At first, there was no such thing as soulmates. A bunch of fairytale fluff to tell kids as bedtime stories. But, over time, something started to change. People started being born with black smudges on their bodies, which confused everyone around them. If one specific person touched a person there, the black smudge would turn colorful and bright until that person ended up with that person. Where or how it started was beyond everyone. Maybe it was just some Quirk, or maybe it was just God playing matchmaker.

Touya used to look forward to meeting his soulmate. There had been a black smudge on his forearm, a simple handprint that he discovered around the time he developed his Quirk. He used to chatter to Natsuo and Fuyumi about them, wondering. Wondering and questioning and prying, and ultimately dreaming. But when he was cast aside for Shoto, it started slipping his mind, a minor inconvenience.

After Sekoto Peak, near death, his skin being burned and stapled together, and that dark mark just being gone? Forget it. Dabi was too focused on revenge to think about something as frivolous as soulmates. Eventually, he just completely forgot about it.

But then you weasled yourself into the LoV.

There was something about you. He couldn't describe it, so, naturally, he avoided the hell out of you, refused to let you get close. It was only when Dabi got forcibly shoved into a mission with you that he grudgingly let you get within a five-foot radius of him.

Dabi had been stalking through the alleyways, you following just behind him. Unbeknownst to Dabi, two heroes were patrolling right outside the mouth of the alleyway, which he was about to exit. So, naturally, your hand shot out to grab his arm and stop him from leaving and dragging him backwards. Dabi had flinched away quickly, silently threatening you with a few sparks of blue embers dancing off his palm. It only took you a few more seconds to notice something happening to your palm.

It looked like you'd slapped your hand into a palette of rainbow paint.

You'd grabbed him right where that godforsaken black mark had been, before he was horribly burnt.

God- Damn it, neither of you had time for this right now.