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It's treated like a normal thing.
After the existence of Quirks, the prospect of soulmates doesn't seem at all otherworldly anymore. It's easier to swallow, even; love has always been something people breathe and live with. That now they have an indicator to tell whether someone's The One doesn't feel like the worst deal life has decided to bestow upon the humankind.
Oh, make no mistake, some will find a way to end badly. It's only natural. Arranged marriage, death, foe-turned-out-soulmates, political shenanigans; the way humans live their life is absurdly complex that a beautiful thing like soulmates can turn out to be a hindrance, another source of frustration, another thing that inflicts pain.
The world is never only about sunshine and rainbows. Never has, never will.
But one can always hope and try.
Jirou Kyouka stumbles upon the concept of soulmates at age four.
"Mom?" Kyouka sounds, her little fingers curling around and tugging on her mother's blouse. "Tomoya-sensei told us about soulmates at school today."
Her mother bends down to scoop her up, playfully huffing out as though to tell her that she's heavy. Kyouka bounces in her hold to prove her otherwise, eliciting a chuckle from her mother.
"Really? What did he say, hmm?"
"That you and Dad must have been soulmates," Kyouka promptly says, then hurries to add, "but I've known! Before he said that. Of course you and Dad are soulmates, you love each other very much. You are soulmates! Aren't you, Mom?"
"Mhm," her mother hums, kissing her cheek and smiling when Kyouka lets out a happy giggle. "Of course, sweetheart. Did sensei tell you how one knows who's their soulmate?"
"Sensei said soulmates can mentally talk to each other." Kyouka reaches out to tap her mother's temple with her small, index finger. "Is that why you and Dad stare a lot?" Her lips unconsciously purse into a pout, trying to recall the instances where her parents seem to be preoccupied while looking into each other's eyes.
"Yes," her mother replies, laughter in her voice. "We do that a lot, huh?"
"Um!" Kyouka nods vigorously. "You do." Then she pouts again, "And you leave Kyouka out!"
"We never mean to," her mother says, kissing her cheek again. "We just have things we want to talk about that you aren't old enough to hear."
"Like?"
"Taxes."
"Eek!" Kyouka shudders, burying her head on her mother's shoulder. "Leave Kyouka out!"
"Of course," her mother firmly says, though the hint of amusement in her voice hasn't subsided. "Of course. As you wish, sweetheart."
Kyouka discovers, when she enters primary school, that for you to 'unlock' the mental-chatting thingy, you will have to touch your soulmate first.
She has the luck to figure this out when she's watching on a soon-to-be-brawl unraveling before her during recess. A girl stomps over to push a boy who has been bothering another boy about their quirk, causing the boy to stagger back a step from the shove. They glare at each other for a while, the poor bullied fellow scampering off the moment he can, and after a minute the girl screams,
"My hairpiece is not funny!"
Suffice to say, the girl and the boy have been horrified to learn that the boy hasn't actually made fun of her hairpiece out loud, yet the girl has somehow heard it, and they're now officially each other's soulmate, despite their rocky start. Kyouka doesn't hear more about them afterwards, having been in a different class, but after recess everyone is adamant to talk to their homeroom teacher about soulmate, forcing him to give up trying to start math.
They talk and discuss and tease the teacher about soulmate until the bell rings to signal that the period is over.
Kyouka owes the hotheaded pair a thank you, at least; she's always had a fair difficulty to enjoy math.
Kyouka tries to imagine, sometimes, what it would be like to find her soulmate.
She hopes he likes music; otherwise she might as well be the first person to hate their soulmate.
When she innocently voices this thought out to her parents, a small nylon guitar balanced on her left thigh, her father's eyes are brimming with happiness while her mother just smiles then chuckles then laughs. When Kyouka asks her why, she just says that her father is such a father.
Kyouka doesn't understand what that means, but before she can ask further, her parents exchange a look that stretches into seconds and then minutes.
She scampers off to her bedroom, leaving them doing their mental-chatting thingy.
Kyouka wonders what kind of person will enchant her enough to spend minutes just talking in their heads.
Come junior high, the class Kyouka is in loudly agrees to have everyone shake hands with each other.
To figure out if anyone is pairs in this class, they have said, buzzing with curiosity and excitement and perhaps even hope. Personally, Kyouka thinks it completely eliminates romance, but eh.
She honours the majority and goes around shaking hands with everyone, pausing for every person and conjuring a thought inside her head after the brief contact.
"Nope," the last guy said, releasing her hand, and Kyouka raises an eyebrow.
"Right."
She returns to her seat after that, thinking, well, that was utterly pointless.
Only, she knows it wasn't. They have actually found out that six among them are soulmates; there are sputtering and shy glances and boisterous confessions, and Kyouka just looks on in amusement when the teasing begins.
Really, she actually feels a surge of satisfaction that she doesn't find her soulmate this way; she doesn't think she'd handle the teasing well, especially considering she's stuck being classmates with them for three years.
A girl rapidly exits the class, ears visibly red, a bout of laughter following her leave.
Kyouka retrieves her lunch box from her bag.
Better her than me.
Junior high passes by almost like a breeze.
The thought of soulmates still entertains Kyouka's mind sometimes, but she's had more things to think about now. One of them involves the quirk she has been developing since young; the idea of being a pro hero.
Neither of her parents is one; she can always argue that through music they've created, they constantly save lives, too, but they aren't pro heroes in the way All Might is. Kyouka loves music, don't get her wrong; her sentiment about her soulmate having to like music as much as she does hasn't changed one bit, but there's also a spark within her whenever she thinks of being a pro hero, being able to wield her quirk to save people and make them feel safe.
Kyouka stares at the academic counseling form that's due tomorrow, her pen unmoving in her hold.
"Kyouka, dinner is ready!" her mother calls from downstairs.
She sighs and jots down a few words inside the blank.
Preferred Senior High Route (write down course of choice, if possible):
[UA's Hero Course]
It's not like Kyouka never encounters someone she wishes to be The One.
Even in her younger days, with childlike naivety and wonder, she'd pointed at the guitarists on the screen and told her father she wants them to be her soulmate. Man and woman alike. Her father just laughed and ruffled her hair and pulled her into his lap as they watched another dozen of performances, sometimes strangling her dream by telling her that this one's had a soulmate, oh he just met his several months ago—
"Okay there, Kyouka?"
She stops her fingers from absently twirling her earphone jack and stares at her friend from the neighbouring class; at the small smile on a pair of rosy lips and the way light falls and touches long auburn hair.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
They aren't soulmates; her friend had squeezed her hand months ago as she declared their friendship to the world, informing a clueless Kyouka in the process. But one-sided as it might be at the start, it has been quite easy to ease herself into said friendship.
It has been quite easy to build a crush on said friend, also.
Kyouka looks at her and her friend looks down at the phone in her hands, not returning her gaze. The latter has been quite preoccupied with the device lately; Kyouka has a feeling she doesn't want to know why.
Idly, she wonders if it's possible; to have a soulmate of the same-gender. Would it be strange to have it romantically—like a boy and a girl do?
At the end of her musings, her friend pockets her phone and sighs dreamily to nothingness, oblivious to Kyouka's latest thought, because they can't read each other's minds, because they aren't soulmates.
She quells down a wave of disappointment inside her stomach, and opts to engage her friend in the topic of pro heroes.
UA's practical entrance exam overwhelms Kyouka like a dream.
A badass dream.
A badass, nightmare-ish dream.
A badass, nightmare-ish, exhausting dream.
Before she knows it, it's over and her whole body aches and her mind quips theatrically that if any of the robot is her soulmate she's essentially soulmate-less, now, because they have all been demolished with all sorts of quirk.
She pulls herself up against the lamppost and stutters out 'just really tired'' when a kind elderly lady approaches her and asks her of injuries. She doesn't speak of the bruises she's sure she has gained, because they will heal by themselves.
The elderly lady just smiles and hands her a pill, before turning around to check on another participant hunched over the roadside.
Kyouka wonders if she's done enough. She hasn't been keeping count, and it's not like it will offer that much of a comfort. She has no way of knowing everyone's score—and that's only the ones in her cluster. There are people from other clusters racing for a spot in UA's hero course, too.
Before she can drown amidst her pessimistic thoughts, she gulps down the pill and revels at the way her strength begins to recover, the aches slowly fading. All around her, everyone is starting to leave the exam ground. Absently, Kyouka thinks of her crush, wondering how she's coping with her own entrance exam, a prefecture away from Musutafu.
