That Traitorous Assassin

by GrimmCryptid

Summary:

Even after the war between the faeries and humans has finally ended, there is still tension between the realms.

Keigo, a faerie assassin, is sent to a human kingdom in order to sneak inside the castle and pretend to be a servant until he can kill Prince Touya, reigniting the fight that ended long ago.

However, as they become closer and more secrets about the human kingdom and the king's darkest secrets are revealed, he realizes that he can't go through with killing the prince.

He needs to find a way out that will allow him to take the people he cares about with him.

Chapter 1: The New Servant Arrives

Keigo put on his most charming smile as he stood before the king, trying his best to keep his composure, “I understand your hesitance, sir, but it really would look good on your part if you were to hire me,” he explained, his gloved hands folded neatly behind his back. "After the war, there’s still a lot of tension between humans and faeries—which, I won’t deny, is understandable—but I believe that hiring me, and any other qualified fae who might stumble into your castle, will show that peace is truly upon us."

He had really hoped he wouldn't have to beg for this job, but after days of travel to the human kingdom, there was no way Keigo could return to his father—or worse, to the terrifying king of faeries—without completing his task.

The king’s gaze was full of suspicion as he watched Keigo. He didn’t like or trust the faerie before him, but there was something in Keigo’s words that made him pause. Deep down, he knew that he was right—or at least partially right. People needed a sign that peace was finally an option; and a faerie in a trusted position would be a good way to send that message.

“Remind me again how you're qualified to serve in my kingdom?” King Enji finally asked.

Keigo’s feathers twitched, but the polite smile never left his face, “I served the faerie king's son, Prince Tomura, before he disappeared.” His voice lowered as he added, “I was also training to be a guard.”

It wasn’t a lie per se, but it wasn’t the entire truth either. There were details he wasn’t sharing—details that no one in this kingdom would know until it was far too late.

“The prince disappeared?” Enji’s frown deepened. There was something in his eyes—something akin to guilt or regret—but Keigo couldn’t place it. Regardless, he filed it away in his mind—something to look into later on.

Keigo hung his head, staring down at his feet, and let a sigh escape his lips. “I blame myself, really,” he said, his voice soft, “I was in a meeting with the other guards to see if I was fit for the job... When I returned to Prince Tomura's room, he was gone. We searched the land and the surrounding areas for months, but there was no sign of him anywhere.” His eyes darkened as if recalling those long months.

King Enji nodded slowly as he listened, his sharp eyes never leaving Keigo. But his gaze softened a little as he saw the shift in Keigo's demeanor, noting that the fae truly seemed to regret what had happened.

“Is that why you left?” Enji asked him, trying to pry more details out of the stranger.

Keigo nodded, returning his gaze to the king, “That, among other reasons,” he said sadly, “I couldn’t live with myself after… I served him, but more than anything, I considered him a friend.” His words were laced with a tinge of sadness that seemed too real, too raw to be a lie. “I would've died for him if it came down to it.” he said honestly.

Enji watched him for a long moment, studying the faerie’s expressions. “What were the other reasons?”

Keigo grimaced, his eyes narrowing slightly, “While I liked Prince Tomura... his father left something to be desired…” he paused, taking a deep breath, “that man is crueler than anyone else I’ve met. After Tomura disappeared, I had no reason to continue working for him.”

There was something in Enji's eyes now—an understanding; he had heard many stories of the king of faeries; a man that could give and take magic on a whim. 

He took in the faerie’s disheveled appearance. Keigo looked wild despite his attempts at politeness—his windblown hair tangled and sticking up in various directions,and his pupils narrowed into slits as he watched the king closely. Of course, Keigo’s wings were impossible to ignore, even with how he'd folded them neatly at his back. It may have been a trick of the light, but Enji was sure he saw each feather moving on it’s own.

Keigo’s attire also didn’t go unnoticed—his shirt was made of a light, flowing material that easily moved with him, and was barely held together by golden chains that criss-crossed across his back, leaving a large gap for his wings. His pantswere snug but practical, and his knee-high boots seemed mostly functional, even with the slight heel that added an inch or two to Keigo's height. Enji’s gaze lingered on the gold jewelry adorning Keigo’s neck and ears, wondering how he'd gotten his hands on such things as a former servant.

Keigo noticed the king staring and found himself tempted to make a teasing remark, but he bit his tongue. He wasn’t sure how far he could push his luck. Faeries weren’t known for their modesty, but he was well aware that humans could be a bit...prudish when it came to showing their skin. He had attempted to cover up, wearing a jacket when he first arrived…but the sweltering heat had forced him to remove it.

“My eldest needs someone to keep him out of trouble,” Enji finally said, breaking the silence. “If I assign you to serve him—”

“I won’t leave his side,” Keigo cut him off mid-sentence.

Enji frowned slightly, irritated by the interruption, “Very well,” he said, his tone resigned. “I’ll allow you to care for my eldest, Prince Touya, for the rest of the week. Then, I’ll decide whether or not you can stay permanently.”

Keigo bowed deeply, relief flooding his chest. “Thank you, sir,” he said with genuine gratitude, even though he was well aware that his task was far from over. “I promise, I won’t disappoint you.”

                                                                                                  ~♡~

It had been nearly an hour since King Enji had agreed to give Keigo a chance and had sent someone to fetch the prince. Keigo had been given instructions on what his role would entail, as well as the rules he’d have to follow. But now, there was only silence filling the room.

Keigo grimaced as he stood in the middle of the courtroom, his feathers shifting and twitching under the man's gaze. He couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of test to see just how patient he was.

So, he distracted himself, taking the time to go over the plan in his head, desperate to ignore the overwhelming heat and the eyes that never seemed to leave his wings. 

The first step was done; he had been hired—or was at least being given a chance. Either way, he had a way into the castle.

Now he just needed to gather whatever information he could about their weaknesses and what weapons they held outside of the fire and ice magic that ran through their blood. That part would be easy; as a personal servant, he was sure he would get a few details from the prince himself, whether it be directly or from being at the right place at the right time. If that didn’t work, leaving feathers scattered around the castle surely would—he’d just have to hide them from the maids.

Once he had the information he needed, he was to assassinate the eldest prince. If anyone got in the way, he’d be required to take them out as well.

He frowned a little as he thought it over. He never liked this job and had always wanted a way out.

Ever since he was a child, he had just wanted to help people. But that was never allowed. It was all eavesdropping and assassinations, and when he didn’t play along, he was punished.

He knew that his father would likely just hunt him down and drag him back, locking him away in a tiny, cage-like room to rot. But maybe this time he could drag out the spying long enough to come up with a plan that led to freedom.

He was startled out of his thoughts abruptly when the doors behind him flew open with a dramatic flair.

Keigo looked over his shoulder in time to see the prince stroll with a confident flourish and a deep, mocking bow to the king.

“You called, Father?” Touya drawled, peering up at Enji from where he bowed, a sharp, venomous grin plastered on his face.

Keigo couldn’t help but stare. This prince was the most gorgeous man Keigo had ever seen. But in his defense, he really hadn’t seen many people…especially people his own age.

He forced his gaze away to watch as Enji gestured to him vaguely, “I found you a potential servant,” he told Touya, “try not to scare this one away.”

“I don’t need another babysitter.” Touya spat in response, standing up straight and turning to Keigo, “a chicken? Really? Why not send him to the kitchen so we can have him for dinner instead of making him follow me around like some sort of pet?”

“I assure you, your highness, I’m no chicken.” Keigo bowed deeply to the prince and plastered that charming smile back onto his face, peering up through his eyelashes.

He hated being compared to a chicken.

Now that Touya had turned to look directly at him, he took him all in; he was a bit taller than Keigo with pale skin and jet black hair—although Keigo couldn’t help but notice the silvery white regrowth at the prince’s scalp. There were burn scars trailing along his jaw and neck; scars that made Keigo wonder if he and Touya already had more in common than he expected.

But it was the prince’s eyes that drew Keigo in—their vibrant turquoise glow was so full of anger that it sent a shiver down Keigo's spine. He'd be keeping those eyes for himself once he had disposed of the man; something to make his cage a bit prettier.

He stood up straight as he watched Touya’s nose scrunch up, and followed the prince's gaze back to his father. But the man was ignoring the two of them now, having turned to chat with his advisor. He couldn’t help but notice the subtle shift in Touya’s expression; the prince was disappointed and was not doing a good job of hiding it.

Despite all that anger, Touya still craved his father’s attention and approval.

“I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for now, your highness,” Keigo said, head tilting as he spoke, “Perhaps you could give me a tour so that I can serve you properly?”

As Keigo spoke, Touya noticed one of his feathers had slipped away from the rest, lazily floating over to where Enji sat. His eyes widened as the feather suddenly turned sharp and poked the back of the king’s neck before darting away.

Enji yelped and swatted at whatever had ‘stung’ him, looking around before turning to his advisor once again. Keigo could hear the man muttering something about insects getting into the castle.

Touya stifled a snort, turning back to Keigo and properly looking at him for the first time.

He was prettier than Touya expected any faerie to be, with wild, golden hair and wilder eyes that seemed to be lined with some sort of charcoal. His skin was lightly tanned with scattered freckles where the sun hit the most, and he had the trademark pointed ears that the fae folk were known for.

And of course, those enormous, scarlet wings were impossible to miss. 

“Sure, follow me, Chickadee,” The prince finally nodded and headed for the door. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so keep up…”

Keigo grinned and fell into step behind him, already thinking of the many ways he could turn this situation to his advantage. He was eager to see what awaited them.

Chapter 2: A Tour of The Castle

Keigo had known that the castle would be massive, but it was even more magnificent than he could’ve expected. The walls were adorned with intricate banners and paintings depicting battles long past, and chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting soft light. Still, he almost found it hard to focus; the air was thick with humidity that made it anything but comfortable.

“Is it always this hot here?” Keigo asked as he followed Touya down one of many corridors, taking in the sights as servants bustled around them, their faces focused as they performed their daily tasks. “I mean, I can’t really complain—I’m usually cold no matter how hot it gets, but damn, I had to take my jacket off as soon as I stepped into the kingdom.”

Touya glanced back at him, “Our winters can get pretty cold, but there’s enough fire magic in the kingdom that most people don’t really notice it,” he explained. As they approached a large set of wooden doors, he pushed them open. “Here’s the dining room. Most of the servants eat separately, but personal servants and guards can join if invited. My youngest brother has two personal guards that usually tag along with him—much to my father’s dismay.”

Keigo leaned against the doorframe and grinned, a gleam of mischief in his eyes. “Am I invited?”

Touya didn’t even glance at him as he let the doors slam shut and walked away, “No.”

Keigo stood there for a second, a bit taken aback by the sharp rejection, before quickly moving to follow him, “Where do the servants eat then?”

“In their own quarters or the kitchen, usually,” Touya told him, opening another door that was only a short distance from the dining hall, “Speaking of which, here’s the kitchen…”

Keigo poked his head in and looked around, hoping that Touya wouldn’t slam this door too.

The room was massive with counters upon counters and servants milling about, prepping food for later meals. The clatter of pots and pans and chopping knives, along with chatter from the workers, filled the room and made Keigo grimace as his feathers took in and heightened every sound.

Touya watched Keigo’s feathers twitch and slowly lifted one hand and reached towards them while Keigo was distracted by the kitchen.

“Don’t.”

Touya froze, his hand hovering just a breath away from brushing against the red feathers. He quickly drew his hand back, looking at Keigo with a mixture of surprise and bemusement. “Do you have eyes on the back of your head?” he laughed nervously.

“No, I’m just very aware of my surroundings.” Keigo said, stepping back from the kitchen door, “Also, I could feel the heat radiating off your hand when you got close.”

“You felt it??” Touya stared at his own hand, wondering if his power had activated without him realizing somehow.

“My feathers are extremely sensitive,” Keigo explained, “I can feel everything, including sounds.” He grimaced, pushing the kitchen door shut to silence some of the noise.

“You can feel…sounds?” Touya’s brows furrowed, his head tilting to one side as his gaze moved to Keigo.

“Yeah, sounds cause vibrations that my feathers can feel,” Keigo explained, mirroring Touya’s tilted head, “I can even recognize certain voices and words if I feel them enough; for example, your father is currently chatting with his advisor about going on a trip to the Northern kingdom to see about arranging a marriage for Prince Shoto.”

“That checks out; he’s always talking about Shoto.” Touya’s lip curled up in a sneer, “You’d think he’d be discussing the possible spy he just hired, but no—it’s still about Shoto.”

Keigo chose to ignore the comment about him being a possible spy, “I sense some resentment towards your younger brother.” he mused.

“Nah—it’s towards that prick who calls himself my father,” Touya spat, “the bastard thinks he can just change the rules and let Shoto take over the throne instead of me, even though I’m the oldest… Shoto doesn’t even want the throne.”

“Do you?”

Touya hesitated, his expression turning cold as he stared at Keigo. Only one other person had asked him that before, and they had abandoned him shortly afterwards.

He still didn't have an answer to it.

“C'mon, I'll show you the rest of this wing, and then we can go out and see where the guards train.” He turned and walked away from Keigo again.

The fae tilted his head slightly at the abrupt change of subject, but let it slide for now. However, before the kitchen door shut, he let a couple of feathers slip through to listen to the conversations of the servants working there.

Keigo caught up to the prince easily, his eyes scanning his surroundings and taking note of everything. He could almost feel the weight of the secrets hidden within the walls.

“What's the faerie realm like?” Touya asked once Keigo caught up, “Must be pretty awful if you came here of all places.”

Keigo nodded, “It's not great—or the court I was in wasn't.” He told him, “The king is a cruel man, willing to sacrifice anyone to gain more power…"

“Hate to break it to you, Chickadee, but the king here is the same.” Touya scoffed, shooting Keigo a sideways glance.

“Trust me, King Hisashi is worse.” Keigo said, “If a human showed up in his courtroom asking for a job, they'd be killed or thrown in a lab to be experimented on.”

Touya turned to fully look at him, “Were you experimented on?” 

“C'mon now, Firecracker, you've gotta buy me dinner before you start asking about my trauma.” Keigo flashed a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, gently nudging Touya with one wing.

Touya stumbled a little, sputtering when he got a face full of feathers, “Fuck off—”

“No, I don't think I will.” Keigo's eyes narrowed, glinting with mischief.

The pair stopped, eyes locked as they both stared in silence, Keigo smug and grinning, and Touya glaring daggers.

“Are you going to continue the tour, or are you going to keep undressing me with your eyes?” Keigo asked, his grin widening as he watched Touya's ears turn red.

