Work Text:
“Happy Birthday Shouto!”
Shouto smiled at his sister bringing out the cake that had a candle in the shape of number eighteen. His mother, Natsuo and Natsuo's girlfriend were clapping while singing happy birthday happily. He then looked over to the other side. He did not expect Dabi- no, not Dabi anymore, he’s his big brother Touya now, to attend his birthday, though being supervised by Hawks.
His father, Endeavor or just Enji now that he retired, only came by the morning to drop off a present and that's it. It's still awkward having him over for dinner or lunch so Shouto was actually glad he knew when he was not welcome. Natsuo hasn't been giving him the stink eye and Touya was slowly letting go of the grudge thanks to the mandatory therapy. Their family was still awkward and there's still many things to overcome but they are changing, the change was slow but were heading in the right direction.
“Shouto… make a wish.” His mother, Rei, said with a gentle smile and Shouto blew the candle as his siblings cheered.
“I can't believe you're eighteen already!” Fuyumi sighed fondly and dapped away the unshed tears. “Time went by so fast.”
“Mmhm, you've grown so much and have made so many friends, they'll be celebrating your birthday tomorrow right?” Natsuo asked, already getting himself and his girlfriend a slice of the cake.
“Yea, in the evening when I return to the dorm.” Shouto nodded.
“You're eighteen and you know what that means?” Touya grinned wide in a teasing manner.
“Hm?” Shouto looked at Touya in confusion and Fuyumi butted in with sparkles in her eyes.
“Soulmate! There's a chance you'll get a soulmark! Aren't you excited?”
“Oh… I don't know… I never really thought about it.”
Shouto remembered how everyone in his class was very excited about it. He remembered when Hagakure and Ojirou got their soulmark. Both of them were already dating at the time and they were actually nervous about the soulmark despite the fact that only forty percent of the population gets them. The class were actually very happy for them and said how it's a miracle but also made sense that they were soulmates.
“Do you believe in soulmate Natsuo-nii?” Shouto glanced over to Natsuo who's sitting with his girlfriend though they're almost cuddling.
“Shouto, I'm literally here with my soulmate.”
“Ah.”
“But to answer your question, yes I do, I…actually was very excited when I turned eighteen, wishing for a soulmate. Of course I was nervous about it too, worrying if I'll get along with my soulmate…worried about… ” Natsuo trailed off and even without him explaining, Shouto knows what he's worried about. Shouto watched how Natsuo’s eyes softened and brightened up as he gazed at his girlfriend with their hand held gently.
“My wish came true and she's the best thing that ever happened to me. I promise I'll make my soulmate the happiest person in the world.”
“Oh my god, get a room!”
“You have no right to say that Touya!”
The night continued on with them just enjoying the lovely dinner Fuyumi and Rei prepared and then catching up with one another's life. Touya had to leave since he couldn't stay long as he is still recovering and also still in rehab. It was quite late at night when they cleaned up the dishes.
Shouto's phone started going off when midnight came. It was a bunch of birthday wishes from his friends and that made the tip of Shouto’s lips quirk up though one message made Shouto's heart skip a beat and his mismatched eyes lit up.
His thumb moved towards the first notification and clicked open. It was just a simple message, a happy birthday with his name, yet it made Shouto feel so happy as if he had succeeded in petting a very fluffy grumpy cat.
Bakugou Katsuki
Happy Birthday Icyhot
Todoroki Shouto
Thank you Bakugou :)
Bakugou Katsuki
Eraserhead-Go-to-sleep.sticker
Todoroki Shouto
Pusheen-cat-salute-yes.sticker
The interaction was short but it made Shouto laughed lightly. The thought of Bakugou actually staying up past his own bedtime just to wish him a birthday message warmed his heart. Bakugou probably stayed up out of spite but it is the thought that counts.
Bakugou had finally admitted they're friends and they've been hanging out a lot more often. It didn't stop Shouto from purposely riling Bakugou up. Bakugou's reaction was always funny, he would have this very painfully ugly expression yet it's so cute and fascinating. Seeing Bakugou always made Shouto's day better.
Now he wondered if Bakugou had a soulmate. Bakugou was the first one out of all of them to turn eighteen as his birthday is in April. Shouto frowned as he recalled Bakugou never announced about getting a soulmark and he brushed off anyone that asked about it so the class pretty much agreed he doesn't have one which is fine, not everyone has soulmates nor have to have one.
