The Hands At My Throat - kiribakukami soulmate AU

Soulmates

Bukugo stared at Kirishima. He looked down at his own bandaged torso, then at the three sparkling scratches down Kirishima's chest. There were also shimmering lines around his side to his back, and hands coming over his shoulders where Bakugo had hugged him.

He opens his mouth to yell at Mina for not saying anything, but the words leave his mouth before he can even say them.

And he just stares again.

He looks down at his own hands, and they're shiny, not really sparkly, like gemstones, like Kirishima's, but more shimmery, like metal, and a rusty red. All the way up the insides of his arms up to the line where his sleeve had been.

The silence in the clearing gets more and more awkward, so Bakugo decides to do everyone a favour.

"I'm going to bed," he growls. He hasn't eaten anything yet, but the girls managed to gather enough food for everyone, so he'll just have some tomorrow. He tries to put his scowl back on, but he knows he just looks shocked.

When he enters the cabin, Kirishima pulls his knees up to his chest and rests his chin on them, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"I'm sorry Kiri," Mina says.

"You deserve better," Todoroki adds.

"It's really a shame."

"You shouldn't be stuck with him."

Kirishima shoots his eyes up.

"What?! That's not what I'm upset about!" He exclaims.

"I'm not upset that Bakugo's my soulmate... it kinda makes sense actually it's just..." he sighs.

"He doesn't want me to be his soulmate. I wouldn't be surprised if he's one of those 'soulmates don't determine your lives' kind of people, you know?"

Mina crouches down next to Kiri and rubs his back.

"He'll come around Kiri, just watch." She smiles at him, but he doesn't smile back.

"I hope so," he says, looking back down to the ground.

"You know what?" She declares, standing up again. "I bet Bakugo is actually a terrible romantic at heart. You know, 'strong silent type that doesn't know how to express his feelings properly'." She emphasises what she's saying with dramatic actions, like pretending to swoon and be shot in the heart.

It lightens the mood, and everyone laughs.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kirishima laughs.

"Of course I am. Now let's get this food going I'm starving!" She scoops up a basket of plants, and takes them over to the make-shift 'kitchen'.

They all get started with the cooking, and Kirishima just stirs the pot, because he only has one hand. It annoys him to not be of much help, but it'll do.

When they're done, they all sit around the fire that the boys had set up earlier before and eat their food.

"I swear this is the best random plants I've ever eaten," Mina groans, shovelling the food into her mouth.

"I think those roots might have been closely related to ginger," Sato says, eating his own food.

Kirishima eats more slowly, mostly because he's a bit busy trying to balance his bowel on his sling.

"Hey Kiri," Mina says, "take this in to Bakugo." She hands him a bowl of food. He has to put his own stuff down in order to take it.

"Why mee," he whines.