Chapter Text
Song rec: Motion Sickness (Phoebe Bridgers)
Part one: Cassiopeia
Izuku Midoriya stretched his aching fingers as he rotated his wrist in circles, trying to release the tension in his arms from painting for hours. He absolutely had to get this painting on the market by the end of the week or his mother would be on his tail.
You see his family had the pleasure of being class five. This meant they had to rely on the arts to make their money, which was not a lot. Izuku was a painter like his stepfather and he had been spending hours of his Wednesday afternoon tediously finishing his third piece of the month. It was nearing winter and that meant that sales were about to increase drastically for holidays and winter parties and his family was barely surviving the fall. He had to get good sales, now, if they were going to make it.
His mother, Inko Yagi, was a seamstress and knew how to make the most gorgeous pieces. She had learned such a skill in her previous job as the assistant to the queen of Yuuei. Before Izuku’s father had died when he was ten his family was in class six. Class six is categorized as servants and factory workers. Yuuei consisted of 8 classes and the lower the class you were the worse and more unnerving your living conditions could become. They had it lucky when they could become servants in the castle rather than work 14-hour shifts in dark industrial plants or clean horse stalls for farmers. The castle allowed them free housing and food as long as they remained hidden and quiet and completed their jobs perfectly. Izuku was thankful his mother's talents had allowed them a life close to luxury.
However, after his father died early on his mother had met Toshinori Yagi, who was thankfully or unfortunately a class-up. He had visited the castle to bring artwork he had made and the royal family had purchased. He remembers how smitten his mother was when they got introduced and soon thereafter the two were getting married.
Izuku and Inko had enjoyed their time in the palace as he grew up. His mother had become friends with the queen herself after she was her maid during Mitsuki’s time in her selection. She had been there when King Masaru had held his selection competition of 35 eligible women to be his wife. She watched as Mitsuki competed fiercely and won the crown and the prince and the two remained friends for some time thereafter.
Being close to the Mitsuki Bakugou growing up meant that Izuku was often exposed to the other members of the royal family. Prince Katsuki Bakugou, son of Mitsuki and Masaru, had once been Izuku’s closest friend. They used to run together in the gardens while Inko would sew Queen Mitsuki the finest dresses for balls and galas. They'd play hours of hide-and-seek using the entirety of the castle, giggling and hugging each other when they were found. Inko would bathe them both at night and Izuku would often be invited into his royal quarters to watch All Might movie reruns and have sleepovers on the finest of mattresses.
He remembers holding Katsukis hand and crying to him when his father died.
“Kacchan we might have to leave” Izuku remembers confessing to the blonde prince when his mom remarried a five. Although Toshinori was a fantastic artist it was rare to be invited onto castle grounds.
“No way Deku!” The nickname “Deku” meant useless which Kacchan often joked he was as his servant. As Izuku got older he was supposed to be serving Katsuki when he attended meetings and job requirements however the two boys acted more like brothers than coworkers. “We need artists here in the palace too!”
Shortly after him and his mother were dismissed from the lavish life they lived. It came as a shock to their small family. His older brother Togata had been 12 at the time and had become quite good at blending into the lifestyle. He had made friends with one of the guard's sons as well, Tamiki. For everyone this news was heartbreaking.
He can remember his mom bawling over the loss of the friendship she thought she had as they left the castle the next evening. Mitsuki had been cruel in sending them away making it clear that she and Katsuki had only used them as servants and any further relationship was a misread on their part. Izuku hadn't realized the family could be so cruel.
Izuku sobbed on his mom's shoulder as they left and never returned. Prince Katsuki hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye. Izuku was silly for ever thinking the prince was truly his friend.
Izuku finished up his painting while deep in thought and made his way back into the kitchen for dinner (a bread roll and some tuna) with his family. He wiped the yellow paint he had been using on his worn-out jeans and stopped by his step-dad’s room to collect him as well.
He stopped short in the doorway and observed his father figure. He felt horrible every time he looked at him. Toshinori has lost an incredible amount of weight in the last 8 years and his eyes were sunken in with thin hair on his head. He had always been a quite successful painter and made decent money for a single man but after marrying Inko and taking care of Izuku and his 3 siblings, Eri, Kota, and Togata, it made money sparse and it took a toll on him. He had taught Izuku to paint after joining their family in hopes that Izuku could continue his legacy. Izuku tried his best and had become very talented himself in the last 8 years but he always had a lingering feeling that he would never live up to the idea of Toshinori Yagi.
