Chapter Text
The trio huddle close together as they walk down the sidewalks and take the train to the next prefecture over. Snow falls around them from the gray skies overhead. Izuku and Hitoshi take turns attempting to catch snowflakes on their tongues, Shouta shaking his head and smiling fondly at them until they rope him into it as well.
It’s fun and peaceful, making Shouta’s heart feel full and the ache in his soul slowly go away as they come to their destination.
“Holy crap! Toshi look!” Izuku gasps as the first of many large snow and ice sculptures into view.
“Is that Papa!?” Hitoshi gaped at the large carving of Hizashi, followed by many other heroes.
Shouta faked a groan, “Of course we can’t get away from them.” He knew that this was going to be here, the hero sculptures were part of the reason Shouta wanted to come, so that Izuku could freak out over them. Hizashi was supposed to come to the unveiling two days ago, but had to cancel, so no one in the family got to come see it. Until now.
“Look at Apa! They put him on a cloud!” Hitoshi giggled at seeing the sculpture of his other soul parent.
“They made one of Mom! Oh and Nedzu!” Izuku was bouncing up and down like a bunny as he continued to see heroes that he knew, and of past heroes that he’d only wished to have been able to meet.
They walked, taking pictures with each of the hero sculptures and all of others ranging from public figures, animals, and flowers.
Shouta smiled as he watched his soulmates run around like children, which reminded him that to some extent, they were still children. Sixteen-years-old and counting, but Shouta wouldn’t trade them for the world. He blushed when seeing them kiss, turning away to give them their moment in private. He hoped what he had planned went over as well as he wanted it too.
Looking around him, Shouta’s jaw dropped at the sculpture behind. “Guys, come look at this.” He called out to his soulmates.
“What’s up, Sho?” Izuku asks.
“Oh that’s pretty!” Hitoshi grinned, pulling his camera up to take a picture.
“Very. But look at it. Remind you of something?” Shouta rolls his eyes at the obliviousness of his soulmates. “That’s our mark.” He said after they gave him looks of confusion and stayed quiet.
“It is?” Izuku asks, tilting his head.
Shouta shakes his head, pulling out his phone to find the picture he’d taken of the mark. He shoved it into Hitoshi’s hands as he walked over to the sculpture. “Here’s Izuku’s Dahlia's, my Peonies, Hitoshi’s Hyacinth. These are the wax flowers that started growing in after Izuku was born, then came the Eucalyptus, followed by the Limonium, the spray Carnations grew in just after Izuku and I met, and finally the Leather Leaf Fern that came in after we met Hitoshi. It’s looked like this for years.” He pointed at each flower, making sure the two teens followed what he was saying.
“I don’t know Shouta, there’s no way someone sculpted our soul mark without seeing it and we’d know if someone did.” Izuku said doubtfully.
Hitoshi shrugged, handing Shouta’s phone back to him, “Yeah, I mean it kinda looks like it, but it’s hard to say without it being in color. I also feel like you know the details of our mark almost too well.”
Shouta glared at them, “I spent the first ten years of my life waiting for that mark to develop, of course I know how it did so. Neither of you watched it grow over time?”
Izuku scratched at the back of his neck, “I mean, for a while, but once Inko started degrading me about it, I struggled to look at it until we met.”
Hitoshi nodded in agreement, looking ashamed, “I got teased if I was caught looking at it. Wasn’t allowed mirrors because of it. They didn’t want me to have hope.”
Shouta’s heart dropped. “I’m sorry,” He pulled them into a tight hug. “We’ve never really had that conversation, so I didn’t even think about it. Watching it grow and bloom is what kept me going; reminded me that you two were going to need me.” He didn’t know how often he looked at it on his mission, reminding himself that they were waiting back home for him.
“It’s okay. We get it.” Izuku told him, holding his oldest soulmate tighter. Maybe he was under-appreciating their mark. If it was as beautiful as Shouta felt it was, he should put more thought into it.
