Give up, you are no match for me. (あきらめな、君は僕にかなわない)

Fate, you are a brownie!!!

The words appears right before his eyes when he was six. And five-year-old Shouto did not understand English.

They were a pretty golden brown color, amber flaked with gold, the handwriting was swift, elegant and cursive, not tidy but not messy either. The 'F' has a lovely, cute little curl at the bottom, and the 'e' at the end ticked up and trailed away in a swift straight line that was cut off by the exclaimation marks that was added later.

The words were also very, very tiny. If they were written in his practice booklets, they would be a third the size of the words he was supposed to trace. They are about the size of those tiny little words printed on the back of books, just a little messier but just as clear and recognizable. As the words appeared before his eyes he can see how it was written, how it swiftly ran across the inside of his wrist with no pause and the smoothness of a native speaker, how the writer had almost subconsciously dotted the end of the sentence before adding the actual punctuation, and how they seems to hesitate slightly before adding two more exclaimation marks to the end, emphasizing on the tone of the words.

He carefully creeps down the hall to find his mother, and shows her his wrist.

His mother blinks at the words, then giggles.

For Akemi, the words came when she was seven. And seven-year-old Akemi was not in a very good place in life. They were written in an elegant, tidy manner, clear and strong with a blue to gray gradient in Kanji and Katagana. The handwriting resembles her teacher's, swift but not messy. The color is so beautiful, soft and clear, decorating her right wrist.

She carefully examines the writing, its 'あ' has a lovely curl, the strokes in slight curves,

She glances briefly at the stairs leading to her father's study, creeps into the library, and looks it all up in a dictionary.

His mother tells him what the words say, and Shouto frowns.

Just what is wrong with his soulmate?

She pouts at the definition, and huffs.

Her soulmate is so mean!

Soulmates are originally one of the side effects of quirks. People didn't believe in them at first, since there was no scientific explaination for it all, but over time, as pairs met one another and more proof sprung up, people began to accept this as a fact. Studies were made, and have shown that soulmates are very connected to one another.

One of which shows that in times of distress, soulmates can share their quirks with one another. And those who have met their soulmates' experiences an increase in both raw power and control of their quirks. This made teaming up with their soulmate something somewhat common. There are many hero pairs who are soulmates. And while he searched and searched for years, Enji never met his soulmate.

So he gave up. He gave up on finding his soulmate and instead focused on aiming for the top. And when he couldn't, he searched for someone to ensure his legacy. He searched for someone that will give him the child that will head to the top. And so he found Rei, who had recently lost her soulmate and charmed her and her family. And within months, he have both her, and her quirk within his grasp. And now, he have Shouto.

Of course, there were little obstacles in this path, but they're no bother. Enji huffed, it's about time his son's soulmark have manifested, and the sooner one meets the soulmate and leans to harness the enhancement that comes with it the better. And one's soulmark tend to hold great clues to one's soulmate. So today, after training, he requested his son's presence.

"Shouto." He said, and the child flinched, "You are already six, your soulmark should've already manifested."

"You will show me the words, and I will find your soulmate so we can start training you to harness the quirk enhancements." He orders.

In front of him, his son blinks, then looks down at his wrist, shrugs and extends his hand, letting his soulmark show (In this AU, soulmark are hidden by default and are not visible unless the person wills it to be).

Enji blinks at the English words that made no sense at all, and barks for his son to leave the room.

Shouto's soulmate is absolutely BONKERS.

Hibiki has known Akemi for years, so she knows for a fact that Akemi is a naturally competitive person, and her soulmark just made that worse. But she is also naturally rebellious, and is very determined to not let her soulmark shape who she is.

So instead, she became an overworking slacker.

And isn't that impressive. Hibiki hums, but she also feels a little sad for Akemi.

'Cause her soulmark literally told her to give up.

Akemi is a wonderful friend, and she almost envy whoever got to be her soulmate. So caring, so empathetic, so kind. Funny and alway, always smiling. With pretty eyes that shine like gold, a vast mind that can create so many worlds, and arms that gives the best hugs.

She also pity whoever had to deal with Akemi's stubbornness. The girl is so stubborn once she is determined to do something, nothing short of self-realization can stop her. And these moments... are pretty rare. Hibiki looks over towards her best friend, who is currently mumbling under her breath, occasionally leaning back to act out certain scenes.

Hibiki is glad she gets to see this. Akemi told her that she could never focus when there's someone in the room and this type of things only happens when she is completely focused. Not even Tenya or Hiroi, even Kōki gets to see Akemi think like this, and Hibiki is very, very glad that Akemi feels comfortable enough around her to show these little quirks of hers.

Next to her, Akemi rubbed at the dark bruises under her eyes, and continued to type away in the corner of the library, adding in little details and more in the beautiful fictional universes she have created, fine lining every last city and town that existed on the Earth Hibiki knows is beautiful, and pushed on while muttering softly to herself.

