Wicked Witch of the West Side Cliffs

- T W O -

Shinso had instructed Denki very carefully about how to get up the cliffs and return to the palace. There was a dangerous path that was hard to navigate but Shinso was there the entire time, looking up, making sure he didn't fall. Denki didn't know who he was, where he came from, or why he lurked at the bottom of the cliffs, but if there was one thing he did know: it was that one day he wanted to see his face. He wanted Shinso to trust him. Even though the two had just met. And for that to happen, he'd have to visit him more often. Shinso had warned him against coming back but to Denki it didn't sound like he hated him. It sounded more like a warning because the cliffs were dangerous. 

Denki shivered as he walked back to the palace. It had been a long time since the sun had set. He didn't think he'd talked to Shinso that long. "Prince Kaminari!" Eijirou rushed along the path toward Denki. "What are you doing out here? It's late and it's dangerous! Please tell me that you didn't go as far as the cliffs!" 

"Why? Is there something wrong with the cliffs?" 

"If you must see the cliffs, go to the east side. The west is..." Eijirou looked away and bit his lower lip. "The west side is dangerous." 

"What do you mean? All cliffs are dangerous," Denki laughed. 

"No- Prince Kaminari," Eijirou looked him in the eyes even though his own were terrified. "A witch lives there." 

"A witch?" 

"If he wants to die, you should let him," Prince Bakugo scoffed. "Why are you so concerned?" Denki looked at the ground, avoiding Prince Bakugo completely, as he'd been asked to. 

"Why aren't you concerned?! He is your husband!" Eijirou blurted out, covering his mouth immediately. He bowed toward Prince Bakugo. "I apologize, my lord, that was out of line for me to say." 

Prince Bakugo, surprisingly, did nothing to scold Eijirou. Denki stared, completely bewildered, he thought for sure Prince Bakugo would strike him. 

"Tch," Prince Bakugo turned around and entered the castle. Just before he stepped through the door he looked over his shoulder to Denki. "That witch is rumored to have killed numerous people by luring them with his voice to the edge of the cliff. Whether or not that's true people have stopped being able to figure it out. Everyone avoids the west side cliffs now." The caste's door slammed shut. 

"That's just a legend, isn't it?" Denki asked Eijirou. 

"Prince Bakugo's childhood friend-" Eijirou's voice cracked, "-was lured over the cliffs and met his death."  

"What?" Denki gasped. 

"Please," Eijirou grabbed Denki's shoulders and stared at him, his own eyes watering, "please don't go there again. I don't...I don't want him to lose someone else." 

"He wouldn't care if he lost me," Denki forced a laugh. "He hates me. We're husbands in name only. Surely you can see that." 

"Prince Bakugo is a bit rough around the edges but he does care about you! He wouldn't have agreed to marry you otherwise." 

"You live in an ideal world, don't you?" Denki swatted Eijirou's hands away. "It's true that we courted each other once but that was a long time ago. Before we knew who each other was. He wants nothing to do with me now." 

"That's not tru-" 

"Stop talking!" Denki snapped, his eyes threatening to cry. "Please..." he whispered. "Just stop." 

...

Denki refused to believe anything until he heard Shinso's story. He went back to the cliffs immediately upon waking up. No one would notice. No one would care, except maybe Eijirou, and that would be that. He was a servant. Denki was a prince and married to one, there was nothing to be worried about. He looked over the edge and suddenly regretted it. Okay. So there was one thing to be worried about. 

"You must be an idiot," Shinso's voice rang out loudly in his ears. Where was it coming from? Was it being sent directly into his head? "There is no reason for you to be here. I'm sure they told you about me by now." 

"I want to know what you have to say!" Denki yelled over the side of the cliffs. 

"You're really a fool," Shinso laughed. Denki's face felt slightly red, hearing that laugh inside his head. "Alright then...jump." 

Denki stood at the edge and took a step back. Wait. Was this what they meant by 'lured'? But Shinso had caught him once before. He would catch him again. Denki shook his head, trying to rid himself of doubt. He took a few more steps back and then ran over the edge, diving off of it, keeping his eyes open this time. 

He couldn't see Shinso at first. He just saw a small dot in the distance. But then he got closer and closer. Two octopus arms came right for him, catching him, but Denki held out his arms still, falling right into Shinso's human ones. He hugged him, feeling the confusion in the octopus ones, but Shinso hadn't refused his hug. Surely someone that didn't refuse a hug couldn't be that bad. 

"It's good to see you again," Denki grinned. 

"You wouldn't say that if you actually saw what my face looked like," Shinso sighed, releasing Denki and putting him on that rock. 

"Then show me your face." 

"If that will convince you to stop coming back here...I just might." 

"If you didn't want me to come back here, then why were you waiting for me?" 

Shinso stiffened. "Because you're an idiot so I couldn't trust that you'd listen." 

"Will you let me see your face?" 

"That depends," Shinso shrugged. 

"On what?" 

"Your questions." 

"They told me that you lure people to their deaths here." 

"And if I do?" Shinso crossed his arms. 

"I don't believe that you do." Denki shook his head. "You saved me twice now. Why would you save me if you wanted dead bodies?" 

"I might've done it just on a whim." 

"Twice?" Denki laughed. "That doesn't seem like a whim." 

"Izuku Midoriya," Shinso stated. "Your husband's childhood friend." 

"Izuku?" 

"I lured him off of that cliff."