#where you belong au

[evenmoreofadisaster]

*he gives you a basket full of handmade accessories and a card wishing you good luck*

Thank you! Whisking you luck in @tmntseparatedaucompetition as well!

[nights-flying-fox]

☆ ROTTMNT AU MASTERPOST ☆

☆ TMNT Blog: @eughboi ☆ ok to reblog ☆

✭ Dimension Hopper Leo AU: Leo managed to escape the Prison Dimension, but now he is in an alternative universe almost same as his. He has to go through many portals, trying to find his way back to his dimension.

[leo-centric] [MASTERPOST]

✭ Where You Belong: Mikey is the only turtle growing up with Splinter. When he becomes 13, he accidentally learns he actually had brothers. He and April try to connect to them once they find them with none other than the people trying to kill him for some reason.

[mostly mikey-centric, but POV changes often] [cw: abusive/manipulative parent]

✭ Let's Grab a Slice Together: Leo, Mikey, April, and Casey Jr end up time traveling all together. They are too late to find the key though, and now have to help their past selves to get it back and stop the Krang.

[cw: war themes, even if not detailed it is the bad future so beware; character death; temporary character death (?); injuries] [multiple povs, focused on the bad future fam]

✭ Last Hamatos Standing: Mikey is the only one escaping from the technodrome. Krang Prime has caught Leo and Donnie, and got Raph back in control. Now he and his family have to figure out to save the brothers and stop the Krang.

[cw: mind control, torture, hallucinations, manipulation, war themes, grief, body horror, loss of limbs (?)] [mostly mikey-centric]

✭ The Furthest Shores: After escaping from Draxum's lab, Splinter doesn't return to New York City, instead he hides in the Hidden City. He ends up in the Pirate Bazaar and meets with Piel. Seeing that Splints is just a poor guy with four babies he decides to give him a chance, inviting him to join his crew. Eventually the family grow up as pirates...

✭ We Ride at (Alien)Spawn: Apocalyptic AU except it somehow takes the turn of the cowboy concept- the boys become sheriff somehow (nobody questions mutants after being saved, especially since not many people are left). Join the new cowboys who ride Krang Hounds and a Krangfied train as they try to survive against Krang.

✭ Believe Me (I'm Warning You): Things turned out differently with the last fight against the Shredder. The Hamatos and Cassandra Jones never became friends. However, in the future a boy named Casey Jones Jr. is tasked to stop the Krang by Leonardo Hamato. How can he convince them, when no one believes him?

[casey jr-centric]

✭ Are We Pokémon, Dad? : Everything is same, except they are in the pokemon world... and maybe because they are in the pokemon world, everything is not the same...

✭ A Turtle Like You: A Separated AU inspired by the classic Barbie movies, that was a joke. Now it is about how the twins change roles for fun but things go bad, and how Mikey wishes to be freed from Draxum's lab, and how Raph and April accidentally discover the Hidden City and three turtle mutants.

[cw: manipulative/abusive parent] [mostly disaster twins-centric, but other have major focus too]

✭ Too Little Too Late: Donnie years ago watched his own Leo sacrifice himself and get trapped in Prison Dimension. For years he searched a way to bring him back. Now as he continues his studies, he is also making sure no other Leo suffers the same fate by traveling to any timeline that may need him.

[cw: hallucinations] [disaster twins-centric]

✭ Hopelessly Surviving: They saved Leo, but it was too late. As the family was still not accepting what happened, hours later Draxum shows up, and somehow he has the help they need. Now Leo is back to life, but something is different. Something is wrong and Leo has to figure out what is true and what is not to win this battle (with the help of his family).

[cw: temporary character death, hallucinations] [leo-centric]

✭ Future Genius vs. the Past: Donnie manages to go back to the past from his future accidentally. He can save it all by changing the events that lead to the apocalypse, but what about his family in the future?

[donnie-centric]

✭ Literally Purple Dragons: Aside from his twin being the most annoying brother ever as usual, the day was going well for Donnie. Until he found Kendra right out of the manhole as a mutant komodo dragon, asking for help from him.

[donnie-centric]

✭ Stuck: Mikey and Draxum practice mystic powers to get stronger against the Krang. Something goes wrong, and Mikey is now stuck in a timeloop and has no idea how to escape.