“You're fired.” Touya said flatly and turned to leave again, walking much faster than before.

Keigo gasped and sprinted after him, “Hey, now—c’mon, I'm just messing with you!” He insisted, “You walked into that, staring at me like you were.”

Touya turned on him, making him stumble backwards, “If anyone was undressing someone with their eyes, it was you.” He said, head tilting to one side as he stared down his nose at Keigo, “My father would have your head if he heard you talking to me like that.”

“I don't think he'd care…or even notice, honestly.” Keigo shot back easily, “He doesn't seem to pay much attention to you.”

“Asshole”

“Takes one to know one, Chickadee.”

Again, they stared each other down.

“Let's go.” Touya eventually broke the silence, the scowl not leaving his face as he turned on his heel and walked away.

Keigo grinned once more and quickly followed, happy that he got to keep his job for now.

~♡~

The rest of the tour went quickly, but tension still hung over them like a storm cloud. Touya said very little, even as they passed through the ballroom— it was beautiful, but a bit drab without a party to light it up. Keigo took note of where everything was as they walked, but found that his gaze kept wandering back to the tightness in Touya’s shoulders and jaw.

Shortly after that, they reached the servants’ quarters; a wide hallway that had doors lining both sides, evenly spaced apart.

Touya opened the first door on the left, revealing a basic bedroom with a bed, dresser, and desk, as well as a door inside that led to a small bathroom, “This is where most of the servants reside.” he explained vaguely.

“So I’ll get my own room?” Keigo asked as he looked around.

“Yes, but not here,” Touya stated, his voice still cold, “unfortunately, you're my personal servant— which means your room is across the hall from mine— that way if I need you for anything, I can easily reach you.” He went on, “Yours is a bit bigger than this; it even has a small balcony.”

“Sounds nice.” Keigo hummed. It certainly sounded better than his room back home.

“Does it? It’s really not much….” Touya said, his nose scrunching up as he looked at Keigo.

“My room back home didn’t even have a window,” Keigo said, “it certainly didn’t have space to spread out my wings.”

“Damn.” Touya’s gaze moved to Keigo’s wings again, lingering a moment, “How big are they anyways?”

“Well—I can shed feathers on a whim to make them smaller when needed, so it varies, “ Keigo said, “but when they’re at their fullest, they’re around 20 feet, I think… If we go outside, I can spread them out and show you.”

The tension in the prince’s shoulders eased at that offer, “Wait—you will?” 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I want to show off my best features?” Keigo grinned, “They’re a bit stiff anyways from being folded up for so long; they could definitely use a stretch.”

“Let’s go then!” A smile had crept onto Touya’s face, like a switch had been flipped in his head to change his mood.

He turned and practically ran away from the servants quarters, “I want to show you where the guards train too while we’re out there!” He called back to Keigo.

Keigo couldn’t help but laugh as he chased after him, wings puffing up with amusement, “Whatever you want, your highness.”

Chapter 3: Shoto and His Guards

Keigo was relieved when they finally made it outside, taking a deep breath and stretching his wings out as soon as he had the room to do so.

“Damn, they really are huge.” Touya commented, unable to keep himself from staring. He really wanted to bury his fingers in that soft, red fluff,  “And you can control each feather?”

Keigo paused, “Did I tell you that?” 

“Nah, but I guessed it when one of them scared the king.” Touya shrugged, “And you said you could shed them easily, so I put two and two together.”

“Fair enough…” Keigo frowned slightly, “Anything else you observed?”

“The feather you used to scare Enji…it seemed to harden for a moment?”

Keigo nodded, “I can make them sharp,” he told him, “sharp enough to cut through flesh– the biggest ones can be used as swords if I want.”

“Damn…That's almost impressive.”

“What about you?” Keigo stretched his wings further, happy to be able to do so, “I hear you have some pretty powerful fire magic in you—in fact, in the hour we waited for you, your father told me to make sure you didn't use it.”

Touya scowled, “Should've made you wait longer to see what other bullshit rules he'd come up with.” He sneered, “You planning on going through with that?”

“What the king doesn't know won't hurt him.” Keigo said simply, “So long as you don't hurt anyone—including yourself, I don't care what you do.”

That seemed to make the prince relax a little, happy that this new servant might listen to him more than his father, “Good…you ready to go see the guards, Chickadee, or are you not done showing off?”

“I'm not done showing off.” Keigo cooed, puffing his wings up and twirling in a circle, which earned a laugh from Touya.

“Oh my gods– did you just laugh??” Keigo grinned wide, moving closer to Touya, “Did I just make you laugh???”

“Fuck off—” Touya said, still snickering as he looked away.

“Still not going to do that.” Keigo snickered with him, his eyes glittering with amusement.

“Maybe I should start calling you Peacock; you certainly act like one.” Touya said, turning to head down a beaten path that led away from the palace.

“Don't you dare! Chickadee is bad enough!” Keigo protested, folding his wings as he quickly followed his lead.

“But Chickadee suits you,” Touya kept teasing, “you’re just so tiny.”

“I’m literally only an inch shorter than you.” Keigo argued, wings puffing up a little as if to make himself look bigger.

“Without the heels?” Touya gestured to Keigo’s boots.

“You’re wearing platforms!” Keigo insisted, laughter filling his voice.

Eventually their playful argument came to an end as they reached a large field where guards trained, a short, albeit muscular woman with white hair barking orders at them.

A teen boy sat, leaning on the fence surrounding the area, quietly watching. He was easily recognizable as the youngest prince, his silky hair split down the middle with red and white. 

He watched two guards in particular, both of them around his own age. One was blonde and seemed to be trying to kill his companion, a shorter, green haired boy.

Keigo watched the chaos curiously, but his attention focused on the woman in charge; particularly the set of rabbit ears that stuck off her head.

“Your father hired a hybrid?” he asked Touya as they approached the fence.

Touya nodded, “Yeah, she was born here and has proved herself plenty of times—she doesn’t take shit from anyone.” He said, “Honestly, Enji might be afraid of her.”

Shoto had glanced up when his brother and Keigo approached, his gaze lingering on Keigo for so long it almost made the faerie squirm.

“Who’s this?” he asked his brother.

“He's–” Touya frowned, realizing that he didn't actually know his new servant's name, “a new servant– Enji hired him for me.”

Shoto continued to stare, “Does he not have a name? Izuku never mentioned faeries not using names…”

“My name's Keigo.” The faerie introduced himself, giving a polite bow, “You must be Shoto?”

The young prince nodded, “I am…my father really hired you? He doesn't usually like faeries.”

“Well, I didn't just sneak him into the castle-” Touya piped up, crossing his arms, before Keigo could answer.

“I wouldn't be surprised if you did.” Shoto said, turning to his brother, “You used to sneak in your secret boyfriend all the time.”

“I don't have a secret boyfriend.” Touya hissed. 

“You should probably tell Tenko that.” Shoto said, “Because he thinks he's your boyfriend.”

“I would love to, but he disappeared months ago.” Touya scowled. 

Keigo's eyes darted between the two of them, following the conversation, “Who's Tenko?”

“Touya's boyfriend…or…ex boyfriend?” Shoto explained, a little unsure, “But he’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.”

“I gathered that much,” Keigo mused, “Was he a servant of some sort?”

“He was a faerie who came to our kingdom seeking refuge,” Touya said, “I met him at a festival, and he hated me, so naturally I wanted him.”

Keigo's eyebrows raised slightly. 

“He warmed up to me eventually.” Touya’s ears reddened a bit, and he looked away, “I mean– he was still standoffish and grouchy, but he stopped threatening to kill me and was pretty sweet when he was actually in a good mood.” He went on, “Kind of reminded me of a stray cat, honestly.”

“And he disappeared?” Keigo asked, his brows knitting together in concern. People normally didn’t disappear, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the king was involved; after all, the eldest prince having a relationship with a faerie commoner was something a man like Enji would never approve of.

“Without warning.” Touya nodded, “I thought things were going relatively well, but I guess not.”

“You don't think something happened to him, do you?” Keigo asked, noting the look of concern that crossed Touya's features at the question.

Touya was fully aware that people didn't just disappear, and while he did his best to hide how he felt from everyone in his life, he really was worried about Tenko.

While they hadn't known each other long, they had grown very close; bonding over feeling like outcasts and their hatred for their fathers. Tenko had always been a bit secretive, but Touya had assumed that the things he had shared had at least been true.

He opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again when the guards Shoto had been watching approached them.

Keigo found himself staring at the shorter of the pair, his pupils narrowing down to slits. The kid was nearly identical to King Hisashi, albeit younger and…greener. But his curly hair and soft features made him the spitting image of the faerie king in his younger years.

And during his many years of eavesdropping, Keigo had heard a rumour or two about the king having a son who was half human.

“Touya! You got a new servant?” The boy asked, green eyes widening as he stared at Keigo's wings. He pretended not to notice the way the stranger seemed to stare straight through him.

“What kinda freak did your dad hire this time?” The blonde snorted, glaring at Keigo, “And doesn’t he know it’s fucking rude to stare?”

“Kacchan!” The green haired guard whipped his head to stare at his companion, “You can't say stuff like that!!” He scolded before looking at Keigo, “Sorry about him.”

“S’alright…” Keigo said, still staring, “Sorry for staring; you just look like someone I used to know.”

“This is Keigo, he's a faerie.” Touya introduced his new servant with a sigh, “...I think he forgets how to blink sometimes.”

“Clearly.” ‘Kacchan’ gave Keigo another once over before looking at Touya.

Touya looked at Keigo, “Keigo, this is Izuku and Katsuki… They're Shoto's personal guards and probably his only friends.”

“Shoto has plenty of friends!” The boy, introduced as Izuku, protested.

“Does he though?” Katsuki asked, his top lip curling up in a sneer. Or maybe it was a smile, Keigo couldn’t really tell with this kid.

“He's got…” Izuku paused, wincing when he realized he had to actually think about it, “He's got Hanta— a-and Tenya!”

Touya and Keigo both stared at Izuku with their eyebrows raised, trying not to crack up. 

“I don't think that's helping…” Shoto said softly.

“There's Denki too!!” Izuku kept going, his voice cracking a little, “He likes you a lot.”

“Denki likes everyone a lot.” Katsuki pointed out with a snort, “The guy is like a human golden retriever.”

Keigo tilted his head slightly as he watched the teenagers banter, happily teasing one another without a care in the world.

If he went through with his orders, this would all be torn apart. Shoto would lose his brother, and the war would start again, which would likely take these friends from him too.

Keigo's eyes glazed, pupils narrowing down to tiny slits as he stared off into the distance.

Kids hadn't been involved before when he'd had to assassinate people. Then again, he'd never had to assassinate someone with the purpose of starting a war.

A warm hand on his arm startled him out of his daze.

“You alright, Chickadee?” 

He looked to see Touya staring at him, his expression vaguely concerned.

“Yeah-” Keigo forced a smile, “just zoned out for a minute— sorry.”

His gaze darted to where Touya's hand lingered on his arm and the prince quickly removed it.

“Sorry.”

By now, the kids were staring at them with confused expressions.

“Gross.” Katsuki broke the silence with a scoff.

Izuku smacked his arm, “Be nice!” He hissed.

Keigo sucked in a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves after coming so close to spiraling. He was trained for this; he couldn't let himself feel bad about what he had to do.

“So do those wings do anything, or are they just for attracting ugly princes?” Katsuki questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. He ignored Izuku as the boy scolded him yet again.

Keigo did a double take, wings puffing up. Did this kid really just call Touya ugly??

“Well, I can fly with them, obviously.” Keigo said, wondering how much he should actually tell Katsuki, “and control each individual feather even when they're not attached.”

“How fast are you?” Izuku asked, eyes full of curiosity, “When you fly, I mean.”

Keigo grinned at the kid's earnest expression, “I was the fastest faerie in the kingdom back home.”

“Prove it.” Both Katsuki and Touya demanded. 

“Is that an order?” Keigo turned his gaze to Touya, raising a brow.

“Of course it is!” Touya said, pointing to the castle's highest tower, “Fly up there and back.”

Keigo looked up at the tower, his gaze locking onto the point of the roof, “As you wish.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he was gone, nothing but a blur of red shooting across the sky. Naturally, he had to show off a bit; flying quick loops as he shot higher and higher with ease.

The woman who'd been barking orders earlier came over to see what everyone was staring at.

“Is that one a new plaything of yours, Touya?” She asked.

“Something like that.” Touya said, “Enji thought I needed a new servant.”

“Is he interested in being a guard too?” She asked, “We could really put that speed to good use.”

“Sorry, I already promised that I wouldn't leave Touya's side,” Keigo said, having landed just in time to hear the question. He handed Touya the flag that had been flying at the tower's point, “I fear training to be a guard would prevent me from doing so.”

Touya stared at the flag that was now in his hands, trying to hide the fact that he was honestly impressed by Keigo’s speed. He hadn’t even heard him land when he returned.

“Didn't you just leave his side to steal a flag?” The guard asked him.

“I kept him within my sight,” Keigo said, “and I knew I could get back to him quickly if I needed to.”

He gave a polite bow, “I'm Keigo, by the way.”

“Rumi.” The guard introduced herself with a nod before giving Touya a shove, “Try not to set this one on fire.” She said firmly, pointing a threatening finger at him.

“Yes, ma’am.” Touya said, barely regaining his footing after being shoved.

“You set your guards on fire?” Keigo asked, the colour draining from his face for a moment.

“Once, when I was a teenager.” Touya explained vaguely, “nearly killed myself in the process too.”

“Are you afraid of fire, Birdie?” Rumi asked when she noticed how pale Kiego suddenly looked, “You do realize that this kingdom is known for its fire magic, right?”

“My wings are highly flammable–” Keigo explained, “and yes, I know… I was under the impression that a kingdom known for such magic would have control over it.”

“Most of ‘em do,” Rumi said, “but I’m not sure anyone could handle Touya’s fire.”

Keigo eyed Touya, “His father warned me to some extent,” he told Rumi, “or at least told me to not let him use his powers…”

Of course, he had done some research before coming to this kingdom. But even then, he hadn’t really known what to expect when it came to Touya and his abilities. For a moment, his mind went back to his mission, and he silently wondered if he could make Touya burn himself up instead of actually having to kill him.

“Are you going to follow those orders?” Rumi stared at Keigo, her eyes narrowing.

“Of course.” Keigo lied, “We wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Liar.” Katsuki scoffed.

All three adults turned to look at him.

“What?” Katsuki crossed his arms, “I don’t trust him.”

Keigo’s eyes narrowed. This kid was going to be a problem.

