Word Count: 6,071

Enter Momo Yaoyorozu. Crown princess to the Yaoyorozu Kingdom due to her status as the only child, she was perfectly capable of running said kingdom all by herself, thank you very much.

However, the people spoke for themselves when they said they wanted a king for their kingdom. They said they didn't think a queen could possibly keep up with all the things a ruler must do in order for the place to run perfectly. After all, noble women were too delicate to do anything remotely political for extended periods of time. Noble women wouldn't know how to properly lead the armies out to battle should a war break out.

To this, Momo rolled her eyes, but as her seventeenth birthday approached, her parents quietly advised her to do something about it. After all, a ruler without the support of the ruled was powerless.

She had to admit, they were right. So she listened to the options they gave her.

One, she could marry. It could be some foreign royal and strengthen an alliance, perhaps create a new one. Or, it could be one of the powerful lording houses that were already loyal to the family. Who she married mattered not, as long as they came from somewhere respectable.

Two, she could prove herself. There had been recent complaints of a dragon coming from the towns near the Western border, but there had yet to be anything done about it. Should she slay it, whether it be on her own or with help of her choosing, that should show the citizens that she would be a capable queen, with or without a king by her side. She would have one year to complete this task.

Are those my only options? Momo had asked, her arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

Her parents nodded.

Well, then my choice is clear. Everyone in the room held their breath. I'll go and slay the dragon.

And so, on Princess Momo's seventeenth birthday, all the king's horses, all the king's men, and all the politically relevant people in the land, saw off the darling princess of Yaoyorozu as she set off on her quest to slay the dragon to the West.

It was a beautiful day. Bees were buzzing. Flowers were blooming. There was something wonderful and irreplaceable about a day like that.

The fields were wonderfully green. The sky was delightfully blue. Fluffy cotton ball clouds floated lazily about above said wonderfully green fields and in said delightfully blue sky.

Momo sighed contentedly as her horse trotted down a beaten dirt road, admiring the wonderful scenery as it passed her by. A sword of her own creation hung upon her waist, and a shield to match was fast on its way. Though she had set out but a few hours ago, everything seemed to be going exactly as planned.

That is, of course, until a blast of ice just narrowly missed her face.

"Woah there!" she cried as she pulled on the reins in an effort to calm her rearing horse.

She looked to the source of the ice blast and saw some poor, disheveled boy her age fighting tooth and nail to get away from a griffin. Half the landscape has already been transformed into a tundra from his wild shots, but it seemed that despite the boy's powerful quirk, the griffin was just too stubborn to let him go, even with its own front legs frozen over.

Immediately, Momo dismounted.

"Stay here," she instructed her horse. He blinked back at her understandingly, and she ran off with her sword drawn and shield freshly minted to save the strange boy with the ice quirk.

Panting, Momo wiped the blood off her sword as she stood over the still-warm body of the griffin. She glanced down at the boy she just saved, who stared back up at her with a subtle mix of confusion and awe in his mismatched eyes as he lay sprawled out on the ground. She can't help but wonder what strange past he must have to stain half his hair red as blood and give him such a nasty scar over his eye.

Sitting up, he said, "Princess Yaoyorozu."

Momo sheathed her sword and slipped her shield off her arm. "Yes," she said patiently. "And you are?"

The boy immediately opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated slightly before actually giving an answer. "Shoto," he finally decides upon.

"Just Shoto?" Momo raised an eyebrow at him. "No title? No family name?"

He only shook his head.

She crossed her arms, curious and a little bit suspicious, but not enough so as to question his lack of a surname. "Okay then, Shoto. What business do you have fighting a griffin in the middle of a meadow?"

"It attacked me."

"But why were you here in the first place?"

"I ran away from home."

Momo blinked in surprise. Well, at least he's honest, she thought as she peered at him curiously. He gazed unflinchingly back at her, his expression unreadable. That would explain the disheveled appearance at least.

