Chapter Text
Everyone was born with the ability to see, but were blinded as soon as their soulmate was born. The only way a person's vision could return was by meeting their soulmate. Because of this, society was made to efficiently accommodate blindness. That didn’t mean it was any less annoying for two sassy blondes, however.
Aoyama Yuuga, as an aspiring hero and fashion designer, had a difficult time navigating both industries, even with all the accommodations. The boy could identify fabrics simply from their feel and sound and could read braille-printed blueprints with perfect ease. He still struggled with the actual making of any fashion, however. They couldn’t sew without often hurting themself, and when he finished a project, he had no way of knowing how it looked.
These grievances didn’t even touch what trying to be a hero was like. Aoyama’s Quirk, Naval Laser, was powerful, painful, and hard to control. This didn’t stop the Frenchman from doing his best, not at all. It just made everything all the more difficult. He had spent months, years training for the Yuuei entrance exam. He would need careful control over their Quirk if he stood a chance of getting in.
And for Monoma Neito? He was shooting for the stars, as well. He had wanted to be a hero since he learned what being a hero was. His Quirk, unfortunately, was touch-activated. This was hell to navigate accurately while blind. Monoma was willing to go through hell if it meant being a hero.
And so careful control was achieved and hell was traversed during the Yuuei entrance exam. In the end, both boys got into the hero course, to their excitement and relief. It would be a while until they met each other, however.
Yuuga did his best to sparkle and dazzle, even while blind. They would have to impress on the first day, there was no way around it. So, he was as sparkly as he ever was. His flair was a little overshadowed by more than a few soulmate meetings, however. Jirou and Momo, Tsuyu and Ochako, and Denki and Tokoyami had found their soulmates. Aoyama and the rest of class 1-A were about as happy for them as strangers could be, but it did stir something bitter and jealous within the boy. He pushed it down.
Monoma could care less about first impressions; he was going to be as dressed up as he always was, as sassy as he always was, and as standoff-ish as he always was. It didn’t really matter; after all, he never had any problem making friends and acquaintances. To his mild surprise, a few soulmate pairings happened on the first day; Reiko and Setsuna, Tetsutetsu and Shihai, and Yosetsu and Jurota. He was happy for them, sure, but he felt their threatening presence. After all, 6 of his classmates had an advantage that the rest of them did not. This could spell trouble in certain cases.
Absently, Neito leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He imagined what his soulmate would be like, if they’d approve of him being a hero, if they’d even ever meet. That was his least favorite thing to think about, but with the meeting frenzy that just occurred, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering.
Class 1-A was a little rough around the edges; there was conflict and drama seemingly on the daily. Between Deku and Bakugo, or a soulmate argument, or Bakugo doing something to piss people off. Today, it was the latter.
It was nearing the Yuuei Sports Festival, a time when the students could show off their skills. Truthfully, Aoyama was nervous. He felt as if he was one of the weakest in his class, and wasn’t completely confident that anyone would even care about them. A commotion near the entrance broke them out of their thoughts, but of course, it did; Yuuga was in seat 1, and he would always be front row for these things.
It seemed as if the other classes, specifically class 1-B, were scoping out the competition. It was hard to tell, but Yuuga knew there were many people they didn’t recognize surrounding the door and whispering between themselves. Strangely, he felt a sort of pull; a need to get out of his seat and navigate the crowd outside. But, no, that was silly! He didn’t want to serve himself up on a silver platter to a ravenous group.
Their twinkling smile and demeanor remained even as Bakugo’s attitude caused the crowd outside to seethe and writhe. It didn’t matter that hearing him talk to the crowd like that made Yuuga angry beyond reason. He would never do anything about it anyway; they didn’t have a death wish. But still, he seethed. He wondered why.
Monoma had shown up on the front steps of class 1-A, ready to weed through the competition. It was always useful to understand your opponent before taking their Quirk, after all. For some reason, though, he wanted to saunter his blonde ass into that class and take a closer look. Something inside him was pulling, and Neito did not like it. He had never felt this before. Scowling as the loud boy got into an argument with Tetsutetsu, he walked away. It felt like torture, but he ignored the feeling. It was probably nothing anyway.