It helped when his older brother Togata caught his stride in sculpting. Money was flowing in until he moved out and avoided sending funds to the rest of the family. Izuku didn’t have it in his heart to blame him for it but seeing his father in such a horrid state made it harder to forgive Togata. Togata had been in the castle until 12 years old and Izuku could understand him for wanting to get a taste of luxury once more. He would come around for holidays and would always bring lavish gifts but Izuku always caught the look in his mother's eye of disappointment in the treatment from her own son.
His two younger half-siblings Eri, who had just turned 8, and Kota, who was 4, had known nothing about Izuku’s father, or the castle, or the friendship once shared with the Bakugou family. They had lived in near poverty their entire lives. Izuku would do anything to get his family into a comfortable place again even if that meant spending hours a day working on paintings and absorbing every ounce of knowledge from his father's brain.
Toshinori turned around when he felt Izuku staring at him. “Oh, my boy!” He hacked again a frail-sounding cough and used his dirty paint rag to wipe his mouth. Izuku winced at the sorry state he was in. “Is it dinner time already?” Izuku eyed his father's painting and as he shook his head yes. It was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen. Of all the painters Izuku had come to know Toshinori Yagi was the best. He had known that Toshinori's own mother had been a very skillful painter as well and had also had paintings line the walls of the castle as her sons currently did. Izuku wondered if one day he would also add to the collection. The idea of one of his paintings residing in the castle and not him made his stomach twist and he shook the thought out of his head.
“Well, we’d better get going then or Inko dear is going to wring us” The man was always good at wearing a smile even when times were dark. Izuku admired him deeply.
They walked into the kitchen to sit with the rest of the family as Inko rushed around placing their singular set of cutlery and plates down on their broken table.
Izuku took a bite into the stale bread and tried not to wince at the texture. He thought back to the tarts and fritters he used to eat growing up and imagined it in the replacement of his reality.
Conversation at dinner was, as usual, Inko discussing how Eri and Kota needed to start finding a talent and how Izuku needed to finish up his pieces to take down to the market. Izuku started to fade away from the conversation staring down at his sad plate as he picked around the cold tuna when, suddenly, a white envelope consumed his vision. He looks up at his mother who looks at him nervously, running her teeth against her bottom lip. He grabs the letter noticing the texture of the paper and the gold lettering on the front that says Izuku Midoriya, Musutufu. He feels sick at the sight of his mother's shaky hands.
Before he can even peel back the envelope his mother begins speaking again, everyone else eyeing the letter as she speaks up. “Listen, Zuku, I know we have had our differences with the royal family” Izuku’s ears start ringing, making it hard to hear the rest. “A-and as you know money’s tight and-” Izuku felt his anger rise up without permission.
“You cannot be serious right now” Izuku rarely raised his voice but right now he was having a hard time concealing his disgust. He had the envelope in his closed fist crumpling it as he rose from the table only having finished his bread. “They treated us like shit mom you cannot seriously consider me going back.” He threw the envelope back onto the table and headed to his room where he would reside for the rest of the night. As he was leaving he heard Eri speak up “Mommy what did that letter to Izu mean?”
“Not right now sweetheart, we will discuss it again later tonight.”
Like hell we will Izuku thought. He got up from his bed and slipped on his red sneakers, which had been a signature for him since he was old enough to walk, threw on a hoodie, and walked over to his door to lock it. He headed over to the window and climbed out of it to meet the only person who would agree with him on this.
The air was starting to get cold as winter came and Izuku hurried to the neighboring treehouse with some of his bread from dinner and the tuna he didn’t end up eating. He climbed up carefully with one hand, trying to avoid the splinters that had formed on the handles after years of this routine, and at the top was met with the one person who understood him.
Rody Soul.
When Izuku, Togata, and his mother moved to this area 8 years ago Rody and his two siblings had come over to welcome them. Slowly from there, Izuku fell in love with Rody and the two had shared many nights together in this treehouse. Rody started as a replacement for the friendship he had had with Katsuki but as puberty hit and Izuku began to mature he realized he found a deeper connection to the boy than the platonic one he thought.
