Work Text:
"How did you end up where you are today?"
"When I was four years old, I received some of the most devastating news someone so young could receive. It seemed like after that my world took a turn for the worse. My father left, my best friend became my worst nightmare, and my mother would either be completely overbearing and coddle me to the point of suffocation, or she would ignore my existents for weeks on end. I had no safe haven in my life. When I started going to school, it became even more unbearable. Not only did I have to face my peers, who judge everything on just one fact about me, but I also had to struggle just to get my teachers to actually teach me anything. They were far too keen on ignoring me so they wouldn't have to put a stop to everything my peers were doing to me. This treatment, this neglect, continued until my 12th birthday, when, as by law, my mother didn't have to care for me anymore. See there are a lot of laws regarding parents' responsibilities when it comes to children with difficult quirk status. One such law is that, if the status of the child greatly affects the living conditions of the parent, the parent only has to care for the child until an appropriate age that they, the child, can fend for themselves. My age was listed in the courts as twelve. So on my twelfth birthday, I was so kindly escorted out of the only home I had known and thrown into the street for trespassing. To be honest living on the streets was better than I had initially expected. The people I met became my inspiration. I learned so much from them and I keep all those who helped me in my heart every time I write or sing. They are the reason why I am so adamant about all the charities I've started up. I've always had a thing for music and I have always been a quick learner. It is how I ended up here a few years after the incident with my egg donor."
It wasn't everything. It was the bare bones, the jest, of what made him who he was. If he was being honest, this meager thirty-minute interview wouldn't be enough to go into all the details of how he became who he was. The long nights unable to sleep, so instead would look up videos on how to play an instrument or a tutorial on the thought processes of writing music. The days in school where he wasn't learning anything new anyway, where he would note down all the emotions he wasn't allowed to show leading into a whole notebook dedicated to lyrics. The days where the hunger was so painful that he had to keep his hands busy with the old acoustic he found on the junk beach and fixed up to be halfway decent. He would strum to songs he knew by heart and teach himself until his finger bled and the only ache left was the one in his heart.
The biggest thing though was the nights he actually slept. On these nights, he was allowed into the dreamscape. The dreamscape was a world that connected one to their soulmates. Each soulmate was represented by a space that would give a hint of who they were. The hint was mostly revolved around one's quirk. A person could have one soulmate or multiple. Some have theorized the more soulmates a person had the stronger the person was, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. These theories have since been shot down since the most powerful person in the world apparently didn't even have soulmates.
He on the other hand had four. It was hard to tell at first just how many he had, but as he and his soulmates grew, so did the distinction of them. One was bright and yellow. Their corner of the world was always flashing yellow, like lightning crashing into a white sand beach. This person gave off a nervousness but always seemed to exude a happy aura. Another was a mass of dense purple fog. He couldn't feel much of anything from this particular person. They always kept themselves so guarded. Another was a constant change. Never the same. Always raging and shifting but never feeling truly their own. He had a feeling that this particular person drew their power from others and hated that fact. They tried to push off as confident but always had a hint of self-loathing thrown in. And the last was a constant battle of fire and ice. It wasn't always that way. At one point in time that corner of the dream world was beautiful. It was covered in snow, but still always felt warm and inviting. He remembers when he was around six and the snow had stopped falling. The corner turned to ice and the flames, once gentle, raged on inside.
Not that any of that mattered. He was a blank space in this dream world. Since he wasn't born with a quirk, there was no defining feature to present in the world. A simple blank space. To make matters worse, his other soulmates couldn't even see him. It was another curse on top of the already piling burdens Quirkless people had to endure. A soulmate of a Quirkless person had to actively look and have already excepted the person as their soulmate before they could be seen in the dreamscape. In a similar sense, the Quirkless person could only make out vague defining features of the quirks of the other. Nothing concrete. Nothing that could help locate them. It was usually just a blur of colors, a hint of elements, or the mass pressure of a few emotions. Quirkless people were rarely found and were excepted by their soulmates. In fact, there have only been four reported cases of this happening since quirks became the majority. So even though he was happy to know that out there were four people who could possibly love him, it hurt. He dreaded every time he would fall asleep because he knew that they would never be within reach of him. He would always be an outlier to them. So he tried his best not to dream. Even going as far as taking a few medications to keep him from entering the dreamscape.
