Chapter Text
Tensions between the kingdoms of Todoroki and Toshinori had only gotten worse after news of an attempted kidnapping of King Shouto. The Toshinori people saw it as an overall failure to end the war. And they did not take kindly to the reason of the failure, a previously well honored and high knight, Deku.
Midoriya walked on the sidelines of the busy market square, keeping to the shadows as best he could. He kept the hood of his jacket up, and looked down as he went. If people hadn’t known him from his knighthood work then they sure knew him from the wanted posters posted all around the kingdom.
After returning the kidnapped Todoroki to the nearest town, Midoriya had gone back to the meet up point, unaware that he had been seen. Midoriya found himself under attack from IIda, one of the knights that had helped in the kidnapping, who had apparently witnessed Midoriya helping Todoroki out of the a tree. Though IIda had gotten the jump on him, he was able to hold his own until Uraraka arrived, breaking up the fight. He was able to explain in full what he had done to the two, trying to make them understand his view point. However, IIda darkly warned him not to return to the Toshinori Kingdom, while Uraraka gave him a disappointed look and followed suit with IIda, leaving Midoriya on his own.
Heading IIda’s words as advice, he’d managed to lay low near the southern border of the kingdom, until he could take hiding away no longer. He needed to explain himself to the king in order to be reinstated as a knight, surely he would understand.
Currently, Midoriya was in search of the only man he knew who would hear him out and possibly help him to talk to the king, Duke Aizawa. The man had been a mentor to him for many years, teaching and training him along his path to become a knight.
A rough hand landing on his shoulder, sent him reeling behind him, holding the perpetrator's forearm in one hand, the other on the handle of a dagger he had on his belt. Aizawa’s tired voice droned from his equally tired expression. “Calm down, kid, you’re standing out even more.”
Midoriya dropped his hands, as well as his fighting stance, mumbling out an apology. Aizawa gave a look around their surroundings before motioning to the back of the building they were standing in front of, Midoriya quickly recognized it as one of the many he oversaw. “Come on, it’s not safe out here. There’s more of your face plastered everywhere than the flag.”
Aizawa leaned against the wall of the building the two were now behind, the low rumble of the market area could still be heard but was mostly silenced. He looked at Midoriya expectantly, so he began his rant as fast as he could, if the two were caught they would both be facing serious danger. “We were on a mission to kidnap the new king, and some stuff happened, and he turned out to be hot- I mean, well yes, but no, he’s nice and he said he only did stuff cause his father forced him to. And you know if I brought him back here the king wouldn’t believe it, even if he did there's no way he could return him without creating a whole new hatred between the two kingdoms, furthering the war on for many years.”
“How are you sure he wasn’t lying to you?” Aizawa questioned, seeming to ignore all the other useless points.
Midoriya looked down as he thought about it. “I don’t.”
Aizawa hummed in thought, his tired eyes scanning the area around them once more, before landing back on Midoriya.
“You’re best bet is to go back, Deku.” Aizawa stated with indifference. “If he’s truly not his father, then get him to end the war and write to Toshinori about your innocence. Though I doubt you’d ever be reinstated as a knight, he might drop the treason charges. And if he doesn’t you at least won’t be under prosecution if you continue to live there instead.”
Midoriya’s head hung in shame, he’d worked his entire life to become a knight, and had thrown it all away based on a hunch. Deep inside he had known that there was no going back from what he’d done, but hearing it out loud had made it all too real for him. He wasn’t sure how long he’d staying in his slumped position, but Aizawa was gone by the time he raised his head back up, the act of not turning Midoriya in was treason in itself. Midoriya could never thank the man enough.
Midoriya pulled his hood tighter, trying not to block out both the truth and the watchful gazes as he began his long journey back to a kingdom he might have to now call home.
---
Shouto was in no mood to deal with another attempt at turning in a fake Deku, it had been the third one this morning alone. The person brought in this time didn’t even have green hair and looked more like a random beggar pulled off the street than any type of knight.
He’d sent his guards out on search parties and even a reward was posted to anyone who could bring the so called knight Deku to him. Shouto couldn’t believe the man had had the audacity to leave him and return to his country, it made him furious. What could possibly be better than him? He was a king after all.
