always the fool with the slowest heart

IVETTE MIDORIYA changed. Her family could see it. Her soulmates could see it. Even her classmates and teacher could see it. There was something different about her. And it all happened after that incident at the mall.

The change wasn't noticeable at first glance. It was subtle, barely visible— a small wave in the ocean, a sudden displacement. Izuku watched his sister talk with their classmates. He was the first to notice the change. Ivette leaned back in her seat, a placid smile on her lips. She looked relaxed, at ease. The light didn't reach her eyes, but nobody seemed to notice. Nobody...but her other half. The boy who was born with her— as one then two.

The boy who would die for her.

Izuku was chatting away with his soulmate when something piqued his interest. Ivette's voice quieted, and her eyes were unfocused. Her gaze trailed to the side; she was looking out the window, daydreaming, perhaps.

He followed her gaze. Izuku wanted to know what had captured her attention, but there was nothing but a big blue sky. So, he returned his attention back to her and really took in her features. Ivette's eyes were darker than usual, with what seemed to be a layer of mist covering her irises. Her brows were pinched forward. Her lips were flat. The way Ivette sat back in her chair reminded him of some sort of predator. Or maybe that was just his nerves playing tricks on him again.

With a shake of his head, Izuku put on a smile and reengaged in the conversation he was sharing with his soulmate and best friend.

Izuku knew that his sister had been through hell lately, though it was hard to tell since she never opened up. His stomach dropped just thinking about the situation in the mall. Izuku wished there was something he could do. Something he could say. But he kept silent, ignoring his gut and trusting his sister.

What a poor decision, really.

The second to notice the change was, strangely enough, Aizawa. Class had begun, and while everyone else was scribbling down notes on today's topic, Ivette was sleeping idly at the back. Her arms were crossed over on her desk, chin resting upon her knuckles. Her head lolled slightly from side to side. The soft sunlight that trickled in through the window made Ivette look less like a hero and more like a child. Rightfully so, Aizawa mused.

Aizawa had heard about what happened in the mall, and he was also aware of Ivette's situation quirk-wise. Inko had asked to meet with him, and she explained everything that happened, hoping for some sort of guidance. Aizawa couldn't offer her anything but words. "Let it happen," he had told her. "There's nothing we can do if Ivette doesn't want our help. It's good she reached out to you, Midoriya-san. Just wait until she does it again. That's all you can do, I'm afraid. All any of us can do, really." 

Ivette shifted in her chair, moving into a better position. She looked up and noticed Aizawa staring at her with narrowed eyes. Ivette didn't think much of it. She blinked, her eyes flashed, and she then dropped her head into her arms, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Aizawa felt uncomfortable.

His gut was telling him something was wrong.

His lips pursed. Keeping the thought in the back of his head, Aizawa returned to teaching the rest of the class. And if his eyes occasionally moved back to the sleeping girl at the back, well, nobody seemed to notice.

Or so he thought.

Bakugo's brows furrowed in suspicion.

He was the third to notice the gradual change.

When the bell rang and signalled the arrival of their lunch break, Bakugo lingered behind Ivette and their classmates. She was surrounded by the girls, talking with them animatedly, cracking jokes as if she was fine. His eyes followed Ivette's every movement as she went through a quick series of hand gestures. The others didn't seem to notice anything wrong, but Bakugo did.

The way Ivette carried herself had changed in one moment of time. She seemed more confident. Her shoulders were slightly broader than they used to be. More defined. Her smile became a bit wider but still didn't reach her eyes. The lines around them grew deeper. Her hands no longer fidgeted or twitched when nervousness overtook her.

No doubt, though the change was minimal, Bakugo noticed it.

And then Kirishima, and then Todoroki.

The three met each other's eyes during lunch. They all had the same train of thought. Something was wrong with their soulmate, and they needed to do something about it.

The fourth, well, the sixth really, to notice something different was, of course, her classmates. First were the more attentive ones, but it only took one drastic moment for them all to sense the shift in the atmosphere.

"What the fuck are you wearing, shitty greenie?!" Explosions rippled through the air.

Ivette blinked. She looked down at her body and arched a brow. "A swimsuit?"

"That's not the school swimsuit, dammit!" Bakugo all but screeched. He clenched his fist upon seeing Kaminari and Mineta drooling over his soulmate. "Oi! Watch where your fucking eyes are going!" He lunged at them, a vicious look on his face. The two yelped and sprinted away from the gremlin, shaking in their boots (metaphorically, of course)

"Relax, Suki," Ivette said, waving her head dismissively. "It's summer break."

