Shoto waited uncomfortably as the clock ticked on.

His father was sitting next to him, pretending to watch television. He hadn't done this with Shoto's siblings, but Shoto was the hero to surpass All Might. To Enji, Shoto was clay to mold.

Shoto took a deep breath. Today was January 11, and on this day, 14 years ago, Shoto was born. He came into the world at 2:03 pm. It was 2 pm now, which meant in three minutes, if his soulmate was already 14, then his or her name would appear somewhere on his body in the person's handwriting. It would be like a scar, and it would be slightly painful when it manifested itself. Shoto had no doubt that his father was watching for him to flinch.

He took a deep breath. It was 2:01.

"Don't be afraid of receiving your soulmate, son," Enji suggested.

Shoto didn't respond. He found the advice hypocritical and ridiculous. His father had married a woman that was not his soulmate. This was before he had met his soulmate, and he assumed he would be able to be a faithful man to his wife even when he met his soulmate. Instead, four year old Shoto had caught him kissing another man in a mall when Enji thought he was lost in the crowd. Shoto's mother had grabbed his hand and pulled him into a different store where she pretended she hadn't seen anything either.

His mother wasn't Enji's soulmate either. Her soulmate had been a boy in her class in high school, who was starry-eyed and dreamed of becoming a doctor. He died in a car crash before she graduated.

Shoto had no interest in finding out who his soulmate was. It would only give Enji something else to control in his life.

2:02.

His mother had her soulmark on her stomach. Enji had his on his hip. Shoto prayed to any god that would listen that his wouldn't be somewhere visible.

The game show host on TV announced a price. Neither father nor son was interested

2:03.

Shoto watched the second hand for a minute, and when his watch read 2:04, he breathed a sigh of relief. Enji stood up.

"That means you're older, Shoto. Your soulmark can appear at any moment, but don't dwell on it."

He left. Shoto finally relaxed. He allowed himself to fantasize that his soulmark was several years younger than him and that his or her name wouldn't appear until he was adult and away from the monster that sired him.

Izuku was born at 4:32 am, and he sat his alarm clock to 4:30 the night before his 14th birthday. When he woke up, he pulled out a flashlight and turned it on his analog alarm clock. Then, he waited.

Izuku was bubbling with excitement. His mind was racing. He wondered if he had already met his soulmate. Was his soulmate going to be a cool hero like he was going to be? Maybe his soulmate was famous for having an amazing quirk, even as a teenager? Would they be cocky? Sweet? Fond of jokes?

4:35 came and went before Izuku gave p and tried to go back to sleep. A fear grew in his belly that just like a quirk, a soulmark will never appear, and this would be yet another part of society that he was left out of.

When morning came and he left his bedroom, his mom was already making breakfast. Izuku told her that his soulmark didn't appear, and she wrapped him in a lovingly embrace and recounted the tale about how she didn't get her soulmark until she was seventeen.

Shoto was in the middle of a sparring session with his father when he felt an intense pain on his arm. His father had been teaching him a new throw, and he collapsed onto the padded floor. He gritted his teeth and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a new scar.

Fumikage Tokoyami was written on his arm in neat handwriting.

Panic rushed through him as the pain faded. He tried to hide the name by quickly pulling his sleeve back down, but it was too late. Enji had seen it. He grabbed his arm and rolled the sleeve back up, and Shoto tried to escape from his grasp.

Enji was the No. 2 hero. The child was no match for him. Shoto groaned as his grip tightened.

"Fumikage Tokoyami," Enji read. "Be happy, Shoto! You know the name of your soulmate, and unlike lesser folk, we have the means to find them."

"I don't want to," Shoto protested.

He couldn't wait until he was eighteen and leave his father behind. He just had four more years to go, and soon he would be joining UA, which meant he would be spending less time in his father. Four more years. Why couldn't Fumikage Tokoyami just be four years younger?

Enji laughed. Shoto winced.

"Nonsense! The sooner you can meet your soulmate, the better. What if they don't have a good quirk? I need to know if you need a quirk marriage arranged. You are my heir, Shoto. You and your children will be my legacy."

Numerous laws were in place to prevent someone from looking up their soulmate's name until they both turned eighteen. Parents were concerned what would happen if a teenager found their soulmate, and if there was an age gap, meeting right after the mark appeared could be problematic.

Enji Todoroki however, was a famous hero who had fans who were willing to look the other way when he asked to look at birth records. That was what led the two families meeting each other. The topic of quirks was quickly brought up.

