Midoriya swallowed. Enji's gaze pinned him to the throne room floor, a weight that pressed down upon the shoulders of everyone in the room.

No one dared to utter a single word out of place, make a slight movement, or so much as cough that would put them directly in the king's gaze. Instead of a court in which the king held audience, to Midoriya's observant eyes it was more or less a tense battlefield, where everyone had a sword pointed at their neck, ready to pierce the flesh and end their lives.

Enji's gaze shifted from Midoriya to his own son. He was relaxed upon his throne; a seat in which he believed no one could touch him from. That he was a god sitting amongst the heavens and everyone in the room was a mere speck that prayed to him with utter reverence, but feared him as well.

The lackadaisical attitude that the king displayed was in sharp contrast to the prince's own. Midoriya from his position could see the taut muscles in Todoroki's back and face. His normally aloof and bored expression had morphed into one of pure contempt and utter disgust as a servant called out that the crown prince had entered the room.

Enji frowned at his son, a look of displeasure burning in his brightly colored eyes. "I see that you've found yourself a permanent bedmate this time around." His eyes swiveled again to Midoriya's face. Humming to himself, Enji's eyes narrowed and slightly darkened. "I always thought Shueians were slightly...weak; a pale reflection of the same attributes their leader shares."

Midoriya breathed in deeply through his nose, an attempt to squash the anger that was bubbling beneath his veins. It was one thing to insult a foreign ruler in your own court, finding safety among your own people; however, it was another, to insult a foreign ruler while a member of that nation was in your very court.

Keeping his head bowed, Midoriya said nothing even as his hands curled into fists.

Enji's gaze settled back onto the face of his youngest son as Todoroki crossed his arms in front of his chest and let a dismissive tone settle into his voice. "I haven't come here for a pleasant chat. I was called here for the sake of business; if you have no need for me, dismiss me and the members of my household."

Laughter shook the air as the king tipped his head back and pressed his hand against his stomach. Mirth burrowed itself into his veins as he narrowed his eyes at his son. "A sharp tongue." The praise was apparent in his voice. "I would expect nothing else from a son of mine." Waving his hand dismissively, the king leaned back against his throne. "I'm putting you in charge of whipping our guards into shape. In seven months' time, All Might and his house, as well as other leaders of foreign nations and their own households, will visit the palace just in time to celebrate your coming of age as well as see the brutal winters that our country offers." A devious smile stretched across his face as he pointedly stared at Midoriya as those words left his lips.

The young teen kept his face impassive at the news that All Might would be visiting the palace in just seven months' time. His head still bowed, he refused to raise his eyes, knowing that the King's eyes would be raking over his face once he did so; looking for a flicker of emotion in his eyes or a slight twitch in his face that he could exploit and wring out of Midoriya.

"Is that all?" Todoroki kept his gaze leveled and impassive toward his father.

Silence filtered into the room as Midoriya wondered when the opportunity for them to leave would come. "Boy." The single word made the heat rise in Midoriya's cheeks as he lifted his head to gaze up into the king's eyes. Quickly glancing toward Todoroki who remained as impassive and stoic as the moment they had entered the throne room, he quickly remembered the appropriate bowing position for greeting the king and assumed it.

The very breath of the room seemed to have cease as Midoriya slowly rose up from his knees at the sound of a loud pleased hum from the king.

"Your majesty." A honeyed tone lavished over those words as they left his lips.

The king let out a pleased little huff; pampering and appeasing to his ego was what seemed to please him the most. King Enji narrowed his eyes at Midoriya, a glimmer of curiosity burning within them.

"Tell me, boy, what was it that you did back in Shuei?"

Bowing his head slightly, Midoriya answered, "I was All Might's personal page, your majesty."

Humming rose from the king's throat; his eyes were dark as he looked down at Midoriya from his throne. "I wonder if All Might used you the same way my son does."