“Can you tell us more when we get home?” Hitoshi whispers. He wanted to know everything he could about their mark. If Shouta had all those details, Hitoshi wanted to know them. Their mark was what brought them together; what made them soulmates, he needed to care about it.
“Of course I can,” Shouta promised.
“Enjoying the soul mark garden?” A voice asks from behind them.
Shouta pulled away from the hug, turning his body to face whoever was speaking. “Soul mark garden?”
“Yes. I am Ami Soruku, I’m the sculptor. My quirk, it allows me to invision the soul marks of others and creat them. Though, I do not know who the marks belong to or anything about the people. Just what their soul marks look like.” A short woman with bright red hair and white eyes, told them.
“That’s cool! Your work is amazing!” Izuku grins at her.
“I agree, your work is beautiful.” Hitoshi smiled.
Shouta dug his phone out again, pulling up the picture of their mark once more and holding it out to the woman. “This one here, it’s this mark, correct?” He points to the sculpture beside him.
Ami examines the picture for a moment before looking at the ice sculpture, “It is. I take it this much be your mark then?” The trio nodded. “That’s wonderful. I rarely meet the people who my art is inspired by. I’m happy you enjoy it and I hope I did it justice in your eyes.”
“You did, thank you. Do you only sculpt?” Shouta asks, pocketing his phone.
Ami shook her head, “No I do all types of art. Some parts look better in specific art styles than others. My favorite way to create them is with paint sculpting. It’s where I take thicker paint, and create more of a three dimensional painting.”
“Oh those are so pretty! My moms got a load of those in our house!” Izuku beamed. Nemuri wasn’t just an art teacher, she was also a collector and when she found a style she liked, she collected a lot of it and usually gifted it to others.
“Do you do commissions?” Shouta asked quickly.
“I do. Here is my card, you can email any questions you have. Again I don’t usually know anything about the people who my art is inspired by, so I keep things as confidential as possible when people do come to me.” Ami said as she handed Shouta a business card from her bag.
“Thank you.” Shouta said with a small smile. He was going to be looking into this. As Izuku said, Nemuri had plenty of the art style in her home, so gifting his family members ones of their soul marks might be a good gift. He could only hope.
“Enjoy the rest of the festival.” Ami bowed to them before leaving.
“You too!” The trio called after her.
“She was nice. I can’t believe there’s a quirk out there like that.” Hitoshi giggled.
“How crazy though, to be the only person basically to be able to see anyone soul mark, but have no clue who it belonged to!” Izuku’s brain was in analysis mode.
“I think seeing your soul mark, or anyone’s mark, in a different perspective than on one’s skin would make people see them differently.” Shouta knew seeing theirs made him do so. He’s sure it made his soulmates do so, seeing how passionately he cared about the details of it.
Hitoshi smirks, “Shouta’s scheming again.”
Shouta smirked back, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, come on, there’s plenty more to look at.” He grabbed their hands, pulling them along through the rest of the festival.
✒︎✒︎✒︎
“Shouta are you sure we’re allowed up here?” Izuku asks as Shouta sits them down on the edge of a highrise.
“You haven’t heard about me or any other hero getting kicked off rooftops, have you?” The older soulmate smirks, setting down the bag of warm food and drinks from the vendor he’d collected before they made the journey up the building. “Besides, we’ve got Nedzu to bail us out if anything. Live a little on the edge, everything isn’t straight laced.”
“Sitting on the edge of a highrise is not how I picture living on the edge.” Hitoshi mumbled, hands wrapping around the warm cup of coffee Shouta hands him.
Shouta chuckles, handing Izuku his drink before giving them their food. “This is my favorite parts of patrols. Sitting and just watching the city. It’s quiet, in its own way, peaceful.”
“Until some criminal or villain comes and causes problems,” Izuku interjects.
Shouta laughed, “Until then. But getting to sit and see that the city can be peaceful, is nice. Not many people see it because everyone’s sleeping, you know?”
“Fair enough.” Hitoshi smiles.
