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Kirishima snaps his eyes open, to see darkness. He's terrified for a moment until slowly his vision starts getting used to the lack of light, and he senses the familiarity of the patterns on his ceiling, the posters on his walls, and he lets out a long relieved sigh.
He never wants to have another dream again.
He hadn't realised it was a dream at first. He'd woken up in a meadow, his head on his mother's lap as she stroked his hair and asked him, "You've always wanted to find your soulmate, haven't you, Eijirou?"
Kirishima had mindlessly nodded, smiling at the thought, and his mother's hand had stilled in his hair right before she asked, "Why do you think you deserve one?"
Slowly, a cold chill had spread through his body. He'd tried to open his eyes but the warm caress of his mother's touch had disappeared, and then he was standing up, walking even, moving through the halls of UA, and he could hear everyone's thoughts. They were all thinking about him.
He kept hearing the word 'poser'.
"You want a soulmate who's a million times better than you," a voice said, a voice in Kirishima's head yet it still sounded louder than every thought. "Haven't people told you you can't love that way? Haven't you heard the phrase you can't love someone until you love yourself?"
The voice wasn't in his head anymore, as it whispered right in his ear, "But will you ever love yourself?"
The door of the nearest classroom opened, and inside was a hundred versions of himself. His five year old self having just cut his eye with his Quirk, when he'd first cried himself to sleep because he didn't know how to control it- actually, this room held every single time he'd cried. When he'd been hit in the head by a football when he was seven and hardened a second too late, when the first boy he ever liked laughed when someone called him a loser - such weak reasons.
The doors kept opening, and Kirishima got closer and closer to tears every time he realised what they meant. His relatives who weren't his mothers talking about how unlikely Kirishima was to be wanted as a soulmate behind one, Tomo and Bakugou as the only two people he'd truly wished to be his soulmate (but weren't) behind another, a researcher on TV saying 'if a dynamic enough event between soulmates doesn't happen then it's likely that their temporal lines will never eventually connect'; one room just held his hair dye.
As if to say 'if you needed to change yourself then how can you ever be good enough?'
It took twenty doors that had him close to breaking down to finally wake up, for real. So now here he is, ugly tears tracking down his face as heavy shaking breaths rack through his body, and he decides that he's never going back to sleep. He grits his teeth and tears his blankets off of himself, raising an arm to wipe at his eyes but his lack of awareness has him falling off the bed instead. He grimaces, but it doesn't matter. He doesn't want to be in bed. He doesn't want to be here.
He takes one look at the door, then he's shaking himself out of his sleepy stupor, getting up, and running for it.
Only to see Bakugou opening his door at the same time.
And he blinks when he hears another door on the girls' side of the floor opening, too. But Kirishima can't care - he just wants to get away, and he also really doesn't want to see Bakugou right now. Just looking at him makes Kirishima feel less of a man.
But the breath in his lungs leaves him when a hand grabs his, and suddenly Bakugou's running, dragging Kirishima behind him. Kirishima yelps, but Bakugou just yells, "COME ON!", his voice raspy and shaky, just like his hand in Kirishima's is. And Kirishima snaps his head up to see a tear falling off Bakugou's jaw.
He finally bursts into action and runs with him.
They tear down the stairs, Kirishima stumbling a few times but Bakugou's hold on him tightens whenever he does, and they practically jump the whole last flight with Kirishima hardening his legs to lessen the impact, and Bakugou cushions his own fall with a small explosion from his right hand.
And Sero's jaw drops open from where he's standing right in front of them on the common room floor, with Kaminari beside him dropping the yoghurt in his hand.
"W-What's going on?" Kirishima asks breathlessly, eyes furrowing worriedly when he sees similar tear tracks on Sero and Kaminari's faces. They both quickly try and wipe said faces but Kirishima lets go of Bakugou's hand to reach for both of their arms. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I think we're all crying, let's just have a cry-fest."