Tokoyami's father was a dark man and not in skin tone. His face was void of light, like it was shadows instead of flesh. Tokoyami resembled his mother more than he did his father. She had feathers instead of hair and wings instead of hands. Her limbs were covered in feathers. Todoroki's first thought was how could he kiss Tokoyami if he had a beak, and the thought shamed him. He needed to convince Tokoyami that they needed to avoid each other.

The whole family was rigid and polite. Some part of Todoroki found it funny in an adorable kind of way. Tokoyami was dressed in a pair of nice black pants with a black shirt. His father was dressed similarly, and his mother wore a dress. They were a polite, respectable family, and their son had a strong quirk. He was Enji's ideal soulmate for his son.

Shoto hated it. He wanted to get as far away from his father as he could and live his own life. The family was caught off-guard by the meeting, and they looked slightly uncomfortable but were too polite to bring it up. Enji had invaded their privacy by looking Tokoyami and his family up and requested a meeting so their children could meet each other.

"Excuse me," Shoto said as he stood, tone perfectly polite. "Tokoyami, I made some snacks earlier. Could you help me get them?"

"Of course."

Enji smiled as he watched Tokoyami and Shoto make their way to the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind them, Shoto bowed.

"I am sorry my father invaded your privacy by arranging this meeting. Please, make some excuse to not see me again. My father is an abusive monster who controls my life and will try to control yours as well." Shoto had been rehearsing the words since his soulmate's name first appeared on his skin. "Because I care for you, I want to spare you the pain and misery. Please, never see me again. "

Tokoyami stared at him, his red eyes filled with confusion and concern. Shoto continued looking at the floor.

"...I can't do that. I won't sit by while you're suffering, Shoto." Shoto hated how nice that sounded and how it made him happy. "I could report him to the police," he offered.

Shoto straightened. His face was red with embarrassment.

"No. It won't work. There' no evidence, and my father is the hero Endeavor. They'll never believe he's abusing me."

"We could get evidence."

"I'm 14. I only have four years left before I'm adult, and once I get into high school, I won't be spending as much time with him. I've thought this over before."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say you can't be my soulmate. I can deal with him. I just can't deal with you being roped into his madness."

Tokoyami just looked at him. Silence filled the room. Their parent would be wondering where they were.

"You are my soulmate. I may have only just met you today, but I can feel that you are a wonderful person who..." Tokoyami paused, trying to find the courage to say the words, "I can see myself falling in love with. I will not leave you alone."

Time stretched by. It was a full minute before Shoto spoke again.

"I can't love you, at least not while I live under the control of my father."

Shoto could see Tokoyami's heart break, and Shoto cursed the whole concept of soulmates. What force decided it would be good for kids to know who their one true love was, when they were too young to even know who they themselves were?

"I can wait," Tokoyami pleaded.

"You'll be drawn into my family's craziness."

"It's not your fault."

Shoto's heart started to race, because Tokoyami was so sweet and kind, and he understood why the other boy was his destined. His face turned red. He opened the fridge and pulled out a plate filled with korokke.

"Let's get back. They're going to wonder what' taken us so long."

"Of course."

Dark Shadow closed the door behind them.

"Hey Deku, what's on your back?"

"Huh? What are you taking about, Kacchan?"

It was the first day back from Christmas break, and the boys were changing in preparation for gym class. Katsuki looked furious as he got closer to Midoriya, who tensed. Katsuki looking like that usually resulted in his backpack's contents being spilled over the floor or a bottle of water being emptied onto him.

"It looks like dirt on your back," Katsuki said.

"I couldn't have gotten dirt there. Let me see..." He went to look at the mirrors at the front of the changing room, but Katsuki stopped him by grabbing hi shoulders. He looked even angrier.

"Ochaco Uraraka," Katsuki read. "Aw, you got your soulmark!" he taunted.

Midoriya's eyes widened, and his heart tarted to race. He had gotten his soulmark and he hadn't even noticed. When was their birthday? His mind raced as he tried to recall if he had ever met someone with that name. His thoughts were interrupted by Katsuki shoving his back, making his chest hit the edge of his open locker. That would leave a bruise.

"What an unlucky person! If I was you, I'd spare them the embarrassment of having to be your soulmate and never tell them. It's the kinder thing to do."

"Hey.." Midoriya protested quietly.

For a small moment, Midoriya wondered if Katsuki was right, but he quickly reminded himself that there was plenty about him to love. He was going to be a hero one day, and unlike Katuki, he wasn't a bully.

Katsuki laughed as he slipped on his shirt and left the gym.

"Poor Uraraka! She must be blind or hideous! Maybe both!"

Midoriya fought back the tears. He was sure Uraraka was beautiful, and he couldn't wait to meet her.