“Hey cutie” Rody smiled down at him and extended a hand out to assist him in getting into the treehouse. Izuku was tugged into the warmth of the room and began setting down his things and letting out a deep sigh of relief of finally being able to express his frustrations from the day.
“You would not believe the day I have had Rody” He quickly gave the boy the food he had brought and snuggled close while he ate it. Rody threw one of his arms around Izuku and lightly rubbed circles on his shoulder as he made quick work of the food. Rody and his siblings were in class six. His dad had abandoned them when they were young and then his mother had died when he turned 18. Now at 21, he was the primary financial supplier for him and his two younger siblings, who rarely had enough to feed their mouths. Rody was a factory worker and often worked 14-hour days to try and make ends meet. Any opportunity Izuku had to lighten the load on Rody he did and tonight that meant feeding him and staying close.
In between his bites Rody asked, “You got your letter I’m assuming?” He laughed but somewhere in the laugh seemed sad and distant.
“You knew?” Izuku moaned out disgruntled, throwing his hands over his face, “I mean obviously I am not going to do it” he shook his hands in the air aggressively. “I mean like I'm so happy with you and I love being an artist” he looked up at Rody who had stopped eating and was staring back at Izuku solemnly. “I mean who would want to subject themselves to such an outdated form of dating and romance” Izuku rolled his eyes and chuckled but was cut short by the expression on Rody’s face.
“LaLa got one too.” He continued to stare at Izuku distantly. LaLa was Rody’s 18 year old sister. Of course, she would get one too he thought stupidly. “She seemed thrilled at the idea of not starving every day and getting to wear clothes that weren’t beige and full of holes”. Izuku’s face reddened at the accusation he had made.
The green-haired boy quickly dismissed his initial thought “I mean I’m not saying it is a bad thing to want to do it necessarily” He laid his head on Rody’s shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact suddenly “It’s just not for someone like me” He moved the sleeve of his sweatshirt to cover his cold nose.
Rody took a long pause before continuing. “And who is someone like you” He nudged Izuku’s head forcing him to look at him. “Izuku?”
Without hesitation, the younger boy spoke, “Someone in love” Izuku barely finished the sentence before Rody was pulling him in for a passionate kiss, tongue diving into the roof of Izuku’s mouth. They pulled away when both boys were breathless and hot.
“I just thought you might like the idea of wearing tailored suits and filling your belly with the finest sweets” Rody jokingly prodded his elbow into Izuku’s side but something about the statement made the green-haired boy pause and frown. He had just this morning been reminiscing on the castle and a few hours later was poking fun at anyone who might want that. What a Hypocrite he had become. Of course, any five or six would love to have a chance of that.
Rody must have seen the gears turning in Izuku’s head because he took a deep breath before saying, “Maybe you should consider it” He wouldn't make eye contact with the other as he said it. Izuku felt like his heart was shattering.
“What the fuck Rody?” He moved from Rody's side to kneel in front of his open legs. He grabbed both of the boy’s wrists as he spoke. “You know how I feel about that family and Katsuki and the class system” he could feel himself getting angry and his grip getting tighter. “Why would I want that?”
Rody finally looked up at him, “I mean Izuku it could be a chance at a new life” Izuku could feel tears gathering in his eyes. “Do you wanna give up on royalty for a six like me?” Izuku could feel guilt rising from his stomach to his head.
“Rody I was once a six and you know how much of an asshole Kac-Katsuki was to me” Izuku caught a glimmer of something in Rody's eye when he slipped up on his childhood friend's nickname. “I am not doing it” There wasn’t finality in the way Izuku said it.
Rody checked his watch and sighed. He pulled out a tiny feather from his pocket and put it in Izuku's green hair behind his ear, gently moving his fingers from the freckled boy's temple to his jaw. Rody collected feathers for Izuku and he had a jar full of them back in his room, collected over 8 years of knowing each other. “I gotta get back to the kiddos Izuku, but promise me you’ll at least try it” he brushed a ghost of kiss across Izuku’s freckles. “Please, for me” With that Rody left Izuku there to cry alone. He felt the hot tears running down his cheeks at the thought that Rody might be okay with Izuku leaving him.
