Archive of Our Own ^beta

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“Go on. Go introduce yourself.”

King Toshinori gently pushed the little prince closer. He could see the tears already beginning to overflow down the chubby, freckled cheeks of his young adopted son as the boy peered over at the other prince before him. Little Midoriya had always been shy, particularly around strangers, and even with the other boy being his same age, this scenario was no exception.

“Come now, you’ll be seeing much more of Prince Todoroki in the future, so you might as well introduce yourself now.”

The two young boys stared silently: Midoriya at his feet, Todoroki at Midoriya with his cold, steady gaze never faltering. It was a strange gaze for a child his age to already have. A young boy's eyes should be filled with wonder and curiosity, and yet the Todoroki heir's eyes lacked such sparkle entirely as he stared over at his new companion. It wasn't that Todoroki was shy like Midoriya; he just disliked people entirely.

“You go first then, Shoto!” King Enji barked at his son with the mysterious burn scar over his left eye.

“I’m Prince Shoto Todoroki.”

The young, stone-faced prince then turned back to face his father. King Enji cleared his throat aggressively, unsatisfied with his child's half-hearted introduction. “Aren’t you forgetting something, boy?”

The six-year-old scoffed in response but obeyed the command, if somewhat reluctantly. “Pleased to meet you.” Todoroki mumbled as he bowed the way he had been carefully taught in his etiquette lessons. As he bowed, his soft, fluffy white and red hair flipped forward along with him.

Midoriya took a step back as the other prince bowed, intimidated by the child's superior etiquette skills far beyond his young years, but King Toshinori once again pushed him closer. “See? It’s not that hard. Now it’s your turn.”

Midoriya’s wet eyes flicked back and forth from Todoroki to the ground and back again before he seemed to decide that the ground was more interesting to look at. However, reluctant to disappoint his father, he slowly stretched out his hand towards the other young boy.

“I— I’m Prince I— Izuku Midoriya. I- I hope we can get along.”

Todoroki studied the outstretched hand before taking it gently in his own, but his gaze remained icy and distant. He looked back at his father as if saying, Do I have to?, to which his father's eyes narrowed in dangerous confirmation and a promise of punishment if the action was not followed through. The young boy rolled his eyes with a puffy pout and leaned slowly down toward Midoriya's hand. A caste kiss was placed on the back of that small, chubby hand, and the little, dark-haired boy gasped, pulling the tiny hand away.

Midoriya looked back at his father, shock painting his sweet little face. Tears began to pool in the corners of his bright green eyes.

"Oh, Izuku-"

And the little boy burst into tears.

It seemed “get along”, they would not.

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Years before the two young boys had met—in fact, before the two were even born—an agreement had been made between two great and arguing kingdoms: an agreement of peace.

An agreement was made that the next children born from each kingdom would be married to the other as soon as they both came of age, therefore uniting the two kingdoms and beginning a generation of harmony throughout their lands and those surrounding them. The agreement was sealed by two beautiful golden lockets engraved with the forms of swans, the universal symbol of love everlasting, given as gifts to the two children at birth.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck one of those kingdoms soon after the first child was born.

A memory of a king lost to disease; A queen re-wed; And a queen soon lost as well.

That was how King Toshinori had come to be the father of the young Prince Izuku Midoriya, heir of the Midoriya kingdom and legacy, and thus entwined into the arrangement for Midoriya’s future. Backing out would ensure war, and thus Toshinori had no choice but to follow through with the promise that had been made.

In the summer of Midoriya and Todoroki’s sixth year on earth, the two children finally met, to unfortunately less than ideal results.

Midoriya was terrified of the quiet, stoic Prince Shoto Todoroki. And similarly, Midoriya’s constant crying and blubbering seemed to irritate Todoroki. And nothing the two kings did seemed to change that.

Every year without fail, the Mighty King and his young son would sail across the sparkling turquoise sea to the renowned Todoroki Kingdom to spend the summer months there, allowing time to try and attempt a positive encounter between the two young boys. They encouraged, they threatened, and they begged, but nothing seemed to work to encourage the two to get along. And as the two boys became older over the years, their distaste for each other only seemed as if it would grow.

The still, soulless, ever-present walls of the Todoroki kingdom could recount so many of those awkward encounters between the two young boys if they only had the lips to tell of them.

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“Todoroki? Umm, would it be okay if I sat over here?”

A young, nine-year-old Todoroki peered over the edge of his book at the messy, unkempt head of dark, somehow greenish hair. “Why are you asking me? Sit wherever you want.” He quickly returned his gaze to his book and moved it a bit higher in his sight line, blocking out the other prince from view.

“Oh, uh. Okay.” Midoriya carefully walked over to the large, pale green armchair across from Todoroki and slowly curled up. He opened up the book he had tucked under his arm and began to read out of it silently. A gust of summer night breeze from one of the open grand windows circulated through the humid, stale library air and slightly ruffled the boy’s hair as he read.

Todoroki carefully lowered his book again and stared with narrowed eyes at the cover of the book the scrawny boy across from him was reading.

“King Arthur.” He muttered his observation aloud.

Midoriya looked up at him, seemingly startled, his emerald green eyes as large as saucers. He then suddenly realized Todoroki was referring to the book he had clutched in his hands. “Oh yeah, uh, I think the knights are pretty neat.”

“You do?” Todoroki asked. The words left his mouth in such a way that it made them sound more like a condescending remark than a question, though that was entirely unintentional on Todoroki’s part.

Midoriya sank a bit into the chair, clearly hurt by the inflection in Todoroki’s tone. “I do! They are powerful and brave. They save people who are in trouble. Didn’t your mom or dad read you fairy tales when you were little?”

“No.”

Midoriya seemed unsure what to say for a moment before he quickly stood up, leaving the heavy book on his chair and scurrying over to one of the many servants that were dusting off the old bookshelves of the grand library. Todoroki couldn’t quite make out what the scrawny young boy was saying to the man, but the servant nodded his head and quickly hurried off towards one of the many shelves and pulled a few large pieces of literature from them, carrying them over to Todoroki and placing them on the small table next to his chair.

“What are all these?” Todoroki mumbled.

“Fairytales.” The greying man stated dryly. “His royal Highness Midoriya requested I bring them to you.”

Midoriya peeked out from behind the old man, a nervous, seemingly forced smile on his face. “They’re stories about knights and brave princes. They save kingdoms and pretty princesses from danger.”

Todoroki glared at the gold leaf detailed book on the top of the pile. It read “Sleeping Beauty” across the cover. He turned back to look at Midoriya as the servant slowly walked away, returning to his original task. “Why do you want me to read these?”

“So you can see how cool knights are! And that princes like us can be cool too!”

“Like us?” Todoroki muttered. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Midoriya stared down at the carpet beneath his feet. “I was just hoping that one day, maybe I could be like one of those cool, strong heroes from the stories.”

“You?” Todoroki’s eyes traced up and down the boy in front of him. His baggy white blouse did nothing to hide his scrawny build and tiny stature. Not to mention his lightly freckled face was round and soft with large, deer-like eyes. His mop of curly dark hair did little to help his overall appearance.

“I’m not sure if ducklings can become heroes.” Todoroki said matter of factly.

Midoriya stared back at him in shock, and his hurt, large doe eyes began to tear up. His lower lip trembled, but he said nothing in retaliation. All he did was quickly run out of the library, sniffles and hiccups following in his wake, storybooks and fairytales all but forgotten.

The burned prince wordlessly returned to his book, not even bothering to watch as the other boy left.

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“Your highness, don’t you think you should at least try to be a bit kinder to him?” Iida adjusted the saddle on the back of his horse as Todoroki skipped a rock over the surface of the dark lake.

“He has unrealistic expectations, Iida.” Todoroki muttered back to his companion, watching the rock skip across the water.

Todoroki wasn’t sure exactly what Iida was to him. His father claimed the young page was there to keep Todoroki company while his parents were busy, but Todoroki was more than sure that Iida was just a bodyguard that his parents could play off as a friend since they were the same age. But in all honesty, the dark-haired, bespeckled young man often acted more like a babysitter than anything else.

“I just think you should give him a chance.” Iida loudly stated, and he secured both horses to a nearby fallen tree before walking over to the prince’s side. Their dark reflections stared back up at them from the murky shore. The prince picked up another smooth rock from the lake shore. He studied it between his fingers for a moment before launching it over the water, disrupting their reflections and morphing them into strange, twisted parodies of the two young men.

“All he does is babble about strange things and cry. And how would you feel if your parents were forcing you to marry someone who cries all the time? He has blown out fantasies of being a hero, but he can’t even keep his eyes dry for a few minutes.” Todoroki watched as his rock bounced off the star-lit lake for a few moments, sending moonlight rippling across the surface before disappearing into the dark, inky-black water.

“You’re only thirteen, your highness. You both have plenty of time to grow. Maybe you’ll even come to tolerate each other someday. You never know.” Iida said, sitting down on the rocky shore next to Todoroki, gazing at the old castle ruins on the other side of the lake, framed only by the purple sheet of night and twinkling white stars.

“Stop talking like some wizened old man. I don’t want to tolerate him.” Todoroki growled, crouching down next to Iida. “That little duckling is just another stupid expectation that my father’s pushed onto me.”

“Well,” Iida sighed and adjusted his glasses. He was quite proficient in dealing with the prince’s moodiness at this point. He knew there wasn’t much of a point in arguing with him outright, but he could give gentle suggestions. “I can’t exactly deny that, but you could at least try to get to know the boy a bit better. Maybe you’d enjoy his company if you just bothered to stay in it awhile.”

“I already know him.” Todoroki picked up another rock, rubbing his fingers again over its smooth, weathered surface. “He is a whining, fairytale obsessed duckling with unrealistic expectations for the future.”

Iida raised an eyebrow and peered sideways at the bicolored prince shrouded in the moonlight beside him. “Are you sure he’s all those things? Because when he was here this summer, it seemed to me like he was a lot of other things too.”

Todoroki scoffed quietly, but let the larger boy continue speaking. Just as Iida was well versed in the dealings of Todoroki, the prince knew how the knight-in-training worked as well. Once the young man began a lecture, there was really no stopping it until Iida had fully run his course. “He is very intelligent and a good talker. Despite his shy demeanor, his conversational skills are amazing. Not to mention, he is incredibly humble and kind. I saw him helping one of the maids mop in the servant’s kitchen last summer.”

“If he’s so unbelievably amazing, then why don’t you marry him?” Todoroki rolled his eyes.

“All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t dismiss him before you’ve even given him a chance.”

Todoroki thought for a moment before placing the rock back down on the shore. It clicked softly as it tapped against the other rocks it met there. “It just bothers me, Iida. How can someone cry so much when they live so carefree?” He said quietly.

“Now, that’s not a fair comparison to make, Your Highness.” Iida scolded, picking up a rock of his own as he did. “The boy has lost both his mother and father. I think that’s a fair reason to cry sometimes. His majesty, King Toshinori, is the closest thing he has left to family.”

“Well that king spoils the boy rotten.” Todoroki replied with a grunt. “He never yells at him or threatens him. He doesn’t have any ridiculous expectations for him. Or—”

“Is that why you dislike Prince Midoriya so much?”

Todoroki turned to stare at the young page sitting next to him, a sneer curling at his lips with the mere suggestion. “What did you say?”

“I said, Is that why you dislike him so much? Do you refuse to acknowledge anything about him because your father has told you that it is your duty to marry this boy? Is that why you won’t give him a chance? Pure spite and rebellion?” Iida said. He was loud yet gentle in his tone.

“I...” Todoroki blinked for a moment. “That’s none of your business,” He mumbled and turned back to look at the old lake.

Iida nodded slowly in understanding. “I see. Well, maybe you should try to look a little ways past your own grudge and more at Prince Midoriya as his own person, unconnected to your father’s expectations of you. Maybe if you do that, you will find that you truly enjoy his company. Besides,” The knight-in-training smirked slightly at the prince. “I think you kind of like him, don’t you? I saw you smiling when he was laughing with that new castle guard last summer.”

“I can have you fired and exiled for slander, you know. Maybe even executed.” Todoroki growled.

Iida’s smirk quickly disappeared. “I was just making an attempt at a joke, your highness.” He turned away, tossing his small rock across the surface of the lake, where it skipped a few times before sinking below like the other rocks before it. “No need to take it so seriously.”

It went silent for a moment as Todoroki stared at the moon’s reflection on the dark lake. The two boys watched as a bevy of swans slowly and gracefully floated across its glass surface before disappearing again into the darkness. They were then left alone with the sound of crickets and the occasional animal call in the forest. The old castle ruins loomed menacingly, but quietly, on the other side of the lake.

“It’s getting late.” Iida said, his loud voice cutting through the nighttime ambiance. “We should head back to the castle. You have a big day tomorrow. Their royal highness and royal majesty, King Toshinori and Prince Midoriya, should be arriving in port at around noon sharp, and you have a lot to do before then. You need your sleep, and we are a ways away from the castle.”

“Yeah.” Todoroki mumbled, picking himself up off the shore and walking over to his white horse, giving it a pat. “If father makes me kiss Midoriya’s hand again, I swear I’m going to be sick.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.” Iida assured the stoic prince as he peered behind them one last time as they mounted their horses. “This place just gives me the creeps. Let’s hurry back home.”

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“He is so rude, Uraraka!” Midoriya mumbled into his tea. “You just wouldn’t understand.”

“Then just tell him to mind his own goddamn business next time!” Bakugo growled.

“I can’t do that! My father, as well as King Enji, would kill me! King Enji might do so quite literally. Plus, I’m not as blunt as you are. I could never say something so... dangerous. You know that already.” Midoriya sighed sadly, clutching his pale hands tighter around the porcelain surface of the tea cup.

“You need to be more assertive, Prince Midoriya.” Uraraka said, saying a quiet thank you as a servant poured the princess another cup of tea.

The three nobles were all soaking in the cool spring air and the pleasant aroma of the flowers in the royal garden. Duke Bakugo and Duchess Uraraka’s families had been allied with Midoriya’s family for generations, and the children were often encouraged to keep up this tradition by having bi-monthly tea parties starting at a young age. Today was one of those such days. They all sat together at a small table in the sunshine on the castle patio, enjoying a “nice” chat.

“You're fifteen, and you still act like a little crybaby! When are you gonna man up, you nerd?!” Bakugo growled, aggressively slamming his tea cup back down onto the table. Uraraka winced slightly, not wanting to have to call a servant to clean up the shattered, sorry remains of yet another teacup left behind in the explosive young duke’s wake. Luckily for the servants, it didn’t break.

“Listen, your highness.” Uraraka smiled kindly at the prince, trying her best to reset the mood. “You only have a few more summers to deal with him. Both your parents would agree to let the whole thing go if you two don’t get along by your eighteenth summer, right?”

“I wish.” Midoriya sighed and stared at the tea leaves at the bottom of his cup, tracing the shapes they made with his eyes. “It’s not that I hate Todoroki or anything. In fact, I really admire him. It’s just that he doesn’t seem to see me in the same way. I’m not sure how many more times I will be able to put up with him referring to me as the ‘duckling’ or scoffing every time I talk about wanting to be like the heroes from fairy tales.”

“Well he scoffs cause its dumb.” Bakugo sneered across the small table at the prince sitting on the other side.

“Why am I even friends with you?” Midoriya mumbled, pouting again into his tea cup.

“I’m not your friend.” Bakugo growled, “I just had nothing else to do today, and watching you suffer improves my overall mental health.”

“You’re an asshole.” Uraraka mumbled under her breath, just loud enough to be sure the blonde-haired duke could hear it. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance but made no response.

“Lovely to know Kacchan and Todoroki, two people that are supposed to be my friends, actually hate me.” Midoriya muttered, slumping in his chair.

“You know what, Deku? I think I’d like to shake hands with this Todoroki fellow.” Bakugo grinned evilly. “Seems like we both have the same viewpoint on scrawny little nerds.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Midoriya mumbled. “I’m pretty positive you’d hate him as well, Kacchan.”

“Yeah,” Bakugo growled. “Which is why I’d punch him in the face right after shaking his hand.”

“Good for you.” Uraraka rolled her eyes at the spikey haired duke before smoothing out her pretty pink dress below the table.

“It’s a shame Todoroki has to be so darn good at everything. Not to mention handsome.” Midoriya whined, gently setting aside his tea cup and sliding down into his chair. “Is it too much to ask that he just have a nice personality as well?”

“He is quite pretty.” Uraraka mumbled. “Of course, I’ve only ever seen portraits. You can never be too sure if those live up to the real thing.”

Midoriya sighed. “Trust me, those portraits do his looks no justice. It’s so much better in person.” A dreamy look danced across his face for a few moments, until he suddenly seemed to catch himself, and he then turned away from the peering eyes of the other royals. “Now if I could just get him to think the same of me.”

“Oh Your Highness…” Uraraka looked sadly over at her friend.

“I just don’t want to disappoint my father.” Midoriya said quietly as he once again picked up his teacup, attempting to find comfort in what lingering warmth remained from the tea that it had once contained. “He’s put so much time and effort into trying to get this to work. I don’t want it all to go to waste. Not to mention, if I don’t accept Todoroki’s proposal or don’t get him to even ask me in the first place, our kingdoms might… ”

“Oh, Your Highness.” Duchess Uraraka whispered again, eyes glistening sadly as she looked at the pitiful boy beside her. Even Bakugo was quiet.

Midoriya continued to stare into his empty teacup. “This is my duty, after all. It’s been my duty since the day I was born. If I don’t marry Prince Todoroki, it could spell total war for our countries. King Enji is ruthless and thoroughly prepared to fight for the title of the most powerful nation. If I can’t prove to the world and to Prince Todoroki that I’m not a weakling, then I can never fulfill that obligation. It's just… I don’t want to say yes to a marriage that I don’t think Todoroki will be happy in.”

Uraraka gently placed one of her dainty gloved hands over one of Midoriya’s. “You’re just too kind for your own good, aren’t you, your highness? Listen, you shouldn’t feel obligated to change yourself just for a loveless marriage. His majesty King Toshinori is the greatest king the world has seen since King Arthur. He can handle King Enji, and besides… ”

If Midoriya had looked up then, he would have seen a soft blush spread across Uraraka’s face as the burnet duchess’ voice softened. “There are plenty of people closer to home who love you just for being you.”

The dark haired prince sighed in response. “Well, maybe I want to change. For myself.”

“What the hell’s that suppose ‘ta mean?” Bakugo grunted, fiddling with his uncomfortable necktie. His ruby eyes shifted around for a moment, seemingly checking for something or maybe someone before loosening it from around his neck.

“It means I want to be a prince my kingdom can be proud of. Like my dad. Someone who can protect and lead others.” Midoriya’s green eyes stared down at the village built at the base of the hill below his castle. The people bustling around and going about their lives in it looked like small ants from high on the hill.

Midoriya thoughtlessly rubbed his pale fingers over the ever-present chain of the locket resting on his chest. More often than not, it felt like a shackle right around his neck. It was like a reminder that he was a prisoner in his own future for a boy who seemingly didn’t love him. But in moments like these, as he thoughtlessly rubbed his fingers over it—mind wandering somewhere else—it was a comfort. It became something always present just to keep his fidgeting fingers busy while his ever-running mind worked.

The three royals fell into silence as they went back to their afternoon tea, only breaking the quiet every few moments to make a comment about the weather or the state of their territories. Regardless, it was nothing but mindless chitchat to keep their minds off the ever-present, looming futures ahead of them. A simple moment of silence with companions in their busy lives.

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“Again?”

Todoroki stared down at the other boy, his teal and grey eyes narrowed.

Midoriya sat in a heap on the soft green grass, surrounded by small white flowers. He was cradling one of his hands in the other. One of his fingers was bloodied and bruised. It was even starting to swell a bit.

“How in the world did you even manage to do all that? All you’re doing is shooting a bow.”

“I’m sorry, okay? My finger somehow got tangled in the bow string, and it just… I don’t know.” Midoriya stared down at his battered finger. Tears danced in the corners of his large eyes, and he struggled to wipe them away in time to keep them from running down his cheeks.

“Well, have one of the servants call for the doctor. I’m going to stay here.” Todoroki turned away from the smaller boy, readying his bow once again. He didn't have time to deal with this dead weight today. It was annoying enough that his father had insisted he let the boy practice with him, and now here he was getting injured and carving out precious chunks of his time with his idiotic behavior.

Midoriya slowly stood up. He shook his injured hand a few times as if doing so would make the pain fly off like a little bug of some sort. “No. That’s okay. I can shoot a few more.”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow in Midoriya’s direction, shocked. The seventeen-year-old was already putting his glove back on his bleeding hand, the white fabric slowly staining red around his middle finger as he reached for his bow.

“You hurt your finger. You can’t fire a bow like that.” Todoroki said, lowering his own bow.

“I’ll be fine. Heroes still fight with injuries much worse than this little thing.” Midoriya forced a pained smile: that same annoying smile he always wore through every situation, even when his eyes were filled with tears. It annoyed Todoroki horribly. “If I ever want to be strong like them, then I can deal with this.”

Todoroki’s fingers tightened around his bow handle, aggravation beginning to bubble beneath his surface. “Why do you keep saying that all the time?”

“Saying what?” Midoriya said it almost too innocently for Todoroki’s liking. His full, peachy lips pulled into the shape of a questioning “o”, eyebrows raised. With that innocent, confused expression, he looked like a porcelain doll, which was even more irritating. Todoroki was supposed to be mad at him, so why did Midoriya have to look so...

“You’re going on about wanting to be a hero again.” Todoroki tried to keep his voice level, but he could feel his composure starting to slip. “Don’t you understand it yet?”

“Understand what?” Midoriya’s green eyes flickered with an emotion that Todoroki had never seen in them before. It was almost like lightning, blinking in and out of existence in those emerald pools. Anger maybe? It momentarily caught Todoroki by surprise, but Midoriya’s sweet face quickly reminded him of his own anger.

“You don't understand that we don’t get to decide whether or not to be heroes. We don’t get to decide anything about our futures!” Todoroki growled, his bitterness finally beginning to bubble over the edge, just slightly. One more word out of the other’s boy’s rosy lips, and it would boil over, sending the young man into a spiral of rage.

“You’re wrong, Todoroki.”

“What?” Todoroki was suddenly caught off guard by the other prince’s expression.

Midoriya’s face screamed defiance and determination, an emotion Todoroki had never seen on his usually timid and sobbing freckled face. It seemed to change his entire countenance until he looked like an entirely different person. His dark hair glistened in patches from the beams of afternoon sun that had managed to slip through the thick leaves shading the archery range from the sky. The wind tousled with it playfully, like a mother lovingly messing with her child’s hair. His emerald eyes were miles deep. Todoroki was sure that if he were to fall into them, there would be no end.

Yet, for some reason, he felt he didn’t dislike that idea.

“No one decides your future, Todoroki. Only you do. You may think that the fairytales I love are childish and unachievable, but…” The boy broke his gaze away from Todoroki and stared up into the fading orange sky, peeking through the foliage above. “But they have brought me hope when I felt like I had none. So I will choose my future. Whether that is the one our parents want or one I decide for myself.” His eyes shifted back to Todoroki again. Those beautiful green orbs glistened so purely in the sunlight, like real treasure. “And you should too, Shoto.”

Shoto.

That was the first time either of them had referred to each other using their first names. There was something that seemed too close and forbidden about those names when put in each other’s mouths, but Midoriya said it with no malice. No sarcasm.

Something again began to bubble inside Todoroki. But it was a different kind of bubbling than before. It wasn’t boiling with anger. It was softer, yet more filling. It was a feeling that he had never felt before. It was strange and foreign, yet warm and inviting.

“Maybe you should try to look a little ways past your own grudge, and more at Prince Midoriya as his own person, unconnected to your father’s expectations of you. Maybe if you do that, you might find you truly enjoy his company.”

His whole body felt frozen in place, but at the same time, he wanted to melt into a gooey puddle in the soft green grass and become one with the dirt beneath his feet. It felt as if there were no consequences in the world, no punishment for his wrongdoings. But it also felt wrong, and Todoroki bottled it up just as quickly as it had begun to boil.

He turned his attention back to the target in front of him, trying to refocus his mind on the bullseye alone. But the colors of the target danced around in his vision, never truly coming into focus as he remained trapped in his head. “Fine. Just try for a future where you don’t constantly hurt yourself… Izuku.”

As if he had been in some strange trance, the other prince quickly snapped back to his usual bumbling self, all traces of the person Todoroki had just seen vanishing from existence. “Oh. Yeah. Of course.”

But surprisingly, Todoroki found no annoyance within himself as his dark-haired companion fumbled with the arrows in his quiver, wincing every time he moved his injured finger. As the two continued their practice in silence, Todoroki somehow found quiet, forbidden comfort in his company. He listened to Midoriya’s every silly, strange comment that he muttered, Todoroki doing his best not to smile. He found himself admiring the boy’s optimism and bravery, as if he had never noticed it before. Or maybe he had noticed it, he had just been too bitter to appreciate it before.

What would Midoriya do with his future since he had decided he alone held that power? Who would Midoriya become? And where did Todoroki fall in that future?

Where did Todoroki want to be in that future?

For now, he wasn’t sure, but as he peered over at the young prince, he could feel the bubbling sensation wriggling in it’s jar, vowing it would escape someday soon.

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“Shoto! Listen to me!” King Enji shouted from where he was seated on his throne, his wife sitting close beside him, though she seemed to be staring off into the distance, not entirely present.

“I’m listening.” Todoroki grumbled from where he was standing before his father. His fingers clenched and unclenched impatiently behind his back, a clear hint towards his eagerness to leave the throne room.

“This is your last chance! The day of your eighteenth summer! If he does not accept your proposal, all these years of careful planning will be thrown out the window, and our countries will surely fall into war!”

Todoroki snarled in mock understanding, if only just to acknowledge that he had heard his father’s words.

In all truth, Todoroki had spent the entirety of the fall, winter, and spring after their last summer together mulling over what had happened at the archery range and all the days after until Prince Midoriya had returned home to his own kingdom. Things had begun to change in those last few weeks they were together. The second Todoroki had given himself the chance to take a look at who Midoriya was, past his father’s expectations, he had found himself realizing things about himself and Midoriya that he had never noticed before.

Instead of finding Midoriya’s insistent rambling annoying, Todoroki found himself patiently listening to it like background noise. He no longer scoffed when Midoriya cried; he just let it happen. He hadn’t even put up too much of a fight when he had to kiss the prince’s hand to say goodbye.

Over the time that the small prince was away, Todoroki discovered that he missed Midoriya’s company. Of course, his siblings, the servants, and Iida were always there, but this was different. He longed to be able to look out his window and see Midoriya practicing his swordsman’s skills in the courtyard, or to wander into the library to find him surrounded by a massive pile of books. He missed his weird comments and small figure. His dark hair and enchanting green eyes.

He missed their long talks alone beneath the stars that they had on occasion during their last summer.

The cold, distant Prince Todoroki, who never opened his icy heart to anyone, now missed the bright, vibrant youth that he had once apparently despised. He missed the boy that was as bright as fire. The one that melted the ice in his cold frozen heart.

Todoroki missed Midoriya.

And today would decide whether or not he would miss Midoriya forever.

Today was the day that Todoroki would present his proposal to Prince Midoriya. Then the young prince would either accept it, ensuring peace for their kingdoms in joint holy matrimony, or Midoriya would decline it, brewing turmoil between their kingdoms and ensuring the blame for it would all fall on Todoroki’s shoulders.

The prince was quickly pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of frantic footsteps as a castle guard with electric yellow hair hurried into the throne room. The guard quickly skittered past Todoroki, bowing to him in an instant before sliding to a halt in front of the king and queen. “Your majesties!” He bowed so deeply from the waist that Todoroki was sure he would fall over. “Their royal highness and royal majesty, King Toshinori and Prince Midoriya, have arrived!”

King Enji dismissed the eccentric blonde guard with a nod before rising from his throne. “To the ballroom with you, Shoto. There, you will deliver your proposal.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do whatever it takes to make that young man say yes.”

Todoroki nodded sharply before pivoting slowly on his heels and exiting the throne room. He sluggishly marched down the grand halls, his lonely footsteps echoing around the high ceilings. Only when he could see the doors to the ballroom did his mind finally slow down enough for him to think about what he was about to do.

His brain melted between pictures of their last summer together. The archery range, the final goodbye kiss, and most importantly, a night they had shared together whispering under the stars on a grassy, flowery hill. It was a special night that Todoroki kept close to his heart. Like a secret. A secret that reminded him how important these next few minutes of his life were going to be. Midoriya was most likely already standing alone in the ballroom behind those grand doors. That little duckling was waiting for him with an answer to Todoroki’s question that he wouldn’t know until he asked. The bottled up jar inside his heart was cracked and quaking, threatening to burst and send shards of glass flying deep into Todoroki’s heart. This could either be the first time Todoroki truly saw Midoriya, or it could be the last.

Todoroki stared down at the cold locket resting on his breast, his collar hiding it from anyone who would happen to look at him. The swan engraved into its golden surface seemed to whisper to him words he had heard so clearly last summer.

“So I will choose my future. Whether that be the one our parents want, or one I decide for myself. And you should too, Shoto.”

Todoroki took a deep breath, adjusted his blue tunic, and pushed open the big red doors, opening in towards his future.

The sight that met his multicolored eyes was a strong back talking to someone standing in the doorway of the exit on the other side of the massive room.

Todoroki searched the hall for signs of Midoriya, but his gaze once again focused on the back of the figure clothed in white before him. The person seemed to only notice Todoroki as the doors behind the red-and-white-haired prince softly clicked shut, the sound echoing through the ballroom.

The prince’s eyes took in the entirety of the young man across the large room as he gradually turned to face him. He had strong legs that were beautifully accented by his fitted white pants. Those strong legs led into a trim waist and sturdy back, which joined at his sides with his decently defined chest. His arms were covered by the sleeves of his snow white blouse, but they gave hint to strong cords of muscle that twisted around his powerful limbs and gently pressed against the smooth fabric.

Then, as the figure completely turned, his face in full view, Todoroki froze in place.

His gray and teal eyes took in the mess of dark, curly hair and gently sun-kissed skin that was sprinkled with dusty freckles. Then those eyes, oh those eyes. Todoroki stared into those deep green eyes for what felt like forever, almost as if he had wandered into them and couldn’t find his way out. To his dismay, he was fully forced out of the labyrinth of green when the pair of smooth, soft, pinky-peach-colored lips opened, and a few words came dancing out of them.

“Prince Shoto? Are you alright?”

The speaker might have changed subtly in appearance, but the calming, familiar voice had stayed exactly the same. So familiar that it finally snapped Todoroki out of his shocked trance.

“P-prince M— Izuku.” Todoroki bowed quickly, trying his best to control the awkwardness bubbling inside him, causing him to almost forget what he was here to do.

