"This is your last chance, you ungrateful brat!" his mother hollered and even Katsuki, a noble lord, trembled in his base. "The next girl who is desperate enough to accept the arrangement, I will say yes in your stead!"
Katsuki frowned. "You can't -"
"I can and I will!"
The thing was, Mitsuki has given way too much liberty for his picky ass. Her no good of a son had gone and rejected the perfect wife – Lady Momo had everything; the quirk, the beauty, the family, the grace – and how?
He called her a stuck up boring noble to her face.
The girl's parents were so (understandably) offended that they undid the match instantly. And the Yaoyurozus were not the first family to go running up the hills at the young Lord's foul manners. But Mitsuki would be damned if they weren't the last.
So when a poor royal family looking for a way to keep their title offers their daughter's hand in marriage, she thanks the heavens for sending her wicked son an undeserving fifth chance at a match. Mitsuki meets the girl instead. Her first impression of Uraraka Ochako is that she is pretty in an ordinary sense, with high spirits and affability to make her likable.
Mitsuki is thoroughly unimpressed, but then again, she was not picking a wife for herself, and the Lady hardly had any say when it was her turn to be given away like an useful present by her own original family. During their tea, Lady Uraraka had all the polite manners and answers to her prodding, and to Mitsuki's delight, she seemed a genuinely nice girl. One whose good humor could certainly be ruined after five minutes with her Katsuki, no doubt.
"So, my dear," the elder Lady put down her cup gracefully, crossing her gloved fingers on her lap. "I expect your parents are fine with this marriage?"
The girl's eyes sparked with an unknown sort of message, her whole demeanor shifting now that they had gotten to the point of their meeting. "Why yes, my Lady, seeing as they are the ones who have set it up in the first place."
Mitsuki tightened her lips. "You have yet to ask anything about my son."
That had Miss Uraraka taking another sip of her tea, as if to take her time picking her words. "I do not imagine it would make much difference if I did, my Lady."
Lady Bakugou cocked her head. "And why is that?"
Ochako suppressed a sigh. "Because I believe a mother always thinks highly of her offspring, even if they are the most undeserving of such kindness," she delivered with a smile supposed to soften the blow. "And what good would it be to dream up a perfect husband-to-be, only to have the match fall through for one reason or the other? Or, suppose it does work out and I become his wife, could I not be let down or led astray by such pretty words uttered by a doting mother? In that case, would I not be better off getting to know him on my own terms?"
It is, after all, one of the few liberties I have left, she completed in thought.
Mitsuki blinked. A slow, but sure smile spread across her features. "Oh, dear," she got up from her seat and extended a hand in Ochako's direction. "I think we have ourselves a deal."
As much as it pained her to pair her only son off with a stranger, Mitsuki did just that. It was, after all, the law of their land – her Katsuki had been blessed with a strong quirk, and it was demanded that he be matched with another to rival his own, so that combined, they would produce more quirky children.
Uraraka had a zero gravity ability that was most impressive, and would no doubt produce an interesting mix with her son's explosive one. Katsuki met her at the gates, anxiously tapping his foot against the marbled floor.
"Well?" He demanded in their usual tone of conversation, seeing as no one was around to observe their lack of manners towards one another. "Were you successful in your endeavor to whore me, you old hag?"
Mitsuki smirked. "Indeed I was."
Katsuki cursed under his breath, shaming every deity in their vocabulary.
He growled like a stray dog when he was told he would only meet her at the actual ceremony.
Of course many arranged marriages were so, but he still stormed off like the child he was. He was barely twenty, after all.
Stupid law. Stupid title. Stupid, fake engagement.
He was told very little about the girl; her name, her quirk, her family members... That was most likely it. He didn't want to give his mother the satisfaction of asking about her looks or personality, lest he leave her thinking he was actually excited about this whole circus.
Which he wasn't. Not in the slightest.
Katsuki was nervous, worried, and anxious; but most of all, he was sad. Sad he'd never get to have a romance of his own. Sad to have his liberty and power of choice stripped away from him like it was nothing. Sad about this girl, who would also have to sacrifice everything.
His squire, Kirishima, noticed. His father noticed. Even the abbey's librarian, shitty Deku, noticed.
He was slouching around.
Naturally, the next time Mitsuki saw him alone and unattended, she grabbed him by the ear.
"What the f –"
"Stop moping, you ungrateful brat!" The Lady of the house closed the door to his chambers after dragging him there. "This is life! Curse your ancestry and power, but just like you there are hudreds of others who are in the same predicament! And I can bet all of my gold not one of them acts as much as a little bitch!"
Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance, shoving at a nearby chair. "I am still allowed to have fucking feelings, you heartless woman."
"Yes, you are," she narrowed red eyes so like his. "But if I catch you poisoning your bride with that disposition, I will send you to library duty for the rest of your adult life."
When he opened his mouth to protest with a frown, Mitsuki merely raised her eyebrows, as if challenging: you know I will.
Katsuki resignated after that day. He decided not to be a brat to the girl (unless provoked). He would make sure to be corteous. The girl did not bear any more fault than he did. And they would, after all, be sharing a room, a life, and even parenthood… might as well get used to having a partner for everything.
A partnership. That was it. Maybe if he thought of it as a business association, it could work? Like someone to play chess with. Kirishima was not very good at it, and fucking Deku always preferred checkers like the weirdo he was. Maybe Lady Uraraka would be interested in those? Or in the same books of war strategy he read? Perhaps they could quirk-train together…
Who was he kidding? None of those activities were ladylike. And with any of his shitty luck, the girl would just be some unfortunate bimbo who had the necessary requirements for the match, but not to make him happy.
The thought of being a parent made him shudder. How did one get naked before someone? A complete stranger, at that? Katsuki had never revealed himself in that manner, and he was hoping to do it to someone he actually wanted to do it with. As soon as the date was set – the wedding was happening within a fortnight – he abandoned all hopes of that. He could forget being lost to the throes of passion, as he had heard the servant boys whisper, and say hello to mechanic performances with someone he did not care for.
God, he sure hoped she was not in a rush with the heir thing. What if he could not perform adequately due to his nerves? Or if he had too much to drink at the celebrations and it hindered his conduct of the act? Did that mean he had to sit through that anxiety-inducing ceremony completely sober?
Was he even ready to be a parent? Did he think he had it in him to be kind and patient as his father was towards him? Because by all the gods above, his child would at least be fortunate enough to not have a mother like Katsuki's.
Hopefully. He did not know a thing about her.
Questions weighed on his mind more than Katsuki liked as he resigned to his royal duties and previous commitments, all the while sighing whenever he thought about the ceremony. Each time a present arrived at their abbey, his heart clenched a little tighter.
And when he finally laid eyes on her, he let out a breath he never knew he held; Katsuki was relieved. She was gorgeous. She was dressed in traditional white, the unusually short hair bobbed and styled, gloves covering petite fingers and dress accentuating her curves.
His first impulse was thanking the same gods he had spent weeks cursing; they could not hate him so much if they had sent him such a gorgeous girl. Katsuki would not hate waking up every day to such an angelic face.
His second thought was not as pure. The young Lord flushed upon realizing he wouldn't mind performing any acts with that girl, either.
The ceremony was over before either of them could wrap their minds around it even happening. They exchanged rings, brown eyes averting downward whenever she had to repeat vows, red gaze lowering in shame for saying them without meaning it, too.
They had to kiss to symbolize their union. Katsuki leaned in and pecked her soft-looking lips chastely, and he could tell the Lady was at least relieved to not be with someone who would force their way in or take anything more than what was required of them.
Toasts, dinner and presents happened. The feast was spent replying to all the guests who strode up to their table, and her voice was soft on his ears, thank the gods again for that. He could end up with someone with a shrill pitch, and then Katsuki would have to walk around with ear mufflers for the rest of his life.
She was unbelievably kind, nice to all, easy to smile. In fact, they were practically polar opposites. His mother was not lying when she said she would take the next deal that came along; their personalities were not similar in the least, and old wives' tales always preached that minds alike make a marriage bright.
However, Katsuki did have his own backwards example at home, where his mother had an impossible personality and his father served as calming waters for her battleship.
But they fell in love inside an arranged marriage, and honestly, what were the odds of that?
Almost six hours later, the newest couple was left alone for the very first time.
The door to his chambers were slammed after Katsuki and he couldn't help a shiver. Both young adults eyed the bed in distrust.
Ochako moved first. "I will get ready," she announced, and the tone was already different from the party. It was quieter, almost shy, not at all sure of her words as she seemed at the feast.
"R-Ready for bed, yes," Katsuki complied and he already hated how his voice stuttered. "You can have the washing chambers first."
She nodded, hands nervously wringing together her white shawl.
"We don't have to, uh..." Katsuki surprised himself by speaking.
Ochako almost got whiplash from turning too fast. "Yes, Your Lordship?"
