Chapter Text
Though quirks were one of the most strange developments humanity had ever seen, super powers among the masses was humbly ranked number two among the most impactful supernatural occurrences in human history; though why quirks don’t exactly measure up to number one, however, once you consider the fact that it all has to do with knowing the first words your soulmate says to you once they’ve truly fallen in love with you, and that this phenomena has been around since history began, becomes very apparent.
Izuku Midoriya refused to believe that he was going to be left out of this experience, too. He had no quirk, and the spaces of either of his wrists were bare. He’d heard stories of the rare individual who never heard the words of their soulmate, due to them having died already or simply being destined to live life alone, and therefore never had words on their wrists. He covered his ears as a child as his mother’s friends, who first cooed over her strange quirkless preteen son, apologized to her about the fact that he would end up without love, as well. As if he was hopeless. As if he was a burden; a waste of space.
It didn’t help that his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo, seemed to have it all while he had nothing. Not only did he have an already powerful and promising quirk that burned his hopes and dreams to a crisp, he had three scripts written on his wrists, which he only knew because he lauded it over him once when they were children.
“You see this, Deku? " Katsuki bragged, shoving his covered wrist into Izuku's face, " I’m gonna have three beautiful, super awesome soulmates, and I’m gonna be the greatest superhero ever; and you’re gonna be all alone. Poor. Quirkless. Deku,” Bakugo taunted, taking off his flame-decorated bracelets to show him three quotes etched into his skin. They were both only nine, but Bakugo seemed to have been an early bloomer, getting his scripts a year early. Izuku had just crossed his arms and sulked, stumbling back from his childhood bully.
The only thread of hope he could cling onto was All Might, the fact that his power seemed to emerge from nowhere, and that the fact that his life motto was essentially, “All have the potential to be great heroes." He clung onto to the idea that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t completely hopeless after all.
Even if he knew it was grasping at straws, Izuku kept defending the underdog, though he was the ultimate one himself. He listened to rumors of those who said they were simply late bloomers when it came to getting their scripts, watching them appear at ages as late as twelve. Or at least, that’s what the rumors he heard from passerby and forums on obscure websites said. Even if there was the smallest chance that Izuku would be chosen to have a soulmate, his hope at having a quirk was almost completely squashed the moment his childhood doctor said he would always be quirkless. The same doctor said it was highly unlikely he would be a get his scripts past 13 ½, despite his family history of getting scripts at age 11. There was no such thing as never in Izuku’s eyes, however, especially when the hero he looked up ever since he could remember said so.
Autumn, however, came around, and the trees that were once decked with beautiful foliage turned and shriveled, like the dreams of a now-teenaged Izuku Midoriya. His last hope was a final punch in the dark; entering the U.A’s annual entrance exam and hoping, even though he was incapable of any unique power, that he would pass a score good enough to get in and train to be a hero. He was fourteen, many years past the age he would be donned with a quirk, and already about four years past the age he would have seen the scripts on his wrist. There was supposed to be nothing left resembling a shred of hope for Izuku. It would have to take a miracle to change all that.
And that’s exactly what Izuku got.
It was after the most insane week of his life; he had met All Might, saved his childhood menace from a villain, was chosen to bear One For All, and actually made it through the U.that both Izuku’s wrists were covered in black, perfectly legible script. He gasped a little too quickly at the sight, choking on air as he coughed and held his wrists up to the U.A. entrance exam without being pulverized or obliterated. The computer’s light where All Might’s wide smile shone down upon him from the visual acceptance letter from U.A. He genuinely believed for a split second that he was hallucinating; could destiny really be this kind to someone who was ignored by it for so long before?
The dark room no longer felt like it was filled with nerves and dread; there was an atmosphere of pure awe and excitement as he felt the grooves of the script where they had etched themselves onto the bases of his hands. With bated breath, Izuku read them with absolute joy and utter fear, his throat growing thick with emotion. Written on his left wrist was:
“I honestly forgot what being genuinely appreciated and cared for was like until you reminded me, Midoriya.”