Though the idea of Bakugou having someone else as a soulmate doesn't sit well with Shouto. He couldn't imagine Bakugou settling down with some girl or boy. What if Bakugou found someone and he wouldn't hang out with Shouto anymore? That's unacceptable! No, Shouto can't accept that.
What Shouto imagined how they'll be in the future was they continue their friendship even after graduation, continue to fight to be the top hero, continue trying out different restaurants and visit cat cafes together. Maybe they'll get an apartment together? Or if Bakugou wanted to room with Kirishima was fine too, Shouto will just visit. They’ll get an apartment that's close to one another since they'll go to the same company then patrol together and fight villains side by side. Bakugou being at his side, that future sounds more right in Shouto's head.
Yeah, Shouto doesn't need a soulmark. His social circle right now is enough.
With that in mind, Shouto's eyes became heavy as he slowly drifted into a deep slumber with thoughts of a certain explosive boy flowing in his mind.
Ah he forgot to thank his friends for the birthday wishes. He'll reply to them tomorrow.
When morning arrived, Shouto was not awakened by his usual soft morning alarm but instead a weight on his chest and loud honk startled him awake.
“Huh?!”
Shouto blinked the sleepiness away and there stood on his chest…. Was a goose.
A platinum blonde red eyed goose
“What?”
“HONK!”
With that loud honk at his face, Shouto was wide awake and he shot up from the futon toppling the poor goose off his chest.
The goose flapped its wings and approached Shouto again with a honk while Shouto was scrambling up to his feet, still a little disoriented from being scared by the goose. He didn’t even change out of his pajama and bolted out of his room with slam of the door.
“ Shouto?”
Shouto turned to the side and saw Fuyumi looking at him in confusion and surprise.
“You're up early.”
“Fuyumi-nee …. I… there's something… I think… this …” Shouto mumbled while pointing to his room trying to make sense.
“Something in your room? Did Touya leave a prank in your room again? Seriously…” Fuyumi huffed along with a shake of her head and reached for the door.
“Wait no Fuyumi-nee!”
But it was too late, Fuyumi had slid open the door and she immediately froze then spoke slowly as Shouto stood a step behind her unsure what to do.
“Shouto… there's a goose.”
“Yes…”
“There's a goose in your room.”
“I'm aware.”
The goose honked loudly, startling the two and Shouto immediately grasped onto Fuyumi’s wrist and bolted down the hallway as he could hear the goose following while honking loudly.
“Wait-! Shouto! Wait!”
They got to the living room where Rei was sitting there watching the news. She looked at them confused at the frantic footsteps and how out of breath they looked.
“Hm? Shouto? Fuyumi? Is everything okay?”
“There's a goose…” Shouto started and Rei blinked at what he said.
“A goose?”
“Shouto, as I was saying…”
And Fuyumi was cut off again.
“Why are you guys so loud? I was planning to sleep in today!” Natsuo groaned loudly as he came down from the other side of the hallway.
“Sorry Natsuo-nii but there was a goose.”
“A goose?”
“Yes, a goose in my room.”
“Oh my, you saw a goose in your room.”
“Why is there a goose in your room?”
“I woke up and it was there, I think it broke in.”
“Why would a goose break into your room? That's stupid.”
“Why else would it be there?”
“Maybe-”
“SHOUTO! THAT WAS YOUR SOULMATE GOOSE!”
The three blink at Fuyumi who was frowning down on them.
“What?”
“Your soulmark is the goose.”
And as if it heard them, the goose had made its presence known by honking. Shouto look at the goose then back up at his family before announcing.
“My soulmark is a goose.”
Natsuo blinked and then started laughing but was shut up from a nudge on the stomach by their mother. Fuyumi rolled her eyes at Natsuo and looked down at the quiet goose who was staring at Shouto. “It will take you to your soulmate and make sure you two meet before disappearing .”
“It'll disappear?” Shouto gasped, face paled at the thought. Fuyumi was quick to reassure him that it didn't disappear completely.
“Yes and no? Not many get a goose as a soulmark but it seems to come and go as it please, I think it would appear when you had a fight with your soulmate or when you got separated from your soulmate during a dangerous situation.”
Shouto nodded and he pouted. He knew he should be happy, not everyone gets a soulmate but…
His thought was interrupted by a nip on his ankle and a honk from the goose.
“Ow?”
“Oh … they get aggressive when you don't start moving.” Fuyumi said with a sheepish smile while Natsuo snorted, then gave Shouto a firm pat on the shoulder.