The tinge of hurt is absent this time, and when she finally puts the word 'former' before 'crush', Kyouka doesn't feel like she's lying to herself anymore.
There is no class-scaled handshake agreement two days into Kyouka's first week as a UA's hero course student.
Good thing too, Kyouka mentally decides; she doesn't think the Bakugou guy will be civil enough to endure nineteen handshakes without exploding anyone, and she would like to avoid coming into contact with the purple-balls-for-hair boy as long as she can, thank you very much.
He gives her the creeps.
Still, it's inevitable to touch some people, she supposes. She would like to think that she is rather closed off, physically; she doesn't actively seek out skinships, and awkwardness easily overwhelms her whenever she has to initiate contact.
But handshakes, she can do.
It's manageable. It's succinct and doesn't hold a meaning heavier than the world. So when Kaminari Denki extends his hand towards her with a confident, "Let's kick asses!" because they are grouped together for All Might's battle trial, she reaches out to shake it firmly, a fleeting thought of hey, maybe— invading her mind.
She retracts her hand after the third shake and Kaminari arches an eyebrow, seemingly trying to get a reaction out of her.
She snorts when nothing comes up.
"I can't read your mind," Kyouka sarcastically says after a while, "that is, if you have one."
Kaminari grins at her, humour dancing in his eyes. "Aw," he says, raising his arms over his head and stretching lightly. "Would've been cool, but okay. So tell me 'bout your quirk, we gotta come up with a plan!"
She snorts once again, and begins to tell him the gist of her ability in a hushed voice, shoving the thoughts of feelings to the very back of her mind. It's not like she's expecting to find her soulmate in 1-A. There's what, seven billion people in the world? And Kyouka's supposed to believe the love of her life is near her, right inside the same senior high class as her?
Yeah, right.
UA is insane.
Just yesterday, they battled against fellow students under perfectly controlled rules and supervision.
Today? Today seems like a great day to battle villains with unknown quirks and even more unknown objective!
The world is insane.
Kyouka is going crazy.
"You two be serious!" Yaoyorozu Momo's voice booms, a shine of sweat glistening on her forehead.
Kyouka exhales and wields the sword Yaoyorozu had handed her earlier; a product of her creation quirk. "Sorry, I thought that was quite a good idea," she says, eyes flickering to Kaminari. It was a good idea; they had managed to shock three villains, after all, albeit in a rather comical fashion.
She plugs her jacks and sends a loud wave of heartbeats, bringing down a number of the villains to the ground.
She's thankful her hero costume supports her quirk, unlike—
"Kaminari, you should've asked so that your costume strengthens your quirk!" she complains.
The air above her shifts, and Kyouka's heart skips a beat as she looks up and instinctively jumps back to avoid the slashing weapons a masked villain targets towards her. Before the villain can move to lounge to her direction, Yaoyorozu administers a kick to the villain's chest from the side, sending him crumpling towards the ground.
"It's finished," Yaoyorozu breathes, jumping back to Kyouka's side.
"Hah?"
"It takes me a long time—" The taller girl crouches down and the fabric covering Yaoyorozu's back begins to bulge and glow, "—for me to make something this big!"
The fabric rips and a wide-ass blanket—cover? carpet? mantle? coat?—unfurls rapidly several feet above the both of them before descending to cloak them.
UA is insane the world is insane Yaoyorozu is insane—
"It's an isolator carpet a hundred millimeters thick, Kaminari-san!"
Kyouka's eyes widen. Kaminari's grin is understanding, wild, excited.
Yaoyorozu tugs down the fabric to fully cover them as Kaminari moves to slam his palms onto the ground, sending electricity to shock the villains silly. The following moans and whimpers of agony make Kyouka incredibly glad Kaminari is on their side.
"Now I'm worried about the others," Yaoyorozu says, lifting the fabric a little to peek. The villains are writhing on the ground, a good deal of them lying still. "Let's join our friends."
"Y—" Kyouka notices the torn fabric and instantly swallows her agreement, "Wait! Your clothes are ripped!"
"Oh?" Yaoyorozu turns towards her and flashes a reassuring smile, "I can just create them again."
Kyouka swears she would have no problem maintaining her eyes above Yaoyorozu's developing parts if only she's taller. Blinking profusely and trying to not blush, she hears footsteps and realizes Kaminari's still out there, and without thinking she jumps to hug Yaoyorozu, covering her revealing skin from the blond—
"Kaminari, don't look this way—!"
One of the villains somehow escapes Kaminari's attack.
Shit shit shit shit.
He fully takes advantage of their brief sense of security and captures Kaminari, his other hand crackling with electricity. It would be so easy. It would be so easy for him to shock Kaminari to death, despite his claim that he's hesitant to kill the student because they share the same type of quirk.
They don't have a choice but to raise their hands in surrender.
"Perhaps he's the one Todoroki-san said has been tweaking the communication lines," Yaoyorozu murmurs, voice wary. Kyouka isn't used to hear her speaking like that. The few times she's heard Yaoyorozu's voice, it carries a good deal of sureness and confidence, both things now glaringly absent.
The villain begins to advance towards them, warning them to not move a muscle.
Muscle.
Kyouka blinks. "You and Kaminari," she slowly says, a plan forming on her mind, "electricity types like you guys are powerful, huh?"
The villain pauses. "Hah?"
"I meant—even though you aren't a hero, there's still loads of jobs you can do. A lot of people are impressed of you, aren't they?" She discreetly moves her quirked muscle—her right jack—to lengthen behind her, down her back, safely away from the villain's line of sight, "Well, that's what I thought, anyway."
She can feel Yaoyorozu's gaze on her, curiosity shifting to understanding, and she continues with as much as nonchalance she can muster,
"I'm just confused, why's someone like you a villain?"
Yaoyorozu, please look away—he might notice your stare and realize—
Oh, right, I'm sorry.
Kyouka's bluffing smirk falters at the unexpected reply, and the villain jabs his crackling hand closer to Kaminari.
"Stop that. You think I don't realize it?" the villain snarls, and Kyouka immediately retracts her jack upwards, heart leaping into her throat.
For two extremely different reasons.
God, this is my fault, I'm sorry, Jirou-san.
Yaoyorozu's voice is so, so clear. To her. Only to her, because the villain doesn't give any indication that he's heard it at all. Which means she's been hearing it inside her head. Which means—
Oh.
Oh, Hell.
Kyouka is this close to suing the school for emotional distress after Detective Tsukauchi sends them back to class.
The reinforcements came just as she, herself, was starting to lose hope. That was—they were—it was a close-call, and she has a feeling the sentiment is true for everyone.
She sighs and drags her steps to follow her classmates, relief palpable in every inch of her body. Her heartbeat has started to calm down and she doesn't really sustain any life-threatening injury, unlike Midoriya. And Aizawa. And All Might. And Thirteen.
Kyouka frowns at her hands. They are incredibly lucky, she knows. There are so many points wherein things could have gone wrong. Or more wrong than it already was. God, they were supposed to train their rescue skills, and they ended up having to rescue themselves in a real life scenario without a warning.
"Jirou-san?"
Kyouka stiffens, the voice's owner immediately walking next to her, steps unconsciously mirroring hers.
She looks up to see a tight smile on the other's face, and Kyouka returns it with something akin to a grimace. "Yaoyorozu."
"Are you injured?" Yaoyorozu asks, concerned.
"Oh, no," she shakes her head, smoothening her grimace into a small smile. There. This should be manageable. Okay, good, here we go. "No, don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you for the weapons, by the way. Your quirk's hella cool."
Yaoyorozu's smile softens into something less tight and more genuine. "Thank you. Your lack of hesitancy in picking up the things I created kept me going, Jirou-san."
She feels a faint heat starting to creep up her neck. This is ridiculous. She hasn't had this strong of a reaction to Yaoyorozu's words before; but then again, Yaoyorozu hadn't complimented her in those occasions.
"Yeah, sure," she lamely replies, and Yaoyorozu nods, humming.
Neither of them brings up mental connections nor soulmates.
"So," her father says, sidling up next to her on the couch, "is there a soulmate among your classmates?" He grins brightly, and Kyouka barely manages to refrain herself from flushing when her mind pulls up images of Yaoyorozu Momo, strong and beautiful and grace incarnate and—let's stop now, brain.
