Chapter Text
shouta was lounging on a roof after an uneventful patrol when swirls of green first entered his vision and he could immediately tell he gained a new soulmate.
he vaguely remembered the first time feathery yellow threads wove themselves into a majestic yet annoying cockatoo (that he grew exasperatedly fond of) and shimmery tendrils intertwined into an excitable pale blue ferret.
he watched as a wispy bunny materialized in his hand, its silhouette growing clearer by the second. the little thing was so obviously a kitten, so small it could fit into just one of his palms. it seemed to be sound asleep, little body raising and falling with each breath.
shouta couldn’t help the fondness and adoration that bloomed in his chest as he carefully ran a gentle finger down the little thing’s nose, pulling an impressively big yawn out of the kit that made him chuckle.
he had a soul child.
he wasn’t sure how he could tell- but he just could. it didn’t feel the same like his bonds with hizashi and oboro.
the thought didn’t strike as much fear into him as much as he thought it should. he was barely a properly functioning adult, still fumbling through life and figuring his own shit out.
but how could he deny a child fate had deem made for him?
was his baby born today? or have they grown enough for their soul to seek out his? how old was this kid? has his own soul visit theirs? would his spirit animal manifest as a black cat just like it did with his other soulmates? he couldn’t quite remember the details during which his previous soul bonds manifested.
the little ball of fur shifting in his hands snapped shouta out of his thoughts and he looked down just in time to see beautiful emerald eyes open to blink up at him.
“hello,” he whispered in greeting. the drowsy little thing seemed to tiredly beam up at him before butting his head into shouta’s thumb. his heart stuttered at the action and in that moment, he decided that this was the soul of his kid, that he wholeheartedly love and adored with all his heart despite only just meeting a fragment of his soul. he vowed that absolutely nothing in this world would stand in his way of him finding them, for him to cherish and love and care for as his own.
he would make sure of it.
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after the first time the green bunny that manifested, shouta was thrilled by every visit that followed.
he had learned that the baby bunny was a boy- he had a son! shouta grew accustomed to calling it kit, kitten or bunny and an embarrassing amalgamation of other cute pet names simply because they felt right. he blames it on his parental instincts.
even though kit was only a manifestation of part of his soulchild, shouta was delighted to learn as much and as little as he was able to about his kid. the boy was very clever, morbidly curious about anything and everything.
he was also clumsy if the way the green bunny continuously tripped and tumbled and bumped into things was any indication. it would’ve been adorably funny if shouta wasn’t so worried about how accident-prone the kid was.
despite that, kit was always full of life, picking himself up and brushing off every setback to bounce back even harder. he was such a strong, sweet soul with a big heart and shouta couldn’t help but love the kid more, the more he knew him.
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shouta wasn’t having the best night. patrol sucked ass. it was like every criminal in the area collectively decided to stir up trouble. mostly, petty crimes, but shouta managed to find himself in the middle of an altercation between some drunken idiots with powerful quirks that became the highlight of his shitty night.
he handled it of course, but the interaction left him roughened up with some bruising, that he just knows would be a pain tomorrow, and a sprained wrist. plus, all the paperwork that came with dealing with all of those. and of course, the night ended with a downpour so sudden and heavy that by the time, he got home, he just about look and felt like a drowned rat. he didn’t even get to visit the alley cats to lighten his mood because of it.
frankly, shouta was over it. it being everything that is.
he barely managed to peel of his wet uniform and change into something dry. he absolutely did not have anything in the fridge, nor was he able to stop by for food before he got home so, no dinner tonight.
now, he laid on the living room floor, where he had slipped and fell- because life simply wanted him to suffer in every way possible tonight- and simply did not have the strength nor will to get up from. he was sprawled out like a particularly depressed starfish, one arm thrown over his dry eyes as he contemplated all his life decisions that let to this miserable night.
he didn’t move when he felt a small weight appear on his chest and heard a familiar questioning chirp.
“hey, bunny,” he greeted still unmoving. that earned him another squeak, before he felt a thump of little rabbit feet on his chest. the corners of his lips quirked into a smile but he remained stubborn.
kit let out an annoyed huff. without his eyes, shouta felt the kitten hop forward towards his arm to bite onto his sleeve and pull.
to absolutely no avail of course.
this downright ridiculous attempt by his son that was too determined for his own good managed to pull a laugh out of the man, finally shifting to sit up, his movement causing kit to lose his grip and tumble down onto shouta’s lap with a shrieked squeal.
at long last, finally able to see the man’s face, kit graced him with a scowl so menacing it circled back hilarious that shouta couldn’t hold back another laugh. kit only stomped his hind legs and looked at him pointedly.