“Give him a chance, Kacchan, “ Izuku said gently, “I’m sure he’s telling the truth… I mean, if Touya gets hurt, then he’ll be fired, or possibly executed depending on the king’s mood.”

“I’ll protect Touya with my life if I have to,” Keigo told them, “even if that means protecting him from himself.”

 

Chapter 4: Dinner with the Queen

Touya and Keigo ended up spending most of the afternoon outside with the guards, Keigo easily keeping up his act to earn their trust and prove himself. He even went so far as to promise Rumi that he would talk to King Enji about becoming a guard so that he could better protect Touya. 

He was starting to feel exhausted by the time they started to head inside. He longed to go find his bedroom and hide away for a while, to think over his plans and gather himself so that he could keep up the act. But that wasn’t an option.

“You’re sure you don’t want me to bring that flag back to the tower?” Keigo asked as they walked, eyeing the fabric in Touya’s hands.

“Nah, I’m gonna hang it in my bedroom.” Touya grinned devilishly, “It’ll look great above my desk.”

Before Keigo could protest more, they made their way through the castle doors and were hit with the delicious smells of dinner being prepared.

Touya’s stomach growled loudly, “Let's grab a bite to eat before we go up to the bedrooms.”

“Won’t you ruin your dinner if you eat now?” Keigo asked.

Touya stared at him for a long moment, “Don’t parent me, bitch—”

Keigo couldn’t help but laugh, “Sorry—I’m just eager to see the rest of the castle, “ he said before pointing to the flag, “I also don’t want to get caught with that, I mean, won’t I get in trouble? I’d hate to lose my job on the first day.”

Touya looked down at the flag in his hands, “But I’m the one holding it? If anything, I’ll be the one to get in trouble.”

“And I’m the one with the wings to steal it for you, Firecracker.” Keigo pointed out.

“Fair enough.” Touya nodded before sighing, “Fine, we can go up to our rooms first, but then I’m getting a snack.”

“Of course.” Keigo chuckled, finding himself following Touya to the crowded corridors once again.

He frowned as they weaved around other servants, noting that there suddenly seemed to be significantly more of them. He wondered where they had all come from all of a sudden. Thankfully, they were focused on their own tasks and didn’t seem to notice the flag that Touya carried…or maybe they just didn’t care.

“The castle isn’t normally this crowded, “ Touya told Kiego, mindlessly reaching to grab his servant's wrist so that he wouldn’t lose him in the crowd, “There’s a festival at the end of the week, so Enji hired more staff to prepare.”

“A festival?” Keigo asked.

“Mhmm, it’ll be held down in the village, but we’re supplying a bunch of food and such for it.” Touya explained, “Enji thinks it’s a good way to show that we’re past the war and able to fully celebrate–”

Keigo nodded along. A festival would be a perfect opportunity to gather intel… or it would be if he could sneak away from Touya.

“What sort of festivities will there be?” he asked casually, “Aside from the food supplied by the castle, of course.”

“More than just the castle,” Touya corrected, “there’ll be all sorts of food vendors there—crafters and vendors too, if you’re interested in that sorta thing.”

Keigo nodded along.

“There’ll also be live music and games too.” Touya added, leading Keigo up a large flight of stairs.

“”Do you think Tenko will be there?” Keigo asked, “You did say you met him at a festival, didn’t you?”

“I did, but no,” Touya shook his head, “Like I said, he disappeared.”

“People don’t just disappear, Touya.” Keigo said softly, “Unless…did you do anything to upset him?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Touya said, “He never really liked it here, so he probably just left.”

But he knew Keigo was right. People didn’t just disappear… and, as standoffish as the man had been, Tenko would’ve told him if he was leaving town. In fact, they had even considered running away together.

Touya wondered now if their entire relationship had been a lie or if something really had happened to Tenko. He wasn’t sure which of those options would hurt him more.

He led Keigo down another corridor, pointing out various rooms; a library, two different bathrooms, a treasure room (Keigo made a mental note to come back to that one when no one was looking), a few storage rooms… nowhere that Touya deemed worthy of lingering as he led his servant around a corner and up another two flights of stairs.

“This place is a real maze.” Keigo chuckled softly, not that he’d have any trouble navigating.

“Tell me about it, I live here, and I still get lost sometimes.” Touya said, only half joking.

He led him around another corner, finally reaching the large corridor that held a few bedrooms.

As they made their way through, he pointed out whose bedrooms were whose; Shoto’s was first with Katsuki and Izuku’s room directly beside it. Next was Natsuo and his servants, and at the end was Touya’s and what would be Keigo’s. Princess Fuyumi and her maid’s rooms were in a separate part of the castle, Touya had explained.

He opened the door to his own room, letting Keigo walk in first.

The room was bigger than any bedroom Keigo had seen before, and it took him a moment to really take it all in.

A king-sized bed sat against one wall, its blankets still a mess from Touya sleeping there the night before, but plush and inviting nonetheless. Across from it was a set of tall glass doors, framed by deep blue curtains, leading to a large balcony that overlooked the gardens below. 

Keigo thought about how nice it would be to watch the sunset from such a comfortable bed.

He noted that while there were multiple bookshelves in the room, they were dusty and seemingly untouched. He guessed that Touya wasn’t much of a reader.

Against one wall was a desk, cluttered with paperwork and maps. Keigo gave them a passing glance, eyes skimming for any important info that stood out, but quickly moved along when Touya approached.

He paused his tour of the room to watch Touya hang the stolen flag above that desk. Before turning his gaze to an open door and tilting his head to peek inside to find rows of clothes hanging there.

Uninterested in the prince’s wardrobe, he turned to face the rest of the room. There was a large dresser, which Keigo presumed was also filled with clothes, and another door. This one was shut.

“My personal bathroom.” Touya explained when he noticed Keigo eyeing it, kicking his boots off and flopping down onto the bed. Apparently, he had changed his mind about getting a snack. “Make yourself at home; you’ll probably be spending a lot of time here from now on.”

Keigo nodded, letting himself explore further. 

He poked his head into the bathroom and looked around; it was luxurious but just a bathroom with a deep, clawfoot tub, a sink, and toilet. A plush towel was hung haphazardly on a hook on the wall.

He left the bathroom and decided to venture into the walk-in closet, folding his wings tight against his back to keep them from knocking anything off the hangers. His pupils dilated as he came across a collection of jewellery; glittering gold and rubies in particular caught his eye. Especially since they appeared to be gathering dust, unlike the silver and sapphires that sat nearby.

Keigo’s fingers twitched, desperate to snatch it all up and keep it for himself. He had to force himself to look away, quickly leaving the closet.

“I changed my mind, by the way,” Touya drawled from where he lounged on the bed, watching with amusement as Keigo explored the room, “You can join my family for dinner.”

~♡~

An hour later, Keigo and Touya made their way through the corridors to the dining room. The halls were less busy now that everyone had stopped to rest and eat. By now, Keigo’s stomach was growling too.

“I told you we should’ve gotten snacks.” Touya snickered when he heard it.

“Oh hush, it’s not like I actually stopped you.” Keigo said, “You’re the one in charge, so if you wanted snacks, you could’ve gotten them.”

“And deal with you nagging me about ruining my dinner?” Touya snorted, giving Keigo a teasing nudge.

Keigo gasped dramatically and nudged him back, “I don’t nag!”

“You do—I swear, you're worse than my sister.” Touya laughed, “All she’s any good for is nagging.”

“She can’t be that bad.” Keigo said, “And I know I’m not that bad.”

“Fine, you’re not, but she definitely is.” Touya scowled, “She takes Enji’s side on everything too.”

“How unfortunate.” Keigo mused.

“You don’t believe me.” Touya stated, his eyes narrowing.

“No, no, I do.” Keigo said, “Just wondering how this kingdom is even functioning with such an...interesting royal family.”

Touya snorted, “It’s ok, you can call us dysfunctional,” he rolled his eyes, “Enji’s a power-hungry bastard, but he knows what he’s doing when it comes to ruling… Unfortunately, he’s a shit father and a shit husband.”

“I assume that’s why you refuse to refer to him as your father?” Keigo asked. Touya’s use of King Enji’s name hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Touya nodded, “I want no association with him if I can help it—especially after he opted to pass the throne to Shoto.”

They reached the heavy wooden doors of the dining room, and Touya pushed them open, holding them for Keigo before following him in.

Shoto, Katsuki, and Izuku were already at the table, lost in conversation. Fuyumi sat across from them, quietly reading. She glanced up when Touya and Keigo came in, putting on a polite smile, “You must be Touya’s new servant?”

“I am,” Keigo plastered on that charming smile that he wore so well, bowing deeply to her, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said, glancing over at her brother before returning her gaze to Keigo. “I hope my brother isn’t giving you too much trouble?”

“Of course not, he’s been treating me quite well actually.” Keigo told her, stretching the truth just a bit. Sure, they had butted heads a few times, but it was all in good fun.

“Glad to hear it.” Fuyumi nodded, “You can sit anywhere except the ends of the table; those seats are for Mom and Dad.”

“When Mom actually joins us.” Touya scoffed, taking a seat and pulling out the one beside it, giving Keigo an expectant stare.

Obedient as ever, Keigo took the pulled-out seat, awkwardly adjusting his wings around the back of it.

“Is Natsuo eating with us tonight?” Touya asked Fuyumi, sounding hopeful.

“No, he was in the kitchen earlier before heading back to the infirmary.” Fuyumi shook her head.

“Damn.” Touya leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and scowling.

“...Dad won’t be joining us either.” Shoto spoke up, “He left for the Northern kingdom an hour ago.”

“Nice of him to let everyone know.” Touya’s scowl deepened, but before he could say anything else, the doors swung open, held open by Rumi as Queen Rei hesitantly made her way in.

“Mom—you’re joining us tonight?” Fuyumi’s eyes widened when she saw her mother, and she quickly made her way over to the woman.

“I wanted to meet the new servant.” Rei said, her voice soft, almost sad, “I hear he’s fae?”

Touya nodded to Keigo, signaling for him to get up.

Quickly, Keigo got up and went to the queen, letting himself fall to one knee as he bowed deeply, “It’s an honour, your majesty.”

The queen quietly looked him over, “My son hasn’t given you any trouble?”

Keigo stifled a laugh as Touya causing trouble was brought up yet again, “Of course not, I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Rei nodded, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes, “I’m glad to hear that… He could use a friend.”

“I’ve got plenty of friends.” Touya scoffed, leaning back in his seat some more.

Katsuki snorted.

Touya kicked his leg under the table.

Katsuki swore and stood, “I’ll fucking kill—”

“Watch your language in front of the Queen!!” Izuku hauled Katsuki back down.

“I’d like to see you try to kill me, you little brat.” Touya hissed, glaring at Katsuki.

Rei frowned, “Perhaps I should eat in my room…”

“No—please, Mom, stay.” Fuyumi pleaded.

“I’ll kick all of your asses if you don’t behave!” Rumi snapped at the troublemakers.

“Thank you, Rumi.” Rei sighed, closing her eyes.

Keigo, who was still down on his knee, stood up and gently took her hand, “Are you alright, your majesty?”

Rei’s eyes opened, a little surprised, “I’m fine, dear, just used to the quiet of my room is all… All this excitement is a bit much.” she told him.

“That’s understandable.” He offered a reassuring smile, “But it really would be wonderful if you could join us—I’m sure Rumi can keep everyone under control for one meal.”

“If she’s not too busy ogling my sister.” Touya snickered.

Fuyumi’s face turned a deep shade of red that nearly matched Keigo’s wings, “Touya–!” 

Keigo shot Touya a quick look before turning back to Rei, “and I’ll be happy to help if necessary… Not that Rumi needs any help, of course.”

“Touya’s all yours.” Rumi shrugged, going to take the seat across from where Fuyumi had been sitting, beside Shoto and his guards,  “I’ll deal with the brats.”

“I suppose I’ll stay then, if you and Rumi have things under control…” Rei said hesitantly.

Keigo smiled, “Perfect.”

He placed a gentle hand on her back and brought her to the table, pulling her seat out with a flourish. Once she was seated, he pushed her in before going to take his own seat.

Fuyumi returned to the table as well, offering a shy smile to Rumi as she settled in her seat.

Shortly after, servants filled the room, placing a variety of dishes in the middle of the table along with empty dishes for everyone to fill as they wished.

Keigo’s stomach growled loudly as he eyed it all, his pupils fully dilating.

Touya nudged him, “Take your gloves off while you eat.”

Keigo forced his gaze away from the delicious smelling food to his hands, “Do I have to…?”

“I guess not… but it’s kinda gross if you don’t.” Touya said, “No one’s gonna judge if you've got freaky looking hands.”

Keigo hesitated, thinking it over before sighing and hauling them off. His hands were relatively normal aside from the sharp talons he had in place of fingernails.

“Damn, Chickadee, you could do some real damage with those things.” Touya commented.

“Language.” Fuyumi hissed at her brother, but she also cast a wary glance at Keigo’s hands. She’d always been told faeries were dangerous.

Keigo grimaced; this was why he wore gloves around humans.

Once everything was served and everyone had said their thanks, it was time to dig in. Keigo filled his plate with a little bit of everything, eager to try it all. Human food rarely compared to anything made by faeries, but Keigo wasn’t a picky eater in the slightest.

As everyone dug in, Keigo took a moment to look around, noting the different personalities gathered around the table; Fuyumi was calm and quiet, sitting up straight and proper, but she kept casting shy glances towards Rumi. Keigo could easily guess that there was something going on between the two of them.

Shoto and Katsuki were both focused on their food, mostly ignoring everyone else at the table, while Izuku, friendly as ever, made quiet conversation with everyone.

“Careful with the curry—it’s spicy,” he warned when he saw Keigo reach for it.

Keigo nodded, his gaze lingering on the boy for a moment. He was still amazed by how much the kid looked like King Hisashi.

“Thanks for the warning; I’ve got a pretty good spice tolerance, though.” He flashed him a smile.

In fact, he couldn’t really taste the heat of spicy food at all; much like a bird, he couldn’t taste capsaicin, so all he got were the other delicious flavours in the food. Of course, he always liked to see how far he could push this, but had yet to find any limit to it.

“Seriously, Keigo, it’s super ho–” Touya tried to warn, but stopped as Keigo took a bite of the curry to prove his point.

“That’s almost impressive.” Katsuki said, having glanced up from his meal.

Keigo gave a polite smile as he reached to serve some rice onto his plate.

Touya just stared, shocked by Keigo’s nonreaction. 

“Stop undressing him with your eyes, Touya.” Rumi teased him between bites, grinning devilishly as Touya’s ears reddened.