[cw: time loops, but in the worst way ever; depression (?)] [mikey-centric]

✭ [to be named]: Draxum succeeds. He raises the four brothers as warriors and Lou Jitsu is kept as a prisoner until he decides to join him (he believes one day the man will see the right path). Things go much differently than what the yokai expected. After all, Lou wouldn't let anyone suffer like that- not even turtle mutants.

✭ The Mummy inspired Kendratello (crack) AU: What the title says. Nothing serious, I just think it would be silly thinking them in situations like in the movie.

[nightyslibrary]

Pizza Means Family

Another separated au, where Mikey is the only turtle Splinter saves. While he finds April accidentally and wastes no time to call her his sister, his siblings are raised by two of the famous bad guys. This get out of control when six of them end up at the same place, and each sibling has to decide what to do with what they learn. aka where you belong au because I'm either too good with titles or too bad haha

🐢 Click here to read on AO3 | 1,693 words | for WYB AU stuff click here 🐢

Chapter 1: Just a Few Hours Ago, When Everything was Normal

Mikey grinned as he read April's message. Tonight they had made a plan, a late celebration for Mikey's birthday. Since she and Mikey couldn't celebrate it outside as they had planned because of her school, they had postponed it to today. Which Mikey had been hardly able to wait.

They would go eat pizza, have some fun at the roofs, hang out in several places, jump into a pool... so many activities that Mikey was ready for. He and April would meet in the back alley of her apartment. The text was a reminder, in case Mikey got too lost into hobbies- again. The box turtle was grateful for his sister's thoughtfulness, but she should've known there was no way he was forgetting about this.

Maybe he should start getting ready though.

Mikey leaned to get his pouch, wristbands, socks, kneepads and lastly bandana. The bandana was April's gift for his birthday (along with another gift). He and April had learned how to make their own accessories, sew their own clothes, and such stuff from various sources over the years (like her mother's magazines, internet, and Splinter teaching them). This bandana was a result of that, a symbol made with their mutual knowledge over the craft and friendship.

It was nice to have a big sister who would always know how to give the best gifts.

He wondered if his brothers would be good at giving gifts too.

Mikey looked at the table, a few drawings of his ideas and imagination based on the information he accidentally found out on his thirteenth birthday. He still could remember the shock of hearing his dad talking to himself, mourn the turtles he never was able to save. How he wished to be able to find them, and how he hoped they weren't with Draxum. Mikey wondered who that Draxum guy was. But what he currently cared about was how he had siblings.

Dad had said three names.

Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello.

That day Mikey had gotten so excited that he had texted April to meet, and without waiting an answer had run to her place. He had some lost brothers to find, and he had to share his plan with her. April had agreed to help, but she had told him that they should plan this with more care.

They had tried their best on their search, April joining whenever she had free time. They had found nothing.

This didn't stop Mikey from wondering who they were. How did they look? What food did they like? Did they grow up in sewers too? Were they a fan of Lou Jitsu or Jupiter Jim as well?

Did they know about him and Dad?

Another message ping distracted him from his thoughts.

🏵 April🏵:

You better be ready and heading out.

Mikey winced, noticing how much time had passed. If he didn't move, he'd be late.

As he walked out of his room, he glanced at the drawings of his dad, himself, and the other three turtles.

Once again, he wondered if they were really out there.

Once again he told himself he'll find them.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Red had a bad feeling.

Yes, Red was anxious often and felt bad about some stuff more than the yokai who raised them or the gargoyles that took care of them as kids… but this was different.

Something was wrong, and he wasn't sure if it was Draxum's plan or Purple's behavior.

Whenever Draxum would ask Purple to take care of stuff in the back, he'd get grumpy. He'd do his job, better than everyone else Red has ever met in his life, but he'd still be bitter. Red had an idea why.

Today he was bitter too, except there was something else along it. He had made that face he'd do when working on his ninpo, creating "something useful", as he would say. Determined, perhaps. Red was worried. Whenever Purple tried something for the first time, there was a risk of failure. Red was not a fan of those risks. Not with how many times he almost hurt himself. So Red hoped his senses were wrong.

Meanwhile, Red was asked to assist Draxum. He would be by his side, in case any of his test subjects tried to run away or anything went wrong- just like how it did thirteen years ago. So Red had worn his armor as always, and quietly waited for orders.

