#on the other hand. would enji have told him out of frustration for him clinging to his ice when rei left them? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marvelmymarvel · 5 years

Text

Cornered

Yagi Toshinori x Reader

Synopsis: You were trying to find Toshinori at the Sports Festival only to be cornered by someone from your past.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment

You had searched everywhere for him, yet you couldn’t seem to find the rather tall and large male. He could have been in his smaller form, but not out and about. Plus, you checked with the other teachers to which they told you that he left to find you only minutes prior.

So where the hell was he...

You let out a frustrated huff as you stood in the empty and semi-dark hallway, tired of searching. You could hear the cheers and screams out in the stands as the audience watched the current fight, which you believed was Uraraka vs Bakugo. Now you were kicking yourself for not sticking by Toshinori when he asked you to, but you simply wanted to watch your class compete as well.

“Lost?”

Your blood ran cold as your heart stopped in your chest. It had been years since the two of you had talked; since the two of you were best friends. Clearing your throat, you turned back to face the man who haunted your dreams as well as your life. “Enji” you greeted cooly, hoping he would get the hint that he was not a face you wanted to be seeing right now.

He smirked a bit while he leaned against the wall behind you. His eyes raked down your body, taking in your rigid yet all too familiar form. He meant no harm by the looks, but they made your skin crawl all the same as you scratched at it, trying your best to rid of him. “Well... I need to go find Toshi” you muttered out as your feet carried you past him, but his hand gripped your wrist halting you beside him. You squeaked as he pulled you back before pressing you against the wall, his lips dangerously close to yours. “I miss you” he whispered out while dragging his hand down your throat. You recoiled away from his touch, instantly feeling dirty at everything that was happening.

There was once a time where this was your dream, but you were a child then. A teen who didn’t realize her best friend was psychotic yet still loved him no matter what. You were so thankful you chose Toshinori, you didn’t know where you would be if you chose the man in front of you. “I haven’t missed you” you tried to push his muscly body away from you, but he didn’t budge, only causing his smirk to widen at your feeble attempts to be free. “Oh. I’m sure that isn’t true. Remember when you used to love this?? Love me touching you like this” he purred gruffly in your ear as his hand traveled down your side before resting on your hip. His hot lips hit your neck, causing you to cry out at both the flames as well as the act.

“Please let me go Enji” your whimper was full of emotion and guilt, why couldn’t you push him away? Were you really as vulnerable as you were when you were kids? Toshinori always made you feel powerful, but in the hands of Enji, you felt weak. “Come on Y/n... Toshinori won't find out-”

“Find out about what?”

Your heart lept in your throat as you whipped your head to the source of the sound. Toshi. You let out a thankful weep at the mere sight of him standing there. Trying to fling yourself towards your lover, you were stopped by the arm of Enji which was used to corner you. Toshinori glared at the arm, hoping that he wouldn’t have to kill him today of all days. You looked up at Enji, pity and plead flowing out of your e/c eyes like sharp waves that hit him to the core.

He pulled his arm back, allowing you to rush towards Toshinori. Upon meeting the taller man, you flung your arms around his waist, clinging on for dear life like some of the people he rescued. In the way that you were gripping onto him, he knew that whatever just happened wasn’t good. Anger coursed through his veins as Enji wouldn’t meet his eyes, instead, the red-headed man had them stuck on you as you hid from him in Toshi’s side.

He did something to you.

The blonde inhaled, ready to attack but your smaller hand touching his chest made him stop. “Can we go please?” you murmured up to him, hoping he would just get you out of there and away from the number two hero as fast as he could. Toshinori internally battled his emotions at the sight of your teary eyes. He could either hurt Enji to the point of no return, or he could get you somewhere safe and calm you down. Deciding that your current state was more important than the asshole in front of him, he nodded at you before grabbing your hand and pulling you away.

“I’ll talk to you later Endeavor... Don't think you’re getting out of this one”

Your blood ran cold at the threat that flew out of Toshi's mouth. For being someone so sweet, he was able to make the threat scary with just the drop of an octave. Toshi’s hand wrapped around your waist, making sure you felt secure as you two exited the hallway and out of Enji’s sight. It was a quiet rush to one of the empty rooms, but you could feel your emotions bubbling up under your skin.

Fear, sadness, guilt.

All of the emotions began to overwhelm you as the tears rose up to the edge of your eyes. Toshinori could tell you were about to cry, just by the simple fact that your hand was shaking in his, so he quickened his pace and reminded you that you were almost there. Finally, he found an empty room and pulled you into it. The lights were off and you crashed into his chest just in time for the tears to fall.

Your sobs filled the semi dark room as he held you close, his own heart breaking for whatever the other man did to you. “It’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore. I’m so sorry, I should have been there for you” he whispered while rocking on his feet, hoping that the swaying would help calm you like it used to in high school. In fact, you haven’t cried like this since high school, when you were Enji’s best friend. Toshinori always found it strange that your best friend made you cry, but he always promised himself to make sure you’d never cry like that again.

And here you were, crying like the world was ending.

“H-he t-touched a-and kissed m-my neck, Y-yagi. I’m s-s-so sorry” your stuttering sob only made his heart clench harder as he gripped onto you tighter. “Shhhh my love it's okay-”

“A-and I couldn’t m-m-move him! I always f-feel so w-w-worthless around h-him”

He sighed at your words, thankful that he never made you feel that way despite him being stronger than you were. He always was light on his feet around you, making sure that if you pushed him you felt strong and unafraid. Enji never did that. Enji always made you feel useless and inadequate, something the blonde despised. Of course, the hothead claimed that it would make you stronger, but he knew it was simply a play of power. “Hey. Look at me” Toshinori whispered to you, but you didn’t move your head, afraid of looking at the much bigger man. He began to shrink down into his small might form, knowing the sheer size of his All Might form scared you in this instant and that his smaller size would calm you down.

“Y/n”

You finally looked up, mentally thanking him for going to a smaller size as you no longer felt powerless in the small room. Granted, you knew Toshinori and more importantly knew that he wouldn't hurt you, but after being cornered by a man half his size...

The thought of Enji brought more tears to your eyes and a strangled sob flew out before you could stop it. “Y/n, no honey it's okay. You’re okay” he cooed softly down at you, hoping his softer voice would calm you down as well. He slowly raised his hands to your face, careful not to startle you before taking your wet cheeks into them. Your e/c eyes looked into his sadly, hoping he would forgive you for not being strong enough.

For not being good enough.

“Enji Todoroki has made you feel powerless for far too long, Y/n. You are not weak. He is, and you’re easy enough for him to feel powerful. While I may be one of the strongest heroes, I will never do that to you because I know how strong you are. That man doesn’t” you nodded gloomily at his words, fully knowing that Enji had a problem with control and always took it out on you. It was silent for a minute as you composed yourself in the hands of a now quiet Toshi. He was waiting for you. Whether that be more crying or something else, he was waiting for you.

Finally, you looked up at him with strong eyes. Wrapping your arms around his neck, he dropped his hands to your hips, confused about what you were doing. You nodded finally, taking in his words and believing them for once. You were not weak, you were not worthless.