“As if you're one to talk! You look at Fuyumi like you want to eat her alive!” Touya shot back, visibly flustered.

“Maybe I do.” Rumi shrugged and went back to her meal, grinning as both Touya and Katsuki loudly protested their disgust.

“You can’t say shit like that!!” Kastuki yelled.

“That’s fucking gross!! There are children here!” Touya gagged, gesturing to the teenagers.

“Don’t call me a fucking child!!” Katsuki threw a bread roll at Touya.

Fuyumi glared at them, her face a deep shade of red,  “All of you! Behave yourselves!”

Keigo looked over at Rei as chaos erupted; her frail smile made him a bit sad. She seemed so disconnected from everyone around her, as if she were just a spectator in her own family’s drama. Keigo had a difficult time reading her, but suspected that the poor woman had been through a lot.

“So…what made you come to our kingdom?” Rei asked suddenly when she noticed Keigo watching her, her soft voice making everyone immediately fall quiet.

Keigo smiled, “I was hoping to find a place to call home,” he told her, “I never felt like I belonged back in my old kingdom.”

“And you didn’t run the second you met Touya?” Katsuki scoffed.

Keigo laughed, “No, I saw no need to.” He said, “Touya is charming in his own, unique way.”

“Charming? Unique?” Touya laughed now too, grinning widely, “C’mon now, I’m a pain in the ass, and you know it.”

“I stand by my statement.” Keigo grinned back at him, eyes glinting with amusement.

Keigo noticed that Rei was watching them closely, her smile a bit more genuine now. She was happy to see her son, so angry and alone, was getting along so well with someone.

It made him feel worse for what he had to do.

“I’m happy you came to our kingdom, Keigo, and I hope you’ll stay with my son for a long while.” Rei said.

“Of course.” Keigo nodded, “I’ll stay as long as he’ll have me.”

“And you’ll keep him safe and out of trouble, I hope?” the queen asked, her smile faltering slightly.

“Of course, I’ll protect him with my life.” Keigo nodded, internally grimacing as he promised that for the second time that day, “I was hoping to train as a guard as well so I could serve him better.”

Rei nodded, “If you think you can handle serving and guarding him, then you’re welcome to do so.”

After that, everyone seemed to settle; quietly discussing plans for Keigo’s training, as well as the upcoming festival. Keigo was quiet, only speaking when spoken to and focusing more on listening as he ate.

~♡~

Keigo followed Touya through the quiet halls, their footsteps echoing as they made their way back up to their bedrooms.

“That was eventful.” He broke the silence with a soft laugh.

Touya chuckled, “If you think that was bad, you don’t want to come to the dinners with Natsuo and Enji.”

“They don’t get along?” Keigo asked, his head tilting. Finally, something that might actually be useful.

“Nah, Natsuo hates Enji’s guts for the shit he put us all through—then again, so do I.” he said, falling quiet.

“Am I allowed to ask what he put you through?” Keigo asked hesitantly.

“You can, but I’m not going to answer.” Touya said, shoulders tensing. 

As they turned down the corridor where their bedrooms were, Keigo asked, “Your brother’s scar…was it–”

“Mom did it.” Touya cut him off coldly, his gaze darkening, “Enji pushed her well past her breaking point, and she snapped.”

Keigo just stared. For once he didn’t know how to respond.

It was hard to believe that the woman he’d met had done such a thing. That someone so quiet and seemingly docile could be pushed to scar her own child.

As they reached their rooms, Touya gave a slight nod, “Get me up at seven o’clock tomorrow; I want to sleep in.”

“As you wish.” Keigo said, his voice barely a whisper, but Touya had already vanished into his bedroom.

 

Notes:

Edited the tags a bit to add more detail now that I've plotted out a few more things.

Chapter 5: No Choice

Keigo took a slow, deep breath once the door was shut behind him. The sound of it clicking softly into place was a welcome relief. Especially after what he’d gone through during dinner.

He was finally alone. 

He could finally drop the act.

He didn't need to wear the face of the charming servant who wanted nothing more than to keep his prince happy and safe. He didn't have to smile or bow at every person he met, making false promises and answering questions that he wasn't supposed to. 

He suddenly realized his cheeks and jaw ached from smiling so much and let the facade fully drop, his features falling into a neutral, relaxed expression.

He made his way around the room, taking in every detail. He doubted the king had any way of spying on him, but he knew it was better to be safe than sorry. He moved quickly, carefully examining everything.

It really was far more luxurious than he was used to...not that that was much of a stretch.

His first stop was the desk. It was mostly empty with just a small clock sitting on it, quietly ticking away. In the top drawer he found an empty notebook and a pen…Nothing of interest, but he picked each item up, searching for signs of enchantments.

The dresser was similarly empty, save for some extra blankets stored in the bottom drawer. Keigo knelt down and pulled them out, shaking each one to make sure nothing was hidden inside and tossing them beside the bed when he was done.

His things were stored in a couple of small bags that had been brought up by another servant and placed beside the dresser. He took a moment to unpack and make sure nothing inside the bag had been tampered with or touched.

He hadn’t brought much, just clothes really. His wings were his weapons, and he only needed his mind to spy.

With a quiet sigh, Keigo moved on to the bed, pulling off the blankets and inspecting each one closely for any signs of tampering. It all felt ridiculous, but in the end, it allowed him to remake the bed to his own liking; which was really more of a nest than anything.

He wandered into the bathroom next, finding it stocked with everything he could possibly need; soap, shampoo, towels, and even a toothbrush. Everything was there, all prepared for him. Still, he checked everything. Shaking out the towels, refolding them neatly. 

He glanced at the tub and considered taking a nice, long bath, but he knew his wings would take too long to dry, and he didn’t want to try to sleep with wet feathers.

Instead, he left the bathroom and made his way out onto the balcony, taking a deep breath as soon as the fresh air hit him. The air was cooler than it had been, but it was still comfortably warm.

He stood there for a moment, watching over the land below, before climbing up to sit on the rail with his feet dangling below.

He knew he should be getting ready to sleep, but his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts; he found that he really didn’t want to go through with his assignment. Sure, it had only been a day, but he liked Touya and his family.

Well…most of his family. King Enji left something to be desired, but he still wasn’t as evil as King Hisashi.

He stared up at the stars, silently counting them in an attempt to calm his mind.

1…2..3…

He had to do this.

16…17…..

He didn’t have a choice.

30…31..

His father would hunt him down and drag him back, no matter what it took.

50…51…52…

He’d lock him in that tiny room and never let him out again.

…70…..

King Hisashi would make sure that he never flew again if he failed.

…

Keigo lost count of the stars and scowled, climbing down from the rail and going back inside to his bed.

He had to go through with this.

Chapter 6: Settling In

Notes:

Tried to write a little bit from Touya's POV in this one. Hope y'all enjoy.

It was early the next morning when Keigo woke up, the sun peeking through the curtains and shining in his eyes. He really should’ve pulled them shut the night before.

He groaned softly and arched his back into a stretch before sitting up and blinking lazily at the clock across the room. He still had a few hours before he was expected to get Touya out of bed and to the dining room for breakfast.

He stretched again, spreading his wings as much as he could while inside, before dragging himself out of bed and to the bathroom. He splashed his face with cool water, running his damp hands through his hair in a sorry attempt to tame it before staring at his reflection in the mirror.

It was time for another long day of acting.

Before he could do much else, there was a knock at his bedroom door, “You up yet, Chickadee?”

So much for the prince sleeping in. Keigo had hoped to do some snooping before he had to get him out of bed. Nonetheless, he went to the door and plastered on a smile.

Touya was there, his hand lifted to knock a second time, “Oh, you are up,” he said, “Good, I couldn’t sleep.”

Keigo stared at the prince, who was still in his pyjamas. “So you thought you’d come to prevent me from sleeping too?” 

“Exactly.” Touya pushed his way into the room, “Aren’t birds supposed to like early mornings?”

“Depends on the bird.” Keigo yawned, his smile faltering as Touya forced his way in and watched as he went to flop down onto his bed.

Touya nestled himself into the blankets, making himself comfortable, “Don’t worry, we don’t have to go downstairs for breakfast just yet.” he told Keigo, “Unless you want to?

“Will your family be joining us for breakfast?” Keigo asked, moving to his dresser to pick out some clothes for the day.

“Probably not.” Touya said, “Shoto studies in the morning and usually eats before everyone else, Fuyumi visits Rumi for breakfast most days and Natsuo has been spending so much time helping in the infirmary that I doubt we’ll see him at all– and Enji’s away, and Mom doesn’t usually eat with the rest of us anyways.”

Keigo’s gaze softened a bit as he listened to Touya, “Do you usually eat breakfast alone?”

“Yeah, I’m used to it… but it might be nice to have some company for once.” Touya turned his gaze to Keigo, eyes wandering along the man’s back. Keigo had changed into a comfortable pair of pants the night before and hadn’t bothered with a shirt– he hadn’t expected company but was now thankful that he had been cautious enough to not sleep in his underwear.

The sun shining in through the window seemed to highlight the contours of Keigo’s body, drawing attention to the lean muscles that rippled beneath his skin. His frame was strong and lean; built for speed more than anything else.

Touya couldn’t help but notice the scars that traced along Keigo’s sun-kissed skin, surrounded by soft freckles. Some were old and faded, while others looked like they had only been there for days. He wondered who gave Keigo those scars and why he suddenly wanted to hurt them so badly. While he wasn’t sure he entirely trusted the newcomer, Keigo had been kinder to him than most people in his life, and anyone willing to hurt him deserved scars of their own.

He let his eyes wander lower, following the scars, only to feel his face grow warm as he realized what he had been doing. His pulse quickened, and he looked away, trying to cool down.

Keigo suddenly turned, catching Touya just as he was looking away, “Enjoying the view?” he teased.

Touya threw a pillow at him, “Fuck off– I was just trying to see the clothes you were picking out.”

“You’re interested… in my clothes…?” Keigo asked slowly, his eyebrow raising slightly. He didn’t believe him for a second.

“Faeries dress different than humans.” Touya huffed, staring at the ceiling now, “Your clothes are all soft and flowy and…revealing.” he scowled, his face turning a deep shade of red.

“That they are.” Keigo mused, “Although, in my defence, open back shirts are a must.” he spread his wings out a little.

Touya rolled his eyes, but there was an undeniable glint of amusement in them as he watched Keigo flaunt his wings, “Yeah, whatever,” he chuckled,. “You’d probably wear that shit even if you didn’t have wings to accommodate.”

“You’re not wrong.” Keigo laughed softly, grinning at Touya warmly.

Touya watched as Keigo pulled on a shirt; a loose, black thing with no sleeves and, of course, an open back. He tilted his head, noting the way Keigo tucked his wings in against himself as he pulled the shirt over his head before sliding them through the back’s opening. He couldn’t help but admire how Keigo seemed to move so effortlessly…at least until Keigo hauled his pants off to change them.

“Have you no shame?!” Touya sputtered and threw another pillow, covering his eyes with one hand, “At least warn me before you do that!!”

Keigo laughed, taking the opportunity to change his underwear while Touya’s eyes were covered, “Nah, shame is for the weak,” he joked, “and c’mon, the way you were staring earlier, it’s not like you don’t like what you see.”

He grabbed a pair of fitted pants, the material soft to the touch, and slid them on.

“How are you so comfortable with this shit??” Touya questioned, peeking between his fingers at him.

“What can I say? I have nothing to hide.” Keigo lied, before changing the subject, “Now, do you want to get dressed before we go down for breakfast?”

Touya sat up, “I guess–”

“You could borrow some of my clothes, you know?” Keigo offered with a teasing grin, “if you wanted to show a bit of skin.”

“No fucking way.” Touya scowled, but there was no real bite to his tone, “I’ll go get dressed and then come back here.”

“Of course,” Keigo smiled, “whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

He watched as Touya got up and practically ran out of the room, snickering softly behind the flustered prince.

~♡~

Touya practically slammed the door once he was in his room, his face still hot with embarrassment. 

That damned bird and his damned teasing was going to be the death of him. He didn’t even want to go get breakfast yet, but running off to get dressed had been his only escape from Keigo and his stupid, pretty smile.

He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, before stalking to his wardrobe to get dressed. A basic black button-up and pants would suffice for the day.

He scowled at his reflection, feeling rather bland compared to the faerie in the next room. He grabbed a few pieces of jewellery, silver rings, and a matching chain to go around his neck, a sapphire gem hanging from it.

It wasn’t much, but it did seem to help.

He looked around his room, looking for anything else he could do to kill time. But there was nothing there except some paperwork on his desk, and he knew there would be plenty of that to go around after breakfast.

So he made his way out of his room.

Keigo was waiting for him outside and immediately moved to his side, one hand reaching up to fix his hair.

“Did you even brush your hair?” Keigo asked, as if his hair was any better. Touya noticed that the faerie was wearing his gloves again.

“Like you're one to talk.” Touya scoffed and swatted his hand away, “C’mon, let’s go get breakfast.”

“As you wish.” Keigo hummed, following Touya through the quiet halls.

They walked in silence, and Keigo took the opportunity to just listen. There weren’t many servants on the go just yet, but there was enough that Keigo was able to gather bits of information.

One conversation in particular caught his attention; something about a creepy faerie prisoner in the dungeon that was always threatening to turn anyone who got too close to dust. Keigo couldn’t help but think that that sounded all too familiar and wondered if the prince he had served before was locked away somewhere.

He’d tear this kingdom apart if he was.

Still, he kept up with Touya despite wanting to hear more. He’d have to do some digging later on. If he could find Tomura, he might actually be able to find a way out of his current life.

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn’t realize that they had reached the kitchen and Touya was holding the door for him.

“You keep holding doors for me.” he noted as he walked into the room, “I’m not complaining–but shouldn’t it be the other way around? I'm the servant here, after all.”

Touya shrugged, “I figured your wings might get caught if you’re not all the way through,” he explained, “figured me holding doors for you would prevent that.”

Keigo stared for a moment. It was rare that anyone was so considerate of him.

“Thank you…” 

“Of course.” Touya shrugged, “You stay here, I’ll grab enough for both of us, and then we can go eat in the garden.”

Before Keigo could respond, Touya had gone over to where the cooks were working and grabbed a tray with a couple of plates and bowls stacked on it, which he promptly loaded up with a variety of foods.

Touya had noticed how the faerie had tried a little bit of everything the night before, so he did the same for him now; fried eggs with runny yolks, toast that had been slathered in strawberry jam, as well as three different kinds of meat; juicy sausages, a slice of honey-glazed ham, and thick slices of bacon.