As he watched Draxum work and control things Red never quite understood, he started thinking about his origin. The story about their creation always fascinated him, but not because of what Draxum had managed to create (as he would say with pride). No, what fascinated Red was the others. The man who gave them their DNA and the siblings he was never able to meet again. At least he had Purple, Draxum, Hummin and Mummin.

Still, he wondered if the slider, the loggerhead, and the box turtle were okay.

He wished to know more about them. Had they survived? Was the box turtle with Lou Jitsu? Were the slider and loggerhead what the big lady wanted them to be?

Would he ever see them again?

"Red," Draxum called the snapper.

"Yes, Draxum?"

"Come here."

Red did as Draxum asked, pushing away the thoughts regarding his lost family and focusing on what he had now.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Purple wished that for once that Draxum would take the risk and put him on the field. He knew that he was aware of Purple's strong ninpo and his genius brain, but Draxum refused to forget that one of his powerful mutant warriors had a flaw that almost cost his life twice.

A flaw that Purple hated passionately.

He knew well that Draxum had the knowledge of his softshell and his weak points, and honestly Purple was surprised that the yokai had chosen him as one of his warriors. Yet, one would expect that he'd have something in his mind for the battlefield if he chose him on purpose.

(The possibility of Draxum adding him into the mix just because of curiosity made Purple feel sick. It couldn't be true anyway. It was Draxum.)

So what if his laboratory once got demolished and he almost died? Who cares if when he and Red played roughly as tots he almost got hurt very very badly? He could protect himself now! He even had made himself a shell out of his ninpo to prove it!

Why had he had to stay back and control everything from outside of the main area?

The worst part was he knew that Red agreed with him, but his brother always would follow what Draxum said.

This wasn't fair at all.

…

Okay, so maybe he did follow Draxum's words too. But not like Red. Purple was different from him. It was just that he wanted Draxum to be happy and proud of him. So that nobody would ever forget him and get rid of him. Exactly what everyone would want.

But he could never prove himself from the back.

Which was why after today it would be different. At the moment of importance, he'd step in and prove he is much more capable than what Draxum thinks!

He looked through the windows. He was already almost finished with his job here, so all he had to do was to climb up to the higher levels and wait.

Perfect plan, Purple. He praised himself as he smiled. Perfect .

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"Come on Veeeeeen! I can't stay inside here anymore!"

Leon's was whining for a while now, half dramatic, half genuine, begging for his sister to take him to her simple mission. So far it was going well.

"Leon shut up, someone will hear you! Do you want us to get into trouble?" Venus glared at him.

"No, I thought I made my request oblivious." Leon said.

"You can't come with me, you know the rules." She reminded him, for a millionth time.

"But Mama doesn't have to know. It will be a simple trip. You get to do your shopping, I'll tag along and see some people, and we will be back before anyone knows." Leon knew he couldn't do much and risk it all, he guessed Venus would know too. So why not give him a chance?

Venus looked at him with softer eyes this time, "I know you're bored of Nexus Hotel and want something different, but you've been to Hidden City. Why don't you save your chance for something else?"

Leon looked away from her, instead focusing on a wall. A wall he had been seeing for the past fourteen years of his life and getting sick of it. Hidden City though? That was a rare feat. "It's been so long, Vee." He sighed. "I know Mama doesn't want any of us out without permission, but I think I'll go insane if I spend another day here."

She rolled her eyes, "You're exaggerating." Still, she came and sat by his side on the enormous bed. "But I can consider it…"

Leon's eyes immediately brightened up. "Thank you Ve-"

"...Only if you wear your guard costume too."

Ah. Of course. The itchy guard costume. "Can't I wear another disguise?" Leon whined.

"No." Venus answered, a sly smile on her face.

"You know, I had heard sea turtles are kind. Unlike you. Are you sure you're not mixing up your species?"

He met with a pillow on his face. "Either be ready when I come back or stay here. You got fifteen minutes."

"Okay okay, fine." Leon huffed. Then smirked, "Good to know you still know to not miss the right offers."

She grinned, "You keep forgetting who taught you first." She said as she left the room.

"Keep believing that!" Leon shouted after her, grinning as well.

