Chapter Text
It had been three days, three days since he had met the berserker prince, three days since he lost his virgin status to said prince.
To say Izuku was upset at his current predicament was an understatement, he was pissed, but not because of that night, rather it was the fact that he hadn’t seen the prince since then. He hadn’t seen a glimpse of him at all even as he wandered the large battle camp for the past two days. The camp was massive, much larger than many small towns Izuku had passed through before. The might of the Dragon Liege was unquestionable when gazing at the hundreds of huts and supplies that were accumulated in the area.
He was pleased to find when he woke the day after his arrival to the base without the slave collar from before wrapped around his neck. He also quickly noted how Prince Bakugou kept his word and did indeed receive the message sent by Prince Todoroki when he gazed upon his now crestless nape with a handheld mirror. It was a massive weight off his shoulders knowing the prince was at least a man of his word.
He had also found that he was allocated to his own hut, smaller than the prince’s but complete with a bed, desk, and chest filled with his supplies he had arrived with and other miscellaneous items they had provided. But to his mortification he also realized he was still naked on a bed that was not his own. He had spent the day after his meeting with the prince recovering from an ache from behind and thorough embarrassment.
But it had been three days now and he had been musing over the uneventfulness of it all from a severed pine trunk he had perched upon located on the eastern outskirts of the base. He wasn’t sure at first if he was allowed to wander the camp but after quick stroll through on his second day and he realized that other than a few questioning stares he was never stopped or apprehended in any way.
In fact, he hadn’t had a full conversation to a soul since the prince. The people here seemed to be masters on how to tactfully avoid conversing with him.
And after a couple dozen tries to find answers to his confusion to no avail he found himself on the other side of the camp, a thirty minute walk from his hut, and seething with exasperation.
Truthfully, all he had to do was wait for the arrival of Prince Todoroki but his expected arrival date was still a week and a half away. That itself irked him to no end; he had made it to the base earlier than he was expected to by the imperial prince and now he was suffering from a form of cabin fever.
He was supposed to deliver a message, answer some questions if they came up, and wait. It was the wait part that was eating at his conscious.
That was his fault though, after months under the tutelage of All Might he never had more than a day a week off for himself. He never needed them, nor really wanted them as he instead dedicated his time to serving Prince Todoroki and learning the way of paladins from High Paladin All Might himself.
He huffed as he thought over that. Uraraka was right, he was a workaholic.
The anger that burned through him seeped into sadness. He missed her and the rest of his close comrades already. He missed Iida and Prince Todoroki too but there wasn’t any way he could get in contact with them at all until they arrived at the base themselves.
It wasn’t just the lack of action that was making his heart ache.
From his perch, he had a decent view of the surrounding forest. It was strange to find a forest filled with pines so close to a desert that smoldered and baked everything most of the year but it existed almost like an oasis in the dunes. The tree trunk below him wasn’t the biggest pine he had seen in his life, in fact it was quite smaller and the bark was more twisted and knotted compared to other species found in the more humid regions of Musutafu. It had been axed down long ago and used most likely for the building of the many huts that peppered the now open valley.
Izuku pondered languidly over the different flora and fauna he had seen in this new arid region of the world and marveled at the foreign feeling of magic that coursed through the land. He had no affinity for any sort of inborn magic but he could still sense the warm rivulets of power travel from tree to tree, through stone and gravel and up the soles and feet of people as they passed by.
He let the sadness and anger wash away, closed his eyes, and focused instead on meditating over this new feeling. The magic of this land was different from that of the Yuuei Kingdom. The magic at his home felt more lush, filled with more life compared to the atmosphere here. It was definity more arid in the desert and it translated into a searing sensation akin to a sudden heat wave.
He wasn’t used to it and it was mildly uncomfortable as he let the sensation wash over him, but as he concentrated harder he also felt a soothing cool run over him. Everything has its vices, and he noted how the conflict between the refreshing cool life force of the trees clashed with the sweltering magic throughout the desert valley.
He continued on meditating, pulling and deciphering the magic that twisted around him for another half hour. He felt the presence of small torch plecos in the creek five clicks north of him and felt the flutter of horned rabbits dashing through the mediocre undergrowth.
It was refreshing, much better than pondering over the inevitable and served as a sort of training. He did the same when with All Might, although not with much frequency. It was invigorating feeling for magic in new places.
The white fire that burned in his heart flared at the feeling of new magic, ate up the experience and flourished. It reminded him of the last conversation with his mentor.
“I’ve heard that his highness needs to send a message to Prince Bakugou of the Dragon Liege. You should take the opportunity to serve your prince and explore new lands.”
The request had taken him off guard for a moment as they had just ended a sparring session that had resulted in him getting his ass handed to him by his mentor.
“Hah- huff- What? A message?”
At the time he had only heard of the task briefly from his prince, but he hadn’t realized how All Might intended for the mission to be an impromptu lesson for him on his power. And with all this free time on his hands he was also sure that All Might was trying to disguise a short break as a mission.
But he was sure All Might didn’t intend for him to almost be killed by the person he was trying to deliver the message to.
