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The sports festival… had not gone as planned, Neito decided. The sports festival was supposed to have been class 1-B’s chance to take the undeserved focus away from class 1-A. First there had been rumors that some of the students in the class were each other's soulmates, making 1-A the talk of the student body. Next, they all thought they were so great because they fought some villains at the USJ; well, his class would’ve been the ones getting the attention instead if the schedule had been slightly different. But, since he didn’t know anyone with a time travel quirk for him to borrow things were unfortunately as is. Though that’s where the sports festival was supposed to come in.
Neito had been confident in his class’ ability to kick 1-A to the curb with their abilities. The goal was for class 1-B to take the top three spots in the last event, ensuring that 1-A’s popularity was simply a fluke. That however was not what happened.
Only Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki had made it to the last event, and even then Shiozaki had only made it to the second round. Speaking of Shiozaki, he knew that Shiozaki had taken a trip to Recovery Girl after her last fight, but she hadn’t come back yet. So, like the fantastic classmate he is, Neito volunteered to go and check on her.
Neito knocked lightly. “Come in,” called a voice from the other side.
He opened the door and peeked in. Recovery Girl was sitting at her desk, and Shiozaki was kneeling next to her… reorganizing files?
Recovery Girl spun in her chair to face him. “Oh, dear, did you get hurt as well?”
“No, I would never let someone land a hit on me. I just came to see how Shiozaki was doing since she wasn’t back yet,” he said.
Shiozaki turned towards him, seemingly just noticing that he was there. “Oh, how thoughtful,” she said, tearing up. “I just offered to help Recovery Girl for a moment since she blessed me with healing my injuries.”
“I told her she didn’t need to, but she insisted.” Recovery Girl shook her head fondly. “Looks like she’s almost done if you wanted to wait for her. I only have one patient at the moment so feel free to sit.”
Neito nodded and took a seat. Wait, another patient? He hadn’t seen anyone else when he’d come in, but now that he actually took a moment he did see a familiar figure laying on the bed. It appeared to be the green haired student from 1-A.
He supposed it made sense that he was here. Endeavour's son had taken the opportunity to show off with the green haired boy, destroying the arena while greenie destroyed his arms. Evidently it was as bad as it looked because he was shirtless with his arms wrapped so much he looked halfway to being a mummy. Did his rival class care about the spotlight so much that they would injure themselves this badly to stay in it? He pitied the boy.
Neito was just about to turn when something else about the boy caught his eye. On his bare chest, over his heart, appeared to be a soulmark. Only, it wasn’t just a soulmark, it was a familiar soulmark.
Standing up, Neito moved towards the bed to get a better look. His stomach dropped when he was able to see the mark in its entirety. Right there on the 1-A brat’s chest was a picture of a small green rabbit curled around an even smaller pocket watch. That was the exact same mark that rested on the back of his right shoulder.
In that moment he’s suddenly very glad that his mark is platonic, missing the small heart shape that is found woven into romantic ones. The last thing he wanted was the 1-A brat to try and woo him in some sort of misguided attempt at romance. But then again, he wasn’t exactly happen that the mark was platonic either, he rather his mark wasn’t tying him to someone so entitled.
His whole life (well, since the mark appeared with his quirk) Neito had been looking forward to meeting his soulmate. When his parents explained that they would become his ‘very best friend’ he could hardly contain his excitement at having a fated friend who would be there for him.
Neito had known he wanted to be a hero, and was sure he and his soulmate would take the world by storm. His dad kindly explained that his soulmate may not want to be a hero, to which he’d responded they would be his support, because he was sure whoever his soulmate was they would be incredibly smart.
But here he was in Recovery Girl’s makeshift office, staring down at a soulmate who cared so little for quirk training that they blew themselves up for fun. Neito had gone through hell in school because some people decided they didn’t like his quirk, and here this brat had what would be considered a very powerful quirk, and evidently didn’t train it at all.
Well, instead of lingering on the disappointment he felt at the loss of his ideal soulmate he simply decided to ignore this discovery all together. There was no rule that said he had to be friends with his soulmate, he would simply need to change his plans for the future. Instead of some sort of dynamic duo he would be a solo act.
“What are you doing over there?” Recovery Girl’s voice knocked him out of his thoughts.
Neito wasn’t sure how to respond. “I-”
“I told you you could sit down, not harass my patient.” Oh, she was upset with him. “You can wait outside in the hall for Shiozaki.”