As the door closed, he felt his grin get wider. It had been so long since he was able to get out of this building. He was sure Venus wouldn't mind having some extra fun in Hidden City, too.

••••••••

Somewhere far, far away, a teenage mutant girl smiled and laughed with her father. Unaware of the world, dangers, and fate that awaited her.

[otaku553]

Procrastination doodles of sabo for the king sabo au :)

[myokk]

Sebastian had a few days leave from duty so he visited Eloise😇😇

[possibly-a-table-or-just-gay]

My recent Hobbit hyperfixation has culminated in me writing a Hobbit/LOTR college au of questionable quality. Whether I continue it remains to be seen, but for now enjoy whatever this is.

Edit: there are lil offshoots to this now! 1 2 3 4 5

Also if you want to ask about anything in this au, my ask box is open!!

[whollyjoly]

hi just thinking about how in s9e9 (taking the fifth) hawkeye gets a response to his bulletin for a night of bordeaux in the supply tent thats literally says "i really love good wine, and i think it would be fun to share a few belts with you. signed, chastity"

are we supposed to believe that's not implied to be mulcahy?? sir???

[wearingaberetinparis]

Think I Know Where You Belong (Think I Know It's With Me)

Chapter 11: You Say You're Fine, I Know You Better Than That

At thirty-three years old, Lily Evans fears she may not quite have lived up to her potential. Single and living alone – if one does not consider her cat a flatmate, that is – her days are blurs of monotony, most of her students getting more action than she has seen in the past decade. (Hyperbole gratuitously applied.) Insert James Potter – former classmate and unrequited crush – who appears to be on a mission – aside from promoting his fourth novel – to point out all of her flaws, while strutting the hallways of their former secondary, the place she has never left and he will forever haunt now that the board has decided to name the school library in his honour. (F*ck her life.)

Read Chapter 11 HERE!

Another long one! I split this in two or else I wouldn't have been able to finish it tonight. I hope that's okay!

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

motorcycle sketch featuring cross!! >:)

[electrozeistyking]

So I don't know if SideVermin93 has a tumblr, but if someone could either tag them or send this their way, that'd be greatly appreciated. And seriously, don't knock Rebel Path simply because it features an OC; it does frequently follow Uzi's perspective, anyway.

C is a fun (if tragic) addition to the cast, and I love his use of colourful language. I may have quoted him a few times, I'm not gonna lie. Overall, I genuinely laughed out loud and smiled a bunch while reading this, which hasn't happened in quite some time.

Basically, as a thank you for making me laugh, here's the Ye Olde disassembly drone who is tired of this shit.

[bisaster-energy]

people who hc cas as this just. guy that helps dean with his issues and trauma. why are you living that "no one cares that you're broken cas" life. why are you not caring about him.

[nights-flying-fox]

<333 :3 hope you have a good timezone!! good luck!!

Donnie: URANIUM!! You, other me, I can't thank you enough!!

Raph: NONONO DONNIE-

(Also thank you!!! Hope you'll have a good timezone as well!! ^^ Good luck!!)

@tmntseparatedaucompetition

[foxzutheone]

UHHHH KITAKAMI KITAPARK AU OR SOMETHING

very based on indigo park (more like indigo DISK /j)

Kitapark is an AU of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC that is based on Kitapark (and game theory's one lore video but shhhh)

Kitapark was made by the Kitakami company which makes a mix of both movies and video games. They make an AI assistant called Kieran the Furret, who has been the pride and joy of the brand for over 100 years.

However, when the redesigns of the main cast (Ogrepon, Pecharunt, The Loyal Three, Carmine, and Kieran) eventually arrive, Carmine finds herself with such a well liked design that it overshadows the once great Kieran, turning him bitter towards her and her image.

There are secrets that the park holds, however.

Animal experiments meant to reshape normal animals into their mascots took place under the resort, twisting them into nightmare versions of the beloved characters to cut costs of the regular costumes.

However, they were vastly mistreated. Stuffed in cages and controlled by high-pitched sounds to make them do what the company wanted. One mascot in particular did NOT stand for this. That mascot was Pecharunt, who rises against the humans in "The Incident". All staff and guests who were present at the park died at day, with Kieran trying his best to help everyone escape. He got stuck at the entrance, unfortunately. The park was abandoned as a result, leaving Kieran tied to the gate all alone.