He was also sure that All Might hadn’t intended that he would catch the berserker prince eye or end up on said prince’s bed on night one.
The thought alone made red flush upon his cheeks, breaking him out of his hour long meditation. He didn’t mean to end up there, it just happened that way. He was certainly glad that it didn’t end with him headless.
He was also a tad bit ashamed of it all. It wasn’t the best experience, and he was certainly mortified having to bear the slave collar around his neck when it happened but he was glad it wasn’t the most unbearable occurrence in his life.
But he found it strange that the prince was so gentle with him that night. It was by no means vanilla, but the prince never hit, scratched or even bit him. It wasn’t lovemaking, it was really just a quick fuck and he had since made no move to gain more from him.
From accounts he had heard from those who had met or seen the prince, he expected the prince to be vulgar, at least more vulgar in sight than in sound yet he wasn’t like that at all. He was robust in spirit and he had the same presence as that of a strong alpha wolf, majestic and deserving of his position.
He had expected a bit of roughing up under the thumb of the prince, and in a way he was, just not in the way he had expected.
Was he useless in the eyes of the prince? Was that why he hadn’t seen him since then? That couldn’t be it, in fact he was a trove of unplundered answers to questions the prince was sure to have.
So why hadn’t the prince requested of him yet? The question burned in his head.
He felt the presence of people ahead of him, he opened his eyes and looked up back to the direction of the camp. Eyes bore into his figure, questioning as to why the young foreign man was still on that trunk. He had been there for the past hour and a half just with his eyes closed. To the clans people he seemed like a foolish kid that decided to nap on a dead tree.
Eyes quickly turned away when he looked but he still decided that he had indeed stayed there for too long. He stood, but a bit too quickly and felt the blood rush to his head. His vision went black for a few seconds then faded back. His bones cracked as he stretched his limbs, arms up to the clear blue sky.
The anger from before was gone and what replaced it was the determination to find out where the prince was and have a word with him.
There wasn’t much better to do and he still wasn’t sure if he had fully completed the task that his prince had given him. But either way, it was a better alternative to sitting and wasting the next week away.
So he hopped off away from the trunk and made his way back to his hut on a mediocre stroll. The sun had just reached past midway through the sky and it scorched the tops of heads and the ground below. He was better off starting his search sometime later when the sun wouldn’t induce burning if he stood under it directly for five minutes.
He was certain he’d have an easier time finding who he needed when the sun passed over the west mountain range anyway.
Gravel beneath the carriages flattened and churned with the familiar sounds of travel. It was a constant rattle accompanied by the clatter of cargo within the carriages and the clunking of horse hooves upon the path that filled the time as the squad continued forward towards their destination.
However, the comfortable air around the troupe had turned stale hours ago; one could only take so many hours of rocking upon the back of a horse or upon the seat of a carriage. This contempt was only amplified every so often when a groan of discomfort could be heard.
Ochaco Uraraka, the young female mage under Prince Todoroki Shouto’s service, was extremely sickened by the unceremonious travel. She had been suffering from motion sickness since she was young and being at the head of leading three carriages worth of supplies jostling to and fro for days on end was cramping her stomach painfully.
It took everything she had not to hurl her breakfast over her boots.
On the right of the carriage squire Iida of the Tenya household watched with dismay. The poor mage girl had been suffering from travel for days, looking more pale as the day progressed. But there was little he could do for her but watch and offer aid if absolutely necessary.
He was shocked to find how ineffective his cure medicines were upon Uraraka’s condition and it distressed him to no end how helpless he was to save his close friend from suffering. They still had over a week of travel on roads similar to the one they were traveling upon now.
It was at times like these where he wished that his dear comrade Izuku were there to assist them. His recovery magic and healing abilities were outstanding and of higher caliber than that of many priests that had dedicated decades of service to the church. If there was anybody in the world that could put an end to Uraraka’s travel sickness it was him and the High Paladin All Might himself, who was currently residing within the last of the three carriages trailing upon the path towards Red Riot’s base within the Dragon Liege’s land of Sagevsal.
As to why he was inside the carriage was unknown to Iida but he had along with the rest of the group swore not to invade the High Paladin’s privacy. The young squire wondered frequently now and then the reason for it but often chalked it up to simply concealing the fact that one of the highest held heroes of the land was riding alongside the prince of Yuuei.
Two highly held individuals on a quest to aid the berserker prince was sure to cause a ruckus of bandits and hired blades to fall upon them even more than what they had already come across.
Of course, Prince Todoroki had been casting his own illusion magic and was protecting the middle of the left flank disguised as a black haired half wolf of similar rank to Iida. The look of a strong, stoic wolfman fit the prince well.
The group was silent still as they carried forward but a sigh of relief was held when Uraraka finally called the sign to stop as they reached an open area to rest for the night. The sun had just begun edging closer to the distant mountains and nightfall would be upon them in the next hour.