He snapped out of his mental musings as the interviewer asked another question. He really didn't want to continue with the interview, but as his brother and his newly found manager brought up, he needed to increase the public knowledge of his charities before he tried for high school. There was no way of telling if he would have enough time to fully keep his career as a music and songwriter while going to a traditional high school, let alone all of the charities and support groups he had started and were currently funding. So he was promoting them as much as possible while he was still fairly popular. Of course, this isn't what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Don't get him wrong he loves music and all its intel. Loves being able to put out stories and rhythms that people cant relate to. He loves using his creative outlet to help fuel some fires and cause a change in the world. for this, he will sit with a pretty but fake smile and answer these fairly invasive questions.
"Why did you choose Deku as a stage name, and why are you so secretive with your identity. Most rising stars would be eating the fame up or using it to get a leg up in life, but outside of performances and events, very little is known of you."
"I'll be honest with you. I never intended to end up here. When I started writing music and songs, it was more of a personal outlet. When I first performed a song, it was on a street corner to get enough money to eat. When I did my first open mic, it was to take my brother's mind off the fact he had just left his abusive home life. When I made and sold my first CD, it was to get us somewhere safe to stay. When I did my first concert, it was to start saving up for us to go to the high school of our choice. Throughout all of this, I always went by the stage name Deku. I never told anyone who I really was, in part because I only started out of necessity, but also when I finally get to do what I actually want as a career, I want to know that it was because of me and not previous fame that I had acquired. As for now, I am happy to use that fame to help some of the causes I support ultimately I will be either adding a career or changing my career." He sat as calmly as possible while the rest of the station was quietly taking in the information. He knew it was unorthodox. Most people go into the entertainment industry to become rich and famous, and those who make it try to stay in as long as possible, but he had only ever wanted to be one thing in his life and now that he had the funds and the knowledge, he was going to make sure he made it.
The interviewer cleared her throat. "Forgive me for saying this, but it is strange for someone as talented as yourself to only be using this career as a means to an end. Would you clarify on what career you are planning on going into then?"
"I feel like if I did it would defeat the purpose of keeping my identity a secret. Not that I think people will be able to tell the difference between myself and my stage persona. I just don't want to risk it. I would hate for someone years down the line to attribute my success in one field to the success in another. I hope that you and all my fans out there can understand, that while I hate keeping my secrets they will be necessary for the long run. Also, I believe our time is almost up."
"Yes. It looks like we only have time for one more question. Let's see. Ah, this one was our most requested. How many soulmates do you have and have you met any of them?"
He chuckled. "Yes, I actually get this question sent into my Q&A's a lot. I have four soulmates. I have yet to meet them and I am very doubtful that I ever will. My soulmates have already met each other and have a close bond, so even if we meet it would be next to impossible to tell and I wouldn't be able to bond with them unless they broke their bond. That amount of pain and suffering isn't something I could ask of anyone."
"That must have been hard."
"Not really. I understand why people put so much into soulmates, but sometimes they just don't work out. There is a good bit of the population that never finds theirs or all of them. Sometimes you lose one, or they fall in love out of the bond. I know that a lot of people would be devastated by this, but I am just grateful that they all found each other. I don't doubt that they will be happy without me, and even if we meet, we would be friends at most. Plus there is no shortage of people that I hold dear and that love me outside of a predetermined bound."
The interviewer smiled. "That is quite an optimistic view. I almost feel bad for those who missed out on the chance to be your bonded. With that, I think it is time to wrap up our interview. The producers have left links to all of Deku's charities and support groups at the end of the segment which will be posted on our website and social media pages. So be sure to check them out. We look forward to seeing what this rising star will accomplish next."
They both continued to smile at the camera till the cameraman yelled that it was a wrap. When everything was finally cut off Izuku felt his shoulders sag. He was so done with today and his brother better have made his favorite food or else. He quickly thanked the interviewer and dashed out of the staging area before anyone could ask any more intrusive questions. He was ready to get all the makeup and overly done-up clothes off. He hated having to cover all his freckles and scars. Even worse have to style his hair out of its naturally curly style, or the contacts that made his eyes black, or the overly tight clothes. All for the sake of amenity. He raced to the car that his manager had waiting for him out the back. His manager was a tall woman with a slight reddish tint to her skin. She had long black hair and a heated glare that could put anyone in their place. Outside of the slight mutation though she didn't possess a quirk. This made it hard for her to find work. She had once been on the PR time for Endeavor agency but left stating that some jobs weren't worth the money.
When she had found Izuku, it was pure coincidence. She just so happened to be going to a job interview on the same street he had chosen to perform. After her interview went astray she had stopped to listen to a few of his songs. She knew then and there that she would help the kid become whatever he wanted.