8 years later, the sister of the lead scientist Juliana, Florian, appears at the park to investigate what REALLY happened the day after he quit. Maybe Kieran holds the answers to the company's dark secrets, but first, Florian will have to help him rebuild the park!

--------

Each of the experiments came from regular animals (pokemon don't exist), and they are all organic creatures that were biologically mutated to conform to the mascot's image.

Mascot Carmine - Wolf. The original mascot Carmine is based off of a Mightyena, so a wolf would be the most sensible.

Mascot Kieran (not final and may be scrapped entirely) - Racoon.

Mascot Ogrepon - Parrot

Mascot Pecharunt - Peach fruit. The company wanted to test how effective plants would be as opposed to animals.

Mascot Okidogi - Black Akita

Mascot Munkidori - Japanese Macaque

Mascot Fezandipiti - Secretary Bird

Additional Info:

Carmine was also developed as an AI assistant before Kieran, but was never finalized; serving as the beta for Kieran's AI. However, due to her rapid success, they scrambled to finish the beta AI to replace Kieran.

However, the incident halted their progress before it could be released, and Carmine stood unfinished in the depths of the park in complete darkness.

[blade-that-was-broken]

"There is someone here," Branch grumbled.

"Do you think they are Bergens?"

"Probably not. Bergens don't really wait and watch to attack. They just grab."

"Even if it isn't," Holly added. "We'll be gone before they open tomorrow."

"Right," Darnell agreed. It wasn't even five minutes later that the silence set in. "Does anyone...?"

"Feel like we are being watched?" Holly finished. "Yeah."

"WHAT ARE YOU D-"

"Circle up!" Branch barked and his friends did, covering each other's backs and flanks, forming some semblance of a circle. Each of them brought up their hands or other small weapons for defense. "Show yourself!"

"What are you?!" The booming voice repeated.

"Not until you show yourself!"

"Are you... trolls?"

"I'm not tell you anything. You could be a Bergen!"

Distantly, someone screamed.

"I'm not...what?"

"We aren't looking for trouble. We are just passing through," he added, confidently.

"You passed on sacred grounds!" the voice tried to sound spooky but he could hear the tremble and awkwardness.

"This is an amusement park, newsflash!" Branch snapped.

"Branch, my dude, don't antagonize," Darnell muttered.

"Wait... Branch?" another, different, voice echoed.

"Biscuits and Gravy," Holly yelped, pulling Branch in and closing him behind all of them. "Inside."

"Wait..." Branch tried but he was pushed inside the circle, his friends protecting him on all sides.

"You won't touch him!" Synth yelled to the void.

"Wait! No!" the voice shifted. "I'm a troll too! He's... he's my brother! I'm his brother!"

Wait what?

"What?"

Branch pushed his way through the group. A troll in a green sweater romper and crazy green hair, stared, wide-eyed. "Branch?" B moved forward but Holly stepped in front of him.

"Whoa there, cowboy. We..."

"That's my baby brother!"

"Not a baby," he grumbled.

"Your name?" Darnell asked.

"Branch, c'mon. Tell..."

"You're name," Darnell insisted. Branch let him.

"Clay," he finally said. "Bitty B, who are these...?"

"It's Branch," he replied, flatly. "Not Bitty B or any childish nicknames you gave when I was a baby. Just Branch."

Clay paused and nodded. "Uh... okay, yeah. Wow... you're... taller?"

"That's what happens. People grow over sixteen years."

"Who are these people?"

"My friends."

"What are they?"

"Excuse me?" Holly snorted.

"They're trolls, obviously."

"They look... different?"

"Well yeah, they are different types of trolls."

"Types?"

"I don't think he knows about the other genres," Minuette frowned.

Branch paused. "Maybe not."

"Dude, I have so many questions."

"I imagine."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"I didn't know you were here. We're just passing through to get back."

"Get back? Like home?"

"Yes? There's..."

"Wait? So other trolls survived?"

"What?"

"Have you seen my sister?" another troll ran up next to Clay. She looked familiar.

"Why would I have seen your sister?"

"You're with the other trolls, right? More survived the escape?"

"The escape? What escape? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Clay stared. "What do you mean? Didn't you escape the troll tree during the escape?"