“Good luck Shouto.”
Shouto only sighed as he gazed at the goose that only stared back with his round unblinking eyes.
The goose was just a small animal, it can't get any more aggressive right?
Fuyumi had failed to inform Shouto how aggressive a soulmate goose can be. The little thing had wreaked havoc in the Todoroki's household. Shouto had lost two pants to the goose and it ruined Shouto's breakfast by eating his fish leaving him with just rice, miso soup and eggs.
“Huh… don't you think this goose looks kinda like that loud friend of Shouto's?” Natsuo brought it up mid breakfast as they watched the goose completely swallow Shouto’s fried fish.
“Now that you mention it, the colour does remind me of him … Bakugou, right? The one that uses explosions?” Fuyumi nodded agreeing with Natsuo.
The longer Shouto looked at the goose, the more he agreed with his siblings. He would have joined in the conversation but he saw how the goose was eyeing his breakfast so he quickly eat them up before the goose decided that eating the eggs was not an issue.
Natsuo had sprinted out of the house when the goose tried to swallow his phone and his mom was very extremely concerned when the goose swallowed up the bouquet of blue flowers his father sent over. Touya would be so disappointed to miss watching those flowers get destroyed by a goose.
Shouto was about to clean up the mess on the floor when Fuyumi stopped him.
“Nee-san.”
“Let me do it Shouto, I think it is best you go with your soulmate goose before it decides to destroy the kitchen.”
And so Shouto was kicked out of his own home with the goose.
Shouto was not happy having to be out so early in the day but the goose was ecstatic. Its wings flapped, then it started waddling down the street and once in a while, it would gaze back making sure Shouto was following. It would honk if it noticed Shouto lagging behind which catches every passerby’s attention.
A few would congratulate him and wish him happy birthday and a few cooed at the goose but immediately regretted it when the goose honked and attacked like the menace it is. A kid had cried when the goose bit him and Shouto had to run before the mother of the kid caught him with her kid.
“You're going to get us in trouble, you know that?”
The goose only looked at him with his round beady red eyes and continued waddling down the street without a care.
They continued on and Shouto reached an unfamiliar neighborhood. Is not somewhere he would visit frequently unless there's some store he wanted to visit or when he visited his friends. He looked around and spotted a park he could recognise. This was somewhere close to where Midoriya lives.
Could his soulmate be Midoriya?
No, it couldn't be, Midoriya doesn’t have a soulmark.
Another name flashed in his mind and Shouto's cheek warmed. Could it be Bakugou? Natsuo did mentioned how the colour of the goose reminded him of Bakugou. It was still unsure if Bakugou have a soulmark or not and the idea of Bakugou being his soulmate is not bad, they are on good terms after all. Though Shouto quickly shelved that thought away, not wanting to give himself hope.
He only snapped out of his thought when the goose honked loudly and started sprinting down the path.
“Hey! Wait! Not so fast!”
Shouto ended up running laps around the huge park before finally making a different turn. He would have stopped when they reached the second lap but the goose wouldn't let him. Shouto did not want to run so early in the morning.
“Where are you going?” Shouto panted and found himself feeling relief when the goose slowed down his sprint into a waddle. They had exited the park and headed into another neighbourhood.
As it is still morning on a weekend, the place was quiet, leaving only Shouto and the goose along with the very few joggers they pass by. Shouto glanced down at the nameplate of each house and then spotted one he is very familiar with.
Bakugou
The goose had stopped walking too and it honked as a warning for Shouto to not bump into him.
Wait, the goose stops… It had stopped in front of Bakugou's house.
Another honk caught Shouto's attention and he looked up. A familiar looking jogger was coming up towards them. The spikey looking soft blond hair, sharp red carmine eyes and the scar on his right cheek, there's no way Shouto would not recognize him, he was someone that kept running around in Shouto's mind after all!
“The fuck…” Bakugou muttered and his jog slowed down when he saw the goose waddling towards him.
And then the goose opened its wings and honked as it started approaching Bakugou aggressively.
Very aggressively
“HOLY SHIT!”
Bakugou turned around and bolted down the street with the goose chasing after him.
“Bakugou!!” Shouto quickly ran after them.
Why was the goose chasing Bakugou? Why did the goose stop in front of Bakugou's house? Is Bakugou really his soulmate? If so…Why didn't Bakugou ever say anything?