"I'm not thinking of soulmates, Dad," she says quickly, eyes firmly drawn on her training regiments for the upcoming sport festival. "I've got an event to rock."
"Got something to prove to someone?" he teases, and Kyouka kind of wants to whack him for even implanting such thought in her mind.
"To you and Mom," she grunts, shrinking when her father palms her head and ruffles her hair. "Dad—!"
"You've proven enough, Kyouka," he warmly says, "to us, you're already someone we're proud of. Okay?"
Kyouka sighs deeply, allowing the comfort to get into her, allowing herself to bask in the relief filling up her heart. She relaxes to his side and nods, grateful of his presence, his never-ending supports.
"You'd tell us if you've met your soulmate, though, right?"
Kyouka snorts derisively, because of course her father won't let that topic go. "Maybe," she says, rising from her seat and throwing a humorous grin to her father over her shoulder, "I will think about it."
"Hey!"
"I'm going, Dad! I have less than two weeks, you know."
"Just be careful!"
"I will!"
The event is about to start, and Kyouka considers thinking an encouraging cheer to Yaoyorozu.
The latter is sitting next to her inside 1-A's waiting room, though the distance between their chairs can fit two people. She darts a glance at the taller girl, whose attention is solely on the book laid open before her. An encyclopaedia, of some sorts, on a variety of weapons.
Just a quick, harmless hey, good luck, is okay, right?
Kyouka swallows.
It's not. It's not that simple. Thinking it out loud and directing it to Yaoyorozu mean acknowledging the link between their minds.
Acknowledging their unspoken, not-discussed status of each other's soulmate.
Kyouka frowns at her hands. She wonders if Yaoyorozu has these thoughts, too, if it distracts her from her activities at times. Because God knows what it's done to herself—
"Jirou-san?"
Kyouka blinks, and swallows as she turns to face the owner of the voice; Yaoyorozu Momo herself.
"Yes?"
"You are frowning; is something the matter?"
It would be so easy, too easy, to shake her head no but mentally project to her yes, and it's you.
Kyouka pulls up a smile and shoves the thought away. "I'm fine."
"Oh," Yaoyorozu says, returning her smile. "All right, if you say so." She moves to look down at her book again, and—
"Hey, Yaoyorozu?"
Yaoyorozu pauses and turns towards her again, smile patiently staying on her lips. "Yes?"
"Good luck," Kyouka sincerely says, "for today."
Yaoyorozu's smile widens and it does wonders to Kyouka's heart even before she hears the verbal heartfelt reply,
"Thank you, Jirou-san, you too."
Kyouka kind of wants to kill someone and it's bad because 1) it's not for heroic reasons, 2) it can be seen as an overreaction, and 3) said person is her classmate.
She doesn't really mind the third reason, but the former two can see her being kicked out from the hero course if not UA altogether, and it means no longer being in the same class as Yaoyorozu and that sounds counterproductive considering the taller girl is also the reason of why she's having this killing intent in the first place.
But goddamn, Mineta is really annoying.
If he's had piggybacked on Yaoyorozu to finish the course quickly and only that, she wouldn't mind as much, it's called strategies and it's one that works, at that. But the other... degrading... intention he obviously has makes Kyouka's blood boil. She wants to yank the grape boy off of Yaoyorozu's back and fling him across the stadium. Preferably after jabbing his eyes with her earphone jacks.
Yaoyorozu looks quite winded and embarrassed and Kyouka doesn't want to think that there's also humiliation concealed in there somewhere; something tugs harshly on her heartstrings and she hotly thinks that Yaoyorozu doesn't deserve to feel like that, ever.
She considers projecting a silent, I hope you're okay, but before she musters enough courage, Midnight has already started to delve into the system of the second round.
Yaoyorozu's already listening intently to the explanation, and Kyouka slowly releases a relieved, if disappointed, breath.
Maybe another time.
It was painful to see the resignation in Yaoyorozu's eyes as she walked back after her defeat against Tokoyami.
It was hard to content herself with a mere stare on Yaoyorozu's silent back, the urge to say something to her only building up and up and—
The closing ceremony is starting; Kyouka hasn't said a thing.
Yaoyorozu's presence is warm behind her, and her mind entertains the thought of turning around to face her later when the ceremony is over. Maybe offers her a smile and a quiet 'you've done well', but the arguments she's been having inside her head start to resurface, reminding her of why she hasn't mustered the courage to mentally say anything to the taller girl.
If it were her, Kyouka doesn't think she'd want people to say 'you've done well' to her with tone resembling pity, either.
That's not to say that Kyouka is pitying Yaoyorozu; she's smart, she's strong, Hell, she's got a badass Quirk and a good head on her shoulders. She just wants to—wants her to know that her performance throughout the sport festival alone inspires her. To work harder and train harder so they can, in the future, walk and run side-by-side, fighting together while having each other's back.
But that's the point, isn't it? Kyouka knows all these; but Yaoyorozu doesn't. It will be so easy for her to mistake Kyouka's words as a form of pity, and that's the last thing Kyouka wants.
Taking a deep breath, Kyouka tries to refocus her attention to All Might's words.
Yaoyorozu is strong. Kyouka believes it. She will bounce back; with or without Kyouka's cheer.
A small voice inside her head says that she'd really like it if it's with rather than without, but she quiets it down and cheers 'PLUS ULTRA!' along with her peers.
The festival is over.
Her parents, biased as they are, have recorded the whole aired show and are adamant that they rewatch it together during her break, pizza and carbonated drinks delivered from a shop down the blocks to match the festive atmosphere her parents are having.
"Where is Kyouka!" her father demands at the screen, playing Where is Waldo, only he's trying to spot Kyouka in the middle of hundreds unfamiliar faces.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" her mother asks, fingers running idly through Kyouka's short hair.
"I'm good," Kyouka shrugs, flushing when her father spots herself evading the 0-robot used as the first hurdle in the first round and begins cheering loudly. "The whole thing was interesting."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in there somewhere."
Kyouka picks up a slice of pizza, humming. "I just feel like I could do more."
"Isn't that a good thing?" her mother rationally asks. "It means that you know you still have a room for improvement."
"I guess."
"People always have room for improvement, sweetheart," her mother continues, smiling. "But when they aren't aware of it, they won't improve. Because they don't think they can, or need to."
"Yeah. I understand." Kyouka bites into her pizza, chewing thoughtfully and groaning when her father theatrically gasps at the land-mines hurdle. "Dad, stop being so dramatic!"
Her father sniffs. "Thou haven't known a parent's heart."
Kyouka, in a perfect example of maturity, sticks her tongue out at him.
"Quit picking on your dad," her mother chuckles, tapping her nose. "We're just really glad you come home with minimal injury; he's almost sobbing."
"Hey!" her father shouts.
Kyouka grins at her parents. Warmth engulfs her entire being, the feeling of being loved comforting her like nothing else. Inwardly, she wonders what Yaoyorozu is up to, in her own home—
"Mom?"
Her mother turns at her whisper, an eyebrow arched in askance.
"About the mental-chat thingy," Kyouka begins in a small voice, eyes darting towards her father who's immersed into the cavalry battles.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever accidentally told Dad something, without you meaning to?"
Her mother smiles at her and Kyouka knows she wants to ask 'who is this about?'
But her mother has always been the subtler one between her parents; and it shows when she opts to answer Kyouka's curiosity rather than voicing her own,
"Yes, I have."
"That's a thing?" Kyouka whispers, a tad bit horrified.
"Sometimes you have a strong feeling," her mother starts carefully, fingers absently picking on her own earphone jacks—so that's where Kyouka picks the habit from. "And your subconscious really want to let your soulmate know, even though on the surface, your mind—" she taps on Kyouka's temple, "—doesn't really think so."
"For example?" Kyouka asks.
"For example," her mother says, a smile playing on her lips, "when you were about to be born, and your grandpa rushed me to the hospital."
Kyouka blinks. "You didn't want to let Dad know I'm about to be born?"
"No, silly," her mother laughs, ruffling her hair. "But the first thing my subconscious sent to your dad was it hurts. The pain, the burning, the agony. He was working on a song and he instantly panicked, thinking I got attacked by a villain."