She figured it wasn't in her place to be prying. Breaking their stare, she observed the terrain around them only to find what little ice remaining to be melting quickly. She spared another glance for Shoto and spied his left hand steaming. He must be capable of melting the ice as well as producing it, she realized, her interest in the boy growing ever larger.

"Say, Shoto, how would you like to help me slay a dragon?"

He wasn't all too sure why he said yes. Perhaps it was because he had nowhere else to go, and dragon slaying was something he'd been groomed all his life to do. Or, perhaps, it was because it was an invitation rather than a command. Most likely, it was both, but there was also something else that he couldn't quite place that made him want to join the princess.

Why he even told her he was running away was an even bigger mystery to himself, but whatever the reason, it didn't particularly matter to him. All he was concerned about at the moment was getting as far away from the Todoroki manor while still retaining feeling in his butt because wow sitting on the far end of a horse sucked.

The princess had insisted that he call her by her first name, since they were a party now and all. Privately, he thought she was acting kind of dweebish, since she seemed to be basing her words off the fairy tales of old, but he also supposed his own social skills might be subpar due to his upbringing.

But gosh, why did she even ask him to join her on such a quest? She clearly had no idea who he was and what he was capable of. All she knew about him was that he had a mixed quirk and that he ran away from home. She didn't… know, did she? How could she? She was the princess! She had no way of knowing the family drama of one lording house! She was probably too busy with politics and manners and whatever else it was that princesses did in their spare time. Looking at how well-built she was, it probably wasn't embroidery.

Returning back to the topic at hand, it also didn't help that his appearance wasn't the most forgettable thing in the world. His face was practically split down the middle! It wouldn't be a surprise if she had seen him at one of those balls his older sister managed to drag him to and subconsciously remembered that when meeting him again today.

Dammit, dammit, dammit. She knew. She so knew. There was no way in the entire, fantastical world that she didn't know, and she was totally going to drag him back home the second she knew he knew she knew.

He suppressed a sigh. Well, might as well make the most of it, he thought as he changed to sitting side saddle and watched as the scenery went by. But Shoto Todoroki, you are going to regret this later.

He felt something slide behind his ear. Confused, he looked at the princess, who immediately looked embarrassed. He pulled the whatever-it-was out and found himself holding a cold but admittedly very pretty flower.

"I, uh," the princess stuttered. "Well, I, erm— it's glass. I can't make living things, you see. But I just thought that you looked so much like— ah, whatever. Sorry, I couldn't really help it. You can get rid of it if you… like."

He carefully put the delicate glass creation back where the princess had originally placed it. It was very thoughtful of her, and it was pretty. "Thank you," he said. "It's very nice."

They stared at each other for a few solid seconds, and it truly looked as if the princess was trying to smother a giggle. He slowly blinked at her but said nothing, and she immediately returned her attention to the road.

He returned his gaze to the expanse laid out before him. Perhaps he wouldn't regret this at all.

Only time would tell.

She put the flower in his hair because looking at him for just a few seconds, in the fading light, he looked kind of like a princess. It was cute, and she was privately glad he decided to keep it.

The first night was cold.

They camped in the woods. Being just the start of autumn, the days had yet to cool down significantly, but the nights already had a chill to them. As it turned out, Shoto was too shy to use his left side to start a fire for them, and Momo couldn't figure out what kind of rock it was in a tinderbox that made the sparks.

Sleeping alone really let in the drafts.

The second night was better.

They were in the middle of a vast, sprawling meadow, but it was a cloudy night. He was still unwilling to show her the extent of his firepower, but she managed to make a blanket to go with their bedrolls. Sure, it was only one, and sure, they would have to share it, but it wasn't like it was so small they would be forced to cuddle together just in order to both be under it at the same time.

Still, he functioned well as an inadvertent heater.

The third night they had company.

