they wanted to shine in her eyes
like the stars do

"WHY ON EARTH DO WE HAVE TO WEAR THESE STUPID THINGS?" Ivette asked, staring at the orange uniform she was wearing in disgust. She was in the girls changing room with her other classmates, all of them forced to wear the cheerleader uniform. "It's ridiculous."

"̸͔̬̀̅̑̕̕Ý̸͕̱̪̺̼̲͛̈͛̊ȍ̵̹̑̒͝ȕ̵̼̃̆̓́ ̸̡̨͈̤̜̎̓͛̾̇̑͜l̶̢͔̘̼̳̱͈̉́́ò̵̖̠̪̜̾͐̂̂̿͊ǒ̵̼͇k̷͕̬̫̾͂͑̀͂̕͜͠ ̶̨̟̜̝̣̔͋̕͜ļ̴̡̞̪͕͉̺̏̀̓̂̓̓̌ḯ̸͔̩̣̩͉̐k̶͚̖̘̐͑̀̏͊͊e̶͊͂͜ ̶̬̀ạ̷̜͕͓̟̥̃̈́̏̀̉́̆ ̸̧̱̞̝̙̯̇̐̎t̷͇̎͆̿̃ͅà̸̗̣͎ņ̶̭̈̎g̶̛͎͓̽͐e̵̥̙̬̬̪̙͗̒̔̒r̵̜̈̍́̌̚i̶̢̝͇̐́͒̀͆n̶̲̰͕͐͂̔e̴̯͛̆͑͘͠.̴̫̃̐͜"̴̫̪̌̏͝

I know, Ivette agreed, her face contouring into a grimace. I feel like that main character from that weird volleyball show.

Yaoyorozu stood behind her, fixing the length of the skirt.

"Aizawa-sensei said everyone has to wear these clothes to do a cheer battle in the afternoon," she explained, her words slightly muffled due to the pin settled between her lips.

Ivette faked a gag. "Disgusting." She looked down at the outfit, a frown tugging on her lips. "Could you at least make it green?"

"It is green, Midoriya!" laughed Hagakure, pointing to the school's name written along their chests. Ivette couldn't help how her eyes lingered. Her classmates were gorgeous.

"̷͓͗͂̽̆͜Ý̷̘̓̉̄̓̌͊o̶͔̍͒u̶̻͙͕͈͆̉̕r̴̨̰̬͇̲̘̩̾́͆͗͊̉͠ ̷̖̒̏͛͘͠ḃ̵̧͈͔̲ḽ̶̭͓͎̪͎͔̑͂͂o̶̩̗͎͓̼̖͆̃͝ṇ̶͓̯͖̱͑̾͋̈́͘͜͝͝d̶̼͓͙̝̍̀̈́̏͊͘̚ ̷̧̠̼̞͇̤͆s̸̳̟͔̞̻̍́̓̕̚o̷̡̥̮̫̣͉̓͛ǘ̴͇͉͎̞̔̇͋̌͆̃ͅl̶̡͓̲̪̜̎̀͛́̍͒̚m̵̯̜̤̜̯̘͗̅̈̑ͅa̴̜͔̣͔̬̫͌̎͝t̵̛̜͎̜͇̂̽ȩ̶̛̓͑̌̋̑͘ ̵̬͋́̀̚͝ŵ̴͉͐̔̄̉̈́̚i̶̞̞̝̞͙͓͌̍͂̓͒͗͠ļ̷͔͖̙̮̪̫̏l̴̫͔͖̻̎̾̿͗ ̵̣̭͙̦͑́̎͆k̶͈̑̈́̕í̴̲̹͈̽̓́̕̕͠ĺ̴͙̞̰̖ͅl̸̯̗̙̬̘̽̌͌͑ ̸̛̦̗̓̒y̶̛̲̖͚̫̮̏͒ō̴̺͜u̴̢̨̗̩̗̳͕͋̃̋̇͛͑̋ ̴̡̳͉͔̱̏͠ī̷̧͓͝f̴͍͇̗́͑̈̏͂̅́ ̴̤̦̮͊̕h̷̰͓̹̟͛́ȩ̴̰̠̪̳̹̓̋ͅ ̶͙̲̔̍͐̀̎̆̀h̸͇̀͜͝ẹ̵̜̦́͘à̷̛̘̓̈́͠ŕ̷̳̯̙̈́̄̓d̶͖̙̠̙͈̓̄ ̶̞̭̘̺̜̯͑̒́͗͊̋͝w̷̤͙͙͈̼͍͂̾́́̍̅͝h̵̞͗̆̅a̸̦̘̻̖̖͝ͅt̴̢͎̫̮̻̦̉͌̅̃̊̎̆ ̷̘͈̃̔̅̆̚͝͝ỳ̶̰̰̌̍̈́̎͜o̴̺͋͂͒͐͑̉̓ṵ̴̮̫̘̥̫͜͝ ̷̓̄͝ͅẅ̶̨͔̺̫̌̅̚e̷̜͒͂̀̿͠ͅr̷͉͖̾̐̓e̷̢̡̦̱̥̪̿́̀̈ ̶̢͔͚̜͔͌t̵̗̲͉͐̿͗̅͘h̷̦̱̞͖̝̱̓͆̑́̿̑́i̸̗̼̞̻̖͒̃͌͑̀͂ǹ̴̤̝̲̳̋̒͌k̶͍̙̄̓i̷̤̺͗̕̚ͅṅ̷̙̲͈̋g̶̢̘̙͓̗͋̇̀̑̿.̶̢̧̦͎̱̋́̀̐"̶͙̩͓̇̆̋̂

She cringed, turning away and glancing at herself in the large mirror installed in the changing rooms. "Majority of it is orange, though."

"It's just for the game," Uraraka assured, grabbing the yellow pompoms off the bench. "We can change afterwards."

Ivette sighed. "Fine."

She should have listened to her gut instinct.

"Huh? What are they doing?"

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, CLASS A? WHAT KIND OF FAN SERVICE IS THAT?"

"̷̛̻̈́Y̷̗̜̽̀̀͆̊o̴̝̻̳̲͉̽͊͊̆͒͑ṷ̵̩̩̆͂ͅ ̵̜̜̭̥͂͂̐͊w̴̧͈͎̝͚͐̽è̴̪̫͌̃̈̕r̶̮̯͊̏̽̈̓ȩ̵̧̲̹̯̀̏ ̴̳͙̽̈́̐̾̽t̷̝̗͕̗̤̂̓r̶̖̭͉͎͈̣̈́̈̊͘í̸̛͎́̍͑ç̷͎͖̥̟̥͍̑͠͝k̵̨͈̪̣̻̰̲̐̆̊̀̊͘e̶̡̢̻̟̞̙͇̔d̵̰̤̦͈̜̿̐̓̄...̴̢̞̭͍́̚͝w̴̛̙̩̟͑̎͋̆͘ḙ̴̡̥̩͌̃ ̷̜̭̬͎̦̯̈̈͆̌̉w̵̢̲̥̝̠̫̍̎̉̔̂̃ẹ̶̈́r̶̺̥͇͋̇̅̆̈́͘e̸͖̹͉̽̎ͅ ̷̼̫̤̝̲͍͊̆̉͒͠t̴̨͚̾͑̑͗̐͑̕r̶̔̓͗̉͛̂̀͜i̷̙̻͗̾̉̾̎̚c̴̡̮̱̳̆̿͆͛͒̈́́͜ͅḱ̸͔̰̥̘̝͂̏̎̀͊e̶̢̾̈́̇̂͑d̸̢̧̨̨͖̲͉̓̂̒̍̊͘.̴͙̻̺̭̪̈́̓̓̄̇̃͑͜ ̸̬̭͑̈́S̵͔̬̤̫̝̖̭͑̿̾̊̓̕͠h̵̤͈̱̻́̉͋́o̸̡̯̖̬̞̻̣͂̒̋̐͊̕̕u̷̢̧̨̨̳̥̼̔͆̾͒̕͝l̴͍͖̼̮͈̈̄͆d̵̡͖͂͗͌ ̶̗͈̩̄͑Ỉ̶̼̫̗̺̅̅̕͠ ̴̯̹̺͎̲͕̝̐̑̉d̶̨͙̺̐͐e̴̡̡̙̰͖͒͋̆a̷̢̬̖̰̅̔̊͘̕ḻ̸̥̤̖͌̄͋͋̈́̄͝ ̴̲̗̳̩̝͎̀͜w̷̢̧̨̧̛̹͕̑͛́̕̚͝ị̸̈́̃̐̇̿̇͝t̸͇̣͉͍̎h̶̗̩̩̯̣̍̓͆͘͜ ̶̜͇̭͓̀̽t̶̬̱̟̻̽͑̓̀h̷̝̦̀̅͛͂͋̄̑ĕ̸̛̛̦͎̏̾̿͊ ̶̦̻́ç̶̮̱̺͔̇̽̈́̎͋ă̷̢͙͓̜̘̞͌̈́̆u̷̮̹̲͖̖̦͆̇͆s̸̮̖̼̽͗̄̋́̚ȩ̷̨͕̗̘͓͕͗̋̇̐͘͠ ̴̻͋͌̌̍͗͒ó̸̬͈͔̳͂͛̑͘f̴̭̦̞̪͕̔̍ ̸͓̲̠̱̦̉͛͋̅͒̄͝t̸͓͙͎̤̭̳̟̿̓͌͊̀̒̍h̸͖͕̯́͑ͅi̸̥̅̓̓̇́͝s̸̢̞̱̬͎̼̀̉̇͒̈́͝?̸̝̗̬͂̇"̸͔͝