“Ack!”
Bakugou had face planted to the ground with the goose biting onto his leg. He snarled and try to pry and shake the goose off but the goose had a tight bite on him.
“You stupid shit, the fuck is this, what the fuck, fucking hell!”
“Bakugou, are you okay?” Shouto asked, with a hand reached out to help Bakugou up.
Bakugou clicked his tongue and glared at Shouto while gesturing to the goose that was still biting on Bakugou’s ankle. “Just get that thing off me.”
Shouto only complied, a little disappointed that Bakugou reject his hand and looked to the goose unsure what to do. He stare at the goose before holding out his hands and wave.
“Uh…shoo, shoo?”
Bakugou and the goose stared at Shouto with a deadpan look as if they couldn’t believe Shouto would commit such an idiocy act. It’s not like Shouto was an expert in animals, that was Kouda’s specialty. Bakugou sighed and rolled his eyes before holding out his hand.
“Just help me up.”
Shouto nodded and pulled Bakugou up. The goose was still biting onto Bakugou but it didn't look as hard as before. Once Bakugou had his feet on the ground, he pulled his wrist back and had a frown on his face with his gaze to the ground. Nervousness started to fill Shouto’s mind. Judging by how the soulmate goose was not letting go of Bakugou which meant Bakugou is his soulmate.
Bakugou is his soulmate.
But how? No, not how …the question should be why, why Bakugou never said anything about it? Why did Bakugou keep quiet about Shouto being his soulmate? Why didn't he show his soulmark? He should have said something right? Why didn't he tell me? Am I…
Is there something wrong with Shouto…?
A snap of finger pulled him out of his spiralling thought and he stared back at Bakugou. Bakugou was glaring at him with a frown, there’s uncertainty in his eyes and a hint of pink on his cheeks. He glanced down before meeting Shouto’s eyes again.
“So…this your soulmark?” Bakugou asked with a wave of his hand that gesture to the goose. He waited until Shouto nodded before letting out a huff. “Of course the resident ice prince of UA had to have a rare soulmark, congratu-fucking-lation.”
“Thanks…I suppose.” Shouto muttered. “What about yours…?”
Bakugou visibly stiffened at the question but he didn’t break his gaze yet didn’t speak so Shouto continued.
“It’s obvious my soulmate is you from how the goose wouldn’t let you go and since we’re soulmates, you must have a soulmark…” Shouto stated and he watched Bakugou’s shoulder tense up more and he looked away.
“Bakugou, what is your soulmark?”
Bakugou frowned deeper as he ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it a bit before letting out a loud groan and grabbing onto Shouto’s right wrist with his left hand. Shouto froze at the sudden tight grab so he just stared at Bakugou sliding up his left sleeve above his elbow.
“It’s easier to just show you so held onto my wrist too.”
Shouto nodded and stiffly did as he was told. Bakugou looked intense as he had he gaze down on their hands. His chest rose up slowly then down and he twisted their connected hands showing his inner wrist. A row of words and numbers reveal themselves and Shouto’s eyes widen at the sight.
00:00:00
Bakugou’s House
“This is-!”
“Yea, yea…soulmate timer.” Shouto could see how red Bakugou was, with the blush spreading across his cheeks to the tip of his ears. “It give a general place and the timer would countdown until we met, it doesn’t give an exact place or how we’ll meet or who I’ll meet, the only good thing is that it’s not visible to anyone unless we do this, it’s a fucking pain but I figure it out though.”
Shouto gaped, eyes widened while Bakugou finally looked back at him.
“I figured out you’re my soulmate on the first day of high school.” Bakugou started. “I got my soulmark when my quirk manifested…I knew I’ll meet my soulmate in UA and I knew it was you when the timer hit zero the moment our eyes met in the classroom.”
“Then why didn’t you…” Shouto couldn’t understand why Bakugou didn't say anything and it seemed he had asked a stupid question because Bakugou got that usual ugly snarling face.
“Have you seen yourself during first year? There’s no way I could just tell you we’re soulmate.”
Right…
“You’re not any better…” Shouto muttered. It is true, first year Bakugou was always out looking for a fight, always in a raging rampage mood.
“Watch it.” Bakugou pinched Shouto’s arm making him flinch at the sudden pain. Bakugou rolled his eyes, finally let go of Shouto and tugged down his sleeve.
“Anyway, a lot happened during our first year, didn't it? There’s no fucking way I can bring it up.”
