Coincidental Confessions: Todoroki Shouto x Reader

In Your Eyes - Episode 1

A soulmate is a person who is ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner. Your other half, the person that completed you, made you better, and understood you like no one else. It's rare to find your soulmate. There's billions of people in this world, so what's the possibility you'd find yours?

The chances are you won't. Although, it's not impossible. There's people who have had significant others even without finding their fated other half, but the yearning to find their soulmate has never faded.

Centuries ago, the gods were fed up by the pain put on mankind often caused by futile searches. One god and/or goddess (because we don't discriminate) in particular decided to deal with the problem.

Thus, heterochromatic eyes became the solution. At birth, people receive two different colored eyes, the right yours and the other your soulmate's. Upon meeting your soulmate's eyes for the first time, your soulmate eye will return so that your eyes will match. The god made this system to assist mankind with finding their soulmate. To find true love. To find happiness.

However, that was a matter of opinion.

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Todoroki Shouto doesn't know about soulmates till he is 5. His mother is in the midst of comforting him again after a rather intense training session with his father. His small, beaten body curls at his mother's lap. He sobs in pain and fear, tears staining her pants. She doesn't mind. She's more focused on trying to comfort her youngest son. Shouto's mother presses her lips together, trying to contain her own tears, trying to be strong for him.

"I hate him, Mommy," Shouto hiccups. It wracks his whole body. "I don't want to be like him."

It's not unusual for his mother and him to end up like this, Shouto at his mother's lap and her comforting him. It's become a routine since he started training. But this time seems to last longer than most. The same comfort routine doesn't work. He still cries and he hugs his mother close, burying his face into her stomach.

Shouto's mother doesn't know what to do but tries to stay calm. She pats his back softly, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. How else can she comfort her child?

Then she gets an idea.

"Shouto, have I ever told you about soulmates?" Shouto's mother asks gently. She's afraid s single word might shatter the boy.

For a second, Shouto pauses, his arms still wrapped around her waist. She takes it as a sign to continue.

"Do you know what soulmates are?"

He shakes his head into her stomach.

"Well, come out and I'll tell you."

And it works. Miraculously, Shouto stops crying and the tears are left forgotten. Instead he watches his mother, mesmerized as she tells him how their world works, of soulmates and how they would bring each other happiness, and fairy tales involving searches for soulmates, fights about soulmates, and other interesting tales.

The idea of happiness gives Shouto hope. He doesn't notice as his mother gives him a strained smile.

After all, they are just fairy tales, and only fairy tales have a happy ending.

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Todoroki Shouto is 6 when he realizes he might not have a soulmate. It happens late at night when he wakes up to go to the bathroom. Once he finishes washing his hands, Shouto stares into his eyes on the bathroom mirror. He smiles tiredly. He's still hopeful that he'll one day meet his soulmate. Then he remembers his mother's words.