“No.” Shouto stated in his ever bored and monotone voice, waving his hand dismissively at the group, before turning his his guard beside him. “Momo, can’t you at least make sure they almost look like him before you show them to me?”
Momo sighed. “Well, I don’t exactly know what he looks like, Your Majesty.”
Shouto tilted his head, trying to make the memory of the man play in his brain, causing his crown to shift slightly. The coronation after he’d returned had gone swimmingly. “You’ll know it when you see him.” Shouto readjusted the crown. “He’s got green hair, green eyes, and freckles, it’s hard to miss.”
Shouto rose from the throne, stretching his stiff muscles. He’d only been sitting listening to petty problems and cheap attempts to sway his mind for a few hours, but it had felt like days. “I’m going to go prepare for my hunt this evening, have my dinner to my quarters for when I return.”
Momo bowed. “Of course, good luck on your hunt, Your Majesty.”
---
Midoriya was running. His heart was pounding in his chest as he rounded another corner around a building, making a beeline for the forest ahead. He wasn’t sure what he’d done that caused a group of large men to chase him, he was simply asking for directions after having to enter the Todoroki Kingdom from a path he’d never used before. Security had been raised since he last passed through due to the ever approaching war lines.
He could hear the shouts of the men as they gained on him, his speed slowing as he tried to navigate the forest floor. He kept his head focused downward on the terrain as he ran, if he tripped it would be all over. He could hear his heart pounding in his hears as he ran, the taste of blood in his mouth from a punch one of the men had landing on him. It was enough that it probably would have knocked out the normal person, Midoriya mentally thanking that he’d been trained to withstand it.
When he came upon a large lake he was forced to a halt, checking over his shoulder to see the approaching men. Midoriya cursed himself for never learning how to swim, he’d never seen a reason to until now. He turned to run along the edge of the lake, but he’d waited too long. A strong hand grabbed his arm, slamming him into the floor.
The man above him had spiky red hair and a large grin on his face, showcasing his unusually sharp teeth “I got him, Bakugou!” The other two men had reached them as well, the smaller one of the two bending over onto his knees as he caught his breath.
The one with blond, explosion-like hair, merely crossed his arms unimpressed. “Whatever, let’s just turn him in and collect our money.”
Deku looked at the men around him quizzical. “What do you mean, ‘collect your money’? Why the hell did you chase me through a forest?”
This time the smaller one of the group, with a strange black marking in his hair, piped up. “The king put out a reward for bringing you to him dude! Hope you don’t mind losing your head though.” He finished off the statement with dragging a finger across his throat to make his point of execution concerningly clear to Midoriya.
The large blonde punch the other in the stomach. “Shut up Denki, the less he knows the better. Kirishima put a gag on him, I’d rather not listen to him plead and whine the entire walk there.”
Kirishima gave him a thumbs up and did as he was told, Midoriya struggling best he could from the compromising hold he was in.
---
By the time the group arrived at the entrance gates of the castle, Midoriya had been thoroughly beaten into submission. His constant struggling, muffled screams, and attempted runaways had left the group more than agitated at his behavior, stopping multiple times so Bakugou could beat him into shutting up.
Guards meet their arrival and immediately showed them inside as the sight of the tied up, green haired boy in the party.
The group sat in a waiting room of sorts, well Kirishima and Bakugou sat, Midoriya was laid on the floor, and Denki was walking around, attempting to find something he could fit into his pocket to steal. When Bakugou was about to yell at him the door swung open with a thud.
“Where is he?” Momo stated, agitated as she caught sight of Denki quickly put something back onto the shelf that had previously been in his hand.
Bakugou grinned sauntering over and kneeling beside Midoriya, lifting his head up by his hair to show his face. Midoriya grimaced in pain at the action, his body aching. “Tell the King we want paid before we hand him over.”
Momo studied the bruised face of the boy on the floor, everything seeming to match Shouto’s description. “Here.” She flung a bag of coins at Bakugou, who eagerly snatched them up.
Opening the bad to make sure he hadn’t been duped, Bakugou’s smile grew even wider. “Let’s go.” Bakugou grinned as he walked out. “Pleasure doing business with ya!”
Momo sighed as she rubbed her temples, whispering something to a nearby guard about checking the men for stolen goods before they left. Then she knelt down, taking the restraints off Midoriya. “You’re Deku, right?”
