Archive of Our Own

A King and Queen lived with their young son, a Prince. They were very happy.

One day, however, they found that the Prince couldn’t do any magic, even though everyone else could. The Prince became sad. The King and Queen searched high and low, until they finally found a kindly old Wizard who agreed to help them. He bestowed a magical ability upon the Prince, and things were good.

One day, the Prince found that his magic was making him very ill. The King and Queen went back to the kindly old Wizard and told him of their plight. “Not to worry,” said the Wizard, and he produced an amulet that would make the Prince well again, and things were good.

One day, the kindly old Wizard approached the King and Queen and said “You will help me, as I have helped you. Your Prince will work for me, to spy on my enemy in a neighboring Kingdom, and to tell me when he is weak. “Who is this Enemy,” The King and Queen asked, and the Wizard told them. They were shocked: the Wizard’s enemy was the Mighty Champion, the most heroic figure of the land! The kindly old Wizard was not kind at all! They tried to refuse, but the wicked old Wizard showed them his true power. He told them that he would rain destruction upon their family if they did not help. And so, tearfully, they allowed him to lay a curse upon their Prince, that he would obey the Wizard’s command, and become his spy in another kingdom.

Things were not good.

And so the cursed Prince set out for the first of many trials, in order to become close to the Mighty Champion.

Little did he know who else awaited him…

The UA entrance exam was exciting. Really, it was. It was just that… There's an undercurrent of anxiety for Yuuga that the other examinees don’t experience. Sure, their dreams were at stake, but it would be… bad, if Yuuga didn’t get in, to say the least. Those who failed him generally lived just long enough to regret it.

He came across another examinee, a boy with green hair in a tracksuit that was a different, somewhat clashing shade of green. Yuuga blasted a robot away and looked closer. Oh, that was the boy from the starting area, the nervous one. He seemed terrified, poor thing. He was a little bit cute too. Yuuga shot the big, bad one-pointer that was menacing the boy. “I’ve got this!”

“ Merci, ” Yuuga said with a wink, “I appreciate the assist! But I doubt we’ll meet again.”

The kid just didn’t seem to be hero material, freezing up like that. Not that Yuuga was either, really, but that was different.

His stomach tingled. , he’d certainly used his quirk more than this while training. Perhaps it was just nerves?

The arena rumbled, and Yuuga looked up.

Ah. No, non, he will pass on that one. That was simply .

He turned to run, but a flash of green caught his eye. The boy from earlier sprinted past, and leapt several stories up to that thing’s face, and-

Whoa.

Panic flashed across his chest as the boy fell, but faded as another examinee caught him. There was almost an urge to go check on him, but- no. Better not to get involved with someone who didn’t pass the exam anyway.

And besides, Yuuga wasn’t there to make friends.

Yuuga’s soulmark. It was , a simple black squiggly line. It certainly wouldn’t fit what one would expect from him, no sparkles or glitter at all. Sure, there would be more color if he actually met his soulmate, but he at least would’ve liked a design, or a pictogram, something as unique as he was. he had to have something that could easily have been scribbled onto his arm with permanent marker. He would know, he’d been accused of it several times in those years before- well, before. After all, how miserable it would be, to be bonded to someone like him. It stopped after his quirk “manifested”, but like the mark itself, it would never truly leave him.

He used to be excited, used to dream about the day it filled in. Then “Uncle” came back into the picture, , and… they would be just another hostage, at least until he finished his task. And who knew what the world would be like, if Uncle actually succeeded.

Yuuga shrugged off his designer track jacket- surprisingly durable, despite its frills. He turned to put it away when-

He gasped.

What had once been a plain black line was now a full watercolor scene, two cerulean mountains with an emerald field between them, dotted with little pastel wildflowers, backed by starry blue sky.

He sprinted out of his bedroom– he had to show his parents! – before pausing at the top of the stairway.

What did this actually mean ? He had to think logically.

The soulmark, which had been blank that morning, was now as colorful and bright as he was. he had met his soulmate, spoken to them, at some point during that day. The only meaningful interactions he’d had with people that day were at the Entrance Exam. His soulmate had, par consequént, also attended the Entrance exam.

Most likely, his soulmate would be attending UA with him.

.

Yuuga began pacing.

This was terrible. This was the worst thing that could ever happen. His soulmate, the person who was going to be the most meaningful in his life, was going to be a UA student. Before, the mission had been simple. Go to UA, don’t get attached to anyone, send Uncle the information he requested, and wait for the world to go to shit. And now, he was guaranteed one person that he was going to personally betray. His most important person. His other half.

Should- should he go to Uncle about this?

He slapped his forehead.

! He absolutely could not tell Uncle about this! Never, ever, ever! His soulmate, like he’d known , would become a hostage, something to be used against him.

But, on the other hand, if Uncle knew, then his soulmate could be protected. Yuuga and his family were going to have safety in Uncle’s new society, his soulmate had to be included in that. And it’s not like Yuuga was planning on double crossing him anyway…

No. . Uncle could never know.

Yuuga would just have to protect his soulmate himself.

And so the cursed Prince had completed the first trial, and in doing so encountered his fated match.

He enrolled in the grand academy where the Mighty Champion was rumored to begin teaching, but there was no easy path before him. A stern Rogue guarded the Academy, and threatened banishment on those who did not pass his many tests of strength. The Prince challenged with a smile, all the while hoping to catch a glimpse of the one who was meant to be his other half.

Honestly, Yuuga was having a great time with the quirk assessments, if one ignored the sports uniforms and the uneasiness in his stomach. He would’ve just attributed it to quirk exhaustion, but perhaps his soulmate was feeling the pressure as well. He swept his gaze across the other students – “classmates” was… a bit closer, for now, than he’d like to get. It was very likely that one of them had a matching scene on their inner forearm, but anyone with a soulmark was wearing a privacy sleeve. Himself included, of course, it wouldn’t do to reveal that little detail too early.

He recognized many of them from his own exam arena. There was the one with the bird head, the one with many arms, and the one who yelled at Present Mic, the latter standing in a clump with- ah, that was the nervous boy, as well as the girl he’d saved, who had just scored infinity on her ball throw. So he’d gotten in after all. He seemed to be doing rather average on his own assessment. One would think with all that power, he’d be sweeping the competition, but there he was, as nervous as when Yuuga first saw him. Yuuga would be nervous too, were he doing that poorly.

It seemed and l were having a conversation with the uncouth Top-Scorer. Yuuga let himself drift closer.

“Midoriya isn’t doing very well,” said la grande gueule . Ah, Midoriya must be the name of the nervous boy. He was currently stepping forward to complete his ball-throw.

“Well duh,” said the Top-Scorer, “He’s a quirkless runt!”

Wait, what? Quirkless?! Yuuga’s heart skipped a beat. Another quirkless kid, no wonder he had such nerves! Or, no, he couldn’t be quirkless. Yuuga had seen him use his quirk. It may have fit with Midoriya’s attitude and how he performed on the assessment, but he had literally used a quirk. He wasn’t quirkless.

Unless, of course, he was in a similar situation to Yuuga’s own.

Bête ! Don’t be ridiculous. There was very little evidence to suggest as such. The odds were impossible . And yet…

Midoriya wound up his throw, arm beginning to glow, and-

“Forty-six meters.”

What? The ability to punch the Zero-pointer off its feet, and he only could throw a baseball forty-six meters… he was absolutely getting expelled.

Midoriya seemed about as shocked as Yuuga.

“I erased your quirk. The entrance exam is so irrational that it let someone like you into the Hero Course. You’d be little more than an inconvenience to your fellow heroes. Absolutely useless. You can’t be a hero, with a quirk like that.”

Irrational, inconvenient, useless. You cannot become a hero. Every familiar term and phrase was a stab to the gut, and Midoriya clearly felt it too. Quirk or no, perhaps he really was quirkless at heart.

Eraserhead, hm? With the power to erase quirks, maybe he’d be able to… no. Impossible. Don’t even entertain a thought like that.

Ah, it seemed Sensei was letting Midoriya have another chance.

Midoriya had this look in his eye. He was mumbling something to himself, and while Yuuga couldn’t make it out, it had to be a plan.

He wouldn’t count the boy out just yet.

“Are you worried about him?” he asked l a fille de l'infini . “I’m not worried at all.”

She said something in response, but Yuuga’s gaze was locked on Midoriya. He was about to do something incredible .

“Smash!” Midoriya shouted, and the ball- it was gone . Much further than Yuuga’s own “throw”, surely. His hair ruffled with the breeze generated by Midoriya’s sheer power .

Midoriya looked up at Aizawa-sensei, tears in his eyes, clearly in horrible pain, but a wide smile on his face. “Sensei… I can still move.”

Everything went silent, aside from the thump of Yuuga’s heart.

Oh.

Oh .

Midoriya. A green valley, alongside Yuuga’s own blue mountains. Suddenly, Yuuga knew exactly what he would find if he ripped off Midoriya’s privacy sleeve. Not that he would do that, of course, but there was a temptation to march right up there, ignore all the silly games society played, and have his confirmation. But that would be much too forward of him, even if he was ninety-five percent certain. It was best to take these things slowly.

If he dared pursue this at all.

“His finger appears to be swollen,” la grande gueule said.

Ah, so it was. Another point for Yuuga’s previous theory, a quirk that harmed the user with even the lightest use…

“ Deku! ”

The top-scorer launched himself at Midoriya with his explosions.

“What the hell-?!” He was quickly captured by their homeroom teacher’s scarf.

Amazing, a teacher actually stepped in for their student, although he didn’t do much more than stop the fight. Well, perhaps “fight” was incorrect, since that implied two parties at fault.

Yuuga watched Midoriya when he could, but there were no more impressive feats. He seemed to still be struggling, and- huh. Was that anxiety his own or Midoriya’s? He’d have to figure out how to separate them later.

Thank goodness Aizawa-sensei was bluffing, and there would be a “later” to get to it.

The Prince and his match, a plucky young Hero, passed the Rogue’s trials, if only barely. Soon the Prince would come face to face with his next challenge: the Mighty Champion’s Trial of Battle.

Well, there was All Might, cape and all. The other students vibrated with excitement. Hopefully Yuuga’s anxiety wasn’t bleeding over to Midoriya. It was normal to be nervous around the Number One Hero, was it not?

He really was larger than life, with arm muscles larger than Yuuga’s entire head.

It was difficult to believe that this behemoth of a man could have any weaknesses.

All Might announced Battle Training, practically shoved costume cases into their arms, and led them off to another part of the school.

Yuuga opened his costume case and gasped. Folded on top of the pile was the purple, sparkly fabric of dreams! It absolutely glistened, even in the abysmal lighting of the locker room. He hugged it to his chest as he picked through the other items. The armor was a beautiful chrome, so polished that he could see his reflection. The laser baubles shone like pearls. Each piece was trimmed with a gorgeous gold, the pattern of which simply screamed “Prince!” And the glasses! They were a brilliant ruby red that contrasted wonderfully with the cape, sure to stand out in a crowd. And of course, underneath all of that, he couldn’t forget the under-suit! Plain black though it may be, it would allow his navel beam to be distributed throughout his body for more versatility and, eventually, power. Exactly as requested!

It took him a few moments to work out all of the buckles and snaps, but eventually his costume was complete. He squealed as he looked in the available mirror. Maybe at other times he would’ve been embarrassed to release such a noise, but he was sure the other boys felt the same! He twirled, sending little flashes of light around the room. He was a human disco ball!

He felt…

He felt like a hero.

Maybe it was just pretend, but, at least for a while, he was a hero student. He passed the exam. He survived the quirk assessment. He very nearly deserved to be there.

For now, he would let himself have this.

He beamed as he strode out among his classmates, cape flourishing behind him. Nineteen heroes and himself made their debut to All Might .

He ran his hands over the cape, back and forth, while All Might started explaining the exercise. He was still paying attention of course, to both the explanation and All Might himself. He was meant to look for any signs of weakness, but the Number-One Hero seemed… fine? A little out of his depth, perhaps. It was his first day instructing twenty teenagers, who wouldn’t be a bit panicked? But he showed now outward signs of vulnerability.

All Might asked for questions, and the first thing that came to Yuuga’s mind was-

“Isn’t this cape fabulous?”

Probably not the kind of question All Might was looking for, but he couldn’t help it. The sparkles were mesmerizing. He must be mesmerizing!

And, well, if he acted a little bit vapid, then his classmates would underestimate him. If they underestimated him, he could get more accomplished.

After all, who would ever expect an airhead like himself of, well, anything?

Ah, la grande gueule – who had also chosen an armor theme, apparently, though not as dazzling – was once again yelling at a pro hero, this time All Might. He did have a point, though, drawing lots was such an unglamorous way of picking teams.

“It makes sense, pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies!” Ah, that was Midoriya in the, uh, rabbit costume? It was very, erm, green. Very smiley.

If Midoriya was going to be his soulmate, that costume would need work. But that would be a problem for .

“Hey!” said an energetic voice to Yuuga’s left, and he barely managed not to jump.

Ah, . She sat right behind him in class. If he remembered correctly, her quirk was emitting… slime?

“You’re the other ‘E’, right? I’m Ashido Mina! I love your hero costume, by the way! Very shiny, very prince-y! I’m so excited with how my costume turned out, it’s exactly what I wanted! It’s super cute and colorful! Y’know, a lot of people would probably expect me to choose something pink, but teal and purple are my favorite colors, and I wanted something that would pop! Like, pow , y’know?”

Ah. Ashido certainly was… a lot. She seemed nice, and they would be working together as well as sitting together for a long while. Best to make a good impression.

“ I am Aoyama Yuuga, of course. Merci for noticing my princeliness, that was entirely my intention! Your own costume is quite charming! I adore the pattern of the main piece, and the fur accent is lovely!”

It was true, Ashido’s costume looked great, but hopefully looks were not all it had. Her chest and neck were completely open to attack. Perhaps the material of the jumpsuit was more protective than it appeared? At least she wore sensible boots, unlike the heels that most of the other girls had.

But all that was a bit too much to say on one’s first meeting, no?

“Oh my gosh, thank you! I showed the design to my parents, and they were all ‘Mina, don’t you think that’s too bright?’ and I was like ‘Um, it’s a hero costume! It’s supposed to be bright!’ Also, is that french? That’s so cool! I wish I could understand it, haha.”

Before they could continue their conversation, All Might called their attention.

“The first two teams are… Team A as heroes, and team D as villains!”

That appeared to be Midoriya and l a fille de l'infini against la grande gueule and the Top-Scorer. Based on the previous day, this was sure to be… interesting.

All Might explained the rules, and the teams went to their starting positions.

The action started immediately, with the Top Scorer– Bakugou, apparently– ambushing the hero team. How incredibly boorish. He targeted Midoriya exclusively. Midoriya, to his credit, was doing well on defense, even managing to flip Bakugou over his shoulder. But his advantage didn’t last long.

Back and forth, they traded blows. It was fascinating, both Bakugou’s raw power and Midoriya’s seeming ability to predict his moves. He nearly captured him at one point.

“Bakugou,” All Might said, “stop that. Are you trying to kill him?!”

Then half the building exploded .

Why did he have the ability to do that on the second day of school?!

How quickly the tides turned. Bakugou was winning quite handily, with only slight admonishment from All Might. Clearly this aggression was deeper than the assignment. Why wouldn’t they stop the match?

Midoriya kept running. He hadn’t used his quirk once. He’d found a work-around the day before, why wasn’t he even trying?

Finally, as the two were about to clash again, even All Might had enough. “Both of you, stop th-” He paused mid-word.

Bakugou let out a huge blast straight to Midoriya’s face. Midoriya finally used his quirk… on the ceiling.

The smoke cleared as All Might declared the hero team’s victory. Midoriya looked rough, costume blown apart and both arms exposed.

… Both arms exposed . He caught a glimpse of pristine blue and green on the camera as the medical bots took him to the infirmary. Well. That confirmed that, one supposed.

“Whoa,” Ashido said next to him. “Is that his soulmark? It’s so pretty!”

It was. It stood out on the red and purple of Midoriya’s mangled arm.

“Isn’t it, like, not cool to look?” someone said. “He was wearing a privacy sleeve yesterday…”

“I mean, yeah, but we can’t exactly unsee it.”

Yuuga gripped his own arm. Hopefully, no one would ever know that he bore the mark’s twin.

The other three combatants returned. Class went on.

Ashido melted his cape with what was decidedly not slime.

The wicked old Wizard sent along his first task: find the whereabouts of the Mighty Champion in the near future. For what, the Prince did not know, but he did as he was told.

Yuuga wandered the halls of UA. His first real “mission” from Uncle. He was meant to wait for a distraction, but no one had bothered to tell him what said distraction would be, so he decided to get a head start. He ate lunch alone, so it’s not like anyone would mind his absence.

His task was to find All Might’s schedule. Simple enough, just break into the Number One Hero’s office, which surely doesn’t have any security or anything, take the schedule, and get out, all without being caught. He’d already prepared a fake question to ask if he was discovered, and he most likely wasn’t the first person to try to find All Might in his off-hours. He saw a story in the news about All Might earlier that day, so he was probably safe from actually confronting him, but there were other teachers to worry about.

An alarm started blaring, and Yuuga jumped, ducking into a – thankfully unused– classroom. Not a moment too soon, because several heroes ran down the hallway, towards the front of the school. This must be Uncle’s distraction.

Yuuga stepped back out into the hallway and consulted his student map. Alright, everyone else was at lunch, so they must’ve been coming from offices of some kind. Perhaps a teacher’s lounge?

He retraced the teachers’ steps and- great! A door clearly marked “Teacher’s Lounge: Please Knock!” He slid open the door carefully and peeked inside. Empty. He looked up into the corners of the ceiling. No cameras, at least, none that were visible. Wouldn’t that be wonderful, his first task and he was thwarted by a hidden camera. He entered the lounge.

It wasn’t hard to find which desk was All Might’s- he just looked for the mug that said “World’s Best Hero!” The mug was empty, of course, and the few drops of coffee or tea at the bottom were long since dry. All Might hadn’t been there at all that day, as expected.

There was a daunting number of sticky notes on the computer monitor, all with teacher’s tips that looked like they came from a motivational website. There was also a half-empty box of tissues. Could All Might be ill? Should he mention that to Uncle?

He glanced again at the sticky notes. One at the top of the screen read “USJ Friday!”

USJ? What was that? It could be a place, an event, perhaps a special type of sandwich that Lunch Rush would be making on Friday. He needed to find some context.

He nearly tripped over something as he circled to the other side of the room. Aizawa-sensei’s sleeping bag? It must be in front of his desk. It wouldn’t hurt to take a look…

Jackpot! A diagram labeled “USJ”, along with some lesson plans. It seemed 1-A was going on a field trip with All Might and the rescue hero Thirteen.