"Oh." Kyouka understands now. "You didn't mean to tell Dad that it's painful—"
"But I had gotten so used to trusting your dad with my pain," her mother nods. "That's why I couldn't quite filter that thought out. I made sure to quickly think to him that the pain was from the pregnancy, though. No villains."
Kyouka snorts. "Did it help him?"
"No," her mother grins. "He continued panicking but for an entirely different reason, then."
Kyouka laughs at that, and her father finally breaks his attention away from the screen, raising his eyebrows at the females in the house. Her mother seems to send something through their link, because her father proceeds to huff and snatch away the can in front of Kyouka, petulantly drinking it as a revenge.
Kyouka files away the information, and finishes her pizza, fending off her father's questions on why she wasn't victorious in the cavalry battle.
It's raining outside, but Kyouka feels rather light as she approaches Yaoyorozu's table, greeting her good morning.
It's the first day back to school after the sport festival; the class hasn't started and their friends are talking about the aired show around Tsuyu's seat. Days ago Kyouka would've joined them without a second thought, but time passes and people change.
"How have you been, Jirou-san?"
"I'm good," she replies, smiling, and Yaoyorozu returns her smile and her good instantly gets upgraded to great. Not that she tells her. "We don't have any homework, do we?"
"No, we don't."
"How are you doing?" Kyouka can't help but ask.
Something flickers behind Yaoyorozu's eyes, but her smile stays, and Kyouka allows herself to believe the taller girl's answer—
"I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."
"Anytime," Kyouka says, and they share a smile, a brief moment with only an exchanged stare. Before her mind has the chance to wonder about sending a thought, the door slides open and Aizawa appears. She mutters 'shit,' and rushes to her chair, Yaoyorozu's quiet chuckle chasing her behind the hurried steps.
The sound stays in her mind longer than she'd like to admit.
[#general]
iida Today at 10:01 AM
everyone! good luck for your internship!
let's do our best!!
uraraka Today at 10:03 AM
AYE!
kaminari Today at 10:04 AM
iida, no offense but
must! you! type! like! this!
iida Today at 10:04 AM
yes!!!
kaminari Today at 10:05 AM
understandable have a nice day
kirishima Today at 10:07 AM
oiii guess wHAT
i'm interning with tetsutetsu tetsutetsu
the metal guy from 1-B!
my internship is gonna be super manly!!!
sero Today at 10:08 AM
for two people who fought each other in the sport festival u sure are quick to evolve to buddies
kirishima Today at 10:08 AM
it's called rivalry
we have the same burn in our heart!!!
rivalry is manlier than outright nemesis >:DDD
sero Today at 10:09 AM
n
noice
uraraka Today at 10:10 AM
gotta runnn Gun Head is bringing me to my first patrol!
ALL THE BEST EVVVERRYYONENEEEEENNE
asui Today at 10:11 AM
ribbit, please be careful, ochako-chan.
Kyouka's entire body aches.
Aizawa never said that their internship would be easy, but he also didn't tell them it's going to be brutal. The patrols with Death Arms leave Kyouka feeling like her arms (and knees and toes and back) have died, and she's sure she could make a funny tweet out of that if only she's not too tired to think.
She flops onto the mattress and pulls out her phone, scrolling through the messages and the unread posts from 1-A's discord. Her thumb pauses over Yaoyorozu's icon, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
Not being able to see Yaoyorozu everyday is, startlingly enough, turning into quite a bummer, but somehow Kyouka was brave enough to send a 'good luck!' in a direct message, one that Yaoyorozu replied to after a few minutes, and it went on like that until today. They try their best to exchange words with each other everyday, even if it's just a simple 'hello' and 'i hope today's been good for you'.
It eases the ache the distance between them evokes, at least.
Kyouka even gets to drop 'Yaoyorozu' and starts calling her 'Yaomomo', her lips stretching into a wide grin every time she types the nickname into the chat.
If only Yaoyorozu's internship days are as bright as that.
Yaoyorozu is interning in Uwabami's agency, with Kendou Itsuka from 1-B. Yaoyorozu's words about the pro hero have been nothing but polite, but Kyouka also notices something like exasperation, and looking at the blogs she's read about Uwabami, Kyouka kind of understands.
If All Might's presence is the strongest in action, Uwabami's presence is the most prominent in media. Talkshows, radio shows, magazine interviews; she appears constantly and it's not a bad thing, but Kyouka imagines Yaoyorozu's hoping for a chance to experience the direct-saving aspect of hero works. Kyouka doesn't know much about Kendou, but perhaps it's the same for her, too.
Pursing her mouth, Kyouka opens her direct messages with the taller girl. A smile unconsciously tugs on the her lips as she reads Yaoyorozu's latest message for her. A simple, 'hey, take care of yourself too, all right? don't fall sick, jirou-san. you can do it!'
It might not mean anything. It's probably just an encouraging message meant for a friend. But it warms her heart, easing the aches in her joints—just a little, but comforting all the same.
Not enough to prompt her to reply through their mental link, though, Kyouka thinks, her thumbs moving rapidly across the screen to type away a response.
[#general]
ashido Today at 08:11 AM
1-A daily internship updates coming near you! any news update from our resident uravity, @uraraka?
uraraka Today at 08:11 AM
[a screenshot of a site reporting the stain incident]
here we have our classmates apparently going up against stain the hero killer and getting saved by Number Two hero Endeavor whAT THE HELL WERE YOU THREE THINKING I'M GOING TO PUNT YOU ALL INTO SPACE I'M SO WORRIED @iida @midoriya @todoroki
kaminari Today at 08:12 AM
my sentiments exactly
mayb minus the punting into spa c e
i'd just shock yall i guess :)
ashido Today at 08:13 AM
and from the countryside we have @kouda, how is it going m'dude?
kouda Today at 08:14 AM
( ' v ')d
asui Today at 08:14 AM
translation: all is ok, ribbit
ashido Today at 08:14 AM
yes thank you kouda and tsu uwu
sero Today at 08:15 AM
we interrupt this broadcast with some karate kid realness
[a picture of ojiro karate-chopping an apple tree]
ojiro Today at 08:16 AM
.
oi
where did you get that
ashido Today at 08:16 AM
can someone ask me about me
sero Today at 08:16 AM
any news update from our resident alien queen?
ashido Today at 08:17 AM
getting stronger
sero Today at 08:17 AM
thank you queen
kirishima Today at 08:17 AM
*sobs* OH GOD THATS SO MANLY
ashido Today at 08:17 AM
;)
unfortunately we havent gotten any response from King Explosion Murder
kaminari Today at 08:18 AM
or tokoyami, or shouji, or satou, or hagakure—
ashido Today at 08:18 AM
yes exactly
but we'll be sure to do the necessary follow-ups and report back to our viewers soon!
and before we close today's session
any news update from jirou?
jirou Today at 08:19 AM
getting gayer
ashido Today at 08:20 AM
thank you jirou
and that signals the end of our report
good luck with today's internship PLUS ULTRA!
kirishima Today at 08:21 AM
!!!!
PLUS ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
mineta Today at 11:11 AM
wait
wait jirou really
kaminari Today at 11:12 AM
dude you're checking your phone during active internship i'm calling the police
mineta Today at 11:13 AM
kaminari you're doing the same thing!!
kaminari Today at 11:13 AM
joke's on you i'm turning myself in too
mineta Today at 11:13 AM
damn it
Coming back to school is relieving, but interacting with Mineta again is not.
Kyouka rubs a wet wipe around the earphone jack she's used to stab the brat in the eye, disgusted. She absently thinks that perhaps she's taken her Mineta-free internship for granted. At least under Death Arms' wing, she doesn't have to constantly worry for a peeping hole inside the changing room.
"Are you all right, Jirou-san?" A hand warmly rests on her shoulder, and Kyouka imperceptibly relaxes.
"Yeah," she says, turning to face Yaoyorozu's concerned gaze. "I'm okay, just disgusted. Thank you for the wet wipes, by the way."
Yaoyorozu smiles. "It's no problem. I have jammed the hole for the time being, and I'm planning to report to Aizawa-sensei about this; at least have the changing rooms checked for holes like that..."
"I can accompany you," Kyouka offers.
"Sure. Is during recess fine?"
"I'll be there."
Yaoyorozu beams, and reaches out to fix Kyouka's bangs, the tip of a slender finger grazing fleetingly against Kyouka's forehead. "All right."