They set the carriages in a circular formation, surrounding the campsite and promptly got to work preparing the area. Uraraka was first to skirt off to an area to rest her weary stomach whereas young priest in training Momo Yaoyorozu started to prepare a tonic for her return to camp to help the mage’s stomach. The two true beast clan members of the group, Mashirao Ojiro and Fumikage Tokoyami, banded together with Prince Todoroki (still in disguise) to scout the surrounding area for firewood and prey to hunt.
Iida stayed back as guard for the carriages and watched the forest around them idly from where he stood. He still had hours before he could retire to sleep because he was in charge of first watch.
Yaoyorozu whipped together the medicine for Uraraka fast enough after a few minutes of measurements with her various supplies and afterwards got right to work on a barrier for the camp that would last till dawn.
No words were needed but the protective magic fell over them like a blanket soon enough. Iida kept up his watch still, the ward was only one line of defense and he would not skirt his duties because of it.
There was no sound from All Might and there often wasn’t during their travels. Once in a while they heard him speak up from inside the carriage but otherwise he almost ceased to exist during the travel. His ability to suppress his power was nothing to be scoffed at and the other six were amazed by it. They believed him to be meditating or maybe even communing with a higher being as they traveled on.
They didn’t have to know he was really just resting more often than not. Sleeping away the countless hours he lost while working to train his squire Izuku.
Izuku was a handful, strong and resilient, but sometimes the young man forgot that rest is not an option but a necessity.
That boy needed a break just as much as his mentor did.
After about twenty minutes or so Uraraka finally trudged back to camp, dreary and still a bit pale.
“Ah! Uraraka come over here.” Yaoyorozu beckoned, holding up the stomach tonic.
She wearily turned her a smile of gratitude. “Thanks Yaoyo- urp.” she struggled for a bit before just deciding to take the tonic first, gulping it down fast and took a second to let the effects of the medicine do its job.
“Huwah! Revitalized! Thank you Yaoyorozu.”
“No worries, should we get onto preparing the meal.”
“Yeah, let’s get to it. We can use some of the rations from yesterday’s hunt to make a small stew.”
“Yes, I can use some of the herbs I collected yesterday as well.”
Uraraka shot up, her stomach still ached and reminded her of that as he did but it was much more tolerable now.
“I’ll go gather some fruits I saw hanging, you get the fire started.” and with that the young mage was off back to where she had emerged from.
A calm fell over the campground as the flames started growing upon firewood, warming the aches and blisters that had formed upon soles and palms. Even Iida took the chance to sit and rest his feet. The other three men finally returned with a couple of skinned rabbits and more firewood soon after and added it to the flames.
Uraraka came back just as the stew was just about complete with some apple like fruits and quickly joined into the circle of her friends.
“- and I didn’t even see it. Tokoyami, do you have the eyes of a hawk? I thought you were a crow or a raven.” Ojiro asked.
“I’ve no hawk blood that I know of. I’m raven, we’re known for cleverness.”
Prince Todoroki seemed a bit intrigued as he joined into the conversation, “But do ravens have good eyesight?”
Tokoyami cocked his head to the side with his hand upon his chin in thought, “I never thought about how my eyesight compared to the average human but it makes a bit of sense doesn’t it. Even if I don’t have wings myself, I can see how true ravens would have good vision for flight purposes.”
“Are ravens nocturnal?” Uraraka piped in.
The rest all took a second to ponder that but were cut off by Yaoyorozu and the clanking of dishware.
“Lets eat.”
It was a relaxing setting, one they had enjoyed for the past few days whenever the sun set. Luck was with them tonight. They weren’t always lucky on endeavors to find decent hunting grounds but being able to secure some food every once in a while was pleasant. It certainly lifted their spirits being able to sleep after a warm meal during nights on such a journey as this one. The clanking of dishware reminded them of home and stoked the fire of adventure within them all.
But they were missing one major party.
“I wonder how Izuku is faring, he should’ve made it to the base by now right?” Iida inquired towards Todoroki.
“Yes, he should’ve reached it by now. If all goes well he should be waiting for us until we reach the base.”
“Agh! We won't be there for another week or so. I bet you he arrived there early too, he’s gonna drive himself mad.” Uraraka chastised.
“Why do you say that?”
“You don’t understand Ojiro. He’s the kind of guy that’ll voluntarily work overtime on his day off!”
To that Iida and Yaoyorozu could only wince to and nod in agreeance.
“That would make sense. I caught him heading straight to the northern forests after All Might dismissed him for the day a week before our departure.” Todoroki confessed.
Uraraka sputtered, “Wha- And you didn’t stop him!”
“He saw me and turned back around. I didn’t realize he was ordered to rest until after when I met up with All Might.”
“Oooooh that son of a- I’m gonna make him take a full day of resting, even if I have to use my fists to do so!” She hollered, raising her clenched fists for emphasis.
“Uraraka, you seem very protective of Izuku. Why is that?” Tokoyami inquired. Ojiro leaned in as well wondering the same thing himself.
Uraraka heaved out a long sigh of exasperation and took a second before answering, “-Because I care.”