The dark-haired prince turned towards the person in the doorway he had been speaking to, dismissing them with a nod, before walking slowly towards the center of the room. His movements were smooth and graceful. In his white clothing, Todoroki felt it was appropriate to compare him to a swan gliding across the surface of a marble lake.

Todoroki carefully walked over to join Prince Midoriya at the center of the ballroom, a red carpet towards the middle canceling out any noise his feet made as he reached the young man. As he stood before Midoriya, he was amused to realize that, despite the other young man’s slight changes over the summer, Midoriya was still a good deal shorter than him. Todoroki felt the strong urge to run his fingers through the dark locks on his head. They looked so soft.

Midoriya dipped his head in a slight bow before turning his eyes up to meet Todoroki’s. He had a look of captivation and curiosity dancing across his countenance as he studied Todoroki’s face. But there was also a slight smile there, and Todoroki feared his knees might buckle beneath him.

What was going through his head to make him look at Todoroki like that? Had he noticed how tense he suddenly was? Or could he see the sweat dripping down the side of his burned face?

“It’s nice to see you, Izuku.” Todoroki said coolly, bowing in return. In this moment, he was incredibly grateful for his ability to maintain his composure when he needed to.

“Likewise…” Midoriya replied slowly, almost as if he were surprised and unsure how to respond, yet he still seemed to be studying Todoroki’s face. His eyes wandered warily, taking in every inch, like he was meeting someone new for the first time and attempting to commit their foreign features to memory.

He didn’t even flinch as Todoroki kissed his hand in their usual greeting.

Midoriya’s gaze was so soft, yet intense. So intense in fact, Todoroki had to look away in an attempt to escape it. Todoroki was just so…

So happy to see him.

“Shoto? Are you sure you’re alright?” Midoriya asked gently as the other prince turned away.

“I-I’m not sure.” Todoroki responded honestly. He had never been the type to hide what was on his mind, even now.

Midoriya cocked his head ever so slightly towards his shoulder so Todoroki could more clearly see his face in his peripheral vision. “What do you mean? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Somewhat.”

Midoriya straightened up a little, concerned. “Then we should call the doctor! Does your stomach hurt? Do you have a headache?”

Todoroki shook his head and slowly looked down at his feet. “I—”

Midoriya muttered in mild alarm. “You should have told someone, Prince Shoto! Wait right here! I’ll go get—” The young man began to spin around, ready to rush out of the ballroom and find help, but Todoroki quickly grabbed his wrist, prompting Midoriya to stop in his tracks and stare down at Todoroki's hand. He then looked back up at Todoroki, confused.

“I don’t think anyone you get can help me with this.” He stated quietly, yet matter-of-factly. His grip held fast around Midoriya’s wrist, as if he were scared that if he let go, the boy might leave forever.

“Wh— Shoto?” Midoriya asked, clearly frightened, or maybe concerned. Todoroki wasn’t very good at reading others' emotions. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember…” Todoroki slowly loosened his grip on Midoriya. “When you told me that I should choose my own future?”

“Wha— What are you... Why are you bringing this up now? There must be something wrong. We need to get you some help!” Midoriya said gently, clearly confused.

Todoroki shook his head. “I’m fine, Izuku. Just please answer my question.”

Midoriya seemed to think for a moment before slowly replying. “Maybe? I think I faintly remember saying something like that. Why?”

“Well,” Todoroki turned his eyes upwards to meet Midoriya’s. “I think… At this moment… I’ve decided to do just that.”

The prince slowly shifted his hand from the other’s wrist, moving his fingers downwards to intertwine with the others it met there, before raising his other hand up from his side to do the same. “Since last summer, I’ve been confused. Your words endlessly nagged and tore away at me. I found myself feeling things I’d never felt before, I found myself… missing you.”

Midoriya’s green eyes widened even more with endless amounts of confusion and equal amounts of shock. But suddenly, that shock made way for realization as to what exactly Todoroki had just said.

“And today, when I saw you again after all this time away from you… Something in my brain just clicked, and my heart started to beat faster than it ever had before. I realized I was happy to see your beautiful face, and… ” Todoroki said, releasing Midoriya’s hands.

“Prince Shoto—”

“Please listen to me, Izuku.” Todoroki said quietly and lowered his body slowly towards the ground until he was down on one knee before Midoriya, his head lowered in a bow. “Today, now that you’re here in front of me, I think that I’ve decided… I want to make my own future, and I want that future to be one with you in it, Izuku. So please, will you accept my proposal?”

Midoriya started down at Todoroki, speechless, as the other prince presented his hand with baited breath, waiting for him to take it.

But he never did.

“I—I’m sorry, Shoto.”

Wait…

“But I have to graciously decline.”

Todoroki flicked his head upwards, finding the other prince staring away.

What?

“Wh- What? But why?” Todoroki stuttered, hand dropping back down to his side. “I thought—”

“I know by doing this I am almost ensuring war on our kingdoms, but…” The young man’s voice trailed off before he spoke at almost a whisper. “I waited for so long, Shoto.”

“Waited for what?” Todoroki cried frantically, quickly standing up. “If there is something that you want, just tell me what it is and it’s yours!”

But Midoriya just shook his head of dark curls. “That’s not it, Shoto. I wanted you. And I have for a long time.”

“Wh—” Todoroki fell silent. What was this prince in white telling him?

“And I’m happy, really happy that you would ask me to marry you but—”

“Then why are you saying no?” Todoroki asked, his voice wavering with every word. “If you want me, then here I am!

“I don’t want you to be unhappy.” Midoriya shut his eyes tightly and a large tear raced down his cheek.

What?

“I know that you don’t love me, Shoto. As much as I wish you did, real life doesn’t work like that. Your words were beautiful, and a part of me believes they're true but… this all just doesn’t make sense!” The young man sobbed quietly, fists curled at his sides.

“D— did you not hear anything I said?” Todoroki stammered quickly, tripping over his words. “I do love you!”

Midoriya turned even farther away. “You told me long ago that life isn’t a fairytale. And people don’t fall in love at the drop of a hat. This is no different, Shoto. I know we both want to save our kingdoms, but I don’t want you to waste your whole life for it.”

Todoroki felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He had spilled out his true feelings, and Midoriya didn’t believe him.

“Midoriya! I know I've been hiding these feelings for quite some time now, but I promise they are real! I— what happened to making your own future, Izuku? You’re making a mistake!” Todoroki stammered.

“I want a future where you’re happy, Shoto.” Midoriya said quietly, before quickly wiping the tears away from his face.

Todoroki reached out a hand to grab for Midoriya as he began to walk away, but the boy was already too far from his reach.

Prince Midoriya turned one last time to face the other prince as he reached the exit doors. “Maybe we'll meet again.” He said with a bow and turned towards the doors, opening them quickly. “I hope you find happiness and true love. Goodbye, Prince Todoroki.”

Then the doors closed, leaving Todoroki alone to stand there at the center of the ballroom, unable to cry. Unable to feel anything at all.

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Todoroki stood in a daze at the center of the ballroom. The large, quiet, empty space seemed to mock him, as visions of couples dancing at the grand balls held here seemingly danced hypnotic circles around him.

They flowed in down the grand double staircase and surrounded him, laughing uproariously and pointing cruel, crooked fingers his way.

He could almost hear their horrible taunts and laughs as they gawked at the lonely, rejected prince.

“Look, he has no one to dance with.”

“Who would ever dance with someone with such an ugly scar anyway?”

“No one would ever love someone so emotionless.”

“I bet you that’s why that other prince turned him down.”

“Serves him right, seeing how he treated Prince Midoriya for so many years. I would spit on him in disdain, but I don't think he’s even worth that much acknowledgment.”

Todoroki wasn’t sure how long he had been frozen there on the carpet, swimming in his own head, but he was snapped out of his trance by the sound of a large thunder lap and the doors of the ballroom slamming open simultaneously behind him.

“WHY ARE THEY LEAVING!?”

King Enji barreled into the room like a rampaging dragon, with Iida close behind him. Todoroki was too distraught to even care when the king yelled into his ear. “ANSWER ME, SHOTO.”

“He said no.” Todoroki muttered quietly.

The king roared like a beast and threw the closest thing he could find: a small marble statue of a cherub. It shattered like glass into a million pieces as it collided with the farthest wall of the ballroom. Iida quickly called out into the hallway for a few maids to come to clean up and dispose of the wreckage.

“WHY DID HE DECLINE!?”

“He didn’t believe me.”

“BELIEVE WHAT? AND GET YOURSELF UP OFF THE FLOOR!”

Todoroki slowly turned to face the king, yet he didn’t meet his father's blazing teal gaze. He couldn’t. “He didn’t believe that I loved him.”

The king roared again and threw a second nearby cherub statue. It whisked across the room, narrowly missing a maid as it shattered against the wall. The maid screamed and immediately fainted on the spot.

“All those years of planning, WASTED!” The king growled and marched out of the room, quickly followed by three maids: one heaving a large bag of the cleaned-up statues, and the other two carrying their unconscious coworker.

As a few moments of tense silence filled the ballroom, Todoroki still couldn’t bring himself to look up from the floor. He didn’t even flinch as Iida carefully walked over to the prince and awkwardly laid a hand on his shoulder, attempting to give him some comfort.

“I’m so sorry, your highness.”

The touch seemed to finally trigger something in the burned young man. The prince quickly shoved the hand off and trudged towards the doors Midoriya had exited through earlier, no real destination in mind. He just needed to be anywhere but here. Iida quickly followed at a safe distance to give Todoroki his space.

The doorway they exited through led to a long hallway. One side of the hall was lined with windows, and the other side was covered from top to bottom in obscenely large portraits of the Todoroki family, their ancestors, and the occasional loyal advisor or family friend. Two small candles on posts next to each painting were the only slight illumination the portraits received in the darkness.

Thunder cracked loudly outside as a bright purple or yellow flash of lightning would shoot momentarily across the sky, lighting up the dim hallway with its eerie glow, almost drowning out the candlelight. The flashes cast large, menacing shadows across the portraits, shifting their faces into something more dark and sinister.

Todoroki found himself coming to a stop in front of one of the paintings towards the end of the hallway. Careful, loving strokes of softly colored paint depicted a purposefully heartwarming scene in the portrait. It was a smiling, sickly-looking young woman in a beautiful yet understated pale green dress with a small feather in her hair, sitting on a plush, dark green chair. On her lap was a small boy who couldn’t have been any older than three. He had a puff of dark curls framing his chubby little face, which seemed to be almost entirely taken up by his large, emerald-green eyes.

A painting of a family friend. It was a portrait of Prince Izuku Midoriya and his late mother, before she passed away.

Todoroki studied the paint strokes making up Midoriya’s tiny little face for the split seconds he could during the flashes of lightning. Those green eyes appeared to absorb every flash of light that hit them, causing them to seem so much brighter than anything else in the hallway. It was almost as if he could stare into them forever. And yet they would never amount to the real thing.

Which Todoroki quite possibly would now never see again. A throbbing pain shot through his heart at the thought. He couldn’t bear to look at the portrait any longer. He would have to request to have it taken—

Then, during another flash, something else caught Todoroki's eye that he had never noticed before.

Todoroki tended to avoid this dimly lit hallway due to the fact that he always felt as if all the carefully painted eyes were watching him, so he had never spent much time looking at them. The hallway was easy to avoid anyway, due to the fact that it was simply a shortcut from the back entrance of the castle to the east wing and the hallway that led to the throne room. If one didn’t wish to enter this hallway, they could simply cut through the ballroom, which Todoroki often did. In fact, he hadn’t been down this hall in a couple of years.

Maybe that was the reason he had never remembered the third figure standing behind the chair.

"Iida, candle.” Todoroki quietly muttered. The knight raised an eyebrow but seemed to pick up on the intensity behind his prince’s voice. He swiftly retrieved a candle from one of the posts, passing his master and friend the gently dripping candle. He didn't ask any questions.

Todoroki held the candle as high as he could up to the portrait, but far enough away so he wouldn’t burn its gentle surface.

Even with Todoroki on tiptoe, the candle did not reach nearly high enough to fully illuminate the third figure's face. It cast a warm, red light onto the lower face of the person, giving Todoroki just enough light to somewhat make out their features on the massive portrait.

As the sound of pouring rain thundered against the windows, Todoroki stared in quiet confusion.

It was a young man who couldn’t be much older, maybe even a few years younger than he was now. Todoroki’s best guess was that the young man was an attendant due to his formal yet not-too-expensive clothing. His wild, chalky blue hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, which offset his otherwise neat attire, alluding to poor self-care. The boy had a smile on his face, but it somehow disturbed Todoroki. It seemed almost disingenuous. The occasional light from the lightning flashes only made it more disturbing. Whereas the eyes of all the other portraits seemed to be so lifelike and real, the attendants' eyes looked dark and dead. Still real, but dead.

As Todoroki’s eyes wandered back down on the boy, he saw the young man had a chapped, dry hand clasped around the back of the chair, near the young woman’s shoulder. This caused a sudden surge of anxiety to tear its way through Todoroki’s system. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt as if the presence of the attendant's hand so close to her was a threat to the safety of both the woman and the young child.

“Iida.” Todoroki said quietly, his voice dripping with intensity. “Do you know who that man is? Has Midoriya ever spoken of him?”

The young knight had been standing quietly nearby as his master had inspected the portrait. When he was suddenly addressed, his eyes widened in surprise for a moment. He then thoughtfully rubbed his chin in response, deep in thought. His eyes scanned over the figure before he dejectedly shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I’m afraid I am unaware of who that might be. And I don’t recall the prince ever speaking about someone such as this. Perhaps it says on the portrait’s plaque?” Iida suggested.

Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?

Todoroki kneeled towards the floor, searching underneath the gaudy golden frame for the small plaque. When the dim light of the candle finally illuminated the surface of its target, Todoroki quickly began to read the words engraved into it. He skipped the name of the painter and the date, going directly to the names of those pictured in the portrait.

“-Queen Inko Midoriya, her son Prince Izuku Midoriya, and their faithful servant, Tomura Shigaraki-”

As soon as Todoroki finished reading, a faint sound, unlike anything the prince had ever heard, managed to pierce its way through the thundering of the rain. The strange noise was reminiscent of a mix between a screeching record and the thundering roar of a dragon. It left a strange ringing in the prince’s ears. At the sound of the startling noise, Todoroki immediately shot up and turned towards the window behind him. Iida did the same.

“Iida, did you hear that?”

The knight nodded quietly in response. “It seemed to have come from the direction of the Ruin Woods. We can go ask the guards at the back entrance if anything has been reported; if you are concerned, your highness.”

“I think we should.” Todoroki quickly stood up and gave one last glance at the portrait before continuing down the seemingly never-ending hallway towards the door that led to another hallway into the back entrance of the castle.

As he walked, he couldn’t shake the lingering feeling that those dead eyes of the young attendant were still following him.

The two continued for a few more minutes down the second hallway until they entered the softly lit back entryway, which, though still dim, was a stark contrast to the dark, gloomy hallways they had come from. The gentle light came from a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the tall, domed ceiling above.

Todoroki walked with a purpose towards the main doors, with Iida close behind; his mind focused on the man in the portrait and the strange sound. But before he could even get halfway through the small hall to the doors on the other side, the doors suddenly burst open with a mighty gust of wind.

The cold storm air aggressively blew rainwater through the dark doorway and onto the smooth marble flooring as an armored guard collapsed in a heap on the group. Todoroki watched in shock as the water around the guard quickly began to change from clear to a dark crimson, swirling around and mixing into a morbid work of art.

As the man’s eyes locked onto Todoroki and Iida through his helmet, he frantically reached a bloody, wet hand out to them. “Help! They’re in trouble! You have to save them!” He cried out, his voice seeping with pain.

Todoroki and Iida quickly rushed to his side, and the knight promptly removed the bleeding guard’s armor breastplate to assess the damage. To both of their horror, the metal breastplate had three alarmingly large claw marks ripping through the front. As the plate was fully removed, Todoroki could see three identical and decently deep claw marks in the man’s chest.

“What in the world could have done this?” Todoroki whispered in shock.

“T—The Ruin Woods! We took a shortcut. Please!” The guard begged. “You have to help them.” His voice was growing weaker.

“Help who?” Todoroki asked as calmly as he could, but he was very alarmed. He couldn’t fathom what sort of weapon or creature could pierce through a steel breastplate as though it were made of paper. It seemed simply impossible.

“These wounds are deep, your highness. If he doesn’t get help soon, he’ll surely die.” Iida seemed to be trying to stay calm as well, but Todoroki could tell he was frustrated. The loyal knight always took the responsibility upon himself when someone was hurt, even though most of the time the situation had nothing to do with him. “I’ll remove his helmet to search for further lacerations and other forms of damage.”

“Please. You have to save… ” The guard moaned as Iida carefully tugged off his helmet. “... The prince.”

Todoroki suddenly put together the horrible pieces of the puzzle before the helmet was even removed, but his fears were immediately confirmed when he recognized the dark-haired young man as one of the guards that often accompanied Prince Midoriya.

Todoroki immediately shot up from where he was kneeling and raced out the open doors and into the pouring rain.

“Your highness!” Iida yelled after the prince, the now unconscious guard still in his arms. “What are you doing?!”

“Make sure that man is seen to. I have to save Midoriya!” Todoroki yelled over the pouring rain, not even bothering to look back as he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him to the royal stables.

He blew past several servants who frantically called after him, concerned, but he paid them no mind other than ordering them to tact up his horse as quickly as humanly possible, which they did. Todoroki quickly mounted his white steed and rode off like a bat out of hell out of the stable, nearly running over a small stable hand. He raced as fast as his horse would go over the bridge leading towards the Ruin Woods, unsure of what horror he would find waiting there for him.

The rain beat down harshly on his back, soaking into his blue tunic and causing it to cling uncomfortably to his body. The golden locket around his neck bounced in rhythm with the horse, drumming up and down against Todoroki’s chest, mimicking the sensation of his racing heart.

He has to be okay. He has to be okay.

Please let him be okay. I couldn’t live with myself if it all ended like this.

Todoroki shook his head and did his best to keep all his focus on making sure his horse was maintaining the fastest speed it could down the dark and winding path. The trees loomed overhead like menacing claws, just waiting to grab him.

After what felt like an eternity of nothing but the dark trees stretching on forever, something came into view through the pouring rain: On the side of the dirt road, the was the wreckage of a carriage that had been toppled over.

There were no horses to be seen other than his own, and the only two people he could see were two guards lying face down in the mud a meter or two from each other. They had massive claw marks all over them and had very clearly passed on long before Todoroki had arrived.

Todoroki leapt off of his horse and raced over to the wreck. Massive claw marks ripped through the side of the sturdy wood, and one of the doors had been torn clean off its hinges and flung a good few meters away from the carriage. Marks from where the carriage wheels had swerved and veered off the side of the road tore through the mud. Then something else caught his eye.

A little ways from the carriage, in the middle of the path, something golden was gleaming in a large puddle. Todoroki quickly raced towards it and slid down into the mud, causing the sludge to splash around him. He picked the object up in his fingers and cradled it in the palm of his hand.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared down at the figure of a swan engraved into the small golden locket that matched the one he had clasped around his own neck.

It was Midoriya’s locket.

Something seemed to break in Todoroki’s mind at the sight of the locket. “Midoriya!” He instantly began screaming frantically, scrambling up off the ground, his feet nearly slipping out from under him. “Izuku, where are you?! Midoriyyyaaaa!”

There was no response other than the pouring rain.

“Izuku!” Todoroki screamed so harshly that he felt as if his throat were about to tear. He could feel his face warm with fear and desperation as the icy cold rain ran down his wine-red scar.

Then he heard a weak voice whisper through the rain in response.

“Young Todoroki? Is that… you?”

Todoroki fell quiet and listened again.

“Todoroki?”

Quickly, Todoroki stumbled in the direction of the voice and followed it to the opposite side of the small ditch the carriage had half fallen into. There at the bottom of the ditch, propped up against a tree, was King Toshinori.

Todoroki raced to his side, nearly sliding down the side of the ditch, and kneeled down in the mud next to the old king. He was clutching at a large, open wound in his side that was bleeding profusely, staining his robes red as well as the grass around him.

“You’re going to be alright, your majesty.” Todoroki tried to stay as calm as possible, but his voice was shaking uncontrollably as he tore off a piece of the white blouse beneath his blue tunic and gently pressed it against the king’s bleeding wound. Todoroki’s heart dropped as the fabric almost immediately began to stain entirely red. If the king kept bleeding like this, he surely wouldn’t make it. “You’re going to be alright.” Todoroki begged more than promised.

The king smiled sadly up at the young prince before breaking into a coughing fit, blood spraying down his chin. “I— I know there is no hope for me, Todoroki, but please… you have to…” He was interrupted by a second burst of coughing.

“Please!” Todoroki cried frantically, “You have to tell me what did this! Where is Izuku!?”

“He’s… It was… a great animal.” The king groaned, and his dark eyes widened slightly, as if recalling the horrors he had seen.

“A great animal?” Todoroki asked harshly. “What does that mean!? Where is Izuku?!”

The king’s eyes slowly began to close as he let out one last gurgling, bloody cough. “Izuku is… gone.” And with those words, the king’s eyes fully shut and never opened again.

“What? What do you mean he’s gone? Please, who took him? Answer me, please! What do you mean, great animal!? You have to answer me!” Todoroki pleaded, gently shaking the man, but to no avail. “Where is he!? What do you mean, great animal?”

“Dammit.” Todoroki hissed through his teeth as the rain flowed endlessly from his tightly shut eyes. His fists clenched as tightly as they could around the fabric of the king’s shirt in anger and disbelief.

“DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMITTTT! IZUKKKKUUUUUUUUU!”

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Midoriya’s mind was akin to a roaring river as the carriage bounced along its path toward the harbor; his head was just so filled with a mix of racing and winding emotions he couldn’t seem to contain.

Todoroki had just professed his love for him, and the little prince couldn’t seem to understand why.

Todoroki was like snow: beautiful, but oh so cold. And yet, this young man, who gave Midoriya nothing but icy glares and empty stares for so many years, had dropped to one knee and finally asked for his hand in marriage. He had even proclaimed the curly-haired prince was the only thing that consumed his thoughts while they were away from one another.

Could this even be real? It was like something out of a dream.

The boy he was so fond of finally returned his feelings, but Midoriya just couldn’t bring himself to believe it. After all, it seemed too good to be true. There had to be some sort of scheme behind it all. No doubt plotted by King Enji. He had probably bribed Prince Todoroki into putting on that strange display.

But that also didn’t seem like a fully logical answer.

Anyone who personally knew the royal family could instantly tell you that it was painfully obvious that Prince Todorki and his father did not get along in the slightest—horribly, to be entirely truthful. The young man essentially seemed to go out of his way to make life harder for the king every chance he could get. So what had made him profess his supposed love for Midoriya?

The topic just refused to leave Midoriya’s mind, along with the image of Prince Todoroki’s face as the icy young man on a bent knee looked up at the other prince.

And what a face it was.

How was it even possible for such an already stunning young man to get even more attractive in a single year? Midoriya had only been away for a few months! And yet, the evidence had spoken for itself.

Midoriya stared out the window of the carriage, his face flushed, as he thought about how the other prince had looked at him when they first made eye contact across the ballroom. Like he had seen a sunset for the first time. It was a look that, in the entire time he had known Prince Todoroki, he had only seen twice before in those sharp eyes of his. But it had been so much more intense there in that ballroom than it ever was before. It was almost as if, where the curtains were usually only partially open at most, now they had been completely torn away and the glass had been flung open so Midoriya could suddenly see the entirety of space through those dark, mysterious windows to the icy prince’s previously caged-off soul. If Midoriya had been brave enough, maybe he could have even reached past the threshold of that window and grabbed for the stars he found there, nestled in the darkness like little beads or tiny white flowers on a dark grassy hill.

It was so mesmerizing that Midoriya had caught himself staring at the stoic prince for far too long. But he just couldn’t seem to pull his attention away as he drank the entirety of the young man into his consciousness.

And his unconsciousness as well.

He was just that beautiful.

Something else that had been disorienting, though less so than Todoroki’s wonder-filled eyes, was the sudden height difference that had made itself known as he had approached the smaller prince.

Todoroki had always been slightly taller than Midoriya, with a slim, average build. Maybe a centimeter or two difference between them, sometimes closed when Midoriya was forced to wear those boots with the weird heels that he hated so much. But now, after the passing of the months that he had been away, the young, quiet prince had come to look even more like his older brothers, especially his oldest brother, Touya, who had always been the heartthrob of the royal world. Being tall and strong with a face any man, or person for that matter, would be envious of clearly ran in the Todoroki family: evidence of the true perfect royal breeding.

And Midoriya had been completely starstruck.

A long time ago, Midoriya concluded he would always have fallen in love with Prince Todoroki, whether or not he was attractive. He was intelligent and honest after all, which were two traits Midoriya valued deeply. And though others found it rude and tasteless, Midoriya found the prince’s infamous bluntness amusing. But what drew the smaller prince most to the boy bound to him by the golden lockets was Todoroki’s undying devotion to anything he believed in. Some might see it as simple stubbornness, but Midoriya had seen through the years he stayed with Prince Todoroki that stubbornness just simply wasn’t the correct term. After all, the young prince was willing to change his views when someone properly showed him he was wrong. It was when he cared for something that he never let it go.

It wasn’t stubbornness. It was devotion and loyalty.

And that was what originally brought the little, freckled prince to stumble headfirst into his intense feelings for the prince with the multicolored eyes and closed-off heart. Stumble wasn’t really the right word. It was more accurate to say that he had full-on face planted. Bloody nose and all. And the new developments in Todoroki’s appearance had simply made Midoriya’s heart pound all the harder.

“My boy, I don’t understand. If you love young Todoroki, then why did you say no?”

Midoriya had been so trapped in his own thoughts that he jumped when his father softly called out to him. Not wanting to be caught in his daydreams, this prince turned his attention from the window to stare down at his hands, which were neatly folded in his lap. He couldn’t meet his father's sad, confused eyes, not right now. He felt like he had let him down the second he declined Prince Todoroki’s proposal. And not just him; Midoriya had let down his entire kingdom. Needless to say, it was hard to face his father at the moment.

“Because I’m not sure if he really loves me. What if it was all just a lie so that our kingdoms wouldn’t fight?”

The small interior of the carriage fell silent for a moment before the king sighed and slightly leaned forward towards his adopted son. His bright eyes twinkled softly. “But what if everything he said was true? What if he really does love you?”

The prince turned to look out the window at the rain pouring down. Fat raindrops raced down the glass, like horses speeding towards a finish line. “Then why does he only love me now? Why didn’t he love me before?”

“Is there something else that you wanted him to say to you?”

Midoriya’s brow furrowed. “I wanted him to tell me that he loves me truthfully, not that his father wants him to love me.”

The king sighed once more and leaned back against his cushioned seat. “Young Todoroki doesn’t seem to me like someone who would confess such deep feelings, whether true or not, simply because his father told him to, and I think you know that. But if you insist on that train of thought, what could he have done to prove to you that he himself does in fact love you?”

“I-I...” The freckled prince stuttered for a moment, searching for the right words to say, but inevitably came out empty-handed. “I don’t know.”

“Did you ask him if he truly loved you?”

“Well, not those words specifically.” Midoriya stammered, his argument now somewhat falling apart.

“What exactly did he say to you?” The king questioned him, a small, knowing smile growing on his face.

“He-he said he missed me.” The young prince whispered. “And that he was happy to see me and my… beautiful… face.”

“Interesting.” The king's smile widened even more. “Those words don’t sound like things the infamously blunt Prince Todoroki would say just to please his father.”

“But, I just…” Midoriya could feel his face begin to heat up as his words trailed off and a different thought came to mind. “Do-do you think he was… actually happy to see me? Do you think he actually meant it when he called me... attractive?” The boy whispered, his face beet red.

The king chuckled heartily and patted his son lovingly on the knee. “Added bonus, I suppose. Maybe you would like to turn this carriage around and go back to ask him?”

Midoriya wasn’t sure if his face could turn a darker shade of red than it already was, but it sure felt like it did as his father laughed uproariously.

“I think I made a mistake.” The prince said it quietly. “I was so baffled by his words that I panicked and tried to think of some excuse as to why he would say them.”

“I think you are correct there, my boy.” King Toshinori said with a gentle smile. “But you can still fix things. Besides,” he said, turning to look out the window. “If you ask me, I think Prince Todoroki has liked you for a while now and was just unsure of how to deal with that until recently.”

Thoughts and questions raced through Midoriya’s mind as evidence of the statement flooded to the forefront of his brain. A hazy, sleepy memory of a starry sky and small white flowers danced in his mind, along with whispered words that he couldn’t quite make out.

"You—you think so?” Midoriya squeaked, his face reddening once again.

King Toshinori laughed warmly as his son quickly covered his face in embarrassment.

But his laughter stopped when the two felt the carriage begin to slow and eventually come to a complete stop.

“There is no way we are already at the harbor. Right?” Midoriya muttered in confusion and turned again to look out the window. Sure enough, they were still somewhere in the middle of the dark woods, with rain pouring down all around them.

“Stay in the carriage, Izuku.” King Toshinori said, his voice serious. “I’m going to ask the coachman why we have stopped.” He quickly pulled his robe over his wild mane of hair and opened the carriage door, peeking his head out just far enough to call out to the coachman. “Coachman! Why have we stopped?”

“There is someone on the road, your majesty. They are blocking our way.”

“Someone in the—”

Midoriya watched in confusion as his father’s eyes suddenly widened in shock before quickly shifting to wild, burning fury.

“Stay here, Izuku.” King Toshinori said, hopping out of the carriage, his boots landing with a loud splash in a puddle below. “Whatever you do, do not. Leave. This. Carriage.”

“Father, what’s—” Midoriya began and quickly started to slide his way towards the open door.

“I said stay in the carriage, Izuku.” The king growled. Midoriya froze in place. He couldn’t remember the last time his father had looked so furious.

Who was out there?

“I’m not sure how or why you are here, but leave now.” The king’s commanding voice called to whomever was standing in the road.

At first, there was silence, then a terrifying chuckle began to rise above the rain. Its malice permeated through the storm like a thick smoke. Midoriya’s blood went cold as the chuckle turned into a full-maniacal laugh before fading back into a sinister giggle.

“Oh, I won’t be the one leaving.” A smooth, almost snake-like voice hissed. “But don’t worry too much. I’ll take good care of your dear, precious little son. Though I’m sorry to say, it’s game over for you, Mighty King.”

Suddenly, a bright purple light began to shine from the road outside, and despite his father’s warnings, Midoriya’s curiosity got the better of him.

Carefully, he peeked his head around the corner of the carriage, and the sight that met him caused him to nearly choke in surprise.