They had been following the beaten dirt road for the whole three days, but only now did they stumble across the tiny town so small, it didn't show up on any of the maps Momo had referenced before leaving home. It had an inn, but it was small. Rather than ending up with two separate rooms, they had to squeeze in with some stranger who snored. There were two beds, but by the time the two had arrived, one had already been taken by the snoring stranger.

Shoto slept on the floor out of his own accord.

On the fourth day of having him, the two had already begun to grow more comfortable around each other. There were still long stretches of silence during the day, but he was no longer practically mute in her presence. He was far from a chatterbox, but he did make good company.

By the fifth day, they had even begun to establish a rough routine together. Shoto would wake up first and go off on his own, and by the time he came back, Momo would be awake. They'd cook, then hit the road for a number of hours. They took breaks sometimes, but a real conversation had yet to happen between them.

They were in another forest when Momo felt something was up. She pulled on her horse's reins abruptly and swiftly dismounted, completely ready to unsheathe her sword and take on whatever it was, but before she could say anything, he had already stiffened.

"There's someone nearby," was all he said as he too slid off the horse and pulled out a sword she had made him soon after they had met.

In an instant, they had their backs to each other, weapons drawn in anticipation of the enemy.

Momo's heart pounded against her ribcage; the anticipation was killing her. Seconds felt like days as she could neither see nor sense any other human presence aside from Shoto. The two of them crept closer and closer together until their backs were touching, and yet still, nothing appeared.

She was about to turn around and challenge him to a duel anyway when a bush rustled nearby. She flinched, and she could feel Shoto stiffen behind her. Slowly, slowly, Momo eyed the offending shrubbery when all of a sudden, a frog girl leapt out of it.

Both Momo and Shoto relaxed when they saw her non-threatening demeanor.

"Ribbit," she said. "Are you the Princess Yaoyorozu?"

"Y-yes," Momo replied as she sheathed her blade. "I am she. What concerns you, Miss…?"

"Call me Tsuyu," the frog girl croaked. "Anyway, there is a young magus nearby who has heard of your quest to slay the dragon to the west. She wishes to join you on your journey. Would you like to meet her, princess?"

A young magus girl? Momo thought. I wonder what she can do. I mean, I already have this guy. She looked at Shoto, who had also put away his sword and at that moment stood next to her. He seemed pretty good just when I met him, and with his ice powers, we could easily slay a fire-breathing dragon together if we tried.

Tsuyu cocked her head, the sudden movement drawing the princess out of her thoughts. "Ribbit?"

"Ah, yes. I would like to meet her," Momo quickly said.

"Very well. Is your escort coming, or will he be keeping the horse company?" Tsuyu asked.

"Escort—?" Momo shot Shoto a half-panicked glance. "He's not my escort."

"I'm her companion," he bluntly stated. "She invited me to join her on her quest."

The frog girl peered at them curiously. She said, "I assume that means you're coming along then, so you'd better bring the horse along if you want to keep using it. Thieves like to make base in forests, you know."

As Tsuyu began to hop away, Momo made a mental note to have a conversation with Shoto later on what their relationship was going to be classified as because this kind of thing could not happen again.

The short walk was devoid of all conversation, but the steady footsteps on the soft forest floor were pleasant enough. Before either Momo or Shoto realized it, they stood before a large mushroom cottage in a pretty, little clearing.

"This is where the magus Uravity lives. She should be home right now. She's a little anxious about meeting you, but she's a nice girl. Very strong, too. I'm sure you'll love her the instant you see her," Tsuyu told them as she opened the door and let them in. "Ochako!"

"Aieee!" In an instant, a round-faced girl came rushing down the stairs. She came skidding to a stop right in front of the two guests and stood on her tiptoes so that she could better speak to Momo. "Are you the Princess Yaoyorozu? I'm Ochako Uraraka, the magus Uravity! Oh, well, I'm sure that my dear friend Tsu already told you that, hehe. You can call me Ochako or Uraraka though. Oh! But who's this with you? I didn't know you had an escort. I heard that you embarked on this quest to prove to your subjects that you could do things yourself. I think having an escort kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"

"I'm not her escort," Shoto said. "I'm her companion. She invited me to join her."