"That sounds fun!" another shaky voice laughs from behind them, and they turn to see Ashido still swaddled in her blankets as she wobbles down the steps. Kirishima smiles at her, and Bakugou catches her by the arm when her slipper snags on the last step.
"You're the door I heard from the girls' wing."
"Yeah, and I heard Bakugou yelling at you," Ashido giggles, leaning against Bakugou who actually lets her. "I was too slow to catch up to you guys though, you ran like madmen."
"Hey, uh, this is just a...speculation, but me and Kami both had a nightmare," Sero says, making everyone's attention turn towards him. "Did you guys have one too?"
Ashido nods in amazement while Kirishima gasps and Bakugou says nothing. That's when Kirishima realises he's still crying, head hanging so you can't tell by looking at him but there are still tears falling to the ground.
"Hey, let's go to the sofa," Kirishima says quickly, pressing a discreet hand into Bakugou's back, and Ashido seems to know to wrap an arm around him too. "Someone grab a massive bunch of tissues. Or just the entire kitchen roll."
Sero gives a thumbs up before he walks off, and Kaminari and Ashido make a beeline for the sofas which they jump onto, and Ashido lets Kaminari come in under her blankets so they can cuddle woefully. Meanwhile Kirishima takes hold of Bakugou's hand again, and gently leads him over.
"Is this gonna be a midnight therapy session?"
"I mean, we're probably just gonna all talk about our dreams then cry at each other, that doesn't sound very therapeutic," Ashido sniffs, but Kaminari cries, "What are you talking about, I'd love that!"
"Well, my dream was just me finding my soulmate but they were sucky and tried to get me to do things I didn't want to do," Sero snorts as he chucks the tissues onto the table and flops down in the armchair. "Then they told me I was super plain anyway, what would anyone even see in me if I didn't do what they wanted, blah blah blah. Don't even know why it got to me so much."
"What the hell?!" Ashido yelps as Kirishima clenches his fists on instinct, already ready to fight. But Sero just laughs and shakes his head, even though the laugh catches in his throat.
"No, guys, it's fine, I just...it hit a nerve. You don't even know how many times I've been called plain in my life. Even Blasty here calls me Soy Sauce," Sero says, his tone teasing even though everyone knows it's not lighthearted, and Bakugou slumps in his seat. "And I'm not one for romance, really, it doesn't cross my mind. So I'm always a little bit worried about what my soulmate will want from me."
"If they're your soulmate then they should want the same as you," Kirishima frowns, but Sero gives him a knowing smile.
"That sounds nice but it's never actually gonna be that easy, is it-"
"I don't call you Soy Sauce 'cause you're plain, I call you it 'cause you're pretty," Bakugou suddenly says gruffly, making every one of them freeze. Then Kaminari wheezes into the silence, and havoc breaks out.
"BAKUGOU, ARE YOU FOR REAL?!" Ashido screeches as Kirishima's laughing so hard that his sides are going to explode and even Sero is doubled over cackling but he's hiding his red face at the same time. Bakugou stares at all of them in confusion, snapping, "What's so funny about that?!"
"Holy shit, he is for real."
"HE'S FOR REAL!"
"You could've said good-looking or something, dude, what am I supposed to do with 'pretty'?!" Sero cries out and Bakugou grabs a cushion to bury his face in and grumbles muffledly, "That's your fucking problem."
"But Bakugou's right, man, you've got a rocking face, you're tall and so chill which instantly makes you cool, and you're like...so good with your Quirk that my jaw drops every time you use it," Kirishima says adamantly, and Sero smiles at his hands.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"You dream sounds similar to mine," Kaminari hummed. "I found my soulmate too, but they kept telling me that I had to change. Like they were my number one criticiser and I thought soulmates are supposed to be the people who comfort you but every day they chided me about how spineless I am...how I always stand back in dire situations. They even told me off about the fact that I hold back when using my Quirk when I'm with friends! They were just like 'being a hero is more important than friendship'!"
