The vague flurry of sensations caused by his dream scattered as soon as Kirishima regained consciousness, the vexatious blaring of his alarm rousing him. He groaned, stretching his arms high above his head as he did so, then kicked his duvet off and swung his legs off of the mattress.

Kirishima's feet touched the hardwood floor, and for a moment he was confused, some part of his brain expecting a softer surface. Blinking, Kirishima took in the open suitcase filled with clothes that weren't his, his en-suite door slid open and the sound of running water filling his ears.

Oh yeah, he remembered. Bakugo's staying here. Then his mind flashed back to last night as he pushed down on his alarm clock, wondering how he had gotten back to his room. He definitely didn't wake up, or at least he didn't recall waking up. Maybe he sleepwalked?

Bakugo emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his school uniform and missing his tie. He barely gave Kirishima a cursory glance as he picked up his school bag from his pile of belongings that hadn't moved from where he had dumped them the first night, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima called, just as the blond pulled open the door. He paused, waiting for Kirishima to continue. "I, uh...how did I get back to my room last night?"

There was a brief moment of silence in which Bakugo's shoulders hunched up and his fists curled. "Tch," was the only reply he gave before he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

Kirishima sighed, his gaze wondering to his clock. It took a moment for the time to settle into his mind, and then he started violently. "I'm gonna be late!"

He got changed in record time, messily styling his hair as best as he could before stuffing his school books into his rucksack and bolting out of the door, barely hearing it slam shut behind him. He ignored the elevator, taking the stairs two - no, three - at a time and crashed out of the otherside on the ground floor. Surprisingly enough, Mina stood there.

She was alone, casually munching on a slice of buttered toast as she surveyed his less-than-graceful entrance. "Hey!" Mina greeted, mouth still full of toast.

Kirishima blinked. "We're gonna be late, Mina! Come on!"

Rolling her eyes, Mina stuffed the rest of her food into her mouth and trudged after the panicking red-head. "Alright, alright, chill your beans. We've got plenty of time."

"But-"

"Trust Mama Mina," she reprimanded jokingly, and Kirishima shut up. They headed out of the building, not having to worry about locking up since it was a private campus, and the only people who could get in were certain teachers and the students. Well, maybe they had to worry about a couple of the students, but...

Turning left after the short driveway (which was unneeded since none of them could drive) Mina laughed.

"Kiri, you were so adorable last night," she cooed, tickling her finger at his chin as he jerked his head away.

"What?" he asked quickly. "I was asleep!"

Mina swung her arms back and forth dramatically, speeding up a little. "Exactly. Who knew manly ol' Kirishima could look like such a little...bean!"

Faking offence, Kirishima sent her a death stare. "I'm not a...bean, Mina."

"Pft," she scorned, clearly not believing a word. "Tell that to Bakugo."

His feet abruptly no longer taking him any further, Kirishima made a sound - like a choke mixed with a half-scream. "Ba-Bakugo?" he stammered, flustered but unsure why. "What do you mean?"

Mina, who had also stopped and had turned around to look at Kirishima, gasped. "Oh my god," she breathed. "You don't remember."

"Remember?" he pressed, suddenly nervous. What had he done?

She squealed, her entire face lighting up. "You were still asleep!" Kirishima let out a tiny sigh of relief. At least he hadn't done anything weird. Still, he kept his slightly irritated expression.

"What did Bakugo do?"

Mina giggled to herself, continuing her skippity walk towards the school. "Oh, Kiri, I totally ship it. He carried you up to bed! It was so-o-o cute."

Eyes snapping wide, Kirishima raced after Mina, intent on doing...something in mock-violence, but Mina was already fleeing, screaming as she ran.

They were both late to school, unsurprisingly, but so was Aizawa so thankfully they managed to get away with it. The morning passed unbearably slowly, Kirishima's eyes continuously drifting over to the back of the spiky blond's head, wondering what he was thinking. What he had been thinking last night. That seemed...very out of character. Kirishima was used to loud, angry shouts and being flipped off. The most amount of affection Bakugo ever seemed to show was their intense handholding sessions before they would attack, or when he was in a docile mood and Kirishima deemed it safe enough to rest his arm on his shoulder. Never would he have imagined Bakugo carrying him to bed. Maybe he thought of Kirishima as more of a friend than he had originally assumed.

Kirishima was still thinking about it when his 3rd period class started and Midnight strolled in.

"Okay class!" she addressed cheerfully, her messy blue-black hair pulled back off of her face in her signature high ponytail, but today she was missing her mask that usually adorned her pretty face. "Today, we will be discussing the reasoning behind soulmates, and how they're possible."

A chorus of groans circled the classroom, and although Kirishima stayed silent he knew why; everyone had experienced the soulmate talk at one point or another during their lives - most people more than a few times. It was like a less awkward version of The Talk™ that your parents give you. Well, most parents give. The only thing Kirishima could remember about his parents every mentioning soulmates is his mother saying that not everyone ends up with their soulmate, and his father brashly telling him to not bother trying to find them. Whether that was insinuating that they will come to you, or that the whole thing was a waste of time, Kirishima never found out, although he suspected the latter.

Midnight fixed everyone with a scolding look, and everyone fell into silence. "Right, I know you think you know everything about soulmates, but there is always more to learn!" She clapped her hands, a smile back on her face as she turned to the board. Whilst writing brief notes that we could copy, she continued.