"Trolls escaped the tree?" Branch asked, surprised.

"Wait... Branch, how do you not know about this?"

"Branch lives in Country Territory," Holly piped in as Branch mulled this over. So there had been an escape and Clay knew about it. Which meant he was probably at the Tree. There and Branch spent the entire time thinking he was gone. He frowned. Holly continued. “We don't really know about other pop trolls."

Clay looked akin to horrified. “Where have you been?”

Branch didn’t say anything. Everywhere.

[whumpy-wyrms]

i’m usually not a huge fan of pet whump but guys… ANTON…. Anton guys…. he would take such good care of me… that’s all i’m gonna say

[emjiroki]

Not really any warnings for this one! Thank you to everyone who has been reading ♡

“Where is my grandmother’s necklace? I’m not being presented without it,” Fuyumi was nearly frantic as the time for her entrance drew closer and closer. Her cheeks were flushed and you could only hope that she wouldn’t start to sweat.

“Right here my lady,” You confirmed, retrieving the gold and sapphire necklace from her jewelry box that one of the servants had brought downstairs earlier. From the moment you had kissed Shoto goodbye this morning and then went to awaken the princess, the day had been busy, barely even a moment to breathe, the corset of the dress Fuyumi had presented to you this afternoon not making it any easier. The silk material was finer than anything you had ever worn before, the dark blue shining like shades of midnight, a special gift for you from Fuyumi crafted by a seamstress couple in the capital city. To say you had shed a tear or two would be an understatement. You had practically been Fuyumi’s shadow that day, but everything that needed to be done was done and now the grand moment was only at most an hour away. 

You saw the relief flood her face, a shaky sigh of relief bringing her shoulders down as you moved behind her to clasp the chain. Fuyumi ran her fingers across the necklace, delicately grazing the gold and jewels with shaking hands. You wanted to bring her some comfort, words of encouragement to seal her walls from crumbling but you couldn’t find a thing to say, instead laying a hand against her shoulder. Her dark eyes looked back at you from the mirror as if she was searching for something in your reflection. 

“Do you have everything you need?”. 

You nodded stiffly as your heart sank into your stomach. This had been the last thing you wanted to discuss right now, you hadn’t wanted to be reminded of it at all, the impending heartbreak of escaping into the night like a ghoul to try and make a new life for yourself making you sick to your core. But you were staying steady, Fuyumi needed you to be strong for her now, as much as you needed to be strong for yourself as well. A sharp knock at the door stole your reply, stomach instantly sinking as the Queen entered followed by her own two court ladies. 

“Guests are still pouring in but the Prince just arrived,” Rei said with a bright smile, looking down at her daughter with a fond smile, “you look absolutely beautiful Fuyumi, this will be a perfect match”. Her dark eyes flicked down to Fuyumi’s bodice before turning to you swiftly.

“Go upstairs and get the brooch I bought for her, why isn’t it in her jewelry box already?”. She waved you away dismissively, the curl of her lip displaying her disgust. You fought any kind of reply away and just left the room, cheeks heating in irritation. You could already hear the string quartet playing softly from the Great Hall and the low murmuring chatter of guests. Could practically feel the energy vibrating through the floors. The rest of the castle was quiet, the only busy place being the kitchen, which you could gratefully avoid, and head to Fuyumi’s room. Candlelight from the wall-mounted lanterns cast rippling shadows along the hallway, the curtains pulled tight to the windows to guard against the starlight and the almost too-cool air of the broaching fall. You were thankful her bedroom door wasn’t locked so you wouldn’t have to worry about getting your dress dirty retrieving the key. The brooch was set aside almost deliberately on the vanity, the soft ivory cameo overlaying a black onyx stone and the silver backing spiraling around the edges like lace. It was truly a beautiful piece but it had been one of many gifts that the King and Queen had given Fuyumi in the last few days, just another thing to appease her she had said with a solemn sigh. You hoped so very much that she would find peace in her new life, that this prince would whisk her away and give her everything she deserved. With the items in hand, you exited the room; nearly jumping from your skin when you came face to face with the King’s guard Captain Keigo, his ochre eyes regarding you suspiciously. 

“What are you doing up here? Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs getting the princess ready?” He commented, peering over your shoulder as if looking for something. Or someone. 

