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Normally, you'd think soulmates are straight out of a fantasy comic book.
It's the type of stuff Katsuki reads in the stuff his mother buys him at the bookstore. Even if she says they're not really real books and it's just pictures and loud noises, it's the only type of literature she can ever get Katsuki to pick up. Personally, Katsuki doesn't like reading about soulmates. They're too ooey-gooey and romance-y and not enough heroes.
Like, it usually goes, Katsuki has noticed: cool hero gets the girl. He calls out for her, she calls out for him, and boom. Ending romance. Gag. Four year old Katsuki would toss the comic to the floor and stomp his little foot and complain.
His mom thinks soulmates are cute. Katsuki wouldn’t have clocked her as a romance type of woman, but whatever. She always says dad’s name with such love and reverence it grossed Katsuki out, even now. And he does it back, Mitsuki, Mitsuki, eugh.
Gross. Seven-year-old Katsuki takes a heavy seat in the living room armchair.
Katsuki isn't looking for someone, anyway. Probably never. Being number-one hero is much more important than anything else in the entire world. Romance is some stupid subplot. All Might probably doesn't do romance. Neither do any of the other super cool heroes Katsuki read about, either. Besides for the lame ones that ended up with some girl.
Katsuki snickers. “I bet Deku would rather date than be a hero.”
His mother looks up under her reading glasses at the dining room table, only to glance back in disinterest to her newspaper. “Since when have you called Izuku-kun Deku?”
“Deku is his name now,” Katsuki says. He doesn't like that the subject has moved to Deku. “I chose it for him.”
“Katsuki,” Mom chides. Her brow furrows in distaste, growling, “Don't call your friends names!”
She swats Katsuki upside the head with the back of the newspaper. Katsuki scowls, reaching to pat gently at his hair. “He's not my friend!”
He tells Deku so himself at class the next day. Kindergarten is too lame for Katsuki’s tastes, because no one here has any cool Quirks. Some of them are so bad Katsuki thinks they should be Quirkless instead, like Deku. But then he rethinks, nah. Probably not.
“You are not my friend,” Katsuki huffs. Deku waddles behind him, pressing his hands close to his chest.
“You let me follow you around, Kacchan,” Deku mumbles.
“It makes you look like one of my followers,” Katsuki explains, because Deku is stupid. “C’mon, dummy. Pretend to get attacked by a monster so I can save you.”
Katsuki has decided he doesn't wanna play hero with Deku as much as he used to. He's got other losers that follow him, and put him on that golden pedestal. But he does, on one of their last play-dates, ask a question.
“Hey, Deku,” Katsuki nibbles on his thumb. “You gonna find a soulmate?”
Deku’s eyes move effortlessly to Katsuki, compass-like. “Maybe, Kacchan.”
“Hm.”
“What?”
“Let me see if they're any good,” Katsuki grumbles. He surveys his sandcastle. It's the best in the sandbox, for sure. Like all his stuff is. “If not, drop ‘em. You gotta let me check first.”
“I thought I’m not your friend,” Deku, despite his young, chubby cheeks, gives him a sideways smile.
“You're not,” Katsuki mutters. “Quirkless Deku. But even some loser like you should at least have some equally as loser soulmate. Not worse, y’know?”
“Yeah,” Deku grins. He drops to his knees, doe eyes blinking wide at Katsuki’s castle. “Cool castle.”
“What, did you expect any less? Dummy.”
It doesn't get much better from there. A whole bunch of ups and downs. Deku pisses him off even more from there and come hell or high water he does his damndest to ignore the loser. Middle school, in his humble opinion, isn't too bad. Deku wouldn't agree with him.
(Deku gets shoved around by Katsuki’s own greedy hands. Lockers, the dirt, janitor closets, whatever. The fuckers that trail Katsuki like dumbasses help. It's a little hard to forget the look on Deku’s face.)
But that's whatever.
-
Then it's the sludge monster. A fuckton of heroes are standing around and doing fuckall to help. Civilians look on and gape. And Quirkless Deku is trying his hardest, with his weak fingers and his weak bones and his lithe fucking shoulders to pull him out— and he doesn't do shit until All Might steps in.
But he tried.
Maybe it was just his eyes. Tears pudged up and spilled down his blotchy cheeks. But they shone a little bright looking at him, staring like all he needed in the world was Katsuki to be okay.
UA is even worse, honestly. Deku comes in swinging with some stupid fuckin’ strength Quirk, and it takes him less than twenty-four hours to come crawling after Katsuki with a shitty confession that makes no damn sense. Borrowed. Given to him. Yeah, sure. Okay. Fine, Deku. He calls bullshit and he tells Deku so, who grits his teeth and turns away, like the little liar the fucker is.
Then it clicks.
And then he's fucking pissed.
“It's All Might’s,” Katsuki growls lowly, accusingly. “Isn't it?”
Deku makes these big bug eyes at him. He wets his lips, once, twice, his gaze darting to the side. He can't meet Katsuki’s look—
“Your silence means I’m right, then,” Katsuki says. So All Might’s fall was his fault, too. Fuckin’ perfect.
There was a chance that, during this, the two of them could've said some nasty shit to each other. Spat out personal insults about each other— but that's more of a Bakugou thing. Deku doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
He has a bit of a meltdown about it. Just a little. He drops to his knees and cries into his fists and Deku stares down at him with that same pitying expression he's had sewn on his face since he was little. Katsuki throws the first ugly punch.