"I'm sure you all know the red string of fate; the thread that ties you and your soulmate together. What you might not know is that it isn't a string that is tied around your finger, eternally linking you to your bond. It's actually a continuation of your ulnar artery, the blood vessel that runs from your heart, through your body and to the end of your pinky. Invisible to the human eye, the vein extends outwards, forming your red string of fate. This string can stretch, tangle, maybe fade a little, but it will never break. It bonds you eternally to your soulmate by some unknown force not even the smartest of scientists can figure out.

"The more complicated part is the messages. Of course, most, if not all of you have been in communication with your soulmate with the unique method of writing on your forearm with your pinky." Midnight chuckled. "Much like Quirks, scientists can't seem to figure it out. Although soulmates have been around for eternity, the intricate meaning behind them is still unknown. What we can know for sure though, is that they're a wonderful gift we should never take for granted, because without them it is unlikely that we would ever meet our destined partners."

Kirishima had been totally silent throughout all of this, ignoring the others' murmurs and passed notes as they zoned out. It was the one class that didn't get assessed at the end of the year - Culture. Totally pointless, yet Kirishima had always found it interesting. Still, his heart ached as he listened, the constant, throbbing pain eating away at his chest.

So he withdrew into his own little world, unaware of his surroundings as he imagined a universe where he was raised with love and care, where his mother was still alive and his soulmate was by his side. He imagined that life, although filled with hardship, was made perfect by the one person he would dedicate himself to.

Sooner than Kirishima would have imagined, the bell rang, the harsh clanging invading his brain and shocking him back into the real world. Everyone was collecting their things, ready to head out to their next class. Midnight still stood at the front, surveying everyone as they left. Kirishima waited, deliberately taking longer than usual to pack up, and once it was only him and his teacher left, he hesitantly asked, "Midnight?"

Midnight's eyes, which had been on him anyway, blinked. "Yes, Kirishima?"

Gulping, Kirishima slung his bag over his shoulder and walked closer. "I was just wondering....with all of the talk of soulmates, and how you're destined to find yours...is it possible to not have a soulmate?"

Midnight frowned. "Well, I suppose. I mean, considering everything that was never considered possible before, some people might not have a red string of fate. I have heard of it happening a few times before - not everyone has a soulmate, whether platonic or romantic - but that tends to be when they're a-sexual, and aren't seeking one." Her gaze focused on Kirishima's face, which he was trying hard not to change, not to show how badly he wanted to cry. He was Kirishima, for gods sake! He didn't cry. He was strong, manly, unbreakable. "Why? Do you not think that you have a soulmate?" Midnight pressed gently, her face showing kindness and compassion. Kirishima had the urge to tell her about the messages he left every night, how he longed to find them but that he doubted their existence, similar to the childish impulse to give yourself away during a game of Hide and Seek.

Instead, Kirishima flashed the grin he had practised for hours, the one that said 'Everything Is Fine!'. Midnight gave him a dubious look but didn't try to coerce him to say more. He waved his hand cheerfully as he said goodbye, but as soon as his back was turned his face fell, displaying just how tormented he really was.

"Bakugo?" Kirishima whispered into the darkness, rolling over to face the side he knew the blond was facing. For a moment, there was no reply, just the black void that he convinced himself was only his bedroom.

"Fucking what?" came his weary reply, followed by the shuffling of a comforter as he presumably turned around as well.

Kirishima chewed on his bottom lip, debating in his mind the correct way to phrase it. Eventually he gave up and just decided to say it. "What do you think about soulmates?"

There was a pent up ball in his chest, wanting to tell someone, anyone, about his situation - he knew Kaminari talked to his soulmate daily, usually in class, and Mina always made little doodles that were copied and reciprocated. He wasn't sure about Sero, but he could imagine the conversations he would have. Bakugo, on the other hand, was a mystery.

"Why, Shitty Hair?" Bakugo scoffed, yet it lacked his usual bite; maybe he was tired.

Even though Bakugo didn't sound interested in the slightest, Kirishima felt the ball inside him flood open. "It's just, today in that lesson with Midnight we were talking about them and even though everyone has a soulmate they weren't listening to things that were literally part of their life, stuff that they should pay attention to and it got me thinking about my soulmate and I-I-" Kirishima stopped himself, mentally punching his brain as he slowed his breathing. "I just...feel awful for people who don't have a soulmate, y'know?" He let out a soft chuckle. "Midnight says it's possible for someone to be born without a soulmate, and its just so...upsetting."

He desperately hoped that Bakugo didn't hear the way his voice cracked at the end of his last sentence, but they were dashed when Bakugo asked, "Why?" again.

In spite of his disinterested tone, Kirishima knew Bakugo was curious and genuinely wanted to know. The teen wouldn't ask twice otherwise.

Feeling the ball reforming, Kirishima laughed. "Nothing, bro! I just wanted to know how you felt about them, and if you know who yours is, and if you have one. You've never really discussed the topic, so..." Almost like Kirishima realised what he said, he panicked. "Not that I mean to pry! I was just wondering-"

"I do."

"-if you had...oh?" Kirishima blinked, surprised. He hadn't really expected Bakugo to answer, rather retain his stoic and cold demeanour, so hearing him actually say something on one of the most intimate topics consternating. "Oh," he repeated again, not hearing any reply from Bakugo and not anticipating one. So what was this sinking feeling in his chest?

Kirishima shifted onto his side again, his feet searching for a cool spot on his mattress, and when he found one he snuggled down, trying to ignore the part of him that wanted to know more, was desperate to ask who they were, if Bakugo knew them, or wanted to know them. "Good night, Bakugo," he said sleepily instead.

There was a huff of vague annoyance. "'Night."