Mita Kohnaku was a god sent. She helped get him his first gig, helped him establish an online presence, and got him a legal team, a producing team, and a team for most of his social media accounts. She was there when they got their first apartment which quickly became their first house. She was there when they made their first CD, and when it should thousands of copies upon its release. She helped establish most of the charities and personally vetted the team who would help manage them. She even help his brother make his own fashion line that was taking the industry by storm, in hopes of making his parents pay for his upbringing. She was the closest thing to a mother that either boy could want after the failings of their previous ones.
As he enters the car, he let out a sigh of relief.
"How'd the interview go?"
"It wasn't too bad. Though I didn't get to go in-depth about any of the new programs or anything. I didn't even get to mention the release of the mutant-inclusive line of clothes. It really didn't feel as productive as I thought it would be. All they wanted to know was why I'm hiding and of course the whole soulmate thing. Nothing that I wanted to talk about. I hope people will at least check out the links on the station's website." He let out a long sigh. He really didn't feel like he did what he set out to do. "I hope Kachan isn't too upset about me not announcing his new line."
"I am sure he isn't. He was telling me to be prepared for the interview to go off-topic and that I would need to get out of here as soon as possible. So I think it is safe to say he knew this was going to happen. He also informed me that he would be making katsudon today."
"O thank kami. I could use it after having to fake smile for what seemed like a lifetime."
Mita chuckled. "You always over-exaggerate your social interactions. It could have gone worse. Besides now all people are talking about online is Deku. They have started a virtual manhunt trying to figure out who you are and what school you are trying to go to. It's all good publicity and it is leading people in the right direction for help. We saw a 15% increase in a few of the support groups since it was announced that you would be doing an interview. The numbers keep rising. You're helping a lot of people whether you see it or not. Also, I have received a request from a few well-known reporters and the Put Your Hands Up radio station for an interview as well. A few heroes have also reached out to come and speak at a few of the support groups and a few have offered to fund a few of the fundraisers. So you can't say that it was a waste of time."
He stared ahead, mouth agape. He didn't think that in a few short years he would be making this much of a difference. Once he became a hero he would make even more. He wasn't interested in doing any more interviews, but maybe he could go on the talk show. He would die to meet Present Mic. Maybe he would make an exception for that one.
"Can we schedule something with the radio station? I would like to see what the interview material would be. Also, I would want to bring Kachan for that one. If he is more interested in our charities and the inclusive line then we can do the talk show, but if it is anything like what I just went through then no."
"I'll call and see what we can do. We are almost at the house. Your new materials were sent over this morning and your trainer should be by in the afternoon tomorrow. Also, the PI you hired should be here at the end of the week. You still haven't told me why you needed one." She looked at him in the expectant mother type of way.
"It's a pet project really. I saw a girl the other day and I don't think she is being taken care of. I just want a little more information before I go hunting her down is all."
"Please allow someone else to do the hunting part. At least until you're a licensed hero. It would be a pain trying to get you out of trouble without revealing who you are. I understand your nighttime friends could accomplish this." She gave him a pointed look that said I know it's you and your just not telling me.
He and Kachan had started doing Quirkless patrols in order to work on their skills for the upcoming entrance exams. They try to stay out of trouble as much as possible but they aren't always able to.
The car came to a halt. "Make sure to post something on your social accounts about the interview. also, try to post a few of Katsuki's outfits as well. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from the radio station. Have a good night and tell Katsuki to post a few outfits a day until the release."
"I will. Thank you."
He slide out of the back and headed into the courtyard of what used to be a traditional compound. When they had bought it, it was run down. It had belonged to some old yakuza group and when the group disbanded they left the property to ruin. It had taken quite a few months and a lot of throwing cash around to get the place how they wanted. One of the outer buildings became a workspace for Izuku and his inventions. Another became a quirk-proof training area for Katsuki. The back building was made into a comfortable three-bedroom and two-bath house with a very large kitchen and open floor plan on the bottom with the bedrooms on the second floor. There were three additional structures set up to be one and two-bedroom guest houses that sometimes housed the different teams when deadlines were drawing near and everyone was in panic mode. There was a small workshop for Kachan to work on his fashion line that had a studio on top for photo shoots. A large garden sat in the middle housing trees, flowers, and even a few vegetables. Kachan always like the fresh vegetables for when he was cooking. Izuku's favorite, though was the music studio that was tucked in the back left corner. He spent most of his time he wasn't training to become a hero or working on his support gear in that studio.