To that Ojiro and Iida’s eyebrows raised at the statement, wondering if what they were thinking about was true. An icy sensation clamped at Iida’s heart.
But that was promptly broken by Shouto who added, “-And he’s nearly killed himself on multiple accounts.”
To that everyone but Uraraka stalled, appalled that one of the prince’s most trusted men had nearly met with death multiple times.
“Wait, he’s got healing magic right? How could that be?”
Uraraka who had been whining, answered. “He wasn’t always that good with it you know Yaomomo. It took him years to figure out how to even use it.”
“And he used to injure himself terribly everytime he used it. He’s broken his arms more times than I would dare count.” Shouto remarked.
“Broke his arms! How-what?” The stoic Tokoyami broke with the statement, his face in utter shock.
“We don’t know how his magic works but it took him forever to learn how to heal himself and others the way he does now. Back around the first time I met him he didn’t have those scars you know, the ones on his hands and arms.” Uraraka said.
“He couldn’t control it at all, I saw him in the infirmary more than I did in training. It was especially bad when he met the prince for the first time.”
Everybody was fully intrigued by the previously untold story of their close comrade. Shouto’s eyes down casted and a frown fell upon his face as he remembered that very meeting.
“Long story short, the fight for the eastern barracks was wild. B-but it wasn’t his highness’s fault!” Uraraka turned to Shouto.
The other’s nodded in agreement, they had heard the story. It was the day somebody had cursed the prince with dark magic, poisoned his body and mind when they were all just fledgling squires learning the ropes of their new lives.
It was a mess, as if an ice golem the size of a frigate decided to lay waste to the east side of the Yuuei Castle. The Crown Prince, Todoroki Shouto was being used by the Black Alliance to destroy the kingdom from the inside out. It was said that All Might was the one to cure the prince of the curse before the rampage could continue but to hear that Izuku had been caught up in it directly was a surprise.
It took about a minute or two for the others to connect the dots.
“The scars! Oh my goodness.” Yaoyorozu exclaimed.
An air set over the camp as well as they all took in the new information and truly understood how Uraraka felt towards Izuku. They knew their friend was brave, but now there was a new meaning to his bravery, god damned foolishness.
They didn’t have the whole story, they didn’t need it either. For the truth would be even more staggering. Who would truly believe that not only had Izuku stood up against the prince during his rampage but was able to last and heal him himself while in battle. It came at the cost of his hands, now still slightly disfigured by the trauma and scarred over but it was miraculous that he lived with his hands still intact and useable after the ordeal.
Dinner was finished soon after that and a couple of other discussions. It was twilight upon them already as they readied for sleep and the next week of travel.
Izuku didn’t have to even look outside his abode to know that dusk had fallen. The land had cooled drastically in a matter of seconds and just the feeling of it was enough to cue him up from his bed.
Others had taken to doing the same as he did, but they were much more accustomed to it than he was. It was clear for him to see this as he found dozens of clans members already walking the paths that were barren just under an hour ago.
Izuku didn’t pay much mind to the looks he knew were drawn to him and his clothes instead continuing at a brisk pace towards a bathing hut he had scouted out before during his walks around the base.
He hadn’t the slightest clue on where to find the prince but he had a feeling a pink skinned clan member he had met before might.
As he approached the familiar hut he found to his surprise that he didn’t have to look further at all as that very girl was chilling on a stool just outside the tent soaking her feet in a shallow pail of water. She softly kicked and stirred it with her eyes closed as she hadn’t noticed him appear.
He approached her and she soon raised her eyes to his. The languid look she had soon changed to shocked recognition.
“Hello, Mina was it? How have you been?” he inquired politely.
However, Mina became a bit perturbed by the query as she took a moment before answering.
“Yes, that’s me.” Another pause, “What brings you here?”
This time it was Izuku who paused for a moment, breaking his eyes from hers to glance at the clan members that had taken to stopping and watching the interaction between them. They quickly turned away as he did so.
“I was wondering if you could help me find somebody.”
“The prince?”
His face didn’t falter as he turned his eyes back to her.
“Yes, I’ve yet to see my duties complete.”
“What duties? I know you were sent as an imperial envoy but I’ve no clue who you are.”
His eyes bore into hers, “We should find another place to speak if you want your questions to be answered.”
His statement left no room for argument, he was done with getting nowhere but he wasn’t about to pour classified information like that out in the open.
He leaned in a little bit closer before answering softly, “I’ve no business deceiving you or your people, please believe that I’m here to help.”
Mina’s face twisted a bit before she sighed exasperatedly. She had taken to trying to avoid meeting with the green haired boy again as per her prince’s orders but she still had the ache of curiosity pulling her back.
“I can take you to him, but I’ve a couple of questions too.” She stated, squaring back in defiance.
To that Izuku smiled, “That’s fine. I hope we can get along Mina.” He held out his hand in offering.
She smiled back and accepted, taking his hand and shook.
“So what’s your name?”
“Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya.”
They broke apart and Mina took the moment to stand, slipping her feet into a pair of sandals and beckoning for him to follow her.