Uraraka visibly deflated. Her gaze turned to the floor as she fell back onto her heels and took a step back. "I see. Sorry about all the questions just now. It's just a habit I picked up from my tutor, Nejire-chan." She looked up at Momo again with determination. "I know you didn't ask for me, but I promise I can be useful! I can make things float using my quirk! And I'm sure my magic training will come in handy, too!"

Momo looked down at the squishy-cheeked girl begging to join, then glanced over at Tsuyu, who hadn't said anything since calling her friend over. The frog girl merely shrugged. It's your decision.

"Also, I know someone you might find useful!" Uraraka continued. "You see, I have an adventurer friend named I like to call Deku, and he has this childhood friend, Kacchan, who comes from a line of dragonlords—"

Momo's eyebrows jumped up in surprise. It wasn't as though she hadn't originally thought of rejecting the girl's inquiry, but this new tidbit piqued her interest.

"And so anyway the last time he visited, he told me about how Kacchan had recently been knighted and was setting off on a quest of his own." Uraraka finally took a breath, but it sounded as if it all came right back out again with how she finished off her pitch:

"If I can find Deku again, then I'm sure that he can get Kacchan to join and help you slay the dragon!"

And with that, Momo was sold. With a smile, she accepted the gravity girl's offer.

Uraraka's face lit up, and she was once again bouncing on her heels in excitement. "Oh, thank you, Princess Yaoyorozu! You won't regret this, I promise!"

"Momo," the princess told her with a smile.

"Huh?" Uraraka paused for a second.

"You can call me Momo," she repeated. "We're members of the same party now. You don't have to keep calling me princess."

It looked like the poor mage was going to explode with happiness. "Yaomomo!" she cried, leaping up to hug the other girl.

"Uh," Momo said, unsure of how to react to the new nickname.

"Hey, Ochako, I think we should let them in," Tsuyu croaked from inside. "It's lunchtime."

Uraraka let go just as quickly as she had latched onto Momo. "Right! Come on in!"

What was it with people and assuming he was her escort? And that weird look Tsuyu gave them when he told her; she didn't not believe them, right? Because he definitely was not escorting the princess anywhere. From the few sparring sessions they'd had when giving the horse a rest, he had found she was a very worthy opponent. Their matches usually ended in draws, and even when there was a victor, so far there had been an even split of wins. She was definitely capable of bringing herself anywhere she so desired by herself.

At least they weren't assuming weird things about their relationship. Like, as ridiculous as the idea of the princess needing an escort was, at least no one thought they were, you know, betrothed or anything.

Then again, it seemed the news had already travelled all throughout the land that she was on this quest to prove that she was independent anyway, so why would they assume such a thing like betrothal?

He facetabled, unwilling to let the girls see the distress he was struggling to contain.

Why would he think they'd assume such a thing?

His left ear caught fire.

Dammit, he was so embarrassed of himself.

The girls stopped their chattering, and one of them pinched out the tiny flame. After a moment of quiet, they resumed their conversation.

Besides, no one knew he was a lord's son. To pair the princess with someone whom they assumed was just some random twit was ridiculous.

Someone poked him. "Hey, Shoto, I'm about to go draw water from the well. I'm just a poor, little frog, so I need you to come with me as a precaution."

He lifted his head up and looked at Tsuyu. He was pretty sure she didn't usually have random dudes around to make sure she got her water safely, but she was giving him a very no-nonsense look. Well, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. "Okay," he said as he got up. He nodded his goodbyes to the princess and Uraraka and followed her out the door.

The second they were out of earshot, Tsuyu said: "Forgive me now for being so blunt, but that's just how I am. You like Momo, don't you?"

