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Shoto hated balls. He hated having to get dressed up and pretend to like whatever nobles or foreign royals wanted to talk to him. He hated how showy and fake it all was. He hated dealing with whatever expectations his father had for any event he attended, especially since it normally involved feigning interest in some girl. He already knew this time wouldn’t be any different.
About a week ago, as preparations for the ball were in full swing, his father called for him and ruined the ball before it even started. He requested Shoto spend time at the ball getting to know Princess Momo Yaoyorozu with the intention of possibly marrying her. From what his father said, it sounded like he’d already discussed the possibility with her father and planned to bring it up again at the ball.
He didn’t have anything against Princess Momo. He’d met her once before, when they were very young. Back then, she seemed like a nice person. He’d also heard people speak of her beauty many times, but he had no interest. He never found any of the women his father constantly paraded in front of him, hoping one of them would catch his eye, to be of any interest. A few were nice, sometimes even people he could see himself befriending, but never someone he wanted to marry. None of them ever would be.
Shoto wasn’t completely oblivious to his own feelings; he knew he didn’t like women. While the other boys his age began to notice the ladies around them, he started to notice boys. When they swooned over beautiful noble girls at an event like a joust, his eyes stayed glued to the knights. He knew his father would never allow him to marry a man. He expected him to marry a princess or the daughter of some highly influential figure and produce an heir. That expectation had doubled when deemed Shoto best suited to inherit the throne despite being his third son.
So now he found himself watching as visiting royals from neighboring kingdoms arrived, a big procession good for nothing but showing off. Of course, his whole family was expected to be present, but his father instructed him to watch specifically for Princess Momo. Even if he didn’t care to see her and wave like his father expected, he still had to do it. It was his duty.
So he watched the procession, seeing royals and nobles whose names he didn’t know arrive in their kingdom for the impending ball, without any real interest. He would have to see them later tonight anyway, so why should seeing their arrival matter?
He spent most of the time not really taking in most of what he saw, and trying to ignore his brother Touya as he made comments to piss off their father. That was how most situations with their family went. Their Father’s anger growing with every comment his eldest son made. Even Fuyumi couldn’t keep the peace forever.
He was just debating if he could think of an adequate excuse to leave when someone caught his eye. Riding near the front of the next group was a boy with messy green hair and a smile that lit up his whole face. He carried himself proudly, but without the cold air that seemed to follow most royals. From the banners of King Toshinori Yagi around him, Shoto knew who he was in an instant.
Everyone in the nearby kingdoms knew the story of Prince Izuku Midoriya. He’d been born a commoner and lived in the lower village until King Toshinori fell in love with his mother and married her. It was right out of a storybook. The kind of thing that never happened in real life.
His eyes stayed on Prince Izuku as he made his way towards the palace. He watched as he laughed at something the knight riding next to him said. Shoto glanced over at the knight, not planning to look at him for more than a moment, but instead he found himself watching the knight as well.
The knight by his side had a rather uptight look about him, with his clean-cut blue hair and tidy appearance. Even at a glance, the blue-haired knight appeared the type to do everything by the book, yet he spoke animatedly to the prince, his arms waving around as he did. If only they had been close enough for him to hear what the knight said so passionately that made Prince Izuku laugh so much.
Something about the two captivated him, and so Shoto watched them until they were out of sight. He watched their expressions, wishing he could hear the words that went with them. What would it be like to talk to someone like that? None of the knights in his kingdom spoke to him much, and never in a friendly way like that. Everyone he spoke to addressed him formally, and only when they needed to. The closest he ever got to friendly conversations was with his siblings, whom he only got close to more recently.
He continued staring towards the place they vanished from view, even after they were long gone. Would he see them again at the ball? If he tried to speak to them, would they laugh like that then, too? He knew they probably wouldn’t; they didn’t even know him, but it was a nice thought. His chances of talking to them were low anyway. His father didn’t like King Toshinori and generally discouraged his children from having anything to do with his kingdom. If it weren’t important to stay on their good side for trade and other important matters, he likely wouldn’t have invited them at all.
“Shoto, what did you think of Princess Momo?” his father asked, finally drawing his attention away from the other prince and his knight.
“Princess Momo?” he asked, trying to remember what his father wanted from him this time. “Is she here?”
He knew he picked the wrong answer just from his father’s face. His brain also chose that moment to snap back to reality and remind him he was instructed to watch for Princess Momo. That was the only reason he even bothered to pay attention to the nobles and royalty passing by in the first place.
“Those visiting from her kingdom just passed by. How could you have missed them?”
Since they were at a public event, his father kept his voice low, but his anger was still apparent. This wouldn’t be the last he heard of it, so from now on, he would stay focused.
“Sorry, father, I must have zoned out.”
“There will be other opportunities to see and speak with her again soon. Do not miss those, too.”
He couldn’t let himself get distracted again.
