Chapter Text
"Kacchan, what do you think your soulmate would be like?"
It was early afternoon. Katsuki was 5 years old, in in the public park with a scrawny little kid. Izuku. Deku, as he called him. It was just another day of their elementary school lives. They always played at the park for a few hours before going home. Sometimes, other kids joined them. But the two of them were always there.
Always, until stupid Katsuki went and fucked everything up-
"Someone cool. Just like me," kid Katsuki grinned and held up his fist. He didn't know Izuku's eyes could get any bigger. They looked so big for his scrawny little body. Big, shiny eyes that looked at him full of admiration and awe. He didn't quite understand how this kid had come to admire him so much, but he loved the attention.
"Kacchan, you're amazing!" exclaimed Izuku, jumping a little. "I hope my soulmate is amazing like you!"
Katsuki sneered, but it wasn't as mean and hurtful as it could be (as it had been later). No, this was only teasing. Katsuki at that age never meant all the mean stuff he said. He just liked teasing Deku and seeing him pout and whine.
"Keep dreaming, useless Deku!" he said. "I bet it's someone just as uncool as you."
"You're such a meanie, Kacchan!"
Kacchan.
"Katsuki."
Katsuki jerked up from the coffee table. He looked at his notes spread out in front of him. The laptop was open but the screen was black. He was writing a paper. Had he been napping? Since when did he do naps? Even as a college student, he tried his best to maintain a schedule so that he got enough and regular rest. Napping didn't exist in his life. How he fell asleep, he had no idea. He just hoped whatever he was writing had gotten saved. It wasn't due that day, or the next, or the next, but due after two weeks. He just liked staying on top of his work. Call him a nerd. He had already accepted that status and would gladly punch the daylights out of whoever tried to give him shit about it. Or, you know, just beat then figuratively with marks. Whatever worked.
"I didn't know you took naps dude." Eijirou walked through the flat, throwing his stuff around as he made his way to his room. Katsuki scowled. He was going to make sure he cleaned that up himself.
Katsuki had always been sort of a loner. Sure, he had his little troop that followed him around through elementary and middle school, but he never thought of them as friends. They only hanged around and listened to him because they were scared of being the next target of his bullying. Kirishima Eijirou was one of his few real friends. Katsuki had met him in high school. They stayed friends through high school and into college. Since they ended up getting into the same college, they roomed together. It was cheap and convenient. Katsuki would rather tolerate Eijirou than some random extras. On a good day, he might even call Eijirou his best friend. He would never admit that out loud though, that was too much ammunition. But Eijirou knew. He always knew.
Katsuki stretched and sat on the couch from the floor. He busied himself with tidying up the coffee table and taking his work to his room. He knew Eijirou would come watch some dumb sappy shit on the television soon and he didn't want to be disturbed. He pointedly tried not to think about his dream. It was a recurring one. Not always the same, but always vague memories of his childhood with the only common thing being the boy who he used to be friends with. He got it once, sometimes twice, a week. It had started a few months ago.
(Also around the time his soul mark appeared-
No. Not thinking about it)
Katsuki quickly cleared his stuff and brought it to his room, frowning at the mess Eijirou made along the way. Because of his nap, he had wasted a few hours and also possibly ruined his schedule. It was all right though. He would just spend some more time in the gym and go to bed as soon as he can.
Looking at the time, he figured he couldn't do much work anyone and decided to just go to the gym. He gathered his gloves and dressed in his gym clothes. Katsuki liked boxing. It was a good way to let out all of his pent up anger and frustrations. It also shaped his muscles really well. Not that he had anyone to impress. He just liked being in his top form. Lashing out at people less was also a benefit. He picked up his gym bag and left his room.
As he had suspected, Eijirou was on the couch with his very unhealthy and very non-spicy snacks, eagerly waiting for his k-drama of the week to start. He looked up immediately at the sound of Katsuki leaving the room.
"You're going early?"
Katsuki hummed in response. Without sparing him another glance, he made his way to the door and started putting on his shoes. He was gong to jog to the gym.
"Say, what are you doing tonight?" asked Eijirou casually. Maybe too casually, if you asked Katsuki.
Katsuki paused in his action and turned to look at him. He frowned at tried to figure out what his friend could be planning. He really hoped it wasn't some dumb shit with the squad, but knowing them and his luck, it probably was. Their shenanigans never turned out well. But maybe Katsuki was soft for them so sue him. Again, he would never admit that out loud. Not even drunk. Eijirou wasn't looking at him so Katsuki couldn't figure anything from his face. He had a feeling it was on purpose.
"Sleeping," Katsuki replied curtly.
That got Eijirou to turn.
"What? No way, dude. It's the weekend. That is so boring," he said, turning around completely to face Katsuki.
"Deal with it." Katsuki huffed. He finished tying his shoes and got up to leave. Maybe if he stayed another hour at the gym he wouldn't be roped into whatever this was.
"No, no, no, wait." Eijirou got up and rounded the couch. Katsuki stopped halfway out the door and turned around. There was no escape.
"So," he continued. "Mina and the guys were thinking of checking out this new pizza place that opened around the block. They were complaining how they rarely see you anymore and how you don't reply to texts properly. Like, we only know you're alive because I live with you and we sometimes see you in college."
Katsuki couldn't say anything to that. He.. really had distanced himself. But it wasn't any other their fault. It was his own. It was just the stupid mark and the stupid dreams and his stupid inability to get over them.
(NO. Not thinking about it.)
He felt bad for making his friends worry. He had decided that he wasn't going to let this stuff about soulmates affect his life. And if it was affecting his friends, then he was going to have to do something about it.
So he agreed. What's the worse that could happen?