Chapter Text
For royalty, soulmates were irrelevant. For centuries, the call of a soulmate was ignored for favourable ties with other nations. Leading into the 21st century, royalty had completely forgotten that soulmates were a matter to them. Love was a ridiculous and unwanted aspect of marriage. And that’s what Katsuki had lived by. He knew he had a soulmate - all the literature told him so - but he knew he would never meet them. And if he did, marriage was out of the question unless they were royalty themselves, and the ties was strong enough of course. Other than that - Katsuki was bound for a loveless, business-like marriage.
Katsuki didn’t care for much, he wanted an education, he wanted to see the world a little, and he valued his solitude. Being of royal blood demanded that he was more than just an average person, one that could follow his heart. He had a responsibility to the people of his kingdom, one that he was more than happy to take on, but disregarded seeking the happiness of ordinary people. Yet, there was still part of him that wondered. Was a soulmate all that people made them out to be?
He didn’t have the luxury to find out.
“You can’t be serious,” Katsuki scoffed, watching the other men and women in the meeting recoil. Eijiro grimaced at Katsuki’s side, but it didn’t deter the frustration that had built within him. Eijiro was in this meeting for whatever fucking reason he was - a prince from an ally nation, in the kingdom before the Founding Day Ball.
Katsuki had been silent for most of their time together, but he rarely spoke these days to anyone - especially when they were idiots. But this particular meeting was proving to be a headache. Politicians made him so fucking angry; yet, as his mother said, they were beating around the bush, so they needed their asses kicked.
One member cleared their throat, sitting up straight as Katsuki tapped his finger into the desk. “Your highness, we can’t just -”
“It’s an issue of money, right? What’s the fucking problem? We aren’t bankrupt or even on the verge, what’s the issue of paying the citizens more money when they’ve been demanding it for years? Are we not the leading kingdom in terms of advancements? Why do we underpay half of the people that reside here?” Katsuki asked again and again, watching them all stiffen in their seat, almost afraid to speak next because they knew what he was saying was right. Katsuki didn’t need to tell them that they were being greedy, it was already evident from the tax break they were willing to give the well off members of their kingdom.
“We can’t just give away money when we need -”
“What in the fuck do we need more money for? Tell me exactly what department needs more money?” he huffed, standing abruptly and making everyone stand at his departure. Katsuki grabbed his coat, flinging it around his shoulder and leaving his arms free, he crossed his arms. “You give me facts and numbers, dumbass. I want a solution to this by the end of the week. If you can’t resolve this fuck up, I will, and I’ll make sure the people damn well know it too.”
With one final glare, Katsuki left the meeting with Eijiro in tow. “You didn’t have to be so firm with them,” he said, cautiously looking over his shoulder. Katsuki grunted back.
“Look shitty hair, I shouldn’t have to tell you that taxing poor people is bad,” he snarled, looking at Eijiro’s solemn face, making Katsuki stop in his tracks, “do I need to tell you that?”
Eijiro shook his head, folding his arms and making the white shirt he wore stretch over his muscles in his arms and chest. Even for being a prince, the fucker worked out like a bodybuilder. Sure, Katsuki worked out himself, but he wasn’t as defined as Eijiro was; fucker looked like he would bust out of every shirt he wore. “Bakugou, you know I’m on your side on this, but even so, for the sovereign to get entangled in political affairs is almost unheard of,” he reminded.
“That’s rich coming from you, Oh, King Kirishima,” Katsuki scoffed, turning back and going back down the hall.
“Shut up,” Eijiro huffed, shoving Katsuki’s shoulder with a laugh. Katsuki rolled his eyes and continued on beside the other prince.“but dude, seriously, my kingdom is small, the government is even smaller. I have to get involved. Your kingdom is a stronghold of power, your government can govern itself, but you still insist on getting involved,” Eijiro said, reminding Katsuki that their circumstances differed. It wasn’t lost on Katsuki, and part of him wanted to rule over a smaller kingdom in order to have an influence over moves such as those in the meeting - but it held no real power, and Katsuki was always proud to bear the name Bakugou.
“Why the fuck are you here so early?” Katsuki groaned.
“I came to drink with my best friend,” Eijiro smiled, hooking his arm around Katsuki’s shoulders.
“Fuck off,” Katsuki huffed, not daring to remove Eijiro’s arm.
“But nah! My girlfriend just moved here for a job in the fashion industry. She’s trying to source some textiles manufacturers to ship what she needs, but it’s taking some time,” he explained.
“This is pinky right?” Katsuki asked and Eijiro nodded back, “get her to send a formal inquiry to me.”
“What?” he laughed.
“I wanna see what she’s getting at. If we can ship multiple things along with textiles, it’ll give us reason to see each other more,” Katsuki shrugged only to watch Eijiro’s features soften and his hand lay across his chest.