30 minutes later he climbed back in the window and quietly went to go to the bathroom to wash up when his mother rounded the corner, a crumpled piece of royal paper in her hand. She could tell he had been crying. He tried to quickly rub over his eyes hoping it just came off as tired.
“Zuku, baby, listen” He didn’t dare speak, knowing all of it would result in more tears. “I am not asking you to win or even stay too long but please, the earnings you get weekly would change our lives baby” He hadn’t realized he would be paid to do it. “If you at least try to apply I promise I won’t harp on it anymore”.
After the conversation with Rody and the begging from his mother Izuku, he couldn’t find himself to fight the inevitable any longer.
“Okay”
Izuku had trouble sleeping that night, dreaming of the red piercing eyes and the spikey blonde hair that he had once called his friend.
The next morning Izuku read the letter over and over at least 100 times feeling more ill with each read
Dear Izuku Midoriya of Masutafu
It is an honor to formally invite you to apply for The Selection.
The Selection is an event in which the royal family hosts 35 eligible young men and women into the castle to form relations with the prince. All 35 members will stay at the castle for the duration of The Selection. It is an event that has been held since our nation's formation centuries ago and has served the royal family well in expanding their lineage. All participants will receive weekly pay until being asked to be sent home by the prince. If you make it to the top ten, you will be considered an elite and your pay will be doubled for the remainder of the competition.
The prince, Katsuki Bakugou, has requested all young bachelors and bachelorettes ages 18-20 be invited to apply for his hand. The application will be open for two weeks time.
It is highly suggested to be honest on your application and winning participants will be drawn at random on November 1st on “The Report” weekly live update.
Good luck
In best regards,
The royal family
Just because he agreed to apply did not mean he would get it he kept reminding himself. In fact the odds were nearly impossible. He sat down with his mother as they filled out his application. If he did not have to focus on what he was actually filling out, having a day of the week where he didn't have to paint for hours on end was kind of nice. He realized two hours in however that he would much rather be covered in a variety of colors with a paintbrush stuck in his stiff hands than answer another ridiculous and specific question.
Class: five
Languages: two, English and Japanese
Talents: Painting, piano, singing
A long list of questions was filled out and Izuku felt exhausted as the hours passed by.
Blood type: A
Nationality: Japanese
Gender: Male
“I mean come on!” Izuku threw down his pencil in defeat as his mom sighed. “Like why do they have to know all of this if the competition is drawn at random anyway” He looked up at his mom in annoyance, who to be fair also looked put out and exhausted.
“Oh, shush honey” she patted down his curls “We're almost through here, and if we finish up in the next 15 minutes or so we can take it down to the post office before they close” Inko shook her head to keep awake and continued on “Okay, what's your shoe size” she giggled a little but it did lighten the mood.
Izuku groaned a smirk forming across his face but picked up his pencil to finish. That meant in 15 minutes and a quick trip to the post office he could say he tried and forget about the whole thing ever happened.
The walk to the post office felt draining after the long day he and his mother had. When they arrived at the post office Izuku’s stomach started to feel the nerves of what he was actually doing. He was putting himself in a drawing that could result in him leaving his family, moving into the castle, and worse of all facing his childhood friend. And to top it all off, the chances of not being able to stay with Rody.
His mother must could tell how he was feeling and she reached over to push the curls out of his face. “You know I love you no matter what happens Zuku” and he did know that. Inko was an amazing mother and he couldn’t blame her for taking this risk no matter the cost it had on her son. Something as simple as one week in the castle would give them plenty of funds to make it through until they could get back on their feet.
“I know, mom” he smiled painfully at her trying to push down any of the negative feelings. He wouldn’t be like Togata. He would help everyone he could.
When he finally took in his surroundings he noticed that there were hundreds and men and women here to turn in the very same application they all received this week. He started to feel bashful when he noticed the men had slicked back their hair and wore button-downs and the women had applied lipsticks and had silky hair. Izuku still wore the black hoodie that said “hoodie” and red sneakers from his journey the night before. He felt himself brushing through his curls with his fingers. He hoped the tiredness he felt didn’t show in his eyes and the hunger that was constant didn't show in his cheeks.