Biting quickly down on his tongue, Midoriya stopped himself from unleashing a string of words that would have had him executed before noon. The copper taste of blood spread across his tongue as a glimmer of pleasure burned in Enji's eyes that indicated that he was clearly able to get a rise out of the young teen.

Quickly swallowing down the blood that was welling in his mouth from the cut he had inflicted on his own tongue. "May I take my leave, your majesty?" Midoriya managed to keep his voice measured and calm; not a hint of anger bleeding into his voice.

An appreciative chuckle rose within the king's throat as he cast a thoughtful glance towards his son. "I like him—" Pointing at Midoriya he continued to speak, "—he has a...particular fire burning in his eyes; a fire that just hints at a defiant nature." Narrowing his eyes, the king's gaze settled back on Todoroki. "It makes it easier to pound strength into them."

With a wave of the king's hand, he dismissed Todoroki and his household from his presence.

Confusion wormed its way into Midoriya's skin. It was almost unheard of for a personal servant to leave the side of those that they served. Due to Shuei's and All Might's lax nature, as a page, Midoriya had always been free to leave All Might's side whenever the man had relinquished him from his duties for the day. But the prince requesting that he retire to his own room so early in the day had Midoriya frowning with a protest burning in the hollow of his throat.

Turning away from the green-haired teen, the prince didn't even so much as wait to hear his personal servant protest over the decision. The quick tapping of well-polished shoes against the equally polished linoleum tiles of the castle halls was the only sound that reverberated amongst the fine paintings, drapes, and tapestry that was hung upon the walls.

"Momo," Todoroki called out for the female knight after putting some good distance between and Midoriya, before realizing that she wasn't at his side.

Yaoyorozu gave Midoriya a quick, slightly apologetic look before turning and chasing after the prince's back.

Frowning, Midoriya turned his head, glancing up and down the hall; uncertain of what to do with his newfound free time, he debated trailing after the prince. After all, he was sent here as a spy. Shaking his head, he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. There was no doubt that Yaoyorozu had keen senses for a knight and would be hyper-vigilant with every second she spent around the prince. He could sneak around the castle and try to muster up any information or rumor that was whispered behind these walls? Midoriya shook his head at that thought too, he had barely been within these castle walls for only a few days, he was too new; too green behind the ears for his position. If he was caught snooping around and asking the wrong questions it would end up badly for him.

Swallowing thickly, he turned his vision toward the large arched window before him, draped by rich red curtains with golden tassels wrapped around them. He could see a pair of darkly feathered ravens flapping in the sky. He squinted and moved closer toward the window as he tilted his head back to peer at the birds. They circled together in the sky for a brief moment before flapping their wings and heading in opposite directions. Leather tubes were tied to their feet, surely carrying a letter or some message of importance.

His own thoughts quickly turned toward Dark Shadow, who he had left in the rookery along with an assortment of birds that the castle used to send out their messages. Stepping away from the window, Midoriya walked down the hall, realizing that it had been some time since he had left Shuei and in between that and All Might's arrival to the country that was expected in seven months' time. He supposed that he should at least fill the man in on his state of health and the few things he had observed during his time here.

Walking through the halls and climbing the staircases that eventually lead him to the section of the castle that housed both his and the prince's room. Midoriya pushed his own room door open and kicked the thick, wooden door shut behind him with the heel of his foot.

Making his way into the room, he made his way over to the chest at the foot of his bed. Opening it up, he retrieved a small leather pouch that was wrapped within a thin, leather string, a piece of parchment paper, and an inkwell. He placed the items down on the floor beside him, before reaching back into the chest and retrieving a stick of wax and a stamp. Shutting the lid of the chest, he grabbed up the items and glanced around the room.

There was no desk in the room. Something he would make sure to inquire about later to Yaoyorozu.

Taking over his supplies to the armoire, he set them down and unfurled the piece of parchment paper, before taking the stopper out of the inkwell. He gripped the leather pouch and slightly tugged on the piece of leather that wrapped around it, it unfurled itself, revealing an assortment of quills that were adorned with vibrant feathers at their ends.

