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It was past midnight by the time Shouto finally pushed his bedroom door open and collapsed face-first onto his bed.
Despite not even having to take the Yuuei entrance exam, Endeavor’s training had gotten more and more intense. Shouto would drag his aching body back to his room only to repeat it all the next day. Despite Shouto’s determination and stamina, he was beginning to strain. Every day it was a little easier to lay on the practice mat and just let Endeavor’s yelling wash over him.
He was too tired for this.
Despite the late hour, Shouto found himself glancing around his dark room, before exhaling in disappointment.
His soulmate must have fallen asleep. Shouto couldn’t blame him. It was late and Shouto himself couldn’t keep his eyes open.
And then Shouto’s room burst into life.
The darkness faded away slowly and gradually, replaced by hues of indigo and violet. Around him, bursts of light flickered and danced around him, until his room was shrouded in starlight.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Shouto murmured to himself, half amused. He propped himself up and watched as the cosmos stretched out before him.
Shouto’s soulmate was beautiful and kind and talented. It was evident in his goodnight wishes—often a canopy of stars just as Shouto was about to sleep, but it could also be a myriad of other locations. Since Shouto was seven, he’d seen more worlds and experienced more things thanks to his soulmate.
It took effort to create images to send one another, Shouto had learned. Even the simplest of images like a smiley face or a simple cartoon heart took more concentration than Shouto had the patience for. It astounded Shouto that his soulmate seemed to care this much to create something they would never even get to see.
The least Shouto could do was return the favor.
Shouto watched the galaxies spin around him, heart in his throat, before he carefully rearranged himself so that as much of his room was in full view. He allowed the starlight to wash over him before he closed his eyes and pressed his hands together in concentration.
He was tired. Beyond exhausted. Though seeing his soulmate’s beautiful galaxy had lightened the weight on his shoulders and brightened his day, he could still barely form a coherent thought. Tonight’s gift would have to be small and simple.
He imagined the beautiful pink roses his mother used to keep in a vase near the kitchen. Perfect, soft petals, and a long stem. He distantly remembered he’d cut his fingers on the thorns once and his mother had kissed it better.
The rose formed in his mind, as ideal as Shouto could make it. With a burst of mental effort, Shouto sent it off to his soulmate.
The only sign Shouto had that his gift had been received was the brightening of the night sky all around him.
Lips twitching in a smile, Shouto fell back on his and watched the stars dance for a few precious moments before his eyes closed and the world faded away.
—
Though the training leading up to Yuuei was painful, but Shouto could happily say that things were looking better than they ever had. Despite his original intention to freeze everybody out, there had been a few of his classmates who saw past his outwardly frigid demeanor and befriended him.
Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Uraraka all made an effort to at least speak to him and Shouto found himself genuinely enjoying himself whenever he managed to eat lunch with them or simply chat with Yaoyorozu.
The standout, however, was definitely Midoriya.
Though on first glance, Midoriya looked so overwhelmingly normal, it had slowly dawned on Shouto that Midoriya was special.
There was a light in Midoriya that nobody else seemed to carry—such an earnest, genuine need to help people. He drew people into his orbit and once they found themselves there, they never wanted to leave.
Shouto knew he’d follow Midoriya to hell and back.
“Ready to go, Todoroki?” Midoriya asked, radiant smile in place.
Shouto shouldered his bag and gave a short nod.
Despite Midoriya’s numerous injuries gained from the end of term exam, he still managed to energetically chatter about the upcoming field trip and the training they would undergo. The setting sun highlighted itself just behind Midoriya, forming a little halo just above unruly green curls. Shouto watched with a half-smile as Midoriya nearly tripped over his own feet while trying to walk backwards in order to talk face to face with Todoroki.
“You’re going to trip.” Shouto set firm hands on Midoriya’s shoulders and spun him around the face the correct way. “I don’t think you need any more injuries.”
Midoriya’s head ducked, ashamed. “You’re probably right.”
It was amusing. Midoriya was always energetic about anything concerning Yuuei, but seemed in especially high spirits. Shouto thanked his lucky stars for that.
Shouto halfheartedly listened to the rest of Midoriya’s ecstatic ramblings as they walked calmly towards the train station. There Midoriya departed with an enthusiastic wave while Shouto waited for the next train.