Then came the sports festival. And, in Yuuga’s mind, it went just as fast. They couldn’t remember a single thing from the cavalry battle, which was disheartening. Despite this, he would be moving forward in the one-on-one battles. Matched against Ashido, however, he knew that there was a slim chance of victory. With a looming defeat, the only thing they could do was sparkle; and sparkle they did.
Monoma closely listened to the announcers watching the class 1-A students, that loud boy making anger burn inside of him. The announcers were Present Mic and Eraserhead, a mated hero duo. Bleakly, Monoma wondered if his soulmate was also a hero. He had been born blind, which meant that his soulmate was older than him. It was a possibility, even if it was slim. That would probably be the best outcome, really. But, knowing himself, Neito doubted that was the case.
Present Mic’s loud announcing drew him out of his head and he tuned back into the class 1-A fight. Apparently, someone named Mina Ashido was kicking her rival's ass. He narrowed his eyes and cataloged the girl as a potential threat. The boy she was besting was an Aoyama Yuuga, who apparently sparkled. Something about the entire thing made his stomach churn, instincts going haywire in his mind. Face scrunching up, he pushed them down. No time for that.
After the most thorough ass beating he’s gotten his entire first semester, Yuuga slumped into the boys' locker room. He had gotten his kiss from Recovery Girl and now simply needed to rest. He sat down heavily on a far bench, squeezing his eyes shut and hanging his head. His fluffy eyelashes brushed against his cheeks and he let out a slow, long exhale. It was okay, loss was to be expected; Yuuga couldn’t always win. A nasty voice in the back of their head said they they could never win, that they should just give up, that they should stop trying. His shoulders shook as he considered the voice. No, Aoyama couldn’t give up. He had tried so hard to get into Yuuei, and now that he was here, they could not let an overly negative inner voice win out in the end—!
“Hey. Sparkles.”
Aoyama’s head whipped around. From the other side of the locker room, apparently tucked behind a row of lockers, came a snide voice.
“How have you not given up yet?”
Monoma asked, leaning back against the locker. Now that he had a definite 1-A weak link to toy with, a vague excitement thrummed through his veins. He smirked as he heard the other take a choked breath.
“I- I beg your pardon?” Aoyama inquired, heart full of disbelief.
“You’re the class 1-A weakness, you have to know that. So, why haven’t you given up yet?” Neito smirked to himself.
Yuuga put his head in his hands but tried to make their voice steady. “I can’t give up, monsieur! I got into Yuuei, and I’ll do what I have to do to stay. It doesn’t matter that I’m the weakest in 1-A, non. Someone has to be, and if that someone is me, then so be it.” He felt his Quirk cause a few sparkles to pop up around his face.
Monoma scoffed. “Wow, I didn’t know 1-A was so self-sacrificing.” As he snarked, he stood and stretched. This boy had heart, and while toying with him definitely saddened, it didn’t seem to crack his spirit any. Which was certainly a shame, because Neito didn’t like any idiot from the over-glorified target practice class—
In a flash, everything was bright. So, so bright. Groaning, Yuuga wrapped his forearms across his eyes. Merde, what had been so bright to make him see it through his blindness?! As soon as he thought that, however, realization hit him… non… non, it couldn’t be… could it?
Slowly, nervously, Aoyama lowered his arms and revealed his indigo eyes. They squinted, but soon they could see. The locker rooms… the lockers were that fabled Yuuei green… the room was painted the same… he started to cry as he took it all in. And on the other side of the locker room? Well, the blond rubbing at his eyes furiously had to be Yuuga’s soulmate!
Monoma hissed in pain under his breath, rubbing at his pale blue eyes in annoyance. What the hell, man? Blearily, Monoma opened his eyes and took in Yuuei’s dingy locker room. He looked down at himself, seeing those god-awful uniforms, and then he looked up. And it was like he caught a glimpse of heaven, because there was no way the boy in front of him was anything but an angel. Soft, platinum hair perfectly styled and framing a beautiful face; soft features with points, long, fluffy eyelashes brushing against cheeks, delicate blush spreading slowly but surely; gorgeous indigo eyes and small bits of makeup and piercings completed him… Neito’s soulmate. The boy he had just been bullying. The student would have had the wind knocked out of him upon realization if his breath hadn’t already been stolen.
