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Izuku wasn't really sure how he felt about soulmates. On one hand, he was fascinated by them. The fact that there was a person that was his direct complement in every way, out there in the world, just waiting for him was mind boggling. And that the universe gave him the key to finding them?
Insane.
Izuku liked to stare at it, sometimes, the words branded on his skin. They curled across his wrist, delicate and pretty, the ink stark and vivid. You’re my best friend. The words often stirred butterflies in his gut. What would bring his soulmate to say something like that? Would they be friends for awhile? Friends forever? Would they end up together?
Logically, Izuku knew that not all soulmates ended up romantically paired. Platonic soulmates were just as common as romantic ones, and just as celebrated. He had no idea if his was just that; platonic. On the surface it seemed that way. And truth be told, that was fine with him. Having a best friend until his dying days was a dream come true, really. Especially when he didn’t really have one.
Izuku sighed as he stuffed books into his bag. He took a moment to tug his sleeve further over his wrist, hiding his words from view. It wouldn’t do him any good for someone to see them, after all. Not here, anyway. He eyed Bakugou and his posse from across the room, ducking his head at the sounds of their raucous laughter. Yeah, he definitely didn’t need anyone seeing his words.
He already got made fun of enough as it was.
“Do you even have a soulmate?” Bakugou jeered. It was days later, before classes started. He leaned over Izuku, palms sparking with threats of pain. “You already don’t have a quirk. How funny would that be, if the universe hates you that much?”
Izuku shrunk, trembling slightly. He focused his gaze on his desk. I do have a soulmate, he thought, though he didn’t say as much. He’d long learned it was best to keep quiet, when Bakugou was involved. The boy in question slammed a hand onto his desk with a loud pop, smoke and sparks rising in a puff. “Hey! I’m talking to you, ya’ damn nerd!”
“That’s enough, Bakugou! Please find your seat,” the teacher said, voice tired and worn. Thankfully, Bakugou backed down, marching back to his seat and leaving Izuku staring at the charred hand print left behind on his desk. He let out a shaky sigh.
That was close.
“Please pull out your textbooks and turn to page eighty-two.”
There were a few groans, and an intense rustle as twenty nine kids followed directions. Izuku pulled his book out slowly, propping it open against the edge of his desk, where he balanced it just so. He peeked over the edge at the teacher, who had his back turned.
Izuku pulled his arm up, hooking a finger on his sleeve and tugging it back just enough so that his words stared back at him.
You’re my best friend.
He read them, over and over again. You’re my best friend, my best friend, my best friend.
~#~
“Deku, hey!” Uraraka waved, her hair bouncing along with the rest of her. On the table in front of her was a stack of books and an open notebook; it was study night, when he, Iida, and Uraraka all met up in this tiny little cafe near Yuueii to go over their notes together. Izuku waved back, his face growing warm as he made his way over. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Uraraka said as he slid into the booth, “I’m having a terrible time with this english assignment, and Iida’s running late.”
Izuku blinked. “He is?”
“Yeah, he just texted. See?” She thrust her phone into his face, and sure enough, there was a new message in their group chat. Izuku hummed.
“Oh. I must have missed that.” Uraraka waved him off with a laugh. “That’s okay, you’re here now! So please tell me you understand this poem.” She slid a textbook towards him, letting out an exaggerated huff. Izuku bit back a smile.
This was nice. So nice, he often pinched himself, wondering if he was dreaming. He had a quirk now. A strong quirk, one that broke his body when he used it. He had friends now, friends that met up with him in cafes and studied with him and let him be a part of their group chats. It was so surreal, really. He stared down at the textbook, his gaze sliding across the glossy pages and back up to the cheerful smile of the girl seated across from him. Her chin rested in her hands, pinkies up, and merriment danced in her eyes. Uraraka quirked a brow. “Well?”
Izuku laughed and rubbed his neck. “Um, sorry, I uh, well…”
She snorted. “It’s okay, english is hard. Let’s order something and wait for Iida. He should know, right?”
“Probably? He does seem to be good at this sort of thing.”
“Then it’s settled!” Uraraka bounced to her feet, slamming her hands onto the table. The sudden noise had Izuku gasping, and he flinched back into the cushion behind him. Uraraka blinked, eyes wide and mouth agape. There was a beat where she simply stared. Izuku felt his face burn. He sunk into his seat and fixed his gaze on the table.
“S-so-sorry,” he mumbled. Uraraka sank back into her seat, quiet. She reached out, hesitant, and placed a hand on the table close to him.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Izuku risked a glance up. He was met with the softest expression he’d ever seen. It was warm, like a burning fireplace during wintertime. There was a flicker there, a flicker of something dark, but it danced away the longer he held her gaze. Uraraka flipped her hand over, palm facing up, inviting. Izuku hesitated. He looked from her to her hand and back again, before reaching out and placing his fingers on hers. “It’s okay,” he said, softly. “It’s not your fault.”
She squeezed his hand, pinky safely tucked away. “Okay.” They stayed like that for a moment, before Uraraka pulled away to order them some muffins. “My treat,” she said, when Izuku tried to fumble for his wallet. And Izuku hid his face in his hands and wondered just how he got so lucky to have such a nice friend.