The flashes of cameras, the laughter of her peers, the whispers of confusion, all of these seemed to piss Ivette off more and more as time passed on. Her body buzzed with anger, green mist protruding off her body in menacing waves. Her head snapped over to the two perverted boys that caused the whole mess, emerald eyes darkening with animosity.

No. I will.

"MINETA! KAMINARI!" she roared, fingers digging into the fading yellow pompoms. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARDS!"

Her hair alighted, flowing upwards.

The boys gulped, trembling at the glare directed their way. They had never seen such a look on her face: eyes flaming a brilliant green, holding a frozen deadness, a daunting stillness. Those emerald orbs froze their minds, various tendrils of green slithering across the ground threateningly.

"Calm down, Midoriya-san!" exclaimed Mina, sliding her arms under Ivette's and holding her back. "You're going to make a scene."

"Oh, I'll make a scene alright," she growled, voice dipping with animosity. "I'll paint this whole arena with red."

"Okay, tone it down," Jiro said, her own arms wrapped around her chest, feeling slightly self-conscious standing in a crop top and skirt in front of millions, especially when a pair of dark purple eyes lingered on her body. "We can kill them when there are no witnesses."

Ivette huffed harshly, shooting the two boys another nasty glare with the promise of severe consequences once they were out of the public's sights.

"I'm going to make sure they never have kids again," she muttered angrily.

"Mineta, yes. Kaminari, no." Ivette arched a brow, turning to the musician. "I need my soulmate's private part to be working, thank you very much."

"You two are soulmates?"

Jirou nodded. "But at this point, I'm starting to regret accepting our bond."

"Babe!" whined Kaminari. "I'm sorry!"

"You're not sorry, and you know it, you asshole!" she yelled, glaring at the blond who only looked away sheepishly.

"Well," interrupted Hagakure, raising the pompoms in the air, "there's still time before the finals, and it'd be a pain if things got tense. It's fine! Let's do it!"

"What?!"

"Toru-chan, you like this, huh?"

Ivette snorted. "You can do it yourselves. I'm leaving."

She walked off, and the teachers sat in the audience watched worriedly.

"Her power is dangerous," said Ken Ishiyama, also known as Cementoss. "If she succumbs to her emotions, it'll be a calamity."

Because, on the ground beside the students, laid a pompom, well, the remains of a pompom. Ashes littered the grass, green mist fading once its destruction was complete, satisfied with the destructive eradication.

Vlad King crossed his arms over his chair, leaning back in his seat.

"Aizawa has got a lot to handle," he mused.

༺═──────────────═༻

"What the fuck are you wearing?"

Bakugo stared at his soulmate in shock, eyes widening as he greedily took in her appearance: the way her green hair flowed down her shoulders, her emerald eyes filled with irritation and insecurity. Her hands were balled into fists, crescents embedded into her palms, knuckles turning white at the pressure. She wore an orange cheerleader uniform, similar to the ones the American students donned.

A blush seared his cheeks, not necessarily hating the outfit. Kirishima and Todoroki both blushed, but the latter hid it well.

Ivette tsked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Freakin Pikachu and that grape-balled pervert tricked us. I'm going to kill them. I look ridiculous."

"I mean, it's not that bad," Kirishima tried, smiling tentatively.

"If it's not that bad, you put it on." She shot him a glare, faint mists curling around her fingertips the more irritated she got. "I look like a tangerine."

He rose his hands, sweat dropping.

"A-Ah, I'm good."

Bakugo sighed, noticing where the direction of their conversation was steering off to. "Come on," he said, lacing his fingers with Ivette's. "Let's just head to the stage."

Midnight explained the finals, drawing up the pairs. Ivette was impressed with Ojiro's honesty as well as the other kid's from Class 1-B. She looked at the board, spotting Iida's name beside hers.

"Let's have a good game," she said, turning to the blue-haired male. "I'll get you back for that stunt you pulled in the cavalry battle."

Iida grinned. "I look forward to it."

༺═──────────────═༻

Whilst the recreational game occurred, Ivette was laying on one of the tree branches, relaxing against the trunk and swinging one leg in the air whilst the other laid flat along the branch. A light green emitted off her; trails of light appeared all over the man-made forest, moving towards Ivette, who absorbed the energy of life around her.

She took only what she needed, nothing more, nothing less.

Ivette wasn't one to harm nature voluntarily.

She had changed out of that awful cheerleader outfit, slipping on a new sports uniform since there was no way in hell she was going to wear her old one. It was drenched in sweat, and she found that utterly disgusting.

Thank goodness I decided to pack another one, she thought.