Maybe it was selfish of Shouto, but he couldn’t help but hope that his soulmate was someone as brilliantly kind and wonderful as Midoriya Izuku.
—
The field trip ended in terror.
Shouto sat waiting with the rest of his classmates, eyes darting from the clock and back. Around him, pale faces stared worryingly at the tiles and a downtrodden few had shed a tear or two. The only one vaguely keeping his composure was Kirishima, if only through sheer determination.
The plan was crazy and stupid, but Shouto knew they could pull if off if they could only get Midoriya on board. And if Shouto knew Midoriya at all, after being friends for these precious few weeks, it was that Midoriya would do anything to help those he cared about.
It was one of the few nights his soulmate hadn’t sent Shouto a beautiful world to explore. There were no galaxies or majestic forests or even a completely imagined land with dragon silhouettes in the distance.
Shouto could only remember one other night his soulmate hadn’t responded — that night in Hosu, when the Hero Killer had been prowling the streets. Shouto could remember hoping to death in the ambulance, wishing with all his heart that his soulmate was safe and hadn’t been in Hosu.
He found himself once again hoping that his soulmate was safe at home, playing video games or chatting with their friends. He’d hate for them to be out on the streets while the Villain Alliance was running around unchecked.
In the end, it was almost painfully easy to convince Midoriya to go along with their harebrained scheme. Shouto could see the desperation in his eyes, the utter desperate need to go after Bakugou. Neither Iida nor Yaoyorozu could begrudge him that.
“Are you okay?” Shouto had asked, after the dust had settled and after Midoriya’s tears had stopped leaking from the corners of his eyes.
Midoriya gave him a wane smile. His face was still blotchy and pale, eyes red and watery. There was something almost fragile about him in that moment, a weakness Shouto had never seen before. Midoriya could handle pain and fear of death — it was the fear of losing a loved one that shook him.
“I’ll be fine,” Midoriya promised. He turned his head, searching. Shouto’s eyes searched, too, but Kirishima and Bakugou were long gone.
It’s impulsive, but Shouto had the instinctive feeling that Midoriya needs reassurance. Quick as lightning, Shouto reached out and snatched Midoriya’s hand so that their palms rest lightly against each other. Midoriya’s bright green eyes stare up at him.
“Everyone is alive,” Shouto murmured softly. “Your plan worked and you saved Bakugou.”
It’s hesitant, but Midoriya’s smile grows. “Thank you.”
Shouto half-smiles. He only realized he was still holding onto Midoriya’s hand when the two of them go their separate ways and their hands slip out of each other’s.
—
The stars return after Kamino Ward, almost immediately. Shouto lies in bed that night, watching the supernovas burst at the edges of his vision. The colors are oddly muted and Shouto can tell that his soulmate is more exhausted than he’s ever been.
When Shouto rolled over and glanced at his clock, the stars are still shining above his head.
“You’re still awake,” Shouto muttered to himself. His concern is poorly hidden as he watched the galaxy flicker tiredly before appearing again.
His soulmate obviously couldn’t sleep. They’re exhausting themselves for no reason just trying to keep up this mental projection.
This won’t stand.
Shouto sat up and closed his eyes. It’s hard, trying to project something larger than he usually does. Sending flowers and other small things had made Shouto lazy when it came to communicating with his soulmate.
But, this soulmate has always been there for Shouto, even if it wasn’t in words. For as long as Shouto could remember, through the good and the bad, the stars had always sung him to sleep. It was high time Shouto relayed the favor.
The stars blossomed to life in his mind.
After so many years of staring at a painted sky just for him, Shouto kew every blue that went into the cosmos. He knew just the right shade of blue and red to make blue dwarves and red dwarves and he knew how to make the stars spin and dance to some tune nobody can hear. It took time and effort and Shouto spent nearly half an hour trying to envision this perfect universe before even attempting to send it.
Shouto couldn’t see his creation, but he hoped it was beautiful.
The stars around him blink and disappear, as if startled out of existence. Shouto gives a sleepy little grin and works to maintain his imaginary galaxy for the next half an hour, hoping that it’s enough for his soulmate to sleep.