He didn’t bother with any retort, simply nodding and going to wait out in the hall. Neito knew how to pick his battles, and he was not about to lose over something he didn’t really care about.
When Shiozaki left the office a few minutes later, he put all thoughts of the 1-A brat out of his mind and walked his classmate back to where they were sitting. He had a sports festival to finish watching.
~*~
It was inevitable in a class full of teenagers for the topic of soulmates to come up at one point or another. For once, Neito didn’t join in the conversation, simply enjoying the way his classmates were chattering excitedly about their marks. A few of them even went as far as to show them off if they were in accessible places.
Kendo seemed to notice his lack of input and turned to him. “What about you, Monoma? What’s your soulmark like?”
Neito waved her off and tried to push the image of Midoriya laying on the office’s bed out of his mind. “There’s simply nothing to tell.”
That got everyone’s attention. He knew he had a habit of, well, trying to be the center of attention, and with all of their eyes on him he was kind of regretting said habit.
“Shroom!” Komori exclaimed. “You’re being secretive, Monoma? That’s a change.”
“It really is,” Fukidashi agreed.
Yanagi seemed to pause and think for a moment. “Could it be you’ve met them already?”
Everyone froze before a cacophony broke out. They were all talking over one another before Kendo clapped her hands, sending them all into silence.
“Monoma will answer if he wants to, I don’t want to see anyone hounding him about this,” she said.
There were a round of nods before the attention settled firmly back on Neito. For once he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Ah, well… My soulmark is platonic?” Sometimes before liked to stigmatize against platonic soulmates, simply because they tended to be a bit more uncommon.
“Mine too!” Pony chimed in happily. He relaxed slightly.
“And to answer your question,” he said to Yanagi. “I have met them, unfortunately we don’t see eye-to-eye, so I’ve decided to go solo.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Komori patted his back. “They will be missing out, shroom.”
He smiled, and after a moment the rest of the class fell back into quiet conversation about their soulmarks. This is why class 1-B is superior, no comments, no judgment, just support.
~*~
As the year continued Neito put his not-soulmate out of his mind. Instead he focused on moving into the dorms and working on his class’ play for the school festival. Overall, both were a complete success. His class celebrated moving into the dorms by having a movie night. Vlad King-sensei was nice enough to overlook curfew for the night, so long so they were well rested and ready when classes started up again. And their play received a standing ovation, despite the few… improvisations.
And things just kept on getting better when Vlad King-sensei told them about an optional class geared towards the general education students, but they could take it if they wanted. No one really seemed interested, but Neito certainly was, because the class being offered was quirk science.
With his quirk he had to have a fundamental understanding of every quirk he copied. Copy gave him a sense of what the quirk was, but the only way to know for sure was to see it used, or use it himself. Copy however didn’t give him a very good idea of what the quirks limits or backlashes were, or even applications of a quirk. That’s where quirk science and analysis came in. It had become a hobby of his after his quirk came in. He’s pretty sure his parents thought it was a borderline obsession when he demanded they take him to a bookstore the second a translated copy of Alexandria Beckett’s Quirk Theory and Applications hit the shelves. The point is the second class was over he marched right to the teacher’s offices to find Vlad King so he could sign up.
He was buzzing with excitement for the entire week before the class started. It was on Tuesdays and Thursdays after regular classes had ended for the day, though unfortunately it only lasted for five weeks. Neito was certain he’d be wishing it was longer by the end of the five weeks, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.
His classmates gave him an odd look or two as he crammed his things in his bag the moment they were dismissed for the day. Neito barely paused to say goodbye in his haste to get to the class. No one followed as he was the only one in 1-B to sign up for the extra course, their loss.
When he arrived at the classroom there were already a few students there, but as he suspected they were all wearing a general education uniform. More students continued to trickle in, one support student and another from marketing, along with a few more general education.
As the class was nearing full he realized that he very well may be the only hero student in this course. Neito shouldn’t be too surprised though, 1-A is probably focused on gaining attention rather than knowledge.
At least that’s what he thought, until Midoriya was walking in right before Ectoplasm-sensei. And for the love of- out of all the entitled brats in class 1-A why did it have to be the one he wanted to interact with the least!?
Midoriya said something to Ectoplasm-sensei and scanned the room for a moment. What was he- oh, he needed a seat. Neito glanced around, coming to the horrible realization that the only seat still open was in fact directly next to him. …Crap.
His not-soulmate noticed the seat and began his treck, only seeming to see Neito when he was a few steps away. Midoriya seemed to flinch slightly and Neito grinned. Good, he knew Neito was a threat to his precious position on top.