Ugh.
Why did he care?
As they made their way to the front of the line they ran into Rody’s sister Lindsey, or as they always called her LaLa.
“Oh! LaLa dear!” His mom was pulling them towards her not being aware the pain it was bringing Izuku to see glimpses of Rodys face right now. “Darling!”
LaLa turned around with a beaming smile on her face. She had also caught the message that red lipstick and rosy cheeks were necessary for the event. “Inko! Izuku!” She rushed towards them losing her place in line. Inko had always mothered those three siblings after their parents were gone.
When LaLa reached them Inko immediately started combing her fingers through LaLas brunette bangs and running her finger over the slightly smudged lipstick. It was obvious that if Inko could pick anyone in the world to get a chance like this after Izuku it would be LaLa.
“Oh gosh” LaLa started patting down her own hair along with his mother “I hope I look okay” she had such a similar demeanor to Rody it was almost painful to not reach out and touch her “I was kinda rushing” she gave them both a she smile.
Izuku still loved LaLa despite his fight with Rody and wanted to calm her nerves, because just like his mother, he really did want this for her “You look beautiful LaLa” She blushed up at him “and after all it’s not like you’re meeting the prince today” he laughed but he noticed how she slyly looked him up and down. He tugged at the drawstrings on his hoodie.
“Yeah we just have to take that picture for the application is all” He felt his stomach drop. He looked like shit right now and all three of them knew it. LaLa tried to not make it obvious “Maybe I should’ve gone your route and stayed casual!” she gave him a genuine smile and Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to take her words for anything but kindness. He glanced at his mother who looked downright mortified at the state he was in. He went to speak up but was cut short.
Inko jumped in before it could get any more awkward “I think you both look lovely” she pulled them both in for a hug “LaLa how does Rody feel about the prospects of his baby sister leaving the nest?” Inko was giving her eyebrows and Izuku felt his heart pang. They were nearly at the front of the line now and Izuku felt like he was going to vomit.
“Oh you know Rody” She playfully rolled her eyes. “He is a nervous wreck about me leaving” she giggled and it was evident how much she admired her brother. Who wouldn’t? “But you know I think he has got his mind on his own special person” She raised her eyebrows back at Inko and Izuku felt his heart rate raising. He couldn’t fight off the smirk that was tugging at the corner of his mouth and the blush spreading across his freckled cheeks.
“Who” Izuku blurted out before he could stop his mouth. LaLa and Inko both turned towards him eyeing him suspiciously at his eagerness. You see dating across classes was somewhat frowned upon. The only reason Inko and Toshinori had gotten away with it was because of the status his family held working for the royal family. However, if Izuku and Rody married Izuku would have to move back down to class six since Rody had little to no experience with the arts. That is something he knows his mother would absolutley hate. So they had kept it a secret.
“Zuku don’t be rude” she wacked his arm.
He rubbed the sore spot as LaLa continued “Oh it’s fine Inko” She rubbed Izuku’s arm with him “I actually don’t know who the lucky person is but I think Rody might propose soon” Izuku’s brain shut off and all he could do was smile dumbly as she continued. “He has been saving up like crazy”
Izuku was about to speak up again to ask when but was interrupted by the man in uniform asking him to step up for his picture.
“Sir” the man said louder the second time.
“S-sorry” Izuku hurried into the chair in front of the pale yellow backdrop.
“Smile” the worker spoke dryly.
But Izuku didn’t have to because after hearing the news LaLa had just revealed he had the biggest, most radiant grin he has ever worn.
The next night Izuku’s family shared their usual routine. Izuku finished his painting and had been sitting with Kota trying to teach him different brush strokes It was nearly dinner time and then afterwords, since it was Friday, the family would gather around their incredibly outdated tv to watch the weekly Report from the capital.
Izuku had nearly forgotten all about the application at this point and had put all of his thoughts into the fact that Rody wanted to propose to him. He wondered why he hadn’t brought it up before but was excited nonetheless.
They ate the same meal they had for 3 nights now and then Izuku aided his mother in washing dishes while the other three started gathering around the Tv.
He could hear “The Report” starting from the kitchen and quickly hurried up drying their dishes before going to sit next to his step father and pulling Eri into his lap.