The man in front of you proved that daily.

“I’m so happy I chose you, Toshinori” you muttered out with a small smile, feeling an ounce of happiness as you watched his features soften and relax under your gentle gaze. He smiled finally before leaning down and pressing his lips softly against yours.

“I’m happy you chose me too”

#toshinori yagi imagine #toshinori yagi imagines #yagi toshinori imagine #yagi toshinori imagines #all might imagine #all might imagines #all might #Yagi toshinori #toshinori yagi #my hero academia imagine #my hero academia imagines #my hero academia

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kiribakus · 7 years

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prince & prince ch.15

tododeku || royalty au || 9,000 words || nsfw

Note to self: don't accidentally fall in love with a prince who's in an arranged marriage keeping your kingdoms from declaring war against each other. Especially when you're spying on him as his manservant.

>> READ ON AO3 <<

Midoriya stands outside the Yuuein palace and watches it burn.

It takes him a long moment before he is startled. There’s something about an ancient stone structure, covered in decades’ worth of ivy growth that seems untouchable. Houses burned, villages burned, even cities burned, but stone palaces would stand the test of time. Midoriya’s first thought is but that isn’t possible, and then, All Might!

He starts towards the blaze, dodging bonfires of bushes and guard towers and flinching as bits of ash and cinders rain down on him. He runs up the path to the entrance of the palace mansion, but the doors are blown wide open to reveal nothing but fire so hot Midoriya feels the skin melting off his face. It’s like looking into the belly of a dragon the moment before it rains hellfire down upon him.

“All Might!” he calls, but his mentor and king doesn’t answer.

He hears a fluttering over the roar of the flames and Dark Shadow lands on his shoulders. His nails dig in deep enough to sting. Midoriya is in nothing but the simple chiton he wore his first day in Endeavor, the heat searing and the raven cutting into his skin.

“Is All Might okay?” Midoriya asks. “Dark Shadow! Did he get my message in time?”

Dark Shadow clacks his beak.

Midoriya reaches for the compartment on his leg where he knows All Might’s last letter to him is, but then Dark Shadow attacks him, driving his beak over and over into Midoriya’s hand until it’s a bloody pulp. Even though he cries out and it hurts like burning, Midoriya pulls the message from Dark Shadow’s leg, staining it with his blood. As he holds the tiny scroll in his hands, he recognizes All Might’s script but his eyes blur and he can’t make out the words. They melt together, like the metal lanterns melt on the outside of the palace walls and the sentences run into each other in a jumbled mess that he can’t make sense of.

Midoriya’s hands tremble. “I can’t read it,” he says. “The most important letter he’s ever sent me, and I can’t read it—”

“Men never see the end of the world until it is upon them,” Dark Shadow says in Tokoyami’s voice.

“What?” Midoriya says, tears blurring his vision. “What did you say?”

“This is the end,” Dark Shadow says. “Everything has been destroyed. The worst possible outcome is nigh. All that you worked towards is but dust in the wind.”

“No,” Midoriya says. “I would never let that happen. All Might, Shouto, Uraraka-sama, Iida-sama, Yaoyorozu-san—there’s no way all of us could have failed. He’s just one man.”

“Men never see the end of the world until it is upon them,” Dark Shadow repeats.

Midoriya grabs the bird by the throat. “That’s impossible,” he says. “We would have seen the signs. Everything can’t be destroyed without warning. We would never let the world go up in flames. So why am I seeing this?”

Dark Shadow clacks his beak.

Midoriya shakes him. “Tell me!”

Tokoyami’s voice comes from the raven’s parted beak again. “Because men are foolish and blind. They only see the good omens and turn a blind eye to the bad. The warnings are there, but men are blinded by the light of hope. Despair, Izuku. Despair, or everything will fall.”

“What warnings?” Midoriya asks. “What happened? What did the King do?”

“Watch for the signs,” Dark Shadow caws. “Watch for the signs! Watch for the signs! Watch for the signs!”

His cawing increases in volume and shrillness until he is screaming like an animal being eaten alive. Midoriya lets him go to shield his ears from the screams, but Dark Shadow takes to the air, beating his wings in front of Midoriya’s face and screaming the signs, the signs, watch for the signs!

Midoriya smacks Dark Shadow away from him, but the tips of his wings and his tail feathers have caught fire, lighting him on fire from the outside in as his screams get more frenzied. He doesn’t stop wailing or beating his wings even as he is consumed by fire and Midoriya thinks of a phoenix, burned to death by its own flames.

Midoriya opens his eyes. His heart is beating fast, the tail end of the dream slipping from his mind. He drags a hand over his face and glances down at Todoroki, attached to him and drooling on his shoulder, a strand of hair in his mouth. Midoriya would have liked to stand up and wash his face, calm down from the nightmare, but Todoroki is peaceful and warm. Moving would invite Todoroki's wrath in the form of sleepy pouting, clinging, and growling. Midoriya had tried to get up to pee two nights ago, to no avail.

Still, he won’t complain. The nightmare can’t sink its claws into Midoriya as easily when he’s protected by a big, puffy guard dog. Midoriya remembers the lick of fire and is not afraid. The only fire he knew was Todoroki's, and it was Todoroki who said he would raze the land for Midoriya’s sake. Because Midoriya loved, and was loved in return.

Midoriya closes his eyes and wiggles further under the comforter. He can’t remember exactly what he dreamed about, but it didn’t matter. With Todoroki on his side, he could take on anything. Together, there was no way they could lose. He had nothing to fear from a shadowy dream biting at the edges of his mind.

And thinking nothing more of it, Midoriya falls back asleep.

-----------------------------------------

It’s not the end of the world for Todoroki to be sent away to the training camps. Midoriya had seen him go to a few here and there, and although Todoroki came back battered and broken, it was never for long. Todoroki had proved that he could bend to the point of snapping and recover time and time again. This next training camp would be just another beating he would have to weather. He would tuck his chin in and bear it.

Midoriya knows this, but King Enji’s weasel-faced Captain, Jurou, has been paying visits to Todoroki on a regular basis. Each time, he carries a message from the King about something else Todoroki must bring or prepare for, reminding Todoroki how many days until their departure. Todoroki doesn’t get even a week of respite after being in charge of the palace during the King’s absence. And to Midoriya, the constant reminder sounds like a countdown to something new and horrible.

“But how do you know he’s not going to do something awful to you?” Midoriya asks, pacing the length of their bedchambers while Todoroki cradles a cup of tea in his hands and watches Midoriya move. “I know he can’t kill you, but there are plenty of ways to break you in without killing you.”

“Fortunately, whatever he does, I won’t remember,” Todoroki says, blowing on his tea.

“That’s not funny,” Midoriya says. “That confrontation the other day—I think you really set him off.”

“Good,” Todoroki says. “Finally, I get under his skin the way he gets under mine.”

“You’re not taking this seriously,” Midoriya says.

“You’re overreacting and planning for a situation that isn’t worth contemplating,” Todoroki says. “I know him. Yes, I believe he can do more to me and that he may try this time, but unlike you, I trust my resolve.”