“Word travels fast here Midoriya but I haven’t heard much about you. What have you been doing here?”
“Walking around but sleeping mostly.” He took a moment before adding on sheepishly, “I’ve got nothing better to do really.”
“You’re looking for the meany of a prince because you’re bored? That’s not a good reason Midoriya!” She chided jokingly.
“It’s not like that!” He shot back, red in the face. “In fact, if I were more sure that I wasn’t needed I would have already given this up.”
Mina laughed, “Are you embarrassed? Aww, poor Midori-chan.”
More color rose to his cheeks at the jab and he grumbled in disdain, canting his eyes from hers in a small effort to ignore her inquiry.
They were still walking forward as she turned to lean a bit closer and whisper, “It’s because he had you on his bed that night, right? Was he good to you?”
If it was possible steam would be rising from his head now as he sputtered, “He- no, I’ve no- It’s not what you think.”
She smirked slyly like a fox that got exactly what she wanted.
“No need to be shy, most of us figured it happened anyway.”
Still red, he didn’t try to answer her.
“I’ve never been with him in bed and for that I’m glad. I couldn’t imagine fucking with him! He’s got about as much personality as a pot of boiling water.”
She took a moment, glancing again at Izuku before adding, “Ya know, cuz he’s hot and always boils over with anger.”
She took pride in the chuckle that came out of Izuku.
“He’s not that bad though. I’ve been close friends with him for a long while now and I’m sure you’ve noticed he’s nicer than he’s chalked up to be.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah, I’ve known him since we were whelps! Kiri too. I help them with running this base, checking the going ons and what not. And sometimes- “ She turned to look at him directly.
“I help them all find someone to spend a night with. I’ve got to apologize, I didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to be for him like that.”
Izuku wasn’t moved by this, “You mean he’s taken others unwillingly.”
“By the gods- No! There’s a hoard of folks that would kill for a night with the prince.”
Mina shuddered, seeming to be troubled just by thinking about those “folks”.
“Tons of men and women have tried to woo the prince. I just figured you were another one of those crazies that the prince caught and decided to give a lucky chance.”
“A- Another!”
Mina snorted, “You think you were the only one that was dropped on me in binds? Although I do have to admit, it was the first time Eraserhead did that.”
Izuku buried his face in his hands, muffling his voice, “Whyyyy, Eraserhead! He doesn’t remember me and this happens. What has my life come to?”
Mina’s interest peaked a bit as she heard the last part.
“You’ve met him personally?”
“Mmh, yeah. It wasn’t even that long ago either.”
“Where?”
“Not now.”
He didn’t want to give too much information out in the open so instead he stopped with that.
Soon enough they came upon the northern outskirts of the base and broke off onto a trail to delve deeper into a more wooded area before coming up to an opening in the rocks.
Upon closer inspection Izuku was surprised to find that the opening widened inside into a tunnel system as he followed Mina closely from behind. It was dark and the light outside wasn’t helping whatsoever. Luckily Mina seemed to have a grasp on what lay ahead so Izuku took to making sure he didn’t lose sight of her as his vision decreased in the dark.
Eventually an orange glow was visible leading to the entrance to a wider area. As Izuku entered he noted two things: this was the exact same area he had first been brought to when he had been captured by Eraserhead and not only was the prince there, he was absolutely livid as he noticed his entry.
The red haired man he had seen before was also there alongside another man with yellow hair. They seemed confused as to why Mina led the strange foreign man back to such a secret area, even going against the prince’s order to not associate with him. They too became uneasy as they noticed the reaction garnered from the prince.
Izuku was a bit shocked to say the least, he thought that Mina would lead him off to a different area of secrecy to question him herself before even thinking of leading him to the prince. To come face to face with the prince so soon was a bit unnerving.
But he steeled himself and locked eyes with the prince’s enraged ones, he would not back down.
“Heya Bakugou, how’s it going over he-.”
“Cut to the chase Pinky, why’d you bring him here.”
She canted her stance and crossed her arms in defiance, “Because I’ve got some questions too!”
The declaration didn’t seem to phase the prince so she continued on.
“He’s not just some envoy sent by those stuck up imperials is he? You don’t want us to talk to him but you tell us to care for him for the time being without any explanation.”
Mina was obviously pouring out some reflection over the whole ordeal that she had been keeping sealed tight since she had known of Izuku’s importance.
“Kiri’s not the only one who runs this base you know. I would have a least liked to have known the name of this guy. I had to ask him myself.”
The red haired man spoke up, “Hey now, Bakugou ordered us both not to deal with him just yet. He’s our prince, he’s probably got some reason for doing that.”
He turned to the prince, “But I’ve been questioning it myself. Who exactly is he?”
“I was going to get to that. Are both of you fuckin’ idiots that can’t take orders now!” he snapped towards red hair who Izuku was beginning to assume was the leader of the base, Red Riot himself.
“Pinky, you’re fucking lucky I was gonna call for him tonight anyway.”
“To invite him to your bed again or to speak up.”