He knows they were lucky to get this place. In fact, it was scheduled to be demolished. Because of its history, no one wanted to take on the property. So as soon as he had enough money to outright buy it, he did. it took a whole year's worth of CDs and shows and fashion lines in order to afford it and all the work, but it was worth it. He was also able to help out a family in need at the same time. He had come across a family with a business that was going under. They hadn't been getting as much business because they employed people with difficult quirks and mutant quirks. When he had sent them a contract offer they had cried. He learned that they were struggling to feed their daughter that was around the same age as him and that they were going to have to lay off some of their people soon but they didn't want to because it was hard for some of them to find jobs. He was happy to offer them an exclusive contract for the entire company and he couldn't have been happier with how it all ended up. He even offered to cover tuition for when their daughter got into high school. She would even come over from time to time to help them both with their socialization. Ochaco quickly became a constant in their house. Even going as far as modeling some of the new clothing lines that Kachan was doing.
Another addition was Kirishima Eijiro. He was a surprise find during their first year in middle school. He had a lot of self-esteem issues that both boys were helping him work on. He was also one of Kachan's soulmates. They had found him crying in an alley after a villain sighting. He apparently wanted to help the girls that were involved but he was too scared to act. Kachan was quick to point out that he was a scrawny weakling and he would be damned if his soulmate didn't work out just as much as he did. It only took a few training sessions for them to become inseparable powerhouses. With Izuku's analysis of his quirk, he was even able to hold a full-body hardening for longer periods of time. No doubt the two would become the next unstoppable duo. It always made him smile to see Kachan so happy. He deserved it after all his parents put him through. Whether it was the verbal and physical abuse of his mother or the blatant neglect from his father, Katsuki need someone to love and support him unconditionally. Plus it was nice having someone else around who understood that his hot-headed attitude was just an effect of his quirk. People often mistook his brashness for being confrontational. Whenever he would go out one of the sunshine boys had to go with him just in case. It also helped that they got out of their toxic ex-school.
The first thing Izuku did when he was considered an adult, was leave the Aldera school system. He enrolled himself in online schooling. It turned out that he was a borderline genius. The school system was constantly giving him work that was way above what the average child his age should have been given. He was able to test out of all of middle school and most of high school. This opened avenues to take college classes. He worked hard to get certified as a quirk analyst, along with his teaching certification. He became a registered quirk councilor with an associate's degree in programming and support gear. He had acquired a few other certifications along the way as well as a foster license, which was sickeningly easy to get. It always upsets him that the only requirement is being an adult with an income. It however worked out in his favor when it came to getting custody of Kachan after he found out about the abuse. It will come in handy again once he finds that little girl. He hopes the P.I. will be useful on this front. Otherwise, he might have to use his other persona and rescue her by less than legal means.
After his time on the streets and seeing just how unfair the world is, Izuku became a vigilante. Nowadays he doesn't get as much time to do his vigilante work, but he still keeps his presence known. He is known on the streets as Prometheus. Know for outwitting his opponents rather than just beating them to the ground. For those who fall on hard times or are wrongfully prosecuted, he will fight using his vast knowledge. He uses his information to bring down whole operations. Even the police have been on his radar. He has even thrown knowledge of abusive and crooked heroes out on the net and keeps evading the hero commission who are constantly trying to get the information under wraps. Not to say that all he does is root out information. He is also known for his hand-to-hand and the support gear he sports. No one knows his quirk and very few have even seen him. The only way to know of his involvement is the symbol of two hands holding fire that gets posted somewhere on the scene. He had been a vigilante longer than he had been a singer, and it is one of his most loved past times, right next to his charity work. Sometimes Katsuki comes along with him when he needs more muscle. He never lets him use his quirk but his personality still got him enough of a reputation. Katsuki goes out as Ares. Given how confrontational he is, the god of war suits him. He would have to consult with Kachan on maybe going out to try and get more information on the little girl.
He finds Katsuki in the kitchen of the main house yelling at Eijiro who was at the dining table working on school work.
"I swear shitty hair if you can't even understand the simple math for your shitty middle school how are you going to get into UA with the rest of us?"
"I'm sorry bro. It's just hard sometimes. I promise I listen and study but I just can't seem to get it."
"Tsk I'll show you one more time but then you on your own. Got it?"
Izuku walks in loudly announcing his arrival. "Honeys I'm home."
"It's about damn time you got back. How was the damn interview? Did you guys get off topic again?"
Izuku sighed, "yeah the interviewer was very persistent in getting more personal information than the support groups or the new inclusive line. She even had to bring up soulmates. I knew it was going to be that way. I guess I was just hoping that since I don't do very many interviews that it would be better. I specifically said what I wanted to talk about and we didn't even cover a single topic. They will defiantly be going on the ban list." He slumped down in a chair across from Eiji. "Mita-san said that we had offers from other outlets but only one sounded even close to what we are looking for."
