word count: 1.9k
summary: have you ever wondered where you'd gotten that strange bruise on your leg? or that weird cut on your arm that you can never remember where it came from? were you really just that clumsy, or... was it something else?
...
since you were younger, your body has always been beaten and bruised too many times for you to count. however, you'd never yourself gotten hurt.
there has always been a link between soulmates since the history books could remember, whether it be sharing thoughts, a common splotch of ink, meeting in dreams, or a little red string that tied two people together. but there was a rare one, one that tied two soulmates together by pain; by far the most dangerous, and the one that usually went without being diagnosed. most with the scarring tie thoughts they didn't have a soulmate, as most never met their soulmate. it was believed that those who were reincarnated with this type of bond had done something unforgivable in a past life.
from a young age, you were all too aware that you'd been one of the lucky ones to receive this painful bond. you would come home with bumps and bruises of all sorts, despite the only thing even remotely dangerous in kindergarten class was sharpening your pencil (lots of things could happen, you could slip and fall while walking to the sharpener or you could accidentally stab or cut yourself). but you could always feel the wind being knocked out of you during lessons, or your knee scraping while you were coloring during recess.
your parents had worried about you when you'd come home with a black eye or scraped up knees; at first, they believed you were being bullied but refused to come forward, they'd never heard of such a painful bond between soulmates. but much to their horrified surprise, this was all your soulmate.
you were always careful, cautious as to not hurt your soulmate despite the hurt they'd saddled you with since you could remember. but it was, perhaps, because of your cautious nature that they believed you didn't exist. you had come to terms with that when you were in middle school, when all the girls suggested you pinch your arm to let your soulmate know you were there. you outright refused; your soulmate went through so much already, you couldn't imagine bringing anymore harm to them.
and that was probably why, despite being the most gentle and careful person, your right arm was so messed up, or your hands would always shake during the simplest task. you would always wear long sleeves to cover up the scars, and bandages to cover up your hands. perhaps your soulmate was a hero, that was the likely answer, but it didn't stop the pain you'd felt every time one of your limbs were broken.
you were now twenty, a legal adult living on your own with your own apartment and a cat to greet you with a glare when you came home. but, with adulthood and owning your own place, there were certain tasks that needed to be done to keep yourself afloat–tasks like going to the store at two am because you wanted to make cookies but were short on chocolate chips.
you grabbed a light jacket and slipped on your tennis shoes, not bothering to change out of the shorts you were wearing to lounge around the house. it was a warmer night, sky clear of all clouds and the concrete still warm from the sun beating down on it.
it was a quick walk to the store, the streets dark in the late hour; it was quiet, just as you would have hoped, only a couple cars passing by on your walk.
you reached the convenience store in no time, chilling ac greeting you as you walked through the door. you said hello to the clerk, the one who was often working when you came in.
"brownies again?" he asked.
you shook your head, "chocolate chip cookies, actually."
"well, you know where everything is, let me know if you need help," he gave you a small smile, one you returned, before you made your way to the cramped baking section. you reached up to grab a bag of semi-sweets, but before you could, a blast of a gun had gone off in the store, followed by the sound of a crumbling ceiling.
you dropped the bag, rushing to the front where you noticed a man with a gun, his barrel aimed for the clerk; you dialed the emergency number quickly, pressing it to your ear as you heard the steady dial tone.
"give me everything in that register!" the robber demanded and tossed an empty sack at him.
you eyes widened, heart racing in your chest. was this really happening?
just as someone had picked up, the clerk's eyes met yours; they lingered just a bit too long, as the robber turned to see you cowering half-hidden behind the aisle. "oi! get your ass over here! you got money too, throw it in the bag!"
you fumbled, tripping over your feet as you joined the clerk, phone shattering against the linoleum tiles.
"you're a pretty thing, ain't ya?" he smirked. "be a shame if i'd have to shoot you because of him, huh?"
bile rose in your throat, choosing to look away from the robber.
"s-sir, please–"
"open the fucking register!" he snarled, "we don't got all day, i wanna get out before the fucking heroes get here!"
you squeezed your eyes shut, hoping that the emergency number was hearing what was going on. your heart was thrumming rapidly in your chest, ears clogged with the sound of your blood rushing in your head. and somewhere along the lines, your hands started to shake.
suddenly, your hair was grabbed, the robber's hand twisting it around as he dragged you against him, the cold barrel of the gun pressed against the flesh of your cheek. "open the fucking register, or i kill her."
your breathing came out in rapid pants, hands grabbing the man's that was wrapped in your hair. your eyes were pleading with the clerk, a subtle shake of your head telling him not to. you knew his boss, you knew how he would make the clerk feel like it was all his fault and make him pay the money he lost, and you knew that the family the clerk had at home couldn't afford it.