Midoriya sat up, looking suspiciously at the knight. “Depends, are you going to kill me?”
“I won’t.” Momo scoffed. “But if you piss off His Majesty, he might.”
“Shouto? I actually was on my way to talk to him, before that group decided to give me a ride here…” Midoriya mumbled, nursing at his split lip.
Momo scowled at him. “You need to address the King by proper titles. I’ll show you to his room, he’s out hunting currently.”
Midoriya blinked. “His room? And why was there a reward out for me? Is he really going to kill me?”
Momo took a deep breath before addressing him. “Listen up, I’m only saying this once. The King ordered for you to be brought to him, I don’t know why, but you are no longer of your own free volition. You will do what he says and what he asks of you if you value your life, understood?”
Midoriya nodded before following Momo through the vast corridors. He was starting to regret his choice of returning.
---
Upon Todoroki’s arrival back to the castle, Momo attempted to speak with him. He couldn’t deny that it sounded urgent, but he was in no mood to deal with whatever it was. His first hunt after many years was a complete failure. Not only had he not shot a bear, but he’d completely missed one. His arrow landing yards in front of the beast, spooking it off. He’d made a total mockery out of himself.
He stalked off into his room, slamming the door in his wake. He’d had his belongs moved into his father’s old room. It was more spacious and held a more regal air of that of a king, compared to his old, dingy room. Though he’d had his furniture and belongs moved over, it still left a large amount of space open and unoccupied. A small yelp rang out after the slamming of the door, making Shouto’s eyes narrow as he scanned his room. His eyes landed on the small figure of Deku, sitting on his floor.
“Why are you on the floor?” Todoroki asked, perhaps finding Deku was what Momo had wanted to speak to him about.
The man in question rubbed the back of his neck, looking in any direction but his. “Well, the guard told me not to sit on your bed, or any furniture, something about me being dirty.”
Todoroki smiled in amusement. “And you listened?”
“Well, I need a favor so…” Midoriya mumbled.
Todoroki raised his eyebrow, squatting down in front of Midoriya as if to humor him. “And what would that be?”
Midoriya’s face became flushed, clearing his throat before he spoke. “Well, I need to you end the war with the Toshinori Kingdom first and then write to the king that I’m innocent so I can be pardoned of treason?”
A laugh was all Midoriya got in response, his face had gone pale along with the feeling of his stomach dropping. His entire world and all his hopes were shattering as Todoroki just sat there and laughed in his face, clutching at his stomach. The wool and animal fur on his hunting clothes shaking along with him. When he finally settled down, he regarded Midoriya with a smirk. “No, any more questions?”
“Why am I here then?” Midoriya narrowed his eyes. He tried to sound as tough as he could, he’d been a knight for many years, but had never been in such bad situations as the ones he found himself in lately. He was fairly sure his voice sounded more strained than anything else though, but he was easily able to change his demeanor to closed off.
Todoroki held his chin, seeming to not pay attention to him as he investigated the bruising and cuts on his face. “Because I like you.”
Midoriya was beginning to get sick to his stomach. How had he so poorly misjudged the man before him. It was becoming increasingly clear that Todoroki only did what benefited him. He was starting to feel hopeless in the situation, but he continued to try. “If you like me, then why won’t you do as I ask?”
“Because, if I do that, then you’ll want to leave me again.” Todoroki remarked, seeming bored by the conversation. “I’ll call up a nurse to fix you up, does it hurt much? Who did it this to you?”
Midoriya refused to answer, staring back at Todoroki coldly. He was unsure what to do or how to act. The man before him could turn from malice to charming and back in an instant.
Todoroki kissed his cheek, only for Midoriya to move backwards, away from his touch. Todoroki’s eyes burned as he stood up. “If you need anything just yell for a servant. The nurse will be up temporally.” Todoroki cleared his throat, before turning to leave as if he’d actually been hurt by the reaction.
“W-Wait! Where are you going?” Midoriya mentally kicked himself for stuttering, but after being alone for so long in the woods he craved human interaction, even if it was Todoroki.
“The bath, care to join me?” Todoroki’s smirk had returned as Midoriya’s face once again tinted with red, but he shook his head. Todoroki shrugged, as if the entire thing were innocent and left Midoriya alone in his room.