He piled an assortment of fruits—slices of oranges and apples, a variety of fresh berries, and a bundle of grapes—for each of them. With Keigo’s fruit, he placed a bowl of yogurt mixed with honey.

Touya took a moment to admire his work before grabbing two cups of coffee, and two glasses of orange juice. Carefully, he carried the tray back to Keigo, his movements smooth despite having to balance the piles of food he carried.

Keigo couldn’t help but stare at it all. He was sure he had seen more food in the past two meals than he’d seen in his whole life.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I grabbed a little of everything.” Touya explained vaguely, “Now c’mon, let’s go before the cooks yell at me for taking this much.”

“That’s so much food.” Keigo stated the obvious but obediently followed his prince.

Touya chuckled, “I gotta put some meat on those bones somehow; I can’t have you going hungry.”

He led Keigo out to the garden and settled on a soft patch of grass, setting the tray between them, “Dig in.”

Keigo happily obliged. 

~♡~

They stayed in the garden, eating and chatting away in the sun all morning. While Keigo hadn’t learned anything particularly useful, he had gotten to know the prince better.

He had learned about the prince’s tendency to get motion sickness and about his rebellious hair-dying habits. He had learned a little about Tenko and his relationship with the prince.

Apparently they had met when Tenko attempted to pickpocket the prince and had gotten caught. Rather than have him arrested, Touya had pestered the faerie until he agreed to go on a date with him. Tenko had been grumpy and reluctant at first, but once he warmed up to Touya, he had become rather clingy– not that Touya was complaining, of course. He thought it was sweet.

He had shared a few details about himself, like the fact that he wore gloves to hide his talons because he didn’t want to scare people. He also shared a bit about his past relationship with Prince Tomura and how, similar to Tenko, he had been mean and standoffish at first only to become clingy after warming up.

On the topic of Tomura, Keigo had been about to ask about what he had heard about the threatening dungeon dweller but was interrupted when a kitchen worker came outside to gather their dishes.

Touya groaned and stretched once they had left again, “Damn, I really don’t want to go back in, but I have a bunch of paperwork to take care of…” he complained, “I gotta spend the day in a stuffy library when it’s so nice out… You’re welcome to go off and do something else if you like.”

“What sort of paperwork?” Keigo asked, sitting up from where he'd been lying in the grass.

“Uh… just treaties and stuff, pretty boring honestly.” Touya explained vaguely as he stood up, “My eyes glaze over just thinking about it… You'd be better off going to find Rumi and doing some training.”

Keigo nodded and hauled himself to his feet, “I think I'll explore the castle some more and then do that– that said, I would like to see the library.”

“Whatever you want, Chickadee.” Touya drawled, leading Keigo back into the castle.

Keigo was a bit sad to leave the warm, fresh air, but he knew it had to be done. So he walked along beside Touya, close enough that the tips of his feathers occasionally brushed up against the prince. He found himself moving even closer as the halls crowded with more servants.

The library was looking more and more appealing by the second.

“You ok, Chickadee?” Touya’s voice drew his attention, and he felt the prince’s warm hand on his back.

“Yeah, just not a fan of crowds.” Keigo admitted, trying to relax, “When did you say that festival was again?”

“At the end of the week,” Touya told him as they reached the library, “so we’ll only have to deal with crowded halls for a few more days.”

He opened the door, letting Keigo go first before following him in.

The quiet atmosphere allowed Keigo’s anxiety to melt away, his shoulders and wings relaxing as he looked around.

The shelves were seemingly endless and were stacked high with a variety of books dating back 100s of years or more. The sunlight shone through the large windows, the beams highlighting the bits of dust in the air.

This would be the perfect spot to gather information on the kingdom.

“Look around as much as you like; I’ll be in the back working.” Touya said as he slipped past Keigo, “Just let me know if you leave.”

“Alright.” Keigo nodded, watching the prince go quietly before letting himself get lost in the neverending stacks of books.

~♡~

Two hours later, Keigo had found a whole lot of nothing.

While there were hundreds of books in the library, they were all old and out of date. He would have to find his information another way, or at least in a different library. Maybe the guards would be willing to share, especially Izuku. The boy seemed to be the type to overshare. 

And if nothing else, eavesdropping was always a valid option.

So, he made his way over to Touya, “I’m going to go see Rumi about training,” he told him before plucking one of his feathers and giving it to the prince, “If you need anything, just call me, and I’ll hear through this… If it’s an emergency, break it.”

Touya took the feather and looked it over, running his fingers along the soft bristles and watching as a slight shiver went through the faerie, “Alright, thanks.”

Keigo gave a final nod and slipped out of the dusty library, heading straight outside. He inhaled deeply as he made it out without being stopped, stretching out his wings fully to let the sun warm them. While he was still doing a job, this small bit of freedom felt truly wonderful.

He made his way down the beaten path to where Touya had brought him earlier, humming to himself as he reached the field and saw Rumi running laps.

When she saw him, she stopped by the fence where he approached, “Hey bird-brain, you decided to sneak away from your prince?”

Keigo nodded, “If I’m going to become a guard, I’m going to need some training.” 

“Fair enough.” Rumi nodded, “I want to test the skills you’ve got already first before we start training, that way, I can figure out where to start with you.” 

Keigo nodded along as he listened, “Of course.”

“So I’m guessing that your strongest asset is your speed?” Rumi asked him, grinning wildly as Keigo nodded, “Alright, I want to see just how fast you can go—no showing off or stealing flags, just fly.”

Keigo nodded once more, listening as she told him how far to go. Once she was done, he took off in a blur of red feathers. He had always been fast, but his father and the king had pushed him his whole life. He had to be quick and efficient with everything he did.

So his eyes locked onto the distant tower Rumi had pointed out to him. It was the furthest one from where they had been standing that could still be seen from the ground. It was a few hundred meters away, but it was nothing for Keigo…he was born and raised for this.

It only took him about 30 seconds to fly to the tower and back. No loops, no showing off how high he could go, nothing that would slow him down. Just straight to the tower and back, where he perched on the fence in front of Rumi.

“Damn, that’s pretty impressive.” Rumi grinned, “Now do it again, but while carrying me.”

Keigo tilted his head, looking down at her. Sure, she was fairly short, but she was all muscle.

“Scared you can’t do it, Birdie?” She teased.

Keigo shook his head, “No, just trying to guess how much you weigh with those muscles.” He hopped down from his perch and scooped her up.

She let out a startled gasp before laughing and wrapping her arms around his neck, “You’re stronger than you look– I thought your scrawny ass wouldn’t even be able to lift me.”

“I mean, I was training to be a guard back home too.” Keigo pointed out, “Now, you might want to close your eyes… The wind can be harsh at high speeds.” he warned, “I’d normally wear some sort of eye protection, but I left them up in my room.”

Rumi nodded, “Stop and perch on the tower when you get there; I’ve always wanted to see the view from up there.”

Keigo nodded and waited for her to close her eyes before taking off towards the tower once more.

“Holy shit–” Rumi laughed when she felt the wind, tightening her grip on Keigo. 

Seconds later they were perched on top of the tower, overlooking the whole kingdom.

Keigo set Rumi down but kept a hold of her arm to keep her steady.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped, “Damn–it’s beautiful up here.” she said, “I can only imagine what it’d be like watching the sunset from up here.”

Keigo nodded, “It’s nice to see a kingdom that’s so…lively.” he told her, watching as people below milled about, many of them setting up for the upcoming festival, ‘Back home, everything was so… dull.” he sighed, “I think a lot of people were scared to leave their homes, let alone throw any kind of festival.”

Rumi looked up at him, “That sounds awful… King Enji isn’t the nicest man—and quite frankly, he’s a shit husband and a shittier father—but he’s a good ruler.” she went on, “he makes sure that everyone is taken care of…”

“Everyone except his own family?” Keigo asked.

Rumi nodded solemnly, “Exactly… Is it really that obvious? I mean, you’ve only been here a day, and you already see it…”

“I’m fairly observant, but I think anyone could see the way he neglects Touya–” he told Rumi, “I mean, he barely even introduced us yesterday; just told Touya I was his new servant and then ignored us entirely.”

Rumi nodded, “You think he’d pay more attention to the son that nearly killed himself with his own power.”

Keigo turned to Rumi, his eyes widening a bit, “he wasn’t just saying that to freak me out?”

Rumi shook her head, “No, it was long before I was hired, but when he was around…13, I think, he got all wild about wanting to use his magic and get stronger.” she said, “he was so desperate to prove himself to his father so he went off into the woods to practice.”

She frowned, “he started a big forest fire, it took weeks to put it out and even longer to find him, and he was barely alive when he was found.” she explained, “There were guards that had followed him to try to stop him… They were never found.”

Keigo’s eyes grew wider and wider, “he must’ve been so scared…” he said softly, his voice barely heard over the wind.

Rumi nodded, “He’s lucky he survived…We’ve got a medic in the castle, Chiyo, she did as much as she could to help him recover, but it was a slow and painful process.”

“And he’s still got scars.” Keigo noted, “That’s why he’s not allowed to use his powers?”

Rumi nodded, “Exactly.”

“Damn…” Keigo murmured, staring out over the kingdom.

Rumi looked at him, “What about you? You got a tragic past like your prince?”

Keigo laughed softly and shook his head, “Nothing I want to delve into… My father wasn’t a kind man by any means, and neither was the king I worked for, but that’s all anyone needs to know.”

“Fair enough.” Rumi nodded, admiring the view a moment longer before deciding, “I think I’m ready to go back down to the ground.”

“Of course.” Keigo smiled, but Rumi noticed that it didn’t quite reach his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him and let him scoop her up once more.

 

Chapter 7: Definitely Not a Date

Keigo spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and training with Rumi. As it turned out, she liked to talk quite a bit and was quite generous when sharing information about the royal family.

She shared little, useless bits of information, like Fuyumi wanting to be a teacher and Natsuo having a not-so-secret relationship with one of the maids. But she also shared Touya's past with his father, and about Shoto getting his scar when the queen was pushed too far by Enji’s abuse. How Enji ignored his older kids in favour of pushing Shoto’s powers past every possible limit ever since he was a small child.

Keigo came to the conclusion that, good ruler or not, Enji was a monster.

When they had stopped for lunch, he had made a point to ask if she knew anything about the prisoner that he had heard the servants chatting about that morning, but she had shut him down quite firmly. Apparently family trauma wasn’t off-limits for conversation, but prisoners were. He would have to dig up that information elsewhere.

After that, Rumi had put him through more tests. She wanted to see how well he could fight, both with a sword and with just his hands. Not wanting to raise suspicions, he held back during these tests and did just enough to prove himself capable. Speed was truly his strong suit anyways.

After a few hours, Touya showed up. He hadn’t been able to hide the amused grin that spread across his face when he saw how filthy Keigo was after Rumi’s many, many tests.

“Damn, Chickadee, are you sure you want to be a guard?” he teased.

Keigo rolled his eyes, “Of course I do.” He shot back, “I mean, I’ve got to be stronger if I’m going to be keeping you out of trouble.”

He didn’t want to let on that he knew about Touya’s past, just acting the same as he had prior to learning the information.

Touya snorted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about; I’m an angel.”

“A fallen one?” Rumi piped up, going over and slapping Touya on the back playfully– which easily knocked the wind out of him.

“Rude-” Touya wheezed, coughing a bit.

“Careful, Rumi, you might break him.” Keigo chuckled, going over to make sure Touya was okay, “All done with your paperwork?”

Touya nodded, taking a breath and regaining some composure, “Yeah, I figured I’d take you down to the village for dinner.” He said, draping an arm around Keigo’s shoulders, “You might want to get a bath first, though.”

Keigo grinned, “Really now? You taking me somewhere fancy for our date, or will you just not be seen with me like this?”

Touya sputtered a bit when Keigo called it a date, his ears turning red, “Oh, fuck off– it’s not a date– it’s just dinner.”

“It’s not?” Keigo leaned into him a little, a playful grin on his face. Flirting could prove dangerous, but he couldn’t help himself; Touya’s face was hilarious when he was flustered, “Am I not your type? You certainly seemed to like me this morning when you snuck into my room.”

Touya felt his face grow hot as he stared at Keigo, “S-shut up–” was all he managed to say, putting a hand on his servant's face and shoving him away. Still, he couldn’t hide the grin that had crept onto his face.

He definitely thought Keigo was attractive, and his father would never approve of them being together, which Touya definitely enjoyed… But he still didn’t trust his new servant. The faerie was sweet and had a pretty face, but there was something unsettling about him.

Keigo just laughed and let himself be shoved away.

Rumi raised a brow at them, tilting her head to one side as an amused smile crossed her features. It was nice to see Touya happy, especially after Tenko– also known as Prince Tomura, had been arrested. She couldn’t help but notice the red feather that now hung from a chain around his neck.

She hated the fact that she couldn’t tell him, or Keigo when he had asked about him, but she was sworn to secrecy. The king had threatened her job. And if the dangerous faerie prince were to escape because of her? She could get thrown in the dungeon herself.

She watched as Touya and Keigo bickered playfully, teasing each other about whether or not it was a date, and prayed to whatever god might listen that the King wouldn’t find out about this relationship like he did the last one.

“Are you two going for dinner, or are you just going to flirt all night?” she asked them, snickering as both of their faces reddened.

“I mean, open to flirting all night.” Keigo cooed, laughing as Touya shoved him.

“Go get a bath, chickadee, and meet me in the gardens when you're done.” The prince scowled, “Date or not, you're filthy.”

With that, he stormed off to get ready for their not-date.

Keigo and Rumi watched him go before looking at each other and laughing.

“You better hurry, Bird-brain.” Rumi laughed, “Don’t want to keep Prince Charming waiting.”

Keigo grinned widely and nodded, “I’ll see you around.” he said before taking off, flying to his room’s balcony. 

He all but ran to his bathroom once he landed, filling the tub with warm water and sweet-smelling bubbles. While he waited, he preened his wings, picking out any feathers that were looking especially dirty or even just a bit dull.

He took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of spiced vanilla filling the bathroom. The smell was arguably a bit feminine, but Keigo didn’t mind. It smelled heavenly, and that’s all that really mattered. Even if this wasn’t a real date, he wanted to look and smell his best.

He peeled off his filthy clothes and sunk into the warm water. 

~♡~

Meanwhile, Touya paced back and forth in his own room. Clothes were thrown about, and he found himself frustrated that he had nothing that seemed fit for…

No. This wasn’t a date. It couldn’t be a date…could it?

He shook his head and flopped onto his bed with a frustrated groan. He slid his hands up through his hair, causing it to stick up in every direction, and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to process what he was feeling.