Shoto was accepted into UA on his father's recommendation. Six months before everyone else would be taking the entrance exam, Shoto took a train to Shibuya. The train was crowded, and the only open seat was next to a boy his age who seemed to be studying. He had a book open on his lap and a notebook he was scribbling into on top of it. Shoto sat next to him, and the boy glanced up at him before returning to his work.

Shoto listened to music as the train lurched forwarded. It was in-between stops that the boy closed the book and Shoto was able to see its title.

"Are you studying to get into UA?" Shoto asked after taking out his ear buds.

The boy looked surprised and slightly nervous.

"Yeah. I want to go to the same school All Might went to. It's always been my dream to become a hero like him."

All Might. Shoto could never hear that name without hearing his father repeat.

"It's a tough school. Good luck. They're hard, but they'll make you a good hero."

And Shoto wondered if he really wanted to be one. Was being a hero his choice or his father's choice?

The boy's eyes lit up, and Shoto was amazed by his enthusiasm for the school.

"I know! It's amazing! Do you know that all their students get actual experience working alongside real heroes and sidekicks?!"

"Yeah."

"I'm taking the entrance exam this year. I've tried talking to people about what the exam consists of, but..."

And then the boy started talking so fast that Shoto couldn't keep up. Shoto had always taken his admission to UA for granted. He was the son of Endeavor. He had the connections to be admitted as a recommendation, and here was a lean boy who was talking about getting into UA like it was a theme park he'd been waiting all year to go to.

The boy's enthusiasm was nice.

"Oh, sorry!" The boy said suddenly. He laughed sheepishly. "I ramble sometimes. It's a rude habit of mine. I'm Izuku Midoriya."

"Don't apologize. It's fine," Shoto dismissed. "I'm Shoto Todoroki."

"Nice to meet you, Todoroki!"

"Nice to meet you too," Shoto said politely.

After this, Shoto put his ear buds back in and turned up his music. He closed his eyes. He faintly heard Midoriya going back to writing in his notebook and flipping through it pages

Things continued on until Todoroki's peace was interrupted thirty minutes into the train ride when it unexpectedly topped, and both boy lurched forward. Todoroki caught himself. Midoriya hit the seat in front of him.

"We apologize for this interruption," came a male voice over the intercom, "but the train has encountered a problem. Passengers must exit to the station and take the next train, which will be arriving in thirty minutes.

Shoto groaned as he slipped his phone and ear buds back into his pocket.

"I hate public transportation."

"They try their best," Midoriya said. "I like the convenience."

Shoto ignored the boy's awkwardness. The pair exited the train along with the other passengers. Shoto was ready to find somewhere to read when Midoriya got excited and said something.

"Oh, I know where we are! Todoroki, have you ever been here?'

Shoto was once again caught off-guard by the earnest personality of the stranger.

"Uh, no, I haven't."

"There's a chocolate shop near here that's really good! Would you want to-Since we have some time, do you want to check out the chocolate shop with me?"

That was the last thing Shoto expected him to say, but the offer was nice. Midoriya wanted to spend time with him, a stranger.

Shoto didn't have many friends. His father monopolized his time. When he wasn't training, he was networking or learning. What free time he had was spent with Tokoyami to appease his father. It had been a year since he did something simple with friends, just hanging out with someone.

"Sure. Lead the way," Shoto said, looking forward to the shop.

"It's just down the road!"

The left the station. Across the road was a mall chocolate shop, and the pair walked inside of it. The walls were lined with different colored boxes of chocolate, and there was a display case of home made chocolate at the front. The colors and smells were enough to make Shoto's mouth water, but he knew better than to indulge. If Enji found out, it would end in pain. Midoriya was grinning with excitement.

"Oh, they have truffles today!" the smaller boy exclaimed. "What are you going to get, Todoroki?"

"I'm not hungry," Shoto said casually.

Midoriya was surprised by this, but he did not ask again.

The two passed the time just chatting, with Midoriya occasionally eating a chocolate or two. Their conversation resumed when they boarded their train, and they talked until they reached their destination. Somewhere along the journey, Shoto forgot that he was Enji's son and was going to be the hero that surpassed All Might. He forgot he had to jog for an hour and a half and then spar with his father when he got home. He was just a fourteen year old boy talking and laughing with someone else. It was wonderful. When he was with Fumikage, he couldn't look at him without thinking of his father, but now, hanging with Midoriya, Shoto didn't have a care in the world.

He was actually sad when the train stopped. The two boys exchanged phone numbers with the excuse that since they were going to both be going to UA, they could help each other study. Shoto doubted the meek boy would get in, but Shoto wasn't going to crush his dreams.

Midoriya sent him a text that night, and Shoto replied. They talked until Shoto fell asleep.