Soulmate - dekumight

Chapter 2

Toshinori accepted he would never have a soulmate at a young age. It was rare but he was already diagnosed quirkless, so what was a little more salt on the wound?

It was lonely. He watched his friends grow and meet their destined pairs, as heroes or those who lived a more normal lifestyle.

And there he was. Alone. With no one to stand by his side.

In some ways, Toshinori counted it as a blessing. He was reckless, after all. Especially after Nana's death. It left an even bigger hole in his heart that couldn't be filled, which drove him to his selflessness. If there had been a soulmate, it would've been greatly unfair for them.

The suffering they would've endured would be too much. Each time he left the house, he knew a villain may be lurking around every corner. He couldn't risk their wellbeing because of the unwilling target put on his back.

So, he may be lonely. He may fall asleep with a pillow clutched to his chest. He may be filled with jealousy at the sight of two soulmates in each other's embrace. He may ignore the press whenever they ask him questions because acknowledging his lack of a pair hurts more than ignoring it. But he can rest easy, knowing that whatever he does to his body bears no responsibility, no harm to those around him.

Once Toshinori reached number one, the pain of being alone had become numb. He didn't think about it so much anymore. Too busy to dwell on the emptiness of his apartment. It grew easier with time and soon he had forgotten about it almost completely.

It was a sad, lonely life he lived, but the symbol of peace needed to be strong.

Which is why he didn't question it when the pains started. He wasn't even sure when they actually did start. He never really questioned them that much.

Toshinori had been a hero for years, receiving his fair share of injuries. He'd worked his body to hell and back, pushed it beyond its limit countless times. So it made sense, really. The pains, that is.

Being a hero was no easy feat. Nor was Toshinori getting any younger. His body was bound to fall apart eventually, it was only natural. So when his knee would ache, or when it felt like he'd trapped a nerve somewhere with a sudden, sharp pain, even when he felt at peace more often; he never questioned it.

Stupid, looking back on it. The signs were all there. He had just ignored them. Although, maybe that was his way of hoping, pretending it wasn't a possibility. One, if he had a soulmate, they would have to be a lot younger than him by now. And two, he hadn't realised at first, which meant every injury he got since their birth, they would've felt it all.

His conscience couldn't handle that, so he ignored it.

Now, he realised how wrong that was. Reality wasn't kind. It always found a way to force itself to the top, making its presence painfully known.

Toshinori's first run in with Izuku had been eventful. It wasn't every day he was forced to crush some kid's dreams, but his body held the proof of this unkind world. He couldn't allow himself to let some quirkless boy blindly run into that. He had to stop it before it was too late.

Doing so hadn't been easy.

In his time, Toshinori had experienced a lot. He'd laughed and cried, gained and lost, experienced and regretted, but he had never felt such soul crushing emotions before. He chalked it up to his conscience taking a hit from the words he'd said because crushing dreams really was not fun.

The feeling had held a weight over his body, like gravity had increased only on him. The world still spun, birds still chirped, kids still ran by him giggling like he wasn't the number one hero, and no one noticed. No one knew how his heart felt like it was shattering, how he was mourning a loss he didn't even know. His feet had dragged across the pavement, a pressure behind his eyes that he only associated with crying. Yet tears didn't fall. He just felt empty.