Yaoyorozu approached Ivette hesitantly. "Um, Midoriya-san, are you sure you can wear that? I can make you another swimsuit?"

"What's the problem with it? It's just a bikini."

Her classmates sweatdropped.

"It's against the rules," Asui replied blankly.

"Eh, who cares." Ivette shrugged off their worries and went to lay on one of the sunbeds, exhaling deeply as she loosened the tension in her muscles. She bathed in the sun rays, sunglasses perched on top of her nose. Her focus drifted in and out. She could hear the girls mess around in the pool, and she could hear the boys train, soon entering their own little race. But above all, she could hear their thoughts the most. The competition. The desire to be the best. Even Mineta and Kaminari's perverted mental comments.

The loudest thoughts, though? Those were centred around her.

She sighed.

It was all so annoying.

If I knew talking to Shiggy would've caused all this shit, I would've kept my mouth shut and dipped as soon as fucking possible.

When Inko heard what happened to her daughter, she raced over and immediately cradled her in her embrace, whispering sweet reassurances and encouragements. She rocked her in her arms, and Ivette had let it happen. She melted into her mother's grasp, slowly letting the day's stress weave out of her. All Might had watched his soulmate and her daughter with a fond smile. Oh, how he loved her. Them. The whole family.

Ivette had heard his thoughts, and she couldn't help the small smile that slipped.

Returning back home, Ivette was treated like fragile glass. It was amusing at first, watching her mother and twin brother walk around her like there were eggshells on the floor, but now it was annoying. Her eyes would twitch when she heard their thoughts—oh, my poor baby. I should've been there. Is she okay? What should I do? Ivette had genuinely appreciated their worries. It showed her how much they cared. But it was getting on her last nerve.

Did she say anything, though?

No. Ivette couldn't bare to upset her family any more than she had.

Then, there were her soulmates. They weren't treating her like she could break at any moment, and for that, she was thankful, but they still would glance at her all the time, watching and waiting for something. Ivette had to bite down on her tongue to keep her mouth shut. Her soulmates had every right to be concerned. She could've gotten hurt (there was no way Shigaraki could hurt her. Ivette would've heard his thoughts before he had done anything), so she accepted their extra cuddles and loving forehead kisses.

But, of course, there were her teachers and classmates. Ivette knew what they were all thinking. She must be traumatized. I feel so sorry for her. I should have saved her. She could hear everything. All of it.

It was driving her mad.

"̷̫͇̺̱͂̔̽S̷̯͕̟̈́͊͋̉h̴͚̊͑̄̕ͅą̸͈̰̭͗l̷̫̘̒̉̀͜ḻ̸̋ ̸̠̗̙͈̔͛͆Į̷̙̊̾̀͘ ̸̧̛̻̀̈͌s̷̨̥̰̖̑̐h̶̜͔͆́u̸̼͙͖̎̽͠t̴̙̽̔͑͘ ̸̨̼͓̅̃͆̋ṭ̴̱̥̈́̌͗ḣ̸̟͔̑͜e̸̝͛͘m̶̞̤̮͑̈͆ ̵̡̤̠͓̀ṷ̶̙͒͑p̵̧̠͎̐̒͝?̶͉̝͓̺̏́͛̇"̶̼̞͈̓̓͘̚

Ivette snorted.

"̴̹́̿͝͠I̶̡̤̗̎̆̄̾ͅ'̶̢̄͑m̸̢̛̉̓ ̸̥̦̫̏̾͂b̴̛̜̜͂͑͆ȩ̴͍̜͉̿̈́͆į̶͔͎̔̎͝n̸̮͂g̸̭̻̐̀̍̏ ̴̞̂̀s̵̪̮͈̊̂̋e̷͚̣͛̎̂̒r̸̻̗̿̈́̈͝i̶̳̺͙̮͋̽̚o̵̳̊̒͑ǘ̴̼̱̈s̸̝̺͆̏.̸͓͓̳̈͂ͅ"̵̨̬̍͊̒

I know.

Strange, isn't it? If Bruno had said the same thing to her a month ago, Ivette would have doubted him. What could he do? He was just a voice in her head.

Ivette had learnt over the past few days that Bruno was more than a voice. He was more than a metaphysical being. He was her friend. Her friend, her companion, and her mentor.