“alright, alright, i got it. i’ll sleep in bed,” he relented exasperatedly, though the corner of his lips ticked up in amusement. “so bossy.”
that earned him an offended chirp and a bat to his leg that he could barely feel, much less hurt, but he didn’t think his kid would appreciate him pointing that out.
he dragged himself to his room where he flopped back down onto his mattress on the floor- partly due to having yet to afford a proper bed, part because he simply did not care for it. he shifted to get comfortable before finally settling down, glancing to the side to see the furry green ball huff in satisfaction before climbing into bed with him to burrow into his side.
shouta silently wished kit a good night, here beside him, and wherever else he was.
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a swirl of green caught his eye, making him look over the side of the couch from where he sat at the coffee table in his living room, expecting an excitable green lump to come barreling into him any second.
except, the bunny never did.
“kit?” had he just imagined the spirit animal appearing?
he hauled himself up, walking over only to find a trembling little ball huddled in the corner between the back of the couch and the wall that made his hurt hurt. the small bunny was somehow curled up into an even smaller ball, oversized floppy ears hiding his face as the kid shook.
the fear the kid displayed made a wave of protectiveness wash over the man. had something happened to the kid in his actual life? was he in danger? was he hurt?
“hey, honey, its me,” he started softly, not wanting to further scare the kid. he watched as scared green eyes peaked from behind floppy ears, and offered a small smile he hoped was comforting. “what’s wrong?”
“are you in any immediate danger?” he asked tentatively. the bunny slowly shook its head no. okay. that’s good.
“you’re somewhere safe now?” a nod.
“are you hurt?” the ball of fluff froze at the question, no responding either way, but shouta understood the implications of that.
“you’re scared?” he prodded gently. a nod before the bunny started chirping and chittering heartbreaking little sounds, its body trembling and shouta instinctively held it closer to his chest.
if anyone had asked shouta if rabbits could cry prior to this day, he would’ve confidently answered no. but now, looking down at his kid’s spirit animal, there was no other way to describe it.
“okay, you’re okay,” he soothed, running a hand through soft green fur fretfully. “i’ve got you, kitten, it’s okay.”
not all of him, a quiet voice at the back of shouta’s mind whispered, that he resolutely tamped down.
he worried for the actual child this sweet, innocent spirit animal belonged to. but what could he do?
soul bonds only went to the extent of knowing you had one and occasionally having the company of their spirit animal as part of their soul. even then, their time was limited to random periods at a time.
spirit animals couldn’t speak or communicate, simply a reflection of the person’s general well being and subconscious- greatly relevant to emotions but not very helpful for much else.
shouta felt his heart crack at the big, pleading green eyes looking up at him as the bunny started to shimmer in his hands, signaling he was going to disappear soon. he could almost hear the kid begging him to save them. from what? he wasn’t sure.
“i’ll find you soon, okay? i promise,” shouta vowed, running a hand down the bunny’s back. “can you be strong for me until then?”
big, scared eyes stared up at him, before the kid mustered up the courage, steeling himself to nod resolutely. it was a little humorous to see the kid so serious and shouta had to smile despite the grim circumstances.
“brave little bunny,” he whispered, keeping a brave face all the while stroking those long green ears as he watched kit slowly fade in from his arms.
once the kid finally faded away completely, shouta let his expression crumble, feeling as though the kid disappeared and took part of his soul with him.
maybe he did.
he prayed the kid was safe, wherever he was.
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ever since the first time kit appeared in such a state, his following visits were an improvement in comparison though not by much. to shouta’s concern, his kid didn’t entirely bounced back and he had more bad days as time went on.
most days, kit was still his curious, cheery self but it was obvious there was something different. his usual bouncy energy dimmed.
shouta was adamant about providing whatever support and comfort he can within his power to his kid, but he couldn’t help the anxiety that grew the longer he didn’t find him.
it was like watching the bright eyed, bushy tailed child fade entirely too soon. kit was just a kid. his spirit animal was still just a baby bunny, even as it grew since the first time it manifested. he was too young for life to rob him of off his childish, starry eyed spirit.
but by the gods, what could shouta do?
it pains him to watch his kid hurting. his chest aches, his heart breaks and he wants nothing more than to scoop the kid into his arms and keep him safe in the space carved out just for him in between his ribs.
but what could he do? how does he even start looking for a child he doesn’t know the name of? not even what he looked like?
what more could he do but cradle the sad little bunny on days kit wouldn’t even move or make a sound, humming a lullaby he hoped would soothe the kid into restful slumber.
what more could he do than to talk to the kid in his lap, filling in the silence to distract the bunny from everything wrong in his actual life for just a few minutes, drawling on and on about anything and everything he could think of.
what more could he offer other than to indulge the kid on his good days that were growing far in between, determined to let the child have whatever scrap of joy he could give during their short time together because he deserved so much more.
what more could he do but beg fate to have mercy on his suffering child, pray for them to cross each other’s paths, for him to find his kid soon, and plead to just let him save his kid.
he just needed his kid safe.
he hoped his own spirit animal was taking care of his kid the best it can, the way he so desperately wanted to.