He blinked, confused. "Well, I don't think I would be accompanying her if I didn't like her."

The frog girl stopped and stared up at the sky. "Ah, I guess you don't see what I do yet. It's okay." She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him. "You'll get there someday."

With that, she began to hop away again.

Confused as ever, he followed her. She did ask him to come with her; he might as well go.

But wow was she ominous. Well, not really ominous, but weird at the very least. She seemed to know that he was going with the princess for reasons other than just because she had asked him. He hadn't told anyone he was a runaway besides the princess, but that was only because she had asked.

Being but a simple forest dweller, the probability of Tsuyu recognizing him as a lord's son was very low to the point of negligible. Besides, they were almost a hundred miles from where he first met the princess, so if she knew his identity, those were some damn crazy odds.

He just wasn't sure what she was talking about. Of course he liked the princess. Why wouldn't he? She respected his ability and need for space, two things he had never gotten at home. Plus, she fought good.

So what was it that Tsuyu was seeing that he himself couldn't?

The girls were so engrossed in conversation that they failed to notice the fact that Uraraka had yet to pack up until it was well into the evening. After Momo briefly chided Shoto for not reminding her of how late it was getting, it was decided between repeated, profuse apologies that the two would stay the night. The three adventurers would depart in the morning once Uraraka gathered her things.

However, there were only two rooms available in the tiny mushroom house, and no matter how hard the hosts insisted that she and Shoto should take them both, Momo insisted just as firmly that it wasn't necessary. In the end, they compromised: the hosts would sleep in Uraraka's room, and the guests would get Tsuyu's room.

Originally, Momo hadn't thought it would be a big deal. She and Shoto shared that room in the inn a few nights ago. How would this be any different?

Then, she saw the dirt floor.

"You can have the bed," Shoto immediately said as he entered and sat down in a heap upon a wicker chair in the corner. "I'll sleep on the floor again."

"What? No! It's dirty!" Literally dirty!

"We have bedrolls. Plus, we haven't showered in three days, princess. We're already dirty. Besides—" Shoto looked at her as he froze his right half, then melted it all away with just his left hand. "Ice plus fire makes water. It's like bathing in a cold stream."

Momo watched as the water pooled at his feet and turned half the dirt floor into mud. "Um," she said. When Shoto looked at her blankly, she gestured to the filthy mess he'd made.

He swore, lifting a boot up off the ground just to check if it really was that bad. It was. He heated up his hand until it glowed like the embers of a fire. "Well, it's not like I can't just dry that up, too."

"You're going to burn their house down!"

Shoto let the heat die, and he looked at Momo again. "Well then, what am I supposed to do, just leave it?"

Momo scanned the room for possible solutions, but with a small lily pond taking up most of the other half (Tsuyu was a frog, after all), there seemed to be only one that was viable. "We— we can… we can share the bed!" she declared.

He stared at her. "How scandalous, princess."

Her face reddened.

So did his.

A matryoshka doll popped into existence out of its own accord and fell to the floor.

His left ear burst into flame again.

The two of them looked away, embarrassed.

"W-well, if you want to sleep in the mud that badly, then it's up to you," Momo said.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry," replied Shoto as he extinguished his ear. "Your idea was fine."

A moment passed as they both waited for the room to cool down.

Momo threw a pair of freshly created clothes at him. "You're not going to ruin Tsuyu's bed by soaking it with muddied water," she told him as she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Once out, she immediately sank to the floor. That was the single most awkward moment of her life.

The bed was a lot smaller than Momo had initially thought it was, but it could fit both of them. Side to side, palm to palm, with no barrier between them and no idea how the person lying next to them might move throughout the night.

Momo stared at the moon through the tiny window. It was probably well past the witching hour by now. She couldn't sleep, but she didn't want to move in case she woke up Shoto. If he was sleeping, that is. Judging by his steady breathing, it sure sounded like it.