When night came, Ivette would forego her pills until a later time. She'd sit in her bedroom and listen to Bruno's advice. She'd train her quirks—both of them—following everything he told her, all the pointers and tricks he'd use if they were his own. Bruno was the only person she trusted, it seemed. His life and her own were slowly tangling together with each passing moment. Ivette talked to him more, listened to him more.

Soon, Ivette would realize that if she ever lost him—and there was no reason to think he'd leave—she wouldn't be able to survive.

"̸̥͈̠̰̓͘Ḯ̵̺̻̞͍ ̴̫̞̀͝a̶̢̛̱̜̓͝ͅm̵̙̲̱̩͂͛ ̶̯͇̳̳͌̊y̶̲̎͑̂̕ó̷͚̇͌͒ͅu̷͉̘̠̐̿͊̕.̸̨̰̣́͛̆ ̶̡͉̗̘͗̎́Ỹ̸̡̖̙̎̎͛͜o̶͈̤̜̒͂ú̷̢̨̹̦̑̈̊ ̴̫̝̘͠ä̷͔̘̖̼́r̸̳̮̂́e̴͓͊̂ ̸̼͔̲͂͋́̐m̶̛̳̦̳̓ē̷͕̱͇̊̇̚.̶̙̫̅͌̇"̶̦̇̂̇͝

Ivette hummed. She rolled her head to the side, watching her brother and soulmates line up to race each other. I am you, she repeated slowly. The three got into their position, ready to push off and win. You are me.

They fell into the pool.

And Bruno grinned like the Chesire Cat.

His queen was changing. Slowly, but surely.

༺═──────────────═༻

"Don't ever pull that stunt again; you hear me, you little shit?" Ivette rolled her eyes as she walked beside her soulmates, the setting sun washing the four in amber and marigold.

"What stunt?" She turned to her blond-haired soulmate, arching an elegant brow. "I was just wearing a bikini, Katsuki. It wasn't like I was breaking a big rule or something."

Her careless attitude pissed Bakugo off. The veins on his forehead popped out under his skin, and it took everything in him to hold back from smacking the back of her head.

"You still broke a rule," Todoroki pointed out, trailing dutifully beside her.

Ivette hummed, swinging her arms out in front of her body. "Aizawa-sensei didn't say anything about it, though."

"He's only letting it slide cause of what happened before," Bakugo informed, taking a deep breath and calming himself. It helped that Kirishima's fingers were locked with his, his thumb rubbing soothing circles.

"Think I'll be able to get away with more things, then?" she wondered, wiggling her brows. Bakugo shot her a glare.

"No. I'll kill you."

Ivette tipped her head back, laughing, "Love you, too, babe."

Her soulmates watched as she walked in front of them, her expression loose and relaxed.

They were sometimes thrown off guard by her beauty. Ivette Midoriya was beautiful; that was a well-known fact. They heard whispers of her everywhere they went in school. People thought she was pretty, cute, adorable, dare they say hot, too. They looked at her objectively and judged her features to be on par with her quirk. But none of them knew just how dangerous that could be.

Like now, with her green curls pulled into a high ponytail, her smile and her freckles, Ivette was beautiful. But she was scary, too.

She turned to them, the crimson horizon shadowing her, and she stared right through them. Her emerald eyes pierced their souls. They were shrouded in mist and knowledge, filled to the brim with everything that ran through their minds. Ivette knew everything about them, they realized. It only took a minute before it occurred to them one single, most important fact.

They didn't really know anything about her.

What a heartbreaking thought.

"What's with the looks?" she asked. None of them could answer her. Why did they have to, though? She knew everything already.

Todoroki clutched the strap of his bag and shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think such thoughts. "Do you guys want to come over to mine?" he questioned instead, changing the topic and hoping to lighten the mood. "My sister wants to meet you all."

Ivette made a sour face. "Is your dad gonna be there? I'd rather not see him."

"Probably." Todoroki shrugged. "But you don't have to talk to him."

"Good. He pisses me off."

Todoroki smiled a little. "Me too."

"If I were you, I would've exposed him for all the shit he did," Ivette said, as if this was a normal day-to-day conversation. Bakugo narrowed his eyes. She was getting too comfortable with talks of violence. Maybe he was rubbing off on her after all. Maybe it was something else entirely. "Let the whole world know what the country's number two hero is really like."

"It's too much effort."

"Lazy bastard."