*****
Not getting distracted didn’t last long. Later that night at the ball, he’d only been in the ballroom for an hour when Prince Izuku and his knight caught his eye again. Suddenly, whatever Touya was saying stopped registering in his mind as he watched them speak with another noble he didn’t recognize.
“Shoto, are you even listening to me?” Touya complained, but as he followed his little brother’s gaze, his annoyance turned into a grin. “Oh, I see! Looks like Dad’s perfect little prince isn’t so perfect after all. So which one is it? Prince Izuku Midoriya or Sir Tenya Iida?”
So that was the knight’s name. Tenya Iida. That felt more important than his brother’s observation. He had no reason to care what his brother thought of his interest in men when Touya was constantly in trouble for that very thing. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t tell their father.
“Both of them,” he admitted. He could never tell anyone else, so why not just share? Nothing would ever come of it anyway.
As he continued to watch them, green eyes suddenly met his, and he knew he’d been caught. He quickly tried to turn back towards his brother, covering his mistake, but before he did, Sir Tenya Iida also caught his gaze. They had both caught him staring.
“An interest in not one, but two boys? Father would be so disappointed,” Touya mocked, as though he wasn’t caught sleeping with men every few weeks. “You might be in luck, though. I’ve seen them watching you from the moment we walked in. I was searching the crowd for a certain winged knight and noticed they were looking only at you.”
“Touya, if this is a joke, it is not funny.”
If only what his brother said were really true. Something about the idea of them looking his way as well, even if he knew he shouldn’t approach them, made his insides feel all fuzzy. If this was just a joke, he could at least put the thought out of his mind.
“I’m serious, Shoto,” Touya insisted, and for once in his life, he actually didn’t sound like he was teasing. “When we walked in, they were only watching you, not even a glance towards the other members of our family. I thought I’d seen wrong, so I decided to see if they looked at you again, and they’ve been whispering and sneaking glances your way the whole time. I would have told you sooner, but I assumed dead old Dad’s favorite son would never swing that way.”
It was really a shame. His brother told the truth, and he couldn’t even do anything about it. He needed to start looking for Princess Momo anyway, before his father dragged him over to see her. At least then he wouldn’t have to talk with her under his father’s scrutiny.
He tried to think of a good response for his brother, but before he could, he noticed a gleeful grin spread across Touya’s face. Whatever he’d seen meant trouble. There was nothing the eldest Todoroki son loved more than trouble, especially at a public event.
“Prince Shoto?” a voice asked from behind him, freezing him in place. Whatever trouble Touya saw was for him, it seemed.
He slowly turned around and found himself face to face with the subject of their conversation. This made trying to pretend he hadn’t even noticed them a lot harder. Whatever self-control kept him from going to speak with them wouldn’t help him now.
“Well, I’ll just leave you boys to talk,” his brother said. Shoto could see the smirk on his face without even turning around. “Besides, I’ve finally spotted my favorite little bird and should really go see him.”
At least he could count on Touya to do something stupid and draw the attention his way. If he was lucky, his father wouldn’t notice him at all. Going to flirt with one of their father’s best knights was always a sure way to piss him off.
“I’m Prince Izuku Midoriya,” The Prince said, even though he must know the introduction was unnecessary. “And this is Sir Tenya Iida.”
“It is very nice to meet you both,” he replied. If he didn’t find a way out of here soon, he already knew he would spend the whole night talking to them. At least he would if they would let him. “But I have some things I must attend to tonight, so I’m afraid I cannot talk long.”
“That’s a shame, because we were hoping you would like to join us out in the courtyard for a bit,” Prince Izuku explained with a shrug. Shoto had never been very good at reading people, but he was fairly sure he was being flirted with.
“Izuku, he just said that he is busy,” Sir Iida explained to the prince, who just laughed. “This is not funny, he probably has important duties to attend to since this ball is being hosted by his kingdom!”
He knew he could not accept their offer. He needed to find Princess Momo and take her on the floor to dance. He needed to socialize with various nobles to help forge possible alliances. None of that sounded nearly as good as slipping out of this stuffy party with the two most handsome men in the room.
“I’m sure no one would miss me if I left for just a little bit.”
He already knew he had no intention of rushing back, but he could keep telling himself he did for now. Hopefully, whatever trouble Touya got into would sufficiently hold his father’s attention most of the night. If you could count on him for anything, it was making a scene.
“Are you quite sure that is all right?” Sir Tenya asked. “We would not want to keep you from something important.”
“It was not that important anyway,” he insisted, and it was only partially a lie. His father considered it extremely important, but he didn’t think it mattered that much.
They made their way across the room, somehow managing to avoid anyone stopping them to talk, and slipped out into the courtyard. They found it deserted. It seemed most guests preferred to stay inside where they could be at the center of the action. Most people didn’t slip outside unless they hoped no one would see them.