~#~
“Gotcha!” Izuku’s hands curled around the flagpole, and he yanked it free. The other team’s screams of despair and anger clashed in his ears like a bad chord. He had seconds to gain some lead, so he lit up his quirk and pounced into the air. Wind whipped at his face and hair, mingling with the energy crackling at the surface of his skin and making everything tingle pleasantly. He let out a ‘whoop’. Flying high was exhilarating; sometimes, Izuku wondered how he ever lived without a quirk. How could he have never known the way his blood pumped and the energy flowed within him?
He hit the ground running, flag clutched tightly in his grasp. They were playing a game of capture the flag. It was an easy game to play, and the teachers loved rearranging the stakes to better suit each lesson. Today was an easy day with the classic rules. First team to catch the flag won. And Izuku planned on winning.
Izuku breathed, bunched his legs, and pounced, his quirk firing him off into the air in a massive bound. He could hear the whoops and hollers of his teammates as they converged around him, using their quirks to keep the opposing team at bay. Currently, he was paired with Ojirou and Sero, who, with him, made up their team’s offense, and Tokoyami and Uraraka, who were on the defense. The plan? Utilize Dark Shadow and Zero Gravity to raise hell for their opponents so they could zip to the other side, slide past their opponents’ defenses, and nab their flag.
So far, things were sailing smoothly.
“Fuckers! Give that back!”
Well. They had been, at least.
The explosion was expected, and Izuku compensated when he hit the ground. “Sero, distract Bakugou!” he shouted. Sero swung past, gesturing his understanding. Izuku grit his teeth. He just needed to cross the line back to their base…
“Go!” Ojirou yelled. “Take the flag!”
Izuku nodded, and he was off with another bound. The playing field was one of the many training grounds at Yuueii, modeled this time after a ruined city. Their base was atop a small shop building, hiding amidst a few mock skyscrapers. Izuku rocketed down streets and off buildings, nearly flying as he made his way to the rest of his team. Almost there…
He could see the rooftop with their flag. Debris floated around it like a shield, and Izuku could see flashes of Dark Shadow fending off what looked to be lobs of acid raining down from above. Crap. Ashido. The other team was upon them.
“Incoming!” Izuku yelled. He launched himself upwards, flag billowing in the air behind him.
“They’ve got our flag!”
“But how-?”
“Stop them!”
Right as Izuku’s boot touched down, something whistled in the air. He caught the moment Uraraka’s eyes widened, and she was leaping towards him with a shout. “Deku, look out!”
He turned just in time to see one of Bakugou’s sweat grenades hit the rooftop beside him, imploding with a bang. Immediately, the structure crumpled beneath him. Izuku flailed. There was soot and smoke and he was falling, falling-
Something warm and firm slapped his shoulder, and Izuku floated. He opened his eyes- apparently having squeezed them shut- and was met with Uraraka’s wide ones staring back at him. She grasped his hero suit and tugged him back to safety, where she released her quirk and let his boots touch solid ground again. “You okay?” she asked. Izuku nodded.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Here, Midoriya, I believe you dropped this.” Tokoyami held out the flag he’d captured, a grin curved on his features and a gleam in his eyes. Izuku rubbed the back of his neck.
“Oops.” The alarm signalling the end of the exercise sounded. They’d won- barely. Still, a win all the same. Tokoyami clapped him on the back and ambled off, presumably to round up their other teammates. Izuku let out a breath. Damn, he was tired. The adrenaline from nearly plummeting to his death had caught up with him, and he felt his knees start to buckle.
This was a good enough place to sit for a minute, right?
He settled on a chunk of cement, heaving a sigh. There was a beat where Uraraka just stared at him before shrugging and settling beside him. “Whew,” she said, “that was intense.”
Izuku snorted. “Yeah.” He felt Uraraka’s shoulder brush against his. Butterflies erupted in his stomach. Normally, he’d be nervous. Now, though, he was tired. Tired enough to lean into it. “Class is always intense though.”
“I guess so.” Uraraka shifted closer. Now their sides were pressed together. Izuku felt warm at the realization. “Still, it’d be nice to have a class where no one almost gets hurt. Right?”
He ducked his head, chuckling awkwardly. “Sorry.”
There was a laugh. “You should be,” Uraraka teased, tone light. “What would you do without me?”
“Probably fall on my face.”
Uraraka laughed at this, a sound like music. Izuku couldn’t help but grin at the way she doubled over, hand clasped against her lips in a vain attempt to keep the giggles from bursting forth. “Probably,” she agreed between breaths. Izuku snorted. It was wild to think of how they’d met; he, nearly tripping over his own two feet, and she, using her quirk to save him from embarrassment. Ever since, she’d saved him more times than Izuku could count, including today. He sighed, dropping his head on her shoulder in a moment of rare bravery.
“Thank you for always saving me,” he murmured. Uraraka stiffened beside him. When he peered up at her, she was gazing at him with such awe and affection, it was overwhelming. Izuku pulled back, face on fire. “C-come on,” he stammered, “we s-sh-sh-should get back.”
