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In a world where your soulmate could decide your actions, Hizashi's first options appeared a couple days after the start of the second year. He was heartbroken. Maybe not heartbroken but definitely disappointed. Somewhere deep down he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have a soulmate and he'd be able to choose who is destined for him.
And that person would be one of his two best friends, Aizawa Shouta.
Unfortunately, fate decided that Hizashi didn't have a say in the matter and presented him with two options. With a sigh, Hizashi stared at the letters above his head.
Soulmate choice
Go to sleep
Train
Maybe we can be platonic soulmates, he thought as he chose the only reasonable option at 11 pm. Not that he expected Shouta to reciprocate his feelings (especially since the boy didn't know about them). It was still something Hizashi liked to fantasise about.
The next morning he woke up startled and looked up to see
Your soulmate chose
Be on time
He grabbed his phone and realised that he forgot to plug it in and the battery died during the night. If it weren't for his soulmate, he'd be late! They weren't so bad, after all.
He quickly went through his morning routine and arrived just on time at the train station. When he reached the station, he greeted Shouta, who was waiting for him before the building, with a blinding smile. His friend smiled softly in return and Hizashi felt butterflies in his stomach fluttering (which, ew, bugs).
“Yo! How’s your morning?”
Shouta scowled. “I got my choice yesterday. My asshole of a soulmate made me go to sleep instead of training.”
Oh. Oh, what a weird coincidence.
They entered the train and Hizashi couldn't get mind off the fact how similar the choices were.
Next time his choices appeared was just before their ethics test.
Soulmate choice
Study for the test
Play Switch
He didn't want his soulmate to fail, duh!
The next choice picked by his soulmate was when he was in a bathroom.
Your soulmate chose
Keep them growing
He could only assume it meant his other option was to cut his hair, given that his gaze flickered briefly to the scissors his mums kept in the bathroom for emergencies, like cutting a bandage.
Well, if his soulmate insisted!
“Did you decide to grow your hair out?” Shouta asked about a week later, when Hizashi's hair was visibly longer.
“Oh, yeah! My soulmate made me do it and I kinda dig it,” Hizashi replied. Shouta just hummed, looking thoughtful. “Looks good,” he mumbled.
Hizashi still wasn't sure how he felt about being bound to someone to this degree, especially when his feelings for his friend were only growing stronger. Shouta was smart, determined, kind and so incredibly adorable, how could Hizashi not fall for him? Oboro had been teasing him relentlessly and insisted Hizashi should confess. He was hesitant to. He was pretty sure the boy didn't return his feelings and if they were meant to stay friends, Hizashi would take it. It was better than to be rejected and ruin their friendship, for sure.
There was also that little pesky soulmate thing. They never really talked about it aside from sometimes complaining about the choices their soulmates made and Hizashi didn't know how Shouta actually felt about the whole concept. What if he was excited about his soulmate? What if he was ready to meet them and fall in love with them?
The next choice appeared on a random Tuesday in May. The weather was awful - it'd been pouring since the weekend and suddenly, Hizashi was presented with two options when he was riding the train.
Soulmate choice
Take the kitten with you
Leave the umbrella
His heart broke for the poor little thing and he chose the first option.
Twenty minutes later, Shouta arrived at school with a small, ginger fluff ball gathered in his jacket.
Oh. Oh. Could it be…?
“Whatcha got there, Sho?” He asked as he came up to his friend.
“Kitten,” Shouta replied, showing the head of the cat. “My soulmate made me pick it up,” he explained.
Shit.
“Oh… that's so cool! What are we going to do with it?”
Shouta shot him a questioning look. “We?”
Hizashi smiled softly and nodded. Shouta's shoulders lost some of the tension and they went to their desks. Shouta settled the kitten on the desk, and the little thing curled in the jacket, purring a storm.
“We'll have to figure out how to feed him,” Shouta said quietly. “He's too young to be on solid food yet.”
“We can take him to my house after school and we'll figure it out,” Hizashi replied in a whisper. They didn't have much time to discuss as the class started. Oboro, in a truly Cloud Boy fashion, arrived ten minutes late to homeroom and entered via the window, to which he was lifted by one of his clouds, and started immediately undressing, much to their sensei’s chagrin.
After classes, three boys went to the Yamada household.
“Mum, we're home!” Hizashi announced from the genkan. They were all soaking wet, despite Oboro covering them with clouds, and the tiny thing in Shouta's arms was shivering.
Akiko, Hizashi's mum, immediately appeared from the living room.
“Look at the three musketeers!” She said as she took in the sight of them. “Oh, and what do we have here?” She asked, as she noticed the little bundle Shouta was holding.
“Shouta found a kitten!” Hizashi explained. “But it's so small, we don't know how to feed it.”
Akiko smiled warmly at the boy. “You boys change and warm the baby up, and I'll go grab some kitten formula for the poor thing. The last thing we need is all of you getting sick.”
The boys showered and changed into Hizashi's clothes (and thank God Oboro left some after the last sleepover. How a highschooler can be this tall?!)
Thirty minutes later, Hizashi's mum arrived with cat supplies that…
Included everything, from food to litter and toys.
She showed them how to gently feed the kitten and Shouta had the privilege of first feeding, looking at the tiny fur ball with such a tender smile and warmth in his eyes that Hizashi nearly melted into a puddle.