Emotions had never been something he’d been good at. In fact, his emotions often got him into trouble; he felt too much too intensely, and that always led to trouble.

Sitting up with a frustrated huff, he picked up a shirt from the bed and threw it onto the floor with the rest. He barely even knew Keigo; they had only spent one day together! He couldn’t be feeling anything for him yet.

“This isn’t a date.” he told himself for what felt like the hundredth time, “It’s just dinner.”

He tried to push away the thoughts of Keigo’s teasing laughter and the way his nose crinkled up when he grinned, focusing on the mess of clothes on the floor. 

He wasn’t taking Keigo anywhere fancy, just a small pub that was on the outskirts of the village. It was small but welcoming, and the food and drinks were to die for. There was no need for formal attire, and yet he knew Keigo would come out of his room in the softest, flowing fabrics that showed far too much skin.

Touya got up and went to his wardrobe again, finding that he had all but emptied it. But there was something that finally caught his eye: a deep blue shirt with a laced-up neckline. The sleeves of it were still rolled up from the last time he’d worn it.

He picked it up and looked it over. There was a floral pattern on the shirt, only a shade or two darker than the rest of it and it was made of a silky material. It was also a bit wrinkled, but it was the first thing he’d found that he actually liked, so, wrinkles aside, it would have to do.

He grabbed a simple pair of black pants and boots, as well as a long black coat. Warm weather or not, the coat made him look like a badass. Plus, it hid some of the wrinkles in his shirt.

When he was done, he turned to look at himself in the mirror and immediately groaned.

He looked like a pirate.

~♡~

Keigo finished shaking out his wings on the balcony, getting them as dry as he could in the remainder of the sunlight, before going inside to finish getting dressed.

He had already chosen a pair of dark brown pants and black boots; now he just needed a shirt. Given that he wasn’t sure where Touya was taking him, he wasn't exactly sure how formal he needed to dress. Sure, all his clothes were nice by his own standards…but human standards were different, to say the least.

He picked up an ivory shirt with billowy sleeves and a lace-up neckline. It was simple, but a good base. Keigo put it on, sliding his wings through the opening in the back, before decorating the outfit with gold chains and earrings. Lastly, he put on his beloved gloves. He considered adding a jacket to his outfit, but doubted he’d need it, so he moved on to ‘fixing’ his hair– which really just consisted of roughing it up with a towel to dry it and running his hands through it a couple of times.

Satisfied by what he saw in the mirror, he made his way down to the gardens; making a point to fly from his balcony instead of walking through the busy castle halls again.

He grinned widely when he saw that Touya was there waiting for him, in a flowing coat and tall boots that made Keigo think of a pirate. 

The look suited him, Keigo thought.

“Hey.” Touya greeted him with a nod when Keigo landed in front of him, “Figured you’d avoid the crowd by flying?”

Keigo nodded, “Yeah, my wings are faster than my legs anyways.” he said, reaching out to feel the fabric of Touya’s coat, “You look great.”

“I look like I should be sailing the sea in search of rum and treasure.” Touya snorted, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. He was already too warm.

“Well, the look suits you,” Keigo said, reaching up to brush a bit of hair out of Touya’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly feeling so touchy, “That said, you’d be a terrible pirate.”

“Excuse you– I’d be an excellent pirate!” Touya huffed and swatted Keigo’s hand away, his cheeks growing hot.

“But you’d get seasick.” Keigo pointed out, “You told me yourself that you get motion sickness.”

Touya opened his mouth to argue, only to realize Keigo was right, “How dare you actually pay attention to what I tell you.”

“It’d be rude not to.” Keigo said with an amused hum before asking, “So are we going on this date or not?”

“It’s not a date.” Touya huffed before turning to leave, “Let’s go.”

Keigo grinned and followed the prince. This was going to be fun.

They made their way through the gardens quietly, a light breeze rustling through the surrounding plants. The faint sound of frogs and crickets chirping had already started to fill the air around them. Eventually they made their way through the castle gates and down a flight of steps to the village below, where the chirping was gradually replaced by the chatter of villagers.

“You know, it would be faster if I flew us down here.” Keigo pointed out as he looked around, watching as people set up in the center of town for the upcoming festival. Lanterns and banners were strung up on poles, and vendor booths were decorated with flowers and strings of tiny lights that made Keigo think of fireflies.

“You know I get motion sickness, and you want me to fly?” Touya scoffed.

Keigo shook his head, “I’d hold you steady… I can fly pretty evenly when I need to.”

“Right– let’s stick to the ground for now.” Touya rolled his eyes and looked at Keigo. The golden light of the setting sun made the faerie glow even more than usual, the warm light reflecting off his tanned skin and vibrant feathers. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he flashed Touya a smile.

Touya suddenly found it a bit hard to breathe.

“Do I have something on my face?” Keigo asked, noticing the prince staring at him. His eyes really were perfect; so bright and shiny and full of emotions that he couldn’t quite read.

“No.” Touya forced his gaze away, “You just…you look nice.”

Keigo felt his cheeks grow warm, and he looked away, “Oh– thank you.” he said, wondering why he suddenly felt shy.

He felt his heart rate quicken; he couldn’t be feeling like this! Not only was he supposed to kill this prince, but they hardly even knew each other!

He focused his gaze on where they walked instead. ‘ It’s nothing more than a silly crush ,’ he told himself, ‘ it should be easy enough to ignore.’

Touya was having a similar dilemma. The last time he had fallen for someone this quickly, he had been abandoned. He couldn’t let that happen again.

He let out a breath of relief as they made it to the pub, where the door was propped open. The air filled with the sound of laughter and music, and the comforting smells of stews and curries drew them in.

Touya rested a hand on Keigo’s back, leading him to a table in one of the back corners where it was less crowded.

“This place is lively.” Keigo commented, keeping close to the prince. Ignoring his feelings or not, Touya was a comforting presence in such a crowded space.

“It’s usually not this busy–guess the festival is drawing people in.” Touya said, pulling Keigo’s chair out for him.

Keigo said, adjusting his wings around the back of the chair, “Are you sure this isn't a date? You’re being quite the gentleman.”

“Definitely not a date.” Touya shook his head and went to settle in his own seat, “You said I had to buy you dinner before I asked about your trauma– so here I am, buying you dinner.”

Keigo couldn’t help but laugh, a wide grin spreading across his face and lighting up the room, “Is that what this is?”

“Of course.” Touya couldn’t help but grin back, “I want to know you better.”

“What? Are servants not allowed to have secrets in this kingdom?” Keigo asked.

Touya shook his head, “Most can, but not you.” he said, “I want to know everything I can about you– after all, you have to be completely nuts to stick around and put up with my shit.”

“So we’re just getting dinner and getting to know each other… Is that not a date?” 

“Are you falling for me already, Chickadee? You seem like you want this to be a date awfully bad.”

Keigo’s wings puffed up at that, his face reddening. So maybe he’d gone a bit too hard with the whole ‘date’ thing, and now Touya was leaning forward on the table, staring at him with those eyes and that stupid grin…

Before he could respond, a barmaid came over and placed menus on the table, “Can I get you two anything to drink?”

“Just water for now–” Keigo said, grimacing slightly despite being thankful for the distraction.

Touya chuckled and leaned back in his seat, “I’ll take my usual.”

She nodded and left to get their drinks.

Touya tapped on the menu, “You should try one of the actual drinks– some of ‘em have magical side effects…guess they're more like potions.”

Keigo turned his gaze to the menu, thankful for the distraction. 

Dragon’s Breath- A spicy beer that allows you to breathe fire. A favourite of our beloved king.

Sun’s Glory- A citrusy cider that will make your eyes glow for the next 12 hours.

Good Hearth's Brew - A hot spiced rum which is popular during long winter nights for the immediate feeling of warmth and calm that follows.

Witchwood Absinthe - A potent spirit the colour of moss. It has mild hallucinogenic properties.

Ginger Ale - This ale contains no ginger, but it will turn your hair a bright copper colour.

Mountain’s Bounty- A fine liquor, made using water from a glacier. Makes you feel cold no matter the weather.

Mandrake Mocha - a hot, creamy beverage with a narcotic effect. Dulls the pain, leading you into a deep slumber.

Werebear Beer - A local beer that will help you grow a beard. May cause hair to grow on other body parts as well.

The list seemed to go on forever, and that was just the magical drinks. Keigo moved his gaze to where the food was listed. It was a lot of curries and stews, all served with bread. There were also a variety of dumplings and skewered meat dishes.

“Want to try a little bit of everything again?” Touya’s voice drew his attention away from the menu.

Keigo laughed lightly and shook his head, “Nah, I’ll probably just go with some dumplings or one of the chicken skewers.” he said, “Maybe both…I’m starving after training with Rumi.”

Touya chuckled, “Whatever you want, Chickadee.”

Keigo looked at the menu again, “What drinks are good?”

“I usually get the mountain’s bounty… helps reduce the burning side effect of my power.” Touya said, “but the sun’s glory is good too… If you want something without the magical effects, the Nymph’s Blood is usually pretty good.”

Keigo looked at the list of drinks.

Nymph’s Blood- Made from berries and grapes not quite good enough for finer wines, this drink has a deep red colour. Every barrel tastes very different due to the varying nature of the ingredients.

He looked at Touya, “Any others?”

“Uhh… Tenko used to get the Honeymeade sometimes; I can’t stand the stuff, though… too sweet.” he said, “He liked the Mandrake Mocha too.”

Keigo nodded along, looking up as the barmaid returned with their drinks. “You boys ready to order?”

Touya nodded, “I’ll have the soba.” he told her, eyeing the glowing blue drink she’d placed in front of him.

“I’ll have the yakitori.” Keigo said once Touya was done ordering, “and The Sun's Glory to drink.”

She nodded, jotting down their orders before running off to another table.

Keigo looked around the pub now, tapping his foot along with the music played by a band on the other side of the room. He watched as people danced around on a makeshift dance floor–where tables had simply been pushed out of the way to make room.

“Want to dance?” Touya asked him.

Keigo shook his head with a laugh, “Not in a place like this; I’d probably knock someone out with my wings.”

“Some other time then?”

Keigo hesitated. Would there even be another time?

“We’ll see.”

The night went on, and they chattered away, Touya telling Keigo more about the upcoming festival. Apparently, it was to celebrate the anniversary of the war’s end. With all the thoughts of reigniting that war, Keigo hadn’t even realized that the anniversary was so close.

There would be a variety of food vendors from both this kingdom and others, as well as travelling vendors selling clothes and crafts, among other things. The vans playing at the pub would be there as well.

“Maybe I can get that dance then.” Touya mused, “We can sneak off somewhere less crowded where we can still hear the music.”

Keigo smiled softly and nodded, “Sure, if you haven’t grown tired of my teasing by then, I’d be happy to dance with you.”

Touya grinned at that. He loved music, and dancing, but rarely had the chance to do so. Tenko certainly hadn’t been willing to dance with him.

His smile faltered when Keigo suddenly jolted and whipped around to stare at one of the windows in the pub, “Something wrong, Chickadee?”

“I…” Keigo hesitated, still watching the window, “No, I uh… just thought I saw something—er, someone.” he shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

A second ago, he could’ve sworn he saw a shadowy figure made of mist with glowing eyes that had peered in through the window.

Touya leaned forward slightly, his brows knitting together. “You sure? You look spooked.”

Keigo forced a smile, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Their meals came soon after, and Keigo was able to relax with the help of magical booze and delicious food, but there was still something on his mind.

“Hey, do you know anything about the prisoners in the dungeon?” he asked Touya, staring at him with eyes that now glowed thanks to the drink he’d been sipping at.

The prince looked a bit taken aback by the question but shook his head, “Not really… I’m not allowed down there,” he said. “Only the king, his advisor, and the guards can go down there…why?”

“I overheard some servants talking this morning… Or maybe they were guards since they seemed to know more than they should, according to you,” Keigo said, “They were talking about a faerie prisoner that sounded an awful lot like Prince Tomura.”

Touya’s eyes widened. “Fuck—really?” he glanced around to make sure no one was listening before asking, “What did they say?”

“I didn’t hear much since we were headed to the kitchen, “Keigo admitted, “but they mentioned him threatening to turn people to dust.”

“He can turn people to dust?” Touya asked, clearly intrigued.

Keigo nodded, “All he’s got to do is touch someone or something with five fingers, and it decays.” he said, “It… It’s caused him a lot of pain, but his father insisted he use it.” he frowned deeply, “I made him gloves, ones that only covered half his hands, to wear when King Hisashi wasn’t around.”

Touya nodded, “Huh… Tenko used to wear gloves like that.” he said, “I figured he was just like this maid we used to have; everything she touched floated.” 

“Sounds like Tomura and Tenko have a lot in common.” Keigo said, brows furrowing a bit. Had they been talking about the same person this entire time? Or was it just a weird coincidence? 

“Yeah, I bet they’d hate each other.” Touya laughed, “I’ll ask around the castle and see what I can find out about that prisoner. I bet Izuku or Katsuki know something.”

Keigo nodded, “I was hoping to see Izuku when I went to train, but he wasn’t around… and Rumi wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Damn, she usually loves to hear herself talk.” Touya chuckled, “she tell you any of the family’s secrets?”

“She may have mentioned how awful your father is.” Keigo hummed, refusing to go into details unless asked.

“I figured she probably would… Guess you know how I got these burns now?” 

“I do… and how Shoto got his.”

“Damn, she really did tell you everything…”

~♡~

After dinner, they made their way out of the pub to find that the sun had gone down and the streets had mostly emptied.

“Want to stay out later, or are you ready for bed?” Touya asked.

Keigo looked up at him, his mind racing with thoughts of Tomura being trapped in the dungeon. Still, he forced a smile, “I’m fine with whatever you want to do.”

Touya hesitated, noticing how Keigo’s smile suddenly didn’t reach his eyes, “Do you still want this to be a date?” he asked, hoping to fix that.

Keigo let out a huff of a laugh and looked down. “I dunno, you were pretty insistent that it wasn’t one.”

He looked up again when he felt a warm arm wrap around his shoulders, finding that Touya was suddenly very close.

“C’mon, I want to show you something.”

 

Chapter 8: Secrets

“Are we even allowed out here??” 

Touya had led Keigo out of the village and into the surrounding woods, keeping to a trail at first before veering off into the darkness. Only the moon shining through the trees and the occasional firefly lit their path. They talked in hushed voices, Touya’s arm still wrapped around Keigo and keeping him close.

“Nope, but that’s the point.”

“Should I be worried?”

“What? You don’t trust me?”