Izuku simply shook his head in disbelief, his cheeks flooding with warmth at the thought of what exactly the situation would be that would entail these words. Closing his hand, he laughed nervously to himself as he turned to the other stanza of script and gulped down a shuddering breath.
Written on his right wrist was:
“No matter what may come my way, I will always fight by your side, Midoriya, because I know you would stop at nothing to do the same.”
His mouth dropped open slightly, eyes growing wide at the wholesomeness and pure love he could see in both of his scripts. He then froze as he realized the true extent of what exactly this meant.
Two scripts. Two soulmates.
Izuku’s eyes swelled up with tears, but no sound escaped him. He was too overcome with shock to even process the immensity of what had just occurred to him. He simply closed his eyes, hugging his arms tight to his chest as he left the room and shared the results of his letter to his mother. She immediately cried with joy at the fact that her son had made it into the school of his dreams, despite all odds, sobbing and praising him with unintelligible gibberish. He curled his hands into fists, and whispered a thanks to whoever was smiling down upon him at last, silently promising that he would not take this, or anything else to come, for granted.
“Um, mom?” Izuku said, his voice shaky and quiet. His mother sobbed and threw her arms around him, nodding her head vigorously against his neck.
“Oh, Izuku! What is it you need, my beautiful little superhero?” She said, her voice overwhelmed with emotion as she finally gasped out a clear phrase. He giggled airily, wiping his eyes as he slowly held his wrist out in front of his mother.
“I’m....Can I borrow your wristbands?” He whispered aloud, almost as if he was scared that saying it too loud would cause someone to steal this gift away. His mother’s eyes grew wide, and as she took her son’s wrists into her hands, she stifled another sob as tears of complete jubilation rolled down her cheeks.
“Oh, my baby boy! How-How? How is this possible?"
"Uh, well-," He stammered. "I think it has to do with the recent discovery that the same small percentage that are born without quirks seem to also have previously been born without Scripts. M-maybe because my quirk finally manifested...so did these?"
She shook her head in awe. "I'm-I was so sure you would....I thought this was impossible."
Izuku shrugged, grinning shyly. "Maybe I'm a miracle."
Her mother snorted, wiping her nose as she laughed in jubilation once again. "I’ll let you use my bands, okay? They’re just a plain black, and they’re a bit old fashioned, what with the laces and all, but I promise I’ll buy you a new pair as soon as the holidays roll around,” His mother chirped, rushing around his room to search for the bracelets. “I can’t believe this! You not only have one, but two soulmates! Wait until I tell your grandmother, I’ll show her after saying-Goodness, how amazing-Oh, Izuku, I’m so proud of you!”
As Inko pulled her son to her into a final warm and teary-eyed embrace, Izuku finally let himself cry, smiling as he let all the emotion and pain that was pent up over the years be released as he rested in his mother’s arms, and finally allowed himself to hope for a better future and a brighter path, with the goal of accomplishing his dreams at the road’s end. This was not the end of a trial, but the beginning of another, but there was hope now; and that’s all Izuku needed to keep going.
-
“Deku, you seem awfully quiet. What’s on your mind?” Ochako said as she sat down next to her best friend. Izuku tapped his finger nervously as she swung her legs on the edge of the fountain. The late afternoon was pleasant, and their neighborhood plaza that was closest to the U.A. streamed with civilians out on the lazy Sunday. The fountain was cool underneath the two, and the water burbled gently behind them.
“Um…” Izuku began, waving his hands frantically and accidentally muttering to himself what he hoped was a thought-out reply. Ochako smiled, taking this as Izuku’s inner thoughts that just came out as mumbling. She rolled her eyes, patting his shoulders affectionately as she sighed teasingly. He blushed at the contact, clearing his throat and laying his hands down rigidly on his lap, his mumbling quickly ceasing.
“Come on, you can tell me anything, Izu,” She said as she let her hand stay on his shoulder. She smiled at him warmly, a light blush flowering on her soft cheeks, and Izuku took a sharp breath.