“I knew you cared, bro,” he said in a loving tone. Katsuki laughed.
“Shut up,” he scoffed, looking at Eijiro and noticing a soft pattern at his collar. Katsuki reached up, tugging at it to reveal two pink serpents entangled and draped over his neck and possibly wrapping over his shoulder. “Is she your soulmate?” Katsuki said aloud.
“Oh…” Eijiro said, shoving the collar back up, “yeah. We haven’t told anyone yet. Not even my parents,” he confessed quietly.
“Why the fuck not?” Katsuki asked, the two of them stopping in their tracks.
“It’s complicated,” Eijiro said, looking away and scratching the back of his head.
“They want to marry you off?” Katsuki realised.
“Yeah,” Eijiro sighed with a shrug.
“Get in line,” Katsuki huffed, sulking off to his next public outing that was bound to be on the news in some capacity. Eijiro, of course, tagged along so Katsuki didn’t kill himself in public.
After that, the other royal families began to trickle in, the week becoming far shorter with all the people that were now bothering him. He was forced to greet every person that came to the palace, talking to them for too fucking long and Katsuki wished he was anywhere else in the world.
When Katsuki stood in the foyer, he was surprised to find the one person he had been waiting for more than anyone - Todoroki Shoto. As always, his blue suit was pristine, with the Todoroki crest embellished in a pin on his lapel. He bowed before Katsuki, and in return Katsuki did the same.
“Half and half,” Katsuki greeted to Shoto, who rolled his eyes in return.
“Katsuki,” he huffed.
“How’s the soulmate search going?” Katsuki mocked.
“Do you know how to have a conversation without making me want to throttle you?”
“What is it your father said to us? Soulmates make for the strongest kingdoms?” Katsuki teased, watching as Shoto pinched his brow, nodding along.
“Not like it matters to me,” Shoto huffed, though it was clear it still weighed on him.
“Heard he isn’t giving Touya the throne until he finds his soulmate and he is refusing to do that to spite your father,” Katsuki smirked, watching and Shoto huffed and looked down at the ground, already dreading this conversation. “Then, considering your sister is married and queen of a different nation, Natsuo is officially an officer in the army, that just leaves you to take up your brother’s place as the crown prince.”
“God, I hate being early to these things when you’re involved,” Shoto sighed to himself before Katsuki shrugged. Maybe it was petty of him, but he found it endlessly ironic that Half and Half’s problem was needing to find a soulmate, when Katsuki’s was that he could never find his at all, for all the good it would do.
He also just really, really loved it when he could rile him up enough to get some shit thrown back. Still, judging by the annoyed look on Shoto’s face, he wasn’t gonna get any of that until there were less witnesses around. “Whatever,” he said, already dismissing the topic that he himself had brought up. “I’m gonna get that Todoroki whiskey you promised, right?”
“Unfortunately I’m a man of my word, asshole,” Shoto sighed, bowing back to Katsuki and walking off.
Katsuki was glad that the other royals he had met from boarding school were aware of his attitude and could handle him.It made keeping their acquaintances easier over the years.
Before he even knew it, the day of the Founding Day Ball - the Bakugou Kingdom’s annual celebration to commemorate the history of the kingdom and to wish for greatness in the future. It was something that many of other royals attended, as a form of allyship; what it really was, was a chance to make new deals to win the favour of the Bakugou kingdom.
Katsuki adjusted the mildly uncomfortable vest and sash, trying to look less like a pompous prince and more worthy of righteous adoration. As his mother threw his red cloak at him, he huffed, trying to fix the two strings in place without strangling himself; though that did seem like a fun way to get out of the evening ahead. Katsuki ignored the ringing in his pocket, most likely a text from his aide asking where the hell he was for a meeting.
“Why the fuck are am I getting dressed up for? Not like this Founding Day Ball is any fucking different than usual,” he snapped to the waiting Queen, her arms folded as she stared at his reflection with a scowl in her brow.
“Cause, brat , we need to find you a wife and we have political ties to work out,” she grunted back, rolling her eyes in the reflection. Katsuki stepped away, coming back to face his mother.
“And who fucking else is left? We have more ties than any other fucking nation.”
“Can you just play nice with others, for once? Which brings me to my next point...I know you haven’t spoken to him since you were kids but -”
“No! Not Deku!” Katsuki groaned, hand clenched right in the side of his red velvet cape, the trim suffocating him.
Mitsuki’s hand came up and smacked the side of his head. “Izuku is a prince just like you, stop calling him that.”
“I’ll give the nerd five minutes and that’s it,” Katsuki compromised but the tutt from his mother proved that it was only wishful thinking.