“I trust you,” Midoriya says immediately.

Todoroki eyes him, sipping his tea.

“Please just—read the signs,” Midoriya says, and stops pacing. The words fall strangely against his ears, tickling his brain like the ghost of a memory, a name he just couldn’t grasp.

“In any case,” Todoroki says. “I’m not letting you stay here while I’m gone.”

Midoriya blinks. “What?”

“While I’m not worried about myself,” Todoroki says, “I don’t trust my father and his errant dogs to keep their hands off you. From now on, when I’m not here, you won’t be either.”

“Wha—where will I go?” Midoriya asks.

“Field trip with Momo,” Todoroki says, setting his teacup down. “Or rather, reconnaissance in the countryside for a few days, then returning a day before me. What’s wrong? I thought you would jump at the chance to get outside.”

“If we’re delayed and you come home before us…”

“Oh, hush,” Todoroki says. “Stop worrying. No, I mean it. You’re forbidden from worrying. Instead, I want you to help prepare for your trip. Forget your regular duties.”

“Keeping me from worrying?” Midoriya says. “Or trying to get rid of me?”

Todoroki crooks a finger, summoning Midoriya to his side. He motions for Midoriya to lean down so he can speak into his ear.

“You underestimate how frustrating the thought of having to leave you is,” Todoroki says. “I intend to see you in all your free time. Here. Preferably naked.”

“Going to fuck me so hard the memory plays on the back of your eyelids?” Midoriya says.

“Well, I do have a year’s worth of time to make up,” Todoroki says.

Midoriya tilts his head to kiss Todoroki.

“I love you,” Midoriya says.

“I know,” Todoroki says, smiling. “I will see you this evening. Have fun fending off Tooru.”

“Pardon?” Midoriya says.

-----------------------------------

Midoriya takes it all back. He hates Todoroki. With all his heart. Of course, it’s Shouji who is the worst off, caught between Midoriya and Tooru, arms crossed over her chest. With five days left until Todoroki was to be sent off, Midoriya faces death.

Midoriya is wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a collar, but even mostly covered up, there are still dark bruises under his jaw, a reminder that Tooru had seen him at his worst and never gotten an explanation. Not a fact she was likely to forget.

“So, Deku,” Tooru says, voice sweet. “I guess I don’t mean much to you as a friend, hm?”

“This is a new development,” Midoriya says weakly, trying to placate her. “I would’ve told you, eventually.”

“And to think I took you under my wing and taught you to dance,” Tooru says. “This is what I get for showing my charitable side. Not even a mention to your good friend Tooru that oh, hey, by the way, I slept with Todoroki-sama.”

“In my defense,” Midoriya says, “I didn’t know how open he wanted to be about this.”

“Deku, it’s gossip,” Tooru says. “You don’t ask permission. You just tell me.”

“Oh, and I have a bone to pick with you, anyway,” Midoriya says, frowning. “You told Ojiro-san, who tipped off Shouji, who told Yaoyorozu-san.”

“Oh, boo,” Tooru says. “At least I didn’t keep a forbidden love secret from my best friend.”

“Actually,” Midoriya says, turning to Shouji. “I have a bit of a bone to pick with you, too.”

“Oh no,” Shouji says. “I’m quite content to stay out of it.”

“You’re both awful, is what I’m getting at,” Midoriya says. “That entire outing was supposed to be secret.”

“But now that everyone knows…” Tooru says. “Details! Give me the details!”

Midoriya sighs. “You know, I came here to get commoner’s clothing—”

“No way!” Tooru says. She flops over the top of the chests of clothing palace performers used. The demonstration was mostly for show, as Shouji could probably lift a chest with her on it with one arm. “Details!” she whines.

“Fine, fine,” Midoriya says. “What details do you want?”

Tooru sits up and counts off her fingers. “Whether he’s good, whether he’s bad, does he have any kinks, who tops who, how many times you’ve done it, what his sex drive is like—”

“Oh, god,” Midoriya chokes. “There is no way I am telling you any of that.”

“C’mon,” Tooru whines. “I tried to pry Shouji for information but he won’t make a peep.”

Midoriya, who had forgotten that guards stationed outside bedchambers were a thing, pales. He turns to Shouji.

“If I’m allowed to have an opinion here,” Shouji says, “I would really rather not hear everything a second time.”

Midoriya’s face is on fire.

“Lame,” Tooru says. “Be a bit more adventurous, Shouji. Unless you’d rather share about what you and Tokoyami-san do—”

“Oh my god,” Midoriya says. “How about I tell you about how we got together? And then about his confession? Would that be satisfactory?”

“Hmm,” Tooru says. “Deal.”

Midoriya tells her about the night of the Founder’s Festival as they pick out clothes for him to wear out on his trip with Yaoyorozu. This much, he doesn’t mind talking about. He paints a picture of the glowing streets with his words, ending in the crown jewel of the bonfire. He talks about dancing with Todoroki, of dipping him, and then of kissing him as the crowd cheered them on. Tooru’s eyes glow.

He glazes over the details of their sexual escapades to Tooru’s disappointment, but Midoriya isn’t quite sure he has the capacity to deal with putting into words what he and Todoroki did with anyone but Todoroki. It felt sacred, almost, to be the only person who knew of Todoroki when he was like that. It wasn’t something he should share with even his close friends.

Except Shouji, who already had heard them fucking. God. Midoriya wasn’t going to forget that.

He tells Tooru about how angry he had been with Todoroki for showing him off like that and how he had turned on him in their bedchambers, and how that had led to Todoroki confessing affection for him. He uses those words, ‘confessing affection,’ because to tell anyone that Todoroki loved him felt like a dam bursting, like admitting to treason. Especially because Todoroki didn’t just love him, he would love only Midoriya for as long as he lived. Yes, those words had kept Midoriya up at night.

As they pack up Midoriya’s clothes in a trunk, passed along to Shouji to carry, Tooru tells him how amazing it is to be favored by a prince. To think that Todoroki didn’t just lust after his body, but cared for him as a person, too! Oh, but they had always been so close, closer than brothers, this was inevitable, wasn’t it? In any case, congratulations, Deku!

It’s not that big a deal, Midoriya tells her. They sleep together now. Their affection is returned. Other than that, nothing has changed. They still bicker and tease each other. They still have differences of opinions and fight. They still worry over each other. It’s not that big a deal. It’s not that big a change. There’s not a lot of significance to it.

Except, there is.

Midoriya spends the rest of his day bouncing around the castle. To the kitchens, to go over the rations list with Chiyo. To the stables, to ensure that Midoriya’s favorite horse was ready to ride in a week or so. To the armory, to get fitted with a bow and shortsword. Midoriya manages not to think too much about Todoroki until a page comes for him with a message.

His Royal Highness says he wants to try something different tonight, the page says, blushing.

