It's alright." He interrupted and gave him a small smile. "Another time. Maybe when we go out tomorrow for our six-month anniversary date?"

Midoriya nodded feverishly. "Yeah, that could work!"

"Okay." He said, dropping his head back onto Midoriya's shoulder and closing his eyes. "Wake me up in an hour."

Midoriya laughed, one arm wrapping around Shouto's midsection. "Alright."

1/1

"This is not how I was hoping our six-month anniversary date would go."

Shouto hummed in agreement as he sent out another blast of ice forward, the cloaked villain in front of them briefly screeching before the ice covered them almost completely, the only thing that remained free was his face. Villains seemed to have a tendency to show up whenever they planned something, even their six-month-anniversary date. Pros' stormed the restaurant and called for them to go into the lesser traveled streets, including the current villain; they weren't associated with the League of Villains.

"We should get out of here." Shouto said, letting his fire fade. "There's more people back near the restaurant."

Midoriya nodded, body still illuminated in green lightning. He turns around and starts running forward, but both of them become frozen in place as the villain starts to laugh.

Their laugh was loud, deep and familiar, easily sending chills down Shouto's spine. "You idiots!" They yelled, a psychotic smile plastered on their face. "My quirk can't be blocked by simple, delicate ice!"

Their next action was rapid, too fast for the naked eye, and all Shouto was able to do was groan as something shoots him in the right ankle, knocking to the ground. He heard Midoriya cry out in loudly not far behind him.

"My quirk's called 'pufferfish'! I can 'puff' out little spikes randomly like bullets, and it looks like I got lucky with those last few - you're both knocked down."

Shouto hissed through his teeth, rising his head to see the villain breaking the ice around them with ease.

"Hey, if you both of you two happen to live to see me again, call me Supaiku." They jumped out of the ice at their feet, flicking their thumb downward before they started running. "Later!"

"Damn it." Shouto yelled, turning his head as he watched Supaiku running closer to the main streets, swarming with people. "Midoriya, are you alright?"

"Yeah." Midoriya said, his voice low. "I'm fin-" He was cut off by a loud cough, gagging as he choked on something.

Shouto forced his hands into the ground and turned to look at him, only to lose his grip on the tar at the sight of Midoriya hacking up blood, his shirt now a deep red near his right underarm. Damn it, they probably struck an artery.

"Midoriya!" He repeated, gripping onto the ground below him as he pushed himself closer. The tar felt cold and rough, scraping his hand in numerous places. Shouto didn't notice, fueled with adrenaline. "You're not alright!"

"Don't worry, Todoroki," Midoriya pressed his left hand onto the tar firmly, pushing himself up. "I can move. Don't worry." He bit his lip, tears forming in his eyes. "I'll live."

Shouto continued pushing forward, ignoring the throbbing in his ankle as something screamed inside him to move forward. He's not gonna make it if I do nothing. I need to keep moving.

It took him only a few more seconds to reach him, pushing himself into a sitting position leaning against his pounding leg, the pain of the wound starting to become noticeable.

"How bad is it?"

Shouto didn't reply, his arms already slivering under Midoriya's body. I can save him. I need to run. I need to run.

He tried to move, but the adrenaline had almost completely wore off. His ankle screamed in protest, and Shouto quickly lost his grip on Midoriya's body. He moved to try again, but his ankle wouldn't budge. He's not gonna make it.

"I'm sorry." Shouto droned, voice lacking emotion as he stared at Midoriya's wound.

He smiled sadly, reaching up to wipe a tear from Shouto's cheek. When did I start crying? "It's alright, Todoroki." He croaked. "It's alright. You'll be alright."

"But you're dying-"

"I know." He paused, gaze dropping to the ground. "Um, I know this might sound selfish, but do you mind if you do something for me? Very quickly?"

Shouto didn't have to think, his head shook up and down repeatedly. Anything you want. He thought. It's the least I can do, after everything you've done for me.

Midoriya looked back up at him with large, tear-filled eyes, his gaze determined. He took in a deep breath before speaking. "Could you kiss me? Please?"

Shouto blinked once. Twice. He felt his own eyes burning, his whole body shaking. He could faintly smell smoke as he moved one head underneath Midoriya's head. There were many questions he never wanted answered, and he knew that this wasn't one of them.

The kiss tasted metallic, the blood in Midoriya's mouth entering Shouto's as he moves gently. He only allows himself to forget about the world around them when Midoriya kiss becomes more intense, vigorous despite his condition. Just like everything else he does. Shouto thought. There was something within him that began to burn, an odd energy starting to trickle through his veins.

Midoriya's the one who let's go, his head being supported by nothing except Shouto's hand, which trembled furiously as he swallowed hard. He moved Midoriya's head close to his shoulder, his eyes falling shut as he began to cry into the fabric of Shouto's outfit.

"I'm sorry." He said. Shouto barely heard him, his mind preoccupied.

