A/N: Not much happens in this chapter, except the lovable Dad Might makes a reappearance.

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Two months passed since that incident in Todoroki's bedroom and Midoriya felt that there had been a subtle shift in their relationship. Instead of growing warmer, it had grown cold. He awoke in the morning, served the prince, clothed him, bathed him, and fetched him his meals and the only words that passed his lips were: "Yes, your highness."

Yaoyorozu, clever and insightful as she was, said nothing to either of them if she noticed the subtle shift in their relationship—which she undoubtedly did.

With every passing day, Midoriya was eager to just return to his warm and peaceful country of Shuei. He was tired of Enten; of the mind games that were played here as frequently as the board games of his childhood, of the culture here, of the tight thread he was walking on within the court.

But for just a few days, he was going to get a reprieve from all of that. Letting a sigh pass his lips, he allowed his shoulders to slacken as the warm rays of the sun-soaked into his skin. Standing in the courtyard, beside the prince, Midoriya let his eyes flicker over the carriages that slowly rolled along the cobblestones as foreign leaders and nobles from distant lands stepped out of the carries, servants flocking to their sides to attend to their needs and fetch their luggage. The prince greeted them one by one, until joy flickered in Midoriya's eyes as he saw a black and gold carriage, it was decorated with flowers that were native to Shuei and grew in the more mountainous regions; the petals were pink with a slight tinge of yellow in the center, a flower that was made up of thousands of petals with some that curled inward toward the flower.

Midoriya's mother once told him the reason the flower had become such a common symbol to Shuei was due to its ever blooming appearance, a flower that despite harsh weather and the changing of seasons never lost its beauty or petals, just like how Shuei would never lose the other symbol of its nation—their leader. The carriage doors were made up of folded mats that were made from rice straw, the carriage was pulled by two large, black oxen that were bridled with strong, red rope.

Stopping just a few feet away from where Midoriya stood, a loud shout pierced the air that was already thick with noise, the huff and neighs of the animals that had pulled the carriages to the castle and servants that were bustling around to attend to the nobles and leaders that had come for Todoroki's coming of age celebrations. "Midoriya, my boy!" The loud shout caused everyone to become startled by the noise, servants and guests alike stopped in their tracks to swivel their heads toward the source of the noise.

Unable to help himself, a smile stretched across Midoriya's face as he watched the straw mats of the carriage get pushed to the side as All Might's hulking frame stepped out of the carriage and into the open air of the courtyard wearing a black coat that sported the crest of Shuei on the shoulders and back, a black kimono was underneath it with a pair of grey pants tied around the man's large waist with a white belt. He looked imposing in such a simple, plain outfit; the air around him gave off the sense that he was a man who shouldn't be trifled with despite the calm, approachable aura around him.

Laughing, All Might rushed toward Midoriya, sweeping the young teen up into his strong arms before pulling him into a tight hug that caused Midoriya to go red in the face as All Might's arms squeezed the life out of him.

Midoriya's eyes went wide as he spotted another figure coming out of the carriage.

"Izuku!" Inko called out, before rushing to All Might's side and imploring the man to drop Izuku down to the ground so she could hug her own son. All Might complied, settling Midoriya back on his feet before his mother was pulling him into a hug that caused him to slightly bend his frame so that he could hug his mother who was now slightly shorter than him. She noted the difference too as she pulled away from him at arm's length.

"You've gotten taller." She noted, before a single sniffle saw tears spilling from her eyes. "Are you eating? How have you been? Are you making sure to get enough rest?" His mother rattled off more than a million questions per second causing him to laugh and reassure her that he was indeed looking after his own health; a clearing of Todoroki's throat had his mother fixing her gaze upon the prince once her rambling ended. Wiping tears from her eyes, Inko let her hands drop from her son's shoulder to fold themselves in her waist, she bowed to him.

"Thank you, your highness, for looking after my son and taking good care of him."

Surprise at such a deeply impassioned compliment flickered in Todoroki's eyes, huffing to himself, he clasped his hands behind his back and tore his gaze away from Inko's face to stare at the other carriages that were still filtering into the courtyard. "I make it my duty to take care of all members of my household."

"Ah, Endeavor!" The strange nickname falling from the edge of All Might's lips caused his brows to furrow.

Turning his gaze in the direction All Might's shout was aimed at, Midoriya saw the edges of the prince's lips turn downward into a scowl as King Enji entered the courtyard, his sides flanked by several knights and servants.

Coming to a stop just in front of them, the king scowled at All Might; his eyes shining with a scalding flame of animosity and hatred that All Might either chose to let go unnoticed or actively chose not to see. Holding up a single hand in greeting, All Might spoke first. "It's been a long time since the two of us met. What do you say to joining me for tea?"

There was a huff from Enji's throat, his eyes briefly flickered over the face of his son before falling upon Inko's face. He said nothing as his eyes raked over her features, Inko seemed to wither underneath his gaze, her face being firm as she attempted to hold herself up underneath his scrutiny. Saying nothing, the king tore his gaze away from her face and stalked off to another part of the courtyard, his servants and guards trailing behind him like a parade of demons and monsters.

Midoriya let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, but turned his attention to All Might to ask him the question that was burning upon his lips. "How long are you going to stay?"

The smile on All Might's lips faltered at that question. "I'm sorry, my boy, I know you must be excited to see me and your mother after such a long time, but my duties will only allow me to spend three days at most in this country. Just enough for the festivities, but that is it."

"Oh." Trying hard to not let disappointment tinge his words, the sheepish look upon All Might's face told him he did a poor job at it.

"But!" All Might raised a single index finger into the air, a placating smile on his face. "I'll make sure to spend as much time with you as I can." There was a wheeze to the edge of his words that had Midoriya raising a single brow as perspiration broke out upon his brow; it wasn't from the peak of the spring heat that pressed down upon the country.

"All Might," the tall blond man turned his gaze toward the Crown Prince, "you must be tired from your journey. I can have a servant escort you and your guest to your rooms."

All Might nodded in thanks as Todoroki motioned for a servant to come rushing to his side, before instructing them to show All Might and Midoriya's mother to spare rooms. Midoriya whispered hasty goodbyes to the both of them, before promising his mother that he would visit her when he found time to do so.

He watched the two of them disappear from the courtyard and into the walls of the castle. As they left, Midoriya could feel the heat of a pair of eyes that were observing him, turning his head just as the prince looked away to greet a nobleman of one of the many banner houses of Enten, Midoriya frowned as the phantom heat sent a chill up his spine.