So, All Might was going to be away from the main UA building on Friday, with minimal teacher supervision. That was… incredibly convenient. Yuuga looked around again, but still, there were no cameras. It couldn’t actually be that easy, could it? This was obviously a trap set by the teachers who somehow knew there was a spy in their midst. Any second, they would jump out and take him to jail.

…

… No? Huh.

Should he take the papers? No, Aizawa-sensei didn’t seem like the type to think he’d just misplaced them. He snapped pictures of the diagram and plans on his phone instead. Surely it would be useful. He didn’t have an exact location for the USJ, but… that wasn’t his assignment. He had All Might’s whereabouts at a specific point in the near future. That’s all he had been asked to do.

He’d better go before the teachers returned. He wandered the halls until he found the evacuation site. He wasn’t even the last student to arrive. He pulled his phone out and examined the photos, pausing when his own name appeared. Right, his classmates. Whatever Uncle was planning, they would have to be involved. His stomach curled. So many innocents, caught up in this mess.

But they didn’t have to be.

He could go to a teacher right then and tell them everything, maybe get UA’s protection for himself, Maman, and Papa.

Right. . He would be arrested on the spot, his parents thrown in jail for colluding with a villain, and then they would all be killed when Uncle found out.

This needed to happen. It did. All Might was strong, he could handle anything Uncle threw at him. Or he couldn’t, and Uncle would win, and Yuuga wouldn’t have to worry about being a spy anymore.

His phone buzzed. A message from Papa?

Ah. A location and time, probably where and when he’d need to hand off the information.

Eventually, Present Mic gave the “All Clear”, and everyone headed back to their classrooms. As he found his class, his stomach rumbled.

Funny, he didn’t have an appetite.

Yuuga found the alley from Papa’s text. It was as grimy and dingy as Yuuga felt. He’d exchanged his uniform jacket for a plain gray hoodie and white face mask. Not a sparkle to be seen.

Where was the other party? Yuuga checked the message again. He was right on time. Hopefully he wouldn’t be meeting with Uncle himself…

He jumped as the air in front of him turned dark, purple clouds appearing and growing. Two men stepped out. One was finely dressed and seemed to be made of the same material as- was it a portal? The other seemed young, maybe early- to mid-twenties, although he could use a better skin care routine. Perhaps any skincare routine.

The younger one scratched the back of his neck, scowling as he looked Yuuga up and down.

“You the spy?” he asked.

Well, he was certainly straight to the point.

“I am. And you are…?”

“You don’t need to know who I am. I’m sure you’ll know all about us soon enough. Where’s the intel?” He held out his hand.

“It’s on my phone. Is there a way I can send it to you?”

He grunted. “Here. Give me the phone.”

Um.

Yuuga held his phone closer to his chest. “Can’t I just have an email address, or…?”

“Just give me the phone, Spy.”

Sighing, he held his phone out. The man snatched it out of his hands.

He held it with one finger raised and scrolled through, nodding to himself. He typed something, grunted, and tossed the phone back.

Yuuga fumbled with it. Why was it greasy?!

“There. I texted it to myself. The info’s not bad, definitely something I can use. I’d recommend deleting those photos.” He turned to leave.

What, not even a “thank you”? After all Yuuga did.

“Wait-”

He turned back, one foot back in the purple clouds. “What?”

“My class and I are going to be there on friday-”

“Oh, is that it? We’ll put you somewhere out of the way. Now go home, or whatever. I’ve got shit to plan.” And with that, he was gone. The mist man nodded at him and left as well.

It was just Yuuga and his phone. His weirdly greasy phone.

What an absolute joy it was to be a spy.

Thursday passed normally, like nothing had happened the day before. Iida was class president instead of Midoriya, and he held the position with a confidence that Yuuga’s soulmate seemed to lack. A bit too much confidence, even.

Maybe yesterday had been a dream, and he wasn’t sending his classmates and the Number One Hero to their untimely demises after all.

Then it became Friday.

“Alright class, listen up,” said Aizawa-sensei. “We’re going on a field-trip. You’re all going to be on your best behavior. Otherwise, you’re expelled.”

Perhaps if Yuuga acted out enough, he’d be expelled? No, it was too late for that.

Iida organized them into lines before they boarded the bus and discovered the lines to be useless.

Yuuga’s heart tried to thump right out of his chest, but he held his smile tightly. He couldn’t give anything away, no hints that he knew what was coming. Midoriya looked around, probably trying to find the source of the sudden dread. His gaze passed right over Yuuga.

The bus was abuzz with excitement. Yuuga couldn’t concentrate.

Should he prepare himself for the worst? What even was the worst? Would it be All Might’s death? Society would collapse, but Yuuga would’ve completed his mission. Perhaps his classmates perishing? He’d known them for such a short time, but almost all of them were so nice , especially compared to previous schools. When he’d partnered with Ashido, she was bubbly and bright. And of course, there was Midoriya…

Maybe that would be the worst, if something happened to his soulmate before they had the chance to connect.

Anything that happened today would be his fault.

“I generally say what’s on my mind,” said Asui, “Midoriya, your quirk resembles All Might’s.”

Did it? A hum of anxiety swept through him. He had no idea whose it was.

Midoriya stammered out a disagreement, and Kirishima started pointing out differences.

“My quirk’s real boring,” Kirishima said. It really wasn’t. Protecting one’s self was important, and he could use it for offense as well. He didn’t need a suit of armor like Yuuga did.

“Don’t forget that heroes also have to worry about popular appeal!”

Oh, popularity? He could say something about that.

“My Navel Laser is both strong and cool. Perfect for a pro.”

Ashido patted his shoulder. “As long as you don’t blow up your own stomach!” she helpfully reminded everyone.

Merci beaucoup , Ashido.

He definitely didn’t need to add to the churning in his stomach.

The bus pulled up to a gigantic building. And inside…

“Is this Universal Studios Japan?” someone asked.

The Space Hero Thirteen appeared, and a wave of excitement passed through him. That was probably Midoriya’s, if his spirited rambling to Uraraka was any indication. It was rather adorable, actually.

Thirteen’s costume had an excellent blend of form and function. Incredibly protective, with a clear theme and a cute squishiness that calmed the civilians she saved.

Another great hero getting caught in this mess.

“Thirteen, where’s All Might?” Aizawa-sensei asked.

“He’s resting in the break room,” she said.

Shit.

All Might wasn’t going to be there, after Yuuga said he would be.

They were going to blame him, weren’t they?

Thirteen’s speech sounded like it was coming from underwater.

All Might wasn’t there, the villains were coming and All Might wasn’t there .

The atmosphere changed in an instant. Aizawa-sensei whirled around. “Huddle up and don’t move!” he shouted. “Thirteen, protect the students!”

That… that was a lot of villains. They just kept coming through the portal, a veritable sea of evil, radiating murderous intent. The young man he’d given the information to was at the front, seemingly the leader. He was wearing- were those severed hands? They couldn’t possibly be real, could they?

“Thirteen and Eraserhead. According to the staff schedule I received the other day, All Might is supposed to be here…” said the Mist Villain. Yuuga backed away from the railing. If they didn’t see him, maybe they wouldn’t blame him…

“I wonder if some dead kids will bring him here?” said the Hand Villain.

Everyone was talking at once. Aizawa-sensei leapt into the plaza as Iida and Thirteen ushered them to the door-

To be blocked off by the Mist Villain.

“Greetings,” he said, “we are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but we’ve come here to end the life of All Might, the symbol of peace.”

A gasp went up through the crowd. Audacity indeed.

“We were under the impression that All Might would be here today, but it seems his schedule was revised.”

Even though the villain had no pupils, Yuuga felt his gaze boring a hole into him.

“My role remains unchanged.”

Kirishima and Bakugou jumped in front of Thirteen, blocking her from helping. Mist engulfed the entire group, and Yuuga fell.

He landed on his back in a cold, dark room, the metallic clang of his armor muffled by… carpet?

He fought to flip himself over– it was not the time to act like a stranded turtle.

The room was quiet and small. He looked around. There was a large wall of TVs in front of him and a panel of buttons and switches in front of the wall. Was this some sort of control room, perhaps?

He stumbled into a chair. Where was the “on” button… aha.

The screens flashed to life and he shielded his eyes until they adjusted. There were views of water, fire, mountains, buildings, the front door, and the fountain in the central plaza… and villains. Every screen was full of villains. 

Occasionally he’d spot a flash of color and realize that it was a classmate. They were all fighting for their lives, all except him. He alone was “safe”in this control room, doomed to watch them die.

He searched for green– there, in the flood zone. Two green heads and a small purple blob. They’d managed to reach a boat, and they were safe, for the time being. Dark spots in the water were surrounding them. More villains.

There were a handful of students by the door, still fighting the Mist Villain. Not everyone had been warped.

Aizawa-sensei seemed to be handling himself rather well, but surely he’d be overwhelmed eventually.

Something flashed on the flood zone’s screen– a giant splash. Green and purple soared to the edge of the pool.

Had they done it? Had they actually found a way to beat the villains?

Midoriya’s adrenaline coursed through his veins. Maybe they were all more capable than he’d thought.

That’s when everything went to shit.

The Mist Villain reflected Thirteen’s own quirk back at her, ripping her suit apart as she collapsed to the ground.

The giant villain with the exposed brain pinned Aizawa-sensei to the ground.

Iida managed to escape, but it would be a while before he brought back help.

The Hand Villain noticed Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta.

Something tugged hard in his gut and he gasped.

Danger! It screamed, Danger, danger! Save him!

He curled in on himself, trying to get whatever it was to stop . He tugged at his hair. He wanted to help, needed to help– but he couldn’t. He couldn’t act against Uncle or his allies.

Midoriya jumped at the Hand Villain. The Big Villain got in the way. It grabbed his arm.

The door smashed in, and there was a scream that shook even Yuuga’s control room. He whipped his head around to look at the screen with the main entrance.

All Might and Present Mic had arrived.

They weren’t happy.

All Might and Present Mic quickly cleaned things up. They held things off until the other heroes arrived.

Midoriya, of course, managed to jump into danger two more times.

Snipe ended up shooting the Hand Villain several times as they retreated.

Everyone was alive.

They were all alive .

Nobody noticed as he slipped out of the control room and into the crowd with the rest of the class. Nobody noticed that his hair was perfect, that he had no dust or dirt or bruises.

Everyone talked about where they’d been warped. He tried several times to get someone to ask where he had been. Asui eventually asked, but she didn’t really pay much attention to his answer.

He couldn’t come right out and say where he’d gone, but if someone would’ve asked him, and thought about his answer, well…

No matter.

The Wizard’s Apprentice had failed in his task, but it surely would not be the last seen of him.

Meanwhile, the Prince observed the young Hero from afar. Despite a lackluster first impression, he seemed to be almost… charming.

“Hey, Ao, I noticed you staring at Midori a lot, he piss you off or something?”

“Ah, non , nothing like that. It would take more than anything he’s done to upset me. He did not, , melt my cape on its first day out in the world.”

Mina rolled her eyes, nudging him with her elbow.

“ Again with the cape thing? You can’t still be mad about it, Ao, it’s been like, forever!”

“I can be mad about whatever I would like to be mad about, merci beaucoup. ”

She snagged a piece of his cheese and popped it into her mouth. Really, the gall! He pulled his platter closer and glared. She stuck her tongue out.

“But seriously, dude, what’s up with you two?” She gasped. “Do you have a crush on him?! Oh my god, you totally do!”

Yuuga flinched and looked around. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them, but one could never be too careful.

“Sh! It’s not like that! Of course, anyone would be fortunate to receive my affections, but- It’s complicated, oui? ”

“Ao, all I’m hearing is that you absolutely do have a secret crush on Midori, and I’m gonna need. The. Deets. Ha, Ao and Midori, that’s cute!”

Yuuga sighed. Clearly, while Mina was usually distractible, this was one of those times when she was completely focused. On him. And he wasn’t escaping without revealing something.

“Mina, you cannot tell anyone, especially not Midoriya, about what I am about to show you,” he hissed.

“Show me, show me!”

Carefully, Yuuga pulled his arm out of his blazer. Mina’s eyes widened as she, presumably, realized the true significance of the event.

“No way. You are kidding!”

Well, he probably could stop, but he’d already committed. Taking a deep breath, he pushed up his sleeve.

Mina squealed, most likely damaging his eardrums.

“Oh my god!”

She grabbed his arm and pulled it close to her face, moving it back and forth as the colors shimmered in the sunlight.

“This is so exciting! You and Midori- you’re not just crushing, you’re soulmates!” She traced her finger over the mark. ? It felt exactly the same as the rest of his skin. He snatched his arm back and yanked the sleeve down, shrugging back into the jacket.

“Silence! It is very important that you keep this quiet!”

“How long have you known? It had to be since the second day of school, right? We all saw his mark then!”

“I’ve known since the quirk assessment, and the mark came to be after the entrance exam.”

“That long, and you haven’t told him?!”

“No. I cannot tell him. As I said… it’s complicated.”

“Complicated how? Do you need me to beat somebody up for you?” She put up her fists.

Mina against Uncle… he shuddered to even think about it.

“No, I do not. There are personal matters that I simply cannot involve him in.”

“I don’t get it. If I had a soulmate, I’d tell them, like, the second I found out. There’s so much time you two could’ve spent together, getting to know each other!”

“Exactly, you do not have a soulmate. You couldn’t know how delicate such a situation can be.”

Mina flinched, and Yuuga sighed.

“It is not how it looks in the movies and mangas. I’m not magically in love with Midoriya, I don’t even know if our fate is romantic. He is cute , yes, with his big round eyes, those little freckles, his determined smile-”

“I dunno, Ao, that was pretty gay.”

“Shush. My own parents are not soulmates. Romantic love does not need a mark, and a mark does not need romantic love. Perhaps Midoriya will become my best friend, and oust you in the process. Is that what you want?”

“Wait, I’m your best friend?!”

Oh. Oops. Mina was his best friend, wasn’t she?

That was not supposed to happen.

“I- I suppose so?”

“Ao! Oh my god, you can’t just spring that on a girl!” She wiped at her eyes with the palm of her hand.

“Ah, do not do that! Your makeup is smearing!” He took out his emergency makeup wipes and handed one to her.

“Thanks. But we’re not done yet! You said it’s complicated, but isn’t that what soulmates are for? To be there when you need them? And poor Midori, he’s been waiting so long, not knowing why you haven’t come forward. Aoyama Yuuga, you are going to confess to that boy, and I’m going to help!”

“I will confess when the time is right. And definitely not right before the Sports Festival, neither of us need the distraction.”

“Ugh, fine. But the minute after I win gold, I’m locking you both in a storage closet!”

“Fair enough, mon amie. Fair enough.”

It was time for a grand tournament at the academy, where all the students would show what they’ve learned! The Prince and the Hero trained as best they could, in order to impress whoever might be watching…

The Sports Festival was… humiliating.

First, he scored last place in the obstacle course. This was not quite an accident; he’d heard, of course, that those who didn’t do well could be demoted to general education. As much as Yuuga liked class 1-A, if he could be removed from the hero course and have it seemingly not be his fault, he would perhaps be dismissed as a spy and allowed to live in peace. Unfortunately, it seemed that the first round was specifically designed to pass every hero course student.

He didn’t get a choice with the second event. One minute, he was talking to the general education student, the next, the round was over and he’d moved on. How wonderful for Ojirou, that he could bow out. Yuuga would probably be killed with such an obvious abandonment of his duties.

He hadn’t planned to win the third event either, but… did Mina really have to hit him so hard? And melt his belt as well! As if the cape were not bad enough! Thank goodness he could just rest in Recovery Girl’s office for a while, until his stomach and pride became well again. Mina apologized, and Yuuga told her he would consider accepting.

Midoriya, though… Midoriya shone . First in the obstacle course, an apparently wonderful performance in the cavalry battle, a surprise win against the general education student, and that last battle against Todoroki… it wasn’t pretty, not at all, but Midoriya was mesmerizing to watch, even as the others screamed for him to stop. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but again, that look in his eye and that fire in his heart… Yuuga sighed.

And then there was the mess with the medals. Bakugou was restrained like some kind of animal. It wasn’t like he was a polite young man, but why did the school even have something like that ready to go? One would think it would reflect poorly on the teachers, but as he scrolled through his phone, every article was on Bakugou’s behavior.

He would love to forget the whole day, except… there was something he promised he’d do. Maybe it would be better to wait for another day. He almost did, except as everyone was gathered by the classroom, Mina shoved him in Midoriya’s direction. He glanced back and shook his head. Clearly, Midoriya was in no shape for a confession. She somehow pantomimed locking someone in a storage closet. She was not going to let him back down.

Well, the iron was hot. Time to strike.

“Ah, Midoriya, if I might have a moment of your time?”

“Dude,” Kirishima said, “I think you missed the window for dramatic challenges. The festival’s already over.” Several classmates laughed.

This was not off to a great start.

Midoriya blinked at him. “I- does it have to be now, Aoyama? I think- it’s been a long day, and my Mom probably wants me to come right home-”

“It should not take long, I promise. It is- it’s rather important.”

“Alright then. Can we talk here, or-”

“Somewhere more private,."

“I’ll wait for you up front, Deku!” Uraraka said.

“I gotta go,” said Mina, “but text me later, Ao!” She winked and shot finger guns at him.

Yuuga led Midoriya somewhere private- an empty staircase, as unglamorous as it was, but his chin was bandaged and Midoriya had one arm in a sling, so he could afford a bit of imperfection.

He resisted the urge to pace. He had to appear strong, confident, like someone who wasn’t afraid of being locked in a storage closet.

He sat on the top step and gestured for Midoriya to join him, which he did, careful to avoid his injuries.

“Midoriya, mon ami . I have something to tell you. I probably should have told you this earlier, much earlier. It’s just- there are complicated reasons, but none of it justifies waiting as long as I did.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm.

“Midoriya… we are soulmates.”

A number of emotions flashed across Midoriya’s face. Shock turned to confusion turned to… hurt?

“That’s not funny, Aoyama. I don’t appreciate pranks like that.”

What?

“Midoriya-”

“You’re not the first one who’s done it, y’know. All the time in middle school, people I’d never met would come up to me and pretend to be my soulmate. I thought high school would be different.” He stood and turned to leave.

“Midoriya, wait- please, I can prove it!”

He threw off his jacket and yanked on his sleeve, popping the cuff button. Oops.

Midoriya studied the scene painting Yuuga’s forearm. He blinked, and blinked again. Tears formed in his eyes.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t-”

“Why now?”

Yuuga had prepared, but not enough. There was no good answer to Midoriya’s question, nothing that would be satisfying. He stayed silent.

“Why didn’t you say anything before? You saw it. You knew. You waited. Do you know how awful it feels, when you know you have someone out there for you, and they never approach? I tried to justify it. I thought, maybe you were in the other class, and you didn’t know who I was. How long did you know, Aoyama?”