Midoriya picked up one and dipped the tip into the ink, before lifting it slightly and tapping the tip of the quill against the lip of the bottle to shake off the extra ink from it. Pressing the tip of the quill against the smooth, unblemished parchment, he moved his hand, letting words flow out upon the page that were selected carefully to convey to All Might what he wanted the man to know.

Scratching noises were the only sound that reverberated in the room as the sun slowly shifted in the sky. Midoriya frowned after several minutes, his hand cramped as he finally rested the quill down beside the piece of parchment. Waiting for the ink to dry, he scanned over the words he had written.

It was a simple message; he informed All Might of the warmer weather here in Enten and how it was far different from Shuei, where the leaves at this time of year were slowly beginning to turn a vivid shade of red, orange and gold as the first hint that Autumn was beginning to grip the country. There were mentions of how he was adapting to Enten's vastly different culture; he had yet to get used to the food or the lax culture that existed here. A smile tugged at his lips as he read over the part of the letter where he informed All Might of a strange boy that looked to be his age whom he had seen the day the caravan entered the capital city of this country.

A boy with purple hair that resembled a cluster of grapes, who had been confined to the stocks; rotten fruit and vegetables smeared his face as citizens crowded around full baskets of the rotten produce so that they could pick up one and throw it at him. He had later learned after inquiring about the incident to Yaoyorozu that the boy had been placed in the stocks for lechery. She had scowled; a shiver running up her spine giving Midoriya the hint that this wasn't the first time that the purple-haired boy had been placed into those stocks.

Satisfied with the letter, Midoriya rolled up the parchment and tied it was a thin piece of twine, before picking up the stick of wax. He broke off small pieces of it and reached into the leather pouch for the melting spoon, dumping the clumps of wax onto the spoon. There were a set of candles in a candelabra upon the armoire. Placing the spoon down, Midoriya quickly searched for a set of matches that he could lit the candle with. After pulling out several drawers, he finally found the matches and picked up one before striking the sulfur-infused tip against the flint upon the side of the box.

A bright orange flame bloomed to life upon the match, lighting a single candle, Midoriya blew out the flame on the match before discarding it. He picked up the spoon and held it over the burning flame of the candle as the pieces of wax bubbled and melted; satisfied that the wax was fully melted, he moved the spoon, tipped it over the parchment and watched as the wax dripped down onto it.

Setting down the spoon, Midoriya picked up the seal and pressed it into the warm wax for a few seconds before lifting it up to see the impression of a burning sun set into the red wax. Quickly cleaning up, Midoriya grabbed the parchment and left the room. He stopped by the kitchen on his way to the rookery to pick up a small cake of rolled oats as a treat for Dark Shadow.

As Midoriya pushed through a door, the smell of fresh air and the warmth of the sun kissing his skin greeted him. The only access to the tower was a stone walkway that connected the rookery to the rest of the castle. Midoriya walked out onto the walkway, letting the thick door swing shut behind him. There were two other guards out there with him, who were walking away from the rookery; he assumed from the bored expressions upon their faces that they had been assigned to patrol the walkway, but that they would turn over the patrol with another pair of guards.

Walking along the pathway, he kept to the side as much as possible. The walkway wasn't designed for multiple people to be on it at the same time. As he came within distance of the two guards who were walking shoulder to shoulder, Midoriya let out a yelp as he pivoted forward and crashed onto the cobbled stones of the walkway. Pain bloomed throughout his body as a ringing sensation burned in his ears. Shaking his head, Midoriya slightly turned it in the direction of the guards to see what he had tripped over.

One of the guards—the one closest to Midoriya—pulled back his foot that he had stuck out directly in the green-haired teen's path. There was a burning malice ingrained into his eyes as Midoriya glanced up at his face.

"Watch where you're walking next time, boy." Spittle flew from the guard's mouth as he turned and walked away with the other guard. Words bubbled in the hollow of Midoriya's throat; biting down on his tongue, he suppressed them. Standing up, he brushed off bits of dirt from his clothes before walking into the tower.