To that everybody else in the room choked a bit. Mina smirked as the prince scowled. The other two, not wanting to garner any attention from the prince, just turned to look away. Izuku stood stock still behind Mina trying in vain to hold down his mortification.
“Shut the fuck up. I was waiting for Sparky to run his fat ass over here so we could discuss what that bastard of an imperial prince sent me.”
Izuku visibly clenched at the rude mentioning of his prince.
Mina looked over, finally noticing the yellow haired man’s presence.
“Hey there Kaminari,” she greeted but then swiveled back to the prince, “What does he have to do with this?”
“That bastard prince sent word of the Black Alliance planning an attack against the Lightning Brigade.”
“Those assholes? I haven’t heard of this yet.” Kaminari pricked up, upset over learning of that from a second source and then added, “Ah- that’s why you asked.”
The prince scoffed, “No shit huh. That imperial bastard’s also gonna be here in a weeks time too. He sent word of this to my mother first but apparently this little shit got here before she could send word back to me.”
The prince turned to Izuku, “Really now, if you had waited just a day longer.”
He let his sentence trail off, but Izuku knew as to what he was pointing to.
“If I had waited then what?”
The quip got the attention of everybody in the room. Even Mina was surprised as she turned to Izuku. It caught the attention of the prince who now had his full attention on him with one brow raised.
“I would’ve had less trouble at our border for one. But unless I had gotten word from you directly how would I have known you weren’t expecting me yet.”
He had a point and the others in the room also took to listening closely. Izuku continued on without giving the prince a chance to speak up.
“I’ve my own duties to my prince your highness. I wasn’t about to be stalled for a day or two thinking your people would let up. I had no idea if your people would be opposed or not to me treading upon your soil.”
Izuku turned to Red Riot, “You are the leader of this base right? I commend your guards for their diligence in protecting your border but they wouldn’t hear out my request to pass on my message.”
Red Riot grunted at the comment.
“They didn’t even give me much chance to speak up really. Had Eraserhead not come and catch me off guard I would’ve gotten further, but maybe I should thank him first for not killing me and bringing me straight to you first.”
“Is that all?” The Prince inquired with a smirk. He felt a fire light within him, egging him to push a bit further with Izuku.
Izuku’s face glowered at the prince’s taunting.
“Do you really not regret being caught in my bed now?”
Izuku didn’t let his face waver as he answered, “What was there to regret?”
That caught the prince off guard.
Izuku gazed straight into the eyes of the prince trying to commit his confused countenance into memory.
He grew a coy smile before continuing on, “What is it that I should regret about that your highness? I got the result I wanted right?”
The other three in the room were appalled at the words being shared between the two. They were taken aback at the way Izuku countered their prince’s probing.
“I delivered the message and now I’m here to answer any questions you may have on what my prince briefly touched on.”
He took the moment to take a stride towards the prince and bow down before him, “I am Midoriya Izuku your highness, at your service.”
The prince tsked at the flourish with indignation.
“Cheeky bastard.” He grumbled.
Mina gaped at Izuku. Just twenty minutes ago he had him scrambling for words when she brought up that same topic and now he was smuggly countering the prince’s goading nature like a god blessed natural.
The other two men in the room were at a loss for words but it was Red Riot that broke out of their trance first.
“Well now, how about we start with how you came across this information. How is it that you’ve picked up on a plan crafted by the Black Alliance against our forces?”
Izuku stood up and turned to Red Riot, “Prince Todoroki has been working with the kingdom to track down information pertaining to the Black Alliance within all the holds of the Yuuei Kingdom and the rest of Musutafu for years now. It has only been recently that he’s been allowed by the king to start making a move against them himself. While we were tracking their movement near Yuuei’s southwestern border we found battle plans that were on route to somewhere upon your soil.”
“Do you have these documents with you?” Kaminari interjected.
“No sir, but I can tell you of its contents.”
“How could you have remembered it?”
“I am my prince’s personal scribe. I made sure to pour over the information before embarking.”
“Carry on.” The Lightning Brigade’s leader was surprised, having not expected that the imperial prince’s own scribe was him.
“Along with the plans we found a shipment of Waymid exported explosives as well. They matched up with what was expected to be used against the Brigade’s fort walls. Another group has been tasked with tracking down where the explosives were obtained from and who ordered them. We have been sent to send aide to where we believe the Black Alliance may attack first instead.”
A look of understanding flashed upon all their faces.
“Those bastards. If they can’t get into Kami’s fort they’ll try and attack my base instead huh.”
“That’s what we believe may happen. They may still be targeting the Lightning Brigade though. We hope our efforts have helped to stall them but they are sure to find some way to strike at you still.”
“Then they’ve probably got their eyes set on raiding our western border bases. Harvest season is almost here, the shipments between us and beast clan territories will increase tenfold.” The prince added.
“We’ll send word to chiefs there to watch out and increase security. We should also send some more dragon squadrons to patrol the trade routes as well.” Red Riot supplied.
Attention turned back to Izuku as the prince asked his next question, “Did the plans tell of their forces?”