“I-There feels like-You and me-I really like you!” He blurted out, melting under Ochako’s kind face. “But I-there’s no-I know you like me, too? Or at least, that’s what I gather-? But you-We aren’t-,” Izuku stammered as he flailed his arms helplessly, unable to say what was on his mind out of fear of ruining the house of cards that he felt was his friendship with this kind, bubbly girl. Her smile fell quickly, and she looked away with a trembling lip as her hand slipped off his shoulder. Izuku’s heart clenched, and his fists tightened in anticipation of the worst.
“You don’t think-,” Ochako began, before shaking her head and closing her eyes. She was quiet for a moment, pursing her lips as she searched for what to say. “We’re not...soulmates.”
Izuku could feel his body shaking in absolute anxiety as the pause she took after this statement made the air between them grow heavy, a pang of dread entering his stomach as Ochako refused to look at him. The moment of silence between the two stretched on, only the sounds of pedestrians visiting the local shops and the fountain rushing behind them filled it.
“I...know,” She finally replied, a heavy sigh escaping her as her shoulders slumped. Her eyes misted ever so slightly. Izuku’s eyes grew wide, but before he could panic about making her cry, she just laughed and wiped her tears away, waving her hand as if it were silly to cry about such a thing.
“I wanted to pretend that maybe we just hadn’t gotten to that point yet; that we just needed more time, but...being soulmates doesn’t feel that forced, does it? It’s supposed to just...kind of happen. Even if we have become the best of friends, we can’t force eternal romance and the like; and that’s what I feel like I’ve been trying to do just because I had this huge crush on you.”
Izuku nodded dully, wringing his hands as he held back tears that threatened to spill over. He liked her so much, because she was so kind and beautiful and determined, but he knew deep down that it wasn’t really love; that the fact that he could only feel comfortable around her was when he wasn’t forcing himself to be in love with her wasn’t fate at all. Ochako sniffed, taking Izuku’s hand tenderly, to which he just smiled in appreciation.
“But we’re still going to be the best of friends, right? Even if we aren’t those kind of soulmates? After all, who’s going to beat up Katsuki when he won’t stop being mean to you? Because God knows it isn’t going to be you,” She joked, and Izuku’s shoulders dropped in relief, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“We’ll be best friends forever, Occhan,” Deku said, his voice warbling with emotion. Ochako giggled at her friend’s state, and mussed his hair playfully as he laughed and wiped his tears away, until both of them winced in pain from a sensation that stung their knuckles, like a cut after a sloppy punch.
“Wha-?” Izuku exclaimed as he sucked a breath through his teeth, before realizing that a clear symbol was writing itself into his skin, like a magical quill inking the bone of his knuckles to reveal a crown-like shape on the base of his middle finger, completely black and smooth. He gasped, bringing his now red knuckles closer to him to examine this new mark with the same analytical demeanor he held when studying his fellow heroes.
Ochako looked up at him with wide eyes, shining with a new wave of emotion as she held her own hand in surprise. Izuku looked down at her knuckle to find the exact same symbol, and out of reflex, gently curled his hand into a fist and put his knuckles against hers.
The symbol formed a simple star, completing itself as the perfect grooves of their knuckles completed the shape without error. Izuku laughed in disbelief, running his left hand through his hair as he smiled widely.
“Guess we were a different kind of soulmate after all, huh?” He said finally, a playful grin on his face.
“Oh my god, we’re platonic soulmates, Deku! You really are my best friend forever, you huge dork!” Ochako exclaimed as she threw her arms around him in glee, with Izuku laughing and hugging her back just as enthusiastically.
“Now you can’t get rid of me, no matter how weird or crazy I get,” Ochako giggled, tickling Izuku’s ribs. He yelped and pushed her off him, snorting as Ochako cackled at his reaction.
“Ditto,” He replied simply, taking her by the arm with a genuine smile, and feeling a rush of joy as she returned it fully.