Yuuga’s cheeks burned. He looked away. “I’ve known since the quirk assessments.”

“Oh, that’s impressive. You knew even earlier than I thought you did. And you never said anything. You made little comments sometimes, about if you liked how I did something, but we’ve basically only had one conversation ever. At the Entrance Exam. When you told me we would never meet again, because it was so obvious that I wasn’t getting into the hero course. Is that why you chose right now to tell me? Because you didn’t think I was good enough for you? Did I finally prove I wasn’t a worthless Deku when I blew my arms up?!”

Yuuga couldn’t hide his flinch. It wasn’t like that at all, but he had no way to verbalize that. Midoriya nodded. “I thought so. I thought I was done with shallow assholes, but it looks like I’m bonded to one for the rest of my life. I guess I’ll see you in class, Aoyama.”

Midoriya left. Yuuga couldn’t summon the strength to stop him. He sat there, on that step, for who knows how long, ignoring his phone buzzing in his pocket.

He fucked up. He really, really fucked up. He was a stupid, self-centered idiot who just drove off his soulmate .

He stared at his soulmark. What would happen, after all of that? Would the bond break? Does the beautiful landscape on his skin fade away?

By the time he got home, he had seven missed calls from Maman, three from Papa, two texts from Mina and one from an unknown number.

Maman had been about to scold him when he walked through the door, but one look at his face and she swept him into a hug. “Oh, , what happened? Was it the festival?”

“ Non , Maman. I- I confessed to my soulmate, but I waited too long- he thought I didn’t like him! He was so upset, and it was all my fault!”

“Oh, Yuuga… maybe this is for the best?”

“Maman?”

“Perhaps it is a good thing not to get too attached, at least until everything is over with. You are soulmates. I don’t have the personal experience that others have, but things should work themselves out eventually, oui? Maybe the Universe is telling you not to force things.”

Yuuga pushed away. What was she saying?! This was in no way okay! He hurt his soulmate, and she thought he should let it continue!

“I’ll think about it, I suppose. I do like him, I don’t want him to hate me.”

“Of course, Yuuga, you’re such a kind boy. Things will happen as they are meant to, you’ll see.”

“ Oui . I’m going up to my room to rest.”

“Alright, . I’ll call you down when dinner is ready.”

Well, that did not go well. Maman was correct, she had no experience with soulmates.

Yuuga flopped onto his bed and buried his face in his least sequined pillow.

He didn’t want to “let things happen.” He wanted to at the very least be on speaking terms with Midoriya. What was he supposed to say? “I didn’t want to get involved because there’s a supervillain breathing down my neck, but I’ve decided to put you in danger anyway.” Oui , that would go over well.

Yuuga rolled onto his back and pulled out his phone. Better respond to Mina so she didn’t attack him at school…

His eyes stopped on the text from the unknown number. He opened it.

you did awful today. get better.

And then a hand emoji.

Oh, speaking of being attacked at school. Apparently, Shigaraki still had his number, and decided to antagonize him.

A beautiful end to a wonderful day.

The heartbroken Prince had failed to win the heart of the Hero, but he could not give up. They were fated for one another. Perhaps with time, things would heal…

When they were back in class, Midoriya wouldn’t look at him. He avoided all attempts at even eye-contact, and busied himself in a notebook.

In direct contrast was Uraraka, who wouldn’t stop glaring at him. Apparently, she knew what had transpired, and was unhappy. Perhaps “unhappy” was too light a term- she positively radiated rage. After her showing at the Festival, he didn’t want to be on her bad side. Not that he would anyway but- she was scary .

Oddly enough, he felt no such hostility in his emotional connection with Midoriya. Perhaps it was wrong to utilize it when his soulmate wanted nothing to do with him, but he couldn’t help it.

Yuuga sat silently at his desk, usual empty smile plastered on his face. He ignored Mina’s prodding, both metaphorical and literal, as she tried to capture his attention.

She wanted to talk about the situation with Midoriya. There was nothing to talk about.

It was a blessing when Aizawa-sensei finally began class.

He didn’t receive any internship offers, but he wasn’t expecting to. The further he flew under the heroes’ radar, the better. Mina received ten, which surprised him. She’d shown skill and grace in her performance, even if it had been at his expense. Surely that would’ve earned her more attention?

Midoriya didn’t seem to have any offers either, based on his disappointment. One supposes a powerful quirk isn’t everything.

Then it was time for hero names… with Midnight. Since he was in the seat nearest the door, he got the full blast of her perfume, and an up close and personal view of too much. 

Midnight’s quirk became more powerful if she was attractive to her target, and her costume certainly wanted to help that. Yuuga wasn’t particularly interested in women, so one supposed he couldn’t accurately comment on its visual effectiveness, but from a functional standpoint, it, well. It was a mess.

Besides the heels, besides the apparent lack of chest support, she had to tear up her costume in order to use her quirk. What was the point of that? Why make her costume out of such a flimsy material instead of having reusable openings like zippers? Where was her armor? What if she couldn’t tear it in time, like at the Sports Festival?

And once it was torn, she couldn’t un-tear it. Does her quirk not turn off, and that was why she needed to be covered? If not, why not simply have uncovered patches on her arms instead of full sleeves? If it didn’t turn off, why was it only the skin on her arms and not her hands or face? Nothing made sense!

But enough about that.

They passed around the white boards, and Yuuga needed only a moment to write his hero name down. , did no one think of theirs ahead of time? Hadn’t they all been training for weeks?

He strutted up to the podium, paying no mind to how the room went quiet.

All eyes were on him.

Perfect.

“I will be the Shining Hero: I Cannot Stop Twinkling!”

Oui , the name was in English, as many heroes’ were. He would’ve loved it to be in French, but the odds of a random civilian knowing French was much lower than English.

He hadn’t quite expected rapturous applause, but the comments whispered– and decidedly not whispered– amongst his classmates were rather unkind. One had insinuated that he was lying about his heritage, others thought him arrogant– well, was that not the goal?

He took Midnight’s edits with grace and returned to his seat, ignoring the ache in his heart. Someone had to go first. He’d simply cleared the way for the rest.

It was a shame, he rather liked Alien Queen. It had a fun energy, and with Mina’s costume he didn’t think anyone else would have the violent dislike that Midnight held.

The class went through their names. Some were clever or catchy, others were… not so much. Really, Hagakure couldn’t come up with anything more creative than “Invisible Girl”? No costume and a too-simple hero name, her optics really needed some work. He doubted she’d take his advice, though. They had no rapport.

Finally, they came to Midoriya. He looked nervous, and Yuuga certainly felt his anxiety and frustration throughout the class period. However, there was a determination to his gaze that made Yuuga unable to look away.

He flipped the board, and there, in scratchy letters:

Deku.

Oh. That awful name that Bakugou called him. Why would he use that?

“I always hated it,” Midoriya said, “but then someone helped me see it in a new light.”

He was shaking, but proud. He was taking back his sparkle from those who would see him dimmed.

Warmth grew in Yuuga’s chest.

Deku, hm? He’d surely be a formidable hero.

Midoriya approached him after class, Uraraka at his side. She still glared at him, though not quite as intensely as before. Midoriya was uncertain and a bit… regretful? Was that what that was?

“Aoyama,” he said, “I, um, wanted to apologize for the other day. A lot happened because of the Sports Festival and everything, and I was in pain and exhausted and it was really unfair of me to attack you like that. So- I’m really sorry about that, I didn’t really mean what I said. I hope we can start over?” His nervous smile was charming.

Yuuga flashed a grin. “Of course, mon ami , but the truth is- you were right. It was unacceptable for me to wait that long. And my confession’s timing was, perhaps, not the best.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I really have no excuse for any of it. I’m glad you’ve given me another chance to get to know you!”

That seemed to mollify Uraraka, who squeezed Midoriya’s shoulder and left them to talk- though not before shooting Yuuga one last glare.

Conversation didn’t come as easily as he’d hoped it would.

“Anyway,” Midoriya said, after about five seconds of silence, “do you, um, want to hang out sometime?”

“That would be ,” Yuuga said, “but our internships are about to start.”

Midoriya winced. “Right, right. Did you, uh, get any interesting offers?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t receive any.”

“Oh, me neither, actually. I guess my big fight was kind of scary. Maybe we could look at the other options together?”

Yuuga smiled. “I’d like that-”

“Young Midoriya! Ah, and Young Aoyama.”

All Might came rushing into the room. He seemed off. Shaky, maybe. What could make All Might shake?

Maybe his blood sugar was low.

“Young Midoriya, I have news. You’ve received an internship offer. Perhaps we can discuss it in my office?”

What office? The man had a cubical.

“Oh, uh, sure! Sorry, Aoyama, I guess I’ll talk to you later- oh! Maybe we could exchange numbers?”

They took each others’ phones and put in their contact information– Yuuga put his own name with a sparkling heart.

Perhaps it was early, but he wanted their relationship to grow and fill the emoji. Someday.

“I’ll see you later,” Midoriya says, and then they’re gone.

Midoryia going off with All Might…

It was nothing. It had to be nothing.

The Prince and the Hero were sent to different corners of the realm for adventure. It would surely be a pleasant experience for both, and when they returned, they could share with each other what they had learned.

The Chromatic Hero, Prisma had a fascinating quirk. She could change color like a chameleon and reflect anything that was close enough to that color. Her costume complemented this by being translucent in some areas, while still being armored enough to protect her from that which she could not deflect. She was friendly, popular both with children and the LGBT+ community.

Prisma, along with her changing colors, had changing temperaments as well. One minute she was easily praising, the next, critical. It was exhausting to try to predict her reactions, but she taught well, and he gained experience dealing with the public.

The less he said about the public, the better.

He returned to his hotel room and flopped onto the bed. The sooner this internship was over, the sooner he could get some rest.

He picked up his phone– Mina had texted him– before dropping it.

Danger , said something deep inside him. Help Midoriya, save him! There was a pulling sensation as well.

He forced down his instincts just as he did at the USJ. He had to think rationally. Information, he needed information- he couldn’t just go running off to who-knows-where!

His phone beeped with a news alert– Villains Attack Hosu! The alert had images of fire and destruction and huge, hulking figures. Figures with exposed brains.

Nomu. It was the league, it had to be. He hadn’t been told about this, but why would they bother? He was a pawn. The pawn doesn’t know the queen’s plans.

Okay, so the league was attacking Hosu. Midoriya wasn’t supposed to be in Hosu, but it was too large of a coincidence for the danger to be anything else.

His phone beeped again– a text.

Midoriya to All Contacts:

>[Current Location]

And nothing else. How lovely .

Danger. Save him.

He should go to Prisma. Even if she can’t get there herself, she could tell someone, send backup. But if the league found out he interfered, they might punish him. And it’s not like he knew what the danger was , only that it existed. Was that even worth anything? Of course there was danger in Hosu. Everything was on fire.

He curled up on the bed, fighting the urges. There was no way for him to get to Hosu. He couldn’t help.

Hopefully, the hero with Midoriya could. Hopefully, some of their classmates who were in Hosu saw the message as well.

Hopefully, Midoriya could hold off a nomu. Midoriya, who couldn’t use his quirk without shattering his arm.

You’d be little more than an inconvenience to your fellow heroes. Absolutely useless.

Tears gathered in his eyes. He tried to blink them away, but they escaped down his cheeks to spite him.

Fuck . He was such a coward.

The pressure alleviated. Yuuga could breathe again. Whatever the danger was, Midoriya had managed. He was fine .

Then it punched him in the gut.

Danger, danger, danger! Save him now!

There was terror, through the bond, that hadn’t been there before. Something had changed, massively .

And then it was over. Yuuga clutched at his pillow.

It was fine. Midoriya was fine.

His phone beeped. Hero Killer Stain Arrested, But Not Before Final Speech .

Hand shaking, he clicked on the article.

There, behind Stain, on the ground, behind Stain and out of focus, was Midoriya.

But Midoriya was fine .

But he was bleeding. He’d been attacked by Stain, a criminal who’d murdered heroes far more experienced than they were.

But he survived. The danger was over.

For now.

In the morning, there was a new article. Endeavor had defeated the Hero Killer. There was no mention of any UA students.

He texted Midoriya.

>I got your message last night, and I felt a lot over the bond. Is everything alright, mon ami?

Midoriya replied.

>Caant talk. Hosprtel. Fine tho. Todoki and iiida hear 2.

>I mean. No there not.

That was… concerning.

Midoriya was in the hospital, along with, as best as he could figure, Todoroki and Iida. Midoriya had for certain been around the Hero Killer. Endeavor had caught him, so Todoroki made sense. And Iida… Iida’s brother had been maimed by the Hero Killer.

The facts didn’t paint a very good picture in his mind.

Ultimately, he was forced to put those thoughts away. He had an internship to continue, after all.

That next Monday, the three were hush-hush about what happened that night in Hosu. Yuuga didn’t push- after all, he would be a hypocrite if he didn’t let others have their secrets.

Midoriya smiled shyly at him from across the room.

Smiled. At Yuuga .

Just before lunch, Midoriya approached him.

“Aoyama, hey!” he said, smiling brightly, “I was wondering if you wanted to come eat lunch with us? It’s going to be me, Iida, Uraraka, and I think Todoroki. We’d love to have you. Unless you would rather sit with your usual table? Oh gosh, I didn’t even think about that, I just thought- you know, it wouldn’t be a lot of pressure, and-”

“I’d love to,” Yuuga said. “It sounds .”

It did. He wanted a chance to get to know Midoriya in a low-stakes environment. It was only after he agreed and let Midoriya’s smile warm his heart that he considered the circumstances.

He was going to be dining with near-strangers. One of these strangers already disliked him, two of them he’d never interacted with, one of them being his soulmate that he’d only ever watched from afar, aside from his disastrous attempt at a confession. They were going to be evaluating him, judging his demeanor, not to mention his meal. He always brought lunch from home, it was always western style and fancy and weird, and when you eat like that, people think you’re stuck-up. And he couldn’t convince them that he wasn’t, not really, not without breaking his carefully crafted mask. If he broke his mask, if people knew there was more to him, they would suspect him, and he would get caught, and then he would die-

A hand squeezed his arm. Midoriya was staring at him with- pity? No, concern. He was still smiling. “I promise they’re nice. Uraraka’s not mad at you anymore, and Iida and Todoroki are good people. But you don’t have to eat with us if you really don’t want to, we can try again later.”

Stop being such a coward, Yuuga.

“I would love to eat with you all. I just… am not used to eating with my peers. There is more peace in the classroom, oui? And not everyone enjoys my choice of cuisine.”

Why did he say that? Now Midoriya was going to wonder why.

Midoriya nodded. “I completely understand that, I didn’t really like cafeterias much either before this year. And if anyone gives you a problem about your lunch, I’ll- well, I’ll tell them to stop. No one should judge someone else’s food.”

Well, at least the ridicule wouldn’t come from Midoriya.

They arrived at the cafeteria. Midoriya gestured to an empty table. “That’s where we usually sit. The others are probably still in line for Lunch Rush. You bring your lunch, right? I’ll wait here with you until they come back.”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to hold up your meal…”

“It’s no problem! I wouldn’t want you waiting by yourself. It shouldn’t be long, but feel free to start eating.”

Yuuga opened his lunch bag. Thankfully, his meal that day was rather simple: a wedge of brie and a section of baguette, saucisson , strawberries, and sparkling grape juice.

Midoriya tilted his head. “What’s that?”

It wasn’t from disgust, like kids from his previous schools. It was genuine curiosity, even fascination.

“This is brie. It’s a type of cheese made in France, we have it imported along with the saucisson - the meat.” Stuck-up . “It’s very good, would you, ah, like to try some?”

“Sure,” Midoriya said.

Yuuga broke off a piece of baguette and cut a chunk of brie from the wedge. “You eat it with bread, usually.” He handed it to Midoriya.

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he tasted it. “Wow, that’s really creamy! I like it!”

“I’ll have to bring more next time, so we can share.” Awfully presumptuous of him, given his previous experiences, that there would be a “next time”, but Midoriya nodded.

“That sounds great! What’s that white stuff on the end of the wedge, do you eat that too?

Ah, here was the part where he lost people.

“It’s called a rind. It’s actually a protective layer of mold. It’s completely edible, though.”

Midoriya still seemed interested, so Yuuga continued.

“It keeps the bad bacteria out of the cheese. Lots of cheeses in France have rinds, actually. And they age for a very long time before they’re ready to eat. Brie is a soft cheese, so it only ages for a few weeks before it’s ripe, but some cheeses can be made years before they’re ready to be eaten. I believe the oldest edible cheese produced was aged for four decades.”

 “Really?”

Yuuga nodded. “In that case it had been forgotten about, usually it’s up to twenty years at most for one specific type of cheese.”

He stopped. Was he really rambling about cheese , of all topics?

“I’ve probably said ‘cheese’ so many times in the last few minutes. I’m sure there are other things you’d rather talk about.”

“No, this is really interesting! I’ve heard about old cheese, but I never really thought about it.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Uraraka asked, setting her tray down on Midoriya’s opposite side. Iida and Todoroki sat on the other side of the table.

“Cheese,” Midoriya said. “Apparently, a lot more goes into making it than you think!”

Uraraka looked confused, but Iida nodded. “An excellent subject! It is always enriching to learn about food from other cultures.”

Yuuga snorted. The others turned to look at him. “Ah, ‘cultures’ is a term used in cheese making. It was an accidental pun.”

“I see! I would also like to thank you for joining us today, Aoyama. It is good to see you socializing more, considering how- ouch! Uraraka, that was entirely unnecessary!”

Uraraka glared at Iida before turning back to Yuuga. “What Iida means is that we’re happy to get to know you, especially since you’re going to be important to Deku!” She smiled, but her expression had a hard edge to it.

Todoroki said nothing.

“Right,” Midoriya said, “I’m going to go grab my food. You guys be nice!” And then he was gone.

Uraraka studied him. Iida and Todoroki were watching him as well. Yuuga was the intruder in their little group. It was an illogical thought, since Todoroki couldn’t have joined too long ago himself, but…

“Listen,” Uraraka said with a sigh, “I’m still not happy about how long it took you to come forward. Totally not cool. But you’re Deku’s soulmate, so you can’t be that bad. Deku’s great, so you’ve gotta match him somehow.”

Given how openly she was talking about it, and the lack of surprise on the others’ faces-

“You all know, then?”

Todoroki tilted his head. “It came up, yes.”

“We will keep it secret for as long as you both desire,” Iida siad, “but understand that MIdoriya is our friend, and we don’t want to see him hurt.

“I do not wish to hurt him,” Yuuga said. “Waiting that long was a mistake-”

“It sure was,” Uraraka muttered.