Shouta sat between his soulmates, looking out across the city, the only warmth was from their bodies and the warm coffee in their paper cups. “I know I’ve said this already, but I’m sorry for what’s happened. For breaking so many promises and missing out on so much. I’ll never make up for the time I lost, but I’m always going to do my best from here on out to never have that happen again.” He spoke softly, not looking away from the city skyline before him.
“Shouta-” Izuku started, but lost his words as he looked at his soulmate. Seeing the tears streaming down Shouta’s face crushed him. His oldest soulmate was too strong for this, too strong, and yet, he wasn’t. Shouta was human like the rest of them and sometimes Izuku forgot that, holding Shouta on a pedestal. Even after the last few months, Izuku still holds him above others, feeling he’s invincible. But he knows better.
“We understand.” Hitoshi said in Izuku’s place. “You are our Shouta, no matter what, and we love you. You’ve proved today just how deeply you feel.” He leaned up and kissed Shouta’s cheek.
Shouta turned, taking the opportunity of Hitoshi’s closeness and upturned face to press a gentle, nearly feather light kiss to his lips.
Hitoshi went wide eyed, a small gasp leaving him as he stared up at Shouta.
The oldest soulmate gave no time for an explanation, turning to Izuku aiming to do the same thing, only for the greenette to grab him by the coat collar and pull Shouta into a hard kiss, releasing him after only a second.
“What was that?” Hitoshi whispers, fingers coming up to touch his lips.
Shouta bites his lips, face ducking down into his scarf, poorly hiding his blush. “My one and probably only attempt at making up for lost time and past mistakes.” He uttered softly.
“Shouta-” Izuku was again at a loss for words. He just wanted to kiss Shouta again, nothing else really felt like it mattered.
“I promised to two of you that for your birthdays, I would kiss you, and from then on out, you would be able to continue to do so. I didn't get to keep that promise, and Hitoshi made a comment this morning that I was jealous of the two of you. I didn’t think I was, saw no reason for there to be jealousy, until I remembered that promise I made to you and didn’t get to keep it. That was why I decided to give you a date today. Because there’s so much I should have been doing, and haven’t. It doesn’t make up for everything, and it never will, but-”
“Kami shut up and just do it again.” Hitoshi snaps, grabbing onto Shouta and pulling him.
Shouta’s arms flail to catch himself and Hitoshi before they tumble off the edge of the building, falling backwards, Hitoshi landing on top of him. He doesn’t get to scold his soulmate for making drastic movements like that on the edge of a rooftop, the younger soulmate's lips crashing onto his in a deep, commanding kiss. Shouta holds Hitoshi tightly, arms banded around his waist, as he lets the purple haired soulmate lead the kiss. Another moment reminding Shouta that they had more experience than he did in this department.
“Are you gonna share or what?” Izuku whined, annoyed at being left out.
Hitoshi pulled away, rolling his eyes. “Not with whiny brats.”
Shouta laughed, sitting up with Hitoshi in his lap. He held an arm out to Izuku, smiling when the greenette dove into his arms, curling up against his soulmates. “Now that it’s not just the two of you, you’re going to have trouble sharing?” He teased the pair. He kissed both of their cheeks, leaning their foreheads together, “Let’s go home, and then you two can teach me all you know.”
“All we know?” Izuku raised a brow mischievously.
Shouta rolled his eyes at Izuku’s attempt, “About kissing. I was gone months, not years, you aren’t eighteen yet.”
“Fine,” Hitoshi sighs, standing from Shouta’s lap. “But just a fair warning, we like it handsy.” He dusted himself off, giving Shouta a sly smirk.
“Very handsy.” Izuku agreed, standing and doing the same as Hitoshi, even going as far as to help Hitoshi dust the snow from his ass.
Shouta stood, shaking his head fondly at them, “You two will be the death of me.”
“At least you’ll die happy,” They respond together, chaotic giggles leaving them as they collect their things and head for the fire escape.
Shouta just continues to shake his head as he follows their lead. He would never deny that they were the best things to ever happen to him.