"Hm… So that's what 'fucking' means." Bakugou tossed a piece of grass that he had been fiddling with into the remnants of last night's fire, some of the ashes still glowing dimly. You weren't sure when the fire had gone out that night, as it had still been blazing when the two of you finally settled down to sleep. Not because you hadn't cared about it, but because you were just too distracted to notice. That, and you were warm in Bakugou's embrace as you slept, something that you found yourself missing now that he had sat up.

Cuddled beneath your heavy kimono and another blanket, you pulled your eyes away from the back of his head to look out at the horizon, seeing the sun barely peeking over the edge of the world. "Mhmm. I mean, that's what it originally meant, but people use it as its own insult. But yes, it mostly means… sex."

"What about other words that you say as curses?"

"Well… A lot of them have to do with sex, actually." You felt your face grow warm in embarrassment, finding it odd to have to explain these things. "It's interesting that we use them all the time and it's so… normal."

"Like 'lawnmower'?"

You instantly burst out into giggles, covering your face with the fabric around you as Bakugou glowered at you over his shoulder. "What the fuck are you laughing at, Demon?!"

"N-No! A lawnmower is something that you use to cut grass. It uses electricity."

"Electricity… Enough, all this stuff is bizarre! Stop laughing at me!" As if to punish you for finding humor in his confusion, Bakugou crawled under the blankets with you, latching his arms around you tightly. Smothering you in his embrace, you had no choice but to submit, hugging him tightly as you buried your face into his chest.

"It's just so cute! You get so confused, it's adorable. Your punishment hugs are also kind of the best." You smirked up at him slyly, lightly tickling his back with your nails. "Who would have thought you'd be so affectionate."

"You'd better keep your mouth shut, or I'll really show you what it's like to be punished." A firm kiss to your forehead instantly diminished any true threat to his words. In fact, it only made your smile grow, cheeks flushing.

"Mhmm, sure, sure. I'm so scared."

"You should be terrified." As Bakugou's body settled down with yours, he buried his face into your hair, sighing deeply in satisfaction. It was easy for you to tell why. Just like you, a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. There was no more worrying or confusion between the two of you about how you felt for each other, but there was one thing that still had you a bit concerned.

In this era, you knew that any sort of dating wasn't common. In fact, it was more like nonexistent. Arranged marriages were the most common between families, and you knew that being seen with Bakugou in any type of intimate situation could hurt his social status in a way that you wouldn't truly understand. You wanted to hold his hand and be affectionate in public the way you could in your time, but something like that wouldn't be possible. All you could do was be with him in private, sneak around and hope that you wouldn't be caught. Is that something that you would really be able to handle?

It wasn't exactly something that you had a choice of. You had to follow the customs of this era, and up to this point, you knew that you truly hadn't. Bakugou had seemed to have accepted your personality and how 'eccentric' you seemed to be from what he was used to, but that didn't mean that the rest of the world would. You had barely been taken in as it was, and that was only because you were deemed useful at the beginning.

"Uhm… Katsuki?" Trying to find the strength to confront him about your worries, you traced small circles along his back with your nails, though you kept your face mostly hidden. "What… uhm… What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we get home… How will we– or, what will we be? How do we act…?"

Bakugou gave a small grunt as he took a moment to think about it as well, running his fingers through your hair softly. "We don't technically have any family to object… My Lord might, but I feel he can be easily persuaded if necessary. We can arrange for private marriage–"

"M-m-marriage?!" You couldn't stop your outburst, looking up at him in flustered shock. "W-we just got together, we can't jump straight into getting married!"

"No?" Bakugou's initial surprised gaze turned into one of confusion, his brow furrowing deeply. "You don't want to?"

"I-it's not that, really, it's just… I… Katsuki, that's just not normal for me, you know." Your face flushing violently, you swallowed the hard lump that had grown in your throat. "Usually people date for at least two years before they get married in my time…"

"Date? Like court each other? For that long? Why in the hell would you waste time like that?"

"I-I… It's just what we do."

Bakugou grunted in annoyance, carefully moving some hair out of your face. "Seems like a waste of time. That, and it would only make things more difficult. If we married, if you had my name, things would be better for you. For us. You would be more respected and protected than you are now."

Hiding your face back into his chest, you clutched onto the back of his robes tightly. The thought of marrying him already was so foreign to you and so embarrassing, but you knew that he was right. It would be better in the end, but that just wasn't something that you could agree to yet. "Katsuki…-"

"I can tell that it makes you uncomfortable, [L/N]. I don't understand why… but I will give you time to think about it. Either way… I'll keep you by my side."

Your stomach fluttering with his kind words, you nodded, unable to resist the small smile that crossed your lips. "Thank you… That means a lot to me." All you received in response was his hand running up and down your back, firm and comforting. It instantly calmed all your worries, and so you laid there with him as the sun slowly inched its way into the sky.