He didn’t wait for Uraraka to respond, instead clamoring to his feet and stumbling off in the direction of their class.
~#~
The television was quiet in the background, the screen flashing as the scenes shifted from one frame to the next, creating nice, ambient lighting for the quiet evening. Izuku sat sprawled on the couch, feet propped on one of the coffee tables, a half empty bucket of melty ice cream cradled in one hand and a spoon clutched in the other. Uraraka leaned against him, knees drawn to her chest and her own spoon in her mouth. Her gaze was focused on the television, but it was glazed over with a layer of exhaustion.
Izuku sighed. It was the week of exams, and they were rough, to say the least.
The two of them were alone in the common room, everyone else having retired for the evening. A few of their classmates were cramming in the privacy of their own rooms; Izuku remembered Kaminari talking about doing just that hours earlier. But he and Uraraka were both studied out, and had chosen to relax and unwind with some ice cream and some late night sitcoms.
Uraraka sighed. Her head dropped onto Izuku’s shoulder, and she nuzzled him. He froze, eyes wide, and momentarily forgot how to breathe. Uraraka didn’t seem to notice his panicking, though. Instead, she breathed another sigh, and said, “You’re my best friend.”
Izuku jerked away, mouth agape and eyes so wide, they should have fallen out of his head. The ice cream fell from his hand, landing onto the floor with a splat, and Uraraka squeaked as she scrambled to not follow suit. “Deku?” she said. “Are you okay?”
“It’s you,” he breathed. She blinked back at him.
“Huh?”
Izuku just shook his head, face aflame. It was then that understanding seemed to dawn on Uraraka, and she gazed at him with the same wonder and awe and affection that she did after their game of capture the flag only a handful of months ago, and this time, Izuku couldn’t look away. “I said your words,” she said. “Didn’t I?”
Instead of answering, Izuku raised his arm, hand trembling. He bit his lip and slowly worked on removing his watch from his wrist. He fumbled, his shaking fingers refusing to work properly, before the offending accessory fell away, dropping to his feet. Izuku held out his hand then for Uraraka to see. She clasped it with such tenderness and gazed down at the delicate scrawl across his wrist. He watched her mouth the words as she traced them with her finger. The sensation sent shivers down his back. She was his soulmate. Uraraka. Izuku felt as though he could laugh, he was so giddy. So he did. He curled forward, giggles bursting from his lips. Uraraka’s grip on his hand tightened, and she huffed a laugh too. “What’s so funny?”
Izuku shook his head. “I-I don’t know…” He couldn’t really put it into words. His relief, his gratitude, his awe. He peeked up at her from beneath his bangs. Uraraka smiled down at him, something akin to affection glimmering there.
“You’re such a dork,” she murmured, squeezing his hand. There was a pause. And then, “Wanna see mine?”
He blinked. Oh. Oh. “I said them?” he said, bolting upright. Uraraka nodded, cheeks rosier than usual. She dropped his hand and shifted, propping her foot onto his lap and pulling back her sock. There, circling her ankle was a phrase of dark ink. Izuku bent close, brows furrowing as he read the words branded there. Thank you for always saving me, the words read, and Izuku felt his face heat. “Whoa.” He remembered that day, how she’d stared at him when he’d said it. Everything clicked into place. “We’re soulmates,” Izuku said, breathless. Uraraka giggled.
“Yeah. We are.” She leaned forward, cupping his cheek in a bold move that had Izuku’s heart pounding. “I kind of really want to kiss you,” Uraraka said, and oh, Izuku felt the air leave his lungs. He ducked down, hiding his face in her shoulder.
“Really?”
Uraraka combed her fingers through his hair and hummed. “Do you?”
Izuku leaned back. Her eyes were wide, earnest, and brimming with affection so warm that Izuku almost felt as though he was burning. He nibbled at his bottom lip and found her hand with his, entwining their fingers. Yeah, okay, he kind of really wanted to kiss her too. “Yeah, yeah I do,” he whispered. Uraraka smiled and then she was leaning close. His eyes drifted shut just in time for her lips to graze his.
It was soft, gentle. Just a press of skin on skin. But the feel of her breath tickling his cheek, her hand squeezing his, how she shifted to get just a little bit closer; it had Izuku’s head spinning. He didn’t mind it though. In fact, he found that he liked it very much. So he kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her again. His free hand found her face and cradled her cheek. They broke apart, moments later, pressing their foreheads together and just existing in each other’s space. Izuku found that he couldn’t stop smiling.
He wanted to tell her how her words saved him. How they kept him going. How her friendship meant so much to him, how she meant so much to him. He wanted to hug her and kiss her and never leave her side. He wanted to save her, like she saved him, time and time again. But he couldn’t find the words. So instead, Izuku pressed close and kissed her again, lingering, hoping that she could feel the overwhelming feelings brewing inside his chest. She clung to him, hands fisted in his shirt, and for a moment, it felt like they were floating.
Maybe they were. Izuku decided he really didn’t care either way. He’d float to the stratosphere if it meant prolonging this moment forever.
When they broke apart again, Uraraka nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and sighed. They stayed like that, curled together in a tangle of limbs, television and ice cream forgotten.