Akemi really is amazing, she thought with a fond smile, and looks down at her own wrist, the scribbles 'no, it's orange.' written across it, and wonders what she will she tell her soulmate.

Shouto gains a taste for brownies.

Perhaps he would be eating now when he meets them?

(He has never been so wrong.)

Akemi types away on her computer, and on screen Luce's death scene slowly manifests in her head.

Huh, she wonder if her soulmate is a writer.

(She couldn't 've been farther from the answer)

Shouto was walking towards the southern area of the Hōhana ward when he felt a small body barrel into him, and he stumbles back with a grunt. He was ready to glare at the person, until he saw them.

A girl. Dressed in pajamas and a hoodie that was hurriedly thrown over, with long hair the color of dark chocolate tumbling down her shoulders in a loose braid, which lightened to a dark blond towards the tips, streaked with gold. She fell, and Shouto caught her, her hood slipping off to reveal bruises.

Bruises like his.

Shouto was paralyzed, as the girl looks up, tears staining his face and sobbing as she attempted to catch herself, getting back on her feet. The girl stood once again, stumbling, and fled.

Her eyes were amber. Shouto realized, flaked with gold.

Just like his words.

"I bet you can't."

"You sure you wanna bet, sis?"

"There is absolutely no way you could've gotten four twos in a row, trice." Akemi glares at her awful, awful sister, "I refuse to believe it."

"Okay, loser do whatever the winner says for 24 hours."

"Deal."

"..."

"WHAT THE FUCK KŌKI?!"

"I win."

"YOU CHEATED!"

"I won fair and square. Sis. From this moment on you have to curse in..." Her sister tilts her head for a moment, "Food items."

Akemi levels her sister with a deadly, dark glare, and speaks creatively.

"Kimura Kōki, you are an atrocious avocado."

(By the way, Akemi hates avocados and thinks they are abominations that should not exist)

Shouto arrives early in the morning for school and pays no attention to his classmate's conversation.

Too bad. Because if he did, he might've heard his golden-eyed classmate call her friends almond fudges.

Akemi curses her sister as she exits the changing room for Toshinori-san's lesson.

She calls her an abdominal pasta. (Pasta=Bastard)

Shouto didn't really know what to expect from his two opponents. But it doesn't matter. From the situation it would seems that his opponents intend to fight a defensive battle, and he can end this quickly.

After a quick conversation with his teammate, Shouto pressed his right hand to the wall, and ice spread rapidly, covering every last surface and sealing everything within. After a second, he continued his way into the building, Shouji following behind him.

However, after opening the door at the end of the entrance hallway, he stopped dead. The floor plans have changed— where's supposed to be an internet of rooms and corridors are now a big, open hall, with multiple arches to support the structure. His ice covered everything but this isn't a good sign.

His ice melts, and Shouto took a step back in alarm, as the water flooded down and covered the entire floor of the hall before freezing again, into ice much harder and smoother than his own.

There was a thwip and a thud, and when he turned around, his teammate was unconscious on the floor, and a laugh sounded from behind him.

His classmate, amber eyes gleaming with amusement grins at him, bow sling over her shoulder as the long strands of hair that framed her face swayed. She is pretty. Shouto shook his head and forced himself to focus, then spoke.

"Give up, you are no match for me. " (あきらめな、君は僕にかなわない)

The girl chokes mid laugh, and stumbles. She blinks once, then twice, then turns to the ceiling and screeches at the heavens with all she could in English.

"FATE, YOU BIG, STINKING BROWNIE!"

Akemi skates down the hallway with ease, nothing on ice is lands with skill and grace in front of Todoroki, and was about to stop laughing so she could comment about his ice when the teen spoke.

"Give up, you are no match for me." (あきらめな、君は僕にかなわない)

She chokes mid laugh and stumbles, blinking up at the teen with shock as she processed the words, feeling her wrist tingle with heat and warmth spread from the familiar words.

Oh god.

Oh my god.

Fate, you are cruel. You are a stinking— Akemi turns to the ceiling and screeches in her most familiar language to vent.

"FATE, YOU BIG, STINKING BROWNIE!"

Todoroki gapes at her, and Akemi realizes belatedly that her soulmate's had that written on his wrist for all his life.

So naturally, to safe herself from further embarrassment, she wacks her bow against his head and knocks him out.

When Shouto came to, his classmate— soulmate is crouched next to him, poking his shoulder awkwardly.

"Oh, you're awake." She mumbles, avoiding his eyes, "I- uhhhhh..."

Shouto also had no idea what to say. The girl scratches the back of her neck and offers him a hand, Shouto takes it and the girl pulls him up straight.

They stood there awkwardly, avoiding each other's gaze. They were silent for a while, but then the girl extended a hand into his line of vision. Shouto looks up, and the girl smiles blindingly at him, then spoke.