As a flash of lightning lit up the sky, Midoriya’s eyes were met with a massive bat the size of a house. It was slowly rising off of the road in front of them as it beat its massive, leathery wings ferociously, causing rain to fly in every direction. Guards screamed and yelled, drawing their weapons as the bat suddenly lunged towards the carriage.

Midoriya watched in horror as the two large horses pulling the carriage were picked up as if they were merely small rodents and flung into the trees. The bat then turned its attention towards the vehicle. Midoriya yelped as the open door of the carriage was torn off its hinges by two massive claws, which narrowly missed his head.

“Don’t hurt the prince, you monster!” One guard cried and lunged towards the bat, only to be slashed across the chest, claws seamlessly tearing through the thick metal of the armor breastplate.

“Sero!” Midoriya yelled and quickly leaped out of the carriage and towards the wounded guard.

“Izuku, no!” King Toshinori shouted to his son, but Midoriya was already at the bleeding guard's side.

The giant beast quickly snatched up the carriage in its beastly feet, along with the coachman, who was still hanging on, and gripped into it with its massive, razor-sharp claws before throwing it back into the ground, shattering it into several pieces, the coachman included.

“No!” Midoriya cried out, witnessing the carnage around him as the final guard screamed when he was snatched up and flung like a ragdoll into a tree. The sickening sound of countless bones shattering echoed through Midoriya’s ears. He quickly turned to the guard lying in the mud beside him, Sero. “Run! Find help!”

“But, Prince Midoriya!” Sero’s voice was seeping with agony. “I can’t leave—”

“I said go! That’s an order!” Midoriya screamed, and Sero frantically pulled himself out of the mud, clearly in an immeasurable amount of pain, and ran. He ran as fast as he could, slipping every so often in the mud. He raced down the dirt road until the pouring rain concealed him from Midoriya’s site.

Midoriya’s head turned back towards the carnage as thunder clapped through the sky, only to be met with an even more horrible sight in the white illumination; His father, King Toshinori, was fending off the beast’s talons with his mighty sword, a large gash already cut into his side. His feet were coming closer and closer to a small ditch at the side of the path as the beast’s talon pushed him farther back with every advance.

“Father!” Midoriya yelled, fumbling to get up off the ground, but he couldn’t find his footing in the slippery mud. “Dad, no!” He screamed again, but to his horror, his screaming only managed to draw the giant bat’s attention away from the king and onto him.

“Get out of here, Izuku!” The king cried out as the bat let out an ear-shattering screech and lunged at the young prince.

Midoriya dodged as quickly as he could, narrowly missing the beast’s massive talons, but his head was painfully jerked forward as the claws hooked onto the golden locket fastened around the boy’s neck, causing it to snap off and disappear into the mud nearby.

“Izuku!”

Midoriya turned towards his father as he called out, but watched in horror as the man’s footing finally failed him and the great king slipped harshly down into the steep ditch. A resounding thud echoed out as his head collided with a tree at the bottom.

Midoriya screamed out and tried to crawl through the mud towards his father, but suddenly felt his limbs leave the ground. The great bat carried Midoriya farther and farther up into the air, kicking and screaming as the scene below him and his father slowly began to grow smaller and smaller until the rain hid it all completely from view.

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Midoriya grunted as he was thrown to the ground like a tossed-aside ragdoll. Pain seared through his body. He had no doubt that the impact must have broken a rib or two. Despite his pain, the prince quickly lifted himself from the ground and took a split second to take in his surroundings and judge the quickest, most efficient means of escape. Despite the prince’s small figure and timid demeanor, he was determined and stubborn. His clever mind quickly worked to create a strategy.

He was in a small clearing on the shore of a lake, surrounded by willow trees that grew along the edge of a large forest, stretching into the distance. There was a dilapidated old archway leading into the forest before him, twisted with ivy and small flowers. The plants climbed up the sides of the crumbling stone almost desperately, taking up as much space upon it as possible. Like a jealous lover. Various pieces of forgotten cobblestone speckled the shore beneath Midoriya’s feet, before becoming pebbles, lapped up by the gentle rippling water of the lake. Far on the other side of the water, Midoriya could make out the massive shadow of the crumbling ruins of a long-forgotten castle. Dilapidated, yet unrobed of its awe-inspiring presence. The prince couldn’t help but be captivated by its quiet magnificence. It was gorgeously serene space. However, the quiet beauty of his surroundings made him all the more confused.

Where was he? Todoroki had never mentioned a place like this, and they hadn’t flown far enough to be in another country. At least, Midoriya didn’t think so.

The boy was pulled back to his senses as the hair rose on the back of his neck. He turned around, his sight met by a terrifying sight looming over the trees along the shore. Midoriya watched in simultaneous fascination and fear as the large bat that had brought him to this mysterious place slowly began to descend towards the ground.

Midoriya’s eyes widened further when a purple flashing light enveloped the creature as its feet touched down to earth, and it slowly began to contort and change horrifically before his eyes. Fur smoothed into pale skin, and wings folded inward to form the shape of arms. Large hairy ears shrank and moved towards the side of the head. And suddenly, where the had once been a massive creature, there was now a human standing before him.

This figure had messy, dusty blue hair that fell in a ratty tangle around his shoulders and face, slightly obscured his deeply set crimson eyes from view. Yet the bloodlust that radiated from those deep red irises was somehow perfectly visible. He had dry, flaky skin and a scar over his chapped, grinning lips. A dark black robe with a hood draped over his deep purple tunic. All in all, Midoriya found him quite horrible to look at, like a ghost still living. Life clearly had not been very kind to him.

The ghost of a man bowed deeply in front of the young prince before turning only his awful face upwards to greet him. A large, unsettling grin spread across his chapped lips. A strong sense of danger flooded through Midoriya’s body at the sight. Never had he felt so strongly compelled to run, and yet his feet refused to unroot themselves from the ground.

“Well, hello there, Princey. I wonder if you recognize me after all these years.”

Midoriya fear was quickly outmatched by his confusion and his eyes narrowed for a moment, reluctantly studying the man’s face. Was he meant to recognize this face? It didn't seem like one he could easily forget. Sure enough, after a few moments of scrutinizing, a vague memory wormed its way into his head, and his eyes shot wide open.

“It-It’s you. You—you killed my mother and father... You… You’re Tomura Shigaraki.”

“Ding ding ding.” The man grinned with sick satisfaction as he straightened up. “I was the faithful servant that slowly poisoned your mother and father and fled from the kingdom as soon as my little game was found out by King Toshinori. Though it seems I had already won the game, seeing as your mother died soon after.”

Rage began to flash like lightning inside Midoriya, all fear forgotten, and he could feel his nails digging painfully into his palms. “Why—why did you do it? My mother trusted you!”

“Oh, well, you know. Your parents adored me and raised me like one of their own. Since the king and queen had no biological heirs at the time, the kingdom would have been mine.” A dark film suddenly fogged his eyes as he spoke. Up until this point, his words had been dismissive and detached, as if he were telling a secondhand story that he had heard from someone else. But as he continued to speak, his tone darkened. His words and expressions quickly began to reveal how deeply personal this tale was to him. How wronged he felt. “But then the little miracle child was born…” The words dripped with venom as his eyes narrowed on Midoriya. “I had to get rid of all of you. Quickly. Your original father was the first to go, of course, and then I moved on to your mother, but then she married that damned King Toshinori!” Midoriya flinched as the man pounded his fist against a nearby willow tree. Terrifyingly, it left a slight dent in the thin bark of the wood. “He ruined everything!”

“So you’re here to finish the job.” Prince Midoriya wanted to curl in on himself and hide away from this monster, who was calmly studying his now bleeding hand. Shigaraki had killed his family, so there wasn't much he could do to stop him from killing him as well. But Midoriya wouldn't make it easy for him, that was for damn sure. He wouldn't give Shigaraki the satisfaction of cowering and giving up. Heroes were brave, so the prince would be too. “Fine, go ahead and kill me, but my kingdom will never hand you the throne. You’re a traitor and a fugitive.”

Shigaraki smiled again and shook his head, no longer concerned with the blood trailing down his finger. “Oh, naive little prince. Poor, silly, naive little prince. Now, that’s where you're wrong. I’m not going to kill you.”

Midoriya froze solid, a sense of danger and dread flooding through him. “If you aren’t going to kill me, why did you attack the carriage and capture me?”

“You see, Midoriya,” The sorcerer slowly began to walk in a circle around the boy, like a vulture waiting for an injured animal to finally lose all its strength and die, leaving the vulture to pick at its remains. “Even if things worked out with the citizens of the kingdom, if I take the kingdom by force, foreign nobles will step in and try to take it as well. But if I marry into the royal family…”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, and a wave of nausea washed over him. “What are you…”

“What I'm saying is,” A bright white light sparked around the two men, and suddenly Midoriya’s white clothing cleaned itself of all of the mud and grime. Flowers bloomed in the orange light of the now visible setting sun peeking from behind the fading storm clouds, and birds chirped as the broken archway nearby quickly repaired itself. Shigaraki bent down on one knee as his clothing changed to white wedding robes, and a simple gold ring magically appeared in his hand.

“Marry me, Prince Midoriya.”

Midoriya stood still as a statue before Shigaraki, stunned.

What?

He wanted Midoriya to marry him? A few moments ago, it had seemed that death was the worst possible outcome that could result from this exchange, and yet somehow things had turned out so much worse. This man, who had stolen his family from him, now wanted to steal his entire kingdom, life, and dignity as well, in the most humiliating way possible.

“Never.” Midoriya spat at the sorcerer, venom lacing his voice. “I’d rather die.”

The magic sparked and sputtered out around him, causing their surroundings to change back to their original dilapidated state. Shigaraki’s fist tightened around the still remaining ring, his knuckles turning white. “Oh, how I had hoped you wouldn’t say that.” The man hissed. “I suppose you leave me no choice.” He closed his fist tightly around the ring, and it shattered into shards of glittering magic. It might have been beautiful if not for the implications that action held.

“No choice for—?” Midoriya began to ask but stopped dead in his tracks when the man’s red eyes flickered upwards. They were so red, Midoriya could have sworn they were glowing.

Wait… They were glowing!

Congused horror shook the boy’s body. Midoriya backed up slowly in panic and suddenly felt his foot sink into the lake behind him. He turned to look back at the water, then at Shigaraki, only to find that the wicked sorcerer was now moving steadily closer. A wild cat stalking it’s prey.

With nowhere else to go, Midoriya continued to back up into the lake, but, eyes still glowing, Shigaraki kept advancing. Until suddenly, he didn’t.

“Perfect. Right there should be good.”

The man stopped at the water's edge, staring at the prince, who was submerged up to the middle of his shins in the dark, freezing cold water. The man didn’t even move, but Midoriya watched in confusion as the lake began to glow beneath his own feet.

“Don’t worry, little Princey, it will only hurt the first time.”

“What are you—?” Midoriya looked down and realized he was standing directly in the last remaining bit of the setting sun’s reflection on the water's surface. The reflection steadily began to grow brighter and brighter, the once freezing water warming slightly. Then, a tendril of water began to rise from the surface like a plant growing from the soil and spun around Midoriya, slowly growing larger and larger until the glowing surge of water completely surrounded him in a watery cage. The water glistened as if it were filled with beautiful diamonds, and Midoriya was almost captivated by the magic.

Then, there was pain.

So much pain.

It all happened in a split second and the previous moment of wonder was snatched from his grip. Every bone in Midoriya's body shrieked in agony as he doubled over in pain, clutching his sides. It felt as if someone had grabbed each bone and was bending them like blades of grass. He thought he could hear something snap, but the sound of the blood pounding and roaring in his ears was too loud for him to be sure.

As the boy tried to clutch at his clothing for comfort, he suddenly realized that he couldn’t move his fingers. As he raised his hands towards his face, he watched in stunned horror as his fingers began to fuse together right before his eyes and turned a hauntingly beautiful shade of pure white.

As the agonizing pain of the transformation continued, the awful throbbing feeling was joined by an unbearable, burning sensation. It felt as if his skin was on fire. And as the burning continued, Midoriya watched as his white clothing began to change into glistening white feathers that layered themselves along his body.

Midoriya closed his eyes as tightly as he could. He didn’t want to watch. He just wanted the pain to go away. He just wanted to escape it. Stop the fire.

Water. Water put out fires.

Midoriya was surrounded by water.

Fighting through the pain, Midoriya did his best to submerge his entire body beneath the lake's surface, as deep as he could go. He didn’t even care to hold his breath as his head went under.

And just like that, the pain was gone.

Midoriya quickly kicked his feet as hard as he could until his head broke the surface. He breathed heavily and stared around in panic.

“Fitting, I suppose.” Shigaraki spoke calmly from where he was standing at the water's edge. The last rays of the setting sun bounced off his chalky hair and made it glow like a spirit around his hooded face. “Your mother had always been so fond of swans.”

Midoriya cocked his head to the side, confused.

He tried to open his mouth to ask what the evil man had done, but instead of words leaving his mouth, a loud honk echoed across the lake.

He tried again, but the same thing happened.

Was there a bird nearby? A swan? Is that why Shigaraki has mentioned them?

Midoriya looked around for a moment, searching for the source of the sound, before he looked down at the water.

Instead of seeing his own reflection on its dark surface, an unfamiliar face stared back at him. The face had a small, white head with beady, dark eyes that led into a deep orange bill. Midoriya immediately recognized the beautiful creature as a white swan.

What was it doing underneath the surface like that? Midoriya moved his head closer to the water to get a better look at the bird.

But the bird moved closer as well.

Midoriya moved his head to the side.

The swan moved its head to the side.

Wait…

It couldn’t be…

That was him.

Shigaraki had turned him into a swan.

“Beautiful, aren’t you?” The sorcerer chuckled as Midoriya panicked, beating his large wings frantically, sending white feathers and water flying.

“Oh, dear prince, no need to look so scared.” He said this with false concern as he mockingly scattered some seeds onto the lake's dark, crystal surface, a few sinking into the inky blackness and disappearing from sight.

Midoriya turned to stare at the man, his dark eyes filled with hatred. He quickly pecked at the floating seeds in defiance, pushing as many as he could beneath the surface.

“Come now,” Shigaraki sighed. “Look up. What do you see?”

Midoriya turned his long neck to stare up at the sky, only to be met by the first light of the moon. It shined softly onto the water, directly beneath where Midoriya was gently floating.

A sudden warmth flooded over Midoriya’s small feathered body, but unlike the previous sensation, this was pleasant and soothing. Midoriya didn’t even notice as a tendril of water rose and swirled around him, slowly shedding the boy of his smooth feathers, causing them to seemingly dissolve into the water around him as his clothes reformed. Hidden from sight by the surge of water, the swan’s back straightened and his legs elongated until the water disappeared, leaving a human prince in its wake.

Midoriya stared down at his hands and wiggled his fingers. He felt the soft skin of his face being tickled by the curly hair lying on his forehead. He was human again.

Shigaraki chuckled. “See? When the moonlight touches your wings, you turn back into a human.”

Midoriya stared up at the sorcerer.

He was human. He had legs.

So he used them.

He ran.

He ran as quickly as he could out of the water and past the sorcerer, of whom, to his surprise, didn’t make chase.

But he froze as the voice called back to him.

“You can run as far as you’d like, little prince, but the second the first ray of light shines down, you’ll turn back into a swan, no matter where you are.”

He then pointed upwards at the moon hanging in the dark sky. “You’ll only turn back into a human if the moonlight touches your wings on the surface of this lake. You can fly back to your little Prince Todoroki if you’d like, but if he doesn’t even really love you now, as you do believe, I doubt he would love you as a swan.” The man laughed maniacally.

“Keep Todoroki’s name out of your filthy mouth.” Midoriya hissed viscously, but he couldn’t help as fat, wet tears began to stream down his cheeks.

“Oh, struck a nerve, did I?” Shigaraki raised an eyebrow. “You can see your little prince again if you’d like,” the man cooed. “If you agree to marry me.”

“I will never marry you!” Midoriya cried, collapsing to the ground and sobbing viciously.

“I'm afraid that’s the only way to break your little spell.” Shigaraki hissed through his teeth. He then froze, glancing sideways at the prince. “Oh, well, I suppose the spell can also be broken one other way.”

Midoriya sniffled and stared back up at the man, his eyes filled with defiance and pain. “And what is that?” He spat.

“If your dear little Princey pronounces his love to you.”

Midoriya closed his fist tightly. Was that really all it took? Then Midoriya could run to him now and accept his proposal, and then everything—

“But it can be any normal vow.” Shigaraki continued. “It must be a true, unwavering vow of everlasting love, made out for the whole world to know. And if he makes this vow to someone else, well…” That horrible, sinister smile spread across the man’s face. “You will die, little swan.”

The hope that Midoriya had in his heart was shattered with those few words. If there was even the slightest doubt in Todoroki’s heart over his love for Midoriya, then Midoriya would be stuck here forever. And if Todoroki fell in love with someone else…

The tears continued to pour from Midoriya’s eyes, and he sat hopeless in the dark grass, sure he would spend the rest of eternity wasting away on this old lake.

With his final declaration, Shigaraki spun with a flourish of his robe and walked off in the direction of the old castle, leaving Midoriya crying along the edge of the lake. “Your kingdom will be mine, little Princey, no matter how long it takes for you to accept that.”

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“I know he’s out there, Iida.”

Todoroki spoke softly, yet with conviction, as he quickly loaded another arrow into his quiver. Orange sunlight weaved its way between the trees covering the archery range, spotting over the grass like sparkling confetti.

“Are you sure, your highness?” Iida said as he fumbled with his own bow for a moment. “You said it yourself; the carriage and everyone in it were massacred.”

“But there were bodies, Iida.” Todoroki shot before quieting himself as he pulled the bowstring back and aimed towards the big Red Bull’s eye on the far-off tree. His pricing, cold eyes zeroed in with icy focus on his target. With a deep breath, he released.

The arrow went whizzing through the air until it found its mark with deadly accuracy in the bark of the tree.

“Izuku’s body wasn’t there.” Todoroki lowered his bow and continued, uninterested in his own display of amazing marksmanship as he went to load another arrow into his bow string. “Which means he could have escaped, or worse, been captured by this… this great ‘animal’.”

“I heard that the surviving guard finally awoke. Did he have anything to say about the attack or this supposed ‘great animal”?” Iida said, before taking his own moment of silence to release his arrow towards the next tree over. His arrow stuck fast as well, but not quite as accurately as the prince’s.

“No.” Todoroki sighed, shaking his head. His pale, calloused fingers fiddled with the arrow in his hand. “The man has no recollection of the event whatsoever. He is of no use to my search in his delirium.”

Iida stared over at the lost-in-thought prince, his brow furrowed. Todoroki and Iida had spent days doing nothing but searching for news of the missing prince. They had asked around the village, searched the woods, and scoured the grand library for books referencing the ‘great animal’, but so far, their search had been in vain. Iida was beginning to lose hope that Prince Midoriya still even existed on the same worldly plain as the living.

Prince Todoroki was mumbling to himself under his breath as he finally knocked the arrow onto his bow. His teal and gray eyes were pointed down at his weapon, but it seemed as if he were looking at something entirely different. Iida hadn’t the slightest clue as to what could have been going through the man’s mind.

Todoroki had always been something of a mystery to all who met him. He was very calm yet blunt, a trait that often deterred people away from him. But he never seemed to mind that all that much. The fewer people he had to talk to, the happier he was.

The boy always kept to himself if he could help it. And when the introverted prince did spend time with other people, he preferred for it to be one-on-one. Other than that, he spent his time alone practicing archery, reading, and exploring the woods. He absolutely loved being alone in the woods. In fact, Iida has lost count of how many times now the stoic prince tried to escape his watchful eye to venture into nature alone.

Todoroki had always been a very distant, cold person. It had taken Iida years to get him to even slightly open up to him, but now the prince seemed to be closing his doors again.

Of course, Iida could understand why. The boy had just accepted that he had feelings for someone, only to have those feelings denied and the one he loved taken away from him, seemingly forever.

But he couldn’t sulk forever, and the prince had been missing for two weeks now. It was highly unlikely that he was still alive.

“Your Highness,” Iida said carefully yet forcefully. “I think it’s time that we head back to the castle. You need to begin writing your speech for the King's funeral and his royal highness Prince Midoriya’s vigil, and—”

Whirrzzzzz

Iida caught the arrow in his fist moments before it made contact with the bridge of his nose.

“He’s alive.”

Todoroki’s tone was as cold as ice as he lowered his bow. His gaze stayed locked with Iida’s for a moment longer, until he quickly turned away and began gathering his things. “I’m not writing a vigil speech for someone who isn’t dead.”

Iida sighed and lowered the arrow away from his face while adjusting his skewed glasses. “Your Highness, how many times have I told you not to fire arrows directly at me unless we are engaging in Catch and Fire!?” The knight huffed. “Yes, I have quick enough reflexes to catch them, but it is still quite rude. And what if one day I don’t catch it? I would rather like to leave my face in one piece!”

“Fine.” Todoroki replied quietly. “Catch and Fire, then. But if I pierce the apple, I’m not writing that speech.”

“You know that’s not my call to make. You need to make this speech in order to ease our kingdom and his royal highness Prince Midoriya’s kingdom's suspicion. They need to know that your father had nothing to do with King Toshinori’s death or the prince’s disappearance. Or would you rather listen to Prince Touya come up with an excuse for your lost fiancé?” Iida said, pulling the strap of his quiver up higher on his shoulder. “Also, that bargain in Catch and Fire is entirely unfair. You always hit your mark.”

Todoroki grunted in response and pulled a crisp, green apple out of one of the saddlebags attached to the saddle of his nearby horse. The animal huffed in excitement at the sight of the apple, and with a sigh, Todoroki pulled out a second apple, a red one, to feed to the horse. The white horse took the offer graciously.

“How about this,” the prince began softly. “You catch the arrow before it pierces the apple, and I’ll write the speech without any complaints.”

“I believe that deal is now unfair to you instead.” Iida said, skeptically taking the green apple Todoroki handed out to him. “I always catch your arrows. My reflexes are unmatched. That is why I was assigned to be your guard after all.”

“Then why are you complaining? Get up against the tree already.” The prince said to his knight as he slowly walked to the opposite side of the wooded archery range.

Iida sighed as he set his quiver down beside the tree and retrieved a single arrow from it. “I don’t know what you’re scheming, but I don’t know how you plan on winning this bet.” He carefully balanced the apple so that it found support against the tree as it balanced on the top of his head. “Ready, your highness.” The knight called out to the prince across the way.

Todoroki was carefully tying a piece of black cloth over his eyes as a blindfold before turning around to face away from Iida and giving a slight nod.

Taking a deep breath, Iida loaded the single arrow into his bow, making sure not to move too much and disturb the apple. “Ready…”

Another breath, and he aimed the arrow at the prince's blue-clothed back. “Aiming…”

And then he released. “Firing!”

The arrow whistled through the air with astounding speed, reaching the prince in the blink of an eye.

But before it could make contact, the prince spun around, snatching the arrow straight out of the air. With a flourish of his wrist, the arrow was loaded into his own bow and sent speedily returning towards its original releaser with unrivaled force and aim.

It screamed through the air like a falcon, directly on track to split the green apple atop Iida’s head clean in two.

But a strong fist curled its fingers around the shaft of the arrow before it could, stopping it in its destructive path.

“And there you have it.” Iida said with a sigh as he lowered the arrow and removed the apple from above his head. “I told you I always catch your arrows. So that means you will have to wr—”

Iida stopped speaking as he watched, bewildered, as the prince untied his own blindfold and smirked at him. “Sir Iida, what do you suppose happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?”

“What do you…” Iida raised an eyebrow.

The prince simply turned away from his knight and quickly mounted his horse. He gave one last glance down at the confused young man.

“You said it yourself: I never miss my mark.”

Todoroki gave his white steed a firm tap to the side with his foot, and it began trotting off in response, leaving the confused knight standing alone in the afternoon light of the archery range.

Slowly, Iida looked down at the green apple clutched in his fist and flipped it over.

There, a solitary drop of juice dripped down from a small split in the ripe green skin of the apple, barely deeper than the claw of a small cat.

“Well, would you look at that?” Iida chuckled in amazement to himself as he stared at the fruit. “He pierced the apple.”

Iida offered the apple to his dark stallion before quickly mounting it and following after his master.

“His majesty is going to wring my neck when I try to explain this to him…”

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“I’m telling you! We just have to get out of here, beat up that Shigaraki guy and the spell will be broken!”

On the moonlit shore of the inky lake, a reddish-snapping turtle hopped excitedly back and forth on its little, scaly legs.

“But how do you expect us to do that?” A small green frog croaked in reply. “We’re animals. And not even scary ones, for that matter. I’ll just end up as fried frog legs. Kero.”

“We can’t do that, Kirishima.” Midoriya said with a sigh, sadly smiling down at the turtle.

Shortly after Midoriya had arrived at the abandoned castle ruins, the two talking animals had come to his aid. As soon as they realized that this human could understand them, they calmed him and soothed his broken heart as much as they could.

They had told him they had been cursed long ago by the great sorcerer as well for trespassing on the land when they were younger. They had long given up hope of returning to their old bodies, but they were determined to help the prince. They were Midoriya’s only company in his misery and he had quickly grown fond of the two creatures. Kirishima was sweet and optimistic, and the small frog, Asui, was smart and to the point. They were both wonderful companions to have.

“As I told you, in order for me to become human again, Todoroki must make me a vow of everlasting love.” Midoriya explained to the turtle, Kirishima.

“So then we just have to find this prince!” Kirishima continued enthusiastically.

Midoriya shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”

“Why not? Kero?” Asui, the little green frog, said from where she sat on Midoriya’s knee.

“Because he can’t have any doubts in his heart about the fact that he loves me. If he questions his love even the slightest bit, then it isn’t a true vow of everlasting love.”

“Why in the world do you have to get this guy in particular to make the vow? Can’t some other guy do it?” Kirishima said with a huff. “I’ll do it if you need me to!” The turtle offered.

“That’s very sweet of you, Kirishima, but I’m afraid it has to be him. Because I love him.” The prince said this, carefully moving the frog from his knee to the ground.

“And you don’t think he is sure of his love for you?” She said as she hopped from his hands and into the short grass.

Midoriya stood up and stared across the dark lake, chuckling softly. “No, I do think he loves me. I just think he is unsure of whether I do or not. After all, I did decline his proposal. But I do really love him, and I hope with all of my heart that he knows that.”

“Why don’t you tell us a bit about him? Kero.” Asui croaked gently. “What about him makes you like him so much?”

“Well,” Midoriya started up at the half moon hanging in the starry night sky. “He can be a bit blunt at times and harsh. And he always tells me that I’m strange for liking fairytales so much…”

“This guy sounds like he’s kind of a jerk…” Kirishima said quietly.

“Shush.” The frog whispered back.

“But he is also intelligent and bold. He is incredibly brave and a good listener. He is always the best at everything he does. Except for emotions. He’s kind of bad with those.” A tiny, sweet smile spread over the boy’s freckled face. “Though sometimes he has these sweet quiet moments where I’ll catch him feeding a bird when he thinks no one is watching or picking things up for the maids when they drop something. Not to mention, he is attractive. And always has been. With his beautiful teal and gray eyes. And the bicolor hair…”

“It seems to me like you like him a whole lot. Kero.” Asui spoke softly.

Midoriya gave a small nod, a gentle blush decorating his face. “I guess you could say that.”

“Well, if you like him so much, why did you turn down his proposal?” Kirishima asked.

The prince’s smile grew a bit more distant as he searched for an answer. “Because I wasn’t sure if he loved me. But…” Midoriya turned away from the lake and stared off into the dark woods. His hands clutched near his chest, where his missing golden locket used to sit. “And I know this may sound crazy, but somehow… I know that I was very wrong. I have this feeling that he does love me very much. And that maybe, just maybe, he is already on his way to save me right now as we speak.”

“That is a little crazy…” Kirishima whispered to himself.

“And if I could just break this horrible spell,” Midoriya shut his eyes tightly, envisioning running into his prince’s open and waiting arms. “I’d run to him right now and tell him. Tell him that I do love him and have always loved him.” He took a deep breath and clutched his hands even closer to his heart. “Far longer than forever.” He whispered beneath his breath. “I’ve loved him far longer than forever. And when I get back to him…”

The two animals sitting on the shore watched in silent wonder as the boy slowly held out his arms to the air. His body swayed back and forth as he spun in gentle circles, mimicking the beautiful ballroom dancing he had watched and practiced as a small child. As he swayed with his imaginary love underneath the broken archway, his soft smile was as radiant as the autumn sun.

“... I’ll hold him so tightly that I’ll never let go. And even if I do end up never getting back to him…” The young prince steadily came to a halt and slowly opened his emerald eyes, staring once again up at the half moon. “He’ll still be here with me, far longer than forever, in my heart and mind. Because I do believe we were meant to be, no matter what force tries to keep us apart.”

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

Staring at the same moon on the other side of the forest was another prince, standing on the balcony of a castle. His smooth red and white hair swayed gently in the cold night breeze as he leaned against the railing of the great balcony, looking out over the dark and quiet woods.

He held Midoriya’s golden locket close to his heart as he bathed in the moon's soft glow. Holding on to its cold, smooth surface, it washed him clean of all his worries. It stole away the loud, angry yelling, strangers holding out their greasy hands, standing up straight, and waving until your arm grew sore. Nothing mattered at that moment other than the locket in his hand.

“I know you’re out there, Midoriya, no matter what everyone else says. And once I find you, I’ll make you believe that I love you. Without a doubt.” He whispered quietly to the locket. “I’ll remind you every day if I have to, so that you’ll never forget.”

With a sigh, he latched the locket around his neck so that it brushed softly against his own matching locket. “These lockets were made as a promise that our love would last for a lifetime and beyond—far longer than forever. And I promise, I will find my way to you. Wherever you are, No matter what it takes.”

The young prince stared up at the sky as the stars whispered to one another, telling stories of gentle, happy memories. The moon sadly smiled down at the boy, who was lost in his thoughts, oblivious to their gossip and the heartbreak he would face ahead of him.

But as the two star-crossed lovers stared up at the same shining moon, like they had last summer while they sat on a grassy hill, they felt the other’s presence, and their hearts grew warm, despite the dangers. Underneath that very moon, they made their promises to find their way back to each other, no matter who or what tired to keep them apart.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

“Help! Ahhhhhhhh! Someone help! Someone help meeeeeee!”

Midoriya was quickly pulled from his love-stricken daydreams by the sound of swiftly approaching yelling.

“What in the world is that awful screeching sound?” Asui turned her small green head from left to right, searching for the source.

The trio then watched in shock and confusion as a decently sized black and white bird with a colorful beak came crashing down to earth. It immediately passed out on the ground and let out a last pitiful squawk.

“Is that…” Midoriya stared at the strange bird.

“It’s a... puffin.” Asui finished, gawking in disbelief.