“Um, Hi, Monoma… Is this- can- is it alright if I sit here?” Midoriya barely managed to stutter his way through the sentence. How in the world did this brat manage to end up in 1-A?
“Do you see any other seats?” he asked.
Midoriya actually glanced around. “...No?”
“Then I guess you just have to sit there,” he said nonchalantly. Neito mentally added a point to his tally. Neito- one, Midoriya- zero.
He elected to simply ignore Midoriya. He wasn’t about to let his not-soulmate ruin this class for him. Neito had been looking forward to this all week and he was going to enjoy it.
It worked for the most part, though occasionally he would hear a quiet mumbling to his left. When he looked over Midoriya would be furiously scribbling notes and mumbling to himself. Though it wasn’t too distracting so he simply focused on taking his own notes.
“Well, that about wraps us up for the day. Though before you all leave I will give you an assignment now that you’ll work on over the next five weeks. You and a partner will put together a small presentation on a specific quirk manifestation case, or on a specific application of quirk science. The goal of this is to use what you learn in this course and apply it to real life. This will be your only assignment for the course outside of readings and knowledge checks, so I’m assigning it early for you all to pick a topic.” Ectoplasm-sensei picked up a clipboard. “Now I’ll be reading off the partners. Sohma and Mito-”
Neito’s mind raced. Ectoplasm-sensei was giving them a lot of control over the topics, unfortunately he didn’t know any specific activation cases off the top of his head. Though there were always mutations that were so interesting, when a kid's quirk is nothing like their parents.
“-Monoma and Midoriya.” …What?
He turned to look at Midoriya who was giving him a nervous smile. “L-looks like we’re partners, Monoma. Do you have any ideas what you want to do the presentation on-”
Neito was not dealing with this. He jerked up in his seat. “Can I switch partners? I don’t want to work with someone from 1-A !”
Ectoplasm-sensei paused reading off the groups and gave him a blank look. Well, maybe a blank look? It was kind of hard to tell with him.
“No,” he said flatly before going back to announcing.
Neito slumped back into his seat, chancing a glance back at his… project partner. He seemed to have hunched slightly in on himself, fidgeting with his scarred hands. Huh, those must’ve been from the sports festival… or maybe the training camp. He shuddered at the thought.
Well, if he was stuck with his not-soulmate as a partner he might as well make the most of it. Nothing, and he means nothing, would ruin this class for him.
“...What are your ideas?” he asked.
Midoriya looked up at him with shock. He seemed to be assessing whether Neito was serious or not before a wide smile spread across his face.
“Well, what if we-”
And as much as Neito hated to admit it, maybe this wouldn’t be entirely intolerable.
~*~
They were three weeks into the quirk science course at this point, and Neito would admit that maybe he was wrong about Midoriya. They’d been meeting every couple of nights for the last three weeks to work on their presentation, and it seemed like they spent more time chatting than anything else.
He’d found out that Midoriya had also read Beckett’s book, in fact, he brought his own annotated copy with him to the dorms and suggested that they do their next work night at his so he could show him. Neito surprised himself by saying yes.
Entering the 1-A dorms had been odd. Everyone gave him weird looks when he didn’t bother saying anything and just let Midoriya lead him to his dorm. If he’d taken the wonderful opportunity to bring 1-A down a peg he might’ve missed out on time he could be spending talking about quirk science with his- with Midoriya, though for the project of course.
They did actually do some work on their project that day though. They had settled during the first week on the topic of what causes quirk activations or the lack thereof. He thought it was a little odd, but when Midoriya started talking about the science behind it he was sold.
“This statistic here might be good for our presentation,” Neito started. After Midoriya showed him his annotations they had decided to actually get some work done.
“Oh yeah?” Midoriya leaned over to take a look at his laptop.
“Yeah, it’s statistics on the decrease in the quirkless population, so with this one could-”
“It’s out of date,” Midoriya interrupted, and then realizing what he did tried to backtrack. “Not that we can’t use a similar statistic in our presentation, but it’s just that this one here is really out of date. This is including those who were deemed medically quirkless and not genetically, but the official way of diagnosing someone as quirkless changed a few years ago.”
He just looked at Midoriya. “How do you know that off the top of your head? I didn’t even know about that.”
Midoriya paled and took a breath. “W-were friends, right?”