“-and I only want what will make Midoriya happy. I will not hurt him again.”

Hopefully that was a promise he could keep.

The Prince and the Hero decided to begin their courtship.

Yuuga checked his outfit for the third time. Rhinestone sunglasses, a wide white sunhat, a flowy top, his swim shorts, sandals, and a waterproof privacy sleeve. Everything still looked good. He packed his tote with his waterproof eyeliner and mascara. His parasol and cooler bag rested by the door, ready to be packed into the trunk of his driver’s car. He was completely ready, so why didn’t he feel like it?

He and Midoriya had decided on a beach picnic for their first- not a date. It wasn’t a date. It was a hangout, as friends, and to prove it they were bringing Uraraka and Mina as well. Just four friends spending the day together, no pressure at all.

He slid into the back seat and checked his phone as the driver pulled away.

Midoriya 💚

>Leaving now, see you soon!

Mina

>have u heard of this beach b4???

He hadn’t. Maman researched this “Dagobah” when Yuuga mentioned it to her. Apparently it used to be disgusting, but in the last year or so, some mysterious group cleaned it and turned it into something of a hidden gem of Musutafu. Even All Might had been spotted there a few times.

Ding! New message.

Maman

>Be very careful, . Stay with your friends and watch for sharp objects in the sand! ♥️

He rolled his eyes. Maman didn’t seem to grasp that he was a hero student. He could take care of himself.

>I will ✨ ♥️

The driver pulled up to the boardwalk and opened Yuuga’s door for him.

He surveyed the beach as he gathered his belongings. Not too crowded. He quickly spotted Mina jumping and waving at him not too far from the shoreline. Midoriya and Uraraka were with her.

Was he the last to arrive? Yes, but he was fashionably late.

They’d already set out the tarp and picnic blanket, and it seemed everyone had brought a cooler of their own. Two beach umbrellas shaded the area.

Mina’s one-piece swimsuit was as bright as her hero costume, jewel tones that complimented her skin tone nicely. Uraraka’s pink and white tankini and skirt combo was simple and cute.

Midoriya’s tank top showed off how muscular his arms really were. It was easy to forget, with that cute face of his. The tank top was emblazoned with the word Shorts . His swim trunks were a mild yellow.

He practically glowed in the sunlight as he waved at Yuuga. He held a large, empty trash bag in his other hand.

“You made it!” he said, beaming. “I’m so glad!”

“I’m glad to be here,” Yuuga said. He set down his belongings and positioned his parasol to block out the harshest of the remaining sunlight. It simply wouldn’t do to get burned. Speaking of-

“Does anyone need sunscreen? I have extra.”

Mina shook her head. “My skin’s PH is weird, so I’ve gotta use my own stuff.”

Uraraka took him up on the offer, as did Midoriya.

Yuuga watched as Midoriya spread the lotion along his arms. The muscles were well defined, clearly his strength wasn’t from his quirk alone. How much could he lift without it? Could he lift a person? Could he lift Yuuga-?

Mina elbowed him. Yuuga’s eyes left Midoriya’s arms and went instead to his face, which was bright red.

Ah yes, emotional bond.

It was then that time in every young man’s life where they were to throw themselves into the sea and become one with the aquatic life, never to return to land. .

…Anyway.

Uraraka cleared her throat. “So. What did everyone bring? I brought some mochi…”

“Oh, mochi, yum!” said Mina. “I brought chips and Ramune!”

Had he had Ramune before?

“My mom and I made onigiri,” Midoriya said. “We have tuna mayo and omurice. I hope that’s alright with everyone! I also brought a trash bag for, uh, yeah. Trash.”

Yuuga gestured to his own cooler, which turned out to be the largest of the four. “I brought gruyère, gouda, bread, and melon slices for everyone! I know that Midoriya was interested in trying more cheeses, and Mina steals some from me at every opportunity.”

Mina stuck her tongue out at him.

“Of course you brought cheese, you cheese fiend.”

“I daresay that you are the ‘cheese fiend,’ mon amie! ”

Midoriya laughed. It was a lovely sound. “Do we want to eat first or explore the beach?”

“Isn’t there that thing about not eating right before you go swimming?” Uraraka asked.

“Well, we don’t have to swim right away. There’s other stuff to look at if you wanna wait,” Mina said. She stretched her arms above her head. “I dunno about you guys, but I’m starving!”

They passed out the food, leaving Uraraka’s mochi and the melon in the cooler for dessert. Mina handed him a bottle of strawberry Ramune.

He stared at it. It did not stare back, because it was a bottle of soda. He carefully removed the wrapping from the top, leaving him with a plastic… thing. He watched everyone else pop the marbles into the bubble at the top of the bottle.

He set the bottle between his knees and pressed down with the plastic cap. He didn’t want to press too hard, what if the bottle broke?

“Need some help?” Midoriya asked.

Yuuga nodded. “Please.”

Midoriya set the bottle on top of one of the coolers. “It works better if you open it on a hard surface. You also want to make sure you have some leverage on it.” The marble popped easily into the cavity and Midoriya handed the soda back.

“ Merci, mon ami. ”

“It’s no problem!”

Yuuga felt eyes upon him. Mina was staring at him, wiggling her eyebrows. Her antennae were bouncing as well.

He ignored her.

After dessert they cleaned their site thoroughly, depositing any garbage in the trash bag Midoriya brought.

Mina steered them over to a group of tidepools. “Aren’t they awesome?” she said. “They’re like little alien worlds!”

Uraraka pointed to a crab. It snapped at her. “It reminds me of Bakugou,” she said.

Mina laughed. “Oh, he absolutely has the personality for it.”

Midoriya smiled. “Once, when we were little, Kacchan tried to take some crabs from the beach to keep as pets. They pinched him.”

Yuuga snorted, then covered his face. A tiny Bakugou getting pinched by crabs…. “It is difficult to imagine him as a child, I can only see him as he is now. My brain simply cannot process a smaller Bakugou.”

Midoriya lit up. “Oh, I think I have some old pictures in my phone! I’ll be right back!” He ran back towards their belongings.

Uraraka cackled. “Tiny Bakugou and tiny Deku? This, I’ve gotta see.”

Midoriya returned, phone in hand. “Here we go, this is from before Kacchan got his quirk.”

Yuuga gasped. In the picture were two toddlers in matching All Might onesies.

“How cute!”

Baby Midoriya and baby Bakugou really seemed like friends.

“Send it to me!” Mina squealed. “I need to show the class that Bakugou used to be cute.”

Midoriya laughed, but Yuuga felt a bit of uneasiness. “If that gets out, he’s gonna kill me.”

“It will be a noble sacrifice, we’ll remember you fondly. Give me the picture.”

“Hold on,” Yuuga said, “that’s my soulmate you’re talking about. I do not want your happiness at his expense.”

It sent a flutter through him to utter the phrase “my soulmate” in such a way. Absolutely delightful.

“All I heard was ‘I do not want your happiness.’”

Uraraka giggled. “We’ll all defend you, Deku. It’s such a good picture!”

It was. Little Midoriya’s chubby little cheeks and sparkling green eyes… not too different from the Midoriya of the present, actually.

Eventually, the sun began to set, and everyone had to head home. Mina and Uraraka walked to the train station together.

Yuuga’s driver was late, something about bad traffic. Midoriya waited with him at the boardwalk as the stars began to greet them.

“I had a really good time today,” Midoriya said. “I’m glad I got to share this place with you guys, it really means a lot to me.”

“It’s a beautiful beach,” Yuuga said. “This was a wonderful first outing.”

Midoriya reached into his pocket. “I actually found this earlier, it reminded me of you.” he pulled out a small, white seashell. He flipped it over, and Yuuga gasped. The underside was a brilliant indigo.

“It, um- this is going to sound really cheesy, but the color reminded me of your eyes?” 

Yuuga’s cheeks flushed as he gently took the shell. It was cool to the touch.

“It’s lovely. Thank you, Midoriya. I wish I had something to give you-”

“Oh no, don’t worry about that! Just you being here is enough.”

Yuuga’s driver finally arrived, and Midoriya opened the car door for him. He declined a ride home. “I live really close by, I’m fine with walking!” he said. “I’ll see you at school!”

It couldn’t come soon enough.

Somewhere along the way, “Midoriya” became “Izuku”. Yuuga loved how saying his soulmate’s given name makes him feel, loved hearing his own name on Izuku’s lips. He was sure that pet names would come soon, as that was simply the way of his family, but the name itself was such a novelty that he knew it wouldn’t wear off so soon.

They were relaxing together at a coffee shop after a hard day of training, Yuuga with a latte and Izuku with a pastry, when Izuku lit up with excitement. His hand shot into the air, waving at someone that Yuuga couldn’t see. He turned to see a tall, incredibly thin blond man and his companion, who looked rather familiar. They crossed the shop to come say hello.

“Good afternoon, young Midoriya,” said the blond man. “And friend. Hello there.”

His companion nodded. “Midoriya, Aoyama. How are you both?”

Oh, that was where he knew the man from. He was the police officer from the USJ.

“I’m doing well, merci ,” he said, “and yourselves?”

The detective nodded. “Can’t complain. What brings you boys out today?”

Before he could respond, the blond man knocked his companion on the shoulder. “C’mon, Naomasa, leave the interrogations to work. They’re just grabbing a snack. Well, we’ll get out of your hair.”

“Actually,” Izuku said, “would you like to join us? If it’s okay with Yuuga, of course!”

The blond man raised his eyebrows. “If you don’t mind!”

Yuuga smiled pleasantly. “Of course! Please, feel free!”

The men sat at the table with them.

“So, boys,” said the blond man, “finals are coming up soon, are they not? I hope you two are studying.”

Izuku groaned, but Yuuga felt the fondness, like what someone would feel for a parent nagging at them. “We’ll start soon. How about you introduce yourself to Yuuga before you start telling him to study?”

The blond man startled, and the detective laughed.

“I completely forgot! You just had this strange old man come sit at your table and start yapping at you, hm?” He held out his hand for Yuuga to shake. “I’m Yagi Toshinori, I helped train Midoriya for UA. You’ve met my partner already, I believe.”

Yuuga shook his hand. “Aoyama Yuuga. I’m Izuku’s soulmate.”

Yagi-san’s eyes widened. “Really now! Congratulations, you two. I’ll let you in on a little secret, Naomasa here is my soulmate!”

The detective rolled his eyes. He nodded again at Yuuga. “Tsukauchi Naomasa. Nice to see you again.”

They talked about school and such until it was time for them to go.

“Congratulations again, boys,” Yagi-san said. “I’ll try not to be so much of a stranger.”

And then they were gone.

Izuku reached for Yuuga’s hand as they walked to the train station. “I’m glad you and Yagi-san got along,” he said. “He’s really important to me. He basically gave me everything, y’know?”

A man who gave him everything… Yuuga had a less positive example, but he supposed he could relate.

“Don’t forget to give yourself credit,” he told Izuku. “Yagi-san may have given you the opportunity, but it was you who did the work!”

Yuuga scribbled out another item on his “ideas” list. It would be a nice present, and he knew Izuku would like it, but it was so… impersonal. Anyone could give it to him. Yuuga was Izuku’s soulmate , his birthday gift should have meaning.

It had been less than a week ago that Izuku had mentioned, oh, by the way, his birthday was soon, and would Yuuga and his parents like to come over for dinner? Such short notice, or maybe Yuuga was supposed to ask? Either way, it didn’t leave him with a lot of time to find the perfect gift.

Google searching “soulmate presents” wasn’t as helpful as it should’ve been, it had been all generic romantic stuff, very little that would appeal to Yuuga’s soulmate.

Some kind of jewelry, perhaps, with special meaning? Izuku didn’t really seem the type to wear jewelry, or maybe he just never had the occasion before. Just because something appealed to Yuuga didn’t mean it was Izuku’s cup of tea.

Maybe… oh! That could work!

Yuuga and his parents usually celebrated birthdays with an activity and a night on the town. Midoriya birthdays, as it turned out, were much quieter.

Midoriya-san explained, as she took the bottle of fancy wine that Maman and Papa had brought, that it had just been her and Izuku for a while. Not many friends to come and celebrate. Their birthdays were close together, anyways, and who wanted to plan two parties in one month? So birthdays were quiet dinners of their favorite meals, some cake, and maybe a movie. Small, compared to the Aoyamas, but lovely all the same.

Midoriya-san was a wonderful woman and an excellent cool. Even Maman, who did not take well to a lot of traditional Japanese cuisine, enjoyed the Katsudon.

The adults talked and Izuku took Yuuga to see his bedroom.

There was a shocking amount of All Might merchandise, and Yuuga was glad he didn’t go that route for his gift- surely he would’ve duplicated something.

They sat together on Izuku’s All Might-themed bed, surrounded by All Mights. It was almost funny how devoted his soulmate was to Uncle’s nemesis.

“So,” Yuuga said, “I know you said I didn’t have to get you anything-”

“But you got me something?” Izuku guessed, more amused than upset.

“But I got you something,” Yuuga confirmed. “You’re my soulmate, and I get to spoil you.”

He brought out a small box, elegantly wrapped and tied with green ribbon.

Izuku opened it and gently gasped. “Yuuga, this is-”

“I couldn’t decide between a charm bracelet or a keychain,” Yuuga said, “so I combined them. I didn’t know how you felt about jewelry.”

The gift was an indigo key ring covered in charms. There was an All Might one, of course, but there was also the UA logo, a robot, a star, a seashell, and… a piece of cheese.

“They’re things that are meaningful to us, things that brought us together or helped us get to know each other. I have a matching one at home, it’s on a green ring. You can put it wherever you’d like, on a lanyard or your backpack, or just leave it in your room.”

“Yuuga- I don’t- thank you.” Izuku pulled him into a hug. “No one’s ever gotten me something like this. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Yugua said. “No one else has been myself.”

A few days later, Papa’s phone rang during dinner. He paled as he checked the caller ID.

“Yuuga,” he said, “It’s your uncle. You’d better take this.”

Suddenly, Yuuga didn’t have an appetite.

“Yuuga,” Uncle said when he answered the phone, “I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”

“No, sir,” Yuuga said. “Not a bad time at all.”

“Good, good. You see, I’ve been ruminating on something since I watched that Sports Festival of yours, and based on things that Tomura mentioned. I want you to tell me about a classmate of yours. Midoriya Izuku.”

Yuuga nearly dropped the phone. “Sir?”

“There’s just something about the boy that seems familiar. You don’t have to tell me about him now, of course, it would be unfair of me to put you on the spot like that. I’d like you to get to know him, if you can. Tell me later about any fun facts you learn. Understand?”

“Yes sir. I understand.”

“Good. I’ll be in contact soon.”

The line went dead.

Fuck .

The Rogue proclaimed a journey for his class, a training encampment out in the forest. Any who failed his trials would be barred.

The Prince had a choice to make.

Aizawa-sensei made an announcement.

“We’ll be having a camping trip during summer break. However, if you fail your final exams, you won’t be going. Keep that in mind while you study.”

Everyone buzzed with determination and excitement. Everyone except for Yuuga. A camping trip all alone in the woods somewhere? Shigaraki would absolutely want to target that.

For everyone’s safety, Yuuga needed to fail his exams.

He’d already been studying with Izuku, so it would be suspicious if he performed poorly on all his written exams. He may have been third lowest in the class, but it wasn’t like he could answer every question incorrectly without his teachers realizing something wasn’t right. Even a broken clock was right twice a day.

That left the practical.

According to class 1-B, it would be robots again. Yuuga had done well against the ones in the entrance exam, so he couldn’t suddenly become incompetent. Maybe… maybe if he faked illness? “Accidentally” used his quirk a bit too much, oh dear, what a liability! Expelled.

…perhaps not. He’d take stock once the test actually arrived.

Of course it wasn’t actually going to be robots. Of course he’d have an actual teacher reviewing his performance, instead of some arbitrary pass/fail condition.

Being paired with Uraraka wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but his heart twinged with guilt when he looked at Thirteen. She’d healed well, at least.

Going up against an actual human made things more complicated, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. More opportunities to fail, that way.

He couldn’t be obvious about it, he had to at least look like he was trying.

He went as slowly as he reasonably could, steering his partner in the wrong direction when possible. Uraraka didn’t notice. Dodging Thirteen had taken most of her attention.

All Teams Have Five Minutes Left!

Merde, they were almost at the escape gate. They had done too well.

“Close one there,” said Thirteen from behind them. A breeze began, and he and Uraraka grabbed hold of a railing only feet away from the exit gate. “You almost got away.”

Yuuga had to stall for less than five minutes.

“Y’know,” he said, “that quirk really sucks! ”

Uraraka glared at him. “What are you, a comedian? We’re in a pinch here!”

Ah, she wanted him to actually do something.

He channeled his laser into the baubles at his knees, aiming at Thirteen.

“I can also absorb light!” she said. Well, wasn’t that convenient!

He looked back- a mistake. His shades flew right off of his face and were annihilated by Thirteen’s quirk. ! He liked those shades very much!

“This really isn’t a joke!” he said. Uraraka glared harder.

He would’ve shrugged, had his arms been available. “I am what I am.”

Uraraka had an intense expression. If he let her, she would surely find a way to beat Thirteen. That could not be allowed.

If he could distract her…

“Hey,” he said.

“I’m kind of busy!” she yelled.

“You know who that expression reminds me of? Mina. You’ve spent a lot of time with her lately…”

And in for the kill.

“You like her, don’t you?”

He watched her process his question. Her rosy cheeks became cherry red, and she rushed to cover her face.

She let go of the railing.

Uh, fuck.

Thirteen shut off her quirk as Uraraka slammed into her. Being a rescue hero, her reflexes were nowhere near as sharp as Uraraka’s, and Uraraka managed to click the handcuff around her wrist. The buzzer sounded.

Aoyama And Uraraka’s Team Has Passed The Exam!

Fuck. Fuck.

That wasn’t supposed to happen!

They’d been so close to failing!

He took a shuddering breath as Uraraka beamed at him.

“Well, that’s not how I expected that to go,” said Thirteen. “Good job, you two!”

Oui , a good job.

As it turned out, not even his failure would’ve saved them. Another logical ruse.

Bound for the journey, the Prince decided to make the most of his troubles. He took the Hero to a local market to peruse its wares.

Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall was the largest mall in the area. It was certainly busy- hundreds of people browsed through hundreds of stores. Yuuga kept his arm linked with Izuku’s. He didn’t want to get separated in the hustle and bustle. It was a warm summer day, but the cool breeze played with his hair as they walked.

Uraraka had been with them, but Mina had suddenly needed her assistance on the other side of the mall. She’d winked at him to make sure that he knew that she was the least subtle person in Japan, if not on the planet. That was saying a lot from him, seeing as he regularly wore bright pastels and glitter.