The reason why it had come crashing down became very evident as Midoriya approached the bird; A large arrow had lodged itself underneath the poor puffin's right wing.

“Is it dead?” Kirishima asked as he prodded the strange bird with his beak.

“I don’t think so.” Midoriya bent down next to the comatose animal and inspected the arrow. “A wound like this shouldn’t cause death. But we can’t just leave him like this either.”

Midoriya carefully placed his hands on either side of the arrow and gently snapped it in two. The bird winced in pain but didn’t awaken. Midoriya then slid the two parts of the arrow out of the puffin’s wing before quickly tearing off a corner of his white blouse and wrapping it around the wound.

“Do you think it’ll be o—” Asui began to ask, but as if seemingly to answer her question, the puffin’s eyes shot wide open, and he sprung to his feet.

“Ahhh! Another person! Please don’t hurt me! I’m not really a puffin! Believe me! I’m begging you! Puhllleeeaaassseee!” It pressed its wings together in a begging-like motion.

“Calm down! I’m not going to hurt you!” Midoriya said quickly, unsure of how to handle the situation.

The bird froze as soon as Midoriya spoke to him. His little eyes wandered up and down the prince, studying him in a quiet moment of disbelief. “Wait… You… You can actually understand me?”

Midoriya nodded, and the bird stared at him in amazement before suddenly seeming to notice something else.

“You-you're the prince.”

Before Midoriya could either confirm or deny the fact that he was indeed a prince, the puffin began to jump wildly around, squawking at the top of his lungs. He was clearly excited about something. “I’ve done it! I’ve done it! I found the missing prince! His Highness is going to be so pleased with me!” He cried.

The three others looked at one another, confused, before Midoriya turned back towards the bird. “Umm… I am indeed Prince Midoriya if that’s the name of the prince you are looking for. Who sent you to find me?”

The puffin stopped its funny little dance and seemed to suddenly realize how silly it was acting. “Oh, umm… excuse my manners, your highness.” The puffin stood tall in front of where Midoriya was sitting and gave a little puffin bow. “My name is Sir Denki Kaminari. I was sent by his royal highness, Prince Shoto Todoroki, to find the missing prince, his royal highness, Prince Izuku Midoriya. I am a proud member of the roy—“

“Oh! I know you!” A big smile spread across the prince’s face. “You’re the funny guard in training that used to talk with me!”

The puffin was seemingly caught off guard for a moment as the prince smiled at him. “You—you remember me, your highness?”

“Of course I do!” Midoriya assured the little puffin. “You were always so nice to me, but you disappeared the summer after we turned sixteen.”

“That’s because I moved on to the next portion of my training.” The puffin said it proudly. “I was stationed mainly in the village, so I wasn’t inside the castle much.”

“So does that mean that you're now an official royal guard?” Midoriya said with excitement, clearly quite proud of his old friend.

The puffin, Kaminari, seemed to deflate a bit in response to the well-meant question. “Well, usually I’m a member of the royal guard. Right now, I’m a bird.” He sighed. “I was stationed with a few other men to comb the Ruin Woods for any sign of you, but I ran into this creepy-looking guy, and next thing I knew, I got turned into this weird bird, and then all my buddies didn’t recognize me, so they were chasing after me and they shot me, with an arrow, and I fell from the sky and—”

“Woah, slow down, buddy!” Kirishima said, approaching Kaminari.

The puffin responded by jumping a few inches off the ground as the words left Kirishima’s turtle beak. “Ahhh! That turtle just spoke to me!”

Kirishima narrowed his eyes, and Midoriya could almost imagine the confused face the snapping turtle would have if he were human. “Dude, and you’re a talking puffin.” The turtle reasoned. “Why are you yelling?”

“Wait, hold on.” The puffin turned to look around at the turtle and the small frog. “Were you two turned into animals as well by that really scary guy? The one with the crazy blue hair and gross dry skin?”

The little frog nodded in response. “I’m really a human girl. My name is Tsuyu Asui. But please, call me Tsu. I’m the daughter of one of the town fishermen. Kero.”

“And I’m Eijirou Kirishima! I’m a really cool, manly dude with dark hair and big muscles! I’m super manly!” The little turtle stated it proudly. “I’m the son of... well...” He thought for a moment before his smile quickly returned. “I’m the son of my parents!”

Asui rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Well, obviously.”

Kaminari nodded in greeting at the two before turning back to face Midoriya. “Well, it looks like his highness managed to escape that weird dude, at least.”

“Actually—” Midoriya began, but the happy little puffin interrupted.

“Don’t worry! As a proud member of the royal guard, I won’t let him lay a hand on you. Once I figure out how to turn back into a human, I’ll get you out of here and safely back to Prince Todoroki!” He puffed out his chest proudly before he mumbled to himself, “The prince would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”

“Kaminari…” Before Midoriya could continue, however, small sparks began to fizzle in the air around where he was seated in the grass. They quickly multiplied before a blinding burst of warm yellow light flooded the area.

The surrounding old willow trees bloomed with gorgeous purple flowers, and the archway returned to its former glory: sparkling and clean, with pink flowering vines gently curling up its sides. The dark grass turned a brilliant shade of green, and the lake sparkled with new life as its surface shifted from inky black to a crystal blue. Birds chirped happily all around in the trees.

“Quick! Hide!” Asui whispered urgently, and Kirishima grabbed a confused Kaminari’s good wing between his beak and pulled the group into the safe cover of a nearby bush.

Midoriya quickly stood up and stared at the glistening archway. He could feel the sorcerer's dark presence before he even came into view.

When he appeared around the archway, Shigaraki was dressed in a sparkling suit of golden armor, grinning from ear to ear with his horrible, chapped, sinister smile. A golden helmet with a large plume of purple feathers was propped beneath his arm.

“Your knight in shining armor has come to set you free.”

Midoriya turned away from Shigaraki, crossing his arms over his white-clothed chest.

“Come now, my little swan.” Shigaraki chuckled, getting down on one knee. “All it takes is one little word. Will you… ”

Angry, the prince spun around to face his captor, not even wanting to hear the end of the question he had heard so many times now. “You ask every night! And my answer remains the same.”

“No.” Shigaraki begged, but Midoriya continued.

“I’ll die before I marry you!” The prince turned away in defiance from Shigaraki.

The magic flickered for a moment before fizzing out completely, returning the riverside to its former state. Shigaraki’s jaw clenched as he hissed at the boy. “You test my patience, little prince. You can keep pushing, but one day… ”

“You can keep asking your sickening little question every night,” Midoriya growled, his bright green eyes burning with the ferocity of a wild beast. “But I’ll never give you my father’s kingdom!”

Shigaraki took a deep breath, calming his bubbling anger, and smirked at Midoriya. “I was hoping you would accept me tonight, but it seems you have never been very fond of accepting marriage proposals, whether they come from me or your darling little prince.”

Midoriya’s body tensed.

“Maybe you need some more time to think about your answer.” The sorcerer cackled and pointed toward the sky. Midoriya turned and stared in dismay and misery at the steadily brightening horizon.

The night was coming to an end.

Day was almost upon them.

“No…” The prince quietly whispered as the moon began to fade, Shigaraki’s cackling laughter only growing louder behind him.

Slowly, Midoriya stepped one foot after the other into the cold, icy shallows of the lake until the water pooled around the middle of his shins. Tears began to slide down his face as a bright light shone beneath the water's surface.

As the tendril of water rose from the lake, wrapping itself in a cocoon around Midoriya, tears flowed down his soft, freckled cheeks. He covered his face in shame as they continued, feeling the white feathers beginning to form underneath his fingertips on his tear-soaked cheeks. There was no pain other than the agonizing wails of his hurting heart—a heart wishing for the emotional torture to just end already. He quietly wished for things to return to the way they always had been. He wished he could go back in time. Back to a simpler time, even if it meant Todoroki would no longer love him again. Because then at least Midoriya could be near his love instead of chained to the sorcerer and his black magic. At least he could see Todoroki’s face, even if the boy didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

Midoriya would give anything to see those teal and gray eyes and soft, two-tone hair.

But he had to stay strong. He had to stay strong for him.

Shigaraki’s steadily fading laughter served as the morbid background music to the depressing display of entrapment as the boy was forced back into the cage of a body that was not his own. And as the water dispersed and he finally spread his large, snow-white wings, the first rosy light of day broke over the horizon, making each drop of water that had been disturbed by the gorgeous creature sparkle like a jewel as gravity brought it back down to the earth. The droplets caused ripples to cascade through the lake as they made contact with its surface, forming a weaving web of circles around the beautiful white swan, settling sadly on the glistening water.

The three small animals hiding nearby slowly emerged from their cover and gawked at the sad sight.

“The—the prince…” The small puffin said quietly in dismay. “He didn’t escape the sorcerer. He…”

The animals stared at the elegant creature floating sorrowfully on the lake. They watched helplessly as a single remaining drop of water slowly raced down the side of the swan’s snow-white face. It splashed silently into the water below, like a single tear, crying out its misery to the unforgiving world.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

Todoroki blinked his eyes steadily open. The bright light that was peeking through the large windows nearly blinded him.

Where was he?

This definitely wasn’t his personal chamber.

Todoroki blinked again, allowing his eyes to slowly adjust to the light before he carefully took in his surroundings.

He was sitting in a large, pale green chair by an unlit fireplace. Hundreds of books were piled high in messy stacks all around him.

As the morning fog in his mind began to fade, it all came back.

“I... fell asleep.” Todoroki mumbled softly, somewhat in disbelief.

The prince had spent the entire evening scouring through as many books as he could in the library. Every possible piece of literature that might hold even the smallest clue as to the presence of a “great animal”, was torn off the shelf and added to the massive piles around him. He must have fallen asleep while reading them, which would explain how it had suddenly become morning.

Todoroki rubbed his eyes and stretched, preparing to call for a maid and have breakfast brought here to the library so that he could continue his reading. But his eyes were suddenly drawn to one of the books sitting forgotten at the very bottom of one of the piles.

It was an old, leather-bound book with gold leaf lettering printed across the crumbling spine. The title read, “Sleeping Beauty”.

Todoroki’s brain quickly flashed back to a long-forgotten memory of this exact library from many years ago.

A small boy excitedly asking a servant to fetch a few fairy tales from the old shelves. On top of the stack handed to him was an old, leather-bound book.

The exact book he was now staring at.

Curious, Todoroki bent down and carefully removed the old book from the bottom of the pile.

Breakfast could wait just a little longer.

He slowly brushed the cover of the book with his hand, removing the thick layer of dust as best he could. A bit of the gold leaf title flaked beneath his touch.

Carefully, he opened the dusty cover of the old book to the first page and sat down.

Curly letters glided across the paper, telling the story of a beautiful young princess forced to sleep for eternity by a jealous witch. The pages were filled with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations unlike anything he had ever seen.

Finding himself somewhat entranced, Todoroki flipped to the next page.

A beautiful illustration unfolded before him of a blonde maiden pricking her finger on a glowing spinning wheel.

Now fully immersed, Todoroki kept reading.

He read of a brave young prince, an old friend of the princess, venturing to the sleeping kingdom. The brave prince hacked away at countless briars in a labyrinth of thorns and roses, fighting to reach his true love, sleeping in a great tower. He ventured tirelessly until he was met by the great and terrible witch at the end.

Todoroki's eyes widened at the sight that met him when he turned the next page.

A full-page illustration depicted the terrible sorceress shifting into a great and monstrous dragon. The black dragon spewed green fire and slashed at the brave prince with its massive talons.

“A great animal…” Todoroki muttered to himself, quickly flipping the paper to continue the story.

He read on to the prince defeating the terrible dragon and climbing the great tower, waking the sleeping princess with a gentle kiss. Six massive, curly words were written on the very last page of the book.

“And they lived happily ever after.”

“A great animal…” Todoroki muttered to himself once again before his eyes widened.

“That’s it!” He whispered in realization and triumph, rising quickly from his seat.

The doors to the library quickly opened behind him as he rose from his chair, and Iida swiftly entered the room.

“Oh, there you are, your highness. I should have known I’d find you here. His majesty was looking for you. Despite your not speaking, he said the event last night went swimmingly. I think all the details have been neatly smoothed over with the other kingdom. The only concern your father had was those two young royals who kept asking to speak with you. That blonde one was particularly disruptive, don't you think?” The boy sighed. “His majesty was seemingly very annoyed by them. Which is understandable. He wishes to discuss—”

Iida was cut short when Todoroki quickly walked over to him and firmly grasped his shoulders. The knight was shocked and, frankly, somewhat terrified by the uncharacteristic look of soft glee on the usually stoic prince’s face.

“I finally understand, Iida!” The prince laughed, shaking his friend's shoulders slightly.

“What—what in the world has gotten into you, your highness?” Iida said, shouting in concern. “You are acting strange! Are you ill?”

“No, no, you don’t understand.” Todoroki said, quickly snatching up the older leather book from the pale green chair and displaying the illustration of the dragon to his friend. “I think I know what the great animal is!”

Iida raised an eyebrow skeptically, staring down at the illustration. “Umm, so why are you showing me this old children’s book?”

“Look, Iida.” Todoroki pointed at the dragon. “The sorcerer changes into a great beast. A dragon. Or some other monster. This must be what the king meant! A sorcerer!”

He pointed to a line of curly letters on the next page. Iida’s dark eyes quickly scanned the words.

“The wicked sorcerer cackled at the prince and then turned into a great animal: a dragon.”

Iida looked at his master, concern and skepticism clearly visible on his face. “Well, there aren’t any sorcerers in our kingdom. They were all banished years a—”

“But what if there is?”

Todoroki quickly scrambled back over to the pile of literature, almost tripping over his own feet, (Iida was baffled by the usually composed prince’s act of clumsiness.) and slipped out a few crumpled pieces of paper from between a few books. “There have been sightings of a strange cloaked man in the village.” He showed Iida the papers, which turned out to be town folk complaints and newspaper clippings. “And people have been going missing. Not to mention all the reports of strange lights and sounds coming from the woods.”

Iida adjusted the glasses atop his nose. “I think you may be jumping to conclusions, your highness. And you really should be more focused on other things than these decaying old books and outdated papers. I’m afraid the dust may be getting to you. Maybe you should go do something else. Like starting to plan for the upcoming ball or joining your—”

“What ball?” Todoroki glared at the knight as he slowly returned to sorting through a few of the books.

“Have you not been listening to a word I’ve been saying these past few days?” Iida asked before clearing his throat. “His majesty has arranged for a ball to take place in two days' time. Nobles of all standings from all over the world are coming in hopes of being chosen as your future spouse. You father says you must choose—”

“What?” The prince stopped rummaging through the books, an ice-cold glare frozen on Iida.

Iida sighed. “I said your father has ordered you to choose a spouse, your highness. He demands it.”

“I don’t care what that old man demands.” Todoroki growled, his voice filled with venom. “The only person I will marry is Prince Izuku. And I will find him.”

“Well, I suppose you will have to find him in two days' time.” Iida said it as sarcastically as his serious nature would allow.

“Then I’ll do just that.”

The prince shoved past Iida and marched out of the library, the storybook still clasped beneath his arm. Newfound willpower surged through him now that he was closer to the truth. He would find his prince, no matter what it took. And they too would live “happily ever after.” Just like in the storybook. Todoroki would be sure of it.

As soon as Todoroki made his way around the corner, however, he came face-to-face with a woman. She was older, with a sharp face and light features. Her snow-white hair was pulled up into an attempt at a neat bun. It was slightly hidden by her tiara, which was decorated with dull jewels that matched her pale eyes and smooth, fading dress.

Todoroki’s mother; The Queen.

“Mother.” Todoroki stopped dead in his tracks.

His mother had a somewhat guilty look on her face, and it was instantly apparent that she had been listening in on his and Iida’s conversation, if not entirely on purpose. “You’re still looking for him?” She asked quietly, and Todoroki responded with a nod.

“Do you really still think he could be alive?”

“I do.” Todoroki said, meeting his mother’s gaze. “Which is why I refuse to take part in Father’s silly party.”

Rei looked at her youngest child with a calm yet concerned expression, her gray eyes focused on his. “You can continue looking for him, Shoto, but your father will not take no for an answer.”

“He’ll have to.” Todoroki said with a quiet growl.

“Shoto, listen to me.” The mother placed a cold hand on Todoroki’s cheek. “I do believe you will find him. Whether that is dead or alive, I’m not sure. I can do my best to convince Enji to delay a wedding, but I can’t delay this party. The invitations have already been delivered.”

Todoroki moved his face away from his mother’s hand but nodded in thanks. “Promise?”

“I promise.” Rei said as she drew her hand back to her side.

Her son quickly walked around his distant mother and continued down the hallway, his footsteps filled with intent.

Rei stood quietly, watching her son quietly disappear around the end of the hallway as Iida slowly exited the library and stood behind the queen. The two watched silently in mutual understanding. They both didn’t say anything out loud, but somewhere deep in their hearts, they did believe that the young prince would find Midoriya. No matter what it took.

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“So we just have to find a way to get you back to the prince, right?”

The little puffin paced back and forth on the water's edge. The swan, frog, and turtle listened skeptically.

“Well, he can’t exactly go back to him like this.” Asui croaked, nodding at the swan.

Midoriya nodded his white-feathered head in agreement. “He wouldn’t recognize me as anything more than a normal swan.”

“What if he tries to shoot him down?!” Kirishima worried aloud.

“I’m not sure if he would.” Midoriya reassured the turtle. “But it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. Todoroki is an excellent marksman.”

“That would not be good. Kero.” Asui added.

“I was never that great with a bow, but it seemed like Todoroki was the greatest in the world at it.” Midoriya said. “He can perfectly shoot any target from such a great distance that it seems like it should be impossible. Even moving ones. He can also do it on horseback, which is just…” His voice was filled with awe.

“Yo! That’s super manly!” Kirishima said with excitement. “I’d love to learn archery. But… you know.” He motioned with his head down at himself. “Turtles can’t hold bows very well.” The turtle rested his head sadly in the grass and sulked. “Darn it. I miss my opposable thumbs.”

“I liked having hair.” Asui croaked longingly.

“And eating food other than bugs and fish!” Kirishima pouted. “I miss good meat. Like shish kabobs! Boy, do I miss grilled shish kabobs.”

“Fresh bread!” Asui added in. “That was really good. I think. I can really remember what it tasted like. Kero.”

“It is pretty good.” Midoriya answered.

The turtle slightly lifted his head from the ground and looked at the swan. “You don’t have to rub it in, man.”

Midoriya nodded apologetically before turning his attention to both the turtle and the frog. “How long have you two been here anyway?” Midoriya asked.

“I’ve been here the longest.” Kirishima answered first. “But to be honest, I’ve lost track of exactly how many years. I know I was around fourteen years old when I stumbled into these woods.”

“Really?” Midoriya looked surprised. “Didn’t your parents or other family members come looking for you? Friends maybe?”

The turtle shook his head. “I don’t really have any family or friends. I lived alone in a shabby little shack that I rented with manual labor. I was a big kid, so I was pretty good at helping out around the town.”

“My dad was actually the first one to notice he’d gone missing.” Asui croaked. “He used to help Dad haul his nets down at the harbor. Kero.”

Midoriya looked down at the little green frog. “Did your family not come looking for you either?”

“I don’t know for certain.” She croaked honestly. “I’m sure they did try to look for me, but I doubt they would search the Ruin Woods. They probably lost hope after a few years.”

“So, why did you both come out here in the first place anyway?” The swan asked.

“I was looking for Kirishima.” Asui croaked. “He had last been spotted near the woods, so I figured he might be inside. But as I went farther in, I got lost. Then, the next thing I knew, I ran into the scary man. Kero.”

“I went in 'cause I wanted to test my strength!” Kirishima stated proudly. “And what better place than a scary old forest? Of course,” he continued. “I found scarier things out here than I bargained for.”

“Hey, listen to me! Enough depressing stuff! We have important things to talk about.” Kaminari flapped his wings to get the others' attention. “I have a plan to help his highness!”

“Can’t you see that we’re reminiscing here?” Kirishima said, turning to the puffin.

“That’s not important right now!” Kaminari squawked. “What’s important is helping the prince!”

“He’s right.” Asui said with a little shrug. “What’s your plan, Kaminari?”

“It’s easy, really.” The little puffin explained. “All his highness needs to do is fly to prince Todoroki, bring him back here to the lake, wait for the moon to come up so Prince Midoriya changes into a prince, kiss, and voilà! Happily ever after!”

“Dude, have you been listening to anything we said earlier?” Kirishima grumbled. “What if the other prince tries to shoot down Midoriya?” The turtle motioned towards the swan with his beak. “Cause right now, if you haven’t noticed, he looks more like the marriage dinner than the one getting married.”

The prince honked in alarm.

“Then we just have to dodge long enough to get him to follow us!” Kaminari said. He proudly puffed out his chest. “Not to brag or anything, but I’m pretty fast.”

Kirishima would have raised an eyebrow if he had any.

“It may be our only hope.” Asui croaked. “Kirishima and I won’t be of much help for the chase, but we might be able to slow him down a bit as he reaches the shore. Prince Midoriya will be most vulnerable on the lake, so we have to make sure Prince Todoroki doesn’t have time to shoot his bow. Kero.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Midoriya said with a nervous nod. “The sun will be setting soon, so we better hurry.”

“Good luck, you two.” Kirishima called out as the two birds spread their wings and took off into the sky, determined to succeed in their mission.

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“This is a waste of time, your highness.” Iida said as the two walked through the old forest. They had to unmount and tie up their horses when the trees got too thick and were forced to proceed on foot. Iida had already stubbed his toe on a particularly large root and was very clearly quite over with this whole excursion. The issue was that if he left the prince on his own, the king would surely have his head.

“Whoever took Izuku must be hiding somewhere out here. It’s the only place we still haven’t checked.” Todoroki said calmly, his quiver and bow hugging tightly around his chest. “All we need is a clue of some sort.”

“What sort of ‘clue’ do you expect to find all the way out here?!” Iida grumbled.

“Anything. A sign of some kind; a boot print. There must be something.” The prince kneeled down and studied the crisp, fallen leaves beneath his feet, checking for any disturbances.

“So let me get this straight.” Iida waved his hand through the air, annoyed. “You’re going to base the idea that some rogue sorcerer is hiding out here in the woods strictly on the fact that a few subjects complained of disappearances and a ‘strange looking’ man?”

Todoroki nodded once, half listening as he searched for clues.

“You really must be more reasonable, Prince Todoroki.” Iida said anxiously, his hand movements growing faster and more elaborate with each word. “There are constant complaints such as these in the village! The missing people probably just got lost and were eaten by animals in the woods! And the cloaked man is probably just some harmless traveling salesman, beggar, or something of that sort!”

“Two of the people that went missing were two children beloved by the townspeople. One was the daughter of a town fisherman. She took care of many of the younger town children. The other was a kind young man known for helping out around the village. Everyone knew him.” Todoroki explained. “They were both well-behaved and well-liked. The young man was last seen near the woods, so he could likely have been out here. And if one person was kidnapped here, it’s possible Izuku was as well.”

“So you’re implying someone kidnapped them in the woods?” Iida squinted in annoyance. “Where is the ransom note, then?”

“What I’m ‘implying’ is that it’s worth checking out.” Todoroki said softly.

Iida sighed loudly and rubbed his temples with his fingers. “This is a wild goose chase, Your Highness.”

Todoroki shrugged. “Just wait until I find him. Then you'll see it was all worth it.”

Iida looked down at the prince, crouched in the leaves next to him. “I’m just confused, I suppose.” He said honestly. Todoroki raised an eyebrow at his knight as the dark-haired young man continued speaking. “Only a year or two ago, you couldn’t stand this boy. You used to spend hours complaining about how he was so annoyingly optimistic and how you wanted him gone. But now that he really is gone, you are out here day after day, seemingly chasing him around the world. What happened to cause such a drastic change to take place within you?”

Todoroki remained silent for a few moments and stared off into the trees. His eyes were glassy and distant as if the question had teleported him to another world. “I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?” Iida scoffed in disbelief. “All this searching, and you’re ‘not sure?’”

“I think I just… noticed something that I never had before.” The scarred prince said quietly as he picked up a leaf and twisted its stem between his fingers thoughtfully.

Iida listened quietly.

“I was too focused on my hatred towards my father and my need to get revenge to ever see him for what he truly is and was. I just hated him because, in doing so, I was going against my father’s wishes.” Todoroki continued. “I think, somewhere deep inside, I was always somewhat awestruck by Izuku. I’m just… I’m just not sure why.”

The prince moved the leaf between his two hands, seemingly searching for the right words. “He’s just so…” Todoroki shrugged his shoulders. “You know… There’s just that… What’s the word?” A small, dreamy smile graced his face, and Iida sighed.

“I’m not sure if I understand, Your Highness.” The knight said it with a chuckle. The prince shrugged sheepishly.

“I think I’ve come to the conclusion that words just can’t describe Izuku.” Todoroki sighed, attempting to regain his composure.

“Well, I’ll be.” Iida exhaled in amusement. “It really would seem you are too love-sick for words.”

“So what if I am?” Todoroki said as he dropped the leaf. It floated quickly down to join the others on the ground beneath his feet.

Iida quickly cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean that as an insult, your highness. I was simply expressing my surprise at this turn of events.”

“Is it really that strange?” Todoroki furrowed his brow at the knight.

“Well,” Iida said slowly, thinking carefully about his words. “In fairytales, you often hear of love at first sight, which is absolutely absurd, but they are fairytales. So I suppose falling in love with someone at the drop of a hat can’t be all that different. Still absurd, but not nearly as far-fetched.”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow, expressing his confusion, and silently allowed the bespectacled knight to continue.

“Maybe it's something like this: You’ve looked at his royal highness many times before, but only when you saw him with an unclouded piece of mind did you really see him for the first time.” Iida said. “It’s like someone with bad vision finally seeing the world through a pair of glasses. I’m not sure what happened between you two to cause that change, but something clearly did. If that makes any sense.”

Todoroki listened in silence before he muttered something inaudible beneath his breath.

Iida studied the prince for a moment before quickly clearing his throat and changing the subject to something less awkward. “I beg your pardon, your highness, but the sun will be setting soon, and you really must be getting your sleep tonight. You have a big day tomorrow.” Iida tried to convince the prince, but it was becoming more and more clear that he was dead set on finding some trace of Midoriya, and he was going to find it tonight.

“Are you scared, Sir Iida?” The prince said quietly, as if it weren’t an insult and just a harmless, honest question.

The knight flinched at the accusation before rolling his eyes. “Why would I be scared of the woods? You drag me out here with you constantly!”

Todoroki shrugged as he stood back up, scanning the horizon of twisted trees. “I just remembered you didn’t like it when we were younger.”

“I’m fine with the forest; it’s the old ruins that… slightly rattle me.” Iida muttered between clenched teeth.

“I find them quite calming.” The prince replied as he continued through the thick brush. “The lake is really pretty at night when the moon and stars reflect on its surface.”

“Indeed, it is, but it is unsafe. Crocodiles live by that lake. And swans.” Iida shuddered. “Ugh. I hate swans.”

Todoroki raised a questioning eyebrow at his companion.

“They’re mean.” Iida defended himself. “And they bite.”

Todoroki smirked. “I personally think they are quite beautiful.” He said, “And they’re only mean if you get close to them or their young.”

Iida waved his hands through the air. “Then why did one bite me when I had been nowhere near it?!”

“Because you were trying to shoo it away.” Todoroki said calmly. “If you had just let the bird go about its business, you would have been fine.”

“You can defend them all you want, but they are still nasty creatures.” The knight grumbled.

”Funny to think that a mighty knight would be inconvenienced by a mere bird.” Todoroki made a fair attempt at teasing his friend quietly. Iida responded with an angry exhale, and the two continued to walk on in silence.

The only sounds uttered were those of the forest: crunching leaves, a distant cry of an animal, or the rush of the wind.

Snap

Then a different sound.

The two boys turned to their right and stood as still as they could, listening intently. Todoroki readied his bow, and Iida did the same.

Then suddenly, two shadows bolted upward from a distant bush and raced towards the blue sky.

As the two looked up at the silhouettes, they quickly became visible in the fading afternoon horizon.

“Well, speak of the devil.” Todoroki muttered in awe.

A swan gracefully beat its white wings; its feathers glistened gold beneath the bright sunlight.

”That has to be the most perfect swan I have ever laid eyes upon.” Iida mumbled in awe, his previous disgust for the creatures momentarily forgotten due to the sheer magnificence of this particular bird.

The swan was closely followed by a second, smaller bird. It was a little awkward thing with black and white feathers and a bright, colorful beak.

“What is that thing?” Todoroki wondered quietly aloud.

“I’m not sure. A puffin, maybe?” Iida whispered.

Todoroki stared at the two birds a moment longer, then a small smile spread across his face. “Whoever takes down the swan gets to make the other untack their horse when we get back to the palace.” With a smirk, Todoroki quickly took off through the thicket, leaping over roots and branches.

“Wh—Prince Todo—Hold on! I never agreed to this!” Iida hurried after the young prince. “Your Highness! Slow down!”

Todoroki raced through the trees, following after the stunning creature flying overhead. He could hear Iida quietly cursing behind him as the knight stumbled over roots and branches.

Every so often, the swan would turn its long, elegant neck to look back at Todoroki, as if it were checking to make sure he was following.

“What a curious creature…” Todoroki muttered, breathing heavily as he continued to chase after it. He leaped over several streams in his pursuit of the animal, and he was growing ever closer with each second. Then Todoroki dove under a particularly thick patch of trees, the swan barely in view above. The woods seemed to go silent other than the sounds of his own heavy breathing.

The bird suddenly stopped midair, beating its large white wings to keep it afloat. It almost seemed to be looking around, like it had lost something. Todoroki froze along with the bird, crouching down beneath the trees. He had a clear shot straight at the bird through the thin leaves. “Gotcha.” He whispered quietly as he raised his bow.

Just as he was about to release the arrow, the bird's large eyes met with his own. Strangely, they almost seemed familiar to him. Large and deer-like. They were deep and filled with expressions that Todoroki couldn’t quite understand. The light bounced off those black eyes and made them look like dark pools of water, with the moon reflecting on their surfaces.

What was this strange creature he was staring at? And why was his heart racing so much?

Caught off guard, Todoroki released the arrow with an unsteady hand, and it zipped past the bird, missing it by a few inches.

The swan honked in alarm before zipping away, directly into the blinding light of the setting sun.

“Dammit.” Todoroki cursed under his breath. Not only had he missed, he could now barely see the white bird in the overwhelming light of the sunset. The best he could do was try to continue chasing in the direction he guessed the bird was flying. He quickly bounded after it, chasing for what felt like forever until he felt the hard ground beneath his feet change from crinkling leaves to soft, wet dirt. Bright light peeked through the thinning leaves above.

