You were happy.

Just a few weeks prior, you remembered feeling nauseous at the prospect of who your soulmate was. You'd been so intent on fighting against it with all you had, unwilling to accept things for the way they were. But that was different now. You no longer felt that sense of unease when looking in Katsuki's direction, or thinking how the universe was wrong in matching you up with him.

Now, you could honestly say that you were thankful to have Katsuki as your soulmate.

"You seem chipper," Uraraka remarked. "Something good happen these last two days?"

"Well...you could say that."

You chuckled to yourself, prompting a quizzical frown from the brunette. Your short break off from school had come to an end, and you were now on your way back to class. The two day transitory period had started off as a means to rest, but looking back on it now, you'd pretty much just hung out and texted with Katsuki the whole time.

Not that I can complain...

Still humming gleefully, you slid open the classroom door and waded in with a bright smile on your face. Uraraka hadn't bothered to pry into things too much, but you figured she knew you were referring to Katsuki anyways. You actually sort of had the urge to flaunt the dress he'd bought you; just knowing that he'd been the one to get it for you made you giddy every time you thought of it.

Izuku greeted you with a smile, but you were already scanning the room for those ashen blonde locks. You spied him sitting at his desk; Kirishima was trying to speak to him and was being blatantly ignored, which made you smile to yourself. It seemed like some things would never change.

I wonder if he'd get annoyed if I went over to say hi...?

You were worried that he might just shrug you off, so you were surprised when he tilted his head and nodded in your direction. His facial expression didn't change much, but it seemed like he was happy to see you. Well, Katsuki's version of happy, at least.

Already, you were mid-stride and ready to head towards his desk, but your teacher had other plans. He arrived late, as always, but his steely glare was more than enough to send every student back to their seats. Aizawa strode towards the front and promptly declared that today's class would for formulating hero codenames.

"Oh," you mumbled, smiling faintly. "That's easy, then."

After all, you'd already decided on your hero name way back. Even now, you weren't entirely sure how you'd managed to narrow it down to something so specific, but from now on, you would be known as—

[Seraphim]

"Ooh, interesting name!" Midnight appraised. "Does it tie in with your powers at all?"

You flushed a bit, suddenly wary of all the eyes on you as you displayed your board at the front of the class. "Well...yes," you smiled. "It sort of refers to an angelic being, with a higher-level power—since my Quirk has to do with manipulating light, I felt like this sort of association would make sense. I mean, I'm probably going too far by comparing myself to an angel...but I'd like to become a healer one day. I wanted my hero name to be kind, and gentle."

"Oh, not at all!" Midnight dismissed. "I think it's a lovely hero name. The fact that you're trying to send a message about what kind of hero you are through your codename—it's an excellent choice, [Name]. You're headed in the right direction."

She waved you off with a bright smile, to which you happily bobbed your head in response and shuffled back towards your desk. Your cheeks were flushed and rosy; you hadn't realized how flustering it would be to divulge that name to all your classmates. Especially a particular one...

Oh.

When you glanced back at the seat behind you, Katsuki's crimson gaze met your own. You realized he must've been staring at you for quite some time, and he spluttered weakly and hurried to look away. Your lips curved into a smile. Even though you hadn't bothered to ask, you got the feeling he might've liked your hero name.

You could see it in his eyes.

>> After school:

Many things had happened today, and the whole talk about internships made you wonder what kind of pro hero would recruit you.

Katsuki had gotten tons of nominations—and understandably so. His Quirk was incredibly strong, and he was adept at using it. Yours didn't have anywhere near as much offensive ability as his, but you'd put up a pretty good fight against the overall victor of the Sports Festival. That had to mean something, right?

I mean, I did get a few nominations myself. I just hope I don't end up at some weirdo's office. Ah but, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll—

"You're looking as carefree as always."

The derisive snort directed towards you belonged to none other than your most treasured friend (not)—Monoma of Class 1-B. He was reclining against the wall with a haughty smirk perched atop his lips; his arms were crossed as he stared you down with his mischievous blue orbs.

"Good god. Monoma-kun," you sighed, "don't you have anything better to do than wait around to harass innocent students from my class?"

He smiled, amused. "Me calling out to you is harassment?"

"Well, if previous experience is anything to go by, I'm sure this conversation will turn sour real quick."

"How rude. And to think that I've only had your best interests in mind this whole time."

You pursed your lips, the blonde propping himself upright and sauntering closer. His pale blue eyes—which were usually condescending at best—now actually flickered with something akin to worry.

"You've been saying cryptic things this entire time," you huffed, standing your ground as he inched closer to you. "I don't understand what you mean. You've been telling me to 'be careful' around Katsuki-kun; as if you know something about this whole soulmate thing that I don't. So what is it then? Are you going to tell me or just keep leading me along by my nose?"