Speaking of his wardrobe, he couldn’t stay focused. They were supposed to be shopping based on the list, but Yuuga’s eyes were drawn to the fashions on display. It had been far too long since he’d treated himself with a trip to the mall, and he’d never been to Kiyashi. There were stores that even he had never seen before!

“Let’s go in here!” He tugged Izuku towards a store that had snagged his attention.

“Yuuga, we haven’t finished with what’s on the list yet,” Izuku said, but he did nothing to resist. Like the gentleman he was, he’d insisted on carrying all of their purchases.

“I know, but I want to make just a quick little detour~” He flashed a smile at Izuku, and was rewarded with one of his soulmate’s own. !

The store, Spicy Subject , was one that Yuuga hadn’t heard of, but it was quite obviously aimed at teens and young adults. The walls and racks were filled with articles that were either all black or brightly colored, and the shelves held an eclectic collection of accessories and pop culture merchandise. Much of it was more punk than Yuuga himself would wear, but there was plenty of glitz and frills to be had.

Belts wouldn’t exactly work for him, but perhaps some sparkly suspenders? And those red sunglasses reminded him of the ones in his hero costume! Ah, these fruit themed barrettes were just adorable!

He turned to ask Izuku’s opinion and found him intensely examining a jacket. It was a color-block jacket done in All Might theming, which was clearly why it caught Izuku’s eye. It was actually rather nice.

“You should get it,” Yuuga said, and Izuku jumped.

“Wha- me? This? I don’t- don’t you think it’s, y’know, a little much for me?” He held it up to his chest as if to prove his point. Yuuga raised his eyebrow.

“You’re asking moi , when I am currently wearing body glitter, If something would be ‘too much’?”

Izuku flushed, “Y-yeah, but that’s you! You’re always stylish and bright and fun, and I’m just plain, boring Deku, y’know?”

“, there is nothing plain or boring about you, . , it sounds like you want to be bright and fun and stylish as well, non? ”

“I mean- you know what I wear. I have my shirt-shirts and jeans, maybe cargo pants. The most interesting thing about my outfit is my sneakers.”

Longing bubbled in Yuuga’s throat. From Izuku, no doubt.

“Clothes can be changed, .”

“I know! It’s just- intimidating, I guess. I’ve had this style for so long…”

There was something else.

“Perhaps if we discuss the origin of this style…?”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, trying to avoid Yuuga’s eye. He sighed.

“I used to dress much, uh, brighter, when I was younger. Lots of hero merch. But, being who I was, I didn’t always receive the best… attention, I guess? First they would just make fun of me, then they would play pranks that would get the shirts dirty and sometimes even ruin them. So the shirts got more boring, and they didn’t bother me as much. Eventually I found the shirt-shirts, and those were fun to wear, even if other people think they’re stupid.”

So, people intentionally dulled his soulmate’s shine. It was up to Yuuga to bring it back!

“Do you want to know something, Izuku? I was once in exactly your situation. Others did not appreciate my sparkle, and so I dimmed myself.” 

He brushed his hair back behind his ear. “One day, I realized how miserable it was, not being able to truly express myself. I was timid, always in the background. They took my power from me. I wanted it back. After that, I began dressing for myself again. Over time, I became the star you see before you today!”

Izuku sighed. “I wish I could do that, but…”

“, you can. The first step is to buy that jacket, and anything else in this store that you simply must have!”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly.” He raised his hands as if to shield himself from the notion. “It would be too expensive, and I don’t have the confidence that you do-”

“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘fake it ‘til you make it’? How about ‘the costume makes the hero’? I did not one day become confident. It’s something I’m working on even still. But continuing to wear clothing that doesn’t make you happy can only hinder your efforts at self-improvement, Izuku. Buy the jacket.”

“I… guess it couldn’t hurt? It is a cool jacket.”

“And the best part? You don’t even have to give up your shirt-shirts. A single-colored shirt is perfect to wear underneath your new wardrobe!”

“Oh, I didn’t even think about that! Yeah, I’m gonna get the jacket!”

Yuuga pulled out his debit card. “, shall we?”

In the end, Izuku left Spicy Subject with three hero-themed color-block jackets, some brightly colored sports leggings to wear under his shorts, several vibrant pairs of socks, and an All Might-themed bucket hat. Yuuga had suggested several ways to coordinate his new wardrobe, but the choices were all Izuku’s. They were both beaming as they stepped back out into the mall, arms once again linked.

“Thank you so much, Yuuga! I already feel great!”

“Of course, , anything to bring out your vibrancy! Although, I do have one more idea, before we get going?” He nodded towards another store, Ultra . A makeup store.

“Makeup? Me? I don’t know…”

“We don’t have to, of course! I wasn’t thinking much, perhaps some eyeliner, mascara, to bring more attention to those big beautiful eyes of yours. Certainly not a full face, I don’t even do that. Accentuate one’s natural charm, rather than manufacture it, oui?”

“Oui- I mean, maybe. I guess I’m open to trying, if you’re with me. I trust you.”

“! And we can always remove it if you don’t like it, remember that.”

They entered Ultra , Yuuga waving off the employees that came to assist. He knew what he was doing.

Yuuga held Izuku’s hand as they wandered through aisles and aisles of makeup, Yuuga’s eyes calculating and Izuku’s wide in wonder. There were so many palettes to choose from! He swatched a few samples against Izuku’s wrist and held it up to Izuku’s face. Ah those metallics were lovely. Nice and neutral to go with any outfit, with a shimmer that made his eyes pop! 

He grabbed a champagne themed palette called “Feeling Bubbly” and dropped it into their basket as well. They could experiment with other colors later, this would be excellent for one just starting out.

For mascara and eyeliner, he just went with his own favorite brands. Izuku tensed when he reached for a pencil, so he grabbed a felt-tip instead. Izuku had rather nice lashes, so he picked up a clear mascara. Waterproof, of course, with how much his soulmate cried.

When Izuku wasn’t looking, Yuuga snuck something else into the basket. A good surprise for later, hopefully.

A pack of brushes and wipes as well, and they were all set!

“Isn’t this a bit much, for something I might not even use again?”

“You’re worth it, Izuku.”

They paid and left the shop, and Yuuga began searching for somewhere to apply their new treasures. A public bathroom would be… ugh, and the seating areas in view were all crowded. They needed somewhere more secluded… ah!

There was a cute little boba shop a bit down the hall, with several empty tables in front. Très bien. They could get a drink as well!

After purchasing their beverages– strawberry for Yuuga, melon for Izuku– Yuuga took a seat at one of the two-top tables in front of a flower covered wall with a neon heart.

They watched the crowds go by, chatting about class and camp and whatever else popped into mind. Yuuga cracked a joke, and Izuku laughed. His face heated as he gazed at his soulmate. How did he get so lucky?

“Makeup time!” He said, and scooted his chair around to the side of the table. He brought out his tools and began his work of art.

Eyeshadow first, a lovely gold that reminded him of the sun. Izuku was like the sun, bright and warm, and the whole class seemed to orbit around him like celestial bodies. Yuuga was no exception.

Mascara next. Izuku’s eyelashes were nice and long, absolutely beautiful. To be honest, they didn’t need much help at all.

After that came eyeliner. This took more concentration, and Yuuga held Izuku’s face to steady him. They were so close, now, so close he could…

Time for the last step. “Close your eyes again,” he said, and Izuku did. Yuuga took the tube out of his shopping bag and uncapped it before rolling the top against Izuku’s cheeks, one and then the other. He capped it again before dropping it onto the table.

“! Open your eyes!”

Izuku’s eyes blinked open, and Yuuga’s breath caught. His soulmate outshone the stars.

“Well? How does it look?”

“Incredible,” Yuuga said. “O-of course, you had moi as your artiste, so obviously it’s incredible! Here.”

He snapped a photo of Izuku against the flower wall and turned the phone around. Izuku gasped.

“Wow! That’s really me?”

“Of course!”

“This looks amazing! Is this-” He put a hand up to his cheek, careful not to smudge. “Is this glitter?”

“ Oui , I thought it would look beautiful on you. I hope this is alright?”

“O-oh, yeah! Yeah, it’s great! I kind of feel like you, y’know? Of course, I’d never be able to do this even half as good as you did.”

“Oh, you will, it just takes practice! But until you’re more used to it, you can come to me, and I’ll help you.”

Izuku beamed at him, and his heart melted.

“Thank you so much, Yuuga, for everything you’ve done today. Everything is so great. You’re great.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you-”

Yuuga’s phone rang. Maman’s ringtone. He pulled it out and saw three missed texts. Whatever this was, it must be important.

“Ah, I’m sorry, mon étoile , it’s my mother. I have to take this, oui? I’ll be right back.

“Y-yeah! I wouldn’t want to keep you from- yeah. We can talk more after.”

Yuuga made his way to a deserted area of the mall, a spot where he was sure he wouldn’t be overheard.

“Maman? What is it?”

“Your Uncle called.”

Merde . Now? Why Now?

“He wants to hear all about how your exams went, and about any plans you have for the summer. I swear I didn’t mention Midoriya, Yuuga, but he wants to know about him as well. I didn’t tell him how close you were. It’s up to you what you want to tell him.”

His gut churned. Something inside told him to run to Izuku, but he couldn’t ignore Uncle.

“How much longer are you going to be out, Yuuga? I know you’re having fun with your friends, but… you know how he hates waiting.”

“...I’ll be home soon, Maman. I just have to wrap things up with Izuku.”

The tugging was stronger, much stronger. Save him, save him. He had to get to Izuku, as soon as possible.

“I love you, Maman. I have to go.”

“I love you too, mon trésor. Be safe.”

He hung up and walked as fast as he dared back to the boba shop. Their bags were still there, but Izuku was gone.

He grabbed the bags– shit, they were heavy– and sped off in a random direction. Somehow he knew it was the right way to go.

There- there he was, with some guy in a dark hoodie next to him. The man had an arm around Izuku’s shoulder, hand resting on his throat. They were just talking, but Yuuga felt Izuku’s panic. This person was a threat.

“Iz- Midoriya? I wondered where you went.” Yuuga did not let his nerves into his tone. He was calm, everything was fine.

Izuku shook his head, barely noticeable. Was he turning blue?! The man looked up and-

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Shigaraki.

“Ah, Midoriya, I didn’t realize you were here with a friend,” Shigaraki said. Like hell he didn’t, there were two drinks on that table.

“I’ve taken up enough of your time. Just remember what I told you earlier, and everything will be fine.” He stood and stretched, finally releasing Izuku and sticking his hands in his pockets.

Just let him go. Just let him go.

“Wait-” Izuku said. Damn it!

“Shigaraki! What does All for One want?”

Yuuga’s hand let go of the bags, and they landed with the solid thunk of the headsman's axe.

Izuku shouldn’t know that name. He should not know that name.

Shigaraki caught Yuuga’s eye and smirked. Fuck.

“Dunno. Oh, by the way, the next time we meet, I’ll have figured out what to do with you. You should hope that day never comes.”

And with that, he was gone, disappeared into the crowd.

“Izuku…?”

“Deku!”

Uraraka and Mina rushed over, holding shopping bags of their own.

Yuuga still couldn’t move.

“Who the hell was that? What happened? Are you alright?!”

Izuku coughed, hand at his throat and Uraraka at his side.

That should’ve been Yuuga, comforting his soulmate, if he weren’t such a coward.

“He- Shigaraki-” He coughed again.

“Shigaraki?! Oh my god, we have to call the police!”

It wouldn’t do any good. Shigaraki was gone.

Yuuga somehow managed to get through his police interview without lying. He stuck to the facts. He stepped away from Izuku to talk to his mother. He sensed something wrong through his soulmate bond. He saw Shigaraki with Izuku. Shigaraki left. End of story.

He had texted his mother that he was alright. She was sending a car for him, but he wanted to stay at least until Midoriya-san arrived. Uncle could wait just this once, since it was Shigaraki’s fault.

He sat with Izuku in an empty conference room. Mina and Uraraka had already gone home.

Silently, Yuuga reached for Izuku’s hand. Izuku reached back. They sat there, for who knows how long, the occasional squeeze to acknowledge that they were both still there. Yuuga ran his thumb over Izuku’s scars. They were beautiful, marks of kindness, of caring so much about another person that it hurt him. As long as he was helping someone, his soulmate would never stop.

“Izuku-”

“Yuuga-”

They paused, each waiting for the other to continue. Yuuga nodded, and Izuku went ahead.

“What happened today… I don’t think it was some chance encounter. I think Shigaraki deliberately sought me out. I’m so glad you weren’t there when he grabbed me, that he didn’t hurt you too, but I don’t think we’re always going to be that lucky. There are certain things that mean it’s going to be really dangerous being around me, being my soulmate. If you want to keep your distance, I completely understand.”

Izuku’s eyeshadow was smeared along his temple. His eyeliner highlighted the dark circles underneath his eyes. The glitter was gone entirely.

How quickly a wonderful day turned awful.

“ Mon chou , do you really think I would let you go that easily? We are both training to be heroes, certainly I can handle whatever life throws at us.” He squeezed. Izuku’s hand stayed still.

Izuku squirmed in his seat. “It’s different. It’s so much worse than what the average hero faces. I really want you to be sure. And at any point after this, if you want to leave, go. Your safety is what’s important.”

“Your safety is important as well. If this thing is so awful, then I’m just going to have to protect you from it, non? ”

Izuku’s smile, fragile as it may be, was a relief.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you something. It’s not what I wanted to say before, at the boba shop, but All- my mentor, he told his soulmate, and I trust you. I’d trust you with my life.

“It’s a story that starts with two brothers…”

When he finally got home that night, Yuuga was numb. Of all the jokes the universe could’ve played on him, this had to be the biggest. He was born quirkless. His parents sold his soul to a supervillain. His soulmate was in the class he had to betray.

All of that, he could handle.

What he couldn’t handle was One for All .

What were the odds that “Uncle” had had a brother? That the brother’s quirk had been passed down through the ages until it reached Yuuga’s own soulmate, dooming him? There was no way that Izuku, as he was, could defeat All for One. Apparently, not even All Might near his prime could do it. And All Might’s quirk was siphoning into Izuku. 

Izuku, the next symbol of peace.

Izuku, the next great target.

He stopped himself from throwing his phone across the room, just barely.

What a great cosmic joke, soulmates. Izuku had been born quirkless, too. Izuku had been given a quirk, too. Izuku was part of this great feud, too, except he was on the wrong fucking side.

Yuuga had thought he could keep his soulmate safe from All for One. The universe had laughed and dropped him right in the crosshairs.

He choked back a laugh. Maybe it was a sob.

There was nothing he could do to save Midoriya Izuku. There never was.

He had to call who could very well one day be his soulmate’s murderer.

“Ah, Yuuga. I’ve heard from Tomura that you had a most eventful day. Your trip to the police station didn’t cause any inconveniences, I should hope?”

“No sir. I supplied only obvious information.”

“Excellent. How has school been? Anything interesting?”

“I passed both my written and practical exams, and… there’s going to be a training camp, off campus. Nearly the entire class was out shopping today to prepare.”

“A training camp! How exciting. I expect you’ll pass the location to Tomura before you go, so he can make some summer plans of his own.”

“Yes sir, of course.”

“Now, speaking of your classmates, how is Midoriya? I heard that you were with him today. Learn anything interesting?”

“I… he knew of you. He asked Shigaraki about you.”

“Yes, I’m aware. Interesting, isn’t it? Mine’s not a name he could’ve come by easily. I sense that there’s something beyond that, Yuuga. Would you like to tell me what that is?”

No. No, he really wouldn’t.

“He told me about his quirk. He said- he said that it was called One for All.”

Silence.

“I suspected as much. I’m surprised that he told you this directly. Tell me, what did you do to gain his trust?”

“He was rattled by his encounter with Shigaraki.”

“I see, I see. And before that?”

“I’ve been growing closer to him these past few weeks. Bonding with him.”

“Is that all? Hm, perhaps the boy will blabber his secrets to anyone who pays him enough attention. You’ve done well, Yuuga, very well.”

“Yes sir. Thank you.”

“Unfortunately, I must be going now. I’ll reach out again soon, likely before your trip.”

And with that, the call was over.

With any luck, Izuku hadn’t felt Yuuga’s heart breaking.

The Prince had not wanted to tell the Wizard of the Hero’s secret, but his Curse bound him to the Wizard’s will.

Izuku was avoiding him.

He hadn’t waited for him at the school entrance like he had been, and had responded minimally to his texts.

Yuuga couldn’t blame him. He’d had a rather emotional reaction to One for All, and while the soulmate bond could provide the emotions from one’s partner, it didn’t provide context. Izuku, after revealing his most precious secrets, had received anger, disbelief, and fear for the rest of the night. None of which was actually directed at him, of course not, but vulnerability paired with already present anxiety tended to lie. “It’s your fault,” it says, even when it isn’t.

And so, Izuku likely thought that Yuuga never wanted to see him again. It was their rocky start back for an encore performance.

Yuuga tried broadcasting feelings of… support? Love? Whatever could possibly remedy this mess. Izuku finally, finally looked over at him when Aizawa-sensei came in and announced that the training camp was moving and that the new location was a secret.

Well. Shit.

After class, Yuuga texted Shigaraki about the change.

> whatever. we’ll find you. :hand:

Wonderful, that wasn’t ominous at all. He deleted the conversation.

The bus ride was miserable.

Izuku had chosen to sit with Iida and Mina sat with Hagakure. Well, that was the two people in class that he really talked to.

Why hadn’t he made more friends?

Oh, right. It would lead to more pain when he had to eventually betray them.  

He was friendly with his classmates, sure, but they all had their own little groups. Mina was the only friend he had who wasn’t obligated by the universe to be around him.

Eventually, the bus came to a rest stop. Except it was not a rest stop, it was battling for their lives against creatures made of dirt.

That night, they got to use the hot springs. The thing about that? No one was wearing their privacy sleeves. This, of course, was not a problem. For all that their classmates couldn’t trust him, he could trust them not to say anything if he and Izuku asked to keep things quiet. Several other members of the class had soulmates, it’s not like they were rare.

However, as far as he knew, they were the only pair who were both going to be on the same side of the fence. The boys of 1-A were rather… excitable. Yuuga was used to attention, but Izuku…

Izuku waited by the changing room door, arm held to his chest in a way that prevented the mark from showing. Waves of anxiety rolled off of him, enough that Yuuga was sure he could feel it even if they weren’t bonded.

Yuuga stood at his side. “It’s going to be alright, chouchou .” He gently pulled Izuku’s arm away from his chest, taking his hand in his own. “The boys will be excited, if anything. If it gets to be too much, though, just let me know. Oui? ”

Izuku nodded and squeezed Yuuga’s hand. If only one of them were left handed, then they could link marked arms and the sight would be much more poetic.

But alas, they were not.

“Let’s go,” Izuku said.