And then the bird came back into view.

The sun had set just enough to where it was starting to disappear over the horizon, turning the sky a rosy pink hue. The swan was a beautiful white silhouette on the skyline, beating its graceful wings every so often.

He was so close.

Todoroki hadn’t really been paying attention to his surroundings until suddenly a looming shadow came into view. The dark outline stood tall on the pink horizon. It was the large, intimidating figure of the old, crumbling castle ruins.

Had Todoroki really followed the bird all the way to the abandoned ruins?

Todoroki quickly raced down the small, beaten path leading towards a familiar little harbor at the lakeside. From there, once the swan flew over the lake, he would have a clear shot.

He could see the crumbling archway he knew so well appearing behind the trees in the distance and growing closer as the gnarly old oak trees and tall pines began to thin, making way for the elegant willow trees that danced in the gentle wind. Their leaves swayed in gentle greeting, welcoming him back to this place long forgotten by everyone but the creatures that dwelled in it, and the young prince. Even time itself seemed to have forgotten this place.

As the young prince approached, the sight was like something out of the fairytales his missing beloved was so fond of.

Framed by the crumbling archway and swaying green willow leaves, the swan spread its great wings as it descended downward onto the lake. The creature glided across the glassy surface before tucking its white wings closely against its side, coming to a complete stop directly in the middle of the pond.

The perfect shot.

Todoroki skidded to a halt beneath the archway. The wet dirt squished softly beneath his feet as his eyes locked on to the bird. He carefully pulled his bow off his shoulder and retrieved an arrow from his quiver.

“Nowhere to run.”

He licked his lips in concentration as he loaded his bow and aimed at the graceful swan. It seemed to stare at him with its clever, wide eyes, like it was somehow aware it was facing its death. The look on its face was so pitiful that Todoroki hesitated for a moment, almost unable to find it inside himself to shoot this magnificent creature.

Was that really a look of pity? Or maybe something else…

Betrayal? Sorrow?

Love?

A pain suddenly shot through Todoroki’s foot, and he dropped his bow.

When he looked down to search for the source of the pain, he saw a large snapping turtle had clamped onto his foot and was holding on for dear life. And the next thing Todoroki knew, the strange black and white bird from earlier swooped down and began pecking at his head.

“Hey!” Todoroki yelled, shaking the turtle loose from his foot, sending it sliding a meter away and flipping onto its back. It wiggled its stubby legs helplessly in the air, attempting to right itself.

The bird continued to peck and pull at Todoroki’s hair as the prince watched a small green frog bounce to the turtle's aid, gently helping to flip it back over.

What the…

The puffin continued to peck at Todoroki’s head as he watched, until it suddenly grabbed hold of one of the chains around his neck. The bird then yanked the chain loose, sending one of the lockets flying off through the air to an undisclosed location. Anger seared through Todoroki’s skin like hot fire. He attempted to swat the bird away, but it continued its ruthless pursuit.

Strange animal attacks aside, Todoroki had come too far for this swan to escape now. He had to deal with this smaller bird and get back to his main focus.

Todoroki quickly picked his bow up off the ground, loaded an arrow, and aimed at the black and white bird. It seemed to freeze in shock. Perfect.

But before the prince could release the arrow, a bright light coming from behind him caught his attention, and forgetting about his small target, Todoroki spun around, facing the lake.

Lowering his bow in shock, Todoroki watched as a soft yellow light began to shine from underneath the water's dark surface.

Directly beneath the swan.

As the light slowly grew beneath the swan, the bird turned its dark eyes towards the prince on the shore. The bird almost seemed to be speaking directly into his mind.

“Watch, Todoroki. Don’t look away, not even for a moment.”

Todoroki stared into those strangely familiar eyes of the bird that was slowly blinking at him. Then, curiously, those dark eyes flashed a familiar shade of emerald green. They looked almost… human. And Todoroki now truly couldn’t look away. He didn’t want to. Something deep in his mind seemed to be telling him that if he did look away, his life would be ruined forever. So he watched.

He watched as what could only be described as a glowing tendril of water ascended from the lake's surface and quickly began to wrap itself around the swan in a great wave. The creature spread its white wings, allowing the prince to bathe in its glow before the bird was completely engulfed by the swirling water. The water seemingly flashed different beautiful pastel shades of blue, purple, pink, and yellow as it surrounded the white bird.

Todoroki’s feet moved on their own, slowly walking closer towards the lake’s shore as the water dispersed from where the swan once was and fell back towards the lake in a beautiful curtain.

As it slowly descended and the light began to fade, a truly amazing sight came into view.

Standing there with their arms gently lowering to their sides was a young man with dark, fluffy hair, gently being tousled by the fading magic. He wore a simple white and blue blouse with matching pants that perfectly displayed his small yet strong body. The beautiful boy gently cocked his head to the side as he slowly opened his enchantingly vivid green eyes. As they peered warmly at the prince on the shore, the glistening light of the moon bounced off the lake and onto his emerald irises.

“Hello, Shoto.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Todoroki immediately dropped his bow and, seemingly weightless, felt his feet carry him forward until they took off at a full sprint into the icy, cold shallows of the lake.

But he couldn’t feel the cold as he raced towards the boy he loved; The boy who was holding out his waiting arms for him; The boy whose arms were white and comforting, like the wings of a swan.

Todoroki couldn’t help it. As soon as he reached his beloved, he picked Midoriya up by the waist and twirled him over the water, droplets dancing happily in a circle around them as Midoriya’s feet left the lake. As he held Midoriya there, suspended in the air above the water, supported by his strong arms, he could almost hear the dancing willow trees whispering sweet nothings to him, telling him to prove his love; that if he didn’t do it now, he may never have the chance to again. So the quiet prince leaned in, placing a gentle yet passionate kiss on Midoriyai’s smooth satin lips. His thawing heart then skipped a beat as the boy in white tightened his grip on his strong shoulders and kissed him back.

The air seemed to go silent for those few short moments on the lake, like the entire forest had to stop and watch the enchanting scene secretly unfolding within it, hidden from the rest of the world’s prying eyes.

As their lips finally parted, Todoroki set the boy back down to earth and placed a hand on Midoriya’s warm cheek, almost checking if it was really him and not some cruel dream or illusion. “I—I’ve been looking everywhere for you. No one believed me, but…” The prince’s voice was breathless and filled with disbelief. “… But here you are.” He whispered.

“I’ve missed you so much, Shoto.” Midoriya quietly replied. A tear ran down the side of his softly freckled face, but his smile was filled with nothing but the most absolute joy. “I made a mistake by not accepting your proposal. I was confused and—and…”

“Shhhhh. It’s okay. It’s all okay now.” Todoroki soothed the young man in his arms. “We have to get you home.” Todoroki said, brushing the tear from Midoriya’s face, but he frowned as the boy’s happy smile suddenly faded.

“I can’t go with you, Shoto.” Midoriya said, gently placing his hands against Todoroki’s chest.

“But I thought you just… What do you mean you can’t go with me?” Todoroki shook his head in confused frustration, his smile fading as well.

“Listen to me, Shoto,” Midoriya begged, but he froze as a distant voice called out through the woods.

“Midoriya!”

“Oh no!” Midoriya quickly pushed against Todoroki’s chest, trying to usher him back towards the shore. “You can’t stay here!”

Todoroki grabbed gently onto Midoriya’s wrists and turned in the direction of the voice. “Who is that? What’s going on?”

Midoriya quickly shook out of Todoroki’s grasp, once again attempting to push him away. “It’s him!”

“Who?” Todoroki asked, his voice rising.

“The man who has me under a spell!” Midoriya’s voice was becoming more fearful by the second.

“Midoriya!”

“Then we have to go. Together!” Todoroki said, urging Midoriya to follow him out of the lake.

“I can’t!” Midoriya cried as quietly as he could, shaking his head. “When the sun rises, I’ll turn back into a swan! I can’t leave here. He’s too powerful!”

“There must be some way to break the spell!” Todoroki growled, frustrated and confused by the situation, which he had no control over.

Midoriya pressed a finger against Todoroki’s lips, urging him to calm down. “There is! You have to make a vow of everlasting love and—”

“Then it’s done!” Todoroki said a bit more quietly, removing Midoriya’s hand from his lips and squeezing it lovingly in his own. “I’ll make it here and now!”

“No,” Midoriya said, gently squeezing back. “It’s not that simple! You must prove your vow to the whole world!”

“How do I do that?” Todoroki whispered.

“I don’t know!” Midoriya said quietly in return.

“Midoriya!”

Midoriya quickly turned towards the voice, his fear and panic growing. “Go!” He gently shoved Todoroki out of the cold water and onto the shore.

Todoroki stared in the direction of the quickly approaching voice before seemingly being struck with an idea. “The ball!”

“What are you talking about? Go!” Midoriya urged again.

“Come to the castle tomorrow night. My parents are throwing a ball. Royals from all over the world will be there! I’ll make my vow to you right there before the whole world!”

“Midoriya!”

Midoriya quickly turned and shouted to the voice, “I’m coming!” before whispering back towards his prince. “Go!”

“Be there. Tomorrow night.” Todoroki said with a smile, backing into the willows.

“Yes. Tomorrow night.” Midoriya promised with a sad smile. “Now go!”

Todoroki nodded before seemingly realizing something. He quickly removed the remaining locket from around his neck and pressed it into Midoriya’s palms, gently closing the boy’s fingers around it. “I’ll be waiting.” He whispered before planting a gentle kiss on the swan prince’s cheek, and quietly, he disappeared into the willows and out of sight.

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“Midoriya!”

Midoriya quickly turned around and faced the owner of the voice as he appeared in the archway.

“Did you not hear me calling?” The blue-haired man hissed towards the small prince.

“I did! It’s just—” Midoriya began to stammer. He quickly hid the locket clenched in his hand behind his back. Hopefully, Shigaraki hadn’t seen it.

“Then why didn’t you respond to me the first time?” Shigaraki barked.

“I’m sorry.” Midoriya mumbled quietly.

The sorcerer shifted his eyes around the area, as if looking for something. “And was it just me, or did I hear… voices?”

Midoriya’s body tensed as he quickly tried to think of an excuse. “I— I was… I was talking… to… myself?” He offered.

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow.

Keep talking, Midoriya!

“I— Uh… I’ve been doing a lot of thinking…”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at the prince. “About what?”

“Well… I… I’ve decided…”

“Decided what?”

I need to buy time. I need an excuse.

Midoriya took a deep breath and gave his most convincing bow. “I have decided to marry you.”

Shigaraki’s eyes widened. “No. You mean… you really…” before his terrible smile began to stretch across his horrid face.

Midoriya nodded with a small, forced grin. But the man’s gleeful expression was sickening to look at.

“This is wonderful news, Midoriya!” He clapped his hands with excitement, like a small child. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive!”

Midoriya felt nauseous just watching him.

Shigaraki was practically skipping around the archway as he thought aloud. “I’ll have the event arranged in no time! We can make it a grand ordeal!” He cooed as he paced back and forth in the grass. “I’ll have my hair trimmed, and I’ll buy you a nice fancy wedding robe, and—and… oh! We can hold it right here in the grand ruins.” He said blissfully. “No, wait!” He turned away from Midoriya to think for a moment. “Since I’ll be ruling your kingdom, naturally we can have it in your castle. Then all the subjects can attend. It will be splendid. Oh,” he stopped suddenly, his back still turned. “There’s just one more thing…”

The man reached a hand into his cloak.

“You wouldn’t happen to know who… this belongs to, would you?” Shigaraki quickly revealed a long wooden bow from beneath the fabric, and Midoriya couldn’t contain the horrified gasp that broke through his lips.

That was Todoroki’s bow. The one he had dropped earlier on the shore.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you, little prince?” The man cackled. “But telling that little lovestruck sparrow about the curse still won’t do you any good!”

Midoriya tightened his fist by his sides in anger as the man laughed.

Shigaraki had known since he first came around the corner, and yet he had let Midoriya continue to put on his miserable charade.

He had simply been toying with him.

“Come to the ball!” Shigaraki mocked. “I’ll make you a vow before the whole world!” He stared down at the bow gripped in his gloved hand before looking back up at Midoriya. “Thought you could fool ol’ Shigaraki, did you?”

Midoriya gasped as the sorcerer tossed the bow over his head, and it landed with a splash in the lake, quickly sinking beneath its surface.

Midoriya’s hope seemed to sink along with that bow, deep into the lake.

But so did his patience.

“I’ll never marry you!" Midoriya growled, his face burning with anger. “You—you animal! I will break this spell and marry the man I love. Your silly little curse can’t stop me!”

Shigaraki brushed off the prince’s declaration with another mighty laugh before he slowly approached him, shaking his head in mock sympathy. “I am so sorry to inform you, little prince… ” he said, twisting a gloved hand around where Midoriya had his golden locket tightly clutched in his fist.

“No!” Midoriya cried and tried to pull his hand away, but Shigaraki was stronger.

The sorcerer quickly pried the prince’s fist open and snatched up the locket before shoving him harshly to the ground. Midoriya tried to scramble up out of the grass and reach for his treasure, but Shigaraki quickly stomped his boot against the boy’s chest, pushing him harshly back down in the dirt.

“... But you won’t be able to attend tomorrow night's ball.” Shigaraki continued before turning to walk off with the locket.

“If you want to stop me, you’ll have to kill me.” Midoriya snarled with as much hatred as he could find in his body. His chest ached from both physical injuries and his hurting heart.

Shigaraki stopped in his tracks. “Oh, I don’t think so. You see, you seem to be unaware of one tiny little detail.”

Not even bothering to look back at the boy he was speaking to, who was lying pitifully in the dirt, Shigaraki pointed a finger up towards the vast, star-speckled sky and towards the small sliver of the crescent moon.

“There will be no moon tomorrow night!”

Midoriya felt a wave of hopelessness wash over his body as he wallowed in the weak light of the moon. The water beneath the muddy shore soaked into the fabric around his knees. But he didn’t care as he sobbed helplessly into his muddy hands.

With no moon, that meant no transforming into a human tomorrow night, and that meant no ball.

“Oh, don’t worry, little prince,” Shigaraki sneered quietly to himself as he walked away from Midoriya, crying helplessly on the shore. “I’ll make sure your little knight in shining armor makes his vow.”

As the sorcerer's back disappeared into the darkness of the trees, he quietly made his deadly promise to the night. “You’ve pushed my buttons as far as they’ll go, little swan. Countless times you have refused to accept my gracious mercy, so I’m done playing with you now.”

“No more mister nice guy.”

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

As soft morning light trickled in through the long hallway’s window, it curled its sweet fingers around a slim form wandering down the long corridor, a small smile on their burned yet beautiful face.

Todoroki was the happiest he had been in years, maybe even his entire life. Despite what everyone had told him, his fiancé was still alive and waiting for him to pronounce his love to the world. And pronounce he would, in front of the hundreds of people at tonight’s ball, just as he had promised.

Visions of swans gliding across glowing lakes occupied every inch of his psyche as he happily trotted through the halls of the castle. Guards and servants alike stopped whatever they were doing to gawk as the prince passed by them. They whispered quickly to one another when he disappeared around corners or hummed happily through the doors. Never had any of them seen anything like it before. Rumors and questions spread like wildfire through the castle as the prince wandered, blissfully unaware, into the ballroom.

As he entered inside, the ballroom itself was a grand sight to behold.

It was only made even grander by the boy’s gentle and sweet smile.

The spotless marble floors of the ballroom sparkled like never before under the beautiful candle-lit chandeliers. Beautiful red drapes decorated the high ceilings and stairways. The drapes were beautifully accented by arrangements of red roses decorating a few circular tables where food was planned to be set. The tables congregated around the edges of the ballroom, leaving endless amounts of space for visitors to dance the night away. The dozen great glass windows circling the edge of the hall allowed the beautiful morning light to dance in the reflections of the three grand crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings.

It was absolutely dazzling.

But despite its breathtaking beauty, Todoroki felt as if something was off about it.

The prince had his own vision of how this night would look and feel. His ballroom and his great vision just had to match perfectly for everything to go right.

Nothing but the best for the one he loved.

Peering around the ballroom and taking a few circling steps to further inspect the ceiling, he slowly made his way over to where a bespeckled girl was standing. Her short, smooth white hair was pulled back in a small ponytail, and she was carefully facilitating the servants in arranging the dozens and dozens of red roses that decorated the tables. The girl had small streaks of red peppered through her glistening hair. They wonderfully complemented her simple yet elegant, subdued red dress.

“Fuyumi,” Todoroki softly called out as he approached his elder sister. “Why the red roses?”

His elder sister turned to look at her youngest brother, not annoyed to be interrupted but clearly not thrilled by it either. “Why? Because everything in this castle is red. And that’s what Dad said he wanted. Since you decided you wanted no part in all this, Dad took it upon himself to facilitate the decorations.” She said it with a grumpy tone before quickly returning to giving orders to a few bumbling servants.

“Hold on. Wait.” Todoroki quickly stepped in front of a maid who was carrying a large vase of the roses. He gently plucked one of the stems out of the vase and inspected it closely, running his elegant fingers over the soft crimson petals.

“What are you doing, Shoto?” Fuyumi asked, placing her hands on her hips, now clearly a little annoyed that her task was being interrupted.

“Well, I’m not sure if I really like the red.” Todoroki answered.

Fuyumi lowered her glasses. “Well, Mr. Picky, what color do you think they should be?” She said, not really asking so much as just questioning her brother’s strange comment.

“I think they should be white…” Todoroki said softly before adding on to his previous statement. “Like a swan.”

“Like a swan?” The princess stared at her brother with a raised eyebrow. “What in the world has gotten into you?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Todoroki said with a shrug before turning to the maid, who was now staring at him, bewildered. “Go find some white ones.” He quietly ordered.

“You know, Dad isn’t going to be happy about that.” The elder sister said, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

“Well, he’ll have to be. It’s my night after all.” Her younger brother said, blinking his multicolored eyes softly.

“My my my, Sho,” Fuyumi teased. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you seem a bit excited about this whole shindig.”

When her brother simply shrugged in reply, Fuyumi’s jaw dropped for a moment, baffled, before she quickly shut it again. “Are you excited!? Really? About a social event? Who are you, and what have you done with my baby brother?”

“Calm down, Fuyumi. I just want everything to be perfect.” Todoroki stated. “By the way, have you seen Sir Iida? I need to tell him something.” The prince scanned the ballroom for any sign of the knight, who usually never left his side.

“No, I haven’t seen him.” Fuyumi quickly answered before returning to address her brother’s previous statement, “Wait. Why does it need to be perfect? Who for? You? Or someone else?”

Todoroki looked around the ballroom again and began to mutter to himself quietly. “I wonder if we could have those red drapes replaced with white ones… like a swan.”

Fuyumi’s confused stare slowly started to change to a sly grin as she watched her brother’s strange behavior. “Perfect for who, Sho? Answer my question. Do you have someone special in mind?”

“I suppose you could say that.” Todoroki said with a small shrug.

“No way! Come on, Shoto! Tell me who it is!” His sister excitedly begged. “Don’t be a tease.”

Todoroki gave his sister a small smirk. “It’s a secret.”

“Goodness gracious!” Fuyumi said with a huff. “What has gotten into you? This person must be quite something to be able to make you smile and tease people. So they’ll be at the ball tonight?”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Todoroki spoke calmly before wandering off to the other side of the ballroom, where the orchestra was warming up. His two older brothers stood closely nearby.

“Hold on.” Todoroki said as he neared the conductor. The band fell completely silent as he approached.

“Was there something you needed, little brat?” Touya said as his youngest sibling reached his side.

Touya was about the same height as Todoroki, but if looks could kill, Touya would have been locked up in the dungeon years ago. His stark white hair stuck up in all directions, and he had a constant smarmy grin on his face, like he was better than everyone around him. That felt especially true when he cackled maniacally while ruthlessly bullying Todoroki or charging headfirst alongside their father into battle.

“Actually yes.” Todoroki said, his eyes narrowing at Touya, but he didn’t return the quip.

Natsuo raised an eyebrow, surprised when Todoroki didn’t fire back. “What do you need, Sho?” The younger, and tallest, white-haired young man asked his youngest brother.

“I was actually wondering if I could suggest a change of music.”

“A change of music? Really?” Touya raised his lip in disgust. “If you ask me, the garbage they’re playing is already horrible enough. Don’t go and make it worse.”

“Ignore him.” Natsuo sighed, motioning towards the eldest brother. “He’s just in a rotten mood because Father’s focused on you again.”

Todoroki blinked slowly at Touya, who glared back in retaliation, until he let out a loud groan. “Whatever. Just make your request and get your stuck-up ass out of here.”

Todoroki nodded and turned towards the conductor of the small orchestra, who were all watching the brothers’ exchange. They all quickly snapped back to attention when they realized they were now the focus of the conversation.

“Can you play something softer and more graceful?” The prince asked softly.

“Did you have something specific in mind, your highness?” The conductor asked, confused as to why the usually distant prince had suddenly begun speaking to him. And for a music request, no less!

“Oh, not really, I suppose.” Todoroki said with a sigh. “Just something elegant and soft. Like a swan.”

Todoroki’s two brothers looked over at one another, stunned and confused. Even Touya didn’t say a word.

“A swan? Like the bird?” The harp player of the orchestra asked aloud. All the other band members quickly shot her a dirty glance as a warning to keep her mouth shut.

“Exactly.” The prince said happily. “Like the bird.”

All the orchestra members looked around at one another, clearly confused, if maybe slightly concerned. The conductor gulped heavily before raising his hands, ready to conduct. “You heard the prince. Elegant and graceful. Like a... swan.” The band members quickly shuffled through their sheet music before readying their instruments.

Todoroki listened in pure bliss as notes began to flow together through the air in a soft and light tune. It swirled and danced around the room, growing and shrinking with perfect harmony and grace. He could almost imagine the great wings spreading overhead as the white bird descended towards a lake.

“Perfect.” Todoroki whispered, nodding his head to the music. “Absolutely beautiful.”

He was pulled away from the music by the sound of his mother’s voice behind him, and she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Shoto. What is all this about?”

The young prince turned to face his mother; the other boy’s doing the same. He saw her look of confusion grow as she saw his soft smile.

“Have you seen Sir Iida?” Todoroki quickly asked the queen, glossing over her question. “I have something I need to tell him.”

“Sir Iida? No, I—Shoto? Why did you tell the maids to bring white roses?” The queen shook her head as she peered at her smiling son. She turned to her two elder sons in hopes of receiving clarification, but they only shrugged in response.

“I just want everything to be perfect.” Todoroki said, repeating the statement he had made earlier to his sister.

The queen's eyebrows furrowed, but she quickly dawned a similar small smile. “Sh- Sho? Is there some reason for all of this?”

“There is, Mother.” The boy said with quiet excitement.

“What is it, then?” His mother pushed further.

“Someone special.” Todoroki said, before giving his mother a soft kiss on the cheek and one last smile, before strolling off to inspect more of the ballroom, muttering aloud about how he needed to inform Iida about something important.

Queen Rei raised a hand to her cheek, absolutely stunned, as her son walked happily away.

“I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life,” Touya said, leaning in closer towards his younger brother, Natsuo.“ But I’m pretty sure this one takes the cake.”

Natsuo nodded his head, mystified by Todoroki’s strange behavior. “Yeah. That was definitely strange.” He then looked over at his other brother. “And why a swan? Aren’t those things kind of mean?”

Touya shrugged.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

The wicked sorcerer peered down into the remains of one of the crumbling towers. It was dark and damp, and it stank with age. Water seeped in through the bottom, filling it four meters high with deep, murky lake water. Algae and mold rooted themselves in thick clumps between the cracks of the crumbling old stone walls.

Sadly floating on the surface of the flooded water was a solitary swan.

“I can’t have you trying to pull anything sneaky again.” Shigaraki’s voice echoed down into the tower from a solitary wood-framed window up above. “Surely you understand.”

The swan raised its long neck to look up at him with its watery, dark eyes.

“Now now, we can’t have any pouting.” Shigaraki scolded. “This is your own fault. Going off and trying to mess things up behind my back.”

The swan turned away.

“Listen, I know you’re sad you can’t go to the ball. But maybe…” The sorcerer smirked to himself as he realized he had regained the prince’s attention when the swan peered at him sideways, sadly twisting its elegant neck to the side so it could see him more clearly. “Maybe I can bring the ball to you.”

The swan stared, its dark eyes filled with confusion.

Shigaraki slowly rubbed his hand over his dry chin, pretending to think deeply about something. “Now, I suppose the first thing you’ll need is a partner to dance with.” He pondered aloud. “It’s a shame that the prince seems to be… preoccupied, but maybe we can find a substitute.”

Midoriya the swan watched as Shigaraki momentarily disappeared from the high window. A few moments after he disappeared, however, there was a sudden, loud commotion from above. Midoriya could hear someone kicking and yelling, their cries mixing with the sorcerer’s mocking coos of reassurance.

Next thing Midoriya knew, a head appeared through the hole above, before an entire person was pushed through the window and came tumbling rapidly down the tower. They ricocheted once off the slimy wall with a sickening thud before making contact with the water, producing a mighty splash that rocked and swayed the little swan on the water’s now disturbed surface.

“Found him wandering around in the woods!” Shigaraki called down as the person struggled in the water below. “It would seem he got lost when his little master ran off after you.”

As the young man’s head breached the water and his mouth gasped for air, Midoriya quickly recognized the soaked, dark-haired, bespectacled boy as Iida Tenya, Todoroki’s loyal knight and companion.

“Who are you?” Iida shouted as he fumbled around in the water for something to grab onto. He tried for the walls as well, but his hands slipped uselessly off the slick stones.

Midoriya did his best to try to lead the stunned young man over to a solitary chain that was hanging from the wall, but Iida, clearly annoyed and startled by his fall, batted at the swan with one of his hands, splashing Midoriya with water. “Shoo! Shoo!” He grumbled at the bird.

Midoriya honked at him in frustrated retaliation.

“Hope you two are nice and cozy down there!” Shigaraki laughed from above. “Because that’s where you’ll be staying for the foreseeable future!”

“Who are you?” Iida shouted again, finally noticing the chain, and he quickly latched his fingers tightly around it. “Why are you doing this?”

“Well, this little prince here had to go and make trouble.” Shigaraki gladly explained, motioning towards Midoriya. Iida looked over at the swan, clearly confused. “So now I have to go clean up his mess and make sure Prince Todoroki knows his place.”

“What are you planning to do to the prince?!” Iida shouted, growing angrier by the second. “Are you the one who attacked Prince Midoriya’s carriage?”

“Oh, a clever one, aren’t you?” Shigaraki mocked the knight and spread his arms wide in a grand display. “Why yes, I am. But lucky for you, you’ve found the little prince.” He motioned again to the swan. “But what a shame.” He continued. “The faithful little hound dog won’t be able to return his prized catch to the great hunter.”

Iida looked again at the swan, then back to Shigaraki, shaking his head. “You're a madman! That is a swan! What have you done with Prince Midoriya? Where is he!?”

“Maybe you really aren’t as bright as I first believed you to be.” Shigaraki sighed. “What a shame. And I thought I could have a little fun with you, but I’ve grown tired of this boring game already.” The man turned away from the window, and Midoriya honked in alarm. He had to stop him! Whatever he was planning couldn’t be good.

As if Iida had understood the swan’s thoughts, he quickly shouted out to the sorcerer. “You’re a fool if you think you can best Prince Todoroki!” He growled. “He is intelligent beyond his years and the greatest marksman I know. You’ll never win!”

Not even bothering to look back down into their prison as he spoke, Shigaraki’s voice lowered sinisterly. “No man is intelligent when blinded by ‘true love.’” Then, with a flourish of his cloak, he swiftly disappeared from sight, slamming the window shut behind him and closing off Midoriya's single means of escape. His footsteps grew ever more distant by the second until they faded entirely.

“Dammit.” Iida cursed under his breath before looking back towards the swan, who was slowly floating closer to him. “Some knight I am.” The boy scowled. “Prince Todoroki is in danger, and I’m trapped here with no way out and a bird as my only conversation partner.” He stared at the white bird, narrowing his eyes. “How did you get in here anyway? Did he throw you down here? What a sick man.”

Midoriya honked in agreement, which seemed to startle the poor boy.

“I really need to get out of here…” he muttered to himself.

Me too.

“I told that headstrong prince that these ruins were trouble.” Iida grumbled. “But he never listens. After all, what is the worth of the words from some silly little knight?”

His eyes darted again around the tower, searching for something. “There must be some leak or hole somewhere in the stone to allow all this water to seep in from the lake.” Iida thought out loud. “If I can just find it, maybe I can chip away at it enough to make an exit.” But as his eyes scanned around the walls, his determined face seemed to sink. “But I can’t just go swimming around here.” He sighed. “I have to save my strength, or I won’t be able to hold myself up on this chain for long.”

Midoriya stared sadly at the knight.

“I guess I just have to try to hold out in hopes someone comes looking for me.” Iida said, staring up into the seemingly endless crumbling rafters of the tower. “I just hope they can get here soon.”

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

“Well, Shoto, this is it.”

King Enji watched as Prince Todoroki finished adjusting his cloak around his shoulders.

A few servants quickly bustled around the young prince, tidying up the last details of his royal attire. As the finishing touch, a small maid carefully adjusted the simple, gold circlet diadem on Todoroki’s red and white hair. A single stone of aquamarine glimmered at the front.

When they were finished, the rest of the royal family entered, all in their own dazzling white and red event garments. Todoroki was the only one who truly stood out of the bunch with the small accents of aquamarine in his clothing, matching the stone that adorned his head.

The whole royal family waited there in the chamber behind the ballroom so they could make their grand entrances. They were all focused on the young prince. After all, this was a very big night for him.

The young man could hear squabbling voices in the ballroom growing louder by the minute as more and more guests poured in through the grand doors, many eager to have the chance to win the young prince’s favor and become his future spouse.

Todoroki wondered if Midoriya was already among all those visitors.

“Out of all of the fine nobles here, you must pick one to take as your groom or bride-to-be.” King Enji stated loudly to his youngest child as he entered the small room.

Todoroki couldn’t help but laugh quietly to himself at his father’s command. He was going to pick a future spouse alright. And he already had one in mind. If his father only knew…

A royal trumpet sounded as the family’s cue to begin their entrances to the ballroom, and Todoroki’s older brother, Natsuo, gave him a quick pat on the back before ducking through the curtained exit of the room along with Touya.

Fuyumi quickly turned to her youngest little brother. She looked absolutely dazzling in her pretty red gown and small ruby tiara. “Shoto, won’t you tell me who this person you're so excited to see is?”

Todoroki blinked softly. “You’ll know when you see them.”

Fuyumi raised an eyebrow before turning back to follow her other brothers out of the small room and into the grand hall to receive their introductions.