Except it isn’t simple sexual release and a close friendship. It’s teasing and courting and Todoroki playing with Midoriya to make up for the time he should have been courting Midoriya if they had been born equals. It’s the assurance of love and affection between the two of them and love, real love, the kind Midoriya had been looking for in his previous partners and found instead in a prince with odd eyes and a sharp tongue. It’s the fact that Todoroki continues to surprise Midoriya with the depth of his devotion until Midoriya starts to realize that maybe their love isn’t as unbalanced as he had believed it to be months before.

Something different, Todoroki had said. That can only mean that he’s trying to satisfy that something Midoriya had seen in his eyes.

In this case, it means Midoriya surrendering to him completely.

The rope that binds Midoriya’s hands to the headboard is soft and red as sin. His wrists are crossed over one another and an experimental tug reveals that he won’t be moving them any time soon. He glances down his body—naked, as Todoroki liked him to be, it seemed—to where Todoroki is looking him over. Todoroki reaches out a finger to run it down the length of Midoriya’s body, from pec to hip. The fire in his eyes is a tame smolder, contented to have Midoriya to himself for the duration of the night.

Todoroki gathers his hair into a messy ponytail and pulls it behind his head. He means business. Midoriya shifts in place.

“You said you wanted to try something different,” Midoriya says.

Todoroki nods. “It came upon me suddenly.”

Midoriya fingers the rope. “Tying me up? You do enjoy restraining me.”

“Oh no,” Todoroki says. “The bondage is necessary, but not the point. I don’t want you to interrupt.” His eyes slide up Midoriya’s chest to his face. “And you do look so pretty, posing like this for me. Do you really trust me so?”

“Like no other,” Midoriya swears. “Although, a man has to wonder what the point is, if not bondage.”

Todoroki doesn’t respond. He’s fully dressed in a blouse with a tie at the front that Midoriya thinks of undoing with his teeth. He lights a few more candles in the room with a flame that jumps from his finger and takes a sip of water. A droplet runs down his chin and over the edge of his jaw. He’s taking his time.

When Todoroki returns to Midoriya’s side he cups Midoriya’s cheek with his left hand. Midoriya doesn’t understand at first, but then the touch changes from warm to unnaturally hot and Midoriya’s eyes widen.

“I wonder,” Todoroki drawls. “I wonder what I have in mind.”

He takes a seat at Midoriya’s bedside and presses the flat of his palm to Midoriya’s chest. Midoriya sucks in a breath at the heat, not hot enough to burn, but enough to sting. Todoroki drags his hand down, leaving a searing line down his front to just above his crotch. When he lifts his hand, there’s a red handprint. The skin is sensitive and feels cool against the air.

Midoriya takes a breath. This is…not what he expected.

With a single finger, Todoroki draws patterns across Midoriya’s chest, leaving behind lines of hot skin turning cold that whites out Midoriya’s mind. He can only focus in on movement of that finger, tracing the line of his collarbone or circling a nipple, teasing him with pain-pleasure. He’s hard in a matter of minutes, not that Todoroki pays any attention to that. He’s more interested in the shuddering rise and fall of Midoriya’s chest when he brushes fingers against his ribs, counting each one.

“I’ll die before you get to fuck me,” Midoriya says.

“No, you won’t,” Todoroki says. “You’ll do exactly as I tell you.”

He wraps his hand around Midoriya’s cock, squeezing the base, and Midoriya arches his back with a gasp.

“Shh,” Todoroki says. “You’re not to come until I tell you.”

He releases Midoriya and strokes the inside of his thigh, this time with his his right hand. Only the tips of his fingers brush Midoriya’s skin, but the touch is ice and Midoriya writhes at cold against his delicate inner thigh. Todoroki moves in close to his cock but doesn’t touch it, alternating hot and cold touches, light as feathers from his stomach down to below his crotch.

Midoriya does not consider himself a proud person. He considers himself a person with a healthy dose of shame, but there’s something about sex and teasing that strips a person of their dignity and rationality when they’re far enough gone, until they’re nothing more than a bundle of nerves and the desire to reach the tipping point as fast as possible. Midoriya is that primal creature right now.

The thought sorry Shouji might cross his mind once, but it does nothing to abate the whines Midoriya makes, biting hard at his lip until it leaves an indent. His breath is ragged and he knows how cheap and slutty he sounds, crying out whenever Todoroki presses a full palm to his skin, but the alternate extremes are frying his nerves until he can hardly feel the pleasure building. He becomes one with the pressure beating around his ears and pounding between his legs.

When Todoroki runs a freezing finger up the length of Midoriya’s shaft, he sobs.

“Don’t come,” Todoroki says. “I want to see how obedient you can be.”

Midoriya tears up but holds himself back. He grits his teeth as Todoroki draws circles around him with a freezing finger, a warm hand pressed against his thigh. He doesn’t allow himself to give into the urge to let go, holding onto Todoroki's order.

Holding onto words doesn’t really help though when Todoroki switches hands, wrapping his warm hand around Midoriya’s cock and starts to pump him.

“Shouto—” Midoriya chokes out. “Shouto, it’s too much, I can’t—”

He comes over Todoroki's hand with a cry and a violent shudder that wracks his entire body. Todoroki strokes him through the shuddering, until Midoriya is over-sensitive and writhing. Then, Todoroki releases him, clicking his tongue and looking over his dirtied hand.

“Now look at the mess you’ve made,” he says.

He holds his fingers up to Midoriya’s lips. “Clean it up,” he says.

Midoriya accepts the fingers in his mouth without hesitation. He wraps his lips around them and laps at Todoroki's fingers. He repents with suggestion, flicking his tongue over his fingers and sucking hard on them. Todoroki's eyelashes flutter and his eyes are on Midoriya’s lips. It’s working.

When Todoroki pulls his cleaned fingers from Midoriya’s mouth, Midoriya asks, “Am I going to be punished?”

Todoroki quirks an eyebrow and reaches for the rope tying up Midoriya’s hands. “Punish you?” Todoroki says. “Why would I have to punish one so eager to serve?”

He releases Midoriya and Midoriya sits up hands in his lap. “I disobeyed,” Midoriya says.

“Put your hands behind your back,” Todoroki says. Midoriya obeys immediately.

Todoroki smiles. “See? Obedient.” But he ties the rope around Midoriya’s hands again, this time bound behind his back.

Todoroki climbs onto the bed and undoes his belt. “You serve me well,” he says. “I’m sure you can think of some way to make it up to me.”

Midoriya swallows thickly, eyes bright. “I think I can,” he says.

------------------------------------------

But the thing is, Midoriya can’t get it out of his head that Todoroki went that far just for him. If it had been just the temperature play, Midoriya would have called Todoroki a sadist for wanting to see him squirm and left it at that. Midoriya wasn’t complaining about the teasing after all. But Todoroki had had this half-smile on his face after Midoriya came, almost tender in nature, that stuck with Midoriya. When his partner looked more satisfied after satisfying Midoriya than being satiated himself, Midoriya tended to pay attention.

With four days until Todoroki would be taken away, Midoriya was worrying about their newfound sex life.

How to bring it up though? Sorry, couldn’t help but notice you seem to get off on taking care of me. Midoriya knows the exact look he’ll get for saying that, and it will freeze his dick off faster than Todoroki's ice Quirk. He has to be careful.