They walked out of the changing room together, Yuuga deliberately turning his arm so that his mark could be admired.

It took only seconds for someone to notice.

“Holy shit,” Kirishima said, “That’s so manly! I’m so pumped for you guys!”

Kaminari elbowed him, allowing Yuuga full view of his soulmark: an electric guitar and amp surrounded by music notes, all under a spotlight. “Dude! You’re supposed to let them tell you .”

“Oh, whoops! Sorry!”

“What the fuck?” Bakugou said.

“ Mon ami , it is fine. We are here holding hands, are we not? We knew people would notice.”

“Congrats, guys!” Ojirou said.

“The brightness of your partnership shall outlast any darkness that dares prey upon it,” said Tokoyami.

Todoroki simply nodded at them.

“What the fuck. What. The. Fuck! ”

Bakugou launched himself over the water at them. Izuku pushed Yuuga out of the way.

“Fucking Glitter Brain is your soulmate?! Since when?!”

“S-since always, Kacchan! I only found out after the Sports Festival-”

“The fuck took him so long? Didn’t want some shitty Deku as his soulmate?”

All at once, things clicked.

Some shitty Deku . He knew that Izuku and Bakugou had a turbulent history. Knew that Izuku had been quirkless until recently. Knew that Izuku had been bullied so badly that he’d lost sight of his own sparkle.

It all came back to Bakugou.

Yuuga stepped in between them.

“, I don’t believe our bond is any of your business.” He kept his smile, but it was tight, threatening to turn to a scowl at any second.

“Butt out, Glitter Brain. This is between me and Deku.”

“No, it’s really not. Izuku is my soulmate. That means his problems are my own. And unfortunately, that includes you. Now, kindly return to your previous location before any other problems occur.”

“Aoyama! Bakugou! I must insist that you both separate!”

“Yeah, man,” Kirishima said, coming up behind Bakugou. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big of a deal?! Deku’s been hiding shit from me for far too long. I’m sick of it!”

Yuuga frowned. “What, exactly, entitles you to this information? Just because you’ve known Izuku longer than the rest of us does not mean that you deserve every detail of his life! Especially with how you’ve treated him over those years…”

“What the fuck are you implying?”

“Oh, you know exactly what I mean. Let me just say that I know your type, oui? I’ll leave it at that.”

“Kacchan, Yuuga, stop it. That’s enough!”

“Will you idiots keep it down?” came Kouta’s voice. Everyone looked up to the top of the wall.

“You guys are supposed to be heroes? You’re way too obsessed with yourselves. It makes me sick. And, you didn’t even notice when one of you started doing creepy stuff!”

He pointed to Mineta, who was halfway up the wall. Ugh, really? Why could he not leave those girls alone?

“Mineta,” Iida yelled, “return to the water immediately! This is incredibly inappropriate behavior!”

He didn’t stop, but he did get pushed off of the wall by Kouta, who then lost his balance and fell.

Izuku saved him, of course.

“I’m going to take him to his aunt. You two better not start up again. Got it?”

Yuuga nodded. Bakugou grunted.

So much for their relaxing night in the hot springs…

Yuuga didn’t really consider himself to have a “favorite” hero, but if he had to make a list, the Wild Wild Pussycats would be up there. They were unapologetically themselves, cute and sparkly and fluffy, while also being a formidable team. He may or may not have owned a Wild Wild Pussycats headband and lunchbox in elementary school.

He was seriously considering reorganizing his list, thanks to this training.

He was in hell. He was absolutely in hell. This was surely karma for all the secrets and lies and betrayals. His stomach was killing him, perhaps literally. Ragdoll supposedly would stop him if he was in danger, but she had forty students to watch. Surely even she could miss something…

Five more big blasts, Aoyama , came Mandalay’s voice in his head, then you can have a ten minute water break!

Ugh. So close, and yet so far away.

At least Izuku was having a better time than he was. He loved training. He found it exhilarating. Imagine that, Aoyama Yuuga’s soulmate, a jock.

He picked up his water jug and took a long drink.

As grueling as the training was, Yuuga could hold his laser longer and longer, and his stomach hadn’t ripped itself apart yet. The teachers knew what they were doing.

The regiment would be incredibly valuable for his future as a hero.

Break time’s over! Back to work, Aoyama.

That didn’t mean he had to like it.

Yuuga sawed at a potato with his knife. It wasn’t that he’d never sliced a vegetable before, but- yes, he’d never sliced a vegetable before. They had a chef prepare their meals at home. Yuuga had tried to observe, but the chef preferred no one around to get underfoot.

He’d found this knife next to the peeled potatoes. Whoever had left it seemed to have moved on to some other task, so Yuuga decided to make himself useful.

Was it meant to be this hard? Surely not…

“Yuuga,” Izuku said from behind him, “what are you doing?”

“I am chopping these potatoes. You have come to admire my handiwork, oui? ”

“Yuuga, that’s a paring knife.”

That meant absolutely nothing to him.

“Ah, is there supposed to be a second one?”

“What? No- just. Here.” Another knife slid onto the cutting board, much larger than the one Yuuga held.

“This is a chef’s knife. It’ll be much better than the paring knife, I promise.”

Hesitantly, Yuuga picked up the chef’s knife. It was heavier, longer, probably sharper too…

“Alright then.”

He gripped the handle in his fist and went to cut the potato.

“Wait- have you not used cooking knives before?”

“ Non , I haven’t had a reason. Why? Is this still wrong?”

“Yeah, that’s not really how you hold it. I don’t know if I can really demonstrate since, y’know, my hand, but-”

Izuku’s arm reached around Yuuga and took hold of his hand with the knife. Yuuga looked back. Izuku had an adorable expression of intense concentration. Yuuga looked back to the cutting board with a small smile, face heating.

“See, you almost want to hold it like a pen- but kind of the opposite?” Izuku’s calloused fingers repositioned Yuuga’s on the knife handle. “And you want to put your index finger here, and that will give you more control. Also-” Izuku’s left arm came around and held Yuuga’s other arm.

“You’ll want to kinda hold your fingers like claws on the potato. That way, if you cut too close, you won’t hit your finger. Make sense?”

“Mhm.”

He relaxed into Izuku’s embrace.

With Izuku’s hand still covering his own, he sliced into the potato. It was much, much easier.

A flash of light came from the side, Izuku startled and pulled back-

Yuuga missed his warmth immediately.

“Tooru,” Mina hissed, “You left the flash on!”

“Oops,” Hagakure giggled. “Sorry, boys! Don’t mind me!”

Izuku laughed, breath tickling Yuuga’s ear. “Well, that’s how you use a knife!”

Yuuga turned. Izuku’s face was bright red, freckles like seeds on a strawberry.

“ Merci beaucoup, . I’ve learned a vital life skill, thanks to you.” Yuuga winked.

“Of course! My mom taught me knife skills so I could cook with her. I'm glad that I could share. Maybe after camp you could come over and we can teach you some recipes.”

“That sounds delightful, chouchou .”

He had to believe there would be an after.

The training was difficult but rewarding. Soon, another trial was announced.

A Trial of Bravery.

It was time for the test of courage. Aizawa-sensei dragged the remedial students away– Poor Mina– and everyone else gathered around the Pussycats to draw lots. Yuuga matched with Yaoyorozu on team four, while Izuku… had to go alone.

“I don’t mind going alone if you want to go with Midoriya,” Yaoyorozu said. They both ignored Mineta’s attempts to volunteer as her new partner.

Pixie-bob shook her head. “Sorry, kitties, gonna have to say no to that. Lots are lots, and besides, those two are soulmates, right? They’d make each other too confident and it wouldn’t be fair for class B. A few minutes alone won’t hurt.”

“Well, Mademoiselle ,” he said, “I suppose it’s us!”

Izuku would be fine. It was only a test, oui ?

Class 1-B’s attempts were startling, sure, but not what he or Yaoyorozu would actually call “frightening”. They’d seen worse, much worse, when they were face to face with real villains.

“Scary” wasn’t loud noises and floating limbs.

Scary was when the king of villains came to call.

That was when the smell arrived.

Yuuga sniffed, trying to place the scent. It was smoky, but there was something else to it…

Yaoyorozu gasped, hand flying under her shirt. “Aoyama, don’t breathe. I think there’s some kind of gas!”

whatever. we’ll find you.

Shit. He’d completely forgotten about the League of Villains, for once in his life!

Yaoyorozu’s stomach glowed. She fastened a gas mask around her face before handing one to Yuuga. He fumbled with the buckle as they took off running.

“I have to pass these out before everyone else gets poisoned!” she said.

That was a great way to get herself killed by the League for interfering!

“We should go back to camp,” Yuuga said. “We need to let the teachers handle it.”

Yaoyorozu shook her head. “You go. I’m the only one that can minimize the effect.”

Everyone , came Mandalay’s voice in his head, We’re under attack by two villains, maybe more. Get to camp at once, and if you see a villain, do not engage!

Two villains, maybe more. The USJ had around one hundred .

If Mandalay was under attack, that meant the clearing was an area of combat. Had Izuku left yet? Was he lost in the woods somewhere, alone? There was no way he’d simply return to camp when others were in danger.

Danger! Find Izuku, save him! Go now!

Well- that answered that!

The pull in his gut led away from camp, deeper into the woods.

“Go back to camp,” he told Yaoyorozu. “I need to find Izuku.’

He ran before she could protest.

He was stupid. He was so, so stupid. Incredibly stupid.

He had to find Izuku before he got himself killed.

He couldn’t let the League know he was acting against them.

Stupid.

The feeling strengthened with every passing second, worse than the internship. Worse than the USJ. Whatever danger Izuku was in, it was bad .

He dared not call out for his soulmate. It would only draw unwanted attention. Besides, he knew where he was going.

He nearly ran right into Uraraka and Tsuyu. Uraraka screamed and almost punched him before she realized who he was.

“Aoyama? Why do you have a gas mask? What’s going on?”

He didn’t have time to talk.

“Izuku is in danger, you both need to follow me.”

“Deku?! How do you know where he is?”

“Soulmate sense, kero,” Tsuyu said. “When your soulmate’s in danger, you can find them. I know Habuko-chan is probably worried sick.”

“Oh my gosh,” said a new voice. The three of them stiffened. “You and Izuku are soulmates? That’s so cute!”

A blonde girl stepped out of the shadows. She wore a school uniform and a large scarf with- were those teeth? Why were they teeth?

“It’s just so romantic!”

“Who are you?” Uraraka asked.

She didn’t seem to hear her.

“I’ve always wanted a soulmate! I’ve been trying to make it happen, but it hasn’t worked yet.”

“You can’t make someone your soulmate, kero. You have to be born with one.” Tsuyu said.

The girl groaned. “I know, I know! But, if I keep using my quirk, it might happen one day! Oh, you’re all so cute! Can we be friends?!”

Considering she was likely a villain, and was holding a large needle and a knife… no.

“Ah, Toga!” said yet another new voice. Another villain? Vraiment ?!

“I see you’ve made some friends. And yet, none of them seem to be who we’re looking for. Tell me, you three, do you know where we might find Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku?”

No. No no no.

The girl giggled. “Mister, you won’t believe it! This guy is Izuku’s soulmate! ”

The man stepped into the light. He was wearing a full mask over his face and a top-hat, like some sort of magician.

“Really now! How incredibly fortuitous! Say, young man, you’ve given me an idea! This will surely save us a lot of trouble!”

The man reached for him. Yuuga jumped back.

He tripped over a tree root and fell on his ass.

Uraraka shrieked as the man touched his shoulder-

And everything turned blue.

And then it stopped being blue.

Someone yanked the gas mask off of his face. Someone wrenched his arm behind his back.

A spike of fear in his chest- not his. He looked up to see Izuku- bloody, battered all to hell, but alive. Alive and terrified.

“Won’t you come with us, Midoriya?” the man from earlier said. “We don’t want any more trouble.”

He can’t say anything, not against the League’s plans, but-

He pushed his emotions through the bond.

Don’t do it. Don’t come.

Izuku’s friends screamed for him. 

Izuku wobbled where he stood.

Wavered.

And stepped towards them, resigned.

They pulled him through the portal.

Yuuga’s ears popped as he was thrown onto a hardwood floor, Izuku and Bakugou on either side of him.

“What’s this?” asked Shigaraki’s voice behind them.

Merde .

“We only asked for two of them. Why’d you bring blondie number two?”

“Why, it was all a matter of strategy!” said the Magician. “I myself would’ve been no match for Midoriya’s raw power, so I brought along a little bargaining chip in the form of his beloved little soulmate.”

Shigaraki stood silent.

Then he started to laugh.

“Soulmate. Soulmate?! Oh my god, you fuckers have no idea what you’ve just done. This is too good!”

Yuuga tried to move closer to Izuku. Someone grabbed him.

“Kurogiri,” Shigaraki said, “I think Sensei’s gonna want to have a little chat with the soulmate. Don’t you agree?”

The Wizard’s Apprentice separated the Prince and the Hero. The Prince was sent to the Wizard’s side.

The Wizard was greatly displeased with the Prince’s actions.

All for One was silent. Dead silent. As dead as Yuuga was about to be.

“Yuuga,” he began, and the one word sent shivers down his spine. “That was some very important information you’ve left out. Why, exactly, did you not tell me that you, of all people, were Midoriya Izuku’s soulmate?”

Yuuga’s hands stayed clamped over his mouth. Try as he might to offer up some defense, to say anything at all, the only thing that left his throat was a high pitched whine.

He was dead. His parents were dead, Izuku was dead, and it was all his fault.

“You know, when Tomura told me that he’d seen you together at the mall, I thought to myself, ‘Yuuga is doing so well, taking the time to gather more information for me.’ What a foolish thought. Do you think I’m a fool, Yuuga?”

He shook his head.

“You’ve disappointed me, Yuuga. Were you trying to save him, perhaps? We both know you’re no hero.”

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean-”

“Didn’t mean what, Yuuga? To lie to me? Because you most certainly did. If you had come to me with this information sooner, once you found out, then perhaps I would’ve been kinder. Once he gave me One for All, you two could’ve been together, could’ve been under my protection. You, Midoriya, your parents, one happy little family in my new world. Instead, you lied to me. I don’t appreciate when people lie to me.”

“Don’t hurt them! P-please, I’ll do anything!”

All for One paused. The vice on Yuuga’s heart lessened.

“You would, would you? Then perhaps you’re still of use to me. You will convince Midoriya Izuku to give me One for All, and I will let all of you live.”

“He won’t. He’d never give it up.”

“Under normal circumstances, perhaps not. But from what you’ve told me about that boy, he’s disgustingly heroic. What would he do, I wonder, when his beloved soulmate is in mortal peril…?”

What?

“Non, please, no-!”

The last thing Yuuga saw was All for One’s malicious grin.

Yuuga awoke slowly, without the luxury of some temporary amnesia to dampen his urgency. He struggled to open his eyes. There was a blinding light, but he could hear voices. Very familiar voices.

“Yuuga!” Izuku gasped, somewhere in front of him.

“Ah, the Sleeping Beauty finally awakens,” said All for One, somewhere behind him. “Good morning, my boy.”

“Don’t call him that,” Izuku snapped. Gone was his soulmate’s usual timidity, replaced fully by barely suppressed rage.

“I will call him what I please.”

His eyes finally adjusted. Izuku was standing in a fighting stance several feet away. His injuries didn’t seem as bad as they had in the forest, but he still looked rough. His eyes almost glowed in the shadow.

Yuuga’s arms were tied behind his back, and he was sitting on some uncomfortable folding chair. A cloth covered his mouth. He was the perfect hostage, the damsel in distress.

His face burned under the gag. He was supposed to be a hero student, not a prop.

“Now, Midoriya, you know what I want. Your quirk, or your soulmate’s life. Which will it be?”

A large hand came to rest on Yuuga’s shoulder. A message: “play along, or else,” it said. As if he had a choice in the matter!

Izuku’s face crumpled. “I can’t- I-”

All for One sighed in Yuuga’s ear, fingers drumming against his shirt. “I understand that this is not an easy decision I’ve presented you with, Midoriya Izuku, but my patience is wearing thin. Give me One for All.”

His other hand grabbed hold of Yuuga’s hair, wrenching his head back. Something warm and sharp came to rest at his exposed throat.

“I-if you kill him,” Izuku said, “then I’ll never give you One for All.”

“I know you won’t. But it won’t come to that, will it?”

The sharp thing pressed harder on Yuuga’s skin. Something dripped onto his collar.

“...No. It won’t.”

He wanted to scream. Screw his own life, screw everything, if Izuku gave up his quirk, then there was no defeating this- this-

Tears slipped down his cheeks. He just wanted to be done .

“Just- let me see Yuuga first, let me make sure he’s alright.”

The sharp something went away, and his head was allowed back at its usual angle. He looked Izuku in the eye, finally, and- oh. That was his “planning” face.

Something was about to happen. For better or worse, it was impossible to tell.

Izuku approached them and leaned forward, taking Yuuga’s face into his hands. He gently pulled down the gag.

“Whatever happens,” he said, “I need you to know that I love you.”

And Izuku kissed him. Their first kiss. 

It should’ve been wonderful. It should’ve been an important moment in Yuuga’s life, but the sheer desperation behind it could only remind him of their horrible situation.

Something warm tingled in Yuuga’s chest, but it wasn’t happiness. It felt… foreign.

“Izuku…” Yuuga murmured as his soulmate stood. “What-”

“Hm. Absolutely pointless,” All for One Said. “Can we get on with the transfer please? You’ll have plenty of time to kiss later.”

Izuku smiled with determination, and a chill went down Yuuga’s spine. What did he do…?

“I don’t have it,” Izuku said.

What did he do?!

“I gave it to Yuuga. I don’t care what you do to me, but you can’t hurt him anymore.”

No!

“Izuku-!”

“Ha!” All for One laughed loud and long.

Izuku’s smile strained.

“I would’ve much rather you give it directly to me, but this will work as well. I cannot believe that you actually-! Ha!”

“What are you-?” Izuku stammered.

No, no, please no!

“What a good show you put on, Yuuga! The tears really sold it, I believe.”

“Yuuga, what is he-?!”

“Izuku, I’m so-!”

“Young Yuuga works for me. He has for beyond this entire school year. I’ve known him since he was a child!”

“Y-you’re lying, Yuuga would never-!”

“Oh, but he has! How do you think I knew about the USJ? The mall? The location of the training camp? It was all thanks to Yuuga. Oh, he rushed to tell me when you told him about One for All. He was so excited! How lucky it was, that you both were soulmates!”

Izuku flinched. Yuuga’s breathing sped up.

This couldn’t be happening!

“Yuuga, I know he’s lying. I’m not listening to him. I trust you, Yuuga.”

He couldn’t hold back his sobs any longer.