The three elder children would be introduced first. Then came the King and Queen. Since Todoroki was the main focus of tonight’s event, he would go last.

The earlier noise of the masses Todoroki had been hearing all evening slowly quieted to a hushed whisper as the royal herald began the introductions. The young prince also quietly listened as the herald loudly called out the names of his brothers and sister.

“Heeriye heeriye! All bow before their royal highnesses, Prince Touya Todoroki, Princess Fuyumi Todoroki, and Prince Natsuo Todoroki!”

A warm and welcoming applause echoed around the ballroom and creeped its way through the velvet curtains of the chamber until a second trumpet sounded.

“Now introducing the moon of the nation, the matriarch of this great kingdom, her royal majesty, Queen Rei Todoroki!”

Todoroki’s mother quickly ducked through the curtains, her white gown trailing behind her and out of sight as a great flurry of uproarious music played, overlapping with the refined applause of the guests.

“And now introducing our mighty leader, ruler of this kingdom, the great sun, his royal majesty, King Enji Todoroki!”

The roar was deafening.

Todoroki scowled at the admiration his father was receiving, but he didn’t get long to do so before the ballroom quickly quieted, and the herald cleared his throat once more.

The anticipation that hung in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Now, it is my honor and greatest pleasure to introduce to you tonight the youngest prince of this kingdom, in his first and last debut on this gorgeous evening as an unbound man. I present to you…”

Todoroki took a deep breath, adjusting his cape one last time.

“His royal highness…”

And stepped through the curtain.

The light was almost blinding as he gazed around the packed ballroom. The white decorations floated around the ballroom like fluffy white clouds and made the thousands of colors worn by the visiting guests all the more vivid. In fact, there seemed to be a different, dazzling color everywhere his eyes fell. Not a single outfit was exactly the same hue as another.

Of course, the prince had been forced to attend many of his father’s extravagant ballroom events in the past, but Todoroki was almost positive that he had never seen so many people in one place before. The grand ballroom was packed with hundreds of people in dashing suits and ravishing dresses. Young nobles and royals of all statuses tood close to their parents or attendants and watched with wide eyes as he crossed over to stand before his own parents on their thrones and faced the audience.

“... Prince Shoto Todoroki.”

There was a moment's pause as the herald spoke his name aloud for the massive crowd to hear. The whole hall seemed to be frozen in unspoken curiosity at what had led this stunning young man to suddenly become the nation's hottest new eligible bachelor.

But the silence didn’t last long.

As Todoroki bowed deeply before the crowd, the ballroom exploded with cheers as young women swooned and young men hollered. Frankly, it was a little more than embarrassing for the reclusive young prince. It took an outstanding amount of time for the crowd to finally die down enough for the King to rise from his throne and address the gathering of nobles from all over the world.

“Tonight, my son begins his search for an eligible partner. By the end of this splendid gathering, my son will announce his choice to the nation. Now,” the King raised his arms in a grand display. “Dance and make merry, my guests!”

The orchestra quickly struck up a lighthearted waltz, and young and old alike raced to find a partner to dance the night away with.

Todoroki’s eyes quickly scanned over the hundreds of guests bustling and dancing about the ballroom.

Was Midoriya somewhere in that crowd?

His eyes floated from one corner to the other and back again, but Todoroki couldn’t see a single sign of the boy’s fluffy, dark hair anywhere.

“He… he didn’t come.” Todoroki whispered to himself, the hurt evident in his voice.

Todoroki turned quickly to look back at his family, all seated on their thrones, and slowly began to make his way towards his own empty chair. He wanted no part of this if Midoriya wasn't present.

“Shoto!”

Todoroki sighed with annoyance as the voice reached his ears.

Of course, whether he wanted to participate or not was of no concern to his father.

King Enji glared at him with his burning teal eyes. “Go join the young men and women on the dance floor. You must become acquainted with every single one in the grand hall, do you understand?”

Todoroki rolled his eyes but quickly obeyed, knowing better than to fight back in front of all these people. He turned back around to face the dance floor, only to be met by another face, barely a few inches from his own.

The face in question belonged to a young woman with striking black hair pulled up in a high ponytail. A sparkling red diadem draped over her forehead. She had deep, dark eyes and long, fluttering lashes. Her off-the-shoulder, crimson-red ball gown beautifully accented and accentuated her breathtakingly full figure. She seemed just about as shocked as Todoroki was when he turned around, and she quickly stepped backwards, her heels clacking against the marble floor.

“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry!” She quickly gave Todoroki a little curtsy. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I am Lady Momo Yaoyorozu. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, your highness.”

Todoroki stared emotionlessly at the beautiful young woman for a moment before remembering that he had to be on his best behavior tonight. “Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Yaoyorozu.” He said quietly, giving a quick bow and offering the noble a kiss on the hand. She blushed softly in turn.

“Umm, I was wondering...” The young woman spoke slowly as she lowered her hand. Todoroki had to admit that she was quite beautiful. Then again, he noted as he looked around the ballroom that there were many attractive people in attendance.

But none of them were Midoriya.

His attention was pulled back to reality as the girl continued speaking. “...If I could be your first dance partner tonight,” She said softly.

“Oh, of course.” Todoroki quickly responded when his father loudly cleared his throat behind him. The girl then gently held out her hand to the prince, and Todoroki took it in his own, escorting her towards the busy dance floor.

Todoroki couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t just a little bit nervous. He had been forced to take ballroom dancing lessons for as long as he could remember, but the only people he had ever actually danced with were his sister and Midoriya. Tonight, due to his father’s demands, he would have to dance with hundreds of strangers. And honestly, he wasn’t all that keen about that fact.

As the next song struck up, Todoroki did exactly as he had been taught and placed his free hand over the young woman’s waist. She quickly responded by placing her own elegant hand over his shoulder. The only issue with this was that doing so brought the two uncomfortably close. But as far as Todoroki could tell, Lady Yaoyorozu didn’t seem to mind all that much.

She blinked at him slowly, in an enduring yet shy way. She seemed to be a bit embarrassed, but quickly fell into step with the boy as the song began and all the couples on the dance floor quickly began to move.

All the couples carefully danced in an ever-moving circle around the edge of the dance floor, with a few of the braver couples dancing together in the middle. They all moved together in their circular pattern, never breaking away, like the carefully carved and cleverly painted figures of a music box.

They all followed the dance steps like an instinct, as hands touched and couples weaved in between one another like a needle and thread. Partners were passed to one another and quickly returned as the music sped forever forward. Todoroki could barely keep track of the young men and women; he quickly spun to the young man next to him, until Yaoyorozu was back in his arms and the music once again slowed, signaling the stop of the exchanging and return to the gentle circles.

Todoroki would have preferred to dance in silence, but he knew conversation was inevitable as the single-partner dance continued.

The nobel lady in red was the first to start the conversation as they gently twirled around the floor. “So, tell me a bit about yourself, your highness.” She said in her elegant yet strong voice.

Todoroki thought for a moment before saying the first thing that came to mind that he was comfortable sharing.

“I like cold soba.”

The girl seemed taken aback for a moment before she let out a gentle laugh. Todoroki raised an eyebrow in response.

“I’m sorry.” She quickly apologized, still giggling softly. “I’m just a bit surprised, that's all.”

“Why? Is liking cold soba considered strange where you come from?” Todoroki asked as the two nobles spun to quickly dodge another dancing couple that had veered off course: A girl in an astonishingly puffy pink gown and a boy with spiky blonde hair. They seemed to be arguing quietly about something with each other, but Todoroki paid them no mind.

“No.” Yaoyorozu reassured the prince. “It's just that when I ask that question, people usually reply by saying something about their upbringing or their skills and hobbies. Something narcissistic to show off. Never… food.”

Todoroki shrugged, unsure of how to continue the conversation, but before he could even think too hard about it, a lavender-haired noble in a sleek black suit tapped Yaoyorozu on the shoulder.

“The song is over. Mind if I cut in?”

Yaoyorozu seemed confused, even disappointed, for a moment before giving the boy a quick smile. “Of course.”

As she released her hands from Todoroki, she gave him a quick curtsy. “I hope you will consider me as your future partner, Prince Todoroki.” She said it with one last smile before she quickly walked off the dance floor.

Right. I completely forgot about that.

Todoroki didn’t get much more time to think about it, however, due to the fact that the young gentlemen with the lavender hair was bowing before him.

Then, to his surprise, the boy looked up at him and frowned deeply. “I’ll be honest, your highness.” He said in a low voice. “I don’t really want to be here. So let’s hurry up and get this dance out of the way, if you don't mind.”

“You and me both.” Todoroki mumbled quietly in return and offered the young nobel a hand, which he quickly took as the music started back up.

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The dance that followed was a quiet one. Neither boy said anything to the other. And, in all honesty, Todoroki was fine with that. He much preferred the silence to the hushed chattering he could hear coming from other dancing couples.

It all just seemed too intimate and personal.

In Todoroki’s mind, holding a conversation with someone while being so close required comfort and stability in the relationship with the other person. Two things that he definitely didn't have with any of the people present. How complete strangers were extroverted enough to babble on and on with someone they just met was baffling to the prince. And yet, so many people around him were doing just that.

Countless party-goers were laughing and happily talking with their dance partners, like they were old friends. Perhaps some of them were, but Todoroki could hear many of them making their first introductions to one another. It seemed to come easily to them, like it was the most natural thing in the entire world to tell someone your personal life story.

Fuyumi and Natsuo had always been pretty good at introductions. Todoroki had spent years watching them do it, trying to learn from them. But it had been to no avail. It still felt strange. Sure, Todoroki could introduce himself just fine, but his words always lacked warmth and a sense of welcome. So he preferred to just not do it at all.

If he needed an introduction, Iida would usually step in and do it for him. It wasn’t strange for a knight or royal servant to introduce their master, and Iida seemed to like doing it, so Todoroki let him. Iida was just very good at getting people’s attention. Also, he was very good at being loud.

Very loud.

But Iida wouldn’t be able to do his master’s introductions tonight for two reasons: One; Todoroki’s father had insisted the prince do them on his own. Two; Iida was still nowhere to be seen.

Where in the world had that knight run off without informing Todoroki? It was so unlike him.

Todoroki tried to push the thought from his mind. Iida was very capable of handling himself. Wherever he was, he would be fine.

On the other hand, the one person Todoroki couldn’t get out of his mind was Midoriya.

Why hadn’t the prince shown up? He had promised, hadn’t he? Did he not want to show up? Had he once again decided that he didn’t accept Todoroki’s love?

The thought burned in Todoroki’s heart as he silently danced with partner after partner. So many of them tried to speak with him, but he only replied in one or two short sentence answers, unable to focus on anything but the boy in his mind.

Where was Midoriya right now?

Was Midoriya okay?

Did something go wrong?

His mind was like a whirlwind of thoughts as he spun around the dance floor. Partner after partner, song after song. He wasn’t even sure how much time had passed until, again, a young gentleman with spiky black hair, clever eyes, and sharp features stepped in to replace his other dance partner.

The noble wore an all-black outfit. His only pop of color was a strange red wrap he wore around his neck. He was a good bit shorter than Todoroki, but when the dark young man opened his mouth, the voice that came out was deep and cloaked with mystery. “You seem troubled.”

Todoroki was taken aback for a moment by the straightforward and to-the-point statement. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but it seemed he wouldn’t have to since his new dance partner continued speaking.

“Forgive me, your highness.” The boy quickly continued. “I suppose that’s not a great way to start introductions. The truth is, I’m not all that great with them.”

“Me neither.” Todoroki blinked curiously at the noble.

“Well, I guess that works out great then.” His dance partner exhaled in amusement.

The music began to kick back up, and Todoroki quickly took the gentleman’s hand, continuing his evening dancing.

“How did you know I had something on my mind?” Todoroki asked quietly as the two spun around the floor.

The stranger shrugged. “I suppose it’s a strange gift of mine.” He replied. “I can tell when someone is wallowing in darkness.”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow.

“Never mind that, though.” The dark noble quickly muttered under his breath, seemingly a bit embarrassed. “What I’m wondering is why someone who gets to pick from all these people would be so troubled.” The boy thought for a moment before quickly adding, “Though I suppose that is none of my business.”

Todoroki studied the other man’s face a bit closer. His dark, clever eyes and hooked nose gave the young noble very bird-like features. He almost reminded Todoroki of a raven—an omen of death and sorrow to come.

“It’s alright.” Todoroki muttered. “I’m sure anyone would be wondering the same thing.”

“Well, it isn’t my place to pry.” The dark gentlemen spoke quietly back.

There was an awkward moment of silence between the two as each tried to come up with something to say, but nothing ever came. They just quickly danced along with the other pairs, trying their best not to make eye contact or breathe too heavily. It almost came as a relief to Todoroki when a redheaded noble girl with a unique auburn side ponytail cut in at the end of the song to replace the bird-like young man.

The majority of the grand event continued in the same manner for the rest of the evening: Todoroki would dance with someone for a few minutes and then be quickly interrupted by another. As the night was nearing its end, Todoroki had danced with so many people that his head was just a blurred mess of names and faces.

“I need a break.” Todoroki bluntly stated after dancing with a spunky, pink-haired young woman for a good few minutes. Her garishly bright gown and incredibly loud personality were more than enough to completely push the limits of his already very low tolerance for socializing. Not even his father’s threats would get Todoroki back on that ballroom floor tonight. Some sort of miracle would have to happen to make Todoroki dance even a single step more.

“Dear lord.” Todoroki mumbled to himself as the pink duchess skipped away. “Where in the world is Iida?” The prince needed a socializing break, and in order to properly get it, he needed his extrovert shield.

His extrovert shield, who, strangely, was still nowhere to be found.

Well, Todoroki supposed he would have to try to make due on his own.

Excusing himself, Todoroki wandered off towards the tables of food near the edge of the ballroom. He was thankful for the fact that there seemed to be only two people hovering around a particular table. That meant he wouldn’t likely have to socialize anymore.

Todoroki didn’t even bother looking at the two people standing nearby as he poured himself a glass of punch in hopes that he wouldn’t have to make social contact, but he was quickly forced to when someone called out in his direction.

“Oi. Half-in-half!”

Half-in-half?

Todoroki cautiously turned to face the owner of the gruff voice, only to find it belonged to an attractive young man with striking crimson eyes and spiky blonde hair… and a hideous scowl. Standing close beside the man was a small young lady with short brown hair and big brown eyes. She was wearing an astonishingly puffy pink gown covered with sparkling white glitter that matched her tiny, almost bubble-like tiara. Todoroki quickly recognized the pair as the couple he and Lady Yaoyorozu had seen arguing earlier that night.

“Yo, you’re Prince Shoto Todoroki, right?” The ill-tempered gentleman spoke as he lumbered towards Todoroki.

“Of course he is.” The small woman mumbled with a sigh as she closely followed, her steps light and bouncy. “The royal herald announced that at the very beginning. Were you even paying attention?”

“I don’t have to pay attention if I don’t want to!” The noble quickly snapped back before turning his attention to Todoroki once more. “You’re him, right?”

Todoroki nodded slowly.

As soon as he got confirmation that this was indeed the person he was looking for, the spiky-haired young man shoved his nose in Todoroki’s face. “What did you do to Deku?” He growled menacingly.

Who in the world is… Deku?

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you are referring to.” Todoroki said calmly, not even backing away from the other young man.

The blonde youth’s scowl quickly turned into a sickening grin. “Oh. Wow. You are a cold-hearted asshole. You’re a real sick bastard, aren’t—”

A soft hand with pink, carefully painted nails was quickly shoved between the two boys before the volatile party guest could finish his sentence.

“Please excuse his horrible manners.” The noble girl in pink quickly apologized. “This is Duke Katsuki Bakugo,” she said, motioning towards the now growling boy. “And my name is Duchess Ochako Uraraka.” She curtsied deeply in her massive pink dress, causing it to puff up around her torso a bit. Todoroki thought it kind of reminded him of a delicious, fluffy pink cupcake, with the glitter being the sprinkles.

Todoroki thought back to the two dancing together earlier. “Are you two fiancés?” He asked calmly.

“Fiancés?! With this little chipmunk?!” Bakugo roared. “Like I’d settle for someone like her!”

Uraraka glared at the boy next to her as she straightened from her curtsy. “Thankfully, no. But sadly, I’m still a family friend.”

“Oh.” Todoroki nodded.

“Though we are not here as candidates to be your future partner either,” The brunette duchess added quickly with an awkward smile.

“That’s fine.” Todoroki spoke calmly before raising another question. “But if you aren’t here for that, then why are you here exactly?”

Uraraka’s silly smile quickly melted as soon as Todoroki asked the question, and she turned her gaze downward.

Todoroki watched curiously. Had he said something wrong?

“We’re looking for someone very important to us.” She explained honestly. Bakugo was quite beside her. “We thought he might be here…”

As the duchess’s brown eyes flicked back upwards to look at Todoroki, her tone quickly shifted from solemn and quiet to something a bit more forceful and determined. “Bakugo might have been a bit too forward with his approach, but I am quite curious as well,” she said, her chocolate eyes now meeting Todoroki’s own grey and teal ones. “What exactly happened between you and Prince Izuku Midoriya at the beginning of this summer? And where has he gone off to?”

Todoroki’s whole body stiffened at the mention of his former fiancé. When the Duke asked about a Deku... he had been using a nickname for Izuku Midoriya.

“Do—do you two know Izuku?” He quickly said, staring at the two nobles.

Uraraka gave Todoroki a small nod. “We were both very close family friends. And we're worried about him.”

“I’m not that loser Deku’s friend!” Duke Bakugo quickly shouted, drawing a few stares from other nearby guests.

Uraraka waved apologetically at them, and they quickly returned to their own business. “Whatever you say.” She said to Bakugo with a sigh before addressing Todoroki once more. “First I stopped receiving letters from Prince Midoriya, then I found out the King has passed on, and now I find out that not only are you no longer fiancés, but you are looking for a new partner entirely, and Prince Midoriya is missing.”

“Which is suspicious as hell.” Bakugo snarled, his ruby eyes flicking around the ballroom as if an ambush could happen at any moment. “Meaning you or your shady bastard of a father are probably behind this.”

Todoroki could feel his hands growing clammy with sweat. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Tell these two friends that Midoriya is under the curse of a powerful sorcerer, and it’s all up to Todoroki to save him? Not only would they not believe him, they would probably believe he was the one responsible for Midoriya’s disappearance. That is, if they didn’t think that already.

“I— well…”

“You what?” The blonde duke growled, taking a step closer.

“We are just concerned, Prince Todoroki.” Uraraka pleaded. “Please, if you know anything…”

“I…”

Before Todoroki could answer, a loud knock sounded through the ballroom and echoed around the walls.

Countless heads whipped about, searching for the source, until all eyes landed on the main grand doors of the ballroom.

“What was that?” Uraraka yelped, turning her attention towards the great doors. The two young men standing near her did the same.

King Enji rose from his throne.

Another knock.

The king quickly turned to the small page standing at the bottom of the grand staircase. “Are all those who were invited not present?” His commanding voice thundered through the otherwise silent hall.

The herald looked around, bewildered. “Uh, yes, your majesty! All who were invited are—”

Another defending knock.

Todoroki stared up at the doors, his heart racing, and he slowly moved towards the center of the ballroom, the nobles shifting out of his way as he did. He could feel a bubbling sense of anticipation begin to boil deep within his core.

That’s where they’re wrong. Not everyone who was invited is present.

“Open the doors.” The king commanded.

It has to be him!

When no one moved, the king shouted even louder. “I said, OPEN THE DOORS!”

Two servants yelped and quickly scurried up the split staircase. Both grabbed onto the large handles of the double doors, their gloved hands trembling. Then they pulled with all their might, and the doors creaked open at an agonizingly slow pace.

Slowly, the brilliant night sky and its thousands of twinkling stars came into view, framing the outline of a dark silhouette standing in the doorway.

People stared in awe and confusion as the figure, framed by the golden arch of the doors, slowly stepped through the threshold and into the grand ballroom. The quiet clacking of their footsteps on the marble echoed around the high ceiling as they gracefully stepped towards the balcony of the staircase, inspecting the crowd below.

Whispers exploded through the ballroom in an indistinct rumble as the mysterious figure began to descend the staircase. Their long black cloak trailed behind them and flowed like a waterfall as they creeped down each step.

Their dark clothing accented their striking yet soft features as their curly dark hair was tousled by the icy night air. Atop that mane of curls lay a circular crown that framed their head like a glorious glowing halo. Adorning their smooth collar bones was a glistening golden locket that drew the attention of all who looked their way.

As they reached the bottom step of the staircase, nobles parted by the hundreds, allowing the strange visitor a clear path straight to Todoroki.

“Why, they look almost exactly like…” A guest quietly said aloud.

“But it can’t be!” Another whispered.

“I thought he was missing.” One said to the first.

As the crowd parted and cleared the dance floor and the figure continued to slowly approach, Todoroki was given the perfect view to drink in the features of the mysterious newcomer: Their black, elegant garb, the dark curly hair that was accented by a neatly placed golden crown, their soft freckled face, and their strong yet petite build.

And then those eyes. Oh, those glorious eyes! Those mysterious emerald irises that bloomed like summer. Those pools of endless wonder and magic. Two small, clever, and curious treasure chests of emotions. A labyrinth built with strings of chartreuse and fern. A whole world to forever get lost inside of.

Todoroki believed anything was possible when caught in the gaze of those amazingly brilliant and beautifully vivid eyes.

“I thought you’d never come.” Todoroki whispered as Midoriya finally reached the lovestruck prince.

He smelled like the sweet spring grass and the ripest summer fruit.

Todoroki held out his two softly calloused hands to the shorter boy, who gladly took them in his own and, in turn, pulled himself close enough to whisper in the other boy’s ear.

“Nothing would keep me away.”

Todoroki’s heart swelled as he snapped his fingers, and the orchestra once again began playing its soft, sweet music.

The crowd watched, entranced, as the couple almost floated over the dance floor. Spinning and twirling like leaves in a gentle autumn wind. Their movements were graceful and magical, like two swans drifting over the surface of a crystal-clear lake.

The music swelled as the two glided and swayed around one another, never breaking contact or rhythm. It was beautiful and mysterious, and it left you wanting more. It brought back memories of first love for the older members of the crowd and hopes of love yet for come to the younger.

It was an enchanting scene of love and trust, unlike anything any of the hundreds there had ever seen. They could almost picture the twinkles of light and swirling colors surrounding the couple, blocking their attention from everything in the world except for one another.

And it was beautiful.

It was absolutely beautiful.

“Something seems… different about you.” Todoroki spoke quietly to his partner as they waltzed across the marble dance floor.

Midoriya peered up at the other prince, green eyes filled with innocence and mystery. “After tonight, everything will be different.” He promised softly, a smile on his gentle face.

Todoroki wasn’t sure why, but as the words left the small boy’s lips, a shiver went down his spine. Whether out of fear or excitement, Todoroki let it happen.

Because as soon as Todoroki stared down at the glistening locket resting on the boy’s collarbone, he was once again calmed and reassured.

This was Midoriya. Midoriya was right here with him, in his arms. He was safe and alive. And Todoroki would ensure he would stay that way.

“Now that I have you, I hope you know that I’ll never let you go.” Todoroki said with a soft, shy smile.

Midoriya didn’t even bat an eye as he rested his head against Todoroki’s shoulder. Closing those same emerald eyes, he whispered, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Shall we make our own future?” Todoroki asked quietly, and the fluffy-haired prince nodded silently.

“All right then.”

Todoroki quickly turned towards the conductor of the small orchestra and signaled for him to fade out the music. He then turned towards the crowds of people, addressing the hundreds of people from all around the world directly.

“Everyone! I have an announcement to make.”

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“Come on. Think, think, think!”

The little huddle of the three animals stood together on the shore, the turtle pacing back and forth on his stubby little legs.

“I feel so helpless! There has to be something we can do!” He said, clearly frustrated.

“Well, we first need to figure out how to get his royal highness out of the tower. Anyone have any ideas?” Kaminari asked frantically, peering over at the half-submerged tower not too far across the water.

“If we don’t do something quickly, Todoroki could make the vow to the wrong person, and Midoriya might die!” Kirishima quickened his pacing as much as his tiny turtle legs would allow.

“There must be some way in…” Kaminari muttered.

“Well, I kn—” Asui the frog began but was quickly interrupted by Kirishima.

“It’s not like we have a key to the castle. And we already checked for broken windows or other holes.” He sighed.

“What about—”

“For a crumbling centuries-old castle, it sure is in decent repair. Maybe there’s a way in underwater?” The puffin suggested.

“Well actually—”

“No, that’s silly. What are the chances of there being a conveniently placed hole right in the tower his highness is trapped in? That’s dumb of me to even suggest.” Kaminari sighed, quickly shooting down his own query.

“Would you two blockheads listen to me, please!?” Asui croaked loudly. “There is a way in underwater.”

The turtle and the puffin stared down at the little frog.

“Well, why didn’t you say so sooner?” Kirishima cheered.

“I tried.” The frog croaked quietly as the turtle celebrated.

“Well, let’s just dive down there, pop in, grab his royal highness, and send him on his way!” The puffin shouted excitedly. “It’ll be no problem! Prince Midoriya will stop the false vow, and the day will be saved!”

“It won’t be that simple. Kero.” Asui quickly added. “Two big crocodiles live right near that tower. If we mess up, we’ll be their dinner, and Prince Midoriya will stay trapped inside that tower forever.”

Kaminari gulped loudly. “So, uh… then what do we do? Should we try to think of something else? Maybe there is another convenient hole we haven’t found?”

“Come on, guys! Don’t get cold feet now!” Kirishima said enthusiastically, determination coursing through his tiny turtle veins. “We’ve got to be the manly heroes here! There is no one else that can save the prince! We have to make a plan of attack!”

“Well, let’s see…” Asui raised one of her little webbed fingers to her chin, deep in thought. “In order to make this work, we’ll probably need whoever is the fastest swimmer to dive down there and get Prince Midoriya out as fast as possible. Kero.” She said, “And then the other two can work on distracting the crocodiles to make sure the prince is safe from harm.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Kaminari shouted, though his voice was a little shaky with fear. “Tsu, you’re a frog so you’re most definitely the fastest swimmer. You can be in charge of grabbing his highness!”

“Well,” Kirishima trotted a bit closer to the puffin. “I’m actually pretty fast in the water too.”

Kaminari shook his head and laughed. “Dude, you’re a turtle. Turtles are slow. Frogs are fast. Tsu is a frog, so she’ll get the prince.”

If turtles could frown, Kirishima would have most definitely frowned.

“Fine then. I’ll get Prince Midoriya.” Asui croaked. “That means that you two will be in charge of distracting the crocodiles. Kero.”

Kirishima turned towards the puffin. “And Kaminari, don’t chicken out on us, okay?”

“Was that a bird pun?” Kaminari groaned. “That was totally a bird pun.”

If turtles could smile, Kirishima would have most definitely smiled.

“Well, I suppose it’s now or never.” Kaminari said, his voice still shaking. “First thing we have to do is hop in…” He stared into the dark water and shivered. “At this moment in time, I’m kind of wishing puffins couldn’t swim so that I wouldn’t have to take part in this.”

“What’s wrong, Kaminari?” Kirishima said with a little sideways glance. “Got cold feet? Don’t tell me you’re feeling a little under the… feather?”

Kaminari groaned. “Dude, that pun wasn’t even a good one.”

Kirishima seemed quite proud of himself.

“On the count of three. Kero.” Asui croaked, ignoring the boys’ childish games.

“One…” Kirishima wiggled his behind, ready to jump in the water and help save his new friend.

“Two…” Kaminari said with a gulp.

“Three!” Asui croaked.

The three animals dove into the water (well, it would be more appropriate to say Kirishima walked into the water) and quickly raced for the decently sized hole in the bottom of the submerged tower.

The water was dark and murky, but lucky for them, they could just barely see the gap a ways in front of them.

Unfortunately for them, however, that meant crocodiles could also just barely see them as well.

Emerging from its hiding spot, one of the large reptiles quickly zoomed through the water and towards the small group, licking its lips as it charged towards what it hoped would be its dinner.

Kirishima was the first to see it coming. “Incoming!” He warned, his voice traveling quickly through the water.

The three animals scattered in all different directions, with Asui still gunning for the large hole. Lucky for her, it was a straight shot.

“This way, scaly face!” Kirishima taunted, and to Kaminari’s surprise, the turtle shot through the water like a bullet, the first crocodile in close pursuit.

“Dang! You are fast!” The puffin cheered but was quickly brought back down to earth by the entrance of the second crocodile on the scene, now hot on his feathered tail.

“Eek!” Kaminari screeched and quickly swam through the water, dodging and spinning, doing the best he could to lead the croc away from the tower.

As the turtle and puffin bravely held the attention of the crocodiles, Asui dove through the large hole and into the bottom of the crumbling ruins. The tiny vortex quickly sucked her through and into the dark water of the tower. She quickly kicked her little webbed feet and climbed towards the surface.

When she broke through the surface, the little frog was surprised to find not just the prince but a human there as well. The human had dark, almost blue-black hair and a strong frame. The glasses he wore were a bit skewed on his face, with a small crack in one of the lenses. The young man looked exhausted, and his knuckles were bright white as he held on to a chain hooked to the wall of the tower. Asui was sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.

“Asui!” Midoriya called out happily at the sight of his froggy friend. “How did you get in here? Are you okay?”

“I told you to call me Tsu.” The frog quickly interjected before swimming closer to the beautiful white swan.

The boy hanging on to the chain stared at the two animals, seemingly perplexed by the fact that it looked as if they were having a conversation.

“Who’s that?” Asui croaked, motioning towards the young man.

“His name is Sir Tenya Iida. He’s Prince Todoroki’s most trusted knight! I don’t know how Shigaraki managed to capture him, but we need to save him! I don’t know if he’ll be able to stay above the water much longer.” Midoriya honked.

“There is a hole down at the bottom of the tower. If we can somehow figure out a way to get him down there, we can save him too. Kero.” Asui explained.

“Okay!” Midoriya nodded, determination shining in his dark, watery eyes.

Midoriya kicked his black feet through the water and quickly swam over to Iida. The young man looked at him with a mix of confusion and disgust.

“Okay, Iida.” Midoriya spoke as calmly as he could, hoping the intention behind his voice would reach the young man. “I know you can’t understand me, but you’re really smart, so hopefully you can figure this out.”

“What do you want, bird?” Iida grumbled, moving a bit farther away from Midoriya.

Midoriya thought for a moment before he was struck with an idea. The swan momentarily dove under the water before quickly returning to the surface and looking over at the knight. “Like this, Iida. You have to dive.”

Iida stared at the bird, perplexed.

“Come on, Iida.” Midoriya begged, diving a few more times.

“What are you doing?” Iida tilted his head at Midoriya, clearly confused but somewhat intrigued. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“Yes!” Midoriya said, ruffling his wings ever so slightly in excitement. “Dive, Iida!”