Shoto didn’t know why he never thought to slip out here during events before. The cool night air was far more pleasant than the stuffy ballroom. He was no longer surrounded by the sound of idle chatter between people who often didn’t even like each other. The only noise they could still hear was the sound of the music drifting out of an open window. It was nice.
“Sorry to drag you away from the party, but we couldn’t ask you to dance in there,” Izuku explained, breaking the silence. He never expected the two of them to be so forward about things, even if they really did seek him out for that reason.
“Izuku, we should at least give him a minute before asking! We do not even know for sure if he-”
“You were the one who pointed out he was looking at us as well.”
“You were looking at me?” Shoto asked curiously. He still hadn’t fully believed Touya until now. The two of them really had been looking his way, and now they wanted to dance with him. How had he gotten so lucky?
“You had not noticed?” Tenya said with a frown. “I thought we were being far too obvious.”
“I did not,” he replied, doing his best not to sound too eager. “But I would like to dance with both of you.”
He held out a hand to Tenya as he finished speaking, glad someone chose a window right near the orchestra to leave open so they could hear the notes drifting out to them. The knight took his hand, and soon they were waltzing around the courtyard to the music.
It wasn’t as loud as if they were inside, but to Shoto, it was better. There were no crowds of people surrounding them or other pairs of dancers to worry about. The stars above their heads were better than any gilded ceiling could ever be. It created a magical beauty no ballroom ever could.
As the song ended, he took Izuku’s hand this time, swaying around the space with him to the next song. When that too ended, he stepped back and watched as the two of them shared a dance this time. Until tonight, he never understood the appeal of dancing at balls, simply seeing it as a means to an end. Now he understood why so many people loved it.
Both of the two dances he shared were different. Tenya’s careful movements and perfect posture, and Izuku’s more carefree style, where he let the music guide him more than anything. How had he ever managed to catch the eye of such a wonderful duo?
As the night carried on, Shoto did not return inside. He instead passed the time dancing and talking with Tenya and Izuku. Unlike when he first watched them ride in, he got to hear the things that made Izuku laugh and the passion in Tenya’s voice when he spoke. He even found himself smiling with them, happier than he’d been at any ball before. He couldn’t remember the last time he smiled so much.
He didn’t even realize how late it was until he heard the clock chime, and it dawned on him that the party was almost over. His father was likely looking everywhere for him, furious that he never found Princess Momo, but he found it didn’t bother him much right now. He would take his father’s wrath tomorrow in exchange for the night he spent out here. He didn’t want it to end, but he really did need to return inside now.
“Thank you both for this evening,” he told them as he reluctantly stood to leave. “It was lovely.”
“Of course, Prince Shoto,” Izuku said, then he reached out gently and took his hand. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of it. “I only hope we will be able to see you again soon.”
“I do hope you’ll write,” Tenya added, taking Shoto’s hand and placing a kiss in the same place as Izuku.
“Of course,” he responded, hoping his voice wouldn’t give away how flustered he was. He could not have asked for a better evening.
As he made his way back inside, he found the ballroom beginning to empty. If he hurried, he might still be able to catch Princess Momo before she left, then it wouldn’t be a total lie to say he did see her. Hopefully, she would not be upset by his absence. For all he knew, she did have an interest in their match and spent the night waiting for a dance with him.
“Ah, Prince Shoto, I was hoping to catch you before you left.”
He turned towards the new voice and found himself face to face with the very person he was looking for. The princess looked almost exactly as he imagined her. If he were anyone else, he would likely be overjoyed at the prospect of courting her, but she just wasn’t his type. Hopefully, he could find a good way to explain that and get the marriage called off.
“I’m sorry I did not manage to find you earlier. I looked for you, but I must have missed you,” he lied, hoping she would believe him.
“You can save your stories,” she replied with a small laugh. “I saw you slip outside with Prince Izuku and Sir Tenya. I hope you had a wonderful night.”
He quickly searched his brain for any excuse as to why he was gone with them for so long, but none came to mind. If she brought it up, she already knew exactly why he went outside.
“Relax, I have no intention of telling your father,” she assured him, having likely noticed the worry written clearly on his face. “I just wanted to tell you that I plan to tell my father you did dance with me and were nothing but kind. I also plan to tell him I still do not wish to marry you.”
“Thank you,” he stumbled out, still not sure why exactly she planned to cover for him. She really was nice. He could see her being a very good friend if he continued to see her in the future. Perhaps at the next event they both attended, he could find time to speak to her, not as a possible wife, but as a friend.
“I have a girl back in my kingdom anyway,” she explained, then before he could respond, she added, “Good night, Prince Shoto.”
She gave him a small wave, then left without another word. It seemed tonight he had all the luck in the world on his side. He got an evening right out of a story book, and he wouldn’t even have to pay for it with a lecture tomorrow. Maybe balls weren’t always bad.