Prince of Hearts (TodoDeku)

In the Rose Gardens

The afternoon sparring was just as good as the match yesterday, if not better. Shoto seemed lighter on his feet, more confident, and Yaoyorozu picked up on and matched it perfectly. In the end, Shoto won by disarming Yaoyorozu. As they both stood looking at each other panting heavily, Izuku broke the silence by cheering loudly for them both.

"I'll get you next time," she said, taking his weapon to be put away.

"You always do." It was clear that they cared for each other very deeply and didn't let these fights negatively affect that. But for now, Shoto locked his eyes onto Izuku leaning over the fence for the elevated seating and jogged towards him.

He reached down to a tuft of grass poking out the corner between the ring and the seating where a red wildflower grew. He plucked it and held it back up to him, "My Lord, please accept my gift, I hope to be the champion of not only this ring, but also your heart."

"Your highness, I have no handkerchief, but please accept my endless gratitude, instead," he bent down over the railing and kissed Shoto's cheek. They were just joking, though, right? Shoto didn't actually want to win his heart, he was just playing it up for show. That kiss was just him playing along. Right? He couldn't help but blush despite his denial fighting it.

That was the first of the eight days it took for Tenya to get the answer. Izuku spent most of his days wandering through the rose gardens, in which the roses seemed to bloom a little better when he passed them, and Shoto couldn't help but feel like he did too. He was homesick, of course, but Shoto always kept him company. His new friends within the castle also promised to keep him hidden from the king, though Shoto assured him that his father never left his almighty throne room.

On the fifth day, Yaoyorozu came to him with her concerns, "I know Tenya is quickly solving how to get you home," she sighed and spoke to him candidly, "Izuku, having you around has boosted the Prince's mood, and he's happier than ever, but I'm worried that when you're gone, he's going to fall into a deep depression, to which he'll never recover," she said, but he didn't want to listen, he knew that the Prince thought of him as just one of many friends, and he'll forget all about him in a months time. That similar bittersweet feeling he felt the first night at the castle began to settle in once more.

Izuku held this with him through the rest of the day. His movements appeared slower and more sluggish to those in the castle. The next day the butterflies that once landed on him in the rose garden steered clear, as if they could feel his melancholy. He understood Yaoyorozu's intentions were to protect the Prince, both physically and emotionally.

"Hitoshi?" He spoke into the fresh air as he sat on the edge of a grand fountain carved into a fearsome dragon with water in lieu of fire spurting from its terrible maw.

"It's a Jabberwocky, not a dragon," a voice suddenly materialised next to him.

"What's the difference?" He puzzled, inquisitively.

"Dragons aren't real. Not in the world, anyway." Hitoshi looked up at a tower looming over the rest of the castle. Izuku didn't want to ask anymore questions for fear of the answers.

"What will happen when I'm gone?"

"That's certainly loaded question. You'll have to ask Tenya of the specifics but I suspect that-"

"No, I mean, what will happen to the Prince?"

The Cheshire's face dropped as he took a pensive moment. Izuku listened to the water fall behind him and felt the sun on his nose and cheeks. He wondered if this was real.

"I think Yaoyorozu was right. You care about Shoto, so this isn't what you want to hear, but so do Yaoyorozu and I." Izuku looked to the ground, "however, it's because he has so many people that care about him that he'll be okay in the end, really," he stood and placed a hand meaningfully on the other's shoulder, "he's stronger than we know." Izuku felt the pressure on his shoulder alleviate and the spot next to him empty as Hitoshi disappeared into thin air once again. He wasn't alone, though, because he could see the Prince approach up the path in between the bushes.

However, it wasn't just the Prince, Tenya was with him too. His face was solemn and stony, "Midoriya, you've been summoned by the white king. We need to go."