Soulmate Expectations

The class was dismissed after the training ended and we all dragged ourselves back to the classroom to change and grab our things. Many people were quiet, contemplating the advice they were given and the outcome of their battles.

Walking back to the dorms was a quiet affair. Bakugo and Shinsou absentmindedly took my hands as I looked around at the people walking in the same direction as us.

It turns out that Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki had moved into the dorms. The guys were on the first floor and Yaoyorozu was on the fourth. Everyone headed to the showers, wanting to wash away the dirt and grime from the day.

Once squeaky clean, I dressed in my comfiest sweats and pulled out my books, determined to get ahead on my homework.

Bakugo walked in, shirtless, and I immediately shielded my eyes.

"You better be here to get some work done or else I'm kicking you out." He rolled his eyes and pointed at his bookbag, clearly having the same idea as me.

Shinsou walked in not long after, bringing snacks and drinks.

Hana and Sora had snuck into my room and put a small, cozy kotatsu in the middle of the floor and that's currently where we did our studying. With the syllabi being placed online, it was easy to work ahead for classes such as English, History, and Hero Theory.

That is until Shinsou stretched out his legs and put his feet on my leg, purposely pushing my sweats up to touch my bare skin.

I froze and a very loud sigh had me jerking my head up, locking eyes with him.

"What's gotten into you, Ren? Did this morning really make you that anxious?" Stuttering out an excuse, I tried to play it off but Bakugo quickly shut that down.

He stood up and walked over to me, sitting directly behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"If this isn't that big of a deal, then why are you as stiff as a board?"

Forcing myself to relax, I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts.

"There isn't really a straight answer to either of your questions. It's like I'm hyper aware of you both now and it makes it really hard to concentrate or think. It doesn't make any sense because the bond is supposed to make touching one another feel safe and relieving! Plus, I've never done anything like this before so I'm really getting in my own head."

Bakugo started laughing so hard that it literally had me shaking. My eyes grew wide and I turned to look at him over my shoulder.

"What's so funny, blasty?"

Regaining his composure, he sent me a devious smile.

"So, you're telling us that you've just realized that you have the hots for us and it's making you all hot and bothered when we touch you, right?"

I blushed, not having worded it quite like that. I nodded and he buried his head in my neck, laughing all over again. His breath ghosting over my neck gave me goosebumps.

Shinsou hummed and shot me a sly smile before pulling out his computer and walking over towards our side of the table.

"I guess it's time to do a little research then. Maybe we can find out why this happened so quickly."

Bakugo snorted, giving him an incredulous look. "Oh, come on, zombie. Shorty here hasn't experienced lust before and that's why it's freaking her out. It's new and I would bet that the bond intensifies the feelings."

If I was feeling flushed before that comment, now I felt like I was straight up in the pits of hell keeping satan company.

"BAKUGO! You can't just casually say stuff like that! Are you trying to kill me?" I tried to push him away from me but the second my hands met his bare chest, I yanked them back and faced forward, not wanting him to see my crimson cheeks.

Shinsou looked at me for a moment before stating that he thought I was going to pass out.

"Ugh, shut up. Both of you. I- just- UGH! Let's do the damn research!" Both of their mouths hung open and they stared at me like I had grown a second head.

Before I could ask them what was wrong, Shinsou turned to Bakugo and smacked him.

"You're a bad influence on our girl!"

My snort turned into a full bellied laugh, making them stare at me incredulously all over again.

"You think I lived with a villain for nine years and didn't hear cussing, let alone use the language myself? That's funny! I used to have a mouth like a sailor, but my therapist thought it would be a good idea to try and stop. Speaking positivity into my life and what not."

The boys shared a look and then we started up the search, not sure what to expect.

"Alright," Shinsou mumbled after a short while. "I've found a pretty reputable site. Has good references, too."

We all crowded together, Shinsou leaning into my lap and dragging the laptop so it was in front of all three of us. We all read quietly to ourselves, taking in the information section-by-section before talking about it.

Pulling out a sheet of paper, I decided to take notes to organize my thoughts.

Soulmate Bond Notes:

1. Not everyone has a soulmate, only about 65% of the population has one and only 10% of these pairings have more than two individuals.

2. The way you know you have a soulmate is by sharing the drawbacks to one another's quirks. Quirkless people can only find their soulmate if their other half has a quirk.

a. Touching one another is soothing (depending on bond level), helps with pain and healing, and strengthens the bond.

b. There is even the possibility of lessening quirk drawbacks when soulmates are in close proximity to each other.

i. Touching can also stimulate the bond to evolve to an accepted status

3. Soulmates have different levels of bonding that affect the strength of the bond.

a. A regular bond that has not been acknowledged will only have quirk drawbacks and those can fade over time.

b. An accepted bond, a pair that has chosen to be with one another, can evolve in a number of different ways.

i. Extensive skin-to-skin contact—arousal, emotional codependency, possessiveness, pack mentality, a sixth sense of the other's needs

ii. Sexual activities can cause—boosted quirk powers, extreme anxiety when unwillingly separated, feeling each other's emotions when they are extreme (rare), can cause extreme possessive behavior

c. Broken bond—rejected/dead mate, feels like a part of you is missing, depression, possible quirk difficulties, many die

i. It is possible for a mate to be rejected and then later accepted.