“It detailed about five thousand foot soldiers and collecting about another two hundred hired mercenaries. We also found they were planning on releasing nomus upon your soil.”
“Nomus! Shit Kami, we need to beef up our defenses if so.” Red Riot exclaimed.
The prince continued on, “Was there anything on what types of nomu?”
“The documents weren’t clear enough but I wouldn’t doubt they’d use the black ones in an attack against you. They have over a hundred ready but I don’t believe they’ll use all of them."
“What is it that your people are bringing to us?”
“Medical supplies, weapons, and rations. We’ve even repurposed the explosives that we obtained for you and we will be serviced under you until we can ensure the Alliance backs down.”
“Yes, my mother informed me.”
“Explosives will work well for carving out more of the mountain range around this base.”
“Yes but we should save them someplace safe for the meantime Kiri.” Mina finally said.
“I’ll return to my fort tonight and set the preparations for enforcement then.” Kaminari broke out. He stepped off towards the exit before waving goodbye and readying for his return to the Thunder Fort.
“Kirishima, you should go do the same. Take Pinky and notify the border guards and the rest of our men to keep their watch up and if they meet across imperials with a shipment to head them towards our commerce area.” The prince ordered.
“What about Midoriya?”
Izuku had been standing patiently in the middle of them all, waiting for his own orders.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m not finished with him yet.”
“Hey now, it wouldn’t look good if you had another night with the imperial prince’s scribe would it?” Mina teased.
The prince was not pleased as he hissed, his teeth grinding with fury.
“Fuck off!”
Kirishima sighed with exasperation, “Mina, stop playing with the two. I don’t want to fish your remains from a ditch if his anger spikes.”
Mina stuck out her tongue, “He’d have to catch me first!” She declared before bursting away through the entrance of the cave. Kirishima shook his head but the mirthy smile he wore betrayed his feelings.
“Take care Bakugou, I’ll catch up with her.” He said before following where Mina left from.
The bond fire in the middle of the room smoldered. It no longer fed large flames but the low orange glow was still enough to illuminate the whole room. It was the only thing standing between him and the prince.
But this time he wasn’t in binds and he wouldn’t crumble under the gaze of the rough edged prince.
“The message spoke of All Might coming as well, will he be here in the next coming week?”
The question took Izuku off guard for a moment but he knew the answer all the same.
“Yes, he’ll most likely be accompanying my prince.”
‘ My prince’ The words echoed in Prince Bakugou’s head for a moment. It irked him that these words were not directed towards him.
“Alright, their arrival will be much smoother compared to yours so you won’t have to worry about that.”
The prince stood from his throne and made his way towards a second entrance on the left side of the room. He beckoned for Izuku to follow.
The area around them was shrouded in darkness as even the light from the room seemed to cut off from the tunnel out. The prince didn’t seem to have any trouble navigating the path but Izuku was stumbling every few steps as he tripped over every nook his feet could hit upon.
Soon enough he hit and tripped over a rather large piece of stalagmite that had eroded at its base and fallen over. He yelped and grasped at the prince’s cape as it happened to be the closest thing in front of him.
“Hah?”
Izuku steadied himself, scrabbling to clear over the stalagmite
“Sorry, my bad, I can’t see very well.”
He couldn’t even see the prince in front of him so he had no idea if he had infuriated the prince further. In this darkness, he could only hope for the best.
Suddenly a light burst from the prince’s hand, illuminating the space around them. It floated just above his head as he gazed at Izuku. Izuku gazed right back into the eyes of the prince and found something strange.
Slit pupils like dark slashes in the prince’s red eyes that shrank as the light above filtered through.
That’s not what his eyes looked like before during that night Izuku noted.
He didn’t have time to ponder on it further as the prince broke away their gaze and turned to continue on forward. He did find it was much easier to traverse the path now as they continued on.
They soon came upon the exit. The prince snuffed the magic lighting in favor of using the moonlight that streamed over them now. It was a clear night and the moon was bright enough to illuminate everything around them.
The prince stopped and turned to Izuku again.
“Are you really the High Paladin’s squire?”
Izuku wasn’t bothered too much by the question, in fact he was surprised by its suddenness.
“Yes.”
“Eraserhead said you had no affinity for the magics, so how?”
“Eraserhead can only sense and cancel inborn magics. Gifted magics or earned magics are something he can’t perceive at all.”
The prince huffed.
“Then what have you got up your sleeve?”
“I’ve been gifted with a bit of everything. I’m strongest within the ranges of the life magics.”
The prince’s eyes widened. He had guessed it somewhat, that the man in front of him was of white status. All Might and many other paladins were of white status; white being the mixture of all magic types in one and was notably the rarest of all magic statuses. The prince himself was rare as a bearer of dragon like affinities as in air, fire, stone, etc, but he had little grasp on life magics such as water or plant magics as they tended to conflict with his natural affinities. This is what landed him just below white as platinum status.
But to think that this man was either gifted with the magics by another or earned them all was astounding. It was a phenomenon unheard of.
“How good are you with destruction magics?”