“Just tell him already,” Oboro insisted when they went to the kitchen to grab snacks for themselves.
Hizashi shook his head, but deep down he knew he'll have to. After all, it seemed his friend was truly his soulmate, there were only so many coincidences Hizashi could ignore.
He felt a pang of pain when he realised his soulmate truly was platonic.
A couple days passed. The cat, now named Sushi, was thriving and the trio was at Hizashi's place every day to study and spend time with the kitten. Shouta was the most involved and seeing how gently he tended to the fluff ball made Hizashi's heart ache. He had to talk to his friend, and soon.
The opportunity presented itself on Friday, when Oboro had to leave early to help out his dad with one thing or another.
“So, um…,” Hizashi said after a couple minutes of quiet, during which they listened to some soft swing music. “Your soulmate, huh?”
“What about them?” Shouta asked, playing with Sushi with a wool ball. The kitten was full of energy and was running all over the room.
Great start. Now what.
“Would you… like to meet them?”
Shouta shrugged. “I guess. I'd like to ask them to stop cutting into my training schedule.”
Ok, yeah, that sealed it. Every couple of days, Hizashi was forced to choose between training and sleeping for his soulmate.
“Maybe they do it because they care about you,” he said quietly.
Shouta shrugged again. “Either way,” he hesitated. “I think they're my platonic soulmate. I, ah, already have someone I like,” he said with a blush spreading over his face.
It was like a punch to the gut. Of course he assumed they were platonic soulmates but he didn't know Shouta had a crush on someone! They were best friends, why didn't he tell him sooner?!
“Oh… Oh! Who's it?” Hizashi forced an excited grin but even he could tell it was fake. It certainly felt like it was.
“It doesn't matter. They don't… don't like me this way, anyway,” Shouta replied dejectedly.
Ok, who's Hizashi going to fight. How could anyone miss how awesome his friend was!
“No way man, anyone would be lucky to date you,” he assured Shouta, whose blush deepened.
Summer came and went, with inconsolable Hizashi trying to mend his broken heart. Poor Oboro proved to be an absolutely bestest of friends and tried to cheer Hizashi up, who spent the first week after midterm exams crying and watching romantic comedies. His friend was there all the way, hugging Hizashi and providing him with all the tissues he needed. He did insist that Hizashi talked with Shouta though, and he just couldn't do it.
It was just after the work studies when Shouta unknowingly decided to be an asshole to Hizashi.
Your soulmate chose
Dye your hair purple
Well, fuck. Truth be told, Hizashi considered doing it himself, in a true post-breakup fashion, and even bought the dye but eventually, hadn't done it. Looks like he had no say in this matter.
Shrugging to himself, he picked up the box and got to work. An hour later, he was sporting a vibrant purple hair and he had to admit, it didn't look half bad!
The next day he arrived at school a couple minutes before the bell rang, hair styled in his standard mane. When he entered the classroom, Shouta and Oboro both were there already, chatting up. When they noticed Hizashi, Oboro shrieked with happiness.
“Oh my God, dude, what happened!!” He asked as he jumped off his desk and ran towards the boy to inspect the hair from up close.
Hizashi laughed. “My soulmate felt adventurous, I guess,” he said and in that moment it registered with him.
Oh shit, there was no way Shouta wouldn't know now. Terrified, he looked at his friend, who was staring at him with eyes wide like saucers, mouth slightly agape.
Shit. Hizashi got rid of Oboro, who was practically hanging off him and sat at his desk, trying to ignore his best friend's stare.
Shouta was unusually quiet during the first three periods. When the lunch bell rang, he tugged on Hizashi's sleeve.
“Can we talk on the rooftop?” He asked, radiating discomfort. They haven't been to the rooftop recently, since it got too cold but it was the only place where they'd have a bit of privacy. Oboro left for the cafeteria and they went up the stairs in complete silence, throwing nervous glances at one another.
“So,” Shouta started as they reached the roof. “Um…”
Hizashi nodded. Wasn't sure what he's nodding to but he had no words.
“You… Me…,” Shouta made a vague gesture between them.
“Y-yeah, I think so…,” Hizashi confirmed and immediately went into defense mode. “Listen, it doesn't have to change anything if you don't want to…”
“What if I do?” Shouta asked quietly, stepping closer to the blond-turned-purple.
Hizashi gaped. “You… do…?”
Shouta shyly reached out his hand to grab Hizashi's, and tangled their fingers together. “This ok?” He murmured.
Hizashi nodded, unable to make a sound. It was more effective than Erasure.
“I-I…” Shouta took a deep breath. “I like you. I like -like you,” he admitted, his eyes staring into Hizashi's. “After you started growing your hair I thought it's you but then you didn't say anything, and I…”
“I like you too,” Hizashi blurted out, his brain finally finishing up rebooting. “Holy shit, I like you so much,” he added, tears gathering in his eyes. “I want to date you, and kiss you, and…”
“You can,” Shouta mumbled and yeah, Hizashi's brain shut down again.
“W-what,” he stuttered.
“You can kiss me,” Shoura muttered, and Hizashi really needed to get his hearing aids checked out.
“Oh,” he let out and lifted his free hand to cradle Shouta's face. The boy looked at him from under his dark lashes, cheeks dusted the prettiest shade of pink. They leaned in slowly and as their lips brushed, Hizashi thought that maybe that soulmate stuff wasn't so bad after all.