"Have they never watched My Little Pony? They save the world BECAUSE THEY'RE FRIENDS!" Ashido yelps, and Kaminari throws his arms at her yelling, "EXACTLY! I'M A SUPER COOL MAGICAL PONY! And I...well, I just..."
"I just want someone who thinks I'm great?" Kaminari says, softly as he rests his head on Ashido's shoulder. "Because not a lot of people do. I don't think anyone looks at me and thinks I'm destined for greatness unless I change. But I don't want to change. I don't even know if I can change. Being a dunce with a volt limit is the only thing I know how to be. Honestly, I- that's probably why I flirt with everyone, and why I really want to be cool. 'Cause I want to find my soulmate so bad and I want them to be the one person to look at me like I'm someone amazing but that dream had the exact opposite and I-"
Kaminari cuts himself off, eyes creasing. Then he whispers, "Okay. I know I'm not gonna be up there with everyone but I still want someone to think I'm great."
It's quiet in the common room. Until a cushion promptly flies right at Kaminari and thwacks him in the head, making him yell and whip his head up. Bakugou's glaring at him, and Kaminari's about to whine when Sero yells, "Are we chopped liver?!"
"We. Think. You're. Great. You. Little. Munchkin," Ashido argues, shaking Kaminari wildly with each word. "And I'm sure so many other people do, do you KNOW how cool your Quirk is and how friendly and funny you are?"
"You were my first friend here, man. For that you're already one of the coolest people I know," Kirishima says, and Kaminari looks at him with wide eyes. Then his face crumples, and he he makes grabby hands at Kirishima with a long wail that has Kirishima laughing tearily as he goes over to hug Kaminari tight.
"Why are all our soulmates so gross?" Ashido grumbles, stomping her foot on the ground. "Mine kept trying to put me down and said I was a narcissist and didn't deserve the popularity I'd always had...said that if I was going to be with them then I'd have to hold my head down and be a 'good little soulmate'. Blegh. Hiding who I am is like my worst nightmare."
That last sentence Ashido said has Kirishima's heart curling up into a ball.
"I don't want any soulmate if they're gonna act like they're ashamed of me."
"Or jealous of you, it sounds like," Kirishima says softly. "Which I might understand. I was jealous of you, once."
"Really?" Ashido asks, but it's gentle, like she's not surprised but not in an arrogant way, and Kirishima nods. God, he doesn't know why he's saying this out loud but...
"You're really cool. Amazing and sociable and likeable and strong. And I always thought your soulmate would be the same, so you guys can be mega cool and go rule the world together or something."
"Say aye if you'd like to live in a world ruled by Mina Ashido," Kaminari says solemnly, and the chorus of 'aye's has Ashido bursting into teary laughter.
"You'll get a soulmate who loves you for you, and I know that because it's what you deserve and the universe will know that too or I'll punch it."
"Kirishima just aggressively right-hooking the ground for years on end if Ashido gets a soulmate who's even a hair too shy of being good for her," Sero snickers, though no-one knows if Kirishima's joking when he nods wildly in agreement.
"Why did all of you have one where you met your soulmates?" Bakugou says hoarsely. "I didn't."
"You didn't?" Ashido asks in surprise and Bakugou shakes his head, but Kirishima says, "Oh, neither did I! My dream was just about the fact that-"
"I didn't deserve one," Kirishima and Bakugou say in unison. And while the other three burst into yells of outrage, Kirishima freezes.
How the hell could Bakugou not deserve a soulmate? The manliest guy ever? Smart, cool, versatile, amazing with his Quirk - how?
Him and Bakugou look at each other, mouths opening to try and make sense of everything, but the words pause in Kirishima's throat when he sees something in Bakugou that has him frozen still.
Bakugou's left eye. It's not red anymore.
Or well, it still has some red in it, but there's also black in the iris, and a swirl of golden yellow with spots of lemon. It's the prettiest thing Kirishima's seen in his life, and he looks at the others to check if they can see it too only to hear Kaminari yell, "SERO, YOUR LEFT EYE HAS RED AND YELLOW IN IT!"