"̷̮̙̥͎̩͐͊̀͠T̶̬̭̰̦̣̫͗͋͑̋̎h̵͔̲̭̳̜̦̿͝i̸̺̓̽̉͗͝s̴̢̹̟̘̞͓̽̒͘ ̷̛̳̹̹̻̭̹͑̿͜͠i̴̯̙͔̝̓̉͑͒s̵̢̠̫̼̍́͒ͅ ̸͓̘̣́͠w̷̡̜̘̓͊͜ḩ̵̡̧͍̺̖͙̎̑y̶̡̱̔̌̑̆̐̈͑ ̴̨̳̬̫̇̃͋͜y̶͈͕̜̬̜͈̺̐̈́̏̒̈́͝o̸͕̓̒͠u̷̘͉̲̟͋̈̆ ̵̞̻̙͚̼̺̫̃̐̄̕ș̷̠́̔̀͋h̶̫̃̀̂̄̈̑͑ǫ̶̼͗ų̷̛͙͓͇̣̠̅̂̈͆̃l̴̯̳̪̃̑̂̿d̸̙̫͖̂ ̸̢͚̬̱͍̟̟̇̓l̵̜̞͈̐̀̉̓͠ḭ̶̣̬̲̟͖̔̆̓̃́͗ś̵̜̰̼̹̫̞͒t̷̛͖̐̀̋́̐ḛ̴̱̫̩̂́̔͆̔̎͜ň̴̝̘ ̴͎̜͚͐̍̒̈̈́t̸̠̆̑õ̵̺̭̲̝͗̇̉͆͘ ̸̝̃͑͗͑̚̚͝m̶̡̻̩̩̰̞͇̓͆́͂͘̕͝é̷̡̹̯̯̭.̸̗͖̙̖̱̠̉̒̈́͋́͜͝ ̶̤̈̿̉I̸̢̼̭̖͔̦̭̾̄̏ ̷̬́̔̉͛̏͝͝w̵̻͕̤͙̓a̵͇̰̓̒̾r̶̢̥̜̫̾̔͆̆̑͌̋n̴͎͓̪͌̍̈́̚͝e̵̢̢̤̔̄̅̇̈́͂͂d̴̛̪̻̊̓̂̔̽͝ ̴͔̠̗̩͚̞̱̅̄̄̓̾̇̕y̵͔̆̔ồ̴̥̯̱̼̗̺̤u̶̘̘͑̆̀͋͗͐ ̴̢̧̻̺͕̟͐̊͋͑̐͊̚ë̷̤̮̬̂͝a̷̤̭̭̼͑͆͂͝r̵̟̀̌͊̓̌̋͗ͅļ̵̛̥̫̓̑̐̃̍̎i̶͖͕̓̍̒̽̎e̵̱͂͋ͅͅr̴͖͙͚̳͔͌͐̈́̄͠ ̵̰͎̼̤̓́t̷̠͆͆h̸̖̯̬͈̬̻̱͋a̷̰̣̋͗͝ť̷͖̮͇ͅ ̴̨͓̝̘̂̂y̶͚̖̤̒͐̑̾̽̈̽o̷̭̅̀̍͑̇͘͝ͅų̴̨̼̌͒̇̇̽͐ ̴̫̤̥̖̖̤̈̉w̷͈̻̘͍̆̌̅̈͂o̸̳̩̜̗̿ư̷̘͎̽̃͊́l̶̪̙̠̼͙͆̕͜ḑ̵̧̜̲̫̐͊̑̾̀͑̑ ̵̡͈̪̗̯̓̄̊h̵̺͈̞̠̗͙̠͋̃̏̕ą̶̞͕̰̻̘̽̑̌̋̕t̷͈̫͇͚̟͋͐e̸̙̳̋̐̔͝͠ ̵̰͎̤̈́͂f̴̡̠͍̎̑̆̿͐̌̔͜ȇ̵͓͖̯͕̺͚̣̋̎̐̕͠͝ĕ̵̞̼̦͓͖͠l̵̢̜̝͍̒i̸͕̍͑̃͗͘͘͝ņ̶̊́͝g̴̬̰̗̤̲̾̆ ̷̳̭̪̟͎̻͔͘t̴̘̿̿͊͊̿͂̕h̵͇̪̑͆̈́̈̏͛̾ẽ̷̗̚ ̵̡̢̰̮̼͛͒̐̆̃̍͠ͅm̶̖̱̀͌̽o̵̭̭̠̓̀i̴̙͎͎͎͊s̷̠̮̫̹͉͉͠ţ̶̬̼͖͆͌͗́͋u̸̢̬͓̱͖̓ͅŗ̵̩̫͖͓͍͒̓́̀̀͘ͅę̸̛̲̏̊̒͂̏͌ ̶̡͙̪̣̌ơ̷̳̞͉̞͛̈́͝f̵̛̘̤̀̉̓͝͠ ̶̢̘̥͎̓̽̅͘͜͠ͅy̸̧̮̺̖̽͛̋̂͂͊̓o̶̘̜͌̐̅͌̐͒͊ú̷̳̪͕̟̭̖́̉̌̿͠r̷̞͚͗ ̵̬̲̦̇͗͘͝ş̵̞̟̻̝̞̂̆̅̚ẅ̶̺͔̻̰́̔͒͛͒́e̴͈͕͊̽̀͂̋́͠ͅͅḁ̸̤̤̗̄͌͛̓̒̄̄t̵͕͉̱͖̭̱̰͒.̶̛͙̙̔͌"̶͍͚̥̮͔̃̓̒͊̈́͠

Hah, moisture. Ivette snorted. Moist. I hate that word.

"̸̦͋̆̿̂́͑͝Y̴̧̙͔͇̰̰͓̎̊̋̍͒̕ö̵̫̜̹́͒͒̉̊̈́u̵̫̿̕'̵̢̘̲̯̞̱͈̓̉̚̕͝r̴͇̟̯̬͍̹̂͐͘e̴̳͕͒͑̇ ̶̢̝̠̳͉̼͇̔̔̚͝͝͝ȉ̸̛̯͝ṁ̸͉͈ḿ̶̮̻͓̎̀͆̀̐́ā̵̧̠̹̘t̴͓̝̠̎͐̀̍̊̚u̵̩͕̞̥͎̎͒͜ȓ̴̪͈͓̻̫̓͌͒͘e̴̩̍.̶̨̩̳͒"̶͖̼̳̠͔͂̓̇̓̋͜͠

I'm a child. Of course.

"̵̡̨̳͎̯͙͛͒̽̾̉̽Ý̷͕̥̩͗͗̽͠o̴̡̰͍͇̙̰̲̔ṵ̵͙̮̣̐̿͐̄̇ͅ'̴̧̧͔̬̭͙̊͂̒̕r̶͔͇̝͌̀̊̂̔e̸̯̘͍͙͋ ̷̙̻̻̘̞̊͜a̶͓̓́͜ ̶̡̹̳͕͕̺̈́̈́̀͂̚t̴͍͇̦͕͈̟̩̄̏̀̃́ë̵̤̖͈̲́̎̓̆̃̌e̶̛͖͙͍͔͔͑́̆͒͠ń̴̥̪̮̬̭͒͛̿̑͘͝ͅḁ̷̞̍͒̚g̴̨͈̠͉͊̈́̑̆e̸̺̱̯̅̔̊̄̓̒̕ͅr̸̢̡̮̾́͑̒̈.̷͉͉̹̪̌ͅ"̴̗͖̳̮͚̘̅͒́̃́

Same difference.

"̴̙̙͎͕̫͊͂̂̆̽Ỷ̷̝͎͔̱͌̓̆o̵̟̩̾̍̈́͂̓͘u̶̙͍͇̦̓̈́̎̔͘͠ͅ ̸̼̟̗͔̳͍͋̓̆͑̋͒̂n̶͋͛͗̌͜e̷̠̎̀é̴̻̹͝d̷͎̞͎̬͈̠̀̎͗͌ ̶̨̛̳͉̱̜̒̓͗͌̀̆t̶̨̰̜̺̬̓͌́̑̍͘̚o̶̤̬̥͑̄̆͘͜ ̸̨̥̘͐r̷̠̯͍̭͒̓̓͘e̵̛̻̔̂̕͝v̸͍̓́i̵̘̗̲̝͗̌ṯ̷͔̭̋̓a̵̛̬̗͎̞̤̦̍̏̿̉̈́̊ľ̴̫̥̹͓̰̖͔̎̀̅̽͌̚i̵̡̡͉̟̻̝̬̔́̉̀͗z̸̪̽̃͛̃̂͑ę̷̘͓̲̘͉̆̂͋̕͘͜͠ ̶͙̗̬̭̹͔̆̑̽͂ỳ̴͉̼͗̓̈́͘̚̕o̸̥̰͎̟͈̝̐͒́͆͂̀̔ṷ̶̥̌́͋̋̌r̸̦̪̱̥̟̟̿ ̸̡̠̥̫͇͓̂͗̒̀͠b̸̨̨̗̭̪̩̱̌̐̍̔̊̏͠r̷̢͎̖͗̂̈́͠ả̴̮̗̔̄͜i̵̛̮̭̒̒͝ṅ̸̩͖̘͈̙̿.̷͓̗̟͊̐ ̷̺͆̓Ḯ̷̡̡̬̯̄̓̍̕ ̵̨̞̳̞͓̊̑͗̈́̒͆t̴̞̑̕h̸͕͓̉̇̚͘ḭ̶̢̑ǹ̶̪̰͂̈̚͘͝k̷͉̗̗̥̦̔͑̀̔̿̐͝ ̷̦̯̓̓̆͠y̷̲̰͖͉͂ő̷̜̳͇͙͗̋̔u̶̬̬̥̞͉̓r̵̬̖̯̖͋̀̾̎̎ ̶̡̫̬͍̩̋̿͠c̶̨̱̄̂̀̉͛̀͠e̷̱̤̖̥̫̻̦͂̋̋̎͛͘l̸͈̥͐͂͘͝l̷̲̗͉͙̟̉̓̈́̓͑̚̕ŝ̷̙̗̝̼̝͖ͅ ̴͎̹̀̇̃͆̆́a̸͚̎̓͛̾̐͘r̶̢̨̫̻͇̖̈ę̵̪̃̇̊̇̒̑ͅ ̶̡̰̑̈̀̅͐d̶̡̈́͘̚͝ỹ̴̜̐̕͠ĩ̴̩̜͙̖͍̺̹͗̅̈̍ṅ̸̹͔̍g̶̩̫̻͎̙̍͂̀̄̃ ̵̨͉̼͉̠̺̦̐̍̓͠o̴̡̅͑͗ǘ̵͚̺̼̊̾͌t̴̜͉̤̟̥̪̿̒̃̔̈́̃̕ ̵̛̯͇̖̣̫͚́̚̕͠t̵̨̛̪͔̫͂ḩ̸̲̤̏e̶̡̞̱̰̗̱̭̎̐̍̓̇͘ ̴̢̭͔͉̻́̌́̉͌̎͛l̶̛͖̰͍͇͇̑̕̚͠o̶̦̤̦̳̔̀̈̏̈̐̌n̴̫̊ģ̸̼͖̘̠͉̬̅͆̃͊e̴͔̝̔r̵̯͚̐͆̃̍ ̴̢̺̗̝̻̒̌ÿ̷͈̅͆̌͂͒̽ỏ̶̼̽̈́̇̆͝ȕ̴͉̗͎̿ ̵̧̢̗̟̗̰́͛s̶̨̤͍͈͔̮̓̅͂̇͝t̷̢͓̭̮̀̒a̴̛͓̮̺̣͖̒͋͗y̶͈̝̰̲͔͙͌ ̸͉͖̹̍̄̎͂̓́͝ͅa̵̫̫̋̏̏̍͑̉͑t̷̤̥͔͙͓̰̾̈́̌̈́͌͗͛ ̷̺͙͍̘̭̺̮́͐̔̎ţ̸̛͍̩͎̮̒̀̒͐̈́h̷̛̹̤͂̍̽̅̕ǐ̷͖̀́̐ş̵̱͎͎͘͠ ̴̭͈͉̅̏͝s̸̭̲̣͓̻̿ͅt̸̨̢̟̗͎̩̉̈͗̒̂̅͝u̶̡̳̙̐͛͂͂̇͘̚p̸̖͉̪̿̓̾̇̀̋ỉ̴̝̻̟̔̑̊̎̎̕d̷̞̖̐͛̐̀̓̀͝ ̶̗͖̰̆́͊͂͊̀̚ș̸̨̡͇̠̞̥̀c̶̢͎͙̟̾̒̄͒̇̿͋h̴̪͚̉̅̈ó̵̧̹̫̈́͑o̵͓̟͛͑̒̈́̉̉l̸̢̨̹̘̭̀̀.̸͙̦͖̍̾͑̄͒̆̽"̴̢̮̗͙̱͕̠̇̍͆