And yet, despite the insult, Ivette was smiling, fond as could be. Todoroki was reminded just how much he was loved. He had gone his whole life in this vague haze of numbness, and it wasn't until three hands reached for him that he began to realize something truly amazing: people were reaching for him. People cared about him. People loved him.

As he stared at his soulmates, he thought truthfully, they are my people.

Ivette reached for him. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him to her eye level, whispering sweetly into his ears, "But I love you like this, you know?"

Todoroki smiled. It was honest, genuine.

He kissed her cheek, and Ivette felt her heart skip a beat.

"I love you like this, too," he said softly.

"Okay, Mr Smooth Talker."

He snorted quietly and said teasingly, "I learn from the best."

"Damn straight," Bakugo huffed, a smirk crawling across his cheeks.

Kirishima grinned, wide and almost achingly. "We'll come over," he told Todoroki. "I can't wait to meet your siblings! You talk so much about them; it's like I'm part of your family." Kirishima said it as a joke, but Todoroki heard nothing but his last few words. They were the only thing that processed in his head. His lips curled upwards further.

"You are my family. All three of you."

"Sho, baby, if you keep talking like that, you're gonna give me a heart attack."

And he laughed, like chimes in the night, and his soulmates kept the sound close to their hearts. Making Todoroki laugh was like a miracle come true. It was such a precious, divine thing. A prophecy to the sacrilegious. A sip of water to the starved.

"I'll keep that in mind," he hummed.

The four soulmates walked down the hill side-by-side, arms linked together, fingers hooked around one another. Todoroki's house wasn't as far as they thought, and they got there in no time. They waited for Todoroki to go in first, following behind him like lost puppies.

"I'm home," Todoroki called.

Padded footsteps were heard before the sound of a door sliding open echoed in the hallway. "Welcome home," his sister said, poking her head out. Her eyes widened comically behind her glasses when she spotted who was behind her brother. "Oh! You must be Shoto's soulmates!" Her voice was chipper, a grin sitting on her lips. "It's so great to finally meet you three. I've heard such wonderful things about you all!"

The three bowed politely. "Thank you for having us."

Fuyumi waved her hand. "It's our pleasure." She turned to her brother and suggested, "Why don't you show them around? Dinner will be ready in half an hour."

Todoroki nodded. "Alright."

They took off their shoes, and Todoroki gave his soulmates some slippers they could use. When they were ready, he directed them down wooden hallways, passing through them and taking them around corners that seemed almost never-ending.

"It's like a maze in here," Kirishima awed, looking around curiously.

"You get used to it eventually," Todoroki informed, shrugging his shoulders. "It's pretty easy to navigate after that."

Kirishima nodded. "Hmm."

Todoroki showed them to his room, sliding open the door and stepping to the side to let them in first. They shuffled in, looking around the area with strained expressions.

Kirishima blinked. "It looks...cute."

"You can be honest."

"You need more decorations. It's as bare as a ghost's grave in here," Bakugou scoffed critically, dumping his bag onto the floor.

Todoroki didn't seem to be bothered by the lack of personal touches. Or maybe he had become accustomed to it. Their soulmate seemed to do that a lot. The walls were painted white, the furniture was plain and simple. There was nothing special, and Ivette hated it. "I'm gonna buy you shit to put up," she informed, plopping down onto his futon. "Or maybe I'll just print out my face on a large poster." She giggled at the thought.

"It'd be a sight to see, for sure," Todoroki mused, slightly entertained by her ideas. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it across his chair, detouring for his futon. Ivette smiled and opened her arms. He collapsed into them, snuggling against her. Ivette was warm, and Todoroki greatly enjoyed the feeling.

Kirishima gasped playfully. "Cuddles? Without me? How mean."

"No one's stopping you from joining." Ivette extended her other arm, and Kirishima lit up like fireworks on the night of the new year. He all but jumped onto the futon, curling up against her side.

Not one to miss out, Bakugo sat behind her. He placed his legs on either side of her and smothered his face in Todoroki's hair, just reaching the front of his fringe. The four soulmates stayed like that for a while, quietly soaking in each other's presence. How long had it been since it was just the four of them?

Time was moving too quickly these days.

It would do these children good if they could just catch a break.

"Shoto!" Came the much-irritable voice of Japan's number two hero. "Are you home?!"

Ivette clenched her jaw.

"He's so fucking loud," she grumbled.

"Is he always like this?" Kirishima whispered quietly, opening his eyes and peeking through his lashes. Todoroki nodded, still content to lay like a sprawled-out sun-bathing cat on top of Ivette.