“But what about afterwards…?”
“There’s no point…” Bakugou shook his head. “We’re soulmate… you’ll get your soulmark and when you do, you’ll come find me if you’re interested, besides I…”
Once again, Bakugou's face flushed this cute pink. It's so unfair how Bakugou could look so painfully ugly one minute then become so adorably cute the next.
“I would rather you come to like me without fate forcefully pushing us together.”
“Bakugou…” Shouto smiled and couldn't help but to chuckle. “You’re secretly a romantic, aren’t you?”
And then there is Bakugou's infamous ugly raging face.
“Shut the fuck up if you don’t want me to blast you stupid shitty pretty face off.”
“I did came to like you Bakugou…” Shouto smiled. He really did. He wasn’t sure when he started to like Bakugou but he does remember how he came to wanting Bakugou to look at him. It was a little after sport festivals from their first year and it was during remedy class when he took the initiative to interact with Bakugou. Bakugou of course was reluctant but then Shouto was able to get past Bakugou’s thick wall and become someone considered close to Bakugou.
They have changed so much throughout their high school years, both of them had changed so much and gotten so close.
And they will get even closer now.
Shouto gently held onto Bakugou’s hands. “I’m glad the goose led me to you, I can’t imagine someone else to be my soulmate.”
“Whatever…” Bakugou turned his head to the side with a scoff, yet he didn’t pull his hands away. The red of the tip of his ears were visible to Shouto. “I’m glad too… you being my soulmate.”
Shouto lightly laugh and gaze down at their connected hands. Then he realized something.
“Oh hey, the goose is gone.”
“What? Your soulmark disappeared?!” Bakugou gaped and looked towards where the goose should have been only to be met with an empty space.
“For now, Nee-san said it would reappear if we argue or if you're in danger, the goose would always lead me to you.” Shouto answered with a shrug.
“I see… so basically a permanent mediator GPS goose…” Bakugou hummed with a nod. He pulled his hands out of Shouto’s grip and stuffed them into his pocket as he walked past Shouto down the street. “As long as it wouldn't be a cockblocker, I don't give a fuck about it.”
Shouto quickly followed Bakugou and once he got to Bakugou’s side, he slowed down to match Bakugou’s steps. “Bakugou… were you worried that the goose would get in our way?”
Bakugou glared at Shouto sharply. “How long are you going to call me Bakugou? Call me by my name!”
“Katsuki.” Shouto immediately said. He could feel his face burning and heart warmed at how smooth the name rolled off his tongue. “Then you'll call me Shouto .”
“No way, Halfie, I’ll only call you by your name when you earn it.” Bakugou snorted as if that’s a ridiculous idea.
“Earn it?”
“Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean I’ll make it easy.” Bakugou took a big step forward and turned back to face Shouto, only to flick him on the forehead. “There’s no way I’ll let you half ass this, you’ll have to work real fucking hard for me, I’m not easy.”
Shouto pouted at the light pain on his forehead. He rubbed the spot Bakugou had flicked him as he said.“Of course, I’ll work hard to make you fall for me.”
“Don’t disappoint me then.”
Bakugou, no, Katsuki, his soulmate smiled and his heart started beating like a mini drum. Before Shouto realised what he did, he had already grabbed onto Katsuki’s hand and leaned in.
“Can I kiss you?”
Katsuki’s face turned into a pretty shade of pink and he stammered. “Why…why are you asking stupid questions?” Shouto watched how his red eyes gaze to the side before it flickered down to Shouto’s lips then back up to Shouto’s eyes.
“Just… do it , dumbass.”
Katsuki’s eyes shut tight, almost as tightly as how he’s holding onto Shouto’s hand while the other was gripping onto his shirt. Shouto giggled at how flustered Katsuki was then leaned down to close the small distance between them. The moment he felt his lips touch Katsuki’s, the first thought was how soft his lips were. Unlike how romance movies describe, he doesn’t feel any fireworks or sparkles but he does feel a comfortable warmth rush in and how easily Katsuki fits in his arm.
It felt right and content to have Katsuki with him, he doesn’t want to let go.
Shouto looked forward to spending a lifetime with his best friend (no matter how much Katsuki denies it) now turned lover, his rival who is his very own soulmate. Katsuki had always been so close, always there for him in his very special Katsuki’s way. He supposed he already had fallen for Katsuki before his soulmark appeared, guess this whole thing had just been a wild goose chase.