Chapter Text
Midoriya loved quirks the best. He kept notes on each and every quirk he had ever heard of, utterly fascinated by them. Even the lack of his own couldn’t discourage him.
The idea of soulmates came second, but that didn’t mean he loved it any less. At least… until he turned six.
At the age four, he didn’t get a quirk like the rest of his peers, but that didn’t discourage him. He hoped it would change one day. And in the meantime he still had a soulmark.
*
Midoriya remembered turning six because of the amazing cake Aunt Mitsuki got him. And because of what happened at the end of the celebrations.
"Kacchan, my mark appeared the other day."
Bakugou was sitting on the rug, next to his bed, flipping through a book of All Might stickers. Midoriya let him look at them and choose one if he wanted. Or even two. He was feeling generous; after all it was his birthday.
Midoriya couldn't name the emotion he felt when he was with Bakugou, but he knew he would let him choose any of the stickers. Even the central piece on page 10.
"And your quirk?" perked up Bakugou, looking hopeful out of the blue. His bright red eyes scanned Midoriya’s face, searching for any clue that would tell him something.
Midoriya felt a cold pang in his heart as he had to shake his head. "No.” Midoriya gulped loudly, then added, “Not yet!”
Bakugou made an unhappy sound, and turned back to the stickers, as if nothing had happened.
Even at age six, his hair was spiky and his pout discouraging. But his eyes were a lot softer, so Midoriya didn't hesitate to scout closer, intent on finished what he started.
"But my mark is really cool. Wanna see?"
Bakugou turned to him, scoffing a little. "Where is it?"
"Nowhere inappropriate, just on my stomach. Yours is on your hip, right? It's almost identical."
"It's not. Just close." But at least he put the book down. Not far, just next to them. Still it got Midoriya his undivided attention, and that was all that mattered.
Midoriya used to dream about him a lot. Going on adventures, being heroes together. And these dreams were always really colourful, so lifelike it made his heart ache after waking up. And so beautiful it shook him more than any nightmare could.
Wouldn't it be cool? If they were soulmates? Destined to stay together in mischief forever? Share a life of mutual adventures and fun?
"So do you wanna?"
"Yes, nerd, whatever. Show it to me."
Midoriya pulled his All Might shirt up, revealing the black tattoo swirling around his belly button.
"This is mine. Isn't it awesome?"
Bakugou eyed the tattoo for a long moment, refusing to speak.
"Kacchan? What's up? Do you think it's hideous?"
Bakugou's eyes snapped up from the tattoo. "Don't act coy, I can see how intricate the lines are. I'm not blind."
"I. I didn't say you were!"
Bakugou huffed, and looked to the side. Then without looking back, he pulled his own shirt up a little, letting Midoriya see the tattoo on his hip.
The lines are similar!
Midoriya's heart was thudding heavily in his chest. Could it mean?
"Yours is also really pretty, Kacchan."
"Tsk, whatever."
Midoriya tilted his head to the side until he caught his eyes. "Kacchan...?" His face was flushed, the pink making the red of his eyes more prominent.
"Wanna check?"
Midoriya's breath hitched. "Check? Really?"
"Yeah, it's your birthday... Consider it a second gift."
"O-oh, okay." Midoriya tried to appear nonchalant, not like the boy who had been dreaming about this moment for weeks.
Bakugou reached out gingerly, and Midoriya flattened his palm on his skin without hesitation. Then Bakugou quickly did the same, not wanting to come second in anything.
For a moment, none of them said anything. Midoriya even forgot to breathe.
Bakugou frowned, and Midoriya's heartbeat quickened.
"Do you feel anything?" he asked suspiciously.
And Midoriya didn't. Just Bakugou's warm hand on his skin. But apart from that... Nothing.
Before he could say anything, Bakugou pulled his hand away to peek under. The ink remained black. Unchanged and cruel.
Bakugou made an angry sound, and swept Midoriya's hand away from his skin. It was also black.
Midoriya felt his chest grow cold. He had been so sure... But he was the same about his quirk appearing too.
Maybe he was destined to be delusional.
"Hah, thank goodness!" huffed Bakugou, voice high pitched and panicked. "We're not..."
"You don't have to rub it in," murmured Midoriya, and awkwardly shuffled away. He tried to hide it but the tears swelled in his eyes, and soon he was sobbing silently.
He was so sure! How could he have been so stupid?!
Bakugou turned his head away, then stood." These stickers suck," he said rudely, and stomped out of Midoriya's room.
Midoriya sniffed loudly, rubbing at his eyes like a small child.
He didn't care that he was a really small child, all he wanted was for the tears to stop. Despite his stubbornness, it was harder to actually do.
By the time his mother came to check up on him, and tell him that the Bakugou family had departed, he calmed down a bit.
"Oh, Izuku," sighed his mother, sitting down next to him on the rug. "Did you two fight again?"
"Mom, Kacchan's not. He's not my. Not my."
"Izuku, sweetheart, it's okay." She hugged him tightly. "You have decades to meet your soulmate. But you can love someone other than them. You know that, right?"
"But I wanted." Midoriya took a shuddering breath. "I wanted it to be Kacchan!"
Inko held him, rocking him slowly. "It's okay, Izuku, you don't know what fate has in store for you yet."
From then on, he didn't trust his feelings. What use was it to fall in love with someone if the mark didn't change colour? He didn't want to suffer through another rejection.
*
When Midoriya got a quirk, he was so happy, he forgot about having a soulmark.
Up until he fought Todoroki during the Sports Festival, and felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes prickle as the flames danced in front of him.
He squashed the feeling down, because it had no place in his life.
