Izuku Midoriya, loved trains. He adored them, when he got a job so far from his childhood home, at first it was a drag to get to the hospital on such a long train ride every day. But he'd learned to love it, like he loved sunsets and stars and flowers. He could watch scenery pass, watch people on the train. It was fun, people watching, you got to ask questions in your head.
Where is he going? What's in that bag? how long have they had their soul animal and had they met their soulmate yet?
Soul Animals were an ancient prospect. Since even before Quirks, there had been animals that connected to you alone. They show up when you're a teenager, anywhere between 13 and 19. They represent your soulmate, and are naturally mistrusting of other people. The only person they'll ever trust immediately, will be your soulmate, and you'll know because when the animals meet they'll cause an explosion of light from their chests.
Midoriya, had been long ago gifted on his 15th birthday, with a red and white cat. It was an anomaly, because its colours split right down the middle, all the way down to its tail. Because soul animals were loyal, they were clingy at the start. As time went on, you could leave them, but many people chose to bring them to work and school, with special permissions for such things put forward.
The cat, gifted with the name Pudding, had long been sitting on Midoriya's shoulders at the hospital, often making children laugh.
Midoriya had decided to become a nurse when he was 15, when his dreams of being a hero were essentially crushed by the #1 hero. Midoriya, ever a kind boy, opted to use his incredible quirk knowledge for medical help, leading him to becoming a nurse in a children's hospital.
He wanted to handle that sensitive subject of quirklessness with all the tact no one had shown him. He knew just how much it hurt, and wanted to show anyone he can not to be afraid.
The trains helped him calm himself, he liked to catch glimpses of peoples lives without having to be involved like he was at the hospital. He knew everyone who was on the train every day, there was a black haired businessman who reminded him of his Father whenever he saw his face light up as he got off to see a woman and a young boy waving to him. There was a blue haired woman who took her opportunity on the train to call her Mother and tell her she was on the way home.
"That's creepy as fuck Deku" Bakugou had told him when they last met "Spying on strangers? creepy as fuck"
"It's not spying Kacchan" Midoriya had told him, sorting the files of the injured children Bakugou had brought in with some other pros.
"It's definitely spying" Bakugou had said, and Midoriya had given him a small pout, before investing himself in adding children to their system.
Bakugou and Midoriya had improved to a point of basic civil treatment. When Midoriya had first seen Bakugou in the hospital he had hidden the urge to hide behind the counter and wait for him to leave. But over time, they grew, to the point where they now very occasionally met by choice. Bakugou seemed to find it grounding to talk to someone who was not so afraid to sass him anymore, who'd known him that whole time.
The thing was, Midoriya was not looking because he wanted to stalk these people. He just found the fact that other people didn't care what was going on comforting, in an empty sort of way.
He was watching in such a way one day when Bakugou got on the train, his small hedgehog sat on his arm, and a fellow pro trailing behind him, both in casual clothes.
"Deku" Bakugou said, once he saw him leading his friend to the seat across from Midoriya.
"Kacchan" Midoriya returned, and then gestured to the other beside him. This stranger was familiar, in a way sleep deprived long shift Midoriya could not place. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, Kacchan's childhood friend-"