He waited in tense anticipation for something to happen. Waiting to see if memories will suddenly ignite in his brain. This can't be the end.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

...

...

...

We're not soulmates.

The realization felt like a punch in the gut.

Shouto had been harmed physically before. He had felt the fury of his father during training, becoming accustomed to large bruises, gashes and burns scattered around his body; one of his older brothers once said he looked like a cheetah with his scattered injuries. He had felt the burn of boiling water. The crazed, guilty look his mother gave him only moments prior etched into his memory. There were countless others, and the scars that were scattered on his body proved it.

Yet, it felt like this one was one of the few that would leave a scar - one that was etched into his heart rather than his skin. One that would always sting; one of only two.

He heard himself sob, but only realized he was crying when Midoriya lifted one hand up to his face, wiping under his eyes gently with a shaky hand. Shouto looked down at him, making direct eye contact. Midoriya had large tears running down his cheeks, yet he still wore a small smile. One that was filled with both determination and guilt.

"Shouto." He said, his voice weak - cracking easily. Shouto could feel a chill run down his spine at the use of his first name. "This doesn't have to be the end, you know. Nighteye - I think I told you about him - he said that it is possible to change fate." He paused, his lip trembling as he hand started to slip from Shouto's cheek. He took Midoriya's slipping hand and pressed it back, savoring the fading warmth. "We can make sure that this isn't the end for us - we can twist our destiny."

His hand gently squeezed Shouto's cheek before becoming loose. "In one way or another."

Midoriya's head sank back into the crook of Shouto's neck, his eyes falling shut. The hand Shouto held now felt limp, Midoriya's arm hanging weakly. "When I see you again, I'll make sure not to leave so soon, alright?" His breathing started to become forced, the speed of his words picking up. "Until then - let my mother, and All Might, and everyone in class know I didn't want to leave, and-"

The volume of his voice decreased, his words becoming a mumble near Shouto's ear. "Be the best hero you can be - for me."

Shouto didn't need to look down at Midoriya's face to tell he was still smiling, even as his breathing rattled and suddenly stopped. He took Midoriya's hand, which he still pressed against his cheek and placed a small kiss in his palm; it was ice cold, dull in color. Yet, even as he began to use the hand as a way to muffle his sobs, he lets himself hope. This isn't the end. He told himself.

We'll meet again, eventually.

?/?

"Fate can be a fickle thing, sometimes. While many believe that their fate, including who their soulmate is, is unchangeable, others claim otherwise. They feel that they have found ways to bend their fate - making it malleable, like clay. Some of these people say that one needs determination to do this, while others says you need love.

One psychologist, Makoto Akemi, believes an alternate theory. 'If someone were to want to twist their fate,' he said in an interview back in 2XXX. 'They must will one string of their destiny, bonded to them by universal forces we have yet to understand, to snap and wither away before letting another one form to replace it-'"

"Is that Bonded by Fate, Shattered by Life?" A person behind them asks excitedly, gasping when they hum in confirmation. "Oh my god, I love that book. It's fascinating to read about - I love the concept of changing fate, and believing that no one's fate is completely sealed unless they allow it to happen. It's such an important message."

They raise their head from the novel to make eye contact with the stranger. The person's hair is black, curly strands covering their ears and one lay on the middle of their forehead. Their eyes are a vibrant green, wide in excitement for a brief moment before their cheeks suddenly flush red, one hand rising to cover their face. They look kind of familiar.

"Oh my god - I'm so sorry!" They say quickly, the person's voice higher-pitched than before, and loud enough to snap them out of their train of thought. "I just, um, saw the cover of the book and got really excited, since no one else I know really enjoys that book and, who knows, you may not either even though you're still holding onto it and - oh boy, I'm rambling again. Anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt your-"

"It's alright." They interrupt, a small smile spreading on their face. "It is an interesting book."

They grin, the two of them standing in silence before the stranger outstretches their hand. "My name's Mizu Hiroko. I'm a soon-to-be third year at Yuuei. Nice to meet you!"

Mizu. They think. They made it to the semi-finals in the Sports Festival last year. No wonder I recognized them.

They hum, reaching out and grasping their hand as they look them in the eye. For a brief moment, they see someone else. The unknown person had the same eyes, but they also had dark green hair and wore a green jumpsuit with a familiar smile. They blink once and see Mizu again, looking at them with the same expression the mysterious person had - gentle, yet excited. "I'm entering Yuuei this year, actually. I'm Hashimoto Kimiyo." They pause, swallowing quietly and quickly; their throat scratches considerably. "Nice to meet you too, Mizu."

Mizu's eyes sparkle and their grin widens. Kimiyo finds it easy to grin back.

*insert Blondie's "One Way or Another" here*

Hope you guys enjoyed this! This was a blast to write, and I think it turned out pretty well.

Thanks again to kevindxy . tumblr . com for beta-ing this! :

Yell at and/or with me on tumblr : insertbnhapunhere . tumblr . com.