"hurry up–"
"sir! let go of the girl and drop the gun!"
you looked to the side, seeing a man with unruly green hair, piercing green eyes matching. his lips were pulled tight as he assessed the situation–a villain with a gun and two hostages, one of which the gun was aimed at.
"fuck," the robber cursed. "alright, alright, i'll listen."
his hand loosened around your hair, and you dropped to the floor, landing on your knees hard and hearing a small crack. you didn't look up in time to see the grin hidden on his face, but you did see the way the gun was now being slowly brought around to face the daring hero, his target no longer you.
you gasped, moving quickly as you grabbed the gun.
it happened in slow motion, or so it seemed to you. as the gun had gone off with your hand wrapped around the barrel, as the bullet lodged itself into your shoulder, as the steady hum of the ac turned into a soft, high-pitched noise, as the hero jumped into action despite the hand that gripped his shoulder, the one that mirrored where you'd been shot.
you felt the blood begin to dribble down your arm, soaking the jacket that had slipped from your shoulders and rested bunched up at the crook of your arms. you felt woozy as you looked at it, throat tight as your stomach threatened to empty its contents.
you hadn't even noticed the hero apprehend the villain, or when the clerk had reached your side and began to apply pressure. you hadn't noticed when those brilliant green eyes had locked on you, and he called for an ambulance. your brain was starting to feel fuzzy, and little black dots began to cloud your vision until you passed out.
midoriya had dropped to your side in a flash, "help me remove her jacket, please! we can use it as a bandage until the medics arrive."
the clerk motioned to your hand, "she has some wrapped around her hand and arm, maybe we could use those? i-i've never seen her without them.
midoriya nodded, beginning to unravel your bandages. his moves faltered though, as he recognized the scarring on your body; he'd seen those scars before, but only on his own skin. his heart dropped, but at the clerk's questioning, he sprung into action again.
—
there was the steady beat of a heart monitor, and the sound of people talking lowly amongst themselves as you came to. you became all too aware of the new wound on your shoulder you'd acquired from playing hero, as your shoulder began to throb, a groan coming from your lips.
you blinked slowly, adjusting your eyes to the bright hospital room. attempting to sit up, you gasped at the pain shooting through your shoulder, letting out a muffled cry.
almost immediately, someone was by your side, "hang on, take it easy. you can't sit up so fast. you'll reopen your stitches." their voice was soft and caring, somewhat familiar to you. "would you like some help?"
you nodded as you grit your teeth, waiting for the pain to subside. "th-thank you."
"no problem," they replied, as they adjusted the pillows behind you and helped you to sit up.
"wh-where am i?" you asked, head groggy. "i... i know i'm in a hospital, but-but what happened?" you looked over at the person who'd helped you, heart jumping in your throat as you recognized him. "w-wait, you're-you're the hero from the convenience store, is-is that why i'm... here?"
he nodded, "you stopped that guy from shooting me. i was waiting for you to wake up so i could thank you."
someone cleared their throat, and you looked over to see a girl with auburn hair with her arms crossed over her chest. "deku-san...."
his cheeks reddened, "r-right... well, that's partly why."
"deku-san."
he sighed, and your brows furrowed. "a-after you took the bullet and you passed out, the clerk and i helped bandage your wound before the medics arrived. we saw the bandages around your arm, and he assumed you weren't hurt as you always had them, but... i'm-i'm so sorry."
the girl rolled her eyes, "deku-san, you're not making this any less confusing for her. if anything, she's more confused than when she woke up."
"(last name), i didn't think you existed, i never meant to intentionally harm you, and i was convinced you weren't real," he mumbled.
"what are you trying to say?" you asked slowly.
he sighed and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, a gasp falling from your lips at the sign of the familiar scarring traveling up his right arm. "i... i'm pretty sure i'm your soulmate."
your heart jumped in your chest.
"i really am sorry for hurting you for so long, i never meant to damage myself and hurt you in the process," he explained, "like i said, i was convinced you didn't exist. i never got any mysterious scars or bruises growing up, and i thought the universe was just as cruel to forget to give me a soulmate."
"i-it's okay," you replied in a quiet voice, still shocked with the revelation. "i... i didn't help with that either. i was always so cautious, i didn't want to hurt you when i already knew you were in pain." your brows furrowed, "b-but, the bullet–"
he slipped the shirt over his shoulder, "still stings a bit, but it's otherwise okay."
you touched the scar gently, your cold hands sending a shutter down his spine. you looked up at him. "i'm (last name, first name)."
"midoriya izuku, please to meet you."