Eijiro perked up at that. "O? Who?"
"Put your hands up radio." The whole kitchen went quiet. There was slight cursing and crashing from the stove as Kachan turned everything off so he could actively participate in the conversation.
"You mean to tell me that Present fucking Mic has asked you to go on his show? What did you say? You better have fucking accepted that shit." He said while pointing his cooking chopsticks at Izuku with a dangerous glint for any wrong answers.
"I told her to give her my requirements and if they are met we will schedule something."
"And what the fuck are these requirements?"
"I asked for the interview material. I also told her that if I were to go on there I would want to bring you along so you can talk about your new inclusive line. If he is going to be like the others then I don't want to waste our time." He let out a deep sigh. "I know that when we first started this, I would have jumped at the opportunity, but I am just so tired of the same questions that I refuse to answer. I am just not ready to fully divulge everything to the public and Present Mic is someone who would be able to get me to talk about it. I've... I have been doing better since the bond was made and yeah it still hurts when I forget to take the pills but it's not as bad as it was. It doesn't mean I am ready to talk about all of it publicly. I mean I probably said too much in tonight's interview anyway. I just don't want to think about it." He was hunched in on himself. He hated this. Hated feeling like he wasn't worth loving, hated how he could feel how much they loved each other without him, and most of all hated how everyone expects him to fight for people that didn't want him in the first place. He was on the verge of tears when two sets of strong arms wrapped around him.
"Bro you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It's unmanly of them to constantly push you to talk about a subject that you have strong negative feelings about. Besides, you got Kats and I beside you so it's not like you're doing this alone. You got that?" Eijiro said with a firm squeeze around his shoulders.
"Yeah what shitty hair said. You don't need some stupid soulmates. You have us. Why would you need some shitty extras when we all could be the next top three heroes? Bet that I am going to be #1, but you two can be 2nd and 3rd." Kachan had a firm grip on his waist, resting his head on Izuku's shoulder.
Eijiro and Katsuki may be soulmates, but they both love Izuku. They will be whatever he needs them to be. Lovers, friends, family, whatever he requires of them. He had always been their rock, their stability since he took them in. He is always one to give his everything to anybody that needs it. He is a kind soul that took his own hardships and made them work for others They would give him the world if they could. It was hard watching him crumble when his soulmates formed their bond. He was depressed and was a shell of his former self. It took them months of getting him to take care of himself. Long, sleepless nights of him crying and screaming his self-deprecating thoughts. They were honestly worried he would start hurting himself. Luckily it didn't come to that, but the fear was still there. That's when Katsuki broke down and confessed to Eijiro that he had loved Izuku since before he even understood what he was feeling. Eijiro confessed that he had a small crush on the greenet when they first met and it had only developed more after getting to know him. They had both decided that once he was doing better that they would ask him to be with them, soulmates or not. They didn't want to take away from the fact that he was grieving over the lost connection, or force their feeling on him so they would give him time to heal. Until then, they would stay by his side and support him in any way. They loved him and would continue to do so. They would be better than his soulmates.
Izuku always felt safest when he was in between these two. He knew it was selfish to take the love that they gave to him. He never felt like he was worth it especially since the people who were meant for him didn't even love him. Sometimes he wished that they were his soulmates instead. He would always be hit with a wave of guilt after the thought but it still happened more times than not. He soaked up the affection from them knowing one day they would want to just be with themselves. He sniffled.
"Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. I will be taking the interview but I still want you guys there with me. Also, I was told that my supplies came in so I will probably be in the workshop for most of this week. I have a PI coming at the end of the week, so hopefully, we will have a new sister before too long." He said with a smile.
"Always taking in strays." Eijiro chuckled.
"You let us know if you need help getting her. If the PI is shit we can always just take her by force. The state she was in, you bet she isn't safe with those people." Katsuki grouched out.
"Yeah, we will get her, help her, save her. I have a feeling she is going to need a lot of support, but I can't stand to think of what they could be doing to her. If we only knew where she was, I would have got her already." Izuku slowly started getting up from his seat. "I am going to labs for a bit if you guys need me. I'll text Mita-san about the interview and let you both know." With that, he left the building in the back corner. He was going to do what he did best when his mind was filled with his thoughts of worthlessness. He was going to build tech to make him a better hero. His soulmates didn't need him, and he would just have to move on from it.