Three weeks ago Neito would’ve laughed at the idea of being friends with someone from 1-A. However, now that he’d actually spent time with his not-soulmate he has decided that Midoriya might be the only tolerable member of the rival class.
“Yes… I would call us friends,” he said finally.
He was given a tight smile and the boy took another breath. “Well, I know because I was diagnosed medically quirkless.”
Neito wasn’t sure how to respond. “You were?”
“Yes. It was only pretty recently that I got the genetic test done and it turns out I did have a quirk.” Midoriya gave a sad chuckle.
He was quickly reworking his entire view of Midoriya. “How recently?”
“How about a few months before the entrance exam?”
“You were quirkless until a few months before the entrance exam!?” Suddenly Neito was feeling horrible. He remembers looking at his soulmate in that bed and thinking about how he should be ashamed at his blatant lack of quirk control. It wasn’t because his soulmate was a brat, it was because he had been effectively quirkless the entire time his peers had been learning to control their own quirks.
Midoriya winced and he had a feeling this was about to go from bad to worse. “Well… getting the test done is one thing. I still didn’t know how to activate it…”
“...When?”
“...The entrance exam…”
And, what was Neito supposed to do with this information? There had been people who treated him poorly growing up because of his quirk, and now he found out that his soulmate had been quirkless up until recently. The picture this was painting was not a pretty one.
Midoriya was just sitting there and looking at him. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. But, he’d just found out that his soulmate and friend had most likely gone through a horrible few years.
“Do you want a hug?” he asked.
Midoriya blinked at him. When he processed the question a few tears began to well in his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I do want one.”
He held his arms open and Midoriya slotted himself right into them. Neito still wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t the best at conforming others, but he batted Midoriya’s back until he pulled himself out of Neito’s arms.
He sniffed and turned back to his own laptop. “I can show you the newer statistics.”
“Okay,” he agreed easily.
Midoriya worked on pulling up some site. “...Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The rest of the night went smoothly, they made some great progress on their project. And as he left Midoriya’s room he could admit that maybe class 1-A wasn’t that bad. Of course then Bakugou started yelling at him as he left. Well, at least one member of 1-A was worth talking to.
~*~
Before Neito knew it another two weeks had passed and the project was over. Ectoplasm congratulated them both on a job well done as they left the classroom.
He and Midoriya simply started walking back to the dorms together as they’d been doing every Tuesday and Thursday for the last few weeks, but this time felt different. With the project over he and Midoriya no longer had any reason to spend time together, and while originally Neito would’ve been ecstatic about that, now it made him feel almost sad.
Neito didn’t want to stop spending time with Midoriya. As they approached the split in the path to their respective dorms he ran through anything he could say.
“Well I guess this is me,” Midoriya said, looking at him expectantly.
And he froze. No, he was not going to let Midoriya go back to being just another 1-A brat. “Have you heard of JaekiAnalysis?”
“...The herotuber?” Midoriya asked, confused.
“Yes! I think their videos are very informative and I saw that they posted a new one today.” He’d been planning on watching it after the last class.
“They did!? They haven’t posted anything in a while, I really love their videos. I’ll have to watch it tonight.”
This was it, the step from project friends to actual friends. “Do you want to watch it with me?”
Midoriya looked surprised but smiled. “Sure! Do you want to watch it now?”
He was surprised he got this far. “Yes, if that works for you?”
A nod. “Yeah, just let me go drop off my stuff and get changed. I’ll meet you at the 1-B dorm?”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright, see you soon,” Midoriya said with a wave.
He watched for a moment as Midoriya walked into the 1-A dorms, and then he was booking it back to his own.
Neito burst through the door and ran for his room. It might’ve been a bit messy.
“Woah, where’s the fire?!” Tsuburaba hollered up the stairs after him.
“I need to clean!” he yelled back. There was some shouting in response that he couldn’t all the way make out, whatever, he had a room to get ready.
He managed to just barely get everything in his room cleaned up when Kendo shouted up the stairs that he had a visitor. Alright, he could do this, befriending his platonic soulmate that he had admittedly been quite a jerk to, he had this.
~*~
For the next few weeks his classmates kept staring at him whenever they thought he wasn’t looking.
“What happened to hating 1-A,” Kendo asked. He’d just finished walking Izuku out. They had found a documentary from around when quirks first started emerging and had spent the last few hours watching it and laughing at everything that was now incredibly outdated.
“Well,” he started. “I have decided that Izuku is the exception to the class of brats that is 1-A… and maybe his friends aren’t so bad either.” They had stopped giving him weird looks when he’d visit Izuku’s dorm and instead just smiled and waved.