But Iida shook his head. “I don’t understand what you want from me. I don’t have any food.”

“No! Not food, dive!” Midoriya tugged at Iida’s shirt with his orange bill. Iida gently swatted him away, but Midoriya continued this pattern.

Tug at Iida. Dive.

Tug at Iida. Dive.

Tug at Iida. Dive.

He continued until, suddenly, Iida seemed to understand. “Do you want me to… dive under the water?”

Midoriya honked excitedly. “Yes! Yes!”

Iida looked at the swan one more time before freeing a single hand from the chain and using it to remove his glasses and tuck them into his shirt. “I can’t believe I not only appear to be having a conversation with a swan,” he muttered, “but that I’m also about to do something that a swan is supposedly telling me to.”

Asui nodded to Midoriya, and the little green frog quickly disappeared beneath the water.

The swan turned to look at Iida, checking if he was ready to go. The young man was already sucking in air, preparing to dive.

“Here we go.” Midoriya said nervously and quickly dove beneath the surface, following Asui the best he could. To his relief, it seemed Iida was following him as well.

Outside of the tower, the other two small animals were still doing their best to distract the fearsome crocodiles. But as three murky figures emerged from the hole in the tower, the crocodiles’ attention was quickly drawn away.

“No! Wait! Come back!” Kaminari cried as the crocodile that had been chasing him instead turned towards the trio. “Look! Yummy white meat! Mmmmm! Chicken!” He begged, but the crocodile was already zooming off in the other direction. “Kirishima! Help!” Kaminari yelped as he raced after the croc.

Quick as a missile, a little red torpedo zipped through the water, and a beak clamped down around the crocodile's tail, causing it to growl in pain.

“They don’t call ith a shnapping turthule for nophing!” Kirishima said triumphantly, his jaw still snapped shut on the croc’s tail.

Relief flowed over the two animals as they watched the trio of figures break the surface of the water, and the smallest silhouette, along with the largest silhouette, quickly scrambled onto the shore, Kirishima and Kaminari close behind. The third figure, however, burst from the water and immediately shot into the moonless sky, beating their great white wings as hard as they could, taking off into the night and slowly disappearing into the clouds.

“Come on.” Kirishima prayed quietly as they all watched the bird fade from view. “You’ve got this, your highness. Go get your prince”

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The crowd buzzed with anticipation as Todoroki addressed them directly, Midoriya close at his side.

The magic of the evening and the wonder of the moment hung in the air like a beautiful promise as they all watched with bated breath.

It hung in the air like a promise that all was right and good in this world, despite the evil that lived within it. Like a promise that good would always triumph over evil as long as true love and happily ever afters existed.

It was a promise that fairytales do indeed come true and aren’t just lies told by the optimistic to brighten others' slowly dying spirits.

And these two young princes standing arm in arm before them surely had to be the proof of this promise. Because if their love too was a lie, then what could these pitiful people truly trust and believe in?

“Tonight, individuals from all around the world have journeyed to visit our great kingdom and witness me make my decision as to who my lifetime partner and great ruler at my side will be.” Todoroki said, his soft-spoken voice sounding hundreds of times louder as it echoed around the great hall.

Whispers and questions filled the ballroom as the crowd stared in awe at the couple standing before them.

“And now, I would like to share with you the decision I have made.” Todoroki looked over at the prince who was clutching onto his arm. The boy nodded his head, causing his fluffy curls to bounce ever so slightly.

Uraraka and Bakugo watched intently, silent, along with the rest of the crowd.

The blonde duke’s eyes narrowed at the dark prince holding on to Todoroki’s arm.

“Pink Cheeks, something feels… off.” Bakugou whispered quietly to Uraraka.

The girl made no reply other than staring even more intensely at the two princes in the center of the room as Todoroki continued to speak.

“So, if I may,” Todoroki turned to face his parents, who were seated on their thrones. “Father, Mother.”

They both nodded in turn. The queen had a beautiful, soft smile on her face as she looked at her happy son.

The whole family beamed with pride and wonder at the two young men, amazed and humbled by the power of true love.

A power strong enough to raise the previously thought deceased from the clutches of death and free the emotions of those previously thought emotionless.

“Then my decision has been made.” Todoroki held his arm out, ushering Midoriya forward, though still holding tightly onto his lover's hand.

The young man stood before the audience of nobles, his hollow green eyes sweeping over their amazed faces.

“This here is the man who will become my husband!” Todoroki said to the hushed crowd. “The man who taught me what love really is.”

The golden locket around Midoriya’s neck glistened.

“And, as proof of my love to him,” Todoroki continued, smiling gently at the prince, unaware of what was taking place outside of the castle as he spoke his words out to the world.

“Right here, I make a vow to break all vows.”

Unaware of the great white bird frantically searching for a way into the castle.

“A vow stronger than all the powers of the earth.”

Unaware of the quickly breaking heart that was flying high and low, checking every door and window, only for their heart to break even more as they found each one locked and sealed.

“Before you, before the whole world,”

Unaware of the swan pecking at the windows of the grand ballroom. It beat its great wings outside of the thick glass, only catching the attention of two of the young party guests, one blonde and one brunette, who marveled for a moment before returning their attention to the two princes before them.

“I make a vow of everlasting love,”

“No, Shoto!” The swan, the prince, Midoriya, cried out, unheard by the world that was gathered inside the castle.

“To this prince, Izuku Midoriya.”

As the people in the crowd cheered and hollered, danced, and sang, they too were unaware.

Unaware of the swan outside the window, who’s heart suddenly shattered to pieces, staring at the man he loved, promising himself to another, therefore sealing another promise on to the swan.

By attempting to promise Midoriya a love that would last for a lifetime and beyond, Todoroki had unknowingly instead bestowed a different, more sinister vow upon his one true love.

By promising himself to another, whether intended or not, Todoroki had signed and sealed an undoable fate for Midoriya.

The fate of a life without love.

A promise of death.

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Todoroki smiled happily over the cheering crowds and squeezed tightly into his lover’s warm hand.

Men threw their fancy hats into the air, and ladies cheered. The entire hall was filled with joyful noises as partygoers called out the couples’ names.

Todoroki wanted to look over and smile at the young man standing next to him, and he wanted the dark-haired boy to meet his smile with one of his own. Maybe there would be happy tears streaming down the young prince’s face. Midoriya would say something about “not being able to help it” because he was “just so happy.” Todoroki would wipe those tears away and reassure his love that crying was okay. He would reassure him that everything from here on out would be wonderful and beautiful. Todoroki might not believe those words as they came out of his mouth, but with one look into his love’s fantastic, beautiful, vivid green eyes, he would believe them. Because those eyes were like a shelter from the storm or the comforting taste of sweet desserts.

Those eyes would make Todoroki believe he had done it. He would believe that the spell would finally be broken and the two could live together happily ever after. With no pain, no misunderstandings, no pent-up emotions. There would only be victory and love.

Just like in the fairytales.

But Todoroki’s stomach plummeted when, as suddenly as the cheering had begun, it came to an abrupt stop, replaced with screams as the doors and windows of the ballroom burst open with a mighty flash of lightning and a roll of thunder.

And Todoroki remembered that not all fairytales have happy endings.

Screams and shouts rang through the hall as dark, angry clouds covered the stars and the icy night air blasted through the ballroom, putting out every candle in its wake and plunging them all into darkness.

“What’s going on?! What is the meaning of this!?” King Enji stood up from his throne and frantically glanced around the room, his teal eyes burning with fire.

A quiet, rumbling laugh began to fill the hall and mix with the sound of the sudden rolling thunder. The laugh started soft and steadily grew until it echoed around the ballroom, surrounding every visitor in its sinister blanket of sound. It seemed to come from every direction imaginable, its source undistinguishable. The sound shook Todoroki to his core. It brought an intense sense of instinct and fear to the surface of his mind.

Then a bone-chilling voice split through that thundering laughter.

“Well, well, well. That was easier than I thought it would be. How boring.”

Todoroki placed a palm over the sword on his hip, and he quickly threw a protective hand in front of Midoriya. He wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Not again.

“Who are you?! What is your business here!?” Todoroki hollered out into the thick air.

“Who am I? Oh, I think you should know that by now.”

The voice almost sounded like it was coming from inside Todoroki’s own head, though clearly everyone in the hall could hear it as well. Todoroki had the intense instinct to try and block it out, but it dug and scraped its way into his skull, like rats trapped in a wooden barrel.

Gritting his teeth in determination and anger, the prince took a single step forward and shouted with all his fury out into the hall, the fire growing in his voice and causing his volume to steadily rise with each word that left his lips. “Answer my question! Who are you? Are you the sorcerer who had Izuku under their curse!?”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” The hot-headed blond duke’s voice called out into the hall as Bakugo took a step out of the crowd. “What do you mean ‘curse’? What the hell kind of secret were you keeping from us?! What the hell did you do to Deku, you bastard prince?! Deku, what did he do to you?!” Uraraka and a few other members of the crowd quickly tried to drag Bakugo back into their midst, kicking and yelling. “What did you do?! What’s wrong with Deku?! Say something, you scumbag!”

The hall quickly swelled with more confused whispers and concerned shouts, but they were quickly silenced once again as soon as the mystery voice spoke again. “Rowdy crowd.” It cackled. “But I must return to the topic at hand. It seems you catch on quickly, Todoroki.”

“So you are the sorcerer!?” Todoroki hollered. “Izuku is no longer yours! Izuku is and always has been my fiancé! He will never be yours!”

“Oh, my dear prince… ” The voice hissed. “That’s where you are wrong.”

Todoroki tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, trying to focus harder on the source of the voice. It was definitely coming from somewhere nearby.

“Ever since he rejected you, Midoriya was no longer yours!” The voice taunted and roared with laughter as if it had just told the world's most hilarious joke. “Midoriya is mine!” It cried out. “The boy was never even yours to begin with! Up until recently, you didn’t even want him! But I did! I always have! He. Is. Mine.”

“You have no power here!” Todoroki growled, a wave of anger unlike anything he’d ever felt, rattling ferociously like a caged beast fighting for freedom inside him. “I made a vow of everlasting love!” He shouted.

The voice suddenly went sinisterly quiet. No longer echoing about the room. “Oh, you made a vow alright, little sparrow.”

At that moment, Todoroki pinpointed the source of the voice. It almost seemed to be coming from…

Right next to him.

“A vow of everlasting death!”

Todoroki turned towards Midoriya, only to find the prince cackling like a hyena. He was doubled over as if the laughter hurt him, but he had a massive smile on his face. Only it wasn’t Midoriya’s usually sweet and innocent grin. Not the grin that Todoroki had been hoping to see after his vow. No, this smile was dark and sinister, twisting the prince’s beautiful face into something entirely different. It was disturbing and distant, and it almost seemed as if it was too large for his face, cracking and tearing his peach lips at the corners.

Todoroki took a step backward, frightened.

Everything that seemed to make Midoriya himself had disappeared from existence. Even those gorgeous green eyes were no longer familiar to Todoroki.

Those green eyes Todoroki had believed wholeheartedly could do no wrong had changed to a twisted, swirling vortex of muddy despair and hatred crudely mixed together into a hideous, bubbling mass.

This wasn’t Midoriya.

This was a monster.

“Who are you?!” Todoroki roared, drawing his sword from its sheath. But he couldn’t bring himself to point it at the cackling beast.

Because, despite its horrific display, it looked too much like Midoriya.

The imposter turned his head slowly to face Todoroki, his laughter slowly dying to a bust of short, sporadic giggles that made his body vibrate eerily.

“Didn’t I tell you already?” He said as he slowly straightened his spine. Todoroki could hear every vertebra pop in and out of place. “You should know that by now.”

Todoroki watched as Midoriya’s whole body began to crack like dry mud from the bottom upwards with a purple light before the pieces slowly began to flake away like bark and crumble into ash.

It was painful for Todoroki to watch the man he loved literally crumble to pieces before him. He wanted to scramble to his knees and collect the crumbling scraps, but his body refused to move, and his eyes refused to tear away.

As each piece peeled away, another man began to be revealed beneath. A man with a pale, gray complexion and dry, flaky skin.

Then Midoriya’s dark curls began to fall out in chunks, quickly being replaced with long, greasy, dusty-blue strands of hair.

The last thing to change was his eyes.

Todoroki watched as the twisted, muddy emerald green shifted to a sickening, blood red, still swirling with the same despair and hatred.

“I—I know who you are…” Todoroki croaked out quietly as the man was fully revealed before him. The crowd screamed and yelled behind them, and the ballroom quickly fell into chaos as his father screamed for order.

The two men standing at the center of the ballroom were lost in the commotion, their eyes focused on each other alone as people scrambled to escape the dark hall. Todoroki was sure he could hear Bakugo and Uraraka yelling somewhere behind him, but their words were lost in his swimming head.

“You were in the portrait. You're Tomura Shigaraki.” Todoroki could hardly believe his eyes and yet the man just laughed again in response. It fulled his anger further enough to force his body into motion.

“What have you done with Izuku?!” Todoroki screamed as he finally managed to step closer to the man, his anger almost uncontainable.

“Oh, I didn’t do anything to him.” Shigaraki said with his sinister smile and then pointed towards one of the large windows of the ballroom. “But you did.”

Todoroki quickly turned, and his heart dropped like stones in a river as he saw a snow-white bird sadly flying off from the window. It bobbed and twisted in the air, as if unable to keep itself afloat.

A slowly dying, snow-white swan.

“No…”

Todoroki turned one last time to face the cackling sorcerer. Any remaining partygoers who might have been watching would tell you the same story:

The prince’s teal and gray eyes were a window to a mix of more emotions than the usually emotionless boy had ever felt in his life. A window to more emotions and conflict than many people would ever feel in their lives.

Todoroki had two choices. He could stay here and end this man’s life right here and now, or he could chase after his only love and maybe have one last chance to speak to him before he succumbs to the curse and truly leaves Todoroki forever.

Todoroki’s heart tugged painfully towards the cackling sorcerer, screaming for revenge and closure, but with a last hate-filled stare, the young hero pivoted on his heels and ran as fast as he could through the great doors of the ballroom, chasing after the swan.

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As Todoroki raced through the woods on horseback, his heart wailed in agony with every twist and turn of the road.

His chest burned with an inferno of emotions as the thunder rolled above his head.

The diadem that had balanced on his white and red hair crashed uselessly to the ground as it slid off his head and into the mud. He didn’t even give it so much as a glance as it did.

In the pitch darkness, the Ruin Woods were like an unsolvable labyrinth of endless dead trees and briars. Every way he turned looked exactly the same as the other.

“Faster!” Todoroki cried to his horse as lightning lit up the dark forest.

The white horse leaped over small canyons and creeks, perfectly obeying its master's every command as the white-hot lightning burned its pattern into the black sky above.

As soon as he reached the point where his horse could no longer continue, Todoroki ventured off as fast as he could on foot into the woods.

“He’s fading fast, little prince.”

The sorcerer's mocking tone echoed through the woods like the deafening thunder above as Todoroki used his sword to slash through an endless number of briars. His cloak was snatched from his back by the reaching trees that closed in around him.

In his panicked state, the young hero’s brain refused to recognize familiar landmarks, informing him which was the correct direction to go. He just ran, trusting his instincts to carry him through the night and to his quickly fading love’s side.

“I’m coming, Izuku!” He cried out as loudly as he could, hoping the swan was close enough to hear his pleas, as unlikely as that was.

“Hold on, Izuku!” Todoroki begged, his voice hoarse from screaming. He stumbled helplessly through the woods, tripping over rocks and roots as he frantically tried to find his way to the old castle ruins. But the forest and trees seemed to be never-ending as the seconds ticked by inside his almost blank mind.

Only one thought seared itself into Todoroki’s head.

Find Midoriya.

“If you hurry, little prince,” the great voice mocked, “I’ll let you see him one last time.”

“I’m coming, Izuku!” Todoroki screamed, covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises, as he crashed his way through the trees. “I’m coming!”

His hot blood seeped into his once-beautiful garments, now a sad shadow of what they once were. Todoroki threw off his torn, ruined overcoat as he ran, his white blouse now blotted with crimson red beneath it.

Briars grabbed and tore at the fabric along with the prince’s fragile skin beneath it as he barreled his way through the night.

“Don’t die, Izuku! Please don’t die!”

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“Look!”

Kaminari pointed one of his black and white wings up at the sky.

The two other animals beside him turned their attention towards the cloudy night’s horizon and over the top of the dark trees.

There, a white silhouette was bobbing up and down like a feather in the breeze, growing ever closer as lightning flashed monstrously behind it.

“Is… is he okay?” Kirishima said quietly, worry filling his usually confident voice.

“I don’t know. Kero.” Asui croaked. “But it sure doesn’t look like it.”

They watched as the great white bird dipped in the sky, attempting to aim for the lake, but the beat of its wings was quickly growing weaker, causing it to come tumbling to the ground and land with a soft thud near the crumbling archway on the shore.

“No…” Kirishima whispered as the swan’s breathing started to grow shallow.

Tiny sparks began to glisten in the air around the small prince, but they were dull and weak compared to the magic the animals had all so often witnessed.

As the prince lay dying on the crumbling stone, the sad, cold magic swirled weakly in a cloud around him, blinking him between swan and human form. Eventually, it seemed to settle on allowing the prince the smallest bit of mercy as it fizzled out with a sad puff, leaving him in his human state so he could die in his true body and not in a swan-shaped cage.

The dark clouds in the sky above opened outward, and the stars shone down on the dying swan prince as they peeked around their cloudy curtains to glance at the story unfolding before them.

Midoriya blinked slowly up at the sky, subconsciously trying to count those stars above in an attempt to find some closure in a last fond memory before his vision grew too fuzzy with tears.

The wetness twisted and bent the tiny lights above, stretching them into large crosses and twinkles that overlapped and formed indistinguishable pictures. Midoriya did his best to make out those shapes, but they all seemed to melt together in a taunting recounting of the events that had led up to this moment as he lay dying on the cold, wet stone. The shadow of the dark sky that peeked through the tails of light bent along with the dancing stars into pictures of Todoroki’s face and images of familiar small white flowers. It swirled with swans and misty heart-shaped lockets. He tried to make out the moon within the circling mess, so that he could maybe find the slightest bit of comfort in his fading consciousness, but it still refused to show its guilty face as the boy lay there on the ground, fighting with one final attempt to hold on to his last string of life.

“Izuku…”

The three animals nearby didn’t even bother to hide as the second young prince appeared from beneath the weeping willow trees. His breath was heavy and pained as his turbulent gray and teal eyes landed on the sight of his only love, slowly dying on the cold ground.

“Oh, Izuku… What have I done to you?” He said quietly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he slid to the ground and cradled Midoriya’s dying body in his arms.

Midoriya’s eyes weakly blinked open at the sound of Todoroki’s voice and the warmth of his gentle touch. Todoroki gazed down at the weak boy in his arms, trying to deny the reality he was now living in, but it was all too real. Because Midoriya’s eyes...

Oh, those eyes.

Those emerald green eyes that Todoroki loved so much were now devoid of all their previous magic.

Todoroki had heard people say that the eyes of the dying were dull and colorless, glassy, and devoid of all life. But as he lay in his arms, Midoriya’s dying emerald eyes still sparkled like they always did. Only instead of sparkling with wonder and intelligence, they sparkled with tears—tears of regret and quiet acceptance—as he tried desperately to make out his lover’s face through the droplets collecting in his vision.

His eyes were as shallow as puddles, barely deep enough to submerge a hand in. There was no getting lost in those distant, cold eyes; there was no sinking inside and running away from what Todoroki had done to the only person he had ever loved.

And as Todoroki gazed down at Midoriya and his still-sparkling eyes, he finally understood what all those people had meant.

Those sad and distant emerald puddles robbed Todoroki of all the life within him. His world felt dull and colorless as Midoriya’s everlasting love slipped through his desperate fingers.

“Sh—Shoto?” Midoriya’s voice was weak and soft as he called out to his prince.

“Shhhh… Save your strength.” Todoroki whispered, trying to keep his composure, but he couldn’t control the seemingly endless stream of tears that rolled down his face and splashed pitifully onto Midoriya’s shirt, creating a pattern of heartbreak on his white clothing.

The boy in his lap peered up at Todoroki, nothing but concern and love etched on his freckled, tear-streaked face. “You… You’re covered in blood.”

“I’m fine! They’re just scratches. But you…” Todoroki stared pitifully down at Midoriya, baffled at how a boy that lay dying could be concerned by mere scratches on another’s skin.

Midoriya reached a shaking hand up towards Todoroki’s face, wiping away a tear from the wine-red scar with his gentle, cold fingers. They were so smooth and tender against the rough burnt skin, easily riding the wetness from the old scar.

"Look at you, coming to save me... like... a real fairytale hero."

But as soon as the tear was wiped away, another took its place.

“What have I done to you?” Todoroki sobbed, his words somber and heavy. “Forgive me, Izuku.” He begged as he quickly clutched the weak hand next to his cheek in his own dirt-covered fingers. He pressed the dying prince's cold hand closer to his face, attempting to hold on to the last remaining bits of warmth in those freezing fingertips. “Forgive me. Forgive me for being so distant and cold to you all our lives. Forgive me for being jealous of you and your optimism…”

“Sho… ”

“...For ignoring you and pushing you away, for only now realizing how much I need you in my life, for… for being unable to save you…”

As he squeezed his eyes tight, the tears flowed freely down Todoroki’s face. They poured directly from his soul, bringing with them every emotion the world had claimed he couldn’t feel. It was as if all his bottled-up emotions were making up for the years of absence now that he finally had someone to cry for.

The prince squeezed tighter on the other boy’s hand as it gradually became weaker and colder by the second.

“I… I love you, Shoto. I always have… and… I always… will.” Midoriya’s fading eyes were slowly drooping as he fought to keep them open. Every word that left his lips was painful and weak, filled with sorrow. But there was no hatred or betrayal. “Shoto… Forgive me for being such a fool. I loved you... So much, but… I didn't think that you… I was such an idiot... ”

“No, no, no.” Todoroki quickly shushed the dying boy in his arms, his voice trembling as he pressed his forehead to the back of the boy’s weak hand, mumbling against it with warm breath. Midoriya’s cold grip loosened around Todoroki’s fingers, no longer supporting its own weight, as the crying prince murmured to him through his heartbreak. “You did nothing wrong. This is all my fault. Just hang in there, alright? Stay with me. Please. I promise I'll never make fun of you for loving fairytales or crying ever again. I'll be your dream fairytale hero. I'll treasure and adore you, and... and... please. Please just...”

"You... You're already my dream hero... Shoto. You... always have been. For far longer than forever."

Todoroki brushed a stray dark curl from Midoriya’s pale face, letting the boy's quiet words sink into his skin.

"Please don't go. You can't just leave me with that. Not after everything I've done to you. Please."

His attention was partially drawn away from the dying boy as a small, golden glisten beneath a nearby bush caught his eye.

And an audible, pained sob broke through Todoroki’s lips.

Gently, he reached his hand out and grabbed hold of the object before carefully brushing off a smear of mud on its surface and placing it against his lips in a soft kiss.

“The vow I made was for you.” Todoroki whispered as he gently draped the golden chain around his dying love’s neck. As his fingers brushed his chest, he could feel the futile and weak pounds of Midoriya’s heart.

The scared prince quietly whispered his promise again, unsure if the boy could still hear or even process any of the words that left his lips. But he continued to do so, hoping that maybe he still could, and maybe he would die knowing for once that Todoroki did truly love him.

But the boy’s watery emerald eyes just blinked slowly and emotionlessly as they stared into the nothingness above them, no longer searching for a false promise from the guilty moon. The locket glistened gently as it rose and fell with each of the dying prince’s breaths. Todoroki watched in painful agony as those breaths began to slow and become more shallow as he desperately tried to will them to last longer and hold on for a few more moments…

… Until the locket no longer moved at all.

“I made the vow for you.” Todoroki quietly cried, resting his forehead against the swan prince’s now-still chest. “The vow I made was for you…”

Todoroki threw his head back with a pained wail and screamed into the sky, his voice growing louder and filling with more agony as each word echoed through the night. “I made the vow for him! Do you hear?! The vow I made was for him!”

The forest gave no reply or even a hint of acknowledgement to the prince’s words as the still night air settled its cold, unforgiving fingers over the crying boy, cradling his lost, only love in his shaking arms.

“The vow I made was for him…”

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Todoroki was far too lost in his own grief to hear the sound of the heavy footsteps approaching carelessly behind him until the malice-filled voice split through the still air like a blade through paper.

“Now now. No need to be so loud. You’re making quite the racket, little sparrow.”

The prince was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the sorcerer, but quickly grasped tighter onto Midoriya’s body in response to the voice, desperate to protect the last remaining dignity of the Midoriya heir’s lifeless body as he turned towards the newcomer.

“That was a dirty trick.” He growled, his voice still bubbling and cracking with his tears as he attempted to wipe them from his face. However, all he managed to do was smudge further blood and filth across his pale countenance.

“The world isn’t fair, little prince.” Shigaraki hissed, staring down his nose in simultaneous disgust and smugness at the scene unfolding before him. A scene he was the cause of. “As long as people stray from rules and regulations, ‘fair’ will never be a true-to-life concept.”

“I don’t want to listen to your philosophical bullshit.”

The prince turned back to the boy lying lifelessly in his arms. “You took everything away from him.”

Todoroki gently set Midoriya’s lifeless form down on the soft grass with a final heartbroken glance. The body of the little duckling he had neglected to notice for so many years. If he had known how important that duckling would be to him in the future, perhaps he would have protected him better. Perhaps he wouldn’t be lying there now, a pitiful, lifeless husk on the ground.

But Todoroki couldn’t be solely to blame now. Not yet. Not with Shigaraki standing silently nearby, just watching as the young hero slowly rose from the ground to his full height, casting a shadow across the lakeside.

“You took his family,” Todoroki growled, his shaking but powerful hand reaching for the hilt of his sword. “His humanity,” He turned with an agonizingly slow, fluid motion, his body trembling with rage. “And his life. All because you were jealous of him.”

Todoroki’s haunting eyes stared up at the sorcerer, one cold and unforgiving as ice, the other a burning, hot inferno of hatred and rage.

“Now you need to pay for what you’ve done.”

“Do I?” Shigaraki took a taunting step forward, unphased by the fury displayed before him. There was no remorse in his crooked grin as he reveled wholeheartedly in the torment he had caused in the young prince’s once peaceful life. “I think I made it quite clear that I’m not the one to blame for the fate of your little lover boy there. This all could have proceeded with no casualties if he had just accepted my proposal in the first place. Or even if you just hadn’t gotten involved! It’s you who ruined my careful planning, after all. It's also you who sealed his fate the moment doubt grew in your heart. I only hastened the inevitable. His death by broken heart is your doing.”

“He’s not a damsel in distress.” Todoroki’s voice was steady. “If anything, you’re the weak one here. Making excuses and blaming others. It was your curse.” Todoroki stepped forward in turn. He fought desperately to keep his voice calm despite his shaking body, confronted with such a terrible evil before him. Yet his current fear felt so minimal compared to the fear he had felt only minutes before, faced with the prospect of losing the one he treasured. And he was suddenly able to calm his trembling body. “And that means you alone are responsible. And I’ll make sure that you receive a ‘fair’ punishment.”

The boy then carefully cocked his head to the side, his own display of smugness matching that of his opponent. “Or, since you claim ‘fair’ isn’t a real concept, maybe I’ll just have to give you a greater punishment than you’re due.”

“Oh! I’m so scared!” Shigaraki mocked. “You can try all you like, little prince, but I think you are out of your league.”

Todoroki bared his teeth. “Try me.”

The sorcerer grinned sinisterly and spread his arms wide, as if presenting himself to the night itself, allowing it to cloak him in its darkness like a great, mysterious cape. As he did, deep purple magic began to swirl in the air around him, adding to his taunting display. It seemed to leak from every plant and creature around the lake before mixing and condensing itself around Shigaraki in a deep purple haze, growing in magnitude and thickness along with his now-present laughter. As the cloud evolved, the fog began to thicken and glow, blocking the sorcerer from sight.

Todoroki observed as the mist swirled and shifted into two great wings at the sorcerer's side before steadily growing larger and larger, seemingly ever-expanding into the night. The villain’s laughter morphed along with the mist and took on a more shrieking tone with every release of unsettling sound. As this mist grew, it continued to take on more features of a terrifying winged beast, with great big ears reaching up towards the heavens and a large, pointed snout, until the fog screamed to a halt and exploded outwards, leaving a massive, horrific bat nearly as tall as a building in the sorcerer's place.

“A great animal…” Todoroki whispered as the bat let out a deafening screech into the dark night sky, shaking the earth to its very core, just like the screech he had heard on the fateful night Midoriya was taken from him so many days ago.

The bat grinned down at him with its dripping maw as it flapped its veiny, membraned wings and took off into the dark, cloudy sky. Watching with wide eyes, Todoroki drew his sword as the creature ascended, its massive claws glinting like haunting daggers, holding the stars at knifepoint.

With a screech, the beast swooped downward upon Todoroki with blinding speed, barely giving the boy enough time to dodge out of the way. He wasn’t quick enough to escape as it spun back around, its claws tearing a long rip in the side of Todoroki’s bloody and damaged tunic as it redirected its attack on the still-stunned boy. The thick nails barely missed the tender, fragile skin beneath the fabric.

It was all Todoroki could do to fend off the powerful monster with his sword as it continued to dive at him, let alone try to get a good, clean swipe at the beast. The most the prince could do was block fervently as the bat furiously swiped its claws at his burned face.

The prince winced as the bat’s claws finally made contact with his already bloodied and bruised skin, right above his knee. The nails hooked in the skin before tearing away, sending the Todoroki heir screaming out in pain as he was sent tumbling to the ground, glistening ruby spraying across the ground beneath him. The prince bit down against his tongue, fighting to muffle his pained whimpers as the wound burned like fire, bleeding profusely onto the ground and spilling crimson over the dark blades of grass.

But the hero did not falter for long, and he quickly grasped tighter around the hilt of his sword, knuckles white, steeling himself against the pain to protect the honor of the boy still lifeless in the grass.

Quickly, as the monster reached to grab its vulnerable prey again with its deadly claws, Todoroki flourished his blade, managing to stab his sword directly into one of the monster's gnarled feet, earning a screeching roar as the monster let out a pained, mighty scream of its own.

“I’ll never let you hurt anyone again!” Todoroki yelled his promise as he rolled back to his feet, slashing at the great animal as best he could during its moment of weakness. His body moved on instinct; the memory of the countless grueling hours of training burned into his muscles, finally paying off. He was gaining ground.

With a mighty swing of his blade, the young hero managed to get in a few good swipes, splitting through the bat’s scaly, dry skin, but unfortunately for the hero, the beast was also quick.