“The Queen instructed me to retrieve the princess’s brooch,” You said with a furrowed brow, confusion evident in your tone and through your eyes. He relaxed a bit, though keeping his chin high, and fixed you with a hard stare. 

“I’ll escort you back, don’t need any detours”

“I’m fully capable of making it back on my own, thank you,” You said respectfully but firmly, you were getting more nervous by the minute. 

“I’ve been instructed not to let you out of my sight,” He said cooly, reaching to take your wrist in his hand. 

“If you want to keep that hand attached I suggest lowering it and stepping away from her” Shoto’s tone was dark, sending a shot of adrenaline through you when you noticed him over Keigo’s shoulder standing at the top of the stairs.

“I’m doing what the King has told me to do,” Keigo said, looking away from you and allowing you time to move around him and go to where Shoto was. 

“And I’m telling you, try anything again and I’ll cut your throat open, Hear me?”. His expression was murderous, the glint in his eyes begging for blood. The blonde seemed to weigh his options, betting on how serious Shoto actually was, and eventually made the smartest decision of not testing him. He made a small sound in the back of his throat, like he was noting something of interest, and walked past both of you to descend the stairs.

“Are you alright?” Shoto asked you, his voice turning soft as he turned his gaze to you, checking carefully for any thread out of place.

“You showed up just in time actually,” You sighed, taking a shaking breath, “I really was just doing what your mother asked”. Demanded was more like it.

“I know, I’ll escort you back,” He said, not making any movements, only tracing you with his eyes as if memorizing every part of this moment, “You are an absolute vision of beauty”. Your cheeks burned as his hand caressed your cheek, drawing you closer with fingers against your jaw. 

“Kiss me”. It was the same demand you had made that morning, his voice breathy as if this request was his last line of life. You pressed your lips together before his next inhale, your knees shaking as he gasped and pulled you even closer, still careful to not mess up the dress and your makeup. You wanted more, to clutch him closer, hold him longer, and never turn this moment into memory but you knew time was running thin. Pulling away from him he sighed, an almost dejected but understanding look in his heterochromatic eyes. His right hand was strangely cool, but you held it close anyway for the short time it took you to get back to the hall. Shoto paused a few paces away from the door but you continued forward, taking one last squeeze of his fingers before going back into the room. 

You were helping Fuyumi attach the brooch to her dress when Shoto knocked on the door, deliberately taking a few extra minutes to dispel suspicion. 

“Good you’re here, how is everything out there?” Rei asked as Shoto shut the door behind him. 

He shrugged, “Guests are mingling, the prince’s arrival caused quite a buzz but everything is going as planned”. The Queen clapped her hands excitedly with a wide, pleased smile. 

“Excellent, Excellent, everything is going just as we planned” She chirped, turning Fuyumi by her elbow to get a look at the brooch, “Does everyone remember their places?”. How could anyone forget? She had been keeping everything on a precise schedule. You fanned out Fuyumi’s dress, checking once more to make sure the brooch was attached fully. You could hear the quartet begin playing the song you had heard more times than you could count over the last few days and knew the time had come. You could hear the crowd quiet till only the music could be heard floating along the floor. 

“Deep breathes your grace,” You said as you stepped up next to Fuyumi, her eyes slightly widened and her hands trembling ever so slightly. She nodded, stealing a shaky breath in through her nose and out through her mouth as the doors opened. The ballroom was filled with a large crowd, Royals and Noble men and women lining the walls and the doorways and around the main floor after they were cleared away to make room for the engagement party. The music hit a soft crescendo as Shoto made his way through the ballroom with this guard Inasa in procession, going up to the throne to stand next to his father as the guard stayed next to the edge of the wide stairs with the others. The Queen and her consorts coming out next to lead the Princess's procession as they announced her arrival.