“Izuku, I’m so- I’m so sorry!”

He could sense the exact moment when his soulmate’s heart broke.

“Yuuga…?”

“Thank you, Yuuga, from the bottom of my black hole of a heart. I sincerely couldn’t have done it without you. Kurogiri, take Midoriya back to the bar.”

And with a purple mist, Izuku was gone.

All for One snapped, and the ropes came undone. Yuuga clutched his aching wrists close to his chest.

“Y-you said you would let him go!” he said through his tears.

“To be more precise, I said I would let him live , if you persuaded him to give the quirk to me. And really, I’m being generous. He didn’t even give me the quirk, he gave it to you. And there are so many things I can do with him while he’s alive.”

Oh, that fucking bastard!

Yuuga wiped away his tears. Snot and mascara came away on his arm.

“I’ll let you collect yourself, and then you can transfer the quirk to me. I won’t need any DNA, of course, all you’ll have to do is release it while I’m taking it from you.”

Right. Of course.

Fuck no.

As we all know, in a battle between dark magic and True Love, Love always wins. The Prince was able to break his curse at last, but alas, that was not the only thing broken that night. The Hero’s heart had been shattered.

The Prince knew what he must do.

It was almost too easy to sneak out of the building. Why have guards when one is the most powerful man in the world? All for One would notice his absence eventually, so he had to make it quick.

He pulled the hood of what might’ve been one of Shigaraki’s old jackets over his head. It was too big for him, but no one on the streets paid him any mind.

He had to find Izuku.

The pull in his gut led him to a bar. Presumably, this was the one they’d been taken to before. The league was celebrating inside, and didn’t notice as he snuck past them to the backrooms.

The door was blocked with a simple chair under the door knob. Perhaps it didn’t lock? Whatever, as long as he didn’t have to pick any locks or break any doors down.

He hesitated as he reached for the handle. Izuku felt angry, and hurt. He wouldn’t be happy to see Yuuga. And who knew if he told Bakugou anything?

If they got loud, they’d get caught. If they got caught, well, they’d be dead.

He was a coward. There was no time for hesitation.

He opened the door-

And immediately ducked Bakugou’s fist, which was flying at his face.

Okay, he probably deserved something like that, but it wasn’t the time.

“Stop! I’m here to get you both out,” he whispered sharply.

“What the fuck- Glitter Brain?! Where the hell have you been?” Bakugou stepped back.

So Izuku hadn’t said anything. Yuuga glanced around the room.

“Shush. It is imperative that you do not make any noise, or else they’ll hear us.”

Izuku was huddled in a corner of the room, fist clutched to his chest. His knuckles were bleeding.

There was a matching dent on the wall across the room.

His eyes were red and puffy, and his eyes glared up at Yuuga beneath his curls. Yuuga’s heart clenched. How dare he cause his soulmate such pain?

“What are you doing here?” Izuku muttered. It wasn’t as heated as it probably should’ve been, more- defeated. He’d never heard a tone like that from. It was so, so wrong.

Bakugou glanced between them before shaking his head. “Are we busting out of here? If we get Top-Hat first, we can stop them recapturing us. We’ll have to get Portal-fucker too, between the three of us, we can take ‘em, but-”

“Non,” Yuuga said. “A direct assault will not work. There is- they have a leader, beyond Shigaraki, who cannot know we’ve escaped. I’ll cause a distraction while you two sneak away.”

Izuku scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’ll probably just get us into more trouble.”

“What the fuck,” Bakugou whispered. “This isn’t the time for trouble in paradise, Deku.”

It really wasn’t. Yuuga pushed past Bakugou and knelt before his soulmate. Izuku turned away.

“Mon lapin, please, look at me. I fucked up, I know I did, but I never wanted you to be hurt.” He took Izuku’s face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. “You have my word that I’ll explain everything after we’re safe, but I need you to be safe first.”

Gently, he brought Izuku’s bloodied knuckles to his lips. “Take it back, so you know I’m sincere. Hate me all you want, after, but trust me for tonight.”

Izuku studied him. Without a doubt, he was searching their bond for hints of falsehood. There was nothing to find.

He pulled Izuku to his feet. They nodded at Bakugou, who nodded back.

Time to go.

Izuku and Bakugou ducked behind some crates while Yuuga placed the chair back under the doorknob. Several league members were drunkenly arguing, but Shigaraki seemed sober enough, as did the blonde girl, though she was polishing one of her knives with eerie intensity. Several others were spread out on the table next to her. Kurogiri was still absent. The Magician with the marble quirk was close to the door. It was impossible to tell if he was also inebriated.

He handed off Shigaraki’s jacket to Izuku and took a deep breath before stepping confidently out of the shadows. Several pairs of eyes locked onto him immediately.

“ Vraiment ,” he said, “What must one do to get a drink? .”

“What the hell is the kid doing out? Is he supposed to be out? Someone put him back in,” the man with the split mask said.

“It’s fine,” Shigaraki said. He stared at Yuuga like he would a puzzle in a video game, trying to solve him. “I told you guys he was one of ours, didn’t I?”

“My apologies,” said the Magician, “had I known his importance, I would’ve left him to his mission.”

“No harm done, mon ami ,” Yuuga said. “I was more useful to Sensei this way.”

He heard a thump from something that should not have thumped, so he moved across the room to the blonde girl’s table. Movement naturally drew the eye, after all.

“Now, does this fine establishment have any, oh, bordeaux? Sauvignon? Even some champagne, perhaps? I could really use a glass.”

“Bartender’s still out,” said the woman in sunglasses, “How old are you? You can’t be older than Toga, right? Can you even drink?”

Funny, the villains were worried about underage drinking.

“If it is legal en France , I do not see why it should be a problem here, Madame .” He winked.

The blonde girl– Toga? – gasped. “Is that blood on your face?”

Ah. Merde .

“It is! And on your shirt! You look so cute, do you want to be my friend?”

What.

She kept going. She was a bit like Mina in that way, except more violent. “You’re Izuku-chan’s soulmate, right? Can I have some of your blood? Izuku-chan is so cute, isn’t he? I saw him when we were in the forest, he looked so good~”

She was practically salivating at the thought of his soulmate . Of seeing him bleeding and injured, a state that Yuuga preferred him not to be in.

“Ah, Mademoiselle , perhaps time for the, uh, blood. Let us get to know each other first, oui ?”

She giggled and played with one of her knives.

Izuku and Bakugou were almost at the back door. Just a little longer…

“How did you end up with the league?” the Magician asked. “You seem like a classic young hero student.”

He laughed. “Oh, you know, fate can be funny. Shigaraki’s Sensei happens to be an old friend of the family, and when he asked, well, we simply could not say no!”

He fanned himself with his hand. “Ah, , is it stuffy in here for anyone else? Perhaps I’ll pass on that drink after all, oui ? It was wonderful meeting all of you, but I think I need to step outside for some fresh air. Perhaps I’ll return in a bit, but I believe Sensei was going to need me soon.”

He walked back towards the store rooms, throwing a last wink over his shoulder before stepping back into the shadows. No one stopped him as he went out the back door.

He leaned up against an alley wall to catch his breath and calm his thumping heart.

He failed to dodge another punch from Bakugou.

“What the fuck was that, Sparkles? I should’ve fucking known there was something dirty about you-”

“Kacchan!” Izuku hissed. “Not now! Let’s get out of here!”

“What, so he can lead us into a trap? Is this why you were giving him the cold shoulder earlier?”

“Later,” Yuuga said, “We need to move.”

He grabbed Bakugou’s arm and dragged him towards the street. “Safety first, yelling later.”

They sprinted down the deserted street, towards- were those police lights? And a barricade?

They made it. Holy fuck, they actually made it! A laugh bubbled up in his throat.

So did something else.

He coughed to try to clear it, but- air wasn’t moving past. He couldn’t breathe. He tripped over a pothole, landing hard on the road.

Izuku stopped. “Yuuga?”

He tried to respond, to urge him to keep moving, but all that came up was black sludge.

It grew, larger and larger, until all he could see was blackness.

Yuuga finished clearing the last of the gunk from his throat only for his heart to seize.

“You.”

No.

God, please, no. They were so close.

“You’ve ruined everything ,” said All for One, looming over him.

Yuuga scrambled backwards, getting to his feet and turning to run.

He didn’t get far.

Something pierced his shoulder, dragging him backwards towards certain doom.

“You had One for All. I had One for All. It was finally, finally in my grasp. And you gave. It. Back.”

The thing that was fully through his shoulder , oh god, lifted him, tossing him to the side like a doll. He slammed into a wall and slid down, taking a couple shelves with him along the way.

“You idiot. You absolute imbecile. I have to wonder why you did it. You couldn’t have possibly thought you’d get away with it, although we did previously establish that you’re an ignoramus. Is Midoriya’s life really more important than your own? Than your parents? Don’t worry, they’ll get what’s coming to them, right after I deal with you. Maybe I’ll present them with your mangled corpse, that’s always a fun one. Make an example of you for all of my other followers, since no one seems to know what loyalty is these days.”

Yuuga’s breathing was labored. There was a sharp pain in his side when he inhaled. Did he crack a rib? He tried to move his arm to cover the area and gasped. Okay, that was definitely broken.

All for One stalked towards him like the cat who finally cornered the mouse.

“Why did you do it, Yuuga? You could’ve had everything you ever wanted, if you had just given me the quirk.”

“No,” Yuuga coughed, “I couldn’t. Not when what I want-” gasp - “Is to be rid of you .”

“Hmph. That hero school was a terrible influence on you. Ah well, nothing to be done about that now. It’s disappointing that I’ll be without my spy, but I’ll have my final battle with All Might soon enough. And once he’s gone, I can dedicate my time to re-capturing that little soulmate of yours. This time, you won’t be there to stand in my way.”

Another tendril snaked out of his arm. It slithered through the air before, almost gently, encircling Yuuga’s neck. It lifted him by his throat so that he was just below All for One’s eye level. Yuuga kicked and scratched at it, but the tendril was too tight. He couldn’t breathe.

“Goodbye, Aoyama Yuuga. Your rebellion, much like your life, was brief and pointless.”

Black closed in around the edges of his vision.

No- this couldn’t be how his story ended!

His stomach curled in fear, but his chest burned with a rage not his own. Izuku? Probably angry about what a weak soulmate he had.

His kicking slowed, and his arm went slack. His hand brushed metal- his belt!

He had one shot at this.

He channeled Izuku’s fury and fired his Navel Laser one last time.

It was the strongest it had ever been.

“Argh!”

Yuuga landed hard, knees buckling beneath him and sending him sprawling onto his stomach. He wheezed. Fuck.

Several meters away, All for One got to his feet, dusting off his suit jacket’s shoulders. His dress shirt had a hole burned into it, but the skin beneath was undamaged.

Fuck!

“How cute,” he said, “turning what I gave you against me. I’ll bet that was satisfying.”

All for One walked towards him. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but was that a limp? Had Yuuga managed to hurt him after all?

“I hope you enjoyed that. I sincerely do.”

He nudged Yuuga’s side with his shoe, hitting his broken rib. Yuuga gasped. All for One flipped him over onto his back.

“It’ll be the last time you use it, after all.”

A tendril shot out of the villain’s palm-

And stabbed straight through Yuuga’s belt, piercing him in the stomach.

Yuuga screamed as the room lit with red.

“I’ve decided that an easy death is too good for you. I believe the Doctor has a fondness for quirkless patients, something about the ‘elasticity of the DNA.’ Kurogiri, take us to the labs.”

A falling sensation, then his back slammed onto hard concrete.

All for One lifted his hand, retracting the tendril and floating Yuuga into the air. He placed him on a cold metal surface.

All for One waved his hand again, and straps fastened over Yuuga’s chest and legs.

“Perhaps I’ll give back Navel Laser when you’re a bit more… agreeable. Don’t worry, I’ve used a quirk on you, and you should be stable until the Doctor arrives. I do wish I could begin with the fun, but I have a prior appointment. I’ll tell All Might you said ‘hello.’”

Yuuga blinked, and All for One was gone.

Were those screams outside, or was that his own wheezing breath?

It didn’t matter, not really. Nothing mattered anymore.

Yuuga’s eyes slipped shut.

Captured by the Wizard and gravely wounded, the Prince lost his hope.

If only he could see the Hero again…

He wasn’t asleep. He was more… floating, in between states of consciousness. Nothing felt real. It happened, distantly, but it didn’t matter.

He’d screwed up every good thing in his life, and every bad thing, too. Just… everything. And yet, he couldn’t imagine making different decisions. He didn’t regret letting himself be close with Izuku, even if the ending could’ve gone better. He maybe regretted not telling All for One to go fuck himself sooner and saving Izuku the trouble, even if he’d doomed himself. Of course, that would’ve also doomed his parents, but once All for One was finished fighting All Might, they probably weren’t going to be spared anyway. What an awful son he was, that he couldn’t manage anything besides apathy for that.

He just floated.

Maybe he’d feel something later, when the bastard came back. Yuuga knew what this room was, what the doctor did. He probably didn’t have much time left as himself. That should’ve scared him, but his mind was firmly on Izuku. If they ever met again, it would be on opposite sides of a battlefield. Not by choice, but nothing would be by choice anymore. Yuuga would be-

Would be-

He shuddered, wincing at the pain. They were going to turn him into one of those disgusting creatures. Just when Yuuga was finally making choices for himself, it was all going away.

Hopefully, for Izuku’s sake, they had some way to suppress the soulmate bond. It would be awful to feel Yuuga’s emotions, while he still had them.

Or maybe they would leave them intact, just for that very reason. Traitor or not, they were still soulmates, and Izuku was so kind, so empathetic. He’d hate what they were doing, and all the good memories they’d made would only bring him pain.

Of course, this was all assuming that Yuuga even survived to be experimented on. He could very well bleed out on that very table. Sure, All for One said something about a quirk, but he’d probably lost a lot of blood anyway. He had two major wounds that he knew of. There was shrapnel from his belt in his stomach, possibly piercing his organs. He could also get an infection.

A quick death would’ve probably been the best option for everyone. Of course Yuuga wouldn’t be so lucky, he never was.

There was a saying in French, when someone was always lucky. Être né sous une bonne étoile. Born under a good star. Yuuga must’ve been born under a bad one.

The only lucky thing in his life had been meeting Izuku.

He floated. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but All for One didn’t return. The ground shook occasionally, and lights flashed through the small, high windows of wherever he was.

And then, abruptly, it stopped.

Something in Yuuga’s body shifted.

His head buzzed. His back grew wet.

Something was wrong.

All for One’s quirk had worn off, somehow. He really was going to bleed out on the table.

His heart sped, his breath caught. He tried to grab at the straps pinning him down. His right arm lit up with stabbing pain. His left didn’t respond at all beyond a meager twitch.

Fuck.

He didn’t want this.

His heart pounded in his ears.

His emotions chose right then to come back, and they had put all the settings to fear.

He was going to die, all alone, in a dark basement.

He was going to die.

The buzzing grew louder, like his brain was a beehive. There were sounds underneath, but who knew if they were real. Whispers and shouts, banging and- and not banging.

Lots of banging. A really loud boom .

Bright light hit his eyes, and he shut them tight.

A stab of fear- but not his own.

“Yuuga? Yuuga, where- oh god!”

Izuku.

Softer thumps, sneakers on concrete. A hand cupped his cheek.

“Please, please be awake- you’re awake, right? What did that bastard do to you?! Okay, rescue training. First, assess the injuries. There’s- there’s a lot of blood. Probably too much. I need to get these damn straps off-”

Listening to Izuku ramble was soothing. He was safe. He almost felt like drifting off-

He was shaken by his good shoulder, but that arm was still broken. He bit back a gasp and opened his eyes.

Izuku was backlit by a yellow glow, but he could see the fear in those big green eyes.

He might’ve said something. He couldn’t remember.”

“I’m so sorry, I know it hurts. I need you to stay awake for me, okay?”

Yuuga was cold, but Izuku was so, so warm as he scooped him gently into his arms. Yuuga leaned his head against Izuku’s shoulder.

“This is going to be a bit bumpy, okay? But I’ve got you. You’re going to be alright, just as soon as we get you out of here.”

“Why?” Yuuga asked.

“Why what?”

“Why’d you come back? ‘S stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. You’re important, Yuuga. I was never going to leave you behind.”

Izuku was so good, to rescue a pathetic villain like him.

Izuku’s grip around him tightened. “You’re not a villain. A villain wouldn’t have done what you did. I’m- I’m not okay, with what’s been going on, but we’ll talk about it later. You’re not a villain. You’re a hero. You’re my hero.”

Funny, Izuku was his hero.

A cool breeze touched Yuuga’s face. The air smelled of smoke. Smoke and blood.

Yuuga looked up and all he could see was red.

“I’m ruining your jacket,” he said. “That was ‘spensive.”

Izuku huffed. “You’re worth it.”

Izuku carried him into the light. Red and blue were flashing somewhere ahead, and people came running.

“Kid! Holy shit, kid,” someone said. They tried to take him from Izuku, to separate them, but Izuku wouldn’t let them.

“He’s my soulmate,” he said. “I need to stay with him.”

“Fine,” came another voice, “but let us put him on the gurney. You can ride with us, since I bet you’re injured too.

Izuku didn’t leave his side. The other people kept talking.

“-never seen this kind of wound-”

“-shrapnel in his stomach-”

“-need to get this thing off-”

Izuku squeezed his hand.

Someone stuck something into Yuuga’s arm.

He drifted off…

The Prince entered a magical sleep as healers worked to save him.

He returned to the waking world slowly. First came smell– antiseptic and Maman’s perfume– then sound– hushed conversations, shrill beeps– then touch– a warm blanket and a rough, gentle hand on his own. Taste was unpleasant, plasticky, and sight-

He opened his eyes.

Light and color greeted him, a stark difference from the dim, dingy bar or the cold, empty lab. Cards and gifts covered a table near his bed, and balloons with words on them floated in the corners of his vision. The walls were painted a clear sky blue, with butterflies dotting them.

The gentle hand squeezed, and he looked over at Izuku.

Izuku.

He made to sit up, but the stabbing pain in his stomach halted him. His gasp turned into a cough. Which turned into more pain-

He fell back onto the bed, stomach spasming.

“Sh- crap!” Izuku said, concern and panic traveling over the bond. He jumped up from his chair and hovered over Yuuga, not sure what to do.

“Ah, mon étoile! ” Maman said from his other side. She stroked his hair. “You must not move like that. We are safe, darling, there’s no need to become upset. You will only aggravate your injuries.”

Safe? How could they be safe?!

“All for One-”

“All for One is gone,” Izuku said firmly, anger lingering in his gut. “All Might defeated him, and last I heard is that they’re sending him to Tartarus. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

It was ridiculous. All for One couldn’t be defeated, he was All for One!