And so, Midoriya, master of subtlety, blurts out the question while pretending to read in their bed the next night.

“Did you like it? Uh, last night, with the, uh, temperature play?”

Todoroki, reading a letter, actually puts it down to stare at Midoriya. “Yes,” he says slowly. “What are you getting at? Did I cross a boundary?”

“No!” Midoriya says. “No, not at all. I meant, did you enjoy what you were doing?”

“Deku,” Todoroki says, “if I’ve done something to hurt you—”

“Did you enjoy pleasing me,” Midoriya says quickly. “Did you enjoy it in a sexual way.”

The air between them goes quiet. Midoriya holds his breath. Todoroki holds his gaze, but his expression betrays nothing. Having perfected the art of outlasting awkward silences, Todoroki doesn’t say a word. Midoriya breaks first.

“I’m sorry,” Midoriya says. “That’s—I was making assumptions, I just thought—”

“I don’t know,” Todoroki says.

Midoriya blinks. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I haven’t exactly had the chance to find out,” Todoroki says, quirking an eyebrow. “All of our lovemaking has been directed towards pleasing me.”

“You make it sound like I’m not pleased by that arrangement,” Midoriya huffs.

“Aren’t you?” Todoroki says.

“Of course I’m happy,” Midoriya says. “If it’s with you, it can’t be bad.”

Todoroki smiles. “It isn’t ideal though, is it? You’re the one who wants control over me.”

“I don’t dislike giving in to you,” Midoriya says.

“And I don’t dislike seeing you fall over yourself to obey,” Todoroki says. “But who’s to know if that is the ideal arrangement?”

Midoriya pauses. “Do you want to try it, then?”

Todoroki is quiet for a moment. Then, he gets up from his desk and moves to the side of the bed, standing over Midoriya. Midoriya sits up to meet him.

And Todoroki sinks to his knees.

Midoriya feels the temperature in the room jump. His heart rate picks up. On his knees, in a servile position to Midoriya, Todoroki still retains the steel in his eyes that marks him as a prince. His chin juts out and his hair is done up in a strict ponytail. Even lowered to the position of a servant, he is too proud to be anything but royalty.

“I am your prince,” Todoroki says. “Do not forget that.”

“I won’t,” Midoriya says. Hesitantly, he reaches for the ties on his pants.

Todoroki smacks his hands away. “I thought this was about me pleasing you.”

So Midoriya’s hands go to his hair instead, undoing the ponytail and letting the strands fall down like a halo around his head. He wraps his fingers through the fine strands and tugs gently.

“You’ve thought about this before,” Todoroki says. “In the baths.”

Caught, Midoriya almost flinches away. Instead, he mutters, “Maybe.”

“Do it,” Todoroki says. “I want to know what it feels like.”

Midoriya watches Todoroki's mouth form the words. He wants to know what it feels like, too.

The answer is: better than he had imagined. Todoroki is tentative, but not shy. He pays attention to the signs of Midoriya’s body and to what Todoroki himself liked. He doesn’t flinch away from the length or swallowing Midoriya down. Everything about Todoroki is so focused, like being in the center of a small hurricane, and subject to the torrents of pleasure that the hurricane rained down upon him.

Midoriya is careful not to shove Todoroki's head against him, even though he wants to desperately. His fingers tremble and clench in Todoroki's hair, pulling at it but not deterring Todoroki in the slightest. Midoriya can’t keep his eyes off the red and the white silky strands wrapped tightly between his fingers. He can’t keep his eyes off Todoroki's mouth wrapped around him.

Todoroki's eyelids are lowered and his lashes are long enough to brush the tops of his cheekbones. When he looks up at Midoriya, the intensity of his gaze softens until Midoriya can’t even breathe. When Todoroki has a flush to his cheeks and his eyes are soft and pliant as his mouth, Midoriya can’t hold back the shudders that wrack his body as he comes.

After the fact, he offers to take care of Todoroki in return, but Todoroki waves him off.

“Not necessary,” he says. “I am…satisfied.”

“You swallowed,” Midoriya says.

“So do you,” Todoroki accuses.

“Not my first time, I didn’t,” Midoriya says. “You’re…”

“I’m what?” Todoroki loosens the ties at the top of his shirt, not looking at Midoriya. His cheeks are still flushed and his movements are jerky.

Midoriya tilts his head. “Which part didn’t you like?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?” Todoroki says. “I told you, I’m satisfied.”

No, he’s not. Even without his year of being in close contact with Todoroki, Midoriya would’ve been able to tell that Todoroki was not okay. He’s too sharp; the Todoroki Midoriya knows is dangerously sleek and fluid in his words and movements. This Todoroki is raw with—something.

“We need to talk about it,” Midoriya says, twisting on the bed. “If you don’t want—”

“It’s not about what I don’t want,” Todoroki says. “It’s about what I do want. You’re reading me wrong.”

So blowing Midoriya made him…what? Flustered? Agitated? He didn’t want the favor returned, and he’d already done Midoriya, so what more did he want?

More, Midoriya's brain supplies. He wants more than that.

Midoriya’s mouth makes a small ‘o’ shape. “Shouto,” Midoriya says. “We mentioned, before, about me wanting to take control, and about you being ambivalent towards that fact. Could it be that perhaps…”

Todoroki's shoulders stiffen.

“Could it be that you want me to take control?” Midoriya asks. “That you want to reverse the roles of master and servant?”

“I just served you, didn’t I?” Todoroki mutters.

“Yes,” Midoriya says. “But it wasn’t enough. You want me to order you, to be rougher with you. You want to be helpless beneath me.”

He can see that Todoroki's lips are parted, that his breathing is more labored than before. He clears his throat. “It isn’t right, is it? I was born to rule. To want that is…improper.”

Midoriya slides towards him, takes his hand. “To want that is part of you,” he says. “It’s a desire, no more and no less. It doesn’t mean you are unfit to rule.”

Todoroki's eyes fall to his. “I want…” He hesitates. “I want you to do me,” he says. “I want to be at your mercy. Because I trust you like no other.”

Midoriya breathes in through his nose and nods. “We can do that,” he says, rubbing his thumb over Todoroki's knuckles. “We are both equals in this relationship. There is no shame in changing positions.”

“I want you to have me on my throne,” Todoroki whispers.

Midoriya’s heart lodges itself in his throat. “W-what?”

“On my throne,” Todoroki says. “Fuck me on my throne, Deku. Defile my royal blood until we truly are equals.”

“Shouto, that’s—”

“I will not take another,” Shouto whispers. “It is only you. I want to remember it whenever I sit up there. I want to remember that you and I are both men, and that’s all. Our statuses don’t matter, they don’t fucking—” He takes a breath. “I will not take another,” he repeats. “So do this, for me.”

Midoriya swallows. “Okay,” he says. “I’ll see to it that the throne room is cleared out tomorrow. No one will disturb us. If they ask, we’ll say we are…playing chess.”

“Chess,” Todoroki says.