Kyouka is just thankful Yaoyorozu's quirk isn't like hers; because while the flutter inside her stomach doesn't make a sound, her heartbeat drums up loudly inside her chest, rivaling every other noise around them.
Man, Kyouka muses, carefully cautioning her mind that it's not meant for Yaoyorozu to hear. I think I got it bad.
Scratch that, she does have it bad.
Clutching her Math textbook and telling Yaoyorozu a half-truth about quadratic equations should have been proof enough. She was seventh in mid-term, for God's sake; she's not the best at Math, yes, but she's usually able to tackle it down if she dedicates two hours more than her usual study time. She doesn't need the help in the way Kaminari and Ashido do.
But she wants.
After her request, Sero and Ojiro chime in, stating the subjects they're in need for help too, and Yaoyorozu jumps up from her chair, brightly declaring her assent. It escalates rapidly from there; Yaoyorozu extends an invitation for the study group to do it in her house, proceeding to excitedly murmur to herself about opening the hall—her family has a Hall??—and then cheerily asking them about what kind of tea they would like to have, the sparkle in her eyes never quite fading throughout the whole ordeal.
It's kind of cute.
Scratch that; it's really cute.
Kyouka kind of wants to die. It's that cute.
Her father is grinning broadly when she comes back from the group study. Kyouka flushes, trying to ignore him as she puts her shoes inside the rack.
"I'm home," she says, stepping inside.
"Welcome home!" her father sings, ruffling her hair. "So are you going to tell me about your soulmate? He's one of the guys you're studying with, isn't he?"
Kyouka lets out a noncommittal sound, trying to keep her cool. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dad."
"Does he look good in casual clothes, at least?"
"She's cute in red," Kyouka absently replies, and then freezes. "Wait, no! I mean—"
"Ooooh," her father choruses, flinging an arm around Kyouka's shoulder. She can literally hear his grin in his annoyingly triumphant quip, "So it's a she!"
"I don't—it's not—" Kyouka exhales, shoulders drooping in defeat. "Yes, Dad. It's a girl and she's beautiful."
Her father laughs. "Aw," he says, poking her cheek. "Look at you, being all whipped. I've always known you'd be taking after me."
Kyouka huffs, a tired smile on her lips. "You don't think it's weird?"
"What, that your soulmate is a girl?"
"Yes."
"Of course not," her father says, eyes narrowing playfully as he continues, "what's weird is that you keep it from us this long! When did you find her, hmm?"
"Third day of school," Kyouka replies, relaxing slightly as he pulls her to sit on the couch. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you more later."
"Does she know?"
"It's... complicated."
"What is this, facebook?" He grins at her tired groan. "You youngsters really like to make simple things complex."
"Believe me, Dad, I'd love it if it really was simple," Kyouka huffs, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her father pats her head and there's a smile in his voice as he asks,
"But you like her?"
Kyouka closes her eyes, humming at the warmth evoked from the mere thought of confirming; saying it out loud.
"Yes, Dad." The warmth swirls, and spreads. "I do."
She may be biased, but it's the best feeling in the world.
The written exams were painful, but the practical exam made her feel like her head's about to explode.
Literally.
Kyouka winces as Recovery Girl touches her ear to inspect the injury caused by Present Mic's yelling, the matron humming under her breath and murmuring something that sounds like 'internal bleeding'.
In a jiffy, she's fine. Because Recovery Girl rocks like that.
Recovery Girl smiles and hands her a wet wipe to clean up the blood, and it's only after she turns around that she notices Yaoyorozu's presence inside the watching room. Before she can ponder enough about the wisdom behind approaching her, her legs are already moving.
"Congratulations on passing the test," Yaoyorozu tells her warmly the moment she arrives next to her, eyes leaving the giant screens displaying the fields their exams are held at, taken from various viewpoint. "Are your ears fine?"
"Yeah," Kyouka grins. "I'm all good now."
"Thank goodness."
"How did yours go?" she asks, nudging her with an elbow. "I know you passed; but I wasn't around to watch."
Yaoyorozu smiles. "It was nice," she says, "Todoroki-san helped me realize several things." There's a faint pink dusting her cheeks, and she looks unbelievably cute but Kyouka's stomach is sinking and sinking and sinking with trepidation.
"It was nice," Kyouka parrots, her insides churning. What is this feeling?
"Yes," Yaoyorozu says, her smile growing, unaware of Kyouka's sudden turmoil. "It felt like an enlightenment, of some sort. I feel like the current me can take on the world—does it make sense?"
"I guess, yeah," Kyouka replies, and she hates herself for sounding so faint. "I think I'll go ahead to change. Catch you later, Yaomomo."
"Ah—all right?" Yaoyorozu says, confusion colouring her voice. Kyouka tries not to think that there's also dismay seeping in-between mild surprise. "See you later, Jirou-san."
She opens her mouth to reply, but decides against it; knowing her traitorous body, her voice will crack or something, and Yaoyorozu will ask questions she'd rather not answer. She settles with a nod, attempting a small smile, and begins to drag her steps away.
Recovery Girl has healed her injuries, so why does she suddenly feel sick?
Several days pass by.
Her mother finds her lounging on the couch, a stripped cardigan laying on the armchair.
"You haven't gone yet?" her mother asks, coming to sit next to her. "Didn't you say you're going to shop for the summer camp training, with your friends?"
Exams results have been announced, and summer holiday is nearing. Aizawa has told the whole class that everyone is signed up to attend the summer training camp, successfully passing exams or not. Following that, Hagakure has excitedly suggested a shopping trip as a whole in preparation of the camp. A bonding moment, she pressed, not that anyone needs much convincing.
Kyouka mums, fingers finding her jacks and twirling them absently. "Does one always end up with their soulmate, Mom?"
"Hmm." Her mother looks over at her, back leaning against the couch. "No, not really." And Kyouka knows this. She has read and heard stories, half of them less happy than the other.
Still...
"Can one love someone other than their soulmate, Mom?"
Her mother doesn't answer for a while, opting instead to run her fingers through Kyouka's hair.
"Soulmate is a curious thing," her mother begins softly. "No one dares to claim they absolutely know how it works. It's not a one-way ticket to happiness; nothing easy will end up worthy. You still have to try, bleed, fight for it and risk what you have."
"Hmm."
"But you can say that soulmate is a pointer that tells you, this person will go out of their way to get to know you; to support you, to make you a better person—"
"Do they really?" Kyouka asks, her voice small.
"Not really," her mother replies, a smile on her lips. "You do that yourself. Perhaps it's more correct to say that they inspire you to." The fingers stroking her hair retreat, and a warm hand rests on her thigh instead. "And, in the end, they go out of their way to love you, too."
Kyouka swallows.
"That sounds terrifying."
"Doesn't it?" her mother lightly says, chuckling. "I think so, too."
"Do you?"
"Yes, sweetheart." A squeeze. "I do."
"Hmm."
"As for your first question?" Her mother reaches out to retrieve the cardigan, handing it to her. "One can love with a varying degree, but know that a love for your soulmate is one of a kind; it can't be measured and compared, no matter how hard one might try."
Kyouka nods slowly, digesting the words, and her mother drops a kiss to her hair, tucking an envelope inside Kyouka's hold as she rises from her seat.
"It should be enough to buy a bigger bag than the one you have. Promise me you'll have fun?"
Kyouka smiles at her, and for the first time in a while she really means it.
"Thank you, Mom. I promise I will."
[jirou > yaoyorozu]
yaoyorozu Today at 06:12 AM
jirou-san?
jirou Today at 06:13 AM
yes?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:13 AM
oh!
that was fast.
jirou Today at 06:13 AM
heh
im procrastinating after shower so yeah
been on my phone for a while now
whats up, yaomomo?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:14 AM
oh, it's... nothing really important
i was just wondering,
jirou Today at 06:14 AM
yes?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:15 AM
do you...
would you like to sit with me in the bus later?
jirou Today at 06:15 AM
oh
o h yeah haha sure id like that!
yaoyorozu Today at 06:16 AM
...you would?
jirou Today at 06:16 AM
of course i would
yaoyorozu Today at 06:17 AM
that's a relief.
jirou Today at 06:17 AM
? what relief-
oh were you worried id refuse?
thats cute but sitting with you isnt the worst thing in the world so
dont worry about it
yaoyorozu Today at 06:18 AM
h-
how is that cute?
and i was just worrying a little because well,
maybe you have promised to sit with someone else?
jirou Today at 06:18 AM
who, mina?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:19 AM
i don't know, but it's a fair assumption.
jirou Today at 06:19 AM
you know what else is a fair assumption?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:20 AM
...what?
jirou Today at 06:21 AM
that id be willing to break any promises just to sit with you ;)
yaoyorozu Today at 06:22 AM
jirou-san, that's not nice!
