I got this idea when I was helping my friend on what he should draw next (canon or AU stuff) for #MomoWeek on tumblr. (Happy late birthday, Momo ;w;).
I know the fantasy AU is already a thing (and the entire plot, probably, but hey how it's executed is what matters, hehe...ah...) but I wanna try writing something out of this AU, so...I hope you'll like this 2nd TodoMomo one-shot I've made. :D
Many thanks to my friend, Nue, for beta reading and suggesting a better title for this fic. ^^
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.
Prince Shoto of the Todoroki Family wasn't exactly whom she thought he was.
Shoto was the son of the powerful, prideful and ambitious King Enji Todoroki, also known as the 'Flame King: Endeavor'. The king's power was like 'hellfire'—abominable and deceptive. Being the son of that man made Princess Momo of the Yaoyorozu Family expect something similar.
But Shoto wasn't exactly like that.
Shoto wasn't like fire. He was the opposite of fire. He was like a frozen lake. He was like an ice—cold, sturdy, and cannot be easily broken.
She met him in a banquet once where her father made an alliance with King Enji. Her mother said that Endeavor's youngest child was someone her age, so she managed to spend her time with him.
He was cold, aloof and very unemotional at first. But after a few unexpected meetings (all in favor with their parents'), she got to know him better.
Momo thought that ice didn't seem like the correct comparison to him.
Shoto was like a wall of snow. It seemed like a hindrance at first, but once it started melting, it would show what was really inside of it.
And what she saw in him was something she didn't expect.
"My father says I'm his only heir; the only one worthy to inherit his kingdom and his wealth. That's why, ever since I was young, I was trained; poised to princehood. I was practically robbed out of my childhood." Shoto paused to take a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "He said it would've been my older brother if he hadn't ran away." He muttered flatly. Despite his stoic expression, Momo could see the sadness in his eyes. It must have hurt to not see your sibling for a very long time. "Next in line for the throne should be the second born but that happens to be my sister. Of course, my father disapproved of that."
Momo truly felt sorry for Shoto, but she was thankful that he was able to open up to her. She was thankful that he trusted her.
Their fathers had their usual kingdom alliance meeting and it was Shoto's turn to visit the castle, her home. Shoto didn't like going to a meeting like this, but knowing that his friend, Momo, would be there didn't seem that bad at all.
Momo placed her teacup down as her hand slowly reached for his, wanting to comfort him through a touch. She, however, had second thoughts. Maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. She might make him uncomfortable, and he was starting to warm up with her too. She merely opted for words. "I...I really appreciate that you trust me with this."
She didn't notice it, but Shoto managed to smile despite how small it was. There was warmth forming around his chest. He couldn't understand what it was but it was making him feel...emotional.
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Momo wasn't like any other princesses he had ever met.
A typical princess should be graceful, poised and regal. She must also be beautiful and knowledgeable about her kingdom. But Shoto knew better; he knew that they were not true to themselves. They only wanted to speak to him because he was the next in line for the throne.
His expectation was correct when he saw her for the first time. Momo was beautiful like all the princesses he'd met. She looked and acted like what a princess should be. She was the definition of a 'perfect' princess and heiress of her kingdom.
"It's okay. I'll tell my father that I ordered you to take a day off." Momo said and tried to comfort the castle's oldest maid. She placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Your youngest daughter is giving birth to your youngest grandchild and I suggest you should go to your home now instead of waiting for my father's meeting to be finished. I'll take care of everything."
The maid didn't speak. Instead, she hugged the princess while crying.
Momo just smiled at this and returned the hug. It didn't take a minute before the maid let go of their hug and bowed at the young princess.
"Thank you, your highness. Bless you." The maid said and left the princess alone.
Shoto saw what happened and approached her with his hands tucked in his pockets. He observed Momo once the maid left, expecting to see a look of disgust from her but saw none. He smiled at that.
Unlike the other princesses he'd met, Momo seemed to care about the servants in the castle. They would usually pretend to care for them to get on his good side, and he despised that. He always saw the look of disgust on their faces once the servants leave.
Momo's genuine care for the people around her made Shoto realize that she was more than a typical princess. She was smart, down-to-earth, insecure, and kind. She could also get bubbly at times especially when was excited and enthusiastic.
The only kind people he knew were his mother, his siblings and the maids in the castle. Other than them, the rest of the people in the castle treated him like he was some sort of god.
He wanted people to treat him like a normal person, not some prince who was next in line for the throne.