He rolled over beside her, putting his back to hers. Momo held her breath, hoping, hoping…

"You can't sleep either, huh?"

Nope. He was awake.

"I thought you were asleep," she whispered. "I've been lying here for hours trying not to wake you up!"

"Sorry," he breathed. "I thought you were asleep, so I pretended I was too to convince myself to fall asleep."

Momo let out a short, quiet, breathy laugh. She closed her eyes and relaxed. This is so ridiculous. Suddenly, she remembered what she wanted to talk to him about earlier. She rolled over so that she faced his back. "Hey, Shoto."

"Yeah?"

"What are we?"

"You're the princess. I'm your companion."

"No, like, are we friends? We're going to need a quicker way to explain our relationship to people in the future."

Shoto rolled over to face her too; they were so close that she could feel his breath brush up against her face. She could see every detail of his face, from the rough grooves in his scar to the little flecks in his eyes, in the pale light of the moon.

"I guess you could say that if you wanted," he said slowly, and she smiled at him. "Hey, uh, Momo?"

Her stomach dropped at the sound of him finally using her name, but she didn't react otherwise. "Hmm?"

"Do you think horses have dreams, too?"

She tried to stifle a laugh. "Where did that come from?"

"I've had a long time to think tonight."

"So I see," she said softly. "I have no idea." She resisted the urge to reach out and touch the angry red mark on his face. "But if you don't mind me asking, how did you get that scar?"

His expression immediately clouded over, and he rolled over again. "My mom threw boiling water on me when I was little," he grunted.

Momo's gut twisted. She rolled over again, and they were once again back to back. Her eyelids were growing heavy now. Perhaps she would get some shut-eye tonight.

His scar, huh? So maybe she didn't know why he was running away from home. That was a relief. He would rather like to keep the past behind him. Though, he didn't know what he'd do once the quest was over. He'd figure it out when the time came. For now, it was late, and the princess's steady breathing was so calming…

He didn't know why the princess was sleeping on his arm. He just knew he was awake again, thanks to someone slamming the door way harder than it was probably ever meant to be slammed. And that this was kind of awkward.

He sighed. He didn't want to disturb her; after all, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Judging from how quickly she had fallen asleep once she knew he was up as well, she had probably been stressing out over accidentally waking him. A nice sentiment, but his arm was getting numb now from the lack of blood.

He glanced over the side of the bed. Well, at least the mud had dried up overnight. He leaned as far as he could without disturbing the princess and snatched his old trousers up off the floor. Digging around in each of the pockets, he pulled out the glass flower she had made him on their first day.

Somehow, despite its delicate looks, there wasn't even a scratch on it. He didn't know enough about flowers to be able to identify what she had made him, but he had to admit, he was still impressed with its craftsmanship. The colors were so even and beautiful; how had she even managed to do that when even the most experienced glassblowers never knew what shade their creations would end up as?

The princess stirred beside him. Thank goodness. He wanted to be able to feel his fingers again.

Three people on one horse wasn't usually a good idea, but with Ochako's ability to decrease an object's weight, the strain on Momo's horse was as close to none as possible.

The only problem Momo had with the arrangement was how squished it was. She lived with it for the first day. The second day, they made far less progress than she would have liked. Uraraka was exhausted from using her quirk so much the previous day, so they had to walk most of that day away.

By the third day, her patience had worn thin, not with the other girl (she was a cheerful, little angel), but with their style of travelling. Riding bareback on her horse's haunches sucked.

She sighed and kicked everyone off the horse. Facing a nervous-looking Uraraka, she said, "We're going to need to get you your own horse. We can't just keep crowding on like this. You too, Shoto."

"Do you have enough money for that?" he asked as Ochako quietly exhaled.

"Of course I do!" Momo quickly replied, pulling out her purse. "Behold!" She reached inside to prove her point, only to discover the opposite to be true.

(Ochako glanced almost feverently between Momo and Shoto, nervous panic building in her expression once more.)