He came to a landing, with a spiral staircase that lead upward to where all the messenger birds were kept and to lower levels that he knew very little about. Taking the steps two at a time, it took him a good number of minutes to reach the top. His left foot pressing down on the edge of a single tendril of the sun that was built into the floor of the rookery. It was made of twisted glass that had been heated to bring out the vivid red, orange, and gold coloration of the material. The sun was surrounded by stone tiles, giving the floor the impression that the sun was a weed that was weaving its limbs through the cracks of the stone floor.

The squawk of several birds tore his gaze away from the floor. Above his head and around him, there were several arched holes built into the walls of the rook, containing several ravens, crows, and an assortment of birds that the castle used.

Squawking near the back forced Midoriya to move toward the sound until his gaze settled upon the dark feathers of Dark Shadow. The bird let out a soft coo as it recognized his face.

"Hey, boy." Midoriya scratched at Dark Shadow's head as he reached into his pocket for the wrapped oat cake he had gotten earlier. Unwrapping the handkerchief, he broke off a small piece of the cake and held it out toward the bird. Dark Shadow tilted his head as he stared at the cake with his dark beady eyes, before reaching out with his neck to nip at the piece of cake before swallowing it down. Continuing to break off small pieces of the cake, he fed them to Dark Shadow until the bird was pecking at his empty fingers for more.

"Ow," Midoriya muttered underneath his breath, jerking back his hand from the bird's beak. "I'll bring you more later." Holding up the piece of parchment he held in his hand to Dark Shadow's eyes, he wiggled it slightly. "But only after you deliver this."

Cooing as if he was agreeing to Midoriya's terms, Dark Shadow slightly hopped forward. Midoriya moved away from the bird to fetch a larger pouch that would accommodate the size of the parchment. Finding one, he slipped the letter inside and strapped the pouch around the bird's chest. Stretching out his arm, Dark Shadow flapped his wings as he moved forward slightly and landed on Midoriya's perched arm.

Taking Dark Shadow to the little balcony that jutted out of this floor of the rook, he pressed his forehead against the bird's side and stretched his arm outward. Dark Shadow took the hint, flapping his wings as he spiraled into the air until he pointed himself toward the south and took off until he was a tiny black speck in the sky.

Midoriya felt a little bitter about the only Shueian leaving him in the castle by himself. He knew Dark Shadow would return at most in five days. He scowled knowing that once Dark Shadow reached the border of the city, the guards would use magic to bring him down and inspect the letter he had written to All Might. But the way he had written it had been deliberate; before leaving Shuei, All Might had taught him a cypher that only the two of them would be able to memorize, certain letters and phrases would correlate to a specific letter or word and only the two of them would be able to figure it out decoding the cipher.

"Midoriya."

Taking a startled step back away from the balcony, Midoriya turned to face the interior of the rook, sweeping his gaze around in search of the prince. His voice had sounded close; narrowing his eyes, Midoriya hesitantly stepped into the interior of the rook. "Your Highness?"

"Why would I physically be where you are? Do you not know how the basics of magic work?"

Blinking rapidly, he realized that the prince was communicating with him via magic. He bit down upon his lower lip; he understood very little about the complexities of magic or its basic functions. Common in other lands, Shuei had a long history of magic being more of a luxury than a common tool for one to utilize.

"You don't have a bracelet yet," the prince continued, "so I'm resorting to this outdated method of contacting you. Come to the courtyard."

Walking out of the rook, it took Midoriya a good number of minutes and asking directions from another servant to reach the courtyard. As he walked back out into the warm, sunlit weather, he could see rows of guards standing poised and ready. Their well-polished armor gleamed in the afternoon sun. But that wasn't what commanded Midoriya's attention.