It's not that stupid, she thought idly. Ivette leant against the cool bark.

"̸͚̦̬̣͓͋́͝T̶̢͈̦̯̻͓́h̸͓̺̗̩̣͌̔̔̔͑̃́ą̸̜͔̘͗̈́t̵͓͉̟̲̊'̸̜̳̀̈́͒͌͝͝s̴̠̈́͗̈̀͋ ̵̘̹̻̠͙͔͐̿͜ş̵̄͝ú̶͈̮͆̃̈́͋̕ŕ̸̮̂͋̿̀̿͘p̴̧̨̗̭͍̼͖̏̆̒͊͌̕ŗ̵̬̮̪͕̾̑̄̃͐̈́͜ͅi̵̼̫̽s̶̮̜̤̈́̋̃̆̃̆̚i̶̡̥̖̲͓͓̘͋̊́̀̔̓n̴̝̤̮̩̯̳͛̽̈͝g̴̢͙̤̰͑.̸̇̄̅͂͌̓̚͜ ̴͉̐̓̿͑͗I̸̻̹̜̓̉̾̂͆ ̵͙̬̎ţ̴͉͓̖̙̤̇͛̉̉h̷͇̾͠o̷̫͐͠ͅȕ̴̮̩̟̮̼̿̈͋̈́̓̕ͅg̸̨̙͎̞͎̭̐h̷̩͓̰̺̮̓̅͝t̶͇̤̭̺̻̤̉͝ ̶̞̞̠̣̦̯̅ͅy̷̡̗̘̪͆̔̅̈́́̕͘ò̷̱͙͙͙͚͂̆͜ü̶̡̳͉̣̣͝ ̷̲͉͇̿̑̐̚͠ẖ̵̪̰̫͓̳̔͑ą̴͙̖̦̂͝t̸̝̺̞̿̅͗̾̓̑̔e̸̢̤̹̣̪͒͝d̸̡̛͇͉͌̽̄ ̸̘̯̈̌ṯ̷̘̇͜h̶̠̥̘͍͕͓̑ḯ̸̢̘̻̮̺̓̈́͗̃̎̕s̸̗̐͒̄̌̆͘ ̸̧̗̝̟͙̣͚̉p̴̧̘̳͔̦̓́̎l̶̻̏̅́̓̐̒͛ả̶̯͎͇̼̪̍̓̿̚͜c̷͔͗̾̈́̈̃̒͆e̵͕͑̀͆́̅́̈́.̴̙̮̃͂͐̄̈́̕̚ ̸͎̟̈́̿͆̕̚D̶͈̯̟̩̱͋͜ó̶̮̲̭͔̯̓͑ ̶͇̀̇͛̇y̸͕̼̖̳̆o̵̱̯̔u̵͎̳̱̍̄̑̓̐̕͝ ̴̡̼̝̹̻̦̂̑̎̽̿̄n̵̨̥̘͊̄͗͐͌͠ǫ̸̛̘͎̑͜t̴̨̟̦̞͍̼͛̆̂̌ ̸̧̛̖̻͌̓p̶̠̕l̴̫̝̹̻̅̑̿̕a̸̪̎̾̓͒̒̕͜͝n̷̜̓͋̓̑͑̚̚ ̴̧͖͇̘̖͚͐̀̂̏̂õ̷̩̳̫̩n̷̜͂̈́͛̌̚ ̸̡̡̛̩̞̱̘̓̌́͋̕̕l̴̛̫̆̿͝e̴̲̪̲̰̤̎͘a̵̰͋̔v̷̦̀͐í̸̹̭̃́̑̈́̃ͅn̷̢̛̦̜̥̤̓g̴̨̬͎͐̈́̂̏͠?̷̨̅̉"̷͔́͌

I don't know. I like seeing Izuku and my soulmates every day. It's nice. My classmates are somewhat okay, too.

The entity in her head frowned.

His pawns were moving on their own, approaching his queen and he did not like that. He mused to himself,

"̷͉̙̯̯̯̉͊̚G̶̨̜̩̳̻̈͑̅̅͘͝ŭ̸̟͂̏̚e̸̹͗ṣ̴͔́̈́s̸̩̠͎̦͉̰̬̽̆͌̚ ̶̬̌̍̈́̐͠Į̶̜̘͍͋̅͑̃̅̍͝'̴̡̺̱̘̹̍̋́́̒̿̐ḻ̷̜͕̺͈̱̯̓͂͑l̶̹̱̃̈́̉̅ ̸̢̮͎̦̫͗̊̋̓̏͘͘h̸̤̻̏̐͑͒̋͝ä̴̡̨̝́͊͘͠v̷̖̱̮̫̠͇̭̈̾̐e̸̛̛͈͇̭͜͝͠ ̷̡̙̞̱̟͒͆͌͛̍̋̒t̵̛̲͚́̋̆̒̎ͅo̶͍̗̹̊̋̕̚͜ ̸̣̖͔̬̀̒́̀̚t̶̨̹̣̳̣̹̿̾͂̚͝h̵̢͈̏͆͊͑͌i̵̧͂̎̆̓n̶̜̻̲͔̉̑ḱ̵̮̱̈́́ ̷͕̬͔̰̩̣̒͋̎̄̄̚ư̶̥͂̿̽̚̕p̷̱͆͗͆ ̷̳̪̔̋̊ͅa̷̻̣͙̮̖̍̃̽͌͂̆͑ ̵̹͇̳̲͐̏̉͋̈́͑͝ṉ̷̤͓͍̲̂̀̌̈͂̈́e̴̙͛̋̊̈́w̷̭̾̑ ̷̢̩̥̼̎̚s̸͚͉͍̦̝̺͑̀̽͜ţ̷̡̨̛̖͙̤͂͂r̷̢̪͔͈͆́̎̊̊̈́͝ą̷͙̳̬͍̝͆̐̐̒̓̈́̓ţ̶͕̥͇͊̔̾͑̾e̵̢̅́̊̈́̇̂̄g̵̰̟̻͇̠̃̓̈́ỵ̵̊̇̕.̸̜̯͈̃̿̈́͆ͅ"̶̨̮̫̇͠

Ivette rose a brow. What do you mean?