“That boarding school did nothing for you,” she muttered, walking to the armchair in his room. She pulled her jacket back over her shoulders and Katsuki turned to her, following after her.
“Thanks to fucking UA, I got to avoid that loser for nearly ten years, and then I had responsibilities once I turned eighteen,” he countered and Mitsuki rolled her eyes.
“You are a ridiculous child,” she said, raising her hand to hit him again before lowering it and left. Katsuki followed her once more, making his way out and adjusting his attire as he walked. He didn’t have the time later to change, everything was planned out perfectly, so fitting in a different attire into the mix was going to be hard. Easy to just dress once for the day, he supposed. “You need to think about a wife this time. It’s nearing your twenty-fifth birthday and by law, you are required to take a bride,” Mitsuki reminded in a harsh tone.
“Or groom,” Katsuki interrupted, and his mother nodded back.
“Yes, or groom. Can you just hurry up and pick someone? Find them mildly attractive, we can sort out the political shit once it's all settled. Have a baby, and call it a day. That’s all you need,” she rattled off, like it were a simple matter. It was never going to be a simple matter.
“You old hag, I can’t very well have a spouse when I have other shit to deal with, including a trade agreement between two hostile enemies that don’t know how close my foot is from meeting their asses,” Katsuki grunted, navigating the halls as his mother stopped them before the grand staircase. They would be parting in opposite directions, he thought.
“Can you at least try to think of making some alliances? Your father and I got lucky - we’re soulmates, and he’s a lot more agreeable than you-”
“Hey-”
His mother carried on like he didn’t say anything. “Which made our agreements with the other kingdoms a lot easier. You on the other hand are young, unmarried, and an asshole. You need to secure your line and make some fucking friends for once - or when your father and I aren’t here, you’re gonna be alone.”
She was right, not that he wanted to admit it.
His mothers face softened for a moment. “Just find someone Katsuki. If they’re your soulmate or not, you need someone by your side.”
And he hated agreeing with his mother.
“I hate you,” he huffed.
“I know honey, now I have to be off. Inko is coming and I have to prepare their rooms,” she sighed, still keeping a smile on her face as she spoke.
Katsuki perked, grabbing his mother’s wrist to stop her leaving completely. “Auntie Inko is coming? For how long?”
“Two months. But you also know that Izuku is staying here that long too. Along with his guests,” Mitsuki scoffed and Katsuki contemplated for a moment.
“Auntie will make up for the annoying nerd,” Katsuki grumbled. Mitsuki cackled back, running her hand through his hair.
“Go kick some ass sweetie,” she said, kissing his temple. Katsuki rolled his eyes and fixed his coat again. With a confirming nod from his mother, he set a devilish smirk back on his lips.
“I always do, hag,” he said, saunting off to the meeting that he was both excited to attend and dreading the people that would get on every single one of his nerves.
To no one’s surprise, Katsuki’s day dragged on, the ever present foreboding of the night’s events soured his mood. All those stupid diplomats and politicians, royals and nobles, all crammed into one ballroom that gave no room to breathe. Katsuki’s only saving grace was the fact that he was one of the few people allowed out into the garden just outside the doors of the ballroom.
As he walked in, everyone bowing and eager to surround him, he eyed the doors and wished he could sneak to them as soon as possible.
Wandering the floor, mingling just as he had always done - briefly acknowledge the person before promptly fucking off - he grabbed a tumbler of whisky and walked the perimeter of the ballroom.
He had to admit, he was watching the nerd from a distance the whole night. At first, he wasn’t sure why he had a fascination with the guy all of a sudden, but it dawned on him; Katsuki wasn’t looking at Deku, he was looking at the woman next to him. Her brunette hair was cut into bangs with long strands on either side of her face, with the rest of the length tied back into a ponytail. Her dress was unusual for these types of events, the women opting for elaborate and extravagant dresses that would draw attention; hers drew attention for another reason. It looked like a red modern party dress; a plunging neckline that would have reached the bottom of her sternum but was cut into a corset-like configuration. It drew in her waist and flared out at her hip, cut short at midthigh. If she wore only that, she would have been the talk of the night for being so underdressed and almost seen as scandalous for a royal ball - but to wear a sheer white blouse underneath, hiding most of her figure and anything revealing, she dulled herself down.
Part of Katsuki disliked it, but he wasn’t sure why.
Before Katsuki could escape into the garden alone, Deku saw him, and immediately chased after. Katsuki rolled his eyes as he crept away from the party. Katsuki put the tumbler down after drinking the remainder and waited for his life to end in a series of sentences he couldn’t possibly interrupt. He wasn’t sure where Deku would start - the absence of over ten years left a lot of room for the bastard to rattle on how he liked - but he knew that after Deku was appointed a new role to get him familiar with the inner workings of the kingdom, he’d talk about trade.