"What- huh? So does yours! And black too!"
"Pinky and Kirishima too," Bakugou says in amazement, and they're all wide-eyed as they all stare at each other, checking for the minuscule differences in the eyes and they are all different, full of different colours and psychedelic patterns.
"Everyone yell out your eye colours right now!" Sero says, which has everyone's eyes widening in amazement, but Kaminari starts with, "Yellow!"
"I'm yellow too but like...variegated!" Ashido says, and Bakugou and Kirishima both call out, "Red."
Sero takes Kaminari's face and squishes it to give him fish lips while staring at his left eye, counting the colours, then does the same to Ashido to check. Then he nods. "Red, a mixture of different yellows or just golden yellow for Ashido, and black. Our left eyes have all our eye colours except our own."
"Only one red?" Ashido asks worriedly, but Sero just smiles and points between Bakugou and Kirishima.
"Kirishima and Bakugou's eye colours are just super similar. Look, they both still have red in their left eye. They're in."
"We're soulmates," Kaminari breathes. "All five of us, we're- we're each other's soulmates, right?"
"Even me?" Bakugou asks, eyes wide and glossy. And Kirishima nods, tearing up already as he croaks out a deliriously happy, "Even you," before Ashido's crushing the two of them into a hug, her blankets falling cosily around them and Kaminari ducks under to join and Sero wraps his long arms around them all. It feels so right, just having Ashido and Kaminari wailing uncontrollably through tears and Sero making sure they aren't all crushing each other even as he hugs them so tight. Kirishima was mostly trying to cover up his sobs with laughs when a forehead knocks hard against his, and he doesn't need to open his eyes to know who it is.
"Platonic soulmates. I fucking like that," Bakugou mumbles, and Kirishima beams, saying, "Yeah?" as Ashido gasps, "WE'VE GOT BLASTY'S APPROVAL!"
"Wait, wait, wait, is there a ritual for this? Do we need to tell anyone we're soulmates, like the government or something? Or at least teachers?"
"Pfft, they can figure it out for themselves, and it ain't like it's their bloody business."
"Bakugou's right. The fact that we're soulmates shouldn't change much and one look at our eyes will have them knowing something's up, anyway."
"We have to have the coolest eyes in the world. Who else has four soulmates? WOAH, CAN WE TRY AND GET INTO THAT BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS THING?!"
It's all excited chatter from then on, though Kirishima's too emotional to join in on most of it. Because when his dream said he didn't even deserve one, he got four. And they all love him, proven by the way Sero's arm around his shoulders squeezes gently, Kaminari ducks between Kirishima and Bakugou to throw his arms around Kirishima too, and Ashido sends him a knowing smile before grabbing his hand and pressing warmly. They must just find it weird that Kirishima's not talking, but in the moment the little actions mean the world to him as he cries into Kaminari's shoulder.
Sero suggests they should all talk about this tomorrow when they're less emotional and got some sleep, and everyone agrees, though they still don't break up the group hug so they're awkwardly shuffling to the elevator together until Bakugou finally explodes.
And with heartfelt goodbyes, soon it's just Ashido, Kirishima, and Bakugou left together.
"We didn't get to talk about you guys' dreams, huh?" Ashido asks, smiling sadly. "Sorry."
"It's fine, it's fine. I think I would've had a hard time talking about it anyway," Kirishima says truthfully, rubbing his nape.
"Either way, I just need you guys to know you're incredible. And you deserve all four of us and any other soulmates you might get. You two deserve love so much, I think about it a lot."
"Hey, hey, you too," Kirishima says in awe, taking hold of Ashido's face and squishing it which makes Ashido giggle a little. "Thank you."