"̸̰͕̯̙͊̔͊̑́ͅN̸͔̦͉̰̖͂̂́ô̵̹̖̦̬͇ͅt̸̢͕̓̈́̌̈̑h̵̗͓̮̻̤͚̆͋̚͝i̸̧̩̘͂̊n̷͔̎̌͋̈́̿̅g̴̖̅͂̀͠ ̵̢̛̟̭̬̳̬̈́̈ͅy̵̟̣̠͂̑ó̶̧͓̥̫̗̚ṷ̶̢̎͆ ̶̫͕̣̎̓́̃h̶̢̪͎̲̲̬͑̈ā̶͈͍͖̠v̵̻̓̀̈́e̴̠̜̲͇̥̒̈́͗ ̶̧͕̩̅͐t̵̨̟̣̙̪͍͗͜ǒ̶͙̠̲̪̙̽ ̵̖͙͕̪̌̽̈́͋w̶̼͎̭̓ò̴̦̣̞̩͇̋́̂͗r̵̢͚̤̦̚͘ͅr̴̢͕͍͚̝̂̈́́̌̿͋ȳ̷̬͎͗̉͘ ̶͔̆͊̈́͌ḁ̵̧̰̙̘̃͜͝b̸͍͈̹̗̔̈̈̇̎o̸͈̱̪̻̙͊̐͑͂͂͛ȗ̴̞̘̲̭t̶̡̤͕̯̂̅̿̓͗̚͘ͅ ̵̧̟̲̦̗͙̣̀͗͌̚͘r̴͎̺͇̮̘̓̃̚ȋ̶̙̼̦͉͗̂̓͑̅g̶̤̖͇̺̜̽́̓͐͗̌̈h̷̘͓́̀͑̅̇́̎t̴̡͕͇͇̰̓ ̶̡̼͛͒͋n̸̬͚͚̩̘̫͇͆ô̸̻̥͑̐̐̋w̷̭̻̲͆͊͠,̸̛̙̟̦͈͎̫͕͆̐͌̓͘ ̷̰͒̌͘m̴̩̎͋̎ẙ̴̻̪͇̍͠ ̷̠̰̯͉͈̘̋d̷̟̟͐ẻ̶̻̰̟̩̰̊̎͛̈́̄̅a̷̺̭̣͉̯͆̂͒̏̃̕͝r̷̰̺̀̌.̴͍͗̈̌͒̃͗ ̴͎̖̲̘̆̒͘͘Ą̶̬͔̘́̀̈́̽͜v̴͓̙͎̳̂̈́͂̄ę̷̠̻̈͆̽͆̄̀͠ř̷͕̫̃͗͌́t̸̰̂̊͝ͅ ̷̠̫͊̽́͝y̷͚̙͔͔͙̹͛ơ̵̳̟̎̕u̷̫̣̗̩̙̝̫͒̾̂r̸̘̆͗̓͑̃͗̚ ̸̤̘̙̬́̋̚ȅ̴̪̤͇̯͙͋͐̏͊̍͑ý̷͉̩̱̫͎̺̓̌͝e̸̖͔̅̈́̓̓͆̈́̕ͅs̵̡̐͊̀̿́ ̶̫̑́͠t̶̡̟͖͙̬̑͒̊ȯ̵͚͈͊̓͂͐͠͝ ̴͇͕̼̈́͐͛̄t̴͖̪̤̹̹̠͕̎̎̈́͠h̷̹͕͇̤̆͂̏͛̾̒̓͜ͅͅȇ̸̳͍̐̏̀̍͝ ̷̟̟͓͓̜͋ş̸̡̭̙̪͂͂̽ḯ̸̡̱̇̓͒͝d̵̰͇͓͙̈́ͅĕ̸̢̡͈͍̳͉͋͂̔ͅ.̸̭̟̼̘͊̂ ̴̳̤̬̺̉̔͗Y̵̗̹͉͌͒̓̈́͘͝ơ̴͉̂ṷ̷͎̘͉̜̝̺̈́́̾̇̂ṟ̷̘̗̲̻̳̑̓̓̔͜ ̶͚͈̬͕͊̌̽͆̈́̚s̸̤͔͇̗͑͆͝ő̸̩̽̇ȗ̶̘ļ̵̫̯͈͉̱̋̚m̸̨̠̣̙͔͑͐̿̓̈͝a̵̡̲̙̦͎̼͓͛͐̔̍́̂͝t̴̨̹̪̻͍͖̻̑̀̔͊́͐͘é̸̡̩̱̳̲̠̱̓̏̓̽̕ ̴̢̫̋ͅḯ̵̱̯͍s̸̮̱͙̞̼̄ ̴͈͛̓̉̉̑̚̚à̴̺̯̙̻͚́̀̇ͅp̵̬̓̎͛̈̅͛p̷̧͔̲͑͒r̵̡̮̤̙̖̼̈́̌̍̚̚̕͜o̴̫͇̠̲̾́a̸̹͒̈̐͘͘͠͝c̵̨̛͔͇̼͆̈́͒̇͝h̴̬̤͚͐̌͂͒̅̌͜ȉ̵̬̼͈̰̩̦̭̄̈͝n̶̯̩̯̜̱͖̔̌͗̌͠g̵̜͎̉̆̈̇̏͜.̷͈͍͖͓̩̅̒͝"̸̙͈͍̑͠͠

Hearing shuffles underneath her, Ivette opened an eye, looking for the source. Her gaze landed on her tallest soulmate, seeing him hunker down by the corner, inhaling and exhaling deeply, calming down his nerves.

"Sho."

His head snapped up, frantic dual-coloured eyes landing on the figure in the trees.

Shoto exhaled deeply. "Ivette."

"̷̧̞̠̞̩̜̎̑H̵͎̬͇̺̖̟̬̓̌e̴̛͙͌͆̄͝͝'̴͕̲͂̒͛̓͊́̒s̶̩̲̯̬̘̏͌̈̋̌̓ ̴̥͍͆͊̎͘͝d̶̝̙̦̅̓̎i̴̥͐͌̀s̴̩̮̙̘̮̜̍̅̉́̽t̵̢̞͙̜̮̼̆͛r̷̪̯̫̻̃ä̷͉̪̹̘̼́̾̓ụ̸̢̘̫̎̈͊̿g̵̪̮̜̺̈́̂h̵̩͔̤̻̗̻͊t̸̨̬̏̚.̶̥̦͇͎͓̤͊͛͛͑̃̉͝"̷̝̈́̀̈́̓͜͠

Think it's because of his father?