Monoma's brows creased. "We didn't know each other for very long when we were children, but I'll have you know that I still consider you a friend—even if you're now a Class 1-A lowlife."

"Okay," you frowned. "First of all, I'm not a lowlife, and yeah, sure. I still consider you one of my friends too, but what does that have to do with—?"

"You're not safe," he breathed out. "I can't even begin to express my sympathy at the fact that your soulmate is someone like that, but that's just how it is. But if there's anything I've learned, from observing the two of you, is that your bond isn't strong enough to overcome the obstacles ahead. As you are now, it's only a matter of time before, well..."

"Before what?" you urged. "Monoma-kun, I swear to god, I may be a patient person but if you don't tell me what's going on right now I'll actually lose my shi—"

"YOU COULD DIE!!"

The blonde's expression, which hardly ever veered from condescension, now appeared genuinely rattled. It actually took a few moments for Monoma's words to really sink in; you were still raking your eyes over and over his frame. Still, you found a way to compose yourself.

"I'll...what?"

Monoma half-sighed, eyes glazing over. "Pardon. That may have been a little too direct, but I stand by my words nonetheless. This isn't just me making things up to get a kick out of it—I've seen it happen firsthand. When I was studying abroad," he swallowed, "there was a couple. Soulmates, just like the two of you. I never actually spoke to them much, it was more so by word-of-mouth and my friends, but it was pretty well-known that they had only recently discovered one another, and begun their relationship."

"...And?"

"And," Monoma grimaced, "things didn't end well for them. As far as I know, the guy was doing well in his studies, and had good things going all around. His "soulmate" was just the opposite—she was borderline failing her classes; the type that would always mess around instead of taking things seriously. Again, I hardly ever spoke more than a few words to each of them, but everyone in our school knew what went down. From the moment they started dating, things were just off. It was clear that they didn't have good chemistry, which didn't make any sense considering the whole soulmate gig, but they were awkward and aloof around one another and just generally seemed to dislike each others' company. Before all of this...they were both healthy and completely normal, but people started noticing that their bodies started changing." He wiped the back of his hand across his brow; you hadn't even realized he'd broken out into a sweat. "They both started to get super pale," he continued. "Neither of them would eat properly anymore, and if they tried to, they would barely be able to hold their food down. I can't even count the number of times I saw them scrambling through the hallways with full-on nosebleeds. They just both kept getting more and more sick, and then, probably the most definitive marker—"

You shuddered. "...What?"

"Their tattoos disappeared. I'm not sure at what point it began, but one day, the girl broke down sobbing and declared that her soulmate mark was gone. The same thing happened to her soulmate."

Your eyes were fully dilated now. Anyone else might've just written this off as a tasteless piece of fiction—it was coming from Monoma, after all. But still. Weirdly enough...it didn't seem like he was lying. The way his pale blue orbs would quiver every time he spoke another word; it was almost as though he was reliving the whole experience.

"Then what?" you asked dryly, although you already knew where the story was headed. Monoma managed a weak smile.

"They died. Their sickness got to the point where they had to be hospitalized, and they eventually passed away—on the exact same day, no less."

"...Ah."

You couldn't think of anything else to say. Even now, you were tempted to dismiss everything he'd just told you as some sort of a crude prank. He could be blatantly lying to you. But he could also be telling the truth. And that...

Is fucking horrifying.

"Well," you coughed, "I'm sorry that you had to experience something like that. I don't think you're quite twisted enough to make up the deaths of your classmates, so I'm really hoping I'm right about that. But even if this did happen, I still don't get what it has to do with me."

Monoma cocked a brow. "Really? You don't see how any of this relates to you? This is a case of two soulmates—just like you and that lunatic—who both passed away because their bonds weren't strong enough. Don't you get it? They didn't truly care for one another, and their bodies were physically rejecting their soulmate. I would have never thought the universe was capable of something so cruel either, but I was there, and I can attest to the fact that it did happen."

"Even if it did happen, it doesn't mean that's just the case for all soulmates. You don't even know if that's actually what happened. Maybe one of them caught a virus, and then gave it to the other. I believe that they died of the same thing, but I don't understand how you automatically tie it in with their soulmate bond."

The top of Monoma's lip crinkled with amusement. "If it was just illness, why would both of their soulmate bonds disappear? And why would they die on the exact same day?"

"That's just—"

"I think you're just trying to dismiss the facts," he scorned. "Which is understandable; I'd be scared too if I were in your position. Either way, you can choose to believe me or not, but know this—" He leaned into your frame, eyes hard as glass. "The Soulmate Curse. I'm sure you might've heard the name pop up a few times before. In the case of one partner refusing to accept the other, their bond will begin to fade away and their body will weaken—oftentimes to the point of death."

Monoma pivoted on his heel, already walking away from you. You heard him mumbling "be careful" over his shoulder.

"...Huh."