It wasn't long before Bakugou sat up, giving a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, which must have been sore from sleeping on the hard ground. Sitting up as well, you softly stroked his back, resting your cheek against his shoulder. "Time to go?"

"Yes, but… There's one more thing."

Curious, you watched as he pulled a satchel towards him, digging through it for a moment. Shifting yourself to sit more in front of him than besides, you watched without question as he pulled out something that had been carefully wrapped in a cloth. For a moment, he paused, and you could see the worry in his eyes. "Katsuki…?"

His gaze was pulled from the item to look back at you, shifting himself to face you fully. "[L/N], I wanted to give this back to you last night, but everything had escalated so quickly." Placing it small item carefully on his thigh, he began to unwrap it. The instant the bright crimson jewels came into view, heat rushed to your face. You were reminded of how horrible you felt when you shoved that beautiful hairpiece into his hands, how awfully you had treated him and how close the two of you had come to possibly despising each other.

Blinking away tears as they blurred your vision, you gave a small nod, smiling up at him. "It kind of did, huh?"

Embarrassed gaze only flashing up to your face for a moment, Bakugou finished removing the cloth. Without another word shared, you turned around so your back was to him, pushing your hair back over your shoulders. Using a tender touch, Bakugou ran his fingers through your hair before twisting it up into place, securing it with the hairpiece. As his hands felt to rest on your shoulders, he placed a soft kiss on your neck, hugging you close as you leaned back against his chest.

Turning your head, you caught his lips in a gentle kiss, reaching up to stroke his cheek softly. "Thank you, Katsuki… I still love it just as much as the day you bought it for me."

"Good. You'd better keep it this time." A firm kiss to your cheek was joined in by your giggles, giving his skin a few playful pats.

"I'll keep it forever, Katsuki. I promise."

…

The rest of the journey back to the palace was a comfortable one, with good weather and more than enjoyable company. Already, you found that you and Bakugou were nearly inseparable, wanting to be beside each other or touching at every second, even if it was something as simple as a hand on your back. His affection was like nothing you had ever expected, and you figured that no one would believe you if you told them how he acted. Bakugou was still rough and brash, but it was now paired with tender touches and kisses that melted your heart. You never expected him to be so open to physical signs of affection, and though you were the one that initiated it most of the time, he was more than willing to return it.

You did see a difference when you finally got home, but that was something that you did expect. Privately, in your quarters or in his, it was all fine. But out in public or around anyone, even those closest to him, Bakugou would not touch you, and he expected you to do the same. To the world, it seemed as if there wasn't anything going on between you, which was how it had to stay until marriage was official. He never once pushed you into it, or tried to make you feel like it had to happen as soon as possible. Although he didn't understand it, he was going through with your version of how a relationship should be and what you were used to, which was something you were incredibly grateful for.

It gave you time to make sure that this connection that you felt with him wasn't just a fling. If you were honest, you realized the truth very quickly, as any second you were without him made you feel incredibly alone. He made you happy every second that you were with him, and though small arguments happened occasionally, there seemed to be nothing that you couldn't heal immediately. You worked well together, you understood each other's boundaries and differences in what customs you believed in. It was incredible to you how accepting he truly was, and though he may try to argue his point sometimes, he still did what he could to not make you uncomfortable. In return, you did the same.

Two months was all you needed to agree to his marriage terms. To your surprise, it was the first time you had ever seen him actually smile, and all of your worries about the union faded away with his embrace. Unlike what you had always expected, the marriage was quick and private, with only the necessary steps and official people there to oversee it. How sudden everything changed for you was a bit staggering, from how you were treated by others, to now living in Bakugou's huge quarters. It took you a while to learn to answer to 'My Lady' or to not feel flustered when you were the one being bowed to. If you were honest with yourself, all these things didn't really matter to you, even though any woman in this era would give anything to be able to marry someone of such high social status.

Life was suddenly made very easy for you, to be sure, but all you wanted was to be with Bakugou. Your favorite time of the day was waking up beside him, and even though you slept in separate futons, you always found yourself under his duvet in the morning, cuddled up with him as tightly as you could get.

It was hard for you the first time he wasn't there. Just because he was married now didn't mean that he was all yours. He still had battles to fight, soldiers to train and meetings to attend where you were not welcome. Each time he left, he returned without fail, but that didn't ease your nerves in any way. You worried constantly about when his death would come, wishing desperately that you could remember the exact date. All you could remember was the situation, and so you watched for any hints or clues in anything he said or any strategies that you assisted with.

Much to your misfortune, however, you weren't the only one who was being so observant.

"[F/N]… You seem very nervous when I ask you to look over strategies. Why?"