"̴̣͉̰̜̓̊̇W̵̨̛̜̺̦̌͐́͜ͅͅḩ̷̖̪̥̦̄̀̀͒͆o̸͈̮͝ ̶͓̀͊̏̍̇̕ê̵̡̩̼̱̝͕̎̋̕ļ̴̲͚͖̝͛̇̈́̽̏s̶̼̳̩̦̯͉̋̃̈́̈͝ę̵̛̜̖̲̝͊͛́͂̓͝ͅ ̶͙͚̱̮̫̄̃̇̉̌͠c̴͔͇͔̺̦͖͗̑ͅo̷̜̓͆͆̒͐̀u̷̐͜l̶̤̱͇̻̠͈͑̑̑̅͘ͅḑ̸̞́̉̑̿̅ ̷͎̂͛m̵̞̹͈͇͖̊́̏̕͘a̸̛̜͌͐̍̚k̵̖̯͙͒̔̑̉͘͠è̵̫̰͕͍̑͗̂̀͛͝ ̵͙̮͖̌̆h̵̩͔̫͇͔̊̄̐ī̴̻̣̺̜̮̊̍m̶̨̝̪̞͌̓̽ ̷̘͖̻͖̪̳̠͂͋͑̐̚̕̚p̸̟̰̯̠̓͗͠ȃ̴͔̠̦̹̈̾͛̀̚ń̸̢̮͍̠̭̩̺͘͝ī̶̘̿̈́͒c̴̱̣̩̑̓͋͌̀̐ ̶̫̭̩̠̂͛̓ļ̴̘̗́͋͋̓ḭ̶̺͙̟͙̖́͜k̵̖̼̦͋͆͂͛̀̈́̔e̷̡̮̺̠͙̭̬̐́̉̎̕ ̷̟̬͌̋t̵̛͈̠̦͖͂̓͂̃̂ͅĥ̸̡͙̺̗̞̩̘į̷̨̡̼͒̅̐͝ṣ̷̗̙̱̈́͋̾̒͊?̷͔̞̼̖͓͐̀͠͝͝ ̶̹̩͘H̶̱̆͊̐͘͝ę̸̬̪̩̳̹̹̎͂̃̽͝'̵̮͎̫̋̌̊͒ş̴̛̤̮̥̻̯̓̃̃͠ ̸͉̮̤͙̎̓̅͌̚̚t̴͕̫̋̿̐̑͜͜͠r̵̦͙͈̩͊́͛̏̓̎y̷̧̧̝͉̱̎̏͊̑̓ͅi̸͉̳̾ṇ̶͒g̶̦͍̲̯͗͝ͅ ̸͙͈̒̀̿t̴̢̯̓̈́͜o̵̼͇͕͈̘̹̼̎͒̈̈̓͒ ̶͕̯̰̀́̌s̶͕̥͈̯̤̅̒̄̈́̒͝û̸͍̰̝̳̘̎̔͜͠ṗ̵̡̟̃̌͝p̴͚̻̱̝͇͚̞̒͒̓̋r̸̺͖̪̳̤͑͆̅͘ë̵̮̘̥̲̪̼̩́̓̀̏͠s̶͈̋͌̔͌s̵̰͕̆ ̶͔͓̪̤̏̿̃̀͗̿͠i̶̦̔͆̅͆ẗ̸̯͖́,̷͍̬̽̏̆͊̎ ̴̧͖̯̗̭̯́̈́̒͒̔b̴̡͖͇̟̱͐͊͗͝ư̸̦̾́͝͠t̷̥̺̙̰̞́͗̋̈́͂͜ ̷̺̭͙̽̀̉͝ţ̸̰̹̦̪̲͝ḩ̵̾́e̸̮̩̟͎̊̏͛ ̴͈̇͗̀f̵̨̪͖̥͈̔e̵̡̯͖̘̻̜͎͐̋̈́̆́̄á̴̭̣̼̯̯̻͖r̴̮̫͍̙̭̦̥̍͊ ̶̧͚͉̔͒͐̉̂̈́a̵̼̹̒̒̇̈́ń̷͈̰̜͇̅̾͠d̴̯̥͕̄̓͜ ̶̬̞̦́͌̉͗͂͌͒d̴̤̹͓̤̦̰̾͘e̴̡̧̝̠͝ţ̸̘̰̱̆̇͒̏ë̵̜͍͕̤̰̙̹͒̈́́r̷̪̟̦̦̦̤͒̇̈́͒͐m̸̢̙̖̳̭̻̄̆̄̈̋͘i̴̜͕̪̦̪͛̂̈́͝ͅn̸̨̦̹̬̲̲̝̂̇̋̇͠ą̴͓̭̣̏̏̎̄͝ț̵̻͋̓͝i̸̘̹̼̲͎̇ô̴̼̱͔̗̳̤̾n̸͖̙̦̼̼̈̿̈́̈ ̷͔̰͚̳̱̋̇̆̀͛͠͠t̶̥̬̤͇͆̃́̾ȍ̸̯͚̤͙̮̺̊̑͆̆͜ ̷̰̲̣̱͎̩̜̓d̷͓͉͔̤̙̹͇̑̈ó̶̡͔̲̝͕͙̙ ̴̢͖͚̦̻͇̟̅̋b̵̞͍̠̺̒̐́͐̀̂́ê̷̛̝͚̞̔̀t̷͙̦̝̰̤̰̓͒͆͌͛͛͝t̶̘̀e̸͇̙͛ŗ̴̱̋͝ͅ ̸̼̘̈́̕͜å̷͇̘͕̞̅n̴͎̫̼̱̿̾̍ḑ̶̂́ ̶̛̩̩͉̞̃̒̀p̸̛̘̜̖̜̺͎͛̿͆͐̀̊r̸͈̽̌̈̽̈́̄͜͝ȏ̶̘͓̪̻͈̦̬̋̃̍̏͌̑v̵͚̤͎̭͎͇̈̿̑̅̌͗̇e̸̪͛͊̿ ̷͓́ḧ̷͕̻͍͉̝͔̿͊̈́̈́̌̏i̵̛̘̹̇͐̊̾̚m̶̲̪̮̼͎̬̄̉̇s̶̙̮̼̊e̷̤̍͒̕l̴̥̻͕̲͔̓̈́̾f̷̪̳̪̬̲̜̭͛͂͘͝͝ ̵̻̭͕̈́͋̓̑̋̃̚ͅẇ̸̖̟̕i̶̭̟̺̕l̸̤̳̝̩̱̜̏̽͌l̵̘̯̿͊̏̾ ̴̢̲͇̞̣̻̠̓̅͝s̸̬͉̫̽͐̔̉́̀͝ẘ̵͚̊͗̒͠ả̴͇͉̞͚͗̈́̿̌͘͝l̴̢̦̦̼̥͇̄̍͑̾̍͝l̸͇̣̻͇̬̱̲̀͌̚ö̴̪̯͕͉̝̬w̸̨̙͚̣͑͛̏̂̍̽ ̵͉̻̓h̴̦͉͒̊̂i̴̖͔̤͔̟̞̓́́͗̄́m̷̦̩̔̏͑͐͌͝ͅ ̵̩̗͊̂ẁ̶̧̐̀͘h̸̝̿̈́̑͠ȯ̸̪͉͓͚͓̇͊́̚͠l̸̬̳̗͚͕̄̎̂ͅe̴͍̞͋̅.̸̨̤̺̣̫̖́̒̈́̑̍͠ ̴̞̍Ȉ̴̘̫̙̪̋̈̋̽͘f̷̨̨͓̝̣̎́̅̇̎ͅ ̶̗̠̯̃̍͊͒̋͝h̵̢͚̹̑͋̐̓̂͜͝͝ë̸̹'̷̰̺̾͐̈́͐ş̸̦̕ ̷̧̢̛̦̱͔̙̒̍̈́̎͐͠n̵̬̙̗̲̿̋̽̉͂̾ͅò̸̧͎̮̳̗͝ẗ̴̡̘̙̙̖̠̫̌͌̂̃ ̸̲̇̎̑̔́̕ͅc̷̡̥̫̑̚͜ä̴̢͕̩̺̤̠̻́r̶͍͑̆̄̈́e̸̡͐̐̑̇̍̕̚f̵̼͓͚͇̞̳͒̅̿̿u̷̧͕͖̩͕͂ḷ̷͔͛,̸͓̉̓̅̊͘ ̴͙̠̰̹̻̝̖͋̈́̓̆̇̓̽y̵̪͍̩͇̓͌̾͠o̷͇̯̱̒͝u̴̜̥͍͐͐r̴̡͓̫̳̈́͋ͅ ̶̥̽͆̅́̊̚͘s̶̨̛̗̫̬͙͌̾͋̕͜͠ͅõ̵̰̬̑́̒u̸̼̻͇̪̔͋̐͋̓l̵̢̼̞̖̝̭͐͆̔͊̂̊̿ṁ̵̠̺͝a̵͕̲͉̍̍̇͊̚t̵̡̢̜̰͕̦̯̔e̷͍͔̫͕̦͕̓͜ ̷̧͈̯̤͈̐̽̏́̑͠w̸͔͈̹̮̾́i̷̧͎̱̬͕̤͉̎̏l̵̥̞͕͌͛̐̈̉̅̀ḽ̵͊͑̔͊͝͝ ̴̥͆͂͑͛͆̑l̴̨͈̽ͅo̶̡̬̦͓̥̍̂͠s̸̪̐̊̓e̵̬̹̓͛̄͒̌͝ ̴̺͉̰͚̗̥̩́̔͗̾̍h̸͙̬̝̅̓͜i̷̛̜͓̮̰͙̎̏̓̽̃͝m̶̬͒́̓̀́͛͝ṡ̸̜̞͎̙̺̀̌͒̕ę̵̙͎̜͎̾̓́̕͝l̸̛͚͓̩͍͆̍̈́̈͋̃ͅf̵̼̗͚̼̹͙͍͐͆̂̔̚͝͝.̷̡̼̐̈́̅͐̚"̷̙͆̉̉̍͛͠

"Come."