“Now Presenting, Princess Fuyumi Todoroki” King Enji announced to the room, all heads and pairs of eyes on her as you fanned out her dress once again to glide across the floor. The room was dead quiet as the music seemed to absorb the moment, a collective breath being held as if she had the entire room enchanted. But as much as you wanted to focus on her, your eyes were immediately drawn to Shoto. He looked so resplendent, the gold threadwork displaying the coat of arms for the Todoroki family glimmered so brightly against the deep crimson of his cloak, his hair smoothed back despite the discomfort you knew he had about his scar. You had heard the whispers about how “it was such a shame about that scar, marring his handsome face” but you thought it only made him all the more beautiful, strong, and resilient. You bowed politely to the Prince, a handsome man with deep blue hair that thankfully wasn’t much older than Fuyumi if any at all, and squeezed her hand once more before stepping away to take your place on the second step where the Queen had instructed you to stay. Until you felt a soft hand brush your fingertips and pull delicately at the sleeve of your gown. Shoto let go and took your hand then, moving you up to stand beside him next to the King, in front of an entire countries worth of people. You didn’t dare look at the King or Queen, feeling their eyes glowering into the back of your head. You didn’t need to see the confusion, disdain, and shock on their faces. You stood quietly next to Shoto, his hand gripping yours as you watched Fuyumi and the Prince begin their first dance, her dress smoothing like dark midnight across the floor as he spun her with a bright smile etched across their faces. How happy they looked together even after only knowing each other for a few minutes. The sound of Fuyumi’s trilling laugh made your heart feel warm and brought a smile to your face. The audience of captivated Royals erupted in applause as their first dance drew to a close, the music picking up a different tempo and dragging others onto the floor. Shoto continued to hold your hand as he moved in front of you, bowing deeply before bringing your hand to his lips.

“May I have this dance, my lady?” He asked, his eyes full of something so warm it heated your cheeks. 

“I would be honored, your grace,” You said with a soft smile, giddy butterflies fluttering in your stomach and up your chest. You would enjoy tonight to the fullest. To hell with the King and Queen tonight, to all the titles and royal bloodlines. Now that everything you could do for Fuyumi was done, maybe it was time to have a bit of a selfish moment of your own. 

“Shoto” the King’s voice rumbled behind you, his reprimanding tone evident. You turned to see the Queen’s hand resting on the King’s arm, seemingly trying to keep him in his seat. 

“Father” Shoto replied, ice heavy in his voice. The moment was tense, so different from the frolicking atmosphere of the rest of the room. Enji’s eyes were hard as stone as he stared down his youngest son, Shoto not withering in the slightest.

“Shoto, Y/n, coming to dance?” Fuyumi’s voice called above the crowd and the music, breaking the tension like glass. Her face showcased her worry and irritation.

“Yes, they are,” Rei commented, squeezing Enji’s arm a little and turning her face to his, “Aren’t they”. Enji looked at her and seemed to read something in her gaze, settling back against the throne without another word. You didn’t miss the snake-like smile that pulled at the corners of Rei’s lips though, her dark eyes filled with venom. But you turned away, not wanting the night and the moment to be poisoned, tomorrow and the days following would come no matter how you tried to stop it. Maybe letting tonight be what it is was the smartest course of action. Shoto held your hand tightly as he guided you onto the floor, immediately sweeping you into his arms and holding you close. 

“I told you I would ask you to dance,” He said, all the joy he was feeling spilling forth from his smile and infecting you easily.

“You always seem to make good on your promises, your grace” You addressed him teasingly, rewarded with an amused snort. 

“I always will, my love” He replied, spinning you out with the tempo of the music before curling you back into him, keeping one hand against your waist and the other grasping your left hand. It was like a dream dancing and spinning about the floor with him, all other guests and problems forgotten as you moved as one, feeling as if even your heartbeats had synchronized and the very air in your lungs the same. How badly you wanted to kiss him when he pulled you in close, a matching heat in his gaze when you caught each other staring at the other's lips. The feeling of his hands holding you so tight and close sent heat flowing through your body, barely keeping from stumbling.

The quartet was finishing their fourth song when Shoto linked your arm with his and exited the dancefloor, walking with you over to the open balcony to get a breath of fresh air, the night cool and sending goosebumps up your arms despite the sleeves. The wind was blowing lightly through the trees, branches whispering like they were sharing secrets, and clouds rushing across the rising moon. 

“Runaway with me tonight,” Shoto remarked, not taking his eyes off the stars twinkling in the dark sky. You opened your mouth to speak but resigned yourself to closing it, knowing it wouldn’t change his mind no matter what you said. 

“Just for tonight,” He asserted, turning to you and resting a hand against your cheek, “I want you all to myself”.