Momo sighed. "Okay, so maybe not enough for the both of you."

"You're the princess," Shoto pointed out (very helpful of him). "It wouldn't be that hard to open up a tab and pay them back once you return home."

But Momo pointedly shook her head at him. "I don't want to go around abusing my title like that. We're not from here, and quest or no quest, I don't want to go around taking from people's livelihoods simply because I'm the princess." She tied the purse back around her waist. "There's enough for another horse more, and we'll simply make do with two to a horse for a while. We do need to keep enough to eat, after all."

"Oh," Ochako quietly said (practically mumbled), her eye contact strangely lacking. "I can go without for a few days if it means we can get another horse."

Momo stared at the girl, who continued on.

"I mean, it would be better to get things done faster in the long run, right? You'll be able to pay me, and then I'll be able to feed myself, and my parents, and—" Ochako glanced up, made eye contact with Momo, and her words simply stopped and died in her throat.

(She shut her jaw after a moment, once she grew aware of her gaping.)

"Is that what you're used to doing?" Momo asked, softly, kindly, her eyes full of concern. The idea Ochako was presenting, that families were out there in her kingdom starving to the point of normalcy, was nearly unfathomable. She didn't want to believe it, not a bit—! But the other girl had no reason to lie.

Ochako averted her eyes once more and nodded, somewhat lamely. "I mean, my parents would never do that to me if they could help me, but…" she trailed off again, still notably different from the Uraraka they met a few nights before.

"Well, not anymore!" the princess declared. "You're a part of this party now, and that means no one gets left out or forgotten!"

Ochako began to cry.

It was almost funny the way they found that Deku fellow. Shoto might have laughed, if he hadn't also been woefully unfamiliar with the action. (Not to mention that he also felt it was a strange thing to do in the situation regardless.)

"Deku?"

It had been Uraraka who had spotted him (obviously), working the horses there in the stable shop from which they bought their second horse.

Shoto peered curiously at Deku, watching the boy with an unflinching, unblinking gaze as he nearly jumped out of his skin, turned around, and turned into a scarlet, blubbering mess with words practically hemorrhaging from his mouth. What was up with him? Shoto couldn't help but to cock his head, paying little mind to what Deku was actually saying. Not until the words slowed down and became more intelligible, anyway.

But in the meantime, Shoto finally allowed for his gaze to wander, and it settled on the princess, studying the way her hair caught the light as it filtered through the dusty stable air. It bothered him a little, the way the dust would dance through the sun's rays only to settle in his lady's hair, but in a place like this, it was simply inevitable.

Despite hearing nary a word that had spilt out of Deku in the last few minutes, Shoto was able to catch the quiet rustle of the princess's hair when she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. He found his eyes trailing after her every motion, from her fingertips caught in her tangled hair to the very rise and fall of her chest, and suddenly, Shoto was aware that he was breathing. (What was up with him?)

He mirrored her actions, allowing his hand to settle on his chest and feeling the beating of his heart. (He was a real, human person, with a beating heart and breathing lungs.)

He had never before been more aware of the fact that he was alive.

(His lungs were aching, though. He didn't quite know why.)

((Must be the dust.))

"You can find him though, right?"

And just like that, Shoto was pulled out of his own little world and into reality. He blinked once, twice, just to clear the last few wisps of fog in his head, and for the first time, actually listened to Deku.

The poor boy looked like he was pinned halfway between a wall and an awkward, but unavoidable, encounter. "Well, um, you see, the thing is…" he began.

Author's Note i. hey ho. i started this a long time ago, and it's still not done, and i don't know what i'm expecting by posting it now lmao.

it's been a while since i've really written any fanfiction. i wonder, can i finish this? only time will tell. thanks for putting up with me y'all. and for reading. and for following or faving or reviewing, if that's what you're into. and as always, have a greaaaaaat daaaayyy~~~