She blinked. “How about that, glad to see you turning over a new leaf. You deserve to make some good friends.” As she walked away he heard her whisper ‘Izuku’ in confusion and shake her head.
…Did he though? He still hadn’t managed to be entirely honest with Izuku. Neito wasn’t sure about what to do with the fact that they were soulmates. Granted, platonic ones, so it shouldn’t change things too much, but it did mean telling Izuku that he’d been keeping it a secret. It was the keeping it a secret part that he thought Izuku might respond negatively to. He resolved to do it soon.
It turns out that soon was the next day. He’d invited Izuku over for a study session. Neito knew that the longer he went without telling Izuku the worse it would be.
“So,” he started.
Izuku hummed in acknowledgement as he flipped his textbook page.
“How do you feel about soulmates?” Maybe he could’ve been a bit smoother with the delivery.
Izuku looked up at him from where he was spread out on the floor with his study materials. “Like how I feel about my own, or just in general?”
“Both?”
A pause. “Well, I’ve always liked the idea of everyone having someone out there for them, ya’know? It meant that no matter how lonely someone was they would have some there eventually, whether romantically… or platonically.”
So far so good. “And your own?”
“I didn’t really like to think about my own for a long time. You already know that I was assumed to be quirkless for a long time, and my classmates didn’t have very nice things to say about that.” Neito hated that he was right. “They’d say things like ‘I’d only drag my soulmate down by being worthless’ or that ‘my soulmate would run for the hills the second they saw my mark’. I didn’t really feel good about it for a while.”
Guilt surfaced. That’s pretty much what he’d done when he found out Midoriya was his soulmate. He’d written him off and hadn’t planned on looking back.
“But, my mom took me aside one day and explained soulmarks to me. She told me that mine’s platonic, that my soulmate was meant to be my best friend. And, the idea of having a best friend waiting for me felt a lot less scary than the idea of a soulmate.” He had to agree with Izuku, waiting for a friend sounded a lot more… possible. Izuku grinned at him. “I feel a lot better about it now.”
Neito felt a little breathless. “I’m glad. And, you know everything those bullies said to you was bullshit, right?”
The smile grew. “I do now. Like I said, I feel better about things now.”
“Speaking of a change in feelings…” he fiddled with his comforter. “You remember how I didn’t, well, how I didn’t exactly have the best views of your class?”
“Neito, I don’t think I could forget that,” he said with a laugh. “I thought you were going to freak out when I sat next to you.”
“I, no that’s fair.” He took a breath. “I have come to the obvious conclusion that I was wrong about most of 1-A, and obviously I was wrong about you, seeing as you’re a wonderful human being.”
“Why, thank you,” Izuku mumbled out as he was holding his pen between his nose and his lips.
Now or never. “My soulmate is platonic as well.” Izuku’s pen dropped. “I really like how you described it, as waiting for a friend. I always thought of it like some sort of dynamic duo or a two person act.”
Izuku was nodding along. “You do have a flare for the dramatics.”
“When you were recovering from surgery at the sports festival I saw your mark,” he said hurriedly, before he could back out. “I know that it’s a green rabbit with a pocket watch.”
“Neito, what are you getting at?” Izuku asked, now sitting upright rather than sprawled on the floor.
“I- uh, have the same mark.” He turned around and pulled up the back of his shirt. The intake of breath let him know that he had pulled it up enough for Izuku to see. Neito doesn't know if he can face Izuku right now.
He almost flinches when shaky hands poke at his mark. Izuku still hasn’t said anything.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to be soulma- friends with someone I thought cared more about being in the spotlight than learning and training their quirk. I wasn't planning on saying anything, I figured I’d just be a solo act. But! But, then we got partnered together in class, and then you were actually really smart and nice, and you like quirk science too! I realized that you’re a really good friend and I’ll admit that I made a mistake not telling you.” Izuku was tracing over the soulmark. “If I had just told you then we could’ve been friends so much sooner and I wouldn’t have had to deal with causing you pain, because I know you’re upset about this.”
He pulls his shirt down and turns around. Izuku is crying and he hates himself a little bit. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I want you as a friend and a soulmate.”
Neito waits for a response, but Izuku just keeps staring. He's about ready to say something else when Izuku finally responds.
“I- I’m going to need some time to think about this,” Izuku says. Neito can give him time, he’s just happy that Izuku is going to think about it instead of getting mad and walking away.