"Just ignore him. It's what I do."

"Want me to put up a barrier?" Ivette asked.

Todoroki thought about it. Realistically, there was no need for it. Endeavour wouldn't enter his room—not when Ivette's powers practically seeped into the matter of the air like an announcement, a warning—but it would be reassuring to have. He nodded.

"Yes, please."

Ivette didn't say anything else. She activated her quirk, her eyes flashed, and suddenly they were surrounded by a misty green barrier.

Kirishima pursed his lips as he looked at the flecks that danced around them like fairies in a long-lost forest. "It's darker," he noted. "How come?"

"I've grown stronger," was all she said.

"Explanations, greenie," Bakugo stated, his fingers curling around her waist. He slipped them under her shirt, tracing the curve of her torso.

"The better control I have, the darker my power is," she informed, and Kirishima made an 'o' sound. Her soulmates were satisfied with that answer, and they left it alone thereafter. Mind you, Ivette wasn't lying. Her power was darker because she had more control of it, yes, but it was also darker because of otherworldly influence. Still, what her soulmates didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

It really was safer to keep them in the dark than to reveal things they might not want to hear.

Seconds ticked past, turning into minutes, turning into something forgotten. Wrapped up together, limbs curled around one another, bodies pressed against each other, hearts beating in sync, the four soulmates forgot about everything and thought only about themselves. The world was better when it was just them. Alone. Together. Reality was softer, easier to understand.

They felt whole. Like everything was okay, like nothing could go wrong in their lives.

And then they remembered that, no, it couldn't always be like this.

They each had a role to play in society.

Whether it was all the same role, only time would tell.

"We should head out," Todoroki announced after a moment, lifting his head. "Fuyumi's probably waiting for us to come out."

The three grunted but followed along, getting up and fixing their attire. Ivette's barrier faded like smoke in the wind once their perfect world shattered. They left Todoroki's room and headed for the dining area. The moment they stepped inside, Ivette's face fell. A scowl etched into her expression as her eyes landed on the one and only Endeavour.

"Ah, welcome," Endeavour said, nodding his head politely. His voice was grating on her ears.

Bakugo and Kirishima, like the good boys they were raised to be, bowed lightly. "Thank you for welcoming us."

Ivette turned her head stubbornly to the side. As if she would thank him for anything.

"You must be my little brother's soulmates," said the boy, who looked strikingly similar to Todoroki's older sister. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Natsuo."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Come, sit down," he said, motioning to the chairs around the table. "No need to be so formal." The television was playing in the background as the four situated themselves comfortably on the floor. Todoroki sat between his siblings, while his soulmates sat in front of them. Endeavour was at the head of the table, but nobody bothered to look at him. Or talk to him, for that matter.

Good, Ivette thought.

Her quirk nipped at her skin with each second that passed. All she wanted to do was smash the bastard's face into the table, but she stopped herself. She was a good soulmate. She wouldn't dare do that when Shoto was around.

"̷̨̥́͊͛ͅD̷̦̞͈̰̖̻̙͈͛̀̋̈̓̅̋̕ͅǫ̵̹̻͚̿͛͌̔̊̅͛͘͘ ̴͕͖̟͔̺̳̜̰͈͈͎̏͐̀͋̚i̷͍̖̝̙̲̊̈̆t̵͉͌̄̔̓̒̄ ̸̬͇̦̗̫̖̖́͌̿̈́̇̃̅́̇̿w̶̢͉̞̹̟̤̺̓̑̀̿̂̈́̂͗̐̕͘h̵̝͎̗̹͔̯͚̖̩̮͆͠e̶̪͔͔͖͙̲̟̪̟̣̹̒́̇̄̇̄͘͝n̴̛̹͎̖̪̼̖̊̑͆̋͜͜͠ ̷͎̳̚͠h̴͈̼̻͉̤̱͑̈́̏͒͐̅̄̇͜e̶̡̟̗̓͌̂̈́̅͋̓͒̔'̴̖̜͉̮͖̰̙̻̲̠̓͜͠s̷̠̦͉͍̐̓̉̈́̆ ̴̺̝͓̲̑͒ȃ̴̺͕̣̭͕͇̑̆̕l̷̡̹͎̤̩̱͍̟̠̯̞̽̋̓͌́̈́̀̈̚õ̸̧̯͍̱̟̋͋̍̈́̒̕͝͝n̵̮̎̆̃̔̆͑͛͐̽͘̕ē̷̢̖͖̦͎̯̒̈.̵̧͉̳̻̜͖̺̺͐̆̃̊̕"̸̳̝̋̽̉̂̔̿͝

One day, Ivette told Bruno. We'll get our chance.