Keigo paused, looking up at Touya. Did he trust him? He doubted that the prince would hurt him intentionally, but after what Rumi told him, he was a bit wary of the man’s power.

“I trust you not to hurt me, “ he answered, “but I do have a feeling you’re up to no good.”

“Normally, you’d be right about that, but I assure you my intentions are good.” Touya chuckled, “I’ve just got this spot I go to when I need to get away from everything…It’s quiet there, I think you’ll like it.”

“You trust me enough to share this place with me?” Keigo asked, honestly surprised considering the prince had accused him of being a spy just the day before.

“No, but it’s not really something you can use against me.” he said.

“Fair enough.” Keigo hummed, but he knew that a secret hiding spot could definitely be used against someone. 

As they ventured further into the woods, Keigo took note of their surroundings. The last thing he needed was for them to get lost. Soon, flowers started to appear on their path, scattered and scarce at first but gradually becoming more and more clustered.

His eyes widened as they reached a clearing; a small field full of flowers that bloomed bright despite the lack of sun. A lake sat in the middle, the water clear and glimmering in the moon’s light.

“It’s beautiful.” Keigo gasped, stepping away from Touya to spin around and look at everything.

Touya smiled as he watched him, “It is.” he said, “private too… If Tomura is in the dungeon and you want to plan to get him out, we can do so here.”

Keigo stopped spinning, staring at Touya with wide eyes, “You’d help me get him out?”

“Of course I would.” Touya said, “You clearly care about him a lot, and I want to meet him…He sounds a lot like Tenko, so I have a feeling we’d get along.” He grinned.

Keigo’s smile faltered when Touya mentioned Tenko. With all the similarities; both men were faeries, both of them were mean with a soft spot for people they grew fond of, and both wore partial gloves. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it was starting to add up.

But surely, Tomura would’ve killed Touya. Sure, the faerie prince had a softer side to him, but he despised humans… especially ones as flamboyant as Touya seemed to be.

He thought about what Touya told him, about how he and Tenko had met. Tenko had been attempting to pickpocket him… Or maybe he was attempting something far worse before getting caught and lying.

Or maybe Tomura had changed after running away. It was unlikely but possible.

As they moved to sit beside the lake, Keigo asked, “Tell me more about Tenko?”

“You want me to talk about my ex on our date?”

“I thought it wasn’t a date?”

“...fine…what do you want to know about him?”

Keigo thought it over, “Well, what did he look like?”

“Kind of crusty to be honest—the guy really didn’t have the best hygiene.” Touya laughed, “I still think he was pretty, though—his eyes were this deep scarlet colour, kind of like your wings but darker, and his hair was kinda curly? Or maybe it was just messy– it was a silvery-blue kinda colour.” He went on, “And it was long— like down past his collarbones.”

Keigo nodded along as he listened to Touya describe Tomura almost perfectly.

“He had a bunch of scars too– most of them came from his own scratching though.” Touya continued, “The poor guy’s skin was sensitive as hell, and everything seemed to make him itch.”

That confirmed it. Tenko was Tomura.

Keigo debated telling Touya this. He deserved to know, didn’t he? But Tomura- or Tenko- deserved his privacy. If he hadn’t wanted Touya to know his real identity, then Keigo wouldn’t be the one to reveal it. At least not yet…

“I hope you find him again.” Keigo said softly, resting a hand on Touya’s shoulder.

“What? After all the flirting you’ve been doing, you don’t want me for yourself?” Touya teased, grinning playfully.

“If you're into guys like the man you just described, I'm probably not your type.” Keigo mused, shaking his head, “And anyways, most faeries don't really care about monogamy.”

Touya laughed and flopped back into the soft grass,  “Maybe I should’ve been born a faerie,” he said, “Maybe then I wouldn’t be expected to marry some snooty princess and stay miserable for the rest of my life.”

Keigo lay beside him, turning onto his side, “You’re getting married?”

“Not any time soon… I keep scaring away the girls Enji tries to set me up with.” Touya sighed, “He doesn’t seem to understand that I like men.”

“Did you like any of them? Platonically, I mean.” Keigo asked curiously.

Touya thought for a moment, “There was Moe; she wasn’t as stuck up as the others…” he said, “kind of obnoxious though, also a raging lesbian…I’m pretty sure her and Rumi slept together.”

Keigo laughed, “Damn—” he grinned before asking, “About Rumi… Are she and your sister…?” He trailed off, unsure of how to even ask what he was thinking.

“They’re a couple, in secret of course.” Touya confirmed, “Well, not really secret… Everyone except Enji knows.”

“Your mom is ok with it?” Keigo asked.

“Mom just wants us to be happy.” Touya said, “But she’s so scared and exhausted that she doesn’t stand up for us.” He sighed, closing his eyes, “I used to hold it against her– still do to some extent, but I can’t really blame her.” He frowned, “Enji broke her… She was locked away for the longest time after she burnt Shoto.”

“Locked away?”

“Enji sent her to an asylum in another kingdom…she only came back about a year ago.” Touya explained, “I still don’t know how he managed to keep it a secret from the rest of the kingdom.”

“The more I hear about your dad, the less I like him.” Keigo grumbled.

“What’s your dad like?”

The question caught Keigo off guard. His father was truly terrible, and he’d give anything to escape him.

“About the same as yours, but with less power.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Keigo hesitated, trying to decide just how much he wanted to open up. It’s not like anyone would hear them…And it’s not like Touya would be able to share his secrets after he finished his job here.

“He used to beat me.” Keigo said quietly, “Not so much once I got big enough to fight back, but as a kid…”

Touya’s eyes opened, and he turned to face Keigo, his expression full of worry.

“And when he wasn’t beating me, he was locking me in tiny rooms and telling me I should never have been born… The abuse eased up when King Hisashi hired me to care for Tomura, but it definitely still went on behind the scenes and then got worse again when Tomura disappeared.” Keigo curled in on himself, “That’s… that’s why I ran away and came here.”

Touya moved closer and reached to run a hand through Keigo’s hair, “I’m glad you got away,” he told him, “and I’m glad you came here and that you were assigned to me.”

Keigo stared, eyes widening as Touya went on.

“We can keep each other safe.”

Keigo wanted to cry. He was supposed to kill this man, who currently looked him in the eyes and promised him safety. Could he really leave his whole life behind? Surely he’d be hunted down, and then they’d both be sorry.

“You don’t even know me.” he whispered.

“Does that really matter?” Touya wiped an escaped tear from Keigo’s cheek. Of course it mattered, Touya knew that. Keigo could still be a spy, or worse. But the faerie had opened up, and he looked so small and vulnerable that the prince couldn’t help but want to comfort him in the moment, “If they come for you, I’ll burn them to a crisp.”

Keigo let out a shaky breath, pulling away from Touya as he looked away.

“Thank you…”

~♡~

They stayed by the lake until late into the night, enjoying the quiet comfort and safety they’d suddenly found in each other.

As they made their way back to the castle, Touya spoke, “I might have to take you up on that flying offer… It’d be easier than sneaking past the guards.”

“Are you sure?” Keigo asked, a sleepy grin coming to his face, “I really don’t want to make you sick—”

Touya picked out a flower that had gotten caught in Keigo’s hair, “I’m sure I’ll be fine…”

He wasn’t sure at all.

“Let’s walk closer first… Less time in the air will probably be easier for you.” Keigo said, leading him closer to the village.

Touya nodded and followed along until they reached the end of the wooded area. “I think we should try from here.”

“If you insist.” Keigo moved closer, “Wrap your arms around my neck.”

Touya hesitated but did as he was told, only to gasp when he was swept up off his feet. “You’re stronger than you look, Chickadee.”

“You’re not very heavy.” Keigo chuckled, “Ready to take off?”

Touya grimaced as he nodded, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing himself for the up nausea that he was sure would come.

“I’ll take it slow and steady.” Keigo assured him before taking off.

But, despite his best efforts, Touya was lightly hitting his arm and begging him to land before they even made it halfway to the castle. After landing and putting him down, Touya stumbled away, thinking he might puke.

“You alright?” Keigo asked when the prince returned.

Touya nodded, “Yeah, just heaved a bit– maybe we can try again some other time, but I think we should walk the rest of the way.”

“Agreed.” Keigo nodded.

And so they walked the rest of the way through the castle, only flying again to get over the gate that had been shut and locked. Thankfully, Touya didn’t get sick from the shorter flight.

Peeking around corners, Touya led Keigo through an unguarded door by the servant’s quarters and through the empty castle halls to their rooms. As they neared the kitchen, they heard voices inside.

“I hate going down there… The faerie prisoners always get so nasty.”

Keigo froze, grabbing Touya and hauling him behind a tapestry so that they could listen. He wrapped his wings around them both, hoping that the shadows would hide the bulge in the fabric.

“I get it… It smells awful too.” A second voice spoke, “Like stale magic and ass.”

“That freaky prince is the worst of them,” the first voice said, causing Keigo’s shoulders to tense, “He’s a filthy brat who should’ve been executed long ago.”

A low growl escaped Keigo, muffled when Touya covered his mouth.

The voices grew closer.

“He’ll be executed once the king returns.” 

“Maybe they should do it at the festival—really give the people something to celebrate.”

Touya could feel Keigo’s talons digging into his arm, even with the layers of clothing between them. He held his breath, silently begging for whoever was talking to shut up.

Thankfully, the voices faded as they continued down the hall—but it took everything in Keigo to hold himself back when he heard them laughing about Tomura’s imminent death.

“I’ll kill them,” he hissed, feathers bristling and turning sharp.

Touya had to press closer to Keigo’s body to escape the red daggers that suddenly surrounded him, “Sshh—we’ll get him out before they can do anything.” He assured him, “We need to be smart about it though… Killing them will only get you thrown in there with him.”

Keigo growled again but knew that Touya was right.

“C’mon, let’s get up to my room.” Touya murmured, a soft, relieved sigh escaping him as Keigo’s feathers softened and he pulled away.

“We have to get him out.” Keigo said softly, “They want to kill him.”

“I know, Chickadee, but we have to come up with a plan.” Touya said, hardly able to believe that he was the one insisting on making a plan.

Seeing the distressed look on Keigo’s face, he gave his arm a soft squeeze. “We’ll get him out, I promise.”

Keigo nodded stiffly before pulling away so that they could walk together to Touya’s room.

Once they were there, Touya held the door for Keigo. “You should spend the night in here if you prefer.” He said, not entirely trusting the faerie to not be reckless, “My bed is plenty big.”

Normally, Keigo would have some flirtatious retort to the offer, but now his mind spiralled with his friend’s potential execution. He didn’t even notice when Touya took his arm and brought him over to sit on the bed.

“Breathe, Keigo.” Touya said softly, settling beside him and moving his hand to scratch lightly between Keigo’s wings.

Keigo jolted slightly at the feeling, unfamiliar with anyone touching him there. At first he wasn’t sure he liked it or even wanted the prince’s hand that close to his wings… But he found himself telling him not to stop when he started to pull away.

So they sat there in silence, Touya scratching that sweet spot between Keigo’s wings until the faerie settled against him with his head resting on his shoulder.

“How are we going to get him out?” he asked softly.

Touya thought for a moment before deciding, “We’ll use the festival.” He said, “The guards will have plenty of distractions that night.”

“What if they decide to execute him that night?” 

“They wouldn’t…no one wants to see a man get killed during a night of fun.” 

“But—”

“Enji won’t be back by then anyways.” Touya said, “Nothing will be done until he returns.”

“Your father won’t be back for the festival thrown in his own kingdom?” Keigo questioned.

Touya shook his head. “He throws them for the people in the kingdom but isn’t a fan of them himself… He’s pretty introverted, honestly.”

Keigo nodded, “So we distract the guards, and then what? How do we actually get him out?”

“We’ll have to get the keys somehow.” Touya said softly, keeping his voice even despite his own uncertainty,  “And then we just sneak down there and get him out.” He said, “If we have to, we can hide him in one of our rooms until the festival is over and we can sneak him out when there’s less people around.”

Keigo nodded along. He knew he couldn’t wait that long; he’d sneak down there tonight as soon as he left Touya’s room.

“We’ll get him out, and then the three of us can run off together and not have to deal with this kingdom and it’s bullshit ever again.” Touya said.

Keigo smiled weakly, “You’ve only known me for two days, and you’re already talking about running away together?”

Touya grinned, “Of course—anything to get out of this shithole.” He said, “And why wouldn’t I run away with a pretty bird like you?”

It was almost funny to hear Touya call the kingdom a shithole while sitting in such a luxurious bedroom. But Keigo understood what the prince really meant.

He snorted, “You want to be a third wheel to me and Tomura?”

“I thought faeries didn’t care about monogamy?” Touya teased.

Keigo let out a soft laugh, still angry but feeling slightly better. There was something comforting about the prince that he hadn’t felt since he had served Tomura.

“We don’t.”

“Then it won’t be a problem then, will it?” Touya grinned down at Keigo cheekily.

Keigo shook his head, chuckling softly.

They remained quiet for a short while after that, Touya continuing to scratch the spot between Keigo’s wings. He was happy that he was able to comfort the faerie at all.

After a few moments, he pulled away and got up, going over to his dresser.

“What are you doing?” Keigo asked, almost pouting as the warmth left with Touya.

Touya pulled out a pair of pyjamas, “Getting you something to wear to bed since you’re sleeping in here tonight.” He told him, grabbing a letter opener from his desk to cut holes in the shirt for Keigo’s wings.

“I am?” Keigo’s eyes widened slightly, and his wings puffed up. He couldn’t possibly be serious, “I don’t think I agreed to that—”

Sure, Touya’s bed was massive, and they could easily share without actually touching each other, but they hardly knew, let alone trusted, each other. 

Plus, Keigo had fully planned to sneak down to the dungeon so that he could break Tomura out.

“Mhmm, I don’t trust you to not sneak down to the dungeon, so I want you in here so I can keep an eye on you.” Touya explained, as though he had read Keigo’s mind.

Keigo scowled, “I wouldn’t–”

“I hardly know you, and I know for a fact that you would.” Touya said, tossing the altered pyjamas to Keigo, “Put these on and don’t complain.”

Keigo blinked a couple of times at the order before shrugging and doing as he was told; making a point to strip off what he was wearing right there in front of the prince.

Touya’s face reddened, and he looked away, “Again with the lack of shame–”

“C’mon now, Firefly, have you seen me? I have nothing to be ashamed of.” Keigo retorted, but his grin didn’t quite meet his eyes. He didn’t like that Touya was trapping him here and keeping him away from Tomura, but there was no way he could actually say that.

