Prompt 2: AU - Soulmate (Red string of fate)
Taishirou still remembered the first time he asked his parents about the red string. His mother and father both had a red string tied to their finger that got longer or shorter depending on how close they were to one another. It never tangled or caught on anything, like magic. Even stepping on it did nothing to the strings. He saw them everywhere, on the parents of other children and on people on TV, even on the pro heroes as they walked down the street on their patrols. He asked his mother what the string meant and why he and some of his friends didn't have one.
"It's your fate string," she told him fondly as she held up her finger to show the ruby red string tied there. "It leads you to your soulmate, like your father and I." She smiled.
"What's a soulmate?" He remembered asking, tilting his head. Even back then he was a pudgy young boy, always found sneaking another cookie before dinner or asking for seconds.
"A soulmate is the person in the world meant just for you. They'll love you just like me and daddy."
Young Taishirou looked at his hand sadly. "Why don't I have one then?" Did not having a string mean he didn't have anyone who'd love him like mom and dad?
"I didn't have one right away either. Just be patient, sweetheart. You'll get a string when you're older."
He wasn't so sure he believed his mother at first, but she'd never lied to him before and so he waited. He waited and waited and watched as all of his friends got their strings, but his finger remained bare. Just when he was about to lose hope, one day he woke up and there it was, a little red string tied to his pinky. He'd spent the whole day showing it off to his parents and all of his friends. He'd never been happier.
Taishirou could remember how much he got in trouble trying to follow his string once to find them. As always he was impatient and wanted to meet them so badly! How old were they right now? What were they doing? Did they have a quirk like his or something that went with it or maybe something completely different? Maybe they didn't have a quirk at all, but he didn't mind that.
He didn't make it past the train station when an officer caught him and brought him home. His parents were worried sick, but still he tried to find them. It wasn't long before he was known by every officer in the city. His string always seemed so long so it must mean his soulmate was far away! Maybe they lived far out in the country or in another district? It wasn't until he went to the beach one day with his parents that he stopped looking.
The red string on his finger stood out from the others on the beach, stretching out and floating across the water to somewhere far past the horizon. It was then that he realized his soulmate wasn't here, looking for them now was pointless. He wasn't going to find them in Japan because they weren't there. They couldn't be on one of the nearby islands either, the direction was wrong. Instead, he settled on waiting. Everyone found their soulmate eventually so why worry? There was no rush.
Years passed. He grew up, became a police officer and eventually a pro hero. He got a nervous, talented young intern who'd already met his soulmate, a classmate of his who he'd known since childhood. Taishirou smiled when he heard about that, feeling proud of his beloved pupil and his soulmate. Who wouldn't be happy about that, especially that he was so lucky to have met them so young! He couldn't help the somber nostalgia he felt when Tamaki finally got the courage to ask him about his own soulmate.
"Oh uh...I haven't met 'em yet." He rubbed the back of his neck, grinning wide. "Not for a lack of tryin', I'll tell ya that much!" The large hero laughed. "No, they're not from here, ya see? I've never been outta the country before and I don't think they've been outta theirs."
"O-oh…" His intern deflated slightly, getting that look like he'd said something damning. Poor Tamaki looked like he was going to go into hiding again.
Fatgum just laughed and pat the boy on the back, causing him to flinch. "Don't worry about it, cheer up already! I'll see 'em when the time's right."
Time passed and he gained yet another intern, the polar opposite to his timid Tamaki but he couldn't be prouder. He loved his boys and admired both of them for their achievements, giving encouragement at every turn. They were like his own kids, if actually he had any. He couldn't be happier.
Present Day. While out on a routine patrol with his interns he noticed Kirishima kept looking at his hand, then at the streets, and back to his mentor's hand. It was hard to miss. Fatgum paused, a tray of takoyaki in his hand as he looked down at his more energetic companion. "Somethin' wrong, Red Riot?" He asked. The boy flinched, not realizing just how obvious his staring had been.