When Todoroki appeared in Hosu city, fought and won by his side, Midoriya wished a lot of things. Mainly for survival. And for that this brave, amazing boy to be his soulmate.
And then they got back, and Todoroki sought him out one afternoon.
"Midoriya, if you don't mind me asking," he started, his usually impassive face now pink from some emotion. Probably shame. Shame that he would have to ask this from him. "Do you have a—?"
Midoriya couldn't let him finish. He didn’t have the strength to go through with the process again. "I don't! No, I. Don't. Have a soulmark."
Todoroki seemed disappointed but didn't press the issue further. Still, he didn't immediately leave either. Walked with Midoriya until the train station, talking about quirks and heroes.
Midoriya wished he could check but that would only bring the both of them misery.
*
Then the provisional exam happened and Midoriya cried big fat tears of joy when he held the license in his hands.
Of course, the night after he would never forget. The night he fought Bakugou, really fought him - the first time as a true equal.
They became rivals or maybe even friends, really. Finally, after so many years, they were good friends again.
Midoriya was the happiest he could ever be. Because that was the closest he could ever be to the love of his life. A rival.
*
His life was the best it could be. He had an amazing quirk, All Might was his mentor, his class was full of his friends, and the school was hard but rewarding.
Todoroki was easily his best friend – he was so easy to understand. Midoriya was confused why Iida said he had a miraculous sense to read Todoroki’s bland expressions. To Midoriya, he was an open book.
His rivalry with Bakugou got really domestic. Their competitiveness sharpened into something more than just the simple need to win. They got together to discuss strategies, and trained together under All Might’s supervision a lot.
It was perfection. Midoriya could almost forget the ugly black soulmark on his stomach, and pretend it was alright. Up that fateful Saturday morning in last year. When Bakugou and Todoroki appeared together in the common room to have breakfast.
Midoriya knew instantly what was going on.
Todoroki greeted him and Iida at the coffee machine, and told them the truth.
"We matched," he whispered, and Midoriya kept a straight face as he felt his heart break into a thousand tiny pieces.
"Congratulations, Todoroki!" said Iida.
"Con-congratulations, Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya was so flustered he almost choked on his tongue, and called Todoroki formally. After almost a year of informality.
"Thank you."
*
Midoriya fled from the kitchen, but couldn't ran far. He had practice with Bakugou later, under All Might's supervision. He couldn't skip that for the silly reason of 'heart break' or whatever.
Bakugou was his same prickly self. Apparently finding his soulmate didn't mellow him out in the past twelve hours.
Midoriya was glad that at least it meant everything can stay the same between them.
If anything, it seemed to fill Bakugou to the brim with happiness. And that manifested in even hotter explosions. Midoriya could barely duck, and at the end of training, he was left singed in numerous places.
"Excellent work, young Midoriya! You're getting better by the minute." All Might's praise was always welcome, even though now it rang a little hollow to Midoriya.
All Might turned and patted Bakugou on the head, who suffered it like a feral cat, the same as usual.
Midoriya quickly excused himself and went to the showers. Thankfully, he didn't have any more plans for the day, so he could go back to his room and lick his wounds.
He was supposed to meet with Todoroki later for studying, but that was surely cancelled in light of recent events.
He barely got his shoes off, when Bakugou marched into the locker room, and glared at him hotly.
"Deku!"
"Yes, Kacchan?" He didn't jump from the angry sound, because he honestly wasn't scared anymore. Even if Bakugou's face looked dangerous now.
"What was that shit inside?"
"What shit?"
Bakugou growled at him, stepping closer yet. "You've been distracted! Barely paying attention."
Uh-oh. That was the worst crime in Bakugou's book. He could never suffer it if his opponent didn't give him their 100%. Especially if it was Midoriya.
"No, no, nothing. I was. Just. The lack of sleep. Uhm. I'll be better next time! I'll win."
Bakugou narrowed his eyes. "Lack of sleep? What kind of noob excuse is that?"
Midoriya didn't know what to say. The truth was that he couldn't really concentrate with the knowledge of Bakugou's tattoo turning colourful for the first time in his life. What did it look like now?
"The truth?" tried Midoriya, and Bakugou rolled his eyes.
"Lame."
However, it seemed enough because Bakugou stopped hovering, and moved to his own locker.
Fortunately, it was further away, so Midoriya could change and scurry to the showers without any more glaring.
He hurried because he didn't want to see Bakugou's naked body - especially not the tattoo that was a mocking reminder they weren't meant to be.
Midoriya washed quickly, rubbing unhappily at his pitch black mark. It would have been so much better if he had been born without one too. Now he wouldn't have to mourn a loss that wasn't even truly his.
*
Stepping out of the shower, he checked first if Bakugou was inside. As the water was still running, Midoriya felt it safe to go and dress.
He jumped into his clothes, eager to hide his skin under layers and layers of denial.
Once he got his underwear and shirt on, his heartbeat started slowing down.
He promised himself he wouldn't look but when Bakugou emerged from the showers, Midoriya automatically raised his head.
The sight of the bright blue tattoo soured his mood, and made him wish the ground would swallow him whole.
Of course Bakugou's soulmate was Todoroki. The handsome, smart, powerful Todoroki... And not him with the borrowed quirk and lame moss green hair.
Bakugou caught his eyes, and Midoriya lowered his head in shame. He wasn't jealous, at least he was trying not to be.
"Congratulations," said Midoriya between his teeth. Because that was what people usually said. Something he would never ever hear.
Bakugou stopped, and Midoriya didn't catch his expression because he continued pulling on his socks without looking at him.
"Thanks," mumbled Bakugou after a while, then quickly went to his own locker.
Midoriya was thankful he didn't say something cliché like 'You'll find yours soon, too!'. Because that would have been a cruel lie.