You were now standing in the middle of the hallway, your expression more dull and vacant than ever. To any bystander, you would probably come across as emotionally dead, but it was really just a front for the storm brewing inside of you. Taking all things into consideration, you'd essentially just been told that there was a chance you could die if your relationship did not pan out the way it should. Great.

"I don't get it," you mumbled listlessly, dropping to your knees. "I thought everything's all sorted out for us. Isn't that the universe's job? When they match you to your soulmate, isn't that basically saying that you've found the one person who'll make you happiest in the entire world? How can your body "reject" it so strongly...?"

"Reject what?"

Oh, fuck—

You glanced up in a hurry to see that Katsuki was hovering above you with a scowl across his brow. He looked mildly irritated, as always, but also somewhat concerned as to the fact that you'd fallen in the middle of the hallway.

"Oh, uh—i-it's nothing," you stammered out, picking yourself up as quickly as you could muster. A weak smile followed. "I'm feeling a little dizzy these days. Probably since I've been skipping some meals..."

Katsuki scoffed, but he was already reaching out to steady you against his shoulder. "Fuckin' moron. If you don't eat regularly, everything'll go to shit. You know that, don't you?"

"Y-yes. Sorry..."

"Don't apologize when I haven't done shit. Weirdo."

The blonde gave you a quick look-over, and it didn't take long for his eyes to narrow. "Something's wrong," he declared. You felt your breath hitch in your throat. Curse those all-seeing crimson irises of his.

"Nothing's wrong," you smiled, hoping that your voice wasn't anywhere near as shaky as it felt. "I told you, I just made a mistake and didn't eat during lunch. I've gotten into a bad habit of putting my meals off, that's all. I'll be better at it, though—promise."

Katsuki glared at you for a few more moments before deciding to buy your poorly-constructed excuse. He was now openly lugging you along, all the while making sure to keep one arm wrapped around your waist in case you lost your balance. Monoma's words were still ringing clear and blue through your head, and yet in spite of all that, you found yourself blushing.

"Katsuki-kun...you don't need to hold me. I felt dizzy for a moment, but I'm fine now."

"Shut it," he barked. "I'm not taking orders from some loser who was just sitting on the ground with the most blank fucking expression I've ever seen in my life. Hold onto me and if you faint, I swear I'll kick your ass."

"Ah. You're as persuasive as always, I see. Well, whatever," you sighed, latching a hand across his arm. "Do you wanna just go get some food? I'm really hungry."

"No shit. I was gonna force-feed you whether you wanted it or not. Let's see you faint in corridors after this."

You chuckled hoarsely. Katsuki was a funny guy, even though it was clear he made little to no attempt at ever being humorous. If Monoma hadn't dropped that bomb on you earlier, this might've actually turned out to be a pretty good day.

Instead, you were wondering if this ash blonde would make your heart stop—literally.

—

Later that evening, you were sitting idle in your room.

As things would have it, it was near impossible to get Monoma's story out of your mind, and with every passing second, you seemed to believe it more. Truly, it didn't seem like something anyone could just conjure up—not even a wackjob like Monoma. It happened. It must have happened, and if it hadn't, you couldn't possibly understand what he would have to gain from springing all this shit on you.

Maybe he's trying to psyche me out. Get in my head—he hates Class-A; this might be his way of fucking with me so that my grades will suffer. Or something...

"Ughhh, I don't know!" you cried out. You'd never been one to get violent, but the swell of emotions bubbling up in your chest made you land a hefty kick on the wall. It dented the fragile wood foundation, and you regretted it almost immediately. "Fuck," you muttered bitterly. "I need a bath."

You flung off your clothes without even looking where they landed. You hobbled over towards the bathroom and let the shower run at first, covering the drain so the water could pool. After raking your fingers through wet, (h/c) locks, you flipped the setting back towards the faucet and slumped down into the tub. The water level was steadily rising, but still scarcely covered any of your limbs.

"Too hot..." you mumbled hazily; not that you bothered to rise back up and adjust the temperature. Instead, you shuffled all the way backwards until you hit the end of the tub and could rest your neck against the wall. You were watching the water level rise—it slowly crept up your ankles, then dipped just below your knees, a bit higher, and—

"...What the fuck?"

As your eyes had traced up your body, they'd meandered a bit further than the water line. You felt all the blood drain from your face. You didn't know how you hadn't noticed it before.

How long had it been like that?

But more importantly...why was it like that?

"F-f-f-fuck..." you whimpered, fingers tracing over your hip. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!!"

You slammed your fist against your flesh, wailing out when you felt it connect with bone. Tears were pooling in your eyes now; whether from pain or fear, you weren't sure. The only thing you could be sure of, with absolute certainty, was that the writing—

Katsuki's words—

You'd had them since birth, and—

Oh, god. There's no way. There's just no way, otherwise it's just—it's just like what Monoma-kun said...!

"I-it's really fading away..."