"Well uh…remember when I asked about your fate string that one time?" The boy fidgeted awkwardly, going between wringing his hands and poking at his fingers. Fat had never seen the boy so shy before. Since when did Kiri take after Tamaki?
"Yeah?" He turned to face the boy, canting his head to the side.
"And you know how you said your soulmate was somewhere far away? Like, another country far?" He was looking out at the street again, at the shops lining the other side.
"Yes, I found out when I was just a kid. Why?"
Kirishima glanced at Fat before his eyes fell on a particular shop they'd passed a few steps ago, a simple clothing store. Even with the adjustments for quirks he'd never been inside as most small shops around here didn't have clothes in his size and asking them to get the extra fabric just to fix it for him was too much of a hassle. "I don't think your soulmate is in another country anymore." He pointed at the red string that stretched across the street and into the store, one end leading right back to Fatgum's gloved pinky.
The pro took a moment, glancing down at his hand before looking to the string leading to the shop, giving an experimental tug. He froze as the string pulled taught, something he remembered his father did sometimes to find his mom. The string going into the store was his. His soulmate was here. In Japan. They were really here, just across the street and in that little shop.
Fat didn't notice the tray in his hand clatter to the floor. He didn't notice how his interns jumped or hear as they called his name, asking if he was alright. He didn't notice as his body moved on its own. He didn't hear the little ding of the door as he entered that small store. He didn't hear the man at the counter ask how he was doing that day or notice the stare as he wondered what the pro could possibly be doing in his store. His feet didn't stop until he followed that little string to a young woman with long, bright blue hair that was shaved on one side, revealing her natural hair color as a dark brown.
She was stocking shelves with headphones on her head, wearing long black gloves that buckled above the elbow. Her eyes were a silvery gray, head bobbing softly to the music as she hummed along in a voice that sounded the way honey tasted. As she lifted a hand to place a folded shirt on a particularly high shelf he saw the little red string tied to her pinky, shorter than it had ever been and connected to his. His first thought was that she was beautiful, perfect, and tiny. So very tiny compared to him, he almost couldn't believe it.
She wasn't paying any attention of course, eyes lidded in that expression of monotonous boredom that often came with such a simple task on an early morning like this, likely doing something that had become routine. She looked like she was having a bit of difficulty reaching the shelf, even as she stood on her toes just to put away the shirt.
"Here, let me help ya with dat." Fatgum reached out his hand without even thinking, the one with his string, and took shirt before putting it up on the shelf for her. The girl beside him flinched before going still, bored lidded eyes suddenly widening and staring at the large hand just above hers. She wasn't looking at the hand per-se, but the string connecting them. Her silvery eyes darted up and down, following the string back and forth between her hand and his.
Fat froze, unsure what to do. He'd never thought about what to do when he finally met his soulmate, never considered what to say or do and he'd just…reacted. Was this weird? His eyes got wide and his body suddenly felt cold, too nervous to look next to him at the girl, at his soulmate. Very slowly, he gained the courage to glance down at her only to find her expression…unreadable. Headphones pulled down around her shoulders and gray eyes locked on him. "Uh…hi…um…"
Slowly, as if she was a timid animal or Tamaki, he retracted his hand and let it fall at his side. Now what did he do?
"Um…hey." Fat felt his heart skip a beat. She was speaking Japanese. "Uh…my name's Eliza-er…Violet! V-Violet Elizabeth! Um…b-but most people call me Liz!"
Elizabeth. Her name was Elizabeth. His lips curved softly in a gentle smile. Her accent was so strange and adorable. Out of habit he gave her his hero name, "Fatgum." He then frowned, turning a little red. "Uh…I-I mean-!"
Violet snorted and smiled, smirking up at him. "Do you have another name, Fatgum?" She giggled a bit. He wanted to hear that laugh again.
"Toyomitsu Taishirou…" He rubbed at his neck, feeling his face heat up even more. "It uh…it's nice ta finally meet you."