Yuuga, through small tears, took in his soulmate. Pale blue eyes captured in slanted eyelids, soft, silky blond hair, and a slightly muscled physique that had butterflies trying to escape his stomach. He looked as if he often smiled, but there wasn’t a trace of a smile here, only etchings of regret. It barely took a second for Yuuga to understand why, and when he did, the tears became fuller, beginning to fall at a rapid pace. His eyes snapped shut as he curled in on himself, wishing that their soulmate meeting didn’t happen like this.
Neito felt an awful churning in his stomach as he watched his soulmate cry. Because of him. Taking shaky steps, the taller boy crossed the locker room, crouching in front of his soulmate, this angel that was his.
“Starlight, please… I’m so sorry.” Grabbing at the beautiful boy’s hands gently, Monoma silently prayed.
“Why… why would you say that?” Aoyama’s words were chopped up by small hiccups and sobs, yet he gently squeezed his soulmate's hands.
Neito’s heart twisted in his chest. “I didn’t mean it. I was just saying those things because I’m a silly, stupid, competitive man. Knocking down a class 1-A student could have given me an advantage. But I shouldn’t have done that, least of all to you, love.” The boy quietly explained, hoping against his luck that this sweet thing would forgive him. The squeezing of his hands was promising, but he couldn’t bet on that.
“You… you shouldn’t have ever said anything like that to anyone.”
“I know. I know, I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”
And, well, this was Yuuga’s soulmate. There was no way they wouldn’t have forgiven him. Taking a deep, strained breath, the boy slowly opened his eyes. Indigo met blue, and everything felt right.
“I… I’ll forgive you, mon amour. But please, don’t say such awful things to people.”
Monoma could never deny those rosy cheeks, and he quickly nodded. “I won’t, my love.”
Silence dragged for a moment between the two, both casting incredibly obvious glances at each other's lips; Aoyama’s soft, shiny ones, and Monoma’s chapsticked, thin ones.
It didn’t take them long to lean down, to stretch up, to meet each other halfway. It is said that the first kiss between soulmates set the other's world in place, and for the two boys, nothing felt truer.
Of course, nothing good could ever happen to Aoyama, to Monoma, and so they were interrupted.
“Jeez, Aoyama! Mina really ripped you a new one, huh? That’s okay, man, Todoroki totally handed my ass to me, haha—“
Dead silence followed the Hispanic boys' entrance. Sero, still blind, could tell that something was off.
“Hey, what’s going on—“
“Get out of here, plain face!” Monoma spat out, frustrated.
Despite the harsh words, the feeling of being wanted and protected drowned out Aoyama’s scolding retort and replaced it with an airy laugh.
“Wait, Aoyama, did you find your soulmate?!”
“I said get out!”
The aftermath was awkward. Neither boy wanted to let the other go, yet they did.
Monoma walked back with his class in silence, something mischievous brewing inside his brain. With a tiny smirk, he jogged to catch up with Itsuka.
“Hey, Kendo.”
She rolled her eyes, but smiled. That was the first time he noticed she did that.
“What do you want, Monoma?”
With a newfound twinkle in his eye, he simply said “I didn’t know your eyes were blue.”
“Huh? Who told you—?”
He couldn’t help but snicker as a moment of understanding flicked across her face, and his efforts were rewarded with a swift punch to his arm.
“You meet your goddamn soulmate and this is how you tell me?!”
His cackling drowned out the sound of her anger.
As Aoyama finally made his way back to class 1-A, he felt a buzzing undercurrent before they even opened the door. Cautious, the sparkling boy slowly pushed the door open… and was met with a bombardment of questions from his overeager classmates.
“You met your soulmate?!”
“What do they look like, kerro?”
“It’s very lucky that you are both taking classes at Yuuei, isn’t it?”
Overwhelmed, all Aoyama could do was stand there like a deer in headlights.
“Uh—“
“Please, everyone!” Iida shouted, quickly shooting up from his desk. “While I understand we are all excited, it is notappropriate to interrogate Aoyama so soon after his meeting. Please, have some consideration!”
As the class representative's words rang out, the questions came to a stop. Yuuga slumped in gratefulness, making sure to thank Iida. Still, as they sat down in their seat, they felt eyes on him— or, in his general direction.
“Monoma Neito, mes amis.”
“What?!”
“There is no way—!”