"̴̨̢̘̀̑S̷̮͋̆͊́o̷̧̥͐͆̓̆m̴̭̣̻͋̒̕ͅé̵͈̹͇̃̈́̈́t̸̺͇̲͗͑́̓ḧ̴̥͎̘́̀̋̀i̵̡͖͗͐͗n̷̝̺̒͑g̸̢̧͈̀̀ ̵̖̘̪̠́̏t̵͓͋͑͛̾e̷̢̱͈̳͒̽͒͠ĺ̵̯͙̱͊͆l̶̪͓̋s̸̩̲̅͘ͅ ̶̢̧̠̝̈́͆͊̕m̶̱̺͔̓̕ȩ̸̥̲̝̈̔͌ ̶̞̻̠͚͛̊s̵̛͕̜̝͊̑ó̸̥̠m̷͓̌̋͆e̴̙̖̓͝ō̴͓̰̩͍͠n̶̞͎̣̖͐e̴͈͠ ̶̼́̽͐̎ͅw̵̳̤̐i̴̺͖͈͕͑͂͑̄l̶͈̓l̴̦̈́ͅ ̵̡͔̟̟͆b̸̛̰͎̠͌̏́ḙ̵̗̕a̷̛͇̳͍̖͊͒̐t̷̡̺͠ ̵̰̣̹̈ù̴̟s̵̜̳͒͜ ̶̨͙̋̀͂ͅț̶̒͝ȏ̵͇̖̈ ̵̞̔͒͝ḯ̷̺͈͊̊͝ṱ̵̥̍.̷̲̩̽͜͝"̴̟̮̟̼͐̈́

Ivette didn't bother delving more into Bruno's words. Food was served, conversations were shared, and you know what? Ivette could say that was her proudest moment. Her mother always told her that if she didn't have anything nice to say to just keep her mouth shut, and keep her mouth shut she did. She acted amicably with her soulmate's siblings, even when their thoughts crept into her head.

"Do you want some more cucumbers, Shoto?" Fuyumi asked, holding the plate in her hands.

"Sho doesn't like cucumbers," Kirishima informed mindlessly, picking up some rice with his chopsticks and shoving it into his mouth.

"Oh."

"How's school?" Natsuo questioned. "Are you still doing well in English?"

Bakugo snorted as he chomped away at the food Fuyumi prepared. "He sucks at it."

"Oh."

Ivette bit her tongue and kept her clenched fists under the table, resuming an amiable expression. They didn't know jackshit about their brother. What useless siblings.

Though, as she turned her eyes to her soulmate, Ivette noticed how his were alight, softly glowing under the artificial lights. He was happy, she realized. Happy his soulmates were interacting with his family.

Ivette kept silent just because of his smile.

༺═──────────────═༻

"Hey," Ivette called suddenly in the middle of the night. The three had decided to stay at Todoroki's for the night, changing into his clothes and sleeping in his futon. Todoroki hummed from the other side, his arms around a sleeping Kirishima. It was just the two of them, awake, minds reeling with different types of thoughts. "Who's Touya?"

Todoroki's thoughts stopped. He froze for a moment.

Ivette turned around to look at him, worried and concerned. "Shoto?"

"Touya was...my older brother."

"Was?" she questioned.

"He died."

Ivette shut her eyes. "I see."

They left it at that.

Night came, but neither could sleep. Neither dared move. Kirishima shifted in his sleep, and the light from the small lamp illuminated his face. Todoroki traced over the soft skin on his cheeks absentmindedly with his fingers. Bakugo snored lightly, lips parted and breaths, hot and heavy, fanning Ivette's neck. She turned slightly, tightening the grip she had around his shoulders.

Todoroki thought about everything. About how he couldn't remember his older brother anymore. About how he wished for a normal childhood. About how all of this had happened because of the quirk he was born with and how things only started to change now that he had grown up. Ivette listened to him think. She didn't say anything, only kept her eyes shut and her breaths even.

She couldn't protect her soulmates from everything. The past was well out of her reach. But the future?

Ivette swore, then and there, no matter what happened, her soulmates would find peace.

She'd make sure of it.