But Momo...
Momo was one of the people who treated him like that outside of the castle.
And he appreciated her for that.
He couldn't help but smile at that. He only smiled because his father ordered him to, but this smile...it was different. It felt surreal.
"Of course, of course!" Momo beamed with a bouncy tone. Her fists were resting under her chin as her eyes sparkled with excitement and enthusiasm. Shoto smiled at it. "I'll be glad to teach you about our kingdom's history! Or...or maybe we could also tackle the great people behind the formation of the kingdom! Oh, what tea should we drink? Do you prefer biscuits or pastry? How many topics should we tackle for this day? Do you wanna learn the shallow knowledge or every detail of it? I'll ask the maids to set up the library for us. This is gonna be fun!"
He sometimes think he was dreaming whenever he smiles genuinely. He loved the way she talked about the things she was passionate at. There was something about her passion for learning that influenced him to be curious about the world around him. And he had to admit: it did feel nice. Maybe he would appreciate education more with her compared to his teachers in the castle.
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Shoto's eyes widened. He could feel his hands were balling into fists. Sweat trailed down from his forehead. His heart started beating wildly in his chest as his breathings became unusually fast. He could feel anger boil in his veins. He didn't just hear what he thought he'd heard.
...right?
"King Yaoyorozu and I have come to an agreement; and one of our deals is to have you marry his daughter, Princess Momo, once you both reached your twenty-first birthday." Endeavor stood up and approached his son. He tried placing his arms on Shoto's shoulders, but the young prince slapped his father's hands away.
Shoto looked at his father with anger forming into his eyes. He did not just set him into a trap.
All those trips he made to Momo's kingdom was because of a stupid arranged marriage plan? How could he not notice? Of course his father only wanted power instead of gaining friends outside of his kingdom. This reminded him of his parents' marriage which happened to be an arranged marriage as well. He swore he didn't want to experience it, but life wasn't just fair with him.
He was starting to wonder if Momo knew anything about it. If she did, then was she treating him like that because he was the son of King Enji? Was their friendship a lie?
"Don't look at me like that, Shoto." Endeavor responded, giving his son a cold glare. "If we want to make our kingdom the strongest, we must form an alliance with other wealthy kingdoms. One of them is King Yaoyorozu's. You will marry his daughter for the sake of this kingdom."
Shoto just turned his head and walked away from his father. He opted to sneak outside of the castle and head to his friend's house, Izuku, to calm himself.
He was torn. Did Momo know this or was she unaware like him?
He wanted to know, but for now, he wanted to get away from the castle as far as possible.
There was something strange going on in his stomach, though. It felt like it was twisting and turning, and it was making him feel sick. He didn't feel physically sick, though.
Shoto just sighed as he let his horse slow down. Why did he feel like this? Why did he feel sad? If Momo knew about this, then he should have expected that.
But Shoto knew that Momo wouldn't act so kindly to him.
...
When it was Momo's turn to visit his place, Shoto told the maids that he wanted to be alone and give her a tour around the castle if she wanted to. He didn't want to avoid Momo, but after everything he and his father talked about, he just needed some time to think.
He didn't know if he was dreaming, but he saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes. When they visit each other's places, they would usually spend their time together and just talk. It wasn't a talk about businesses like their fathers, but a talk about themselves. It was his escape from his fate in being the next king.
"I understand, Shoto." Momo replied happily, but Shoto knew that she was pretending to. Did he even do the right thing?
...
Weeks passed, Shoto still tried to avoid Momo and felt bad for doing it. Despite his flat facial expression, he was an emotional mess on the inside. It often gets worse whenever he saw the sadness in her eyes.
He was guilty for causing and he couldn't take it anymore.
He always believed Momo was a kind person. He couldn't tell if he was overthinking at the thought where Momo was just using her intelligence to get closer to him.
And Shoto knew there was only one way to know if he was right or wrong.
"I think you should talk to her. I've heard about Princess Momo." Izuku said, grabbing his notebook about 'royalty'. "She's in our age group, but she's as smart as the oldest men in your father's counsel. I heard she's very kind too. If you just talk to her, it will resolve this conflict in your head."
Izuku was right. He should, but the question was how?
Despite he was scared, he couldn't let it control him. He needed to know to stop his mind from overthinking it.
"Your Highness," One of the maids called, getting his attention. "Princess Momo and her father just arrived. Would you like to meet her or are you busy?"