The royal reporter, Hizashi Yamada, or Mic as people called him, gave the usual report. League of villan attacks in the west, report any activity you see, curfew will be moved earlier for the winter blah blah blah. “The Report” was almost over for the night when suddenly the cameras turned over to King Masaru.
Izuku couldn’t help but feel fondness towards the man. Although Mitsuki was a raging bitch to him and his mom Masaru was always kind.
“Good evening Yuuei citizens.” Izuku felt himself moving to the edge of the couch. “I am honored tonight to update you eager young bachelors and bachelorettes on the selection drawing” Izuku felt bile rising in his throat. “as you know applications are due in 12 days time and I wish all applicants good luck” 12 days. Izuku had to make it 12 more days. “That being said I wanted to introduce my son Prince Katsuki Bakugou to speak to all applicants.” Izuku felt his heart in his stomach. He realized, suddenly, he hadn’t actually seen Katsuki since they were ten as Katsuki didn’t make many tv appearances and when he did Izuku often avoided them.
The camera panes over to the most striking figure Izuku had ever seen.
Katsuki was no longer the toothy ten-year-old boy with unruly hair and lanky arms. No, Katsuki had become a man Izuku realized. He was tall, at least 6 feet, his hair was still spiked and jagged but looked put together in a completely new way. He had those same ruby eyes that could pierce Izukus's soul. Besides the huge arms and broad chest accompanying his now much more mature body Izuku also noticed the faintest scar tight under his eye.
Izuku realized his jaw was slightly open staring at Katsuki and tried to quickly close it and slouch back into the couch. Of course, he is handsome, Izuku, he is a prince. It didn’t mean Izuku couldn’t see through the facade of it all.
The prince finally spoke up “Hello citizens of Yuuei” Holy fuck his voice was much gruffer than before. Izuku stop it. He reprimanded himself. He took a deep breath at the same time as Katsuki “As you all know I rarely make public appearances” He smirked at the camera. “However my parents, the king and queen, felt it was important I speak to the eligible contestants of the selection and thank them for their applications.” Izuku couldn’t tell if it was because he knew the prince or if it was that obvious how painful this speech was for Katsuki. “So, thank you” with that Katsuki walked off the camera frame and Mic awkwardly tried to pick up the pieces. The tension in the room was palpable and Izuku wondered if there was a chance Katsuki didn't want this at all.
The show wrapped up shortly after the speech and Izuku hurried into his room for the night.
_ _ _ _
He was just about to fall asleep when he heard a familiar tap on the door. He hurried over to peer through it and there stood Rody. Izuku hurriedly let him in immediately grabbing him into a passionate kiss. All thoughts of their fight were put past Izuku at this point and all he wanted to do was marry the man that stood before him. Rody was consumed by the kiss and grabbed the back of Izuku’s neck to push into his mouth further. Izuku took this opportunity to pry his tongue into the other boy’s mouth and could feel the moan Rody let out into his lips. Izuku could hardly handle the excitement he was feeling after learning the news yesterday. Rody wanted to propose to him and here he was.
“I saw LaLa yesterday turning in her application” Izuku was trying to hint that he knew without embarrassing Rody too much.
“Oh, so you did it” Rody removed his hand from Izuku’s face and took a few steps back “Good, I'm glad” He nodded and continued looking back at the floor
“Yeah, but there’s no way I get it” Izuku giggled out as he took a few steps forwards to touch Rody again. As he did so Rody began to move backwards once more. Izuku’s smile faded. “Rody?”
“Listen Izuku” Any warmth and love in Rody’s voice had faded to something more distant. “I wanted to talk to you about something-” Rody froze as they both heard a knock at the door. Before they could finish the sentence Rody was already climbing out the window as Izuku wiped his mouth and tamed his hair back down. With no goodbye, Rody was gone and Izuku unlocked the door to see his mother standing on the other side.
“Could you please come help out with bathing Kota” Izuku tried to hide his disappointment and despair form his previous unfinished conversation with his lover.
“Of course mom” He shoved past her a little aggressively and headed for the bathroom.
Falling asleep that night was nearly impossible as he stared at the jar of feathers on his desk and thought about how different the prince had looked on television that night.