As Todoroki went in for another swing, the monster managed to grab the prince’s shining sword between its massive yellow teeth. The thin blade was no match for the beast’s powerful jaws as it clamped down, shattering the sword to pieces. Shards of steel exploded in a beautiful yet terrible shower of metal. Their surfaces caught and reflected the light of the stars as they fell to the ground, clinking pitifully against stray rocks in the muddy soil, sending small stray sparks fizzling around the princes’ feet.

Left defenseless, Todoroki scrambled to pull up a stray stone or grab a nearby branch to fight back with, but he was too late.

With a screech, the bat grasped Todoroki’s arms in its massive talons and took off into the forebodingly dark sky. The ground below quickly grew smaller and smaller as the pair climbed higher and higher.

Then it let go.

Todoroki yelled out as he was sent plummeting toward the earth. The wind whipped around him, helpless in stopping his great descent as he hurtled downward.

But before he could be turned into a white and red splatter on the lake shore, the bat once again swooped in, caught the boy at a painful speed, and launched him into a nearby tree.

Todoroki was sure he heard a few bones crack as he made contact, and he could most definitely feel a few bones crack as well.

The bat once again came flying towards him, screeching as it did, and Todoroki fumbled for a nearby broken branch.

As the creature’s jaws attempted to clamp down around him, he shoved the branch between its teeth, hoping to buy himself some time. But the monster quickly snapped the branch like a toothpick and instead opted to launch Todoroki into another tree using its massive feet.

As Todoroki was slammed into the tree, he was struck directly in the head with a branch, sending him into a daze, and he crashed downward, tumbling into branch after branch before landing on the ground with a crunch.

The world was spinning around him and blinking from existence as he fought to remain conscious.

His ears were ringing.

The world was fuzzy and tinted slightly crimson on the left side from an open cut above his eye.

Curiously, three small blobs were dancing about in his vision at the edge of the lake. One red, one green, and one black and white.

He squinted his eyes, trying to regain focus, as two of the blobs, the red and green ones, disappeared into the lake.

What were those things? Insects? Fairies? Animals?

As the ringing in Todoroki’s ears began to subside, he could hear the screeching of the great animal above, ascending upward again for another attack.

He had to do something, or else he would surely be killed!

But what?

He had no weapons to defend himself, and he could barely move his body.

This is hopeless.

His whole life seemed to flash before his eyes as he stared there in a heap on the cold ground.

But as it did, an old forgotten memory resurfaced itself inside his fuzzy mind, and a soft voice pierced through his head.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

“Shoto?”

The prince turned and looked at the other boy sitting next to him on the hill. Midoriya’s dark hair was filled with the small white flowers growing on the hill around them. The smaller prince had put them there in his hair himself, scattered around the strands of hair. His tired green eyes peered curiously over at the other boy as he faced him.

“What?” Todoroki spoke quietly.

A small, somewhat guilty smile stretched across Midoriya’s pretty face. “I’m a little tired.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” The boy scoffed in response.

“Nothing.” The dark-haired prince answered with a lazy shrug. “I just wanted to let you know.”

Todoroki narrowed his eyes as Midoriya turned his face back up towards the stars. He watched as the dark-haired prince’s gaze slowly traced the lines between each constellation he saw, counting every star as he did.

His green eyes were fighting to stay open.

Then, to the stoic prince’s surprise, the other seventeen-year-old boy suddenly swayed sideways. Out of reflex, Todoroki lunged slightly forward, steadying the boy’s fall a bit.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” The boy muttered, his eyes shut now, and his words slurred with exhaustion.

“Clearly you’re not fine.” Todoroki grumbled.

“I am, I am.” Midoriya promised softly. “I’m just…” His misty green eyes opened ever so slightly, and he peered into the other boy’s stormy teal and gray ones. “Shoto, would it be okay if I laid my head on your shoulder for a bit?”

The scarred boy’s eyes widened. He could feel his heart pound slightly against his chest as he slowly found himself nodding. “If—if you're so tired, then we should head back.” He muttered softly.

The other boy shook his head before he looked down at the flowers around him. He lazily plucked one from the grass and reached up to gently slip it above Todoroki’s ear. He smiled softly at his stroke of genius before carefully scooting closer to Todoroki.

Todoroki’s heart beat faster.

“I would just like to stay here a bit longer, if that’s okay.” The smaller boy said and laid his head down on the other boy’s strong shoulder. He inhaled deeply and blew the breath out through his soft lips.

Todoroki faced straight ahead, not daring to risk Midoriya noticing him maybe trying to look down at him. The most he could do was peer down at the other boy with just his eyes as he quietly spoke. “I guess that’s fine.”

“Thank you.” Midoriya whispered.

The sounds of the night surrounded them as the two teenagers fell silent. Crickets chirped, and the occasional owl called out in the forest.

The scarred prince was sure his heart was beating loud enough for the entire countryside to hear.

Was this stunning boy even aware of what he was doing to him? Was he simply just so tired that he didn’t care where he rested his head? Or…

…Was Midoriya’s heart beating too?

Slowly and carefully, Todoroki turned his neck ever so slightly to get a better look at the dark-haired boy leaned against him.

To his surprise, the boy was looking back.

Teal and grey met green, and two faces flushed red.

But their eyes didn’t flick away.

“You know,” Midoriya said softly. “Has anyone ever told you that you have eyes like the sky?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well,” he said, pointed a finger up at the night sky above them. “Sometimes they are overcast and cloudy. Sometimes they are stormy and filled with thunder.”

The other boy listened quietly.

“But other times they are bright and clear. And they feel warm.”

“They do?”

The freckled prince nodded slightly, and Todoroki watched as his dark pupils dilated the smallest bit in the brilliance of his green eyes. “But I think I like them best the way they are right now.”

Todoroki stared down at him in confusion. “Like what?”

The small prince smiled softly.

“Filled with stars.”

The stoic prince sat there in stunned silence as the other boy once again shut his emerald eyes.

He was speechless.

Todoroki thought about what to say for what felt like an eternity before opening his mouth.

“Well, has anyone ever told you that you have eyes like the richest jewels? And hair like the comforting trees that provide shade from the sun? Or a smile like refreshing spring water? A voice like a bird song? Because you have all those things and more. And I think I like all of you best.”

But he never said any of it out loud. It stayed there, sitting on his tongue, heavy and strange.

When he did finally feel he had the courage to say it aloud, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft, slow breathing.

When the boy looked back down at his shoulder, the dark-haired prince was fast asleep at his side.

“Won’t even give me a turn to try and be the better of us two, will you?” Todoroki said almost inaudibly and returned to staring at the sky.

His thoughts wandered as the smaller boy slept, until Todoroki found himself speaking aloud.

“I don’t want you to go home tomorrow.” He said quietly. “I’m not sure why. And that’s scary.”

The boy gave no reply.

“Next summer seals our fates. I don't want you to be away while I’m forced to make that decision alone.”

The young man stared blankly at the moon above, surrounded by its crown of stars. Todoroki could almost imagine them to be the small white flowers decorating the boy’s hair next to him.

And he smiled softly.

“I'll never be able to make up for how I treated you all these years, little duckling, but I hope one day I can do for you what you have done for me. And I know I won't come out of this whole. But maybe that's okay. Some ruins are more beautiful than the cities they used to be.”

Todoroki looked over at the boy and carefully tucked a stray strand of dark hair back behind Midoriya’s ear.

“I want to have a turn to be the hero.”

He remained there, peering down at the smaller boy, for a few beats longer. Then, with a sigh, the stoic prince shifted from his seated position, careful not to disturb Midoriya too much as he gently picked him up in his strong arms.

The smaller prince stirred slightly as Todoroki carefully placed him on the saddle of his white horse. Midoriya leaned against the horse's neck as the other boy prepared to hoist himself up on one of the stirrups.

“Move.” Todoroki said gently, and the dark-haired boy groggily sat up, just long enough for Todoroki to squeeze himself into the saddle in front of him.

As soon as he was seated, the green-eyed prince leaned up against the other boy’s back, resting his cheek in the crook of Todoroki’s neck.

“You smell like dirt.” He said it playfully, half asleep.

“Quiet, you.” Todoroki said gently back and gave the horse a firm tap to the side.

Slowly, the trio descended down the grassy hill and back towards the path, leading towards the glowing light of the palace along the dark horizon.

Todoroki’s mind shifted between the starry sky and the deep, crimson-like sides of his vision as he watched the funny little blobs along the bank.

He thought he could see the two blobs re-emerge farther out on the lake. The black-and-white one was bouncing up and down on the shore. And could Todoroki hear a bird squawking?

He watched, confused, as something came hurtling from the lake and towards the blob on the shore, which was steadily starting to come into focus.

The black and white… bird? … quickly picked up the long object that had been thrown and waddled as quickly as it could over towards Todoroki.

Wait, was that…

His bow!

Todoroki quickly snatched the bow from the ground where the strange bird had dropped it and he shoved himself to his feet.

Now this battle was surely won.

The large bat hovered above in the sky, sneering down at Todoroki with its dripping fangs, before letting out another monstrous screech and beginning its descent.

Todoroki reached over his shoulder and grabbed for an arrow in his quiver…

And found nothing there.

“No!” Todoroki gasped aloud, frantically feeling all over his back. He hadn’t brought his quiver.

He was done for.

The bat was quickly approaching, its talons outstretched and ready for the killing blow.

This was it.

“Ready!”

Todoroki quickly turned out of instinct as the words were shouted from across the lake.

“Aiming!”

As his body twisted, his eyes were met with the sight of a tall figure standing a good ways away near the shore, their bow drawn and loaded with an arrow, pointed directly towards Todoroki. The prince could just barley make out their features through the darkness. Smooth dark hair, stern expression, and a pair of broken glasses balanced on their nose.

Todoroki’s loyal knight and friend, Sir Tenya Iida.

“Firing!”

As Iida’s arrow released, Todoroki’s fist tightened around his bow. Time seemed to slow as the arrow screamed through the air and flew directly into his ready and waiting hand.

Quick as a bullet, Todoroki spun and loaded the arrow into his own waiting bow, and with eyes on the target…

The hero released the arrow, sending it flying through the air along with all of his hatred, pain, sorrow, and agony.

All the deep and searing affection he felt for the small, lifeless body lying cold on the lake’s shore, was infused with that arrow. It burned with that powerful love, like a lethal shot from the bow of the mighty god and monster, Eros.

And the whole sky seemed to open to watch as the arrow soared through the night. The stars nodded in approval to one another as they watched a fairytale in the making.

As the arrow found its mark, deep in the heart of the great animal, the bat shrieked with surprise and pain. Its wings spread wide like a tent over the trees as it slowly plummeted back down towards the earth.

The three animals standing on the shore cheered in delight.

The faithful knight collapsed to the ground, exhausted and wracked with anxiety.

The hero lowered his bow and watched silently as the creature descended.

As soon as the monster made contact with the ground, its body crumbled into dark purple dust, exploding with a blindingly bright powder that spread over the ground like a shallow mist.

Something gold glistened at the center.

As the mist spread out its lavender fingers and crept over the lake's shore, yellow light began to shine around the three small animals standing there.

“Yo! What’s happening?” Kirishima stared down at his glowing feet in panic. “This feels really weird!”

“I don’t know, man, but it’s happening to me too.” Kaminari stared at his wings and yelped as they began to glow brighter and brighter.

Iida watched dumbfounded as the three strange animals that had been standing on the shore began to glow with a blinding yellow light and suddenly started to grow.

He adjusted his glasses in amazement and confusion as the animal-shaped silhouettes began to shift and morph. Their limbs elongated, and hair grew from their heads before their bodies straightened upward. Then, as the magic dispersed, three clean, fully clothed young humans were left standing in the animals’ place.

They all looked around in dazed confusion before their eyes landed on one another.

The taller boy with spiked red hair pointed at the other two people standing nearby. “Wait… you guys…”

The shorter boy, Kaminari, frantically ran his fingers over his face and through his soft, electric blonde hair. “No way.” He whispered quietly at first before repeating himself louder. “No way!” He laughed giddily as he raced over to the water's edge and inspected his reflection in the water's dark surface. “I’m a human again!”

Iida continued to stare, completely baffled.

What in the world had he just witnessed?

“Yo! I’m me again!” Kirishima said, wiggling his fingers in front of his face. “I have fingers again! And opposable thumbs!”

Asui, a small girl with long, dark hair, spun in a happy circle before taking a satisfied breath. “It feels so nice to be human. I can wear clothes,” she said, running her fingers through her long hair. “And I have hair again! It’s also nice not being so slimy.”

”Yeah. Hair is definitely better than feathers.” Kaminari chuckled before turning to Kirishima. “Also, Kirishima.” He said, raising an eyebrow. “You look nothing like you said you did.” He pointed at the boy’s spiky red hair.

“What do you me—” Kirishima quickly joined Kaminari at the water's edge and stared down at his reflection. “Hey, my hair was never red bef… Ah! Why are my teeth all weird and sharp?!”

“You mean they weren’t like that before either?” Kaminari asked, raising an eyebrow at Kirishima.

“No.” The red head pouted for a moment as he continued to stare at himself in the water. “All though… It does look kind of cool and manly.”

“Maybe it’s a side effect of being under that curse for so long. I mean, Tsu does look kind of frog-like.” Kaminari suggested, and he returned to studying his face in the water.

“I’m not sure whether you meant that as a good thing or a bad thing.” Asui said quietly.

Kirishima marveled at his reflection for a moment longer, his face scrunched in thought. “But it’s more than just that stuff. I look… different.”

“What do you mean?” Kaminari asked, raising an eyebrow at Kirishima.

“It’s nothing, I mean… ” Kirishima ran his fingers over his strong jawline. “I look older.”

“Well, you have been here a long time,” Kaminari said, his electric eyes flicking between both of their reflections. “You look like you're probably the same age as me.”

Kirishima combed a hand through his hair like the others had before looking at the other young man. “How old are you, Kaminari?”

“I’m eighteen.” The blonde responded, “So you're probably around eighteen or nineteen.”

“That—that’s crazy,” Asui said quietly as she joined the boys at the water's edge. “That would mean we’ve been stuck here for a long time.”

“That’s crazy.” Kirishima echoed. “That’s a good chunk of our childhood taken away from us forever.”

“Dang,“ Kaminari said softly, peering sadly over at his two friends.

Kirishima seemed to suddenly notice Iida sitting in a heap nearby and quickly trotted over, offering the young man a hand. “Yo! Are you okay, man?”

Iida stared at the hand for a moment before cautiously accepting it.

Kirishima quickly heaved Iida up off the ground and patted him on the back. “Nice archery skills, by the way! Think you’d like to teach me some time?”

“I—I think I need some time to process all this before I can even begin registering a single word you just said to me.” The knight mumbled honestly.

”That’s understandable.” Kirishima said with a shrug.

Iida then pointed over at Asui, who was standing next to Kaminari near the shore. “She looks an awful lot like one of the missing children from a few years ago.” He said to Kirishima, who smiled sheepishly.

“Well,” the redhead chuckled halfheartedly. “That’s probably because those two missing children are Asui and I.”

“Then the prince was right!?” Iida said with loud disbelief. “You both were trapped out here?!”

“Would you two be quiet?” Asui said quietly, and all three of the boys quickly turned to look at her, only to then notice where she was pointing.

And they all fell silent.

Across the way, underneath the stone archway, Prince Todoroki was once again quietly cradling Midoriya’s body in his lap, stroking the dark hair out of his face.

“He—he’s not waking up…” The prince whispered. His voice was almost like that of a ghost. Cold and distant. Full of pain and disbelief—disbelief that he had defeated the evil— and yet Midoriya still remained lifeless in his arms.

Grasped in one of Todoroki’s shaking hands was a locket, matching the one draped around Midoriya’s neck.

The one Shigaraki had been wearing.

“Forgive me, Izuku.” The boy whispered as he grasped so tightly to the locket that his knuckles turned white. In his other hand, he tightly gripped on to the limp hand of the still boy.

Midoriya looked so peaceful lying there in Todoroki’s lap, almost as if he were simply sleeping.

Like on that starry night on the dark hill.

His eyes were gently shut, and he had a relaxed expression on his face. It was so tranquil and calm, one would never guess the boy had died of a broken heart. The only sign one would be able to find of his true feelings before he slipped from the world were the still-wet tear tracks that lined his face.

“Forgive me.” Todoroki whispered again, peering down at the boy’s peaceful expression as the thinning purple mist swirled around them. Small white flowers bloomed beneath the two as it spread. They sparkled under the mist like they were dusted with morning dew.

The flowers were so beautiful, they seemed to be mocking the sorry pair.

Todoroki shook his head in frustration. “I only wanted to break the spell. To prove my love.”

The forest was completely silent as all the creatures and plants listened and watched the broken young man pour out his deepest emotions to the cold body resting on his knees.

They watched as he did what he never could have done without meeting the boy he now gazed down upon.

“I don’t want you to go. Not now.” He whispered quietly. “I—I don’t think I can do this without you.”

“You’ve always been there, quietly cheering me on. Whenever I felt hopeless, angry, or unsure, you always had something to say. Maybe I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but your funny, carefree attitude and ability to freely share your emotions were a comfort to me. An escape from all the hard-to-face things in this unforgiving world.”

The boy carefully began to pick the white flowers growing beneath them, collecting them in his fist.

“You have more courage and willpower than anyone I know.” He whispered. “Honestly, how could I not fall in love with you?”

Todoroki took the small white flowers from his hand and gently placed them into the boy’s dark hair. They shined like tiny stars amidst the dark, cascading locks upon his head. He kept count of each one as he rested them in the fluffy curls.

“I wanted to tell you.”

The boy’s cheeks burned red as he tried to hold back his tears.

“I tried so many times. But unlike you, I was scared. Because you have eyes like the the richest jewels. And hair like the comforting trees that provide shade from the sun. A smile like refreshing spring water. A voice like a bird song.”

His voice cracked with grief as he struggled to force the words from his trembling lips.

“Because you have all those things and more. So much more. I never knew how to tell you… or anyone, but…” His voice was so quiet that his words were almost inaudible.

He was speaking for no one but Midoriya.

He was speaking to his entire world.

“I love you.” He cried quietly, placing his forehead against Midoriya’s own. “Your kindness and your courage. Your bravery and your intelligence.”

With a gentle hand, he brushed the hair away from the boy’s forehead, and placed a long kiss there.

“I always have. Far longer than forever.”

He then stared down at Midoriya’s peaceful face and let his tears flow freely. Carrying all his guilt and shame along with them as the purple mist finally vanished entirely, he shut his eyes tight, bringing his hands to his face to wipe away the pain.

And he cried.

The broken and beautiful young hero cried openly as he proclaimed his love to his entire world.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
┊ ┊ ┊ ✫
┊ ┊ ✩
┊ ⊹ ✯
✯

And his entire world listened.

“Sh— Shoto?”

Todoroki’s eyes slowly opened as he looked down at the boy in his lap.

He watched in absolute stunned bliss as the eyes he loved so much carefully blinked open, once again opening the doors to that mysterious world of love and light as they flooded with new life.

“I—Izuku?” Todoroki quickly clutched onto Midoriya’s hand, feeling it steadily grow warm again under his touch. “You—you're alright!”

“I’m alright, Sho.” Midoriya smiled weakly up into Todoroki’s face, taking in all the emotions he could see on it in that beautiful moment.

Todoroki laughed like a smiley child in elated disbelief as he cradled Midoriya in his arms. “You—I—Oh my god… ”

Midoriya reached a hand upward and caressed the crying boy’s face. “I love you too, Shoto.”

Todoroki couldn’t contain his bliss any longer and grasped tighter onto Midoriya, hugging him close. “I’m never letting you go again.” He laughed softly into Midoriya’s ear.

“I’ll never go anywhere ever again.” The boy whispered in turn, clutching at Todoroki’s torn tunic, breathing in deeply as he wrapped his arms around his one true love.

And there in that moment, the whole world could see their love, right there, where it was hidden from the whole world.

But it didn’t matter to them because they were together at last, sharing in their mutual love.

They had each other, and that was enough.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

Wedding bells rang through the air as people happily shouted in the streets. Common folk, nobility, and royalty alike danced, sang, and made merry as the sweet bells rang, signaling that the happy new couple was officially married.

As the two exited the castle in their gorgeous white wedding robes, hand in hand, and descended the grand steps, hats and flowers were tossed into the air in celebration.

Midoriya looked magnificent in his white robes. The shoulders of his tunic were adorned with white swan feathers, resembling beautiful wings. His fluffy, dark hair was speckled with small white flowers that framed the golden crown upon his head. A heart-shaped locket glistened softly on his chest.

Todoroki, too, was adorned with white and gold, with a crown balanced atop his white and redhead. His long golden cape fluttered behind him in the wind.

The couple resembled two magnificent swans, dancing down the massive steps.

The whole night was celebrated at a grand party in the castle. All who entered were graciously welcomed in by the happy couple.

══════ ✩☪︎•°♛°•☽✩ ══════

“It really is amazing.” Iida leaned over to the person standing beside him, who just so happened to be an electric blonde-haired guard. “To think that someone as dreadfully awful with emotions as his royal highness could be a part of such a romantic tale of love.”

“I suppose it could really happen to anyone.” Kaminari replied with a shrug. “But what I do know is that happy people are more likely to give you a promotion.”

Iida raised an eyebrow, and Kaminari quickly clarified. “Earlier, I informed his highness, Prince Todoroki, that I was the first one to find Prince Midoriya, and he promoted me from the gofer boy to an actual member of the royal guard!”

“Hey!” Kirishima wandered up to the two young men, with Asui in close pursuit. The redhead looked quite fetching in his black and red suit. “I thought you said that you were already a member of the royal guard!” He said, narrowing his eyes.

“Umm, well… I may have stretched the truth just a little bit.” Kaminari said sheepishly with a great big grin.

“I’m worried for the rest of the royal guard. Kero.” Asui croaked with a sigh.

“Come on!” Kaminari pouted. “You guys can at least pretend to be a little happy for me.”

“Sure sure.” Kirishima waved nonchalantly before grinning sneakily. “Well, I may have some awesome news of my own.”

“Do tell.” Iida said politely as he took a sip of his punch.

“Well, there was this really cute guy standing over by the hors d'oeuvres, so I decided to go over and introduce myself.” Kirishima said with a smile. “I’m pretty positive we hit it off right away, cause he offered to let me stay at his place.”

Iida immediately spit out the punch he had been drinking.

“What do you mean, ‘stay over at his place’?” Kaminari said, narrowing his eyes.

Kirishima suddenly blushed, realizing what his friends had probably assumed that sentence meant. “Oh! Not like that! It’s just that I had been stuck in that old forest for so long that my landlord kinda sold my house, so… I kinda had nowhere to live. But the nice guy offered to let me stay with him.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad you found a place to stay.” Iida said as he attempted to regain his composure. “I hope you know the royal family would have let you stay here as a thank-you for all your help if you had just asked.” He took another sip of his punch.

“I know, I just didn’t want to intrude in a castle. Fancy digs and big places aren’t really my thing.” Kirishima said with a shy, sharky, sharp smile. “I suppose that’s one of the side effects of being stuck in a shell for however many years.”

“Who is this mystery man anyway?” Asui asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, he’s standing over there talking with Prince Midoriya.” Kirishima said, pointing over toward the other side of the ballroom at Midoriya and a certain spiky-haired, ill-tempered noble.

Iida once again choked on his punch.

“Katsuki Bakugo!?” He coughed. “That man is a nightmare!”

“Oh, yeah. Kind of.” Kirishima said with a shrug. “But I guess I find that kind of endearing.”

“You are insane.” Iida whispered in disbelief. “You are aware this man is a duke, Kirishima. Are you not?”

“Wait!” Kirishima’s eyes widened. “He is? Oh my gosh. There is no way I can stay in a palace! Wait, why would he even talk to a commoner like me in the first place? No. Hold on… “ Kirishima quickly scurried off in the direction of Bakugo and Midoriya, leaving a very confused trio in his wake.

“Uh, sorry if I’m interrupting.” Kirishima muttered as politely as possible when he approached the two nobles.

“Oh, hi there, Kirishima!” Midoriya said with a smile. “No worries. Is there something you need?”

Kirishima’s eyes flicked sheepishly at Bakugo. “Oh, uh. I was just wondering if I could speak with Baku— Ah! I mean… Duke… Bakugo.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “What the hell are you callin' me that for?”

“Uh sorry.” Kirishima said with a smile. “Can I just talk with you for a moment?” His eyes flicked over to Midoriya. “Uh… over there?” He pointed behind him.

“He’s all yours!” Midoriya said with a smile in turn and swiftly walked away, searching for his husband.

“Oi! I’m not ‘his’! I don’t belong to anyone!” Bakugo shouted back at Midoriya, but Midoriya’s ears didn’t miss as Bakugo turned back towards Kirishima and said, “Yo, shitty hair. What’s up? Did you need something?”

Midoriya laughed to himself before his eyes fell upon someone else approaching him. He immediately recognized the elegant woman as Queen Rei.

“Hello, Midoriya.” She said softly, a warm smile on her beautiful face. Midoriya found himself amused by the fact that despite the queen’s excitement, her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Hello there, your majesty,” Midoriya responded. “How are you enjoying the party?”

“It’s simply wonderful,” the queen assured. “I just wanted to personally say thank-you to you, Midoriya.”

The newlywed raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“For always caring for my little boy.” The queen squeezed Midoriya’s hands warmly.

“Oh, your majesty.” The dark-haired young man chuckled.

The queen gave Midoriya a stern glance. “I’m serious.” She said softly. “He was so cold to you for so much of his life, simply because he wasn’t sure of how to deal with his feelings. And despite all that… ”

The mother looked lovingly towards one of the doorways leading to the open courtyard off of the ballroom. Standing there was a moonlit prince, all alone, staring up at the night sky.

“... You continued to love him no matter what. And for that, I thank you.”

Midoriya nodded slowly as the queen squeezed the prince’s hands one last time and walked off.

With no more disturbances, Midoriya smiled to himself as he exited the ballroom and went to join his husband in the courtyard, gently placing a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder.

The young man quickly looked over his shoulder at Midoriya and gave his own small smile in turn. “It’s a beautiful night.” He said, looking up at the sky.

“It is.” Midoriya replied, taking Todoroki’s hand.

They stood in silence for a few moments, staring up at the stars. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, though. It was mutual and comforting.

“Do you remember the last night you spent here last year?”

Midoriya turned to look at Todoroki as the stoic prince spoke.

“You mean that time that we sat together on that hill?” Midoriya asked, confused.

Todoroki nodded.

Midoriya rubbed the other young man’s hand thoughtfully with his thumb. “I do remember that night. Why did you bring it up? Is it on your mind?”

“I don’t know.” Todoroki said with a shrug. “The stars tonight just kind of remind me of that night.”

They stood there silently for a moment more before Todoroki continued speaking. “You know, Izuku.” He said quietly, still staring at the sky. “I finally read a fairy tale.”

“You did?” Midoriya raised an eyebrow and looked over at his husband. “Which one?”

The gentle breeze tousled with the young man’s white and red hair, playfully flicking it about. As he turned, his bi-colored, gray and teal eyes locked on to Midoriya’s, never breaking contact.

“Sleeping Beauty.”

“Hmm.” Midoriya hummed in reply. “I never really cared for that one.”

“Really?” The burned prince said. The surprise was only somewhat evident in his calm voice. “I liked the art.”

Midoriya let out a small exhale of amusement, and Todoroki raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong with me liking the art?”

“No.” Midoriya reassured. “It’s just a very ‘you’ thing to say.”

“Oh? And what is that supposed to mean?”

The small prince thought for a moment. “Well, I can’t really pull out examples from off the top of my head, but they’re just silly, obvious, or blunt remarks that make me smile.” He said honestly.

“Well, I could say the same about some of the things you say too, little duckling.” Todoroki said as he raised an eyebrow with a grin.

Midoriya’s green eyes widened. “Duckling?! You haven’t called me that in years.”

The other prince shrugged. “I guess it just seems more appropriate now that you were actually a swan for a while. And plus, ducklings are cute.”

“Well, at least you don’t mean it as an insult anymore.” Midoriya sighed happily.

Todoroki stared at his new husband for a moment longer before placing a soft kiss on the top of his dark, curly head.

“What was that for?” Midoriya said as the man’s lips pulled away.

“Nothing.” Todoroki shrugged and looked back up at the sky. “I just wanted to.”

Midoriya cocked his head to the side and studied the prince’s burned and beautiful face for a moment.

“You’re amazing, you know.”

“Am I?” Todoroki asked, still staring at the stars.

His husband nodded. “You really are just like all those heroes from the fairytales, saving the people in distress from a great scary monster. You’re strong and brave. You don’t give up.”

Todoroki seemed to think for a moment before looking back over at Midoriya. “Then you must be a hero too.”

“Me?” Midoriya shook his head and laughed. “I got caught by an evil sorcerer and had a curse put on me. I was actually dead for the entire final battle. I don’t think that makes me a hero, Sho.”

“That’s exactly what makes you a hero.” Todoroki placed his hands on Midoriya’s waist and turned the young man to face him. “You endured countless days of agony and still fought back. Every night he asked for your hand, which you easily could have accepted to make the torture end. But you didn’t. And that means you're strong and brave, and you don’t give up. Besides,” The taller prince spoke softly. “You’re my hero.”

Midoriya was stunned.

“You saved me from my own demons. Your smile is your shield, and your laughter is your sword. You’ve probably defeated more monstrous beasts than you or I could ever count.” Todoroki looked up at the sky. “Maybe even more than there are stars in the sky. And I know you’ve tried to count those before.”

Midoriya stared wide-eyed at the man he loved, his husband, and his best friend. His calm face glittered in the starlight, and the moonbeams reflected off his glistening white and red hair. His eyes reflected the stars he stared up at, making them look like small gemstones cut out of the endless night sky. He was absolutely stunning. Both inside and out.

And he was all his.

Because they had chosen to create their own future.

“Will you love me, Shoto? Till the day I die?” Midoriya asked, peering innocently up into his lover’s star-filled eyes.

Todoroki smiled his small, sweet smile. “No. I’ll love you much longer than that, Izuku.” He leaned in closer and spoke at barely a whisper. “Much longer.”

And there alone in the grand garden, under the backdrop of the endless starry sky, the two shared a beautiful, passionate kiss.

The twin lockets around their necks tangled together in their close embrace, flipping the engraved swans to face one another, forming a perfect heart, and symbolizing their love that would last far longer than forever.

≫ ──────≫ ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ≪────── ≪

-The End -

≫ ──────≫ ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ≪────── ≪

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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
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Chapter 6
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Chapter 7
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Chapter 8
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Chapter 9
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Chapter 10
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Chapter 11
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Chapter 12
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Chapter 13
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