...but thank you.
that's nice of you.
jirou Today at 06:23 AM
so am i nice or am i not ( ' ')?
yaoyorozu Today at 06:23 AM
i guess you can be both?
jirou Today at 06:24 AM
nah, ill settle with 'not nice'
yaoyorozu Today at 06:24 AM
but you're nice!
jirou Today at 06:25 AM
only to you :)
yaoyorozu Today at 06:25 AM
...
i'm fairly certain that's not true, but all right.
Summer camp training is Hell.
They are dropped off somewhere and get forced to run through a forest, evading and defeating gigantic monsters as they do so just to reach the damned camp. It feels eerily like they're thrust into the dinosaur movie, Jurassic Park. Kyouka can really sue them for emotional distress; she feels like her legs are about to file a resignation lawsuit on her, knees wobbling when they finally step into the clearing.
But apparently that's just an appetizer, and the main course starts early in the morning the day after.
It's a Quirk training planned to force them into their limit. Break muscle fibers, build them stronger and thicker. Exhaust yourself trying to utilize your quirk and make the routines be a muscle memory.
Suffer.
Class 1-B joins them a little before noon, and for once the blond guy with inferiority complex—Monoma something—doesn't have the energy to pick bones with them. Because that's the constant state everyone's in; they are constantly running out of energy, pitifully so to the point that no one is strong enough to raise an objection when they are told to make dinner by themselves.
By the time dinner is done and she shuffles back to the girls' room, Kyouka can't feel her ears. It's numb. On the chances she can actually feel them, she winces—they ache so bad. She's only experienced it when Present Mic injured her ears back during practical exam, but it didn't last long. She can't even put a band-aid on them this time, because there's no wound; just overused muscles and joints screaming bloody murder.
"Jirou-san?"
Kyouka looks up and sees Yaoyorozu sauntering inside the room, a box of drinks in her hold. She makes a move to get up and help her, but Yaoyorozu shakes her head and makes a disapproving sound, asking her to stay still.
"Where're others?" Kyouka asks, watching as Yaoyorozu puts down the box and scoots to sit next to her, thigh pressed against thigh.
"They are waiting for the girls from class B to come," Yaoyorozu replies, smiling. "They will take a while, I think. Ashido-san brought the UNO cards with her, so they're probably playing outside. Want to join them?"
Right. They have been planning for a joint girls get-together, which is why Yaoyorozu's brought drinks earlier. Kyouka groans, laughing lightly after,
"Nah, I'm good. Too tired to move."
"Does it hurt?" Yaoyorozu inquires, and when Kyouka blinks owlishly at her, she gingerly reaches out to touch one of her earphone jacks. "You strained them a lot during training, right?"
Oh.
"Yeah," Kyouka softly replies, vague at best, but Yaoyorozu's fingers knowingly trails up to her ear's auricle, tentatively massaging the aching cartilage. The action causes Kyouka to close her eyes, a brief shiver running down her spine.
"Is this all right?" Yaoyorozu asks.
"Mmh," Kyouka responds. The light touch and careful presses send a flurry of tingling, pleasant signals to Kyouka's brain, and she lets out an appreciative noise at how comforting everything feels. "God, Yaomomo, you're good at this."
There's a smile in Yaoyorozu's reply, "It feels fine, then?"
Kyouka's eyes flutter open, and she shoots a disbelieving stare at the taller girl. "It feels great," she corrects her, and Yaoyorozu laughs softly, fingers diligently working through the kinks around Kyouka's earlobe. "You know, my other ear might have started developing jealousy."
"Really, now?" Yaoyorozu asks, amusement colouring her voice. "Then perhaps we should remedy that."
And that's how Kyouka finds herself sitting in front of Yaoyorozu a moment later, the latter's hands taking her ears hostage to massage them slowly, thoughtfully, as though they are Yaoyorozu's prized possessions that should be treated with utmost care. For a while, silence falls over them, Kyouka shifting to stare at the ceiling while Yaoyorozu works her magic on her aching ears.
This feels oddly... intimate, she admits to herself with no small amount of fluster. Kyouka can feel Yaoyorozu's gaze on her, and that, paired with the pleasant massage, is enough to make her flush.
"You look red," Yaoyorozu says after minutes pass, and Kyouka lets out an undignified squeak as she drops her gaze back onto the taller girl. Yaoyorozu's face is close, having been leaning in to inspect said redness she's claimed to see. Lips pursed, she asks, "Are you going down with something?"
"No," Kyouka hurriedly answers, unconsciously leaning back to allow herself a shaky breath. "No, no, no, I'm okay. It just feels a little hot in here."
"Huh," Yaoyorozu says, retracting her fingers from Kyouka's ears. "All right, then. How does it feel now?"
"Miles better," Kyouka says sincerely, because it's true; her ears don't ache as much, now. "Thank you, Yaomomo. You're a miracle worker."
"Anytime," Yaoyorozu says, smiling. "I did owe you, for making Sero-san apologize to me after his unfortunate comment about comparing my quirk to... well, poop."
"Sero's just lacking the necessary filter sometimes," Kyouka snorts. And then she narrows her eyes playfully, "So this's all because of that, then? To return a favour? And here I thought you're doing it because you love me."
Yaoyorozu coughs into her hand, eyes shifting away from Kyouka for once.
"Well I don't—Iwouldntmindtodoitagainforyoujustbecause."
"Whoa, there. Slow down, rapper."
Yaoyorozu shoves her shoulder lightly, and Kyouka laughs, airy and light and happy.
"You are the worst," she hears Yaoyorozu say, a mock-frown marring her face, and Kyouka just laughs again because if she replies with words the butterflies in her chest might make her say stupid things like how she finds Yaoyorozu cute and how she feels like kissing her until her frown goes away.
Footsteps come faintly, sounding clearer as they near, and Yaoyorozu scoots over to take her former place; right next to Kyouka, a finger halfheartedly jabbing her side to beg her to stop laughing.
She doesn't.
Yaoyorozu huffs petulantly, and, in what Kyouka thinks is an illogical attempt at retaliation, rests her head against Kyouka's shoulder.
It's illogical, but it works, because Kyouka's laughter rapidly subsides, partly because she's flustered and partly because if her shoulders shake so much, Yaoyorozu might move away.
She doesn't want her to move away.
Something is off.
Ever since the they drew lots for the test of courage, Kyouka has been feeling strange. Like something is not right. And it's not only because she violently hates scary things, either.
"Kyouka," Hagakure shakily says, her invisible arms wrapping around Kyouka's right arm tightly. "I'm scared."
"Breaking news; so am I," Kyouka dryly says, lightly touching Hagakure's arm to give her a reassuring squeeze that will probably fail to serve its purpose anyway. "You've heard me screaming when we passed by those class B kids."
The only consoling thought she has is that Yaoyorozu is three minutes away behind her. If she can survive the path ahead, then Yaoyorozu can, too. If Kyouka is safe, then—
No, stop that. Nothing will happen. Absolutely nothing.
"Hey," Hagakure says, tugging her arm. "Did you smell that? Is something burning?"
Kyouka freezes. A wisp of smoke with a faint hue of pink starts to come into her view. Instinctively, her hand flies to cover her mouth and nose, one of Hagakure's arm uncurling from Kyouka to frantically do the same.
An alarmed yell of "Honenuki!" breaks the silence, and Kyouka holds her breath in as she tries to pinpoint the word. A name...? A name. Yes, Kyouka remembers now. Someone from class B. The yell—because of the smoke? What is it? What does the smoke do? Knock people unconscious? Poison them? How fast?
Yaoyorozu...
Shit. Shit shit shit—Yaomomo!
The smoke visibly thickens, and Hagakure's arm around hers loosens. Their only option is to run back, away from the smoke, but it spreads too fast, and they can hold their breath only for so long. Kyouka yanks Hagakure towards a tree with a thick bush big enough to obscure their figures, hoping to at least hide themselves should they have no other choice but fall.
Yaomomo. Yaomomo—
Jirou-san...?