It was now or never. Shoto had to know. "Yes. Tell her that I wanna meet her here."
"Yes, your highness." The maid bowed at the young prince and head inside while Shoto just nodded.
Shoto just stood up and tucked his hands in his pockets. His heart started pounding loudly in his chest. He knew he couldn't just rely on his thoughts alone. He needed to hear a direct answer from Momo in order to resolve this once and for all.
Deep down, he was hoping that Momo would never use his feelings to get what he wanted. He knew their future arranged marriage wasn't for her. Momo deserved better; one of them was someone who would love and appreciate her for who she was.
There was a knock on the door that interrupted him from his thoughts. He listened to the maid announcing Momo's arrival before bowing and leaving them alone in the castle courtyard. Shoto had never felt the intensity of anxiety until today.
Shoto looked into Momo's eyes and fell into a deep thought. He felt his heart ache at the hint of sadness in her eyes. He knew he was the cause of it.
"I-It's..." Momo tried to speak as her eyes wandered around. She coughed. "It's nice to see you again, Shoto."
Shoto could feel himself smiling. He missed this feeling. "You too, Momo."
There was silence. Shoto took a deep breath and let it all out with his eyes closed. He shouldn't delay it any further. "Momo..." He spoke. His tone was soft and warm despite his monotonous voice.
Momo just looked at him. Her left hand was placed on her chest. She tried so hard to not grip the fabric of her dress. A princess must not wrinkle her clothes, after all.
"I'm sorry." He swallowed hard as his eyes fell on the floor. He clenched his fists.
Momo was confused. She tried to approach him but opted to stay where she was standing. "What do you mean? You were busy these past few weeks, right?"
Shoto slowly shook his head as he bit his lip. "I kept making up excuses to not face you. But, I have a reason."
"What is it...?" Momo asked slowly.
Shoto took a deep breath. "Before all of this, I spoke to my father. They agreed that we'll be married when we're twenty-one. That made me mad." He stopped to look at Momo. She seemed shocked and he was relieved to know that she didn't know anything about it. The Momo he knew was the real one after all. "I thought you were kind to me because of that and I'm sorry for doubting you."
His eyes remained on hers as he watched her took a deep breath. Slowly, he approached her and he could feel his heart pounding louder than a beating drum. She stopped and he gulped. He was prepared at whatever she would say.
"Shoto," Momo spoke softly, and Shoto liked it whenever she would say his name. It felt warm and comforting. "I understand why you avoided me for weeks, but honestly, I didn't know about the arranged marriage. My father and I haven't talked about that. I know this isn't what you want, and I'm sorry about that. I'll find a way to prevent this." She stopped to grab his hands and squeezed it. Shoto felt her warmth spreading through his cold hands, and it was a wonderful feeling. "Unlike me, you experienced harsh things in your life, Shoto, and I don't want you to do this just because it's what our fathers wanted."
Shoto furrowed his eyebrows. "Unlike you? What do you mean?"
Momo bit her lip and took a deep breath. "My parents insisted me to study all the time. I'm always in the library and because of that, I never made any real friends in my childhood. You're the first one, Shoto."
Shoto smiled and squeezed her hand. He was supposed to convince their fathers to stop it from happening but it was so nice of her to think about his well-being instead of hers. She definitely deserved a happy life. "I'm honored. Thank you, Momo. But...do this for your own happiness too."
"T-Thank you, Shoto..." Momo responded shyly and lowered her head. Her hands still remained on his.
Shoto swore he had seen Momo's blush, and he thought she looked cute. Wait, was she sick? "Momo, are you okay?" He asked, removing one hand from hers and placed it on her forehead. "You don't need to hide your red face. I can tell my maids to fetch a cold towel for you."
"N-No, t-there's no need!" Momo stuttered and removed his hand on hers. She gulped and sigh, looking into his eyes. She smiled. "I'm okay, really."
"Are you sure?" Shoto asked innocently, still had no clue why she was blushing in the first place.
"Y-Yes. I'm just...happy that you also cared for my happiness." She tried to control her blush from deepening but she became lost into his heterochromatic eyes.
Shoto smiled for the nth time of the day. Warmth was spreading on his chest as his stomach was tying into knots. He didn't know why he felt like this, but he knew he was happy especially after resolving that misunderstanding with her. He cared about her as much as she cared about him. Momo was one of the people who are important to him and he would cherish her for as long as he lived.
"You're welcome, Momo."