“It’s a game that requires a lot of focus,” Midoriya says. “His Royal Highness would be most displeased if he were interrupted in the middle of a…chess game.”

“I see,” Todoroki says. “Well, I’ll leave the logistics to you.”

He runs a hand through his hair and closes his eyes, exhaling. Midoriya watches him squeeze some of the tension out of his neck and then climb into bed, turning on his side and sighing again as he sinks into the mattress.

It shouldn’t be possible for such a noble creature to lower his proud head and bow to another. The idea is impossible, and yet, those were the contents of Todoroki's fantasies. And Midoriya, who could hardly find it in himself to tease and play with his partners, let alone take the reins in the relationship and dominate them? He thinks of begging, of hair tangled around fingers, and of nails digging into his shoulders as he strokes up and down Todoroki's arm.

---------------------------------------

Midoriya expects someone to stop them on their way to the throne room the next day. He imagined that the great cosmos would have to intervene to keep the balance, to keep order. A sudden summons from the king, a fitting Midoriya had forgotten about, or an attack on the palace walls—Midoriya waited for any one of these to happen, but they are only greeted with the typical bows and acknowledgements from the palace servants and guards as they pass by.

Todoroki is silent. He’s focused again, all his attention fixed on a point ahead of him, readying himself to face what was to follow. Midoriya smiles. Hopeless, this one was. Even after Midoriya had told him to loosen up, he’s still stiff as a wooden plank.

With three days until Todoroki's training away, Midoriya is not worrying about how well off his prince will be, but rather how to ease him into mutually unfamiliar sexual territory.

Am I a bad servant? Midoriya thinks. Even if he tells me not to worry, I probably should.

But no, this was a kind of service, too. In all likelihood, Todoroki didn’t have the capacity to ease his mind of all difficulties, but Midoriya was acting as a distraction. In this moment, at least, Todoroki wasn’t consumed by his role as heir, but his role as a partner. Only time would tell if this distraction was for good or for bad.

“You’re staring again,” Todoroki says.

“You’re tense,” Midoriya says. “Am I really so scary?”

Todoroki grunts. Midoriya steps in front of him to open the door to the throne room. Todoroki steps through, not looking at Midoriya. Midoriya closes the door behind them and sends a small prayer to the gods that their message to not be disturbed had been received. When he turns, Todoroki is standing still, staring at his throne. Stiff. Well, that just wouldn’t do.

Midoriya sneaks up behind him and snatches the crown he’s wearing off his head. It’s a light one, little more than a golden circlet that just happened to have the spires of a crown melded into the metalwork.

Todoroki flinches when Midoriya snatches the crown, then narrows his eyes as Midoriya skips backwards, crown in hand. “You little—”

Holding his gaze, Midoriya slips the crown onto his head. Todoroki's eyes widen.

He trots up the stairs to the throne and collapses in it, splaying his body over the shape of it, legs crossed over one armrest and elbows propping him up against the other. Midoriya grins at Todoroki, staring at him with very round eyes.

Catching himself, Todoroki shakes his head. “Someone’s after my throne, it appears.”

“Not the throne,” Midoriya says, “so much as the man occupying it.” He takes the crown off and twirls it around a finger. He tilts his head to the side. “Well? Are you going to reclaim your honor?”

Todoroki approaches him, moving to stand over him. He holds out a hand and Midoriya hands over the crown, still grinning. Todoroki replaces it on his head and beckons for Midoriya to get out. Midoriya obeys.

Todoroki sinks into the throw of furs and occupies the entire throne with a hand wrapped over both armrests. He sits up straight and looks up at Midoriya, chest puffed out. “This is the difference between you and I,” he says.

“I rather liked my way,” Midoriya says. He unties the laces at his wrists and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side.

Todoroki follows his motions with darting eyes. He shrinks back into his throne a little. “It’s not the royal way,” he says.

“That’s no fun,” Midoriya says. “Can’t we find a compromise?” He slides onto the throne, onto Todoroki, knees on either side of Todoroki's legs and holding himself over his prince, bracing his arms against the back of the throne, towering over Todoroki.

“This is familiar,” Midoriya murmurs.

“What do you—”

“Shh,” Midoriya says. He cups Todoroki's cheek with one hand and brushes his thumb over Todoroki's lips. He leans in to kiss Todoroki, holding the kiss for a long moment. When he leans back, Todoroki's eyes are half-lidded and he has collapsed back against the throne.

“Let me remind you of something,” Midoriya says. He pulls the crown from Todoroki's head again and tosses it on top of his discarded shirt. “We’re trusting me, now. It’s okay. Here, you’re not a prince. You’re just Shouto.”

He kisses Todoroki again, tilting Todoroki's head to slide their mouths together. He feels Todoroki suck a breath in through his nose and Midoriya pulls away again. “Okay?”

Todoroki's eyelashes flutter. “Okay,” he says.

Midoriya slides into his lap fully, bringing back memories of the dance, when Todoroki had been holding himself back against Midoriya’s tempting, because he had been holding himself back then, unable to show any indication of reciprocating the gestures.

But, as Midoriya ruts against him this time, Todoroki has none of his previous hesitation. His hands fly to Midoriya's hips and dig in, pulling Midoriya closer with every move he makes against Todoroki. His lips are already parted when Midoriya meets him, sharing open-mouthed kisses punctuated by the occasional panting. Todoroki's hips jerk up to meet Midoriya's as he starts to get desperate.

And then Midoriya pulls away completely, hopping off the throne altogether.

“Wow,” he says. “If you knew how good you looked in this moment.”

Todoroki is flushed and panting, strands of hair falling in his face and slid halfway down the throne. Midoriya thinks of the man who walked with his head held high and back straight, lying before him, ruined and needy, and any thoughts of dragging the teasing out disappear from his mind.

He leans over Todoroki, presses their foreheads together. “I’m going to fuck you, Todoroki Shouto,” Midoriya says. “I’m going to be the first and only to be inside you.” He brushes a strand out of Todoroki's hair out of his face. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” Todoroki breathes.

“Tell me what you want.”

“I can’t—”

Midoriya reaches down and palms Todoroki through his pants. Todoroki lets out a half-sob, half-whine and arches his back fruitlessly. “I think you forget who’s in control here,” Midoriya says. “Tell me what you want, Shouto.”

Todoroki squeezes his eyes shut. “Use me,” he whispers. “Take my body and use it to satisfy you. Fuck—” he breaks off, “—fuck me so hard that they can hear me sob your name.”

“You’re so hard,” Midoriya says softly. “You really want me inside you.”

“Yes,” Todoroki says.

“Good boy,” Midoriya says. “You’re such a good boy for me, aren’t you Shouto?” He presses three of his fingers to Todoroki's mouth. “You know what to do, don’t you?”

Todoroki takes his fingers into his mouth delicately, as a prince might sample a dessert. It’s inexperienced and innocent—the press of his tongue against Midoriya's fingers, the hint of teeth, and then sucking at them. His eyes rise to meet Midoriya's and Midoriya lets out a stifled groan. With his free hand he picks apart the tie on Todoroki's pants, then his own.