4. Bonding looks different for every pair but communication is key

a. Proper communication prevents: emotional instability, extreme possessiveness, and the need for excessive skin-to-skin contact.

b. Just because you accept a bond doesn't mean you must be with that person, though this is rare.

I put my pencil down and rubbed my eyes, trying to soak in everything I just read. My stomach suddenly growled and we decided we should take a break, heading down to the kitchen.

"It's nice to just walk in and heat up a meal. I think maybe we should try and meal prep so we don't have to cook all the time." Shinsou nodded, staring at his food while it was rotating.

"We can do that sometimes, but I'm fucking cooking for us at least once a week." I whirled around and started bouncing in front of him.

"Do you like to cook, Bakugo? We could totally have a dinner date night once a week where we make something difficult." He blushed and smooshed my face with his hands, trying to stop me from bouncing.

"Oi, calm the fuck down, shorty."

Smiling, I threw my arms around his waist, fighting off the butterflies that told me to back away. Before I could disengage, Shinsou joined in and I found myself sandwiched between them. I blushed but decided to ride the wave of emotions I felt, that is, until we were rudely interrupted.

"Public displays of affection, known as PDA, are prohibited at school! I suggest you three-"

"Oi, four eyes! Shut the fuck up! A hug like this isn't considered PDA and, if you haven't noticed, we are in the fucking dorms. The rules here are slightly more lenient."

I just knew he was flipping him off and I laughed, ignoring their argument to take my turn with the microwave. It was a little difficult to get out of their grasp and I had to wiggle against their bodies in a way that had Iida yelling at us once again.

Eh, Shinsou can stop Bakugo from committing murder. I'm just gonna focus on my food!

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu joined us for dinner and it was nice to have another girl to talk with. Iida joined in on our small talk here and there, making me very aware that we had an audience.

"Did any of you ever figure out why we moved into the dorms early?" I shook my head no, giving the guys an awkward look.

Iida started commenting about the affairs of the League of villains, guessing that it had to do with our safety. I zoned out after that, focusing on the latest fashion news Yaoyorozu was gushing about.

We went back upstairs, Shinsou and I dragging a screaming Bakugo. Iida could really push this guy's buttons. Once on the elevator, he calmed down drastically, pulling us both under his arms.

"That fucking kid is so damn annoying. I swear he's a walking rule book." Looking up and over, I once again was reminded of how tall these two were.

It's not fair. I'm not short but, DANG IT!

Entering my room, I pulled out my notes, knowing they were both on the same page as me.

"So… that was a lot to take in but it did explain some things," I mumbled. I plopped down on the futon and shoved a few pillows out of my way.

"It explains why you were so anxious around us all day. I guess we inadvertently advanced the bond into an accepted state." Shinsou stated while sitting next to me, pulling me into his side.

Bakugo pushed us over and sat on my other side, slinging his arm over my shoulders and Shinsou's arm. Having two arms resting against the back of my neck was extremely distracting. I jumped when Bakugo grabbed my hand, flipping it over to examine against his own.

"You're fucking small compared to us, shorty. It's hella cute."

Shinsou reached over and grabbed my other hand, playing the comparison game, too.

"Yeah, look how our hands literally engulf yours." I yanked my hands back and then yelped when my leg was jerked up, Bakugo now comparing our feet sizes.

"Shit! You even have tiny fucking feet compared to us!"

"OKAY! I get it! You find it freaking adorable that I am tiny compared to you! Which is absolutely ridiculous because I'm not a petite girl. Now, if we could please focus, I would like to talk about the things we discovered and maybe set some ground rules for our relationship."

I was crimson, the blush spreading up my scalp and down part of my chest.

They both got serious and we started our discussion. Though, neither of them seemed inclined to release my legs. Instead, I found myself basically seated on their thighs when they scooted closer.

"Alright," Shinsou mumbled, pointing at my notes. "It's safe to say that we have already helped the bond advance to an accepted state. It didn't mention too much on poly relationships so I would bet a little more research is needed on that side of things."

"I would fucking say so. The communication portion is probably doubly important for us and I would bet that poly relational soulmates have extra perks and drawbacks."

Bakugo grabbed the computer and started typing, one hand lazily drawing circles on my thigh.

"While you're looking that up, I think it would be a good idea to decide how we want this to work. For example, is it okay for two people to hang out without the third?"

The boys shared a look before nodding.

"Nope. We need to verbalize this. You two don't just get to talk telepathically and then nod. What are the concerns with just two hanging out? What is everyone comfortable with and what are the big no-nos?"