“Okay.” So, despite how not normal the situation is, he helps Izuku pack up his stuff like usual and walks him to the door. All he can do now is wait.
~*~
Waiting sucks. It’s only been a few days, but he feels like he’s been on edge the entire time. Neito has only seen Izuku in passing and he must be going through soulmate withdrawals or something because he’s about ready to start climbing the walls. He got kicked out of movie night last night because he wouldn’t stop fidgeting and checking his phone.
Neito’s at lunch when Izuku finally approaches. He can practically feel his classmates let out sighs of relief, he knows it’s because he’s been driving them up the wall too.
“Neito,” Still using his first name, that’s a good sign. “I’ve thought about it, do you have time to talk now?”
He almost knocks his tray off the table with how quickly he stands up. “Yes! Now works, I can do now!”
Izuku nods and starts walking to the hall, he doesn’t even think twice about abandoning his lunch to follow. He’s led down a few halls until they come to one that feels fairly secluded.
“I’m not going to lie and say that learning you knew we are soulmates and didn’t say anything didn’t upset me, because it did. But it upsets me more to learn that you were planning on never telling me.” Tears are welling up in his eyes. “If we weren’t partnered for the presentation I never would’ve found out that we’re soulmates, would I?”
He shakes his head. “Probably not…” Shame curls hotly in his gut.
Neito lets out an ‘oof’ as Izuku crashes into him and wraps him in a hug. “I know why you did it, and thank you for explaining it to me. Just, let’s be honest from now on… okay?”
He returns the hug. “Okay.”
And after that things pretty much go back to the way they were. They hang out, they do homework together, Izuku comes to the 1-B movie nights, and Neito will join Izuku’s outings with his friends. They’re both equally disgruntled though when they aren’t allowed to be on the same team when they have heroics together.
It feels like how he always thought it would be. Sure they disagree and argue occasionally, but more often than not they’re on the same page. They plan strategies and adjustments to their costumes. Neito has never been this close to someone, and he loves it.
It does have its stressful moments though. Izuku is away in Otheon on a mission for his work study when a news broadcast interrupts the usual TV program. All he can hear is the blood rushing to his ears when he sees a wanted poster on the screen for his soulmate, wanted for mass murder!
Neito has his phone in his hand before he can process anything. He’s calling Izuku and trying to ignore his growing anxiety as it continues to ring. On the last ring he picks up.
“Neito-”
“Are you okay!?” He yells. “The news is saying you’re wanted for murder, and I know that’s bullshit!” His classmates are staring at him, frozen.
A shaky breath. “Thanks. I’m okay, there’s a civilian that ended up with something he shouldn’t have and humanrise is after us because of it. I’m going to have to turn my phone off after this, but I promise I’ll be careful!”
He hated that there’s nothing he can do with how far away he is. “You better be… I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t. Dynamic duo, right?”
“Right, can’t be a solo act.” Vlad King-sensei walks into the common room, followed closely by Kendo.
“Crap…”
“Izuku!?”
“I’m okay, I just need to go. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can!”
“Okay be-” There’s a beep as the call ends. “...safe.”
Vlad King is staring at him. “Was that Midoriya?” He nods. “Alright, you two are soulmates, correct?” He nods again, they didn’t want to keep it a secret. “You’ll be coming with me to Nezu’s office, the rest of you stay put.”
And that’s how he spends the next few days in and out of Nezu’s office as he worries over the safety of his soulmate. Even when he gets told he’s okay Neito is still pacing with Izuku’s mom at the airport. They both need him to get back.
The second he sees the head of green hair he’s booking it, slamming into Izuku before he can properly register his bandaged arms.
“Ow…”
He winces. “Sorry, but I’m glad you’re alive, and don’t you ever do that to me again!”
Izuku chuckles. “I’ll try my best.”
Neito spends the weekend at the Midoriya’s, not willing to let his soulmate out of his sight for even a second. He spends most of the time listening to Izuku talk about what he can legally disclose, which means he talks a lot about Rody Soul. And for some reason, Neito can’t find it in himself to be jealous.
He smiles as a blush paints his soulmate's cheeks. “And he has two familiar soulmarks! They match his younger siblings, Roro and Lala. They’re both so sweet! Oh, and did I tell you about his quirk!?”
He just hopes Rody is ready for the shovel talk when Izuku inevitably talks him into a visit. Neito will worry about that later though, for now he enjoys being squished against his very much alive soulmate on the couch as he chatters away.