"Kimura Akemi."

It wasn't until then that Shouto realised he didn't know her name before. He cleared his throat and took her hand, they are small and her fingers seems calloused, and her fingers are cold. " Todoroki Shouto."

The girl's smile widens slightly, "Well, I guess we'll have to get to know eachother better."

Next day at lunch, Akemi drags Todoroki along with her to the canteen, right in front of Tenya, Hiroi, Hibiki, Izuku and Uraraka, and declares.

" I found my soulmate." She stated bluntly, holding Todoroki by his shoulders. Hibiki blinked, Hiroi fell off his seat, and the rice Izuku was bringing to his mouth dropped into his lap.

"Wha-really?" Hiroi spluttered and Akemi nodded nonchalantly, "And here I thought they'd be a girl... OUCH."

Hibiki slaps him up side the head and the annoying little germlin shuts his mouth.

"Um, Kimura..."

" Shut up, Peppermint Swirl, there's no way I ain't introducing you to my good ol' partners in crime." Akemi waves it off and manhandls her soulmate into the seat next to her, which is next to Hibiki's.

"Peppermint-" Uraraka chuckles, "Well, Akemi, congrats! What did she say to you, though? Todoroki-kun?"

Todoroki was silent for a second, and then he spoke.

" I wondered for over a decade who would yell 'Fate, you big stinking brownie' at me. Now I know."

Hibiki blinks, and spits out whatever was in her mouth.

"At least it wasn't actrocious avocados!" She crackles, and Akemi groans.

Shouto stood across Kimura quietly, the girl is looking at him curiously as he braced himself, and spoke.

" Have you ever... Head about quirk marriages?" He began, and the girl stiffens.

Shouto took that as an confirmation.

He continued. Quietly going through the events of his childhood as if it's a presentation. When he finally finished, emotions roared inside him and everything was quiet. He didn't look up.

"You- " he began, "you don't have to believe me." He stated, keeping his voice level and calm. " I'm only telling you because you are my soulmate, and as my soulmate you are supposed to know about this." He paused, "Endeavor is a highly respected hero, It won't surprise me even if you don't believe me."

He fell silent. Kimura didn't speak, and he felt dread pool in his stomach.

So she don't believe him after all.

"We're just the same."

Shouto's head snaps up. And oh, that's vwhy she didn't speak. Kimura's face was almost blank, but tears trailed down her face and drops down her chin like a river, her lips are trembling.

" We're-" her voice cracks painfully, and she lets out a bitter chuckle, " We're just the same, aren't we?"

Shouto barely catches her when her legs give out, and could only watch, as she clenches the front of his school blazer, and wails.

Akemi tells him. Akemi tells him everything. She tells him everything and it hurts.

It hurts so much as she spoke, as she told him about the basement that still haunts her, as she told him about how she nearly killed herself, about the many times she stayed awake at night, eyes wide open to keep herself awake, eyes wide open to avoide the nightmares, eyes wide open so she wouldn't break.

She told him everything.

Everything.

She told him about the many lies she told, she told him about being scared, and she told him about the red, red stains that wouldn't go away.

She takes a shaky breath as she finished, and sobs.

" I believe you." She chokes, " I believe you, Todoroki, I mean-" she sniffles and wipes at her eyes, " How can I not when I've been through the exact same thing?"

Akemi silently waited for shocked or disgusted look, because why wouldn't he, when she'd did something like this, something so horrible and didn't feel a thing, but what greeted her instead was a tight embrace.

It's warm.

A few weeks after officially getting to know Akemi, Shouto found himself smiling along at her jokes, rolling his eyes as she nudges him and teases him, and staring into her amber eyes as she ranted on and on about her fictional universes.

"-but that plot was totally unacceptable and I just can't have him leave unscathed. I mean, it's not like I'm cruel or what and I do like angst, but just escaping after getting kidnapped and tortured like that is just so unrealistic." Akemi groaned, "Sure, I killed the guy in the end and dragged the cliffhanger for three books and that was cruel, but his death was definitely reasonable, right? Peppermint?"

Shouto opens his mouth to comment, but what comes out instead was:

"You're cute when you rant."

Ueno chokes on her juice, Midoriya stares at him, Seiba flips his tray, and Akemi stared with her mouth agape.

"Very funny." She says faintly, "Now excuse me, I need to go have an existential crisis."

She walks out the door, and everyone in the dorms heard her screech.

Akemi mutters quietly under her breath as she typed out the scene. Seriously she loved writing lines of thoughts, they're the best.

"Gosh, romance is a hard to deal with..." She groaned and sat back in her seat, dragging a hand down her face. "Alright alright real life reference, what do I think when I look at Shouto?"

"..."

"WAIT A MINUTE"

tbc...

I laughed so much. FLOOF FLOOF FLOOF.