"Sorry?"

Ivette rolled her eyes. She extended an arm, her quirk activating and engulfing the boy in a misty green barrier. A noise of surprise slipped past Todoroki's lips, but she ignored it in favour of pulling her fingers to her palm, the ball and the boy following.

Once he was in front of her, she reached in and grabbed onto his arm, yanking him forward. "Don't move," Ivette said as she pulled Shoto closer, his back pressed against her stomach, his head resting on her chest, "otherwise we'll both fall off."

"...okay," he whispered.

They sat in content silence, listening to the other's breathing —inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale; the beating of their hearts —one, two, three; the silenced giggling of the stars as they watched from the heavens.

Ivette threaded her fingers through his hair, encompassing them both with her quirk. Shoto watched in temporary awe and intrigue, following the trails of light entering his soulmate's body. She seemed to hum with life.

Revitalised, he noticed.

Todoroki shut his eyes, leaning back into her embrace. His mind plagued itself with his haunted past, but at least here, with Ivette's arms wrapped around him, her fingers massaging his head, he gathered some control, reigning himself in mentally.

He needed to win this festival. He needed to prove that he could win without his father's quirk.

He was not a tool.

And he would never be a tool.

Todoroki would rather freeze the whole world than submit to his dad.

༺═──────────────═༻

"There you two are!" The soulmate duo looked down, spotting Kirishima standing by the gate. "The first battle is about to start."

"That's Izuku's, right?" Ivette asked, pulling her hand away from Todoroki's head, who had to clench his jaw tightly, silencing the whine that threatened to escape with the loss of the comforting pressure.

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah!"

He couldn't help the adoration flouring through his body. He knew that Shoto wasn't acting like himself lately; they could feel the stress and desperation and irritation seeping through their bond every night. Every time they tried to bring it up, he'd brush it off, and the three took that as an incentive to stop asking.

Todoroki would open up when he wanted to — when he needed to.

His soulmates would wait patiently until that happened.

"Here, I'll help you down." The redhead walked over to the tree, his arms held out. With a reassuring nod, Todoroki slid off the branch (well, with a light nudge from Ivette), and he fell into the arms of his soulmate.

His eyes widened, head tilting up to stare at Kirishima. "See? I'll always catch you."

He grinned broadly, his smile shining like the stars in the sky, with no bright city lights to dim them. It was like the sun, blazing brightly and watching the interaction fondly, opened its eager light to illuminate him, brightening his perfectly aligned teeth.

His statement made butterflies rise in Todoroki, escaping the pits of his stomach.

He nodded slowly, dazed.

"Come on, lovebirds," teased Ivette, descending the tree with her quirk. "You can stare at each other all you want after the festival."

She saw their cheeks redden profusely, and she laughed as Todoroki stumbled out of Kirishima's embrace, both of them flustered.

Sitting inside the arena, Bakugo leant back into his seat, ignoring the irrelevant chatter around him. He could feel the emotions projecting through the bond and the tension in his shoulders dissipated, his nerves calming down.

He knew then, having no idea what they were doing or why they were feeling like that, that he loved them. Maybe not with his whole heart, but certainly with more than half.

His lips quirked upwards.

"Fucking idiots."

༺═──────────────═༻

Watching Izuku's battle, Ivette was pleasantly surprised at the revelation of Hitoshi Shinso's quirk. It's similar to mine, she thought, gaze trained solely onto the purple-haired male. Making a mental note, Ivette reminded herself to talk to him afterwards, to see if she could get him to help her out with her mental manipulation — if he was willing to train together and grow stronger.

That would be awesome.

"̵̬̓͒͌̄͝Ḭ̸̯̯̪̪̫̠͆͂͗̐͝v̶̧̡̮̤̫̩̆̀ȩ̶͚̦̺̯̫͒t̷̠̓͑̆̅̉t̵̛̠̤͈̹̱̝ḛ̴̞̔ͅ,̶̛̲̭͖̥͑̊̈́̊ ̸͙̺́̎̔̕ͅy̷̭̠̖͈͑͝ͅo̷̫͙͌̏̔̂̕ư̴̞̻̗̞̕ ̵̳͕̝̙̘̺̫͐͌̈̌͐̒̐d̷̡̲̪͕̤͚̟͆̀̋̚ǫ̴̖̤̦͉͚̦̍̄̅̉͐̈ǹ̶̡̝̅̀͠'̷̰́́̽͌́t̸͇̱͕͔̘̺̃̔ ̴̛̟̜͎͗͌̏̈ṅ̷̡̧̥̞̜ẹ̸͙͚̖͍̌̈́ȅ̶̙̦̀͛̑̋̀d̷̨͓̩̫̱̎͂̀͊̉ ̶̧̡̝̪̠́s̸̛̠̞̬͖͗́̈͒͝ṓ̵̼̪͕̣̯̮́̔̚m̴̨̞̳̼̺͈̩̀͗̚͠ę̸̩̳͔̕ ̴̝͍̍̎͊͊̚c̵̢̛̬̺̉̀h̴̜͇̹̭̤̳̳̓̕i̴̳̟̻̗̇̃̈̓̇̀̂͜l̵̜̙̕d̴̖͙̱̆͘ ̵͇̠̠̰̮̈́̊̽͗ț̵̦̘̭̩̱̱̔̓͊̒̓̌̄ǫ̷͔̜͈̍͂͐͜͝͠ ̸̨̟̏̍͂̀͜͠͝t̴͖́͊e̷͖̣͇̻̹͕̩͂̋́̿̇͘a̵̠͙̙͠c̸̺͍̤̰͖͔̀̍̈́̀h̷͖̠̘̎̉̾̑̑̓ ̷̞̌̽̍̃͂͜ŷ̶̻͋̀̏͗́͝ộ̴̭͍̃̃̄̓̚ư̵̮͈̪͇͔̮͐͊̈͘͝.̶͉̞̣̘̗̍̾̈̽͜ ̶̬̝̾͠I̴̛̥̤̒̏͘͠ ̴̧̞͖̦̩̘̣̈́c̸̩̖̪̐̌̉̈́͑͑̀a̵̪͋̚ņ̷̩̫͔̤̳̈́̽́͐̚ ̴̖͛͊̀͗̈́ḩ̵̨͈̬̲͛̒̈͠e̴̞̳͉͔͉̾͒̒̐́l̶̮̞̺̫̒͘͝p̵̡̧̝̫̻̜̔̈́̈́͂͘ ̵͎͚͔͈̟͋̿͜y̶̮͚̽̐̉̄̋̈́̅ơ̵̧̰͈͙̥̽̚ȗ̷̧͎̪͓͓͈̾̿̔͝.̸̠͕͋̉̇̊ ̷̨̙̱͚̭̀̄̍̾̆͐Ȧ̵͚͙̝͍̣̂̽̈́̏̈́ͅͅl̷̞͊͆́̈́̕̕͠l̶̨̔̅̔̂͘͠ ̶̺̃͐̊̇ỷ̸͍̌̄́͜ỏ̵̧̈́̑̓̎͗ṷ̵͗́̌̈́͘͝ ̸͈͂̽̎̈n̴̖̊͊̃e̷̛̝͈̾͜ę̸̖̗̗͙̪̓̉͠d̴̙͚̱̏͂̀ ̷͔̓̄͆͒͗̀̑t̸̢̘̘̿͐͠ͅõ̸̹͈̳̺͌͒͜ͅ ̸̖̟̬̂d̷̢̨̒̈́͒õ̵͈̺̿̾̃ ̷̰́̒̓̀̿i̵̝͕̤̙̜̅͆̄̂̇͑s̷̱̥̦̯̯͆̀̄̃̂̃͜ ̵̧͍̜͉͍͌̿̄̅͆ȧ̸̝̜̱̝͚͒̋ş̵̻̟̭̾̃̃̊̄̈́̏͜k̴̨̟̩̈́͛̏̇̔͘.̵̰̦̥̣͔̖̓͑͂"̸̪̰͔͖̫̹̽̏͆

I know, I know. But it'd be cool to learn from someone with personal experience.