Kyouka gasps a little, inhaling a little amount of smoke. Right. The link, the link—
Yaomomo! We're invaded by a villain, or more, I don't know. There's something like pink-coloured smoke—
Hagakure sags against her, and Kyouka feels her own consciousness slipping.
—something about the smoke knocks people unconscious. If there's another effect like poison, I don't know—yet. If it reaches you, don't breath it in!
Jirou-san—hold on, where are you? Tell me your location—
I'm still in the course. Tooru's unconscious, I think, I can't hold on for any longer, either—just please be safe, Yaomomo, be safe—
Jirou-san?
Jirou-san!
Jirou-san, hang on in there, all right? I'm coming, I promise —
No, just stay safe—please—
Darkness rapidly invades her mind, and Kyouka slumps lifelessly towards the ground.
Black.
Numb.
Cold.
Pain, for a while, but it has faded.
The coldness wears off.
But the darkness stays.
She can't feel her arms, her legs, is she even breathing...?
She can't strain her ears, can't pick up the smallest sound.
Is she still alive?
Jirou-san.
That voice.
Soft, small, broken.
Why does it sound broken?
Jirou-san...
She tries to zone in on that voice, trying to hold onto that familiar tone, the pleasant way her name sounds, even as something inside her breaks.
Why does the voice sound so sad?
It's my fault. I wasn't quick enough to reach you. I'm never quick enough when it matters —
That's not true—
That's not true!
A bout of silence.
Jirou-san? Am I imagining —
I don't know. Are you?
Another stretch of silence.
How? Why?
I don't know. My guess is as good as yours. I'm alive then?
You are. You are— God, you are.
And you, too?
Yes. And me, too.
Good. That's good.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't find you quickly. I'm sorry I took so long —
Momo.
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
You've done nothing wrong. I know you've done your best. Don't beat yourself up over this, okay? And—wait, don't tell me you are crying.
A brief silence. Admission of guilt.
Oh, Momo.
You were unconscious. And when I came to consciousness you're still unconscious.
I'm here. I'm here now.
When you suddenly stopped responding to my call, I was afraid. Deathly afraid. I thought you were—
Ssh. Okay, I understand. Please stop crying? ...it hurts me, you know, not being able to reach out and wipe your tears.
Then wake up. Open your eyes. I miss your eyes.
Heh, do you? ...I can't, though. I can't feel my body. I can't even pick up sounds.
For a moment, everything goes still. And then she hears a sniffle, faint and faraway but there.
Okay, I've to be careful with what I wish for. Heard you sniffling and it makes me feel ten times more horrible because I still can't do a thing.
I'm sorry.
Please stop saying sorry. How are you? Were you hurt badly?
I took a hit to my head, and my energy reserves ran low because I had to create a lot of masks... but I'm fine now, you don't have to worry.
How's Tooru?
Hagakure-san is still unconscious, like you, but she has been responding to light and touches.
Better than me, then. That's good.
...Ojiro-san has been keeping her company.
Wait, really? Wow. Well, they're quite a pair ever since All Might's battle trial.
Yes.
...how is everyone?
...
Momo?
Bakugou-san is captured...
Captured? By? Don't tell me it's—
Yes. League of Villains. The same one who attacked us in USJ.
Bastards.
Language.
A rescue party must've been formed, right? Do we have a lead?
I—yes. I attached a tracking device to one of the villains. I already handed the signal receiver over to All Might.
I'm sensing a 'but', in there, somewhere.
It's...
All Might must've asked you to leave it to the pro-heroes. But what did the boys say about it?
Silence stretches, a little longer this time, and she wonders if her visitor has left.
They want me to make another receiver.
If she can feel her pulse, she's certain her heart has just skipped a beat.
They want you to—God, of course they do.
I can understand what they are feeling. Being unable to do anything—the helpless feeling and the thought that you are useless are invisible wounds that eat you away.
You are going, too.
Hm?
You're going to join them, too. Aren't you?
I—
Can I trust you to keep them safe? To try to find a way to not dive head first into confrontations?
Jirou-san...
Can I trust you to keep yourself safe? To not do anything you wouldn't want me do?
Jirou-san, I—
Can I trust you to come back to me, Momo?
...yes.
Yes?
Yes. I will keep them safe. I have a plan and I intend to avoid direct combat, at all cost. And I... I will come back, to you.
Promise?
Yes. You—you probably can't feel it, but I'm hooking our pinkies together. I promise.
Dammit, body. We're going to have to do another pinky-promise when I can feel it!
A faint sniffle. It doesn't sound as sad, if the hint of humour is any indicator, and she feels like smiling; only she can't move her lips, either.
Goddamn.
Promise me something?
Anything.
When I come back—open your eyes and let me see you awake. All right?
You probably can't see it, but I'm smiling inside. Can you imagine it? Me smiling? Imagine that as you heard these words: yes, I promise, Momo. I will try my best.
Thank you. I have to go now, please rest—
I will. You just stay safe. Please.
I will.
She wants to say it; she wants to tell her that she likes her. That she wants her to come back not only because she's her soulmate; but because she has come to like her, treasure her, adore her in ways she once thought she wouldn't ever be able to.
See you later, Jirou-san.
She doesn't say it.
See you later, Momo.
She will have to say it with all of her; she will have to say it when she's fully herself again.
Later, the chance will come later.
It has to.
She believes, believes, believes.
It starts with a speck of light coming into her vision.
The speck becomes larger, brighter, and then pure white begins to blind her sight, forcing her to open her eyes if only so she can squint defensively against the radiant light.
She is immediately aware of the IV hooked up into her right hand, the stillness of her legs still disconcerting her, but at least she can feel and see that they are there.
She attempts to make a sound; lips parting and a rush of air pushing out of her lungs, coming out in form of a strained moan. Then she winces because God, she sounds so horrible and hoarse.
Yaomomo?
She thinks and darts her eyes around; taking in the room, the ridiculously white everything. She is marveling at the white sky she's able to glimpse from the window when a warmth approaches her from the side, engulfing her in a hug.
Jirou-san—
"—you are awake," the voice murmurs softly, a pair of lips pressed closely to her ear. Kyouka shivers for a moment, and awkwardly moves her IV-free hand to wrap around Yaoyorozu's frame, eyes closing as she inhales her familiar scent.
"Wow," she croaks, apologetic, "I didn't mean to mentally call you, sorry."
A wet chuckle escapes Yaoyorozu's lips, and the arms around Kyouka tighten, their owner taking in a deep, shaky breath.
"I smell gross," Kyouka feels the need to remind her. God knows how many days she's passed out without a bath.
You smell like you, Yaoyorozu mentally counters. It's actually comforting.
Kyouka let's out a theatrical, I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that sigh, and rests her head on Yaoyorozu's shoulder, treasuring the fact that she's there, with her, both breathing and surviving and together.
She lets herself bask on these feelings for a while before she decides to break the silence.
"You're back," she murmurs, relief pouring all over her words like an uncorked vial tipped upside-down.
"I kind of promised someone that I would," Yaoyorozu whispers, pulling away to run her fingers through Kyouka's hair near her ears.
Kyouka smiles at her. "Thank you for keeping your promise."
Yaoyorozu nods, returning her smile with one of her own, and pulls up a chair to her bedside. Her fingers have moved to grasp Kyouka's, and Kyouka takes the chance to observe the taller girl, her slightly unkempt ponytail, the shadow of a sleepless night around her eyes, the tired air around her, and the fact that she still manages to look breathtaking despite everything.
A cent for your thought?
Kyouka smiles, the shared mental thought playful and soothing.
You're beautiful.
Yaoyorozu squeezes her hand.
Who knows you're such a smooth-talker?
Bold of you to assume I'm smooth and not at all a disaster.
Yaoyorozu's smile widens and Kyouka's drunk in happiness because look, Yaoyorozu is smiling because of her and good Lord she has it really, really bad.
What are we, Jirou-san?
She barely has the thought to hesitate; she has been waiting for this chance. She isn't letting it slip away from her fingers, she isn't going to throw away this shot.
We're classmates.
Yaoyorozu's smile doesn't waver, doesn't widen, and Kyouka continues.
We're friends.
We're two people who have fought in the same battle, having each other's back.
We're two teenagers ridiculously careful and foolishly hesitant to use the mental link until a near-death experience comes in like a wrecking ball, chasing our sorry asses.