Todoroki helps to remove his lower layer, breath stuttering when his bare skin touches the stone of the throne. Even with the furs, the throne was dark and cold. He’s hard and dribbling, unable to look down at himself. Midoriya reaches into the pouch he had slid into the pocket of his pants and undoes it. He pulls his hand from Todoroki's mouth with a pop and sticks his fingers into the pouch, filled with the same lubricant they kept close to the bed.

“This…may be unpleasant, your first time,” Midoriya warns him.

He’s gentle, sliding his fingers into Todoroki, but even so, Todoroki balks at the contact. He tenses and Midoriya soothes him with a hand through his hair, kissing the side of his neck and his cheeks and his mouth to distract him. Todoroki squirms for a few moments longer, then goes still, relaxed. Midoriya worries he might have been uncomfortable, but when he looks at Todoroki, he sees that Todoroki's mouth is hanging half open and he’s flushed to the tips of the ears.

“You like this,” Midoriya says softly. “You really do want me to fuck you.”

Todoroki casts his eyes to the side, then lets out a soft cry when Midoriya adds another finger.

“It’s alright,” Midoriya says. “It’s alright. Give in to me, Shouto. Give in to this.”

By the time he’s finished preparing him, Todoroki is shaking and rocking his hips back and forth to the timing of Midoriya's fingers. Midoriya pulls his fingers out and Todoroki groans softly, looking at Midoriya with wide eyes.

“Are you going to…?” he asks.

Midoriya's heart swells. “Yes, lover,” he whispers. “Yes, you’re ready.”

Todoroki watches Midoriya with rapt attention as he slides his pants down past his hips and bares himself. As if by instinct, Midoriya reaches out to press a hand over Todoroki's heart. It’s rapid fire.

“Will it hurt?” Todoroki asks.

“Not if I go slow,” Midoriya says. “Oh, lover. It’s going to feel so good.”

Midoriya nudges apart Todoroki's legs and slides between them. He lifts Todoroki's hips slightly, angling himself, and wraps Todoroki's legs around his hips. Todoroki reaches out to grasp at his shoulders and around his neck. Midoriya is slow when he pushes in and Todoroki's breath catches. He reads the signs of Todoroki's body: when to slow down, when he’s doing fine, and the scrabbling of Todoroki's fingers against his bare shoulders when he wants more.

And then, once he’s all the way in, he starts to move. Slowly, at first, getting Todoroki used to the motion, and then faster, as Todoroki's breath picks up and the spasming of fingers on his shoulder becomes nails digging in hard.

Todoroki's breaths go ragged as Midoriya fucks him, but he doesn’t cry out more than a few times; only when Midoriya angles himself right and hits the right spot and Todoroki's entire body seizes up and he lets out a breathy noise that imprints itself into Midoriya's mind. Todoroki clings to him, panting into his neck, but when Midoriya turns to look at him, Todoroki's eyes are open and he’s looking at the glass ceiling above him, light streaming down on them as they make love.

Midoriya wants to take in every detail of this Todoroki—this proud creature turned humble, giving himself over freely to Midoriya, as if it was nothing. The cold prince, the untouchable prince, baring himself Midoriya and letting Midoriya take him like this, like no other man would. Midoriya wants to take in every detail, but he’s going to come just from the way Todoroki is reacting to his body. As is Todoroki, if his more frantic breaths are anything to go by.

Midoriya reaches down to pump Todoroki in time to his rutting and this time Todoroki half-shouts, the cry turning into muffled words that he whispers into Midoriya's neck and Midoriya picks up the pace, rocking into Todoroki hard enough for his shoulders to hit the back of the throne. Todoroki comes first, his body tightening around Midoriya, and then it only take Midoriya a few more thrusts until he’s coming too, barely catching himself with a hand on the armrest of the throne.

Todoroki's chest heaves. Midoriya's chest heaves. They hold eye contact as they catch their breath and then Todoroki leans forward to kiss him chastely, lips lingering against Midoriya's.

Midoriya smiles. “Do you think they heard us?”

“I think…” Todoroki starts. “I think I would give up a kingdom for you.”

“You don’t have to,” Midoriya says. “I’m with you.”

Todoroki lets his head fall back, and he smiles languidly at Midoriya.

-------------------------------------

“Hmm,” Todoroki says. “I’m getting scruffy.”

Midoriya looks up from where he’s popping grapes into his mouth like candy and reading the report Yaoyorozu had given him. “What was that?” he asks around a mouthful of grapes.

“Swallow before you speak,” Todoroki chides. “I said, I’m getting scruffy.”

Come to think of it, he had been a little scratchy last time they kissed. Midoriya didn’t really mind. “You could grow it out.”

“And be the spitting image of my father? With my round face? Not a chance.” Todoroki scowls in the mirror and runs a hand over his chin. “Besides…only half will grow in with color, anyway.”

Midoriya's eyes bug out. He hadn’t thought about it, really, but Todoroki was bi-colored after all. The thought of him with a half-and-half beard...

Midoriya does an awful job covering up his wheeze. “No…please, you have to…”

Todoroki throws a comb at him. “You’re terrible.”

“But it would be so f—”

“Here,” Todoroki says, handing him a straight-edge razor. “You do it.”

Midoriya stops laughing. He accepts the razor and tilts his head. “You sure? I could end up nicking you, or…” Todoroki sits beside him on the bed, carrying with him a jar of cream and a bowl of water with a towel on his arm. He tilts his head back, baring his neck.

“Okay,” Midoriya says, swallowing.

He dabs some of the cream on his hands and rubs it along the underside of his jaw, along the lines of his face, and then just above, covering and the scruff and even dabbing a little over his lip. He washes his hands in the bowl and then picks up the razor.

Midoriya leans in, scraping the keen edge of the blade gently across Todoroki's skin. Todoroki tilts his head accordingly to help Midoriya reach all of his skin. The sound of the razor on skin is rhythmic and almost comforting. Todoroki closes his eyes.

He doesn’t mean to, but once he does, the thought grips Midoriya his hold on the razor wobbles. Midoriya, for all his playing at love and affection and being good for Todoroki, is a spy. He’s not there to harm Todoroki, but if he was…

Midoriya imagines gripping the handle of the razor tight and twisting the blade, in one fluid motion slicing through Todoroki's throat, cutting off any yell for help and spattering Midoriya with his blood. Todoroki would crumple before him, pumping blood from the wound in his neck while his body spasmed once or twice in a pitiful show of death throes. Midoriya would get away with it, too. He’d be on a horse and a day’s ride to the border by the time anyone noticed. The blood would be sticky and congealed. And Todoroki's eyes would be gone, far off and still, snapped open in a picture of shock and betrayal…

Midoriya lowers his hand. “I can’t.”

Todoroki takes Midoriya's hand, lifts it to his chin. “You can,” he says. “I know what you saw. But I know you. You will never betray me.”

Midoriya's heart thuds. Every beat says, I will, I won’t, I will, I won’t.