Bakugo, Todoroki and Kirishima could sense her excitement, and they did not like it one bit. They couldn't help the toxic feeling building in their stomachs as they watched Ivette gaze at Shinso in awe, licking her lips and brightening up every time an idea piqued her interest.

Their eyes darkened with specks of jealousy as her grin never wavered; in fact, it seemed to broaden, and they, Bakugo especially, did not like that. They wanted her smile to be directed towards them, to see the way the silver arches in her eyes sparkled pronouncedly, as if the sun sat behind it, blaring its divine rays and producing a colour that rivalled opulent jewels fit for emperors.

The blond glowered in his spot, arms folded over his chest and fingers clenching around his biceps.

"Oi," he called, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Ivette looked at him, raising a brow.

"What?"

Bakugo grunted and turned away whilst Kirishima just shuffled closer to her, hastily clearing the emotion out of their bond. On the other hand, Todoroki felt his jealousy burn in his chest, flaming alive with each passing second, but he doused it in ice, freezing it and pushing it away with the rest of his emotions.

Like she had predicted, Izuku won, and Ivette clapped loudly, yelling his name from the stands with a proud grin on his face. He turned to her, smiling, even though his fingers were broken and blood dripped down his nose.

"GO TO THE INFIRMARY!" she yelled, standing over the ledge.

"I will." But before that...

Izuku conversed with Shinso, and Ivette shifted her attention to her soulmate.

"Shoto, good lu..."

A frown etched itself onto her lips, seeing his departing figure. Vexation and anger churned through their bond, worrying not only her but the other two as well.

They watched as he froze half the stadium, Sero stuck right in the middle, frozen — both physically and in shock.

"Do-Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"Sero-kun, can you move?" asked Midnight, also half frozen.

"O-Of course not...ow..."

"SERO-KUN IS IMMOBILISED. TODOROKI-KUN ADVANCES TO THE SECOND ROUND!"

As the crowd yelled 'don't mind' to the Hispanic male, Todoroki used his left hand to melt away the ice, averting his gaze.

"I was angry," was all he said.

"You guys can feel it, right?" Ivette asked her other soulmates, both wearing frowns and concerned looks on their faces as they watched Todoroki from the balcony.

They nodded.

Shoto was sad.

༺═──────────────═༻

With Kaminari's humiliating defeat, it was Ivette's match. "Good luck!" said Kirishima, giving her a broad grin and two thumbs up.

Bakugo, on the other hand, said, "you better win."

A laugh surfaced out of her throat.

"Thanks."

As she headed to the arena, Ivette rose her hands, gathering her hair and tying it up into a high ponytail. She didn't need any distractions whilst she had her fill of fun.

"̴̨̨̰̞͚͈̮̍̈́̏̄̈̍̃̉̑̒̎̿͗Ą̶̹͈̫͎̘͔̑͗ń̴̡̳̙̜͓͖͖̜̻͍͍̥̓͒̋̈́̉̾͗̉́́̅̚͠͝ͅy̷̛̤̟̲͇͈̝̬̞̹̑̇̓̌̓́͂̍͆̿͂͝ ̶̢̢͍̣͇̺̞̤̩̙͒̀̈̈́͆̒̃̚p̵̧̛͈̥͈͕̲͉̘̍̀ļ̵̛̓̀͊̇̄̀̆̓͛́͌̄͘͝ą̸͚̫̟̳̘̤̯̼̠͓̫̭͉̤̆̍̿̔̈́̈́́̇͑̂͘͘ṇ̴̗̰͎̮̗̍̀̄͐̆̆̔̊͝͝š̸̡̭̤̫̣̻̭͕͉̾͊̌ͅ?̵̝̼͉̜͇̊͆͋̐͛̄͝͠"̸̢̦͍̱͕̘͉͕̫̄

No. Let's just go with the flow.

"NOW, IT'S TIME FOR THE FOURTH MATCH!" Ivette walked out with her back straight, head tilted high and a smirk dangling at her lips. "WE'RE JUST GONNA KEEP ROLLING ALONG! RUSH HEADLONG TOWARDS THE TOP!"

Two classmates stood before each other, ignoring the announcement of their names. They bowed respectfully, one wearing a determined expression whilst the other wore an expression packed with amusement.

"No hard feelings, right?"

Iida nodded. "Of course."

When the buzzer went off, he quickly lunged forward, using his calves' engines to push himself. Ivette grinned, activating her quirk and propelling herself off the ground, allowing Iida to showcase off his abilities a bit. She was toying with him to get him more agitated, to get him to fight harder.

And it pissed Bakugo off to no end.

"What the fuck is she doing?" he hissed, glaring daggers into her soul. He could feel her amusement propagating through the bond; hell, he could see it in her eyes. They shone under the sun, the emerald orbs flickering dangerously as Ivette darted around the stage, careful not to step outside the line.

Kirishima laughed. "Can't you see what she's doing?"

"The fuck are you going on about, shitty hair?"

"She's letting him show off his abilities to the pro heroes," he answered, pointing to the audience where a couple of heroes were discussing Iida's quirk, the pros and the cons, the potential for more. "You know, for someone so smart, you're pretty oblivious, babe."

Bakugo ignored the remark, purposely turning his head and hiding the blush that threatened to rise to his cheeks.

Kirishima's lips quirked upwards.

He could feel the flustered-ness seeping into their bond.

"Fuck off, shitty hair."

"Mhm, sure, babe."

"Suck a dick!"

"I'll suck yours."

Sero gagged, holding his stomach and pointing a finger to his mouth. "Get a room," he said, ignoring the angered look sent his way.

(Bakugo wasn't very menacing when his face was pink).

"Shut up, soy sauce face!" he roared.

"Seriously, soy sauce face? That's the best you can do?"

Explosions went off in Bakugo's palms, crimson eyes glaring fiercely into the male behind him. "I'll kill you."

"Now, now." As usual, Kirishima was quick to calm the blond, directing his attention back to their soulmate, who hovered in the air, staring directly at their class rep.

"Come on, Iida!" she yelled. "You can do better than that!"

He gritted his teeth and pushed himself to the max.

Ivette's grin widened.

There we go.

Manipulating the energy in his engine, she switched them off, shocking him. "W-What?!" Iida glanced down at his feet, seeing them covered in an emerald mist.

When he looked back up, he was pushed back by a force of green energy, urging him back. He fought harshly against it, gaining control over his engines (she stopped working on them to put her focus on one task) and pushing against the force by activating them.

Unfortunately for him, Ivette had the upper hand.

Her eyes lit up, her quirk's energy pulsing through her body, and she trusted her hands out, the barrier essentially throwing him out of bounds.

Idia was a strong person, she acknowledged. But he wasn't strong enough to beat her. Even he knew that.

"AND MIDORIYA WINS, SEALING HER POSITION IN THE NEXT ROUND!"

Iida was somewhat thankful she let him show off; he knew that he wouldn't go without recognition from at least a few heroes. However, he couldn't help but loath the battle's outcome. He hated how he was so easily defeated against a girl who had only recently started using her quirk.

Iida felt inferior to both Midoriyas, having underestimated them tremendously.

"It was a good game, Iida," she said, extending a hand out to him.

Tenya clenched his jaw shut.

It was all just a game to her.

He grabbed her hand, letting her pull him up. "Thank you," he said, and he meant it. He was thankful for the opportunity to at least show something. Even if it was something as simple as running around the arena.

They bowed to each other and then left, the green-haired girl going back to the stands to give Iida some time to himself. She knew what he was thinking, and she didn't feel bad because it was the truth.

This —the sports festival— was just a game to Ivette. Nothing more. Nothing less.