Katsuki almost winced. "You don't have to call me that. We are...already married."
Uraraka bit her lower lip and nodded. She honestly thought she could do worse. He was not as bad as his reputation. Definitely more handsome than the tales, when he was not frowning or pouting like an adolescent.
When he awkwardly repeated that they didn't have to rush anything, sheepishly gesturing at the bed, Ochako could cry in relief. She smiled at him - not the fake beaming she did for their parents and guests, not the full on smile she had on for her friends at the party, but still. A small, genuine smile just for him.
"Thank you, my Lord," she bowed her head with grace.
"You don't..." Bakugou trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his head.
She blinked.
"Just...call me by my name. It is weird if you call me by my title in private."
"But I am expected to refer to you as my Lord in front of others from court," Ochako frowned.
"Yes, but..." Katsuki sighed. He never wanted this, but again; stupid law. "We have no need to act like this when it's just the two of us," he said at last.
Ochako nodded. "Yes, I… I suppose it would be too exhausting to keep this up in private, too."
"Precisely," the young Lord let out a sigh of relief. "And about the bed, well, I can just sleep in one of the guest rooms. You can keep these quarters if you like."
"Nonsense," she shook her head, even though she was glad to hear his offer. "This would be too much... People would talk. I do not...mind sharing the bed, my- um, Bakugou-san. We should be sharing the room in every way," she stated, making her way to the vanity to remove her makeup and hair dressings. They had to get used to each other's company and habits, and to keep up the minimum for appearances. There was no way that separate quarters ever since their first night would paint a good picture for either of them.
"Thank you anyway," she brushed her hair, it falling down to her shoulders. She caught the Lord staring at it when she first entered the hall, and she knew he had taken notice. Most ladies wore long hair – the longer, the more feminine. But Ochako found it always hindered her exercising, and with more hair came more care needed, and she simply did not have the time. She liked to keep busy.
She supposed a married woman would have to grow out her hair and spend days caring for it. What a dull life she was supposed to lead.
Katsuki shrugged. "I want you to be...well, as comfortable as one can be in this situation."
"Honestly," Ochako puffed out her cheeks as she removed an earring, letting her true self slip through for the first time in the evening. "Just not rushing into making an heir takes a load off my shoulders. I really can't thank you enough for that."
Katsuki went red all over. "Yeah, well, we are way too young to be parents anyway. The match is made, we are wedded, that should make them shut the fuck up for a while."
Ochako froze with her second earring in her fingers, and Bakugou almost slapped his mouth.
Then she chuckled.
"I guess some rumors are true, Bakugou-san," she smiled almost teasingly.
"Oi," he frowned, "I've been trying my damnedest not to curse during that reception, but you might as well get used to it."
She nodded, eyes still joyful as she stared at him through the mirror. "Okay."
She went to their washing chambers after that and emerged in her sleeping gown, white silk hugging her curves and making evident parts of the body Katsuki would rather not focus on right now, lest he embarrass himself. He blushed as he went into the bathroom to bathe and change.
Once the Lord was in their room again, Ochako was already under the covers, hair and skin clean and smooth, the sweet smell of coconut and vanilla barely there as Katsuki carefully laid beside her.
Silence settled as Bakugou tried not to squirm.
"This is so strange," she spoke.
Surprised she'd break the silence, Katsuki turned to his wife, who was laying down with her stomach up. Licking her lips, Ochako hummed. "It really is. Months ago I was worried I wouldn't have enough to get us to the next harvest."
Her family owned lands and servants, but were really dependent of the crops' results. "And now here we are," she said simply, as if she hadn't volunteered to be traded like livestock just because she had a womb.
Katsuki swallowed. "About all this, I... I really had no say in it. I hope you understand."
"I do," she turned to face him too. "Our King made the law."
Katsuki stared at her, waiting to see if she meant to speak any longer. She did not. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, and Ochako could tell she was lucky. She thought she would be violated. She thought she would be used and abused and destroyed. Such was the way of the land. Marrying a girl meant owning her. She hoped for a husband who cheated on her constantly, so Ochako would never have to worry about constantly having to 'please' him outside of their duty of making an heir. She hoped he's forget about her existence altogether.
She never expected someone who was clearly just as unsure and sad as she was.
"This is scary, isn't it?" Ochako asked in a soft voice, eyeing her partner for the next decades.
Katsuki nodded.
She smiled the tiniest bit when she proposed, "Let's try and make it a good one, yeah?"