Standing at the helm of the row of guards was the prince. He kept a slow, drawn pace in front of the guards; he had rid himself of the blue vest that Midoriya had picked out earlier. Another servant stood a few feet away from the prince, the blue vest draped over his arm; ready for the moment its owner would pick it up once it was needed again.

Studying the prince, dressed now in simply a white shirt and pants of a similar color, there was a refined and dutiful air that surrounded him. While he was clearly younger compared to the guards standing poised before him, it was clear to anyone who laid their eyes upon this scene that he was truly the one in charge. From the sheathed broadsword strapped to the prince's hip, such an assertion was undeniable.

Midoriya crossed the courtyard and made his way over to where Yaoyorozu stood; the female knight gave him a quick smile as she focused her gaze back at the prince's back.

"In seven months' time, the leaders of this land's kingdoms and domains will flock to the city for the celebration of my coming of age." Todoroki continued to pace before the guards, his heterochromatic eyes sweeping over each of their faces. "You'll be undergoing training under my watch, so that you may personally show the strength and prestige of our country to those who come."

At the end of the row in the front, a guard with black, greasy hair and a nose that was slightly bent and crooked as if it had never healed properly after being fractured snickered to another guard closest to him. "We're supposed to be trained by a brat who isn't even of age? What was the king thinking?" His words came out as a hushed whisper, but by the contempt that burned in his eyes he had every ounce of intention for his words to reach the prince's ears. "If he wanted a monster to train us, he might as well have gotten the one-eyed smith to train us himself."

And so they did.

Midoriya's eyes widened in shock as they quickly flickered to the prince's right hand. The hilt of the sword that had previously been strapped to his waist now comfortably rested in his hand; the guard who had dared to speak, swallowed thickly as he kept his gaze pointed towards the sky, a thick drop of blood bubbled onto the tip of Todoroki's sword that was pressed against the hollow of his throat.

Whimpering pushed itself out from the guard's throat as ice slowly crept up the sword until the man was wincing in pain as ice coated the tip and burned against the cut on his neck. The prince's eyes were as cold as the ice that coated his sword. Shards of ice and cold frost coated his right as he let carefully chosen words slip past his lips. "If you have concerns that someone younger than you can effectively train an entire squad of men, then maybe you could teach them better than I would. I'm certain the king would be glad to hear that he has a capable man among the guards." The guard quickly shook his head, his eyes widening and sweat breaking out across the surface of his skin. Keeping his face impassive and emotionless, Todoroki continued. "If not, I could always send you off to serve near the mountains. I heard it's quite pleasant around this time of year. Nice and freezing."

Midoriya bit down on his tongue, to keep himself from uttering a single noise or word that would surely have had the tip of the prince's sword pressed against his own neck. The mountains that he spoke of made up the border of Enten and Ingeniumu that was situated just northwest of the country. The mountains were thick with snow that reached up to one's knees with biting winds, large beasts, and temperatures that always remained in the negatives. The mountains were a place where those who were unused to such conditions would quickly die.

It was a death sentence.

And Todoroki knew this.

Fear flickered in the guard's eyes as Todoroki continued to coldly gaze upon his face. "Draw your sword." Everyone's eyes widened in shock as Todoroki lowered the tip of his own weapon to tap at the leather buckle wrapped around the guard's waist that kept his own sword strapped to his hip.

"What?" Shock colored the guard's face as his gaze flickered nervously from the prince's face to anyone near him.

"Draw. Your. Sword." Todoroki hisses out each word with a biting edge to it. "If you're so confident in yourself then surely you can beat me in a fight?" A single visible brow raised itself on his face.

Shock changed to anger as the guard deeply frowned before unsheathing his own sword from his belt. Todoroki turned and walked to the middle of the courtyard before spinning around on his feet and pointing his sword at the guard, steam curled off of the metal, melting the ice and frost that covered it.

Midoriya jumped slightly as a hand rested on his shoulder, turning his head he saw Yaoyorozu give him a look before gently tugging him backward as she walked backward to give herself some distance between the middle of the courtyard and her. An all-knowing smile graced her face.