Touya’s face reddened even more at the new pet name, and he brought a hand up to cover it, thankful that the room was dark aside from the moon peeking through the curtains. He grabbed up his own pyjamas and practically ran to the bathroom, slamming the door.

Keigo looked at the balcony, considering taking off while Touya was getting changed. He was fast, but he didn’t even know where the dungeon was… There was no way he could make it there and back before the prince finished.

With a groan, he flopped back onto the bed. He hated to admit it, but it was very comfortable, and it likely wouldn’t take him long to fall asleep.

Touya came out moments later and settled on the other side of the bed.

“Are you sure you didn’t know about Tomura being in the dungeon?” Keigo asked suddenly, his tone slightly accusatory. Maybe he was just mad that he couldn’t go rescue his friend right away. Maybe Touya seemed a bit too calm about the whole situation… and now he was trapping him in this room that suddenly felt so much smaller than it really was. 

Touya’s brows knitted together. “Of course—if I had known, I would’ve told you.”

“Would you, though? I know you don’t trust me…’ Keigo said, “You think I’m a spy.”

“Where is this coming from, Keigo? Touya asked softly, “I promise I didn’t know, and I promise that we will get him out…just not tonight.”

“But–” Keigo tried to argue, but the prince cut him off.

“Go to sleep; we can plan everything in the morning.” Touya said firmly as he crawled under the covers, laying so that his back was to his servant, “And don’t you dare think of sneaking out. I’m a very light sleeper.”

Keigo swore under his breath, scowling as he moved under the covers. He didn’t like this one bit… even if Touya was warm and his bed was comfortable. Even if his eyes were already growing heavy despite how desperate he was to stay awake so that he could sneak out against Touya’s orders.

After such a busy day, sleep claimed Keigo quicker than he was truly comfortable with, leaving Tomura to spend yet another night in the dungeon.

Notes:

How would y'all like a chapter from Tomura's POV? It would probably be a shorter one but I feel like the next chapter would be a good place to introduce him before his rescue.

Chapter 9: Tomura

Notes:

I know this chapter is a short one, but I wanted to write something with Tomura now that he's been confirmed to be in the dungeon. The next chapter will be longer (and is giving me serious writers block, so bare with me if it takes a while)

Hope y'all enjoy~

Deep in the dungeon, in the very last cell at the end of the last narrow corridor, sat Prince Tomura. The air was thick with mildew and rot that made his stomach turn, even after being locked away for so long. The chains that kept him from using his power, and kept him away from the cell’s bars, clinked every time he moved and were a cruel reminder of where he was—as if everything else wasn’t enough.

He should’ve known better than to trust Touya.

That night in the crowded streets, he had planned to kill the prince. All he would’ve had to do was touch him, and he would’ve crumbled into dust. But the man had caught him in the act and had thought he’d been trying to pickpocket him when he saw his outstretched hand.

 

But Touya hadn’t been angry. In fact, his kindness had made Tomura falter like he had only done with one other person; caught off guard when the prince had insisted on buying him dinner and bringing him away from the overwhelming crowds that the festival had brought. 

 

It made him question why he had wanted to kill him in the first place. Sure, he despised humans, but this one was different; warm and soft, and yet so angry at his own family. Touya had wanted to watch the world burn with Tomura at his side.

 

It was enough that Tomura had given the prince a name that he hadn’t used in years and started a new life…only to have it torn away from him when the guards had found the abandoned building he’d been hiding out in.

 

He should’ve known Touya would get bored and betray him eventually, even if it did seem out of character. All humans were the same, and the royals were the absolute worst of them.

 

Still, deep down, Touya had reminded him of his old servant and friend, Keigo. Both of them were so soft, yet so fierce in their own ways.

 

He hated himself for leaving Keigo behind. 

 

Well…he hated himself for a lot of reasons, but even more so because of that.

Keigo always stood by him, even when he didn’t deserve it—especially when he didn’t deserve it. He had been so timid when they first met, but even then he had put himself between Tomura and anyone he had deemed a threat.

Keigo had been his only light in his father’s kingdom; the only person who had seen Tomura as a person rather than a weapon.

And he had left him behind to suffer alone.

He gritted his teeth as he lifted a hand to claw at his neck, the rusty iron digging into his wrist as his nails raked against the delicate skin, leaving scars on top of scars; as if doing so might rip the thoughts from his head. 

The guards had started to whisper that he was losing his mind. Maybe they were right.

 

Maybe he had lost it long ago.

When he got out of this cursed place—and he would get out—he was going to reduce this entire kingdom to dust. The guards would be the first to go—those cruel men who taunted him daily, bringing him food and water and leaving it just out of reach, only to laugh as he struggled. They insisted that Tomura was a freak, some sort of monster that deserved to be put down. 

He was going to take such joy in making them beg for their lives before making each and every one of them crumble.

Then they would see what madness really looked like.

He just wished Keigo was here to help him do it.

Keigo, despite being so warm and kind, was truly a vengeful bastard when the people he cared about got hurt. Tomura knew that his former servant would tear those guards apart if he knew how they’d been treating him all this time.

He’d tear Touya apart too; rip those glittering eyes from their sockets, and wipe that charming smile off his face permanently.

His nails dug deeper into his skin, the itch underneath growing unbearable the more he thought about Keigo. Gods, he missed him–more than he wanted to admit. He should’ve dragged him along when he escaped. He’d told himself he’d go back, told himself that Keigo would understand— after all, Keigo had been the one to suggest that they run away and make a life of their own, away from all the cruelty and abuse—but Tomura had never returned. He had gotten a taste of that freedom, and had never so much as looked back to see if his friend was ok, or even still alive.

The thought of Keigo being dead made Tomura’s eyes burn, so he squeezed them shut and focused on the feeling of his fingernails against his skin.

 

He found himself praying to whatever God might listen that his friend was still alive and that he would forgive him for leaving him behind.

Chapter 10: The Plan

Notes:

Gods this chapter was hard to finish. Writers block has been thoroughly kicking my ass

Early the next morning, Keigo woke with a soft groan and found himself wrapped up in Touya’s arms. His wings had wrapped themselves around them both like a cocoon, trapping the warmth that radiated off of Touya.

 

So much for the bed being big enough for them both.

 

He moved one wing, just enough so that he could see that the sun was only just beginning to rise. Maybe there was still time for him to save Tomura and get out before anyone else woke up…

 

He started to pull away, grimacing when he had to pull his other wing out from under Touya. There was no way this was going to work.

 

Sure enough, as soon as Keigo tried to pull away, warm arms pulled him back down.

 

“Don’t go…” Touya murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

 

Under different circumstances, he might’ve enjoyed this quite a bit; it was warm and comfortable, and Touya really was gorgeous. He hadn’t planned on feeling so comfortable in the prince’s arms. So safe.

 

But he couldn’t afford to be wasting time like this.

 

“Never took you to be the clingy type.” he commented softly.

 

“I’m not clingy…” Touya mumbled, nuzzling his face into Keigo’s hair and tightening the hold he had on him.

 

Keigo had to fight off a smile. Ok, so maybe he was enjoying this a little bit…even if he didn’t fully trust that Touya was innocent.

 

“...I want to start planning to rescue Tomura.” Keigo said, keeping his voice soft despite how dire the situation was.

 

Touya’s face scrunched up a little, “can we do that without getting out of bed?”

 

“So long as you don’t fall asleep again.” Keigo hummed.

 

“No promises, but I’ll try.” Touya lifted his head to yawn, “if I start to snore jus’ hit me.”

 

“Will do.” Keigo hummed, “so, I know you said we should wait til the festival but I really do think we should get him out sooner.”

 

“I get that–but you can’t be reckless about this; the festival would be the best opportunity to do so.” Touya insisted, “people will be distracted and drunk, we’ll be less likely to get caught.”

 

“But–”

 

“The festival is the night after tomorrow…that barely gives us time to plan as is.” Touya said, “we need to map things out and steal a set of keys.”

 

Keigo’s brows knit together as he listened.

 

“When the guards switch shifts, we’ll be able to sneak down…there’s about a 10-15 minute window there where nobody will be around.” Touya went on, “even more than that during a festival– most of the guards get pretty wasted.” he sighed, “We can get him out and the three of us can run off together and leave this place behind.”

 

“Are you sure running away is the best idea? People will assume Tomura and I kidnapped you…” Keigo said, “we’ll have to be on the run the entire time.”

 

“But if I don’t go, I’ll lose you.” Touya said softly.

 

Keigo’s gaze softened and his suspicions started to melt away. He was about to respond when Touya’s hand suddenly covered his mouth.

 

“Someone’s outside my door.” Touya whispered, suddenly very awake.

 

Keigo froze up, holding his breath as Touya lowered his hand. Sure enough, the faint sound of someone shuffling around could be heard just outside.

 

They stayed quiet for what felt like minutes, but it was probably only about 30 seconds before the distinct sound of heavy footsteps walking away was heard.

 

Keigo finally breathed, “that was close…” he whispered.

 

Touya nodded, still watching the door, “we should talk somewhere else.” he said, slowly sitting up.

 

Keigo almost protested when Touya pulled away and took most of the warmth with him, but realized he was right, “is there anywhere in the castle we can talk?”

 

“There’s a library that doesn’t get used much…up in one of the high towers,” Touya said, “we can go there.”

 

Keigo nodded, getting up, “I’m going to go get dressed. I’ll meet you back here.”

 

Touya nodded, already going over to his wardrobe.

 

As Keigo neared the door, he heard a second set of footsteps run away.

 

He whipped around to meet Touya’s gaze. The prince looked equally startled.

 

Touya went for the door before Keigo could, opening it and poking his head out. He looked up and down the wide hall, but nobody was there anymore.

 

~♡~

 

The pair quickly got their breakfasts and ate in the dining hall in an attempt to evade any suspicions. They found Izuku and Katsuki there, but their conversation had been brief as the boys had to run off to train.

 

Keigo couldn’t help but notice that Izuku looked a bit pale, and had avoided eye contact with them both. It was suspicious, but this boy didn’t seem to have a cruel bone in his body so the faerie tried to ignore it.

 

Still…Keigo couldn’t help but wonder if the kid would eavesdrop.

 

Afterwards, they made their way through the gardens. Now that someone had heard their plan to head to the library, they had to find somewhere else to discuss things. Touya acted as casual as he could as he pretended to be giving Keigo a tour of the beautiful flowers that surrounded them.

 

Eventually, they found a secluded place in the garden to talk. There was a fountain there that didn’t work quite right, making it noisy enough to drown out their conversation so that no one could easily eavesdrop.Once they were seated, so close that their legs bumped every time either of them moved, Touya pulled a folder out from under his shirt.

 

Keigo watched as the prince laid out maps of the castle. He could see that everything was clearly labeled, except for the dungeon and treasure rooms.

 

“You were hiding these in your room?” Keigo questioned, his brows furrowing.

 

“We usually give them to new servants so they can find their way around but I forgot.” Touya said simply, eyes raking over Keigo as he added, “you’re distracting.”

 

Keigo nodded, eyes focused on the maps as he ignored Touya’s comment about him being distracting, “so where are the dungeons?”

 

“They’re deep underground.” Touya said, “the entrances that I know of are here, here and here.” he pointed to three spots.

 

One was outside, a short walk from the very back of the castle and the others were inside; one that was accessible via the kitchen and the other was in the guard’s quarters.

 

“I think we should try to take the outside entrance or the kitchen.” Touya said.

 

“Won’t the kitchen be busy?” Keigo asked, his eyes following Touya’s hands as he pointed to the map.

 

Touya shook his head, “by the time the festival starts everyone will have cleared out.” he explained, “it’s also the least lightly to be guarded since it’s hidden more than the other two…if it is guarded, we’re more likely to have more time in between when they switch shifts”

 

“If it’s so hidden, how do you know about it?” Keigo asked, eyes narrowing. Maybe it had been a stupid assumption, but he had gotten the impression that Touya had never been in the dungeon.

 

“I stumbled down there once as a kid.” he said, “Natsuo and I were playing hide and seek, I thought it was a pantry–” he went on, “and it is, but it’s just a ruse;there’s another door at the back that leads to the dungeon.”

 

“Right…” Keigo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t believe that one bit.

 

“It’s true! Ask Natsu when you meet him!” Touya insisted/

 

Keigo turned his gaze back to the map, “alright, so we steal a guard’s keys and sneak down to the dungeon…we get Tomura out and…?”

 

“We bring him up to my room and keep him there until the streets are less crowded, then we leave.” Touya said.

 

“I’m not so sure he’ll be willing to go to your room…”

 

“Keigo, I really had nothing to do with him being down there.”

“No, it’s not that–” Keigo shook his head. Something about Touya suddenly using his name instead of a silly pet name made his skin crawl, “Tomura despises humans…probably even more so now that he’s been locked away for so long.”

 

“Damn…think I can win him over somehow so he cooperates?” Touya furrowed his brows.

 

“He’ll listen to me.” Keigo said, “but maybe bring him something sweet to eat for good measure– it may not help but it won’t hurt either.”

 

“Damn, he sounds like Tenko.” Touya let out a half hearted laugh, “I think the only reason he stuck around as long as he did was because I kept feeding him.”

 

Keigo grimaced, “about that…”

 

“What?” Touya tensed a little.

 

“I think Tenko and Tomura might be the same person.”

 

Touya froze.

 

That wasn’t actually possible, was it? That he and Keigo had been talking about the same man this entire time…

 

Then again, there was no denying the similarities. 

 

Had his father found out about his relationship and locked Tenko away?

 

He would burn this kingdom to the ground if that was the case.

 

“Do you…” Touya shook his head; of course Keig didn’t have proof. He rephrased, “what exactly makes you think that?”

 

“The man you described sounds identical to Tomura, both in appearance and personality.” Keigo said, “the only thing that makes me question it is that he didn’t try to kill you…”

 

Touya frowned, “damn…if that turns out to be true I’m going to kill my father.”

 

Keigo nodded, “I’m happy to help if you’ll have me.”

 

The pair continued to make their plans until well into the afternoon, sticking to Touya’s suggestion of using the kitchen entrance. They would get the keys and sneak down while the guards were switching over, and if they got caught they could play if off like they were looking for snacks in the ‘pantry’.

 

They would get Tomura out and, assuming he cooperated with Touya, bring him up to the prince’s bedroom to hide out until it was safe. Once they were in the clear, the three of them would run away.

 

They would pack ahead of time, of course; food, clothes and water at least.

 

The only problem was that they didn’t know where they would go…

 

And as they argued about the topic, they didn’t hear the soft footsteps that had approached the other side of the fountain.