He hoped his soulmate had good dreams that night.
The next morning, before he left for school, a soft pink rose lay on his desk, identical to the one he had sent all those weeks ago.
—
Things change after Kamino. Tensions are higher and everyone in the hero course is more on edge. Smiles fray and shoulders bow underneath some weight they carry.
The dorms are nice, Shouto can admit. It’s a relief to be away from father and he’s never had so much free time before. He’s ashamed to admit he takes full advantage of this. The time not spent studying or speaking with his classmates are spent napping in any place he can find.
Midoriya becomes a favored pillow.
“It’s almost midnight,” Midoriya whispered. He gently shoved Shouto towards the elevators. “You don’t have to stay. Get some sleep.”
Shouto’s eyes flickered to the cheesy horror flick Ashido insisted on for movie night. As he watched the terrible actors get spattered by obviously-fake gore, Shouto relaxed his shoulders.
“I think I will. Good night.”
Shouto left to a chorus of, “Good night, Todoroki!” echoing behind him. He smiled to himself as the elevator opened. Yes, life in the dorms was certainly better than life at home.
Just as Shouto entered his room, the quiet ping of his phone alerted him to a text. Shouto stopped, a little confused, but opened his messenger all the same.
It was a single line from Midoriya, unusual considering Midoriya usually writes a full-blown essay in his texts. It simply reads: Meet on the roof in five?
It didn’t even register as a question. Shouto made an abrupt turn and quickly power-walked his way to the elevator.
As the doors close gently behind him, Shouto was almost startled to death at the materialization of a puppy beside him. It’s obviously an illusion sent from his soulmate, but the puppy seems almost lifelike—big brown eyes and wagging tail. It bounded around Shouto happily, almost-but-not-quite nipping at his heels.
It’s enough to make Shouto smile.
“You must be happy today,” Shouto told the puppy. The puppy’s head tilted to the side and it’s tiny maw opened in a wordless bark.
Shouto shook his head fondly. His soulmate almost never sent anything that moved, usually sending landscapes and imagined lands instead. Shouto could gauge the mood of his soulmate simply by what illusion he sent.
Shouto made it to the roof easily with the puppy still weaving between his legs. It’s enough of a distraction for Midoriya to rise from the ground and openly stare.
“You told me to sleep,” Shouto began uncertainly. “Did you need to speak to me?”
Midoriya stared for another heartbeat, eyes growing wider and wider.
“You . . .?”
Concerned, Shouto takes a step forward and gently reaches out to clasp Midoriya’s quivering shoulders. “Midoriya? Are you alright?”
“F-Fine! I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be fine? I-It’s not like I just . . . I mean . . .”
“You’re rambling again.” Shouto carefully took Midoriya’s wrist. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Midoriya took a breath. He looked up to Shouto through those wide-wide eyes and Shouto almost can’t tear his eyes away. The night sky behind Midoriya is every bit as beautiful as the boy standing in front of Shouto. It’s breathtaking.
When Midoriya spoke, his words were soft and barely audible. “Do you . . . do you know who your soulmate is?”
Shouto shook his head.
Midoriya smiled, small and honest. “I think I do.”
Shouto’s heart dropped. He glanced down at this beautiful boy and wonders who was lucky enough to have him.
“That’s wonderful,” Shouto replied softly. “Who . . .?”
Midoriya took his hand and carefully stepped closer, fitting himself neatly into the space between Shouto’s arms. He fits perfectly there, head tucked beneath Shouto’s chin, as the roof around them bursts to life.
The fantasy forest Shouto’s soulmate had created for them all those years ago rises from the rooftop. The trees’ skeletal hands reach for the stars, as if the illusions are real, and moving in some unseen wind. The real stars shine above them and Shouto can see the starlight reflected in Midoriya’s eyes.
Shouto’s smiled, uncertain but genuine. Every once in a while the universe or some cosmic force likes to throw him a bone—something that will brighten his life. His soulmate had always been one of them and now Shouto knows the universe doesn’t really hate him.
Shouto placed his head down on Midoriya’s, wrapping the smaller boy tightly in his arms.
His words were soft and quiet as he bent down to whisper in Midoriya’s ear.
“I’m so lucky it’s you.”