Following suit, Midoriya put some distance between him and the middle of the courtyard as he tore his gaze away from her face and back to Todoroki.

From her smile, he knew that the outcome of this little match had already been decided.

The guard let out a guttural yell as he rushed forward. The pommel of his sword gripped between both of his hands, he swung at Todoroki with all of his might, who simply raised the flat side of his sword to catch the edge of the guard's. Todoroki deflected the guard's sword to the left, causing the sword to swing in a wide arch as the guard stumbled backward; the tip of the sword dragged against the cobblestones beneath his feet, sending bright orange sparks flying through the air before the guard lifted the sword.

Another frustrated yell of anger poured out from the guard's throat as took a huge step forward and kept the sword leveled with his waist; swinging it forward to slash at Todoroki's waist.

The prince simply dodged it as he moved toward the right, instead using the flat of his own sword to slap down on the guard's wrist.

The guard let out a curse as he loosened his grip on the pommel of his sword. Using the momentum of his own movement, Todoroki spun behind the knight as he dropped low to the ground, sticking his leg out as he used it to swipe at the guard's right leg that he left exposed and unprotected.

The guard tipped backward, his back and head smashing against the cobblestones. Todoroki lifted his sword and pointed it at the guard's throat. "You were too irrational; too predictable. If I could see through you, what makes you think that your enemy won't?"

Sheathing his sword, Todoroki held out a hand to pull the guard back up to his feet.

"He's strong, isn't he?" Midoriya turned his head to see that Yaoyorozu was addressing him.

He didn't answer but silently agreed with her. Todoroki seemed like an impressive fighter; an overwhelming force that easily smothered down anyone who faced it.

A cold shiver ran up his back as the guard moved back to join the others as Todoroki barked for them to pair up. The prince turned around and fixed Midoriya with an unreadable expression as the green-haired teen decided that he would never want to be put in Todoroki's path.

Pressing the cool rag against Todoroki's bare back, Midoriya slightly shivered as a soft, gentle breeze came into the room from the open window. The sheer curtains that decorated it, fluttered with the breeze. Midoriya's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he scrubbed away the grime of the day from the prince's skin. Lifting the rag, Midoriya pressed it against his spine as his stomach rumbled in the silence of the room. Heat rose to his cheeks as the water in bathtub sloshed to the sides as Todoroki turned his head slightly to regard him.

"Have you not been eating?" Lowering his head, Midoriya avoided the prince's gaze. "I've told you before that you may speak freely; you're not to act like one of my old man's servants."

Lifting his head, Midoriya glanced at the white mask that covered his left eye. He quickly averted his gaze but nodded his head. "Sorry, your highness, but I'm not quite accustomed to Enten's style of cuisine."

Todoroki let out a curious hum, Midoriya could feel the prince's gaze flicker over him before there was a snap of fingers and he could hear polished boots against the tiled bathroom floors. Looking up, a faint shade of pink began to color his cheeks as Yaoyorozu clasped her hands behind her back and nodded her head at Todoroki.

Midoriya was surprised at the lack of embarrassment coloring her face as she stood in the bathroom, just a foot away from the naked body of a prince. It reminded him of the stark differences between their cultures and the unusualness of her and the prince's relationship.

"Momo." The prince addressed her by her name. "I want you to go to that shop that's just a block away from the blacksmith and the apothecary."

Seemingly understanding whatever it was that the prince was talking about, she raised a single brow as her gaze flickered between the prince and Midoriya, but she nodded her head in understanding. "What would you like me to bring back?"

"As much as you and three guards can carry."

Midoriya stood in awe as he watched Yaoyorozu and three guards bring in more food than he had ever seen before. They set it down upon a long low table that had been placed down in the prince's room since he had forced Midoriya to inform the chef that he wouldn't be needing dinner for the knight as he was having Yaoyorozu fetch him something.