But Izuku was so sure, and Maman had said “we” were safe. Tartarus was inescapable.

Could it really be over, just like that?

He took deeper breaths. The heart monitor slowed.

They were safe, or Izuku and Maman believed so.

“Your Papa and Izuku’s mother are out getting us something to eat,” Maman said, pressing the “call nurse” button on the bed railing. “How are you feeling, mon trésor? Do you have pain?”

His spasms had subsided, and what really hurt was his throat.

“Water?”

“Of course.” She went to greet the nurse at the door, and came back with a styrofoam cup with a straw.

Yuuga went to take it from her-

Oh.

His left arm was in a sling. His right arm was in a cast. This would not be convenient.

Maman held the cup for him while he drank. How embarrassing, to have to do that in front of Izuku.

The nurse knocked on the door frame and entered his room. “Hi there, Aoyama-kun! I’m Nurse Chouko, and I’m part of the team that’s been taking care of you. I’m super glad to see that you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Like utter garbage.

“Not very well,” he said instead.

“He tried to sit up, and seemed to be in pain,” Maman said. “Can we get him something for that?”

Nurse Chouko hummed. She stepped past Izuku and checked something attached to an IV pole. “Yeah, you definitely don’t want to try sitting up right now, Aoyama-kun. You had a big, nasty injury in your abdomen when you came in. We fixed it up, but it’ll take some time for it to feel better. You just need to rest and try not to move.” She wrote something on her clipboard and tapped the pen against her cheek. “On a scale from one to ten, how bad is the pain right now?”

Nothing was particularly awful at that moment. “Perhaps a three?”

She nodded. “Good. We’re trying to keep the medication on the lighter side right now, but let us know if it gets worse, okay? And Midoriya-kun, how are you feeling?”

Izuku jumped. “I’m fine!” he said.

“I’m sure you are,” she said, “but we wanna get you better than fine! I know you’re worried about Aoyama-kun. What you both went through was super scary. But you need to take care of yourself too, okay?” She sighed. “You hero kids are still kids. I know you’re strong, but you don’t have to be, right now. I want you to get some rest soon, okay? Your bed’s right there, and you can still talk to each other!”

“Thank you, Chouko-san. I’m sure he’ll do that soon. If not now, then when his mother returns,” Maman said. “Will the doctor be here soon, now that Yuuga’s awake?”

“I believe she wanted both you and your husband here, so probably after he gets back. She has some stuff to go over about next steps.”

Maman went to help Papa and Midoriya-san. They were safe, she said, because there were guards in front of their door and in front of the hospital– they weren’t the only important figures being treated there, apparently. She’d be back as soon as she could.

It was only Izuku, himself, and the sounds of the hospital.

Was the unease in his gut his own or his soulmate’s? Perhaps it was from both of them.

He focused his attention on the colorful cards. There seemed to be one from every classmate, besides himself, Izuku, and Bakugou.

Bakugou…

“How is Bakugou?” he asked. He was probably fine, but it was something to talk about that wasn’t that .

“Kacchan? He’s alright. He was discharged almost immediately, since he wasn’t really hurt. He actually had the nerve to yell at me for going to get you. Like I’d ever leave you behind.”

“You should’ve.” Oh. It seemed that that topic came up anyway.

“Absolutely out of the question.”

“It was stupid to come back for me. All for One could’ve caught you.”

“He didn’t.”

“He could’ve.”

“He didn’t . I don’t care about All for One, I care about you .”

“Why? Why did you risk everything for some vain, traitorous villain?”

“I didn’t. I risked it for you, Aoyama Yuuga, my caring, amazing, heroic soulmate who was in a horrible situation that wasn’t your fault.”

“I’m not a hero. A hero wouldn’t have done what I’ve been doing all year. The whole year , Izuku. Everything that happened to you was my fault. I could’ve contacted a hero at any point. I had direct access to All Might. But I was too much of a coward .”

“A coward wouldn’t have given One for All back. A coward wouldn’t have freed me and Kacchan. You stood up to All for One when it mattered. The rest of the time, you were just trying to protect yourself and your parents.”

“You should hate me.”

“I could never.”

“I told him about One for All.”

“I was upset, at first, of course I was. But you came back. You came back, and you risked your life. I could feel that he was hurting you, I felt your desperation. How dare that bastard hurt you! And then there was just… emptiness. I knew that you had to be alive, I’d have known if you weren’t, but it was terrifying, knowing that I might not make it to you in time. And when I finally found you-” he took a shuddering breath, “God, there was so much blood. You looked so pale , and you were barely responding. We almost lost you on the way to the hospital. You needed so much surgery, because there were these giant holes in you, and there was glass in your organs , and- and- I didn’t want to lose you! Not when I just got you, not ever!”

They were both sobbing, and Yuuga couldn’t even wipe Izuku’s tears away.

“I don’t care that you gave All for One information. He was using you. You didn’t want to do it. I just want things to be okay, now that he’s gone.”

“But what if he isn’t gone,” Yuuga whispered. “What if he escapes, somehow, and he comes back for us?”

“Then he comes back. And we’ll be stronger than ever if he does.”

They sat there for a while, in silence.

“I don’t want to tell anyone else that you were being threatened by him,” Izuku said. “They wouldn’t understand, they wouldn’t trust you anymore. Not the police, not the heroes, not our classmates. You were a victim , let’s leave it at that.”

“Do you think Bakugou will stay quiet? He hates me.”

“Kacchan hates a lot of people, but I don’t think he’ll say anything. He owes you, kind of, since you saved him. He hates that. And I’ve already had a conversation with All Might, but he wanted to talk to you himself.”

“Wait, All Might knows-?!”

There was a knock at the door.

It opened, and in came Yagi-san. One of his arms was in a sling, and the other was bandaged. His head was wrapped as well.

“Young Aoyama, I hope your recovery is going well. Young Midoriya, shouldn’t you be in bed?” His tone was warm, almost teasing Izuku, but his eyes were calculating, never straying from Yuuga. So very different from their previous meeting.

“I’m fine right where I am,” Izuku said. He scooted his chair even closer to Yuuga’s bed. He couldn’t see Izuku’s face, but he felt steely resolve in his soulmate’s chest, almost like he had to defend Yuuga. But that was ridiculous. This was Yagi-san, what could there be to defend against?

“I am… recovering. I only woke up a short while ago. And yourself, Yagi-san?”

“Don’t worry about me, young man. I’m made of pretty stern stuff. As are you, apparently. I’d like to have a few words-”

“Can it wait?” Izuku asked. He was actually growing frustrated. “Yuuga just woke up . You’ve talked to me, you’ve talked to his parents, there has to be a better time for this.”

Yagi-san sighed. “I’m sorry, my boy, the sooner the better, if only for my peace of mind. I know how you feel, but I have to confirm his intentions for myself.”

What was going on?

“Then why isn’t Tsukauchi-san here? Why did you choose a time when his parents aren’t here? I’m not going to let you scare him, All Might, he’s been through enough!”

…All Might?

Yagi-san was All Might ?

What the fuck.

“Izuku,” Yuuga said, quietly, “I think perhaps I am missing some context?”

“... Oh, right, you were, uh, not… okay, when that happened. Yeah, Yagi-san is All Might. This is his true form. His secret was revealed while he was fighting All for One, and now everyone knows.”

That was… a lot to take in.

Yagi-san was All Might. All Might, who just fought and defeated All for One. All Might, who probably would not be happy to have any of All for One’s underlings running around, especially not with his successor- was the heart monitor getting faster?

Izuku put his hand on Yuuga’s good shoulder. “All Might isn’t going to do anything, he just wants to talk. Right, All Might?”

Yagi-san– All Might – nodded. “No action should be necessary, young Aoyama. I just need some confirmation.”

“Why do you need confirmation? Tsukauchi-san heard everything we talked about, he would know if anything was a lie.”

“Like I said, my boy, I need to hear it directly from the source. I need to know that you’re going to be safe with young Aoyama.”

“Of course I’m safe with him, he saved me. And I can handle myself.”

“I know that, but there’s clearly a lot you didn’t know about him-”

“What do you want to know?” Yuuga interrupted. All Might and Izuku turned to look at him. “If he wants to know, I’ll tell him. I have no reason to hide anything, not anymore.”

All Might took a deep breath. “Are you really young Midoriya’s soulmate?”

“All Might-!”

“I am. You cannot fake a bond. It was just… unfortunate, that I happened to be who I am.”

“Yuuga-”

All Might nodded.

“How long did you work for All for One?”

“We first met him when I was six, after I was diagnosed quirkless. My parents had decided to find me a quirk by any means necessary. I believe they were trying to fake a quirk before they stumbled across the rumors of a man who could give them away. He contacted us a few times over the years, he was the one who had my support belt created. And then he needed a spy at UA, and he happened to have someone the perfect age. We could not say no.”

It hurt, to talk about it so openly. Every neuron in his brain was screaming at him to stop. But he had to keep going.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone, if you were being threatened?”

“I was afraid. He told us he’d know, if we ever tried to talk. He showed us what he’d done to the last minion who went to the police. Even at UA, it wasn’t safe. As far as I know, I was the only spy, but one cannot ever be certain, not with him. I know I could’ve met with you directly, but… he said you were weakened. I didn’t think he could lose. And if he knew what I did, we would all suffer for it. I am a coward.”

Izuku squeezed his shoulder. “You’re not a coward. You’re so brave.”

It wasn’t true, but it was nice to hear.

“Did he tell you to approach young Midoriya?”

“ Non . I approached by myself, after the Sports Festival. He didn’t even know we were soulmates until the other night, I never told him.”

“Why not earlier?”

“I didn’t want to grow close to anyone, not when I was only going to betray them all in the end. Izuku was just too incredible, I couldn’t stay away forever. Of course, after the Sports Festival was when he began suspecting Izuku as your successor.”

Izuku sniffled and wiped his eyes with his free hand. “I was so awful to you that day…”

“It is not your fault, mon lapin . You couldn’t have known.”

“Did you tell All for One about One for All?”

“I did. I didn’t want to, but he would’ve known that I was hiding something.”

“Why did you save young Midoriya?”

“Because I love him. He mattered more than All for One did. Even if I never saw him again, I had to get him away from that monster .”

All Might bowed deeply. “Thank you, young Aoyama, for showing your incredible heroic strength. Thank you for saving young Midoriya, even when it put you in grave danger. I will be eternally grateful, and I apologize for being so harsh.” He stood. “There is one more thing I must tell you both, before I leave you to rest.”

“All for One is dead.”

…he couldn’t possibly have heard that correctly.

All Might continued. “The reports say that he had severe internal injuries, even before our fight. They seem to be consistent with blunt trauma to the abdomen. That, on top of his already fragile health, plus what I managed, and, well. He died rather soon after being captured.”

Blunt trauma, heavy enough to damage the great All for One, before his encounter with All Might?

…no. No, it wasn’t possible.

Or was it?

“All Might,” Izuku said, “maybe you should come back later. I think we need some time to process this.”

Did he kill All for One? Him, pathetic little Yuuga, took down the King of Villains with one laser blast?

Ha.

He couldn’t breathe.

Vaguely, he registered Izuku’s hands on his, coaching him through grounding exercises.

He was responsible for the bastard’s death.

Was he laughing or sobbing? Whatever it was, it hurt.

Nurse Chouko came in, and everything went fuzzy for a while.

Maman, Papa, and Midoriya-san returned at some point while Yuuga was on stronger medication. They said nothing, but by their relief, All Might had probably told them the news. It was good news, of course, but Yuuga had had a long, long, year. 

No, not even a year, more or less… six months? 

Time went slowly when one was being blackmailed.

They all sat around Yuuga and Izuku’s beds when Nurse Chouko brought in Dr. Hoshimoto. The doctor’s expression was sympathetic.

“Aoyama-kun,” they said, “if you would like to know the extent of your injuries, that is your decision. Otherwise, I can tell your parents alone.”

“I want to know what happened,” he said.

Midoriya-san stood. “Would you like some privacy? Izuku and I can step out of the room.”

Yuuga shook his head. “You two are , of course you can stay. I would be telling Izuku everything anyway.”

Yuuga’s heart weighed heavily in his chest as Dr. Hoshimoto nodded and adjusted their notes.

“Let’s start with the damage to your arms. Your right arm had a clean break, so it should recover well. Your left shoulder and arm have suffered nerve damage, but physical and occupational therapy will help you regain most of its usage. You’ll still have occasional numbness and pain.

“Your abdomen- that was more serious. You were very lucky to have avoided spinal injury and a gastrectomy. You’ll likely be using mobility aids for some time while you regain core-strength. Again, physical therapy should help that.”

“What about his quirk?” Maman asked. “Will he be able to use it again?”

Dr. Hoshimoto paused. “His quirk… that is a strange case indeed. It was listed as “Navel Laser”, correct?”

Yuuga nodded.

“Ordinarily, I’d say that he could eventually regain use of it, though not to the degree that he had been. However… when we received his lab work, there was no quirk-factor at all.”

“What does that mean?” Papa asked. “Will it come back?”

“...No. There was no evidence, besides internal damage, that a quirk ever existed at all. I don’t believe it will return. Your son is quirkless.”

The room was silent except for the medical equipment, and even that seemed muted.

Quirkless. Yuuga was quirkless again.

Perhaps I’ll give back Navel Laser when you’re a bit more agreeable.

Maman started to sob. It made sense. If the quirk was gone, all that anguish had been for nothing. Totally pointless.

So why didn’t Yuuga feel like crying too?

The wicked old Wizard had been slain by the Mighty Champion. The Prince was forever free.

UA paid for the hospital bills and the physical therapy. Of course they did. They thought it was their fault. He had several sessions with Recovery Girl to heal the worst of his injuries. The rest would be up to time and hard work.

Izuku and his mother were visiting when the Principal and Aizawa-sensei came. At first, Yuuga thought they’d been found out, and that Yuuga would at the very least be expelled from UA. He probably would be anyway, with his injuries.

Instead, the Principal smiled. “I am pleased to inform you that we’ve decided to keep you in the hero course, and your training will resume once you’re well enough.”

“Sir…?”

Aizawa-sensei nodded. “You’ve demonstrated skill beyond your quirk, in your judgment and your ability to work around your limitations. A quirk is just a tool, and you wielded yours well. We’d be happy to have you back.”

Maman and Papa cried and thanked them, and the adults went on to talk about the future of UA.

He and Izuku went out to the garden. He’d progressed to the point in physical therapy that he could manage crutches for short distances, and of course he made them as sparkly as possible, with glitter and stickers and ribbons.

They sat on a bench together, and he leaned his head on his soulmate’s shoulder.

They still wanted him…

It was unbelievable. Impossible. His six-year-old self’s dream came true. UA wanted him , even without a quirk.

He should’ve been ecstatic.

“I know you’ve got it in you, Yuuga,” Izuku said. “UA’s first quirkless hero! I’ll be with you every step of the way, okay? If anyone gives you a problem, they’ll have to go through both of us!”

He would be a hero. An inspiration.

His stomach curled.

“We’re going to have to rework some stuff, since you don’t have your main offense, but we’ll figure it out. Oh, Hatsume! You’ve met her, right? I bet you’d have your pick of her babies, you could do whatever you want! Remember the Sports Festival-”

Anything he wanted, oui?

What did he want?

“And we’ll start training as soon as you’re done with physical therapy. All Might can help us write up a plan! Or maybe Aizawa-sensei, since he doesn’t have an offensive quirk. And we’ll talk to Ojirou, and Hagakure, and Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka trained with Gunhead! You don’t need a quirk if you want to do martial arts. Oh, do you think you’ll want a weapon? Maybe a sword to go with your armor!”

“ Chouchou? ”

Izuku looked up from his muttering, eyes sparkling. “Mhm? Oh, sorry, there I go again. I’m just talking all over the place, I’ve hardly let you get a word in, I’m sorry!”

“...I don’t think I want to.”

“The sword? Yeah, maybe a sword isn’t your style.”

“Not that, chouchou . I don’t… I don’t want to be a hero, I think.”

Izuku paused. A wave of anger rolled over.

“Did someone say you shouldn’t be one? Was it Kacchan?! If he said anything like that-”

“ Non , no, no one said anything.” Yuuga sighed. “Izuku, why did you want- when did you decide you wanted to be a hero?”

Izuku blinked, clearly he wasn’t expecting the conversation to turn to himself. “I- when I was four- no, even before then, for as long as I can remember. From the moment I first saw All Might, I wanted to be like him. I wanted to save people with a smile. Even after I was diagnosed quirkless, and everyone turned awful, I still just- I wanted to save everyone I could.”

Yuuga smiled. “You’re so good , mon lapin . You were born to be a hero. I was not.”

“But you still can be, even the Principal thinks so!”

“Oh, I have no doubt that I would make a fabulous hero. I simply don’t have a heroic heart like yours.”

“Yuuga-”

“Please, do not try to argue. I know my own heart. And for the first time, I can actually listen to it.” He stared up at the clouds as the sun set.

“I was six when I told my parents that I wanted to be a hero. Six years old. Everyone wants to be a hero at age six, Izuku, quirk or no. So my parents did what parents do, and they tried to make me happy. I couldn’t be a hero without a good quirk, so they went out and got me a perfect one. Flashy, powerful, perfect hero material. It only cost us everything.

“From the moment All for One gave me Navel Laser, I was locked in. Even before he called upon us. My parents expected me to become a hero, and I wanted to make them happy. They would be happy if they thought I was happy. If I didn’t want to be a hero after they got me my special hero quirk… I don’t know. Perhaps it would’ve been fine. Then All for One came back, and I had to be a hero, or at least pretend. Or else.

“Being a hero student? That was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got to meet you, and Mina, and everyone in our class. I got to be happy and have friends. But I was never going to be a hero, Izuku. Best case scenario for me was that All for One won, and society collapsed. Worst case, I got caught, and my parents and I spent the rest of our lives in prison for colluding with a supervillain. I never imagined All for One failing . He’s out of my life now, and so is Navel Laser. Those were the two things keeping me tied to becoming a hero.

“For the first time, I can breathe. I can make my own choices without lives on the line. When you were talking about all the ways I could still be a hero… I didn’t want it. And I can finally acknowledge that I don’t want to be a hero . I’m not sure what I want. And that’s okay.”

He wiped at his eyes and stared up at the stars, coming out of hiding. Maybe he would never shine as bright. He didn’t have to.

“I still want to work with you, I still want to be at UA. I think, maybe, I’ll see what the other departments have to offer. If I don’t find something there, then there’s always general education. We’ll be together, always.” He glanced to his side, and found Izuku gazing at him. Love surged in both of their hearts.

“Always,” Izuku said. “No matter what.”

They leaned in to each other in the cool night air.

Maybe the stars were not so bad after all.

And so the Prince and Hero could be together at last, the great evil defeated.

...