---
After being washed and bandaged up, Midoriya found himself back in Todoroki’s room. His nose had been broken, along with a couple of other scrapes and bruises on his face, but the real pain had come from his rib cage.
At one point, Bakugou, Midoriya thinks his name was, had sent a full force kick into his side. The nurse that had been treating him, commented that it was probably only a couple bruised ribs, and that they had not been broken, to his relief. Though the tight bandages around his chest made it harder to breathe as well as move.
He was sitting in what appeared to be a reading chair in the corner of the room. It was one of the most comfy chairs he’d ever sat in, with padding on both the back and seat as well as the arms. A pelt of some kind of animal, Midoriya couldn’t tell what kind, hung from the back, making the chair warm as well as comfortable. The chair sat adjacent to a large bookshelf, that Midoriya found himself scanning. While he usually spent most of his time training and exercising, he’d always had a soft spot for books. He wasn’t exactly a fast reader or even a very good reader, so it would take him a while to finish any book.
Midoriya didn’t remember grabbing one of the books off the shelves, but he found himself running his fingers along the spine and eventually the pages. It caused the old smell of the parchment to waft upward, but he didn’t mind.
“You like to read?” Midoriya jumped at the sudden voice, quickly hiding the book behind his back as if he was a little kid hiding something from his mother. He didn’t understand his own actions having already been caught red-handed with it. His eyes fell upon the figure of Todoroki leaning against the door frame, one eyebrow raised in question at his behavior to being caught.
Midoriya quickly cleared his throat, trying to even his heart rate back out from the scare. “I suppose.”
Todoroki strode across the room until he stood in front of the chair Midoriya sat on, holding out a hand expectantly. Midoriya, however, simply stared at the open hand in confusion. “The book, Deku.”
“Oh!” Midoriya quickly retrieved the book he’d hidden behind himself, he still wasn’t quite sure what had possessed him to do so, and placed it on Todoroki’s open hand.
“Romance of Alisaunder?” Todoroki read the title out loud, questioningly. He then returned his gaze to the man sitting in the chair that seemed to be folding into himself at the words. “You like Alexander romances?”
Midoriya wanted to hit himself. Of all the books to grab he had managed to grab one about romance, and he could feel his face heating up. His feelings for Todoroki had changed since they first met, but he still remembered the kiss they had shared in the forest.
“You do know it doesn’t mean romance in terms of love, right?” Todoroki continued, as he must of noticed Midoriya’s redness, flipping through the pages of the book. “It’s about Alexander the Great and his conquests.”
Relief washed over Midoriya in a flood, though he felt stupid in comparison to Todoroki’s ostensibly vast knowledge, having thought it was a true romance novel. “Oh,” was all Midoriya could get out in response.
Todoroki sighed, placing the book down on a nearby table before grabbing Midoriya by the forearm to hoist him out of the chair. “Let’s go to bed, it’s getting late.”
Midoriya yelped out in pain as he landed on his feet, his free arm instinctively going to his midsection to apply pressure to his ribs. He yanked his other arm free of Todoroki’s hold, trying to relieve the pulling pain it caused on his ribs.
Turning around, Todoroki gave him an agitated look. “What are you crying about now?”
Midoriya glared at him, slightly hunched over as he held his ribs, he wasn’t sure if it actually helped or not but he continued to do it anyway. “For starters, don’t touch me, ever, and to hell with you if think I’m sleeping in the same bed as you.” He wasn’t quite sure where all his anger had suddenly come from, but with Todoroki treating him more like an object than a person he was more than willing to lash out at him.
Todoroki had become aware of the pain Midoriya seemed to be in, but between his tone and choice of words towards him, Todoroki’s anger over-weighed his sympathy. “Then sleep on the floor,” he turned, extinguishing the candles on his way to his bed, “peasant.”
Midoriya was left standing in the dark, in the middle of a king’s bedroom, in a castle, in a kingdom he was not even from. After gathering his wits about him and calming himself enough into rational thoughts, he laid down on the hard, wood floor.
Though it wasn’t the most comfortable, he’d slept on worse. Once he’d taken off his shirt to use as a pillow, he was out like a light.