Midoriya takes a breath and slides the razor along Todoroki's chin, shaving away both cream and hair with steady strokes. He’s extra careful when he gets to beneath Todoroki's cheeks and over his lip. He leans in close to Todoroki, close enough to feel his even exhales through his nose. When he’s done, he takes a towel, dips it in the water bowl, and wipes the excess cream off of Todoroki's face.

“Better?” Midoriya asks, quiet.

“You tell me,” Todoroki says.

Midoriya reaches up to Todoroki, fingers lighting on the angles of his face. He skims just the pads of his fingers over Todoroki's newly shaven skin. It’s as smooth and soft as the shape of Todoroki's face. He’s done a good job cleaning up his prince. Midoriya's fingers fan out across Todoroki's jaw and his thumbs press against Todoroki's bottom lip. Midoriya leans in and kisses him over his thumbs, light but lingering.

When he retreats, he meets Todoroki's eyes. “Is it wise to trust me so much? I’m still foreign.”

“You’re in love with me,” Todoroki says.

Midoriya's heart beats harder. I am, I am, I am.

“I trust your love,” Todoroki says. “I won’t even bother entertaining the thought that you’re lying to me. I can’t fathom it. And because I love you and am loved in return, I will put everything on the line for you.”

He presses their foreheads together. “It would be an honor to be betrayed by you, Deku.”

Midoriya shudders. The reaction is too close to the surface, too close to the truth, but the words are spilling out before he can stop them. “I think,” he says, “I think if I were to betray you, part of me would die as well. I think even if I were a villain…this love is stronger than my betrayal. We are one, Todoroki Shouto.”

“We are one,” Todoroki repeats.

It’s not a lie, Midoriya thinks. There is no future I can envision that does not have me at your side. Even if…if it takes switching loyalties…

Midoriya smiles. The idea that springs to his mind is a forbidden one. It’s not one that All Might would approve, nor would anyone who had their heads screwed on right. But it was one Todoroki would like.

“Shouto,” Midoriya asks, “do you have any hair ties with gemstones? A red and a green?”

Todoroki cocks his head to the side but stands, fishing around in his boxes before returning with two cords, one with a jade stone and one with a garnet stone attached to the cord. Midoriya takes them and nods. “These will do.”

“What will they do, pray tell?”

Midoriya motions for him to turn around. He starts from the top of Todoroki's head, working his way down, braiding a thin cord of red hair behind his ear. “Do you know of Yuuein marriage traditions?”

“Not particularly,” Todoroki says. “It’s commonplace for Endeavorans to gift their chosen spouse with enough gifts to bankrupt them; I would imagine Yuueins present each other with gifts as well.”

“In a way,” Midoriya says. “Although not anything like you rich folk here.”

He brushes a strand of hair to the side. “In Yuuei, when one wants to propose, they travel to a mine, usually of gemstones, to find their gift. Most mine owners only require a small fee for people to find their gemstones. You look for a small stone—just a pebble—that reminds you of your significant other. Once you’ve found it, you clean the stone and tumble it until smooth.”

“And you give them a pebble.”

Midoriya smacks him on the shoulder. “I’m not done, dammit. Then, you take the stone to a jeweler and get it attached to a hair tie. Finally, the gift is presented to your significant other. If they return your feelings, they will go out and repeat the process, then present you with a hair tie of your own. If not, they will present you with only a stone. Naturally, the waiting process is a nerve-wracking one.”

“That’s more effort than I was expecting,” Todoroki says. “So every married person has a special hair tie?”

“Occasionally an earring, if their hair isn’t long enough,” Midoriya says. He finishes the braid. “But the most important custom is that after exchanging ties, the partners will sit together and braid their hair in the same place before tying the end with that hair tie.”

Todoroki goes still. Midoriya wraps the tie tightly around the braid until it’s just the gold of the cord and the jade stone winking at him.

“Then, this is—” Todoroki says. “This is…”

“A promise,” Midoriya says. “It’s impossible, but it’s a promise.”

Todoroki fingers the braid. “It will fall out, eventually,” he says.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to be here, retying the braid, until the end of time,” Midoriya says. His hands move to his own hair, not nearly as long as Todoroki's, but still longer than he normally kept it back in Yuuei. He starts to braid.

Todoroki frowns. He looks from his braid to Midoriya's. “The stones,” he says. “They don’t match us.”

“That’s right,” Midoriya says. “But we aren’t in Yuuei now, are we? This is my Endeavoran twist on a Yuuein tradition. If you come—” He catches himself. If you come to Yuuei, we can do it for real. Midoriya's smile goes brittle. There’s an unreality, if he’s ever heard of one.

“If I come…” Todoroki says.

Midoriya ties the end of his braid. “I was going to say, ‘if you come to Yuuei.’ But that’s foolishness on my part.”

Todoroki is quiet for a moment. “When all of this is over,” he says, “I would like to come to know Yuuei.”

“I would like you to, too,” Midoriya says.

“Then it’s settled,” Todoroki says. “We’ll take a break, spend a few months, maybe half a year in Yuuei. Perhaps we may even be on truly good terms, not this temporary ceasefire.”

As if, Midoriya thinks. You have a kingdom to rule over. You won’t have time for me. Instead, he says, “I’d like that.” Even if it’s just a week, he’d like to show Todoroki how beautiful his kingdom was.

Todoroki fingers the cord. “I like it,” he says. “It will remind me of you, when father has me doing god knows what.”

Midoriya's heart sinks. With two days left until Todoroki would be taken from him, Midoriya had forgotten that the training camps even existed.

----------------------------------

They’re in the gardens the next day, when Yaoyorozu finds them. Todoroki, tired of being cooped up in his bedchambers and shackled with work from his father, had insisted on a brief walk around his mother’s gardens, Midoriya naturally in tow. They’re chatting about nothing in particular, hunting tactics specifically, when Yaoyorozu cuts across the gardens in full, clanking armor, to get to Todoroki.

She’s out of breath and wild-eyed when she reaches them.

“Momo,” Todoroki says, blinking. “What’s wrong?”

She allows for a few more pants. “It’s about the training camp,” she says.

Todoroki narrows his eyes. “If father wants—”

“No, Shouto, you idiot—” Yaoyorozu breaks off to pant and Midoriya's eyes widen at the name drop. “The training camp—the matter you had me look into—I have a lead.”

Todoroki's eyes shoot towards their surroundings, scanning for threats. He takes Yaoyorozu by the arm and pulls her further along, Midoriya having to jog to keep up with them. When they’re far enough into the gardens that Midoriya can’t see anyone else, Todoroki leans in close to her. “Tell me.”

Yaoyorozu’s eyes dart to Midoriya and he flinches, as if hit. “I don’t know—”

“Dammit, Momo!” Todoroki says. “You know he’s safe. Stop stalling and tell me.”

“Alright,” Yaoyorozu says. “One of my spies on the outside just happened to come along a certain village.”

With one day until Todoroki's departure, Yaoyorozu reshapes the world in which Todoroki and Midoriya are living.

#tododeku #bnha #fics #fic: p&p #ITS HERE #P&P GA KITAAAAA

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