"You too." She smiled, brushing some hair from her face.
Fat wanted to know everything about her all over again, like when he was a kid and hadn't even known who she was or what she'd look like. He'd always wondered what his soulmate would be like, if they'd really like him or not. As a kid he thought all soulmates were perfect, but had seen some get rejected or lost before they could even meet. That black, cut string had always haunted him, making it a relief when he'd wake up to find that red string still there, still taunting him with what he couldn't have. Until now. During his teenage years he'd always worried that his soulmate might not like him due to his quirk or his appearance, but eventually he outgrew that fear, no longer caring what society saw in him. Her though, with her he might worry just a little. Most of all he wanted to hear her laugh, hold her hand, spend all day and the next getting to know her. Now that he finally found her he didn't want to leave her side.
A cleared throat from behind made both of them jump, turning around to see the shop owner and Fat's two interns standing there. Tamaki looked like a child watching his parents kissing and the shop owner stood there with his arms crossed, a knowing smile on his lips. Kirishima was ecstatic, a huge grin on his face and hands clenched into fists. The owner chuckled and shook his head, waving the two of them off. "Go on, get out of here. Violet-san!"
The girl flinched and squeaked. She peeked out from behind Taishirou, who was so big he'd made it look like she'd disappeared behind him. It was kind of cute to see her tiny little head poking out from behind him. It fit. "Y-yes, sir?"
"You go too, have the day off." He smiled and walked back to the front, not letting her refuse.
Fatgum glanced down at her, rubbing at his neck again. "Uh…I still have ta patrol but um…if ya want we could stop t'grab a bite to eat?"
Violet smiled up at him, already removing her work apron. "I'd like that." She dropped the apron off in front as they left the store, her hand reaching out for his before pausing and quickly retreating, hands stuffing themselves in her pockets.
Did she not like him? Did she not want to be here? Had he done something wrong? A million doubts swam in his head despite the casual grin on his face.
"Um…is it can um…" He looked at her, one hand out of her pocket and snapping in the air at random. The sound was dulled due to her gloves, her brows knit together as she bit her bottom lip. "Can uh…dammit what was the word?" Her words slipped into English, making Fat pause.
That's right, she's not from Japan.He suddenly wished his English was better so he knew what it was she'd just said.
It would seem however, that his interns had his back on this one. Kirishima leaned around Fat to talk, smiling kindly and with a curious look on his face. "What word?" His accent and pronunciation could use a bit of work, but at least it confirmed that he was paying attention in school. Or at least he hoped it did, Fat still had no idea what they were saying.
Violet and Kirishima talked back and forth in English for a bit, Tamaki stuttering a response back now and then. Watching her get along so well with his boys made him happy but also a bit jealous. What were they talking about?!
Whatever it was she said, it had Kirishima blinking a moment before a large grin spread on his face. "Just go for it!" He gave her a thumbs-up.
Go for what? Fat had no idea what was going on. What were they talking about, what did that mean? He was about to ask his intern when he felt slender fingers wrap around his pinky and ring finger, making the words stop in his throat. The only person standing on that side of him was Violet-san. His cheeks darkened and he was glad his costume included a mask as he glanced down, looking at her smaller hand doing its best to hold his. Oh god her hands are so tiny! …Oh god she wanted to hold his hand. That was so cute.
"If um…y-ya don't need to ask…if ya ever wanna hold my hand, Violet-san." Fatgum smiled down at her, a small and rather shy smile as he carefully slipped his fingers free before wrapping his hand around hers. No seriously, his whole hand was able to wrap around hers, it was ridiculous.
Violet cleared her throat. "Liz."
"Huh?"
"Call me Liz." She gave his fingers a slight squeeze. "I…would like it if you called me Liz. You're my soulmate after all, right?"
Fatgum blinked before smiling. "Alright, Liz."
He couldn't be happier.