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shouta couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips, turtling the lower half of his face to conceal the blatant fondness and amusement from showing as he watched the wispy green bunny hop along as he made his way to class.
the little thing was clearly in a good mood, looping him in a circle every now and then, bouncing about until it tumbled over before shaking himself off, unbothered, only to continue its excited hops. it was rare that the soul bunny was this excitable but shouta definitely wasn’t complaining, kit’s energy contagious.
he was thankful that his bunny was such a strong soul, too stubborn to be beaten down by whatever life threw its way. the child-like spark has dulled but the kid was still himself.
time had passed and shouta was still yet to meet him. it made him somewhat resent fate for this cruel game. yet, he couldn’t deny being so very grateful to be able to be with the kid to some degree on his worse days. just so, he wasn’t always alone. just so he could remind the kid that someone was still waiting for the day that they meet to finally come.
now, he watched in poorly concealed mirth at the furball’s antics, hopping about and squeaking up at him every now and then. kit was animated enough to almost vibrate out of his skin apparently.
shouta finally conceded when they came around a quiet corner, a little ways away from the 1-A classroom. he laughed as he squatted down to pet the little soul bunny who butted his head into shouta’s palm enthusiastically.
“what’s up with you, hm?” shouta asked with a chuckle, stroking a finger over the bunny’s head. “what’s got you so excited?”
he heard a gasp and looked up to meet achingly familiar emerald eyes.
he recognized the boy from the entrance exam, likely along with the entire rest of the UA staff from his reckless display of heroism.
izuku, his mind helpfully supplied. his name was midoriya izuku.
the boy was seemingly frozen where he was crouched down, seemingly to snatch up an enormous black mainecoon with sharp amber eyes, that shouta recognized as a spirit animal- his spirit animal, in an evident attempt to reel it in.
the moment their eyes met, it was like they couldn’t look away. at the corner of his vision, shouta caught a flash of green and a familiar weight pressed to his leg. he glanced down briefly to see the bunny on its hind feet, front paws wrapped around his boot for one last hug.
it chirped at him once, before slowly pulling back. shouta watched as it happily bounded across the hall, lighting up as it barreled into izuku and disappearing, seemingly merging into the boy, making him gasp at the feeling.
izuku glanced between shouta and the cat in his arms next. the feline offered a low murr, butting its head into the kid’s cheek, before wiggling free of his hold. with one last affectionate bonk to the kid’s hand, the cat trotted lazily over to shouta, lighting up similarly to the bunny before it disappeared into his being.
a spirit animal was an extent of one’s soul, paired to a soulmates, meant to reflect their bond and love and care for each other while they were apart, before they even found each other. shouta knew that he loved the kid before him. he didn’t think it was possible to adore the kid more than he already did. yet, the moment that fragment slot itself back into him, his love for the kid before him simply multiplied, bursting at the seams and shouta knew he would do absolutely anything for this boy.
the two took another moment of staring, processing everything that just happened. it was like finally finding someone they’ve never met, yet somehow their souls recognized the other as its pair, its lost half.
the kid somewhat looked exactly as shouta imagined after spending so much time with the sweet little bunny. shouta knew nothing of the kid before him. yet, it feels like he’d known him all his life. he may not know what the kid’s favorite color was, what he liked eating, if he liked cats just as much as he does, but he knew that this kid was bright and kind and caring. beyond that, he knew with absolute certainty that he loves this kid with every being of his soul.
the that this kid was his and he already loved him more than life itself.
shouta didn’t have the time to figure out the words he wanted to say before a smaller body was barrelling into him, the action so similar to the habit of the little bunny shouta had grown to know that he couldn’t but smile into fluffy green hair as he returned the embrace.
“i didn’t- don’t know you yet,” izuku said, voice wobbly with tears, happy tears and oh, shouta could cry from finally, finally, being able to hear what his kid sounded like. “but you were there when i needed you. when you weren’t, i missed you so much. i wanted you to find me.”
“i found you, bunny. i’m so glad i finally did.”
shouta laughed through his own tears as izuku burst into sobs, uncaring that his shirt was getting soaked.
his soul was finally whole again.