Yaoyorozu's smile grows a little at that.
To be fair, I thought that I was just imagining it, the first time around.
Kyouka snorts, because of course she thought that.
We're just an ordinary person tripping over a cliff and free-falling for a beautiful, kindhearted, smart, strong and ambitious angel she doesn't think she deserves.
Yaoyorozu's eyes narrow at that, and when Kyouka raises a challenging eyebrow at her, she squeezes her hand and gives her a grin.
Bold of you to assume I tripped, and not at all willingly jumped off because I wanted to fall in the first place.
Kyouka laughs, happiness rumbling inside her chest and love shining in her eyes as she stares at her angel holding her hand, gaze filled with wonderment. Yaoyorozu looks back, she's been looking at her all this time, and when Kyouka leans in Yaoyorozu mirrors her movement, foreheads resting together without a single word verbally spoken.
I like you.
Yaoyorozu exhales slowly, warm breath caressing Kyouka's cheeks, long eyelashes fluttering down as her eyes close.
I like you, too.
And the distance between them ceases to exist.
You're the angel, by the way.
False.
Sorry, but I'm the one coming up with the analogy. Facts are hard to deal with, I know, but—mmm!
And you were saying?
Shutting me up with a kiss should be illegal when I'm trying to make a point.
Oh, is it how it is? What's the point?
You.
Me?
The point is always you. And us. And the word 'we'.
The word 'we', and the future it paints?
Planning to stay for a long time, angel?
Actually, I was trying to tempt you a forever.
Forever?
Forever.
You're driving a hard bargain.
Nothing easy will end up worthy—why are you smiling?
That's funny. My mom said the same thing, too, a while back. I think you two will go along swimmingly.
...you think?
Yes. They will like you, Momo. As I do.
As you do?
...maybe a little less than that, because I like you the—mmm!
They are moving inside a dorm, a security measure UA applies to begin trying to correct their wrong.
After getting discharged from the hospital, Kyouka spent her days catching up with the news. There is a lot to take in; and she makes sure to contact Yaoyorozu a lot, not wanting to be alone and not wanting to leave her soulmate alone, either.
Soulmate. A smile always comes easier every time she thinks of that word.
Aizawa clears his throat, and Kyouka snaps out of her thought, refocusing on his words.
Kyouka has expected this; to be gathered and given a scolding, the moment school is about to start again. Even though it's only five out of twenty who's acted on their feelings to rescue Bakugou, Aizawa has assumed, correctly, that the others were aware of the plan, and are therefore guilty for their inaction.
Aizawa's words are strict, and Kyouka personally thinks it's a little too harsh, but she also, dare she says, sees a glimpse of fear in her homeroom teacher's eyes, and apprehension is slowly replaced with a dawning understanding.
He worries for them, probably has been scared for them, too.
Kyouka looks for Yaoyorozu the moment Aizawa turns around and dismisses them; she looks distressed, almost devastated, though her expression clears up a little when their eyes meet.
You know if it comes to that I'd tell him that I've known all along, too.
Yaoyorozu smiles at her, a little amused.
And get expelled together? You have the heart to leave Hagakure-san alone with Bakugou-san?
Kyouka exaggeratedly fakes a shudder at that, and Yaoyorozu chuckles openly, the grey clouds overhead starting to dissipate by seconds.
Aizawa-sensei said these things because he cares.
Yaoyorozu nods, a small smile staying on her lips.
I know. Thank you for making sure that I know.
Anytime.
The room presentation contest has been interesting, if a little embarrassing. Kyouka wasn't able to focus at anyone but Yaoyorozu when her turn came. That the taller girl wore a slight blush on her cheeks as she looked around Kyouka's room only served to make herself flush in relief and embarrassment.
Yaoyorozu looked fascinated and Kyouka felt like she's winning a million yen lottery because of that.
When they have finally declared the contest over by announcing the winner (it's Satou, bless his delicious cakes), Kyouka has half a mind to go to Yaoyorozu and offers to walk her back to her room.
But Uraraka calls Yaoyorozu first, beating Kyouka to the punch; and she's listed a few more people, too—Todoroki, Midoriya, Iida, and Kirishima. The same five people who went on the rescue mission. Kyouka bites her lower lip, considering asking Yaoyorozu through their mental link, but ultimately refrains.
She will know later, if Yaoyorozu needs a shoulder.
"So, Yaomomo, eh?"
Kyouka blinks, turning to face a grinning Kaminari and letting Yaoyorozu go out of her sight. "Huh?"
"I'm not blind, you know," he says lightly, nudging her slippers. "Earlier this morning, before Bakugou dragged me off behind a bush, you were mentally communicating with her, weren't you?"
Heat rises to her cheeks. "What of it?" she asks, her words a little too defensive to her own ears.
"Nothing, dude," Kaminari says, his grin still wide and bright, nonplussed. "I just think it's great, and I'm happy for you. When was it that you realized? Sport festival?"
Kyouka shakes her head. "USJ."
"Goddamn, I was third-wheeling?" Kaminari demands, exaggerating his disbelief. "I'm so sorry. I don't usually cockblock people, you see—"
"Debatable," she smirks, and Kaminari's instantly grinning again.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm just glad for the both of you, super glad."
Kyouka smiles at him, genuinely grateful. He can be stupid sometimes, but he's really a good friend she would be sad to lose.
Though, there is one thing she's a little bothered about.
"Kaminari, about Mineta—"
"I wouldn't say anything to him," Kaminari promises, placing a hand over his heart.
"Thank you," Kyouka sincerely says. "I still don't know why you bother hanging out with him."
Kaminari gives her a lopsided grin. "Call me naive, but I'd like to think I'm trying to rein him in; just making sure he doesn't go out of line, you know?"
Kyouka makes a face at that; she can recall plenty of instances where the boy clearly went over the lines. Kaminari chuckles,
"I know, I know. But Aizawa-sensei's also keeping an eye on him, and I—" he shifts uneasily, "I'm real sorry if I ever made any of you uncomfortable with my actions. I think I'd try to tell the other girls that, too."
Kyouka nods, accepting the apology, and smiles to let him know that she appreciates it. Kaminari smiles back, grateful, and they talk a little about the room contest wherein Kaminari pokes fun at how badass her room looks and she pokes fun at how mismatched everything in his room seems.
"It's disorderly," Kyouka says in a mock-condescending huff.
"I know your soulmate is smart, but I didn't know you'd know a word of that level," Kaminari shoots back, grinning at Kyouka's raised fist.
"Leave her out of this, you pleb!" Kyouka jokingly snips. "What about you?"
"About me?" Kaminari blinks, his grin slipping.
"Yeah, has the one, you know...?"
"Oh," Kaminari says, understanding. He shrugs, "No, I haven't encountered mine. Kind of neat, really. Maybe God's telling me to study first, love later—"
Jirou-san?
"Whoops," Kyouka says, holding up a hand to halt their conversation. "Sorry, soulmate's calling."
The blond barks a laugh. "Right, yeah, enjoy your time. I gotta go anyway." He waves energetically before scurrying off, probably towards his own room, and Kyouka relaxes as she thinks a reply back.
Yeah? Everything okay, Momo?
Mhm. Asui-san just apologized to us about something, I'll tell you about it later. I think I need a hug.
I'm still in the common room. Come in and take your hug.
Were you waiting for me?
Have I ever not?
Smooth-talker.
Yours truly.
I think I can get used to this.
Kyouka smiles, the light feeling of happiness starting to fill her chest again.
Good, 'cause you're stuck with me for quite a long time.
How long are we speaking of, exactly?
Was trying to convince you a forever.
And then a familiar chuckle tickles her ears, a pleasant warmth closing in from every direction there is. Kyouka beams and immediately returns the hug, her hand slowly rubbing the taller girl's back in a comforting manner, the both of them quite content just letting the silence fills the air.
"Thank you," Yaoyorozu murmurs, head resting atop Kyouka's.
"Anytime for you, Momo," Kyouka reassures, and she means it, always means it. Because when someone means the world to you, you can't help but mean every word you said to them. And sure, they aren't going to be always about sunshines and rainbows, but hey, isn't that the point?
To take the good, and the bad, and do your best to survive through them all together?
Because you hope. And you try.
And you hope harder and try harder with a smile.
Because with that certain someone, you just know—
Everything will be worthwhile.
END.