The guards placed down dish after dish; the familiar scent wafting from the dishes made his stomach growl and his mouth water as the warmth of home settled in his chest. Yaoyorozu placed a single bottle of fermented rice wine down on the table with two small cups.

The prince waved his hand in her direction, dismissing her and the three other guards. "That will be all."

His gaze swept over each dish. There was a huge plate of grilled beef that was left marinated in a combination of delicious spices and a sweet sauce for nearly a week. It was topped with onions, garlic, peppers, and sesame seeds. There was another dish containing several pieces of fried chicken that were dripping with a sweet slathering of a honey-butter sauce and were topped with several sesame seeds. There was a large bowl of orange soup that was made from a thick paste produced with fermented soybeans. Spring onions, mushrooms, and cubed tofu pieces floated in the broth. In another bowl, it contained thick noodles that were covered with chopped pork that was coated with a black bean paste, sautéed bamboo shoots covered the noodles. There was a dish of pan-fried dumplings that had been arranged in a spiral; each dumpling looked like it contained an assortment of ingredients inside.

Back home, Midoriya loved his mother's dumplings; the ones where she would put a different ingredient in each. There would be pieces of duck that she had slathered in a spicy, chili sauce or pieces of julienned vegetables that were tied with a single noodle string. Or even pieces of fried pork or savory chicken.

There were a few pieces of fried, breaded cutlets of pork that had sauce drizzled over top. There were sliced cucumbers that had been pickled with salt and sugar, eggs that had been rolled into rectangles and contained melted cheese and diced ham, vegetables that had been coated in a batter and deep fried and a giant pallet of rice.

Todoroki walked over to the small table and took a seat, he grabbed one of the cups for himself and placed it down in front of him before reaching out for the bottle of rice wine Yaoyorozu had placed down earlier. Glancing over in Midoriya's direction, Todoroki fixed him with a slightly exasperated expression. "Must I serve myself?"

Midoriya gave him a quick, apologetic bow of his head as he rushed over to the table to serve him. Picking up a bowl, Midoriya grabbed a spoon and ladled a good portion of rice into it before setting it down in front of the prince. He grabbed a plate for the prince and a pair of chopsticks that had been provided with everything else as he put a piece of chicken and a little bit of the breaded pork onto a plate for him and was reaching for the battered and fried vegetables when the prince reached out for the plate and with a shake of his head, simply ordered Midoriya to give him the dish and to take a seat and eat as much as he wanted.

Eyes widening in shock, Midoriya attempted to refuse the offer, but Todoroki was having none of it. "I'm giving you an order as my personal servant and that order is for you to sit down and eat."

Midoriya glanced at the prince warily, but any thoughts he had were quickly dispelled as the prince opened the wine and filled his own cup. Midoriya took a seat across from him as he grabbed his own bowl and quickly filled it with rice. He grabbed up a pair of chopsticks and began helping himself to the food in front of him, his eyes flickered over each dish as he stuck his tongue out in concentration.

Silence filled the space between him and the prince. Though he was unused to silence when he ate—fond memories of eating with All Might and his mother on special occasions or every evening when he would eat with his mother, a smile plastered on each of their faces as they talked about the day. He did his best to make the most of it. With his chopsticks he picked up a rolled egg and placed it on top of his rice as Todoroki tipped the bottle of wine over his cup; the clear liquid sloshing against the side of the bottle and downward into the cup before he tipped the bottle upright and placed it onto the table.

Picking up his cup, he sipped at the liquid as he watched the green-haired teen place his chopsticks in one hand and press them together, bowing his head and watching his lips move softly in a hushed prayer.

The clatter of chopsticks and silverware cut through the silence as the two teens let the silence between them comfortably swallow them up.


A/N: Couldn't find a reasonable place either in which to split this chapter up, so yet again, you guys get a longer chapter! This one's lighthearted and we get to see a bit of Todoroki's soft side (which cherish that moment, because from here on out the angst and feels train is on full throttle and doesn't seem to be ending for a while).