They wave goodbye once they're at their floor, with Bakugou even giving Ashido a second-long embrace which has Ashido walking off in a daze, saying dizzily, "Bakugou hugged me Bakugou hugged me Bakugou hugged me BAKUGOU HUGGED ME-"
A door closes, and then it's only Kirishima and Bakugou left. Kirishima smiles at him, about to say goodbye until Bakugou's pinky finger links with his.
"Come with me. I wanna check something."
They're in Bakugou's bathroom looking at their eyes side-by-side, and Kirishima's astounded when he makes the realisation that their irises really are the same. The same patterns, the same colours, there's barely any difference.
And before Kirishima can stop himself, he whispers, "I always wanted you to be my soulmate."
Bakugou whips around to stare at him with wide eyes, and Kirishima coughs out a laugh, raising an arm over his eyes. "I just thought we fit so well- I hoped we fit so well, and you're so amazing, and you just mean so much to me. For a while I- I just kept deluding myself with 'our eyes are both red, we could be soulmates!' But deep down I knew it couldn't be true."
"My dream," Bakugou says, making Kirishima finally look at him in surprise. "It was about how shitty I am. How no matter how far I grow and get better now, it won't ever make up for...who I used to be."
God. Kirishima knows just how much that must've hurt Bakugou. He knows just how much Bakugou's relying on the fact that he's getting better, because while he's getting better, his view of himself is getting worse. Narcissism is only possible without full self-realisation, after all.
"And I...fuck, yeah, me too, wanting you to be my soulmate, that's crossed my mind before too," Bakugou mutters, making Kirishima's heart swell. "It also said something about me being a defect who's not good enough for someone as beautiful as you, so there's that."
"Beautiful? The dream called me beautiful?" Kirishima asks in wonder, but Bakugou gives him a deadpan look that has Kirishima turning bright red. "...oh."
"Like your strength. I'm supposed to hate bastards lacking confidence because you lot are holding yourself back 'cause of something so dumb but you aren't- YOU aren't holding back. You're fighting, with yourself, and you're starting to win. My strong means winning and surviving but yours means overcoming and growing and I just, I don't know, for some fucking reason it seems beautiful to me. And I don't even understand it yet but I want to so you don't know how bad I wished I had your red in my left eye."
"Now you do," Kirishima whispers, shakily, reaching out on instinct to rest a hand on Bakugou's face and brush his thumb above Bakugou's left eye. "You do...and I have yours, and you, you think- you think I'm strong?"
Bakugou grabs Kirishima's hand and brings it to his chest as he says, "Stupidly strong. You already know that."
"G-Guess I do," Kirishima laughs, and Bakugou takes swift steps out the bathroom, dropping Kirishima's hand from his chest but still holding on tight before he suddenly pauses. Then says, "I don't fit in with you four. I just don't."
"You're ours, Blasty, we've been trying to get you to see that since forever," Kirishima smiles, stepping forward and lacing his arms around Bakugou from behind, squishing him warmly as he sings, "You belong with us simply because we said so. We stole you and made you fit."
He hears Bakugou sniff, then he rests his hand on Kirishima's arms around his middle and tips his head back onto Kirishima's shoulder, closing his eyes serenely. It feels like silent acceptance, until Bakugou says a gruff, "I'm sleepy."
Kirishima burst into laughter as Bakugou pulls away and kicks him out his room in less than a minute, but it's so worth it.
The instant Kirishima's in his room, he crashes onto his bed and grabs his phone. He opens up their squad's group chat, and changes the name to 'swolemates'.
you - i lov u all
ash - SO IN SYNC I WAS JUS GONNA TEXT
kami - oMG WE RLLY R SOULMATES
sero - why are u lot not asleep tut tut
kami - UR NOT
ash - im never gonna be able to wdymmm
baku - STFU GO TO SLEEP
ash - so imma go to sleep
sero - yh sounds good
you - lets do it!
kami - nitee <3
Kirishima smiles, closing his eyes, and resting his hand over his left one. He really managed to get the best soulmates in the world.
And he deserves it.