It's not like Deku stands there and takes it. He accepts Katsuki’s violence like he would to anything good in the world. Easily. They kick and claw and punch and Deku bares his teeth and confesses something way too emotionally-charged for Katsuki to even think of repeating. But it ends with Deku pinned underneath his palms, the span of his thighs.
Katsuki moves a palm to the center of Deku’s chest, pushing him down. It rises and falls with Deku's labored breathing.
He can feel Deku’s fluttering heartbeat. Katsuki kinda wants to move it, now.
“Deku,” Katsuki says quietly. Deku jerks beneath him— blinking up at him, green eyes blown wide, and something strange flows through Katsuki’s veins. Deku’s face seems much more detailed than before, he can count each freckle. The curl of his bangs is prominent. It must be a solid ten seconds of just staring at each other before Deku breathes in tightly and squeezes his eyes shut.
Deku’s heartbeat speeds up. Katsuki is going to promptly ignore it.
They get house arrest together. Deku won't stop looking at him. But it's hard for Katsuki to stop looking back.
It's been a while since soulmates have crossed Katsuki’s mind.
He did get stabbed, like, a week ago. Deku freaked out over that, too.
They’re kinda shit, anyway. Universe assigned lovers isn't really Katsuki’s typa’ thing and he'd rather fuck around and figure all that shit out by himself. But maybe the fuckin’ cosmos were onto something when they assigned Katsuki’s his soulmate.
For their credit, it is kind of romantic. As in the fantastical, over-idealized romantic type. But seriously. This is pushing it. Fucking stupid. Like, Katsuki has heard Kirishima gush over soulmates and all that shit but he never cared to really pay attention.
But now— he kinda gets it. Deku goes missing, on some rogue vigilante type bullshit and Katsuki goes half-crazy.
It's a little pathetic. But whatever, y’know.
-
Deku is so fucking stupid.
Katsuki has said this for years. At one moment in his life, he absolutely meant it. Now, he could probably call Deku stupid twenty times over and no one in 1-A would believe a goddamn word.
But this time around. Yeah. He's stupid. Running from his friends to carry his own stupid burdens. Fuck you.
It's pouring. Rain drips down Deku’s stupid curls and down his cheeks, like a substitute for his own tears. Katsuki takes a very deep breath.
And apologizes. Izuku.
Katsuki’s heart jerks. A feeling floods his brain so deeply he probably gets fucking high off of it. Like a harder dopamine. He almost grins to himself. When he turns his head up from the ground and meets Deku’s eyes— this boy in front of him is the most important person in the world.
Deku passes the fuck out. Katsuki catches him, breaking his fall. So it goes.
Deku is very quick to come find him.
“About what you said,” Deku doesn't bow his chin shyly, like Katsuki kinda expected. “I saw your— your eyes.”
Katsuki tilts his jaw over his shoulder to meet Deku’s look, and hear him properly. Deku must be a whole head shorter than him. “And what about my eyes, Deku?”
Deku swallows. His face looks peaceful, almost. Kinda serene? At a loss. Like he's been given something he doesn't know what to do with. Holding it emptily in his hands. “My mom told me what happened when my dad realized they were soulmates.”
“Yeah?”
“She said something about his eyes glowing,” Deku’s voice grew quieter.
Katsuki turns around so he's facing Deku. Katsuki cocks his head at him, keeping his face perfectly blank, level, almost to tease. “And you think that means..?”
The boy breathes harshly out his nose. “Kacchan,” he mutters. “Work with me. I’m not—”
Katsuki moves closer towards him. Bows a little. “Means what, Deku? I get it.”
“Yes?”
“Say my name.”
Deku jerks in surprise. “Kacchan,” he wobbles, clumsy.
“Is that my name?”
Deku glares at him, furrowing his brows. “It is.”
“To you.”
“Is it not for you?”
They've been slowly moving towards each other, gravitating through some magnetic pulse. Katsuki frowns, and focuses to realize Deku is on his tip-toes, and they're practically nose to nose.
“Kacchan,” Deku says.
Katsuki sighs, eyes heavy and half-lidded. Overdosed. “Yeah?”
Deku’s eyes go bright. He stumbles in surprise, and Katsuki’s hands come out to grip his arms, holding him still. He blinks through the rush, before he yanks his head up to stare— and Katsuki peers at him. “You get it now?”
“A little,” Deku breathes, and says wryly, “You can spell it out, if you want, Kacchan.”
Katsuki grins meanly. “You never ask for help.”
“Just this once,” and their noses brush.
Deku’s eyes flutter closed, and Katsuki’s hands drop his arms to cup his freckled cheeks, tilting his head. Maybe it's the whole soulmate drug rush— but there's no fucking way normal kisses feel like this at all times. Because holy shit.
They pull away, just for a second, breathing against each other’s lips, and Deku smiles. Not mean, or gnarled into a snarl like Katsuki— just softly. “Do you think I found a good soulmate, now?"
Katsuki temporarily makes a confused expression, tilting his head. Then a memory flashes by quickly.
"But even some loser like you should at least have some equally as loser soulmate."
Katsuki stills. This boy doesn't exist. He is not deserving of someone like Katsuki— and yet here he is. Kinda funny he ended up calling his future self a loser. He snaps, wetly, “Just shut up and c’mere,”
Deku goes quiet.