“I can hold a fight for a while with them. My endurance isn’t the best though so I’ve been working on increasing that. I tend to stay away from using those magics unless I must when I’m in a fight.”
“Why?”
“So I’d have enough energy to cast healing if need be.”
“I see.” the prince nodded in understanding. But he stopped for a moment, “Then why didn’t you do anything when Eraserhead brought you here?”
Izuku huffed with irritation, “I wouldn’t be able to do anything even if I wanted to. Eraserhead is a master at subjugating even the strongest of magic wielders. He tied me with that anti-magic rope and gagged me! How was I supposed to do anything?”
“Before that?”
“He caught me off guard.” Izuku was thoroughly annoyed at Eraserhead for not remembering him and throwing him into a situation he was helpless in as he grumbled that part out.
The prince hummed with understanding and turned back to continue upon the path. Despite the bright lights within the camp the stars above them were still dazzling, twinkling with mirth and wonder. The chilled air was soothing as it brushed along past them.
A couple more twists in the path eventually lead out back to the base where Izuku’s hut was located. The clan members wandering around gave them both a wide berth and watched them carry on.
They both stopped in front of his hut, and Izuku was a bit confused as to how or why the prince knew where exactly his hut was. But he was starting to worry about another thing just as the prince turned to him once more.
There was something strange in his gaze, something that Izuku couldn’t decipher. It wasn’t anger, it was more somber, smooth, handsome. He found himself staring.
But then the prince smirked and the view was marred once again by the prince’s well known arrogance.
“You won’t have to worry about me needing your services for the time being. If I need you I’ll call somebody to get you.”
Izuku raised his brow, “Is that all?” he teased.
The prince answered unfazed, smirking strongly, “Unless you want to find yourself in my bed again I suggest you quit with that Deku.”
“De- ku?” He repeated slowly.
“Your name. In my native language it can be read as Deku.”
“Doesn’t that mean useless?”
“Ah- so you’re not as stupid as you seem to be.”
“Hey! I’m not stupid or useless.” he quipped back.
“Would you be willing to prove me wrong then?”
A challenge, one that reminded Izuku of three nights before rang in his ears once again. There was a fire he could see simmering in the prince’s eyes promising a night of passion if he could fight for it.
But Izuku was done being the one challenged.
He grabbed onto the blue beaded necklace around the prince’s neck and pulled him down, connecting his lips with his. The prince was startled by the action but quickly fell into place, slotting himself with Izuku’s own and kissing him deeper trying to gain control.
There were few people walking around as it was very late into the night but the people that happened to be nearby watched upon the exchange amazed. It was the first time many of them had seen the prince so close and to see the man they thought to be rough edged kissing another so passionately was astounding. It also happened to raise the jealousy of those who had been admiring the prince from a distance for years.
They pushed back and forth as the prince kept on trying to gain the upper hand. His own hands had unconsciously moved to grasp at Izuku’s waist and the small of his back. Izuku’s hand still tangled itself around the prince’s necklaces and his other rose to wrap around the prince’s neck. After a particularly deep kiss Izuku moaned, feeling a fire stoke within his gut. But Izuku wasn’t about to let him take full control and kissed back feverishly, making near impossible for the prince to fully dominate the kiss.
Their tongues clashed, exploring each other seemingly frantic. It became more heated as time continued on but after about another minute they broke apart, gasping for air. Their cheeks were both flushed and they both took the chance to marvel at each other’s wrecked states.
The prince took his time breathing the air between them and gazing upon the freckles that dotted Izuku’s face like stars in the night sky. In his eyes, the man in front of him seemed to be glowing, dazzling, a beauty he had never seen before. He stayed like that for a while longer, mesmerized as he tried to commit the view in front of him into memory.
Izuku was doing much the same, taking in the flush upon the prince’s cheeks and noting how it sharply contrasted with his unblemished skin. It took him a few seconds to catch his breath completely.
“Before you think about inviting anyone into you bed you should at least invite them for dinner first, don’t you think?” Izuku stated, still a bit breathless.
The prince looked ready to bite back with his own words but Izuku didn’t give him a chance as he continued on.
“It’s going to take more than just words this time to impress me, Kacchan .”
Even if the prince wanted to speak he couldn’t, not after hearing that come out of Izuku’s mouth. Memories of the night they shared three days ago resurfaced once again and raced through his mind, leaving him speechless as he realized what Izuku was doing.
“Yo- you cheeky bastard.” He gritted out.
Izuku smiled, “Good night your highness.” He untangled his arms from the prince’s neck and backed away not giving the prince a chance to say goodbye as he disappeared into his hut.
The prince watched as he left and pondered for a few seconds longer before smiling to himself and turning to walk away back to his own abode.
As for Izuku, the self consciousness he felt tripled instantly and his mind steamed, over exaggerating his mortification once again. He walked over and fell upon his bed exhausted but still wide awake and strung.
Although the prince slept alone in his bed tonight he felt satisfied. Of course the same couldn’t be said about Izuku who was contemplating his existence well into the early hours of the morning.