It wasn’t a conversation Katsuki was willing to have.
He’d been studying the trade agreements and policies of his kingdom since he was ten, with fourteen years of knowledge under his belt, Katsuki would only talk down to the future king of a foreign kingdom. Under normal circumstances, he would more than happily put Deku in his place, but there was something off about Katsuki that felt rude to do so at an event such as this.
Katsuki hadn’t even seen Auntie Inko yet.
Before he had the chance to hide into the maze of flowers and bushes, Deku was clutching into Katsuki’s forearm, keeping him in place. Katsuki was about to yell back when Katsuki saw the brunette slip past the doors and rush towards the pair. Katsuki straightened, unsure as to the feeling that now ran around in his chest; yet as she looked at him curiously, he couldn’t stop the twist of shame that he was not more put together.
He wanted to...impress her? Impossible.
“Your Highness, you can’t just run from a party! We were midway through a discussion with a diplomat that could -” she began only to be interrupted.
“Kacchan! Hear me out!” Deku said, huffing and puffing. His vest was slightly out of place with his royal sash and pin slipping down his shoulder; Deku looked more like he was playing pretend rather than being an actual prince. Katsuki scoffed, shaking the nerd off.
“I came out here to be alone, nerd, fuck off,” he grunted, ready to walk off.
“That isn’t very polite, sir,” she huffed and all sense of wanting to impress the woman was gone. Either she was an idiot for not recognising a royal’s attire, or was blatantly ignoring it; each option was not something that Katsuki was going to take lightly.
“This is Prince Katsuki! The one I told you about -” he corrected the woman lightly, before turning back to Katsuki. Little brat. “It’s so good to see you again, Kacchan!” Deku’s voice was cheery and bright - and already Katsuki was tired of it.
“I’m not your friend, just tell me whatever the fuck you came out here for then fuck off,” Katsuki resolved, crossing his arms as Deku’s eyes lit up.
For over thirty minutes, Katsuki and Deku argued back and forth, trying to come to an understanding on Deku’s kingdom’s issue. It was a constant back and forth, Deku claiming that his poorer people were struggling because of a lack of rain - disrupting a supply chain of wheat growth - and asking for neighbouring kingdoms’ assistance in providing supplies they could not grow. Katsuki was already questioning how there was a shortage to begin with, as the lack of rain shouldn’t have much foundation for their supplies to run low.
“I don’t understand your hesitation on the matter, it’s a simple discussion on imports and exports,” Deku finally exclaimed, defeat already winning over his eyes. Katsuki was not in the mood for this shit.
“Deku, you’ve only just stepped up to trade agreements and it fucking shows. You can’t just ask another country to give you shit because you’re running low,” Katsuki groaned, rubbing his temple.
“We’ve been allies for centuries, it’s only natural to assume we could -”
“If you have a formal inquiry, do so whenever fucking else you can. Not now. I don’t have time to teach you fucking trade policies,” Katsuki grunted back at Deku’s insistence.
“Prince Izuku is well aware of trade policies, he doesn’t need a lecture on -”
“I’m not speaking to someone I’ve never fucking met before on issues that don’t concern her,” he huffed, trying his best to ignore her.
“How would you know if it concerns me or not, your highness? Like you’ve just said, we’ve never met before. I’m just as well versed as any royal on trade matters, and this is the exact opportunity to discuss things for the Midoriya Kingdom as it is for you to discuss matters on tax exemptions with the Todoroki kingdom,” she seethed.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you have no idea what you’re saying, especially to a royal,” he snapped back.
“Your highness, I would suggest not talking to Prince Katsuki about this matter anymore,” she started to Deku before she glanced at Katsuki. “It’s clear he doesn’t wish to be civil at all on this matter,” The round face girl sneered. Katsuki’s eyes widened. A commoner, a snarky one at that, had no authority to speak to a prince like that, regardless on who she was hanging around with. Katsuki grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her to him, her chest flush up against his own and the same anger that burned in him was burning in her eyes.
“I’d watch my fucking tone, if I were you, Round Face,” he snapped. Deku butt in between them, dragging them apart as she clutched to her wrist.
“Kacchan, we’ll discuss this another time and place,” Deku said, almost laughing as he kept guard over the woman who still drilled holes into Katsuki’s face.
“Don’t call me that. We’re not fucking kids anymore,” Katsuki finally snapped back to Deku.
“It’d be good if he acted like it,” she muttered and Katsuki growled, almost stepping back into her space.
“Ochako,” Deku warned, his voice low and almost uncharacteristic of him. She immediately relaxed.
Ochako .
“Sorry, your highness,” she said, bowing her head, but kept her gaze locked on his, almost a feral as he felt in that moment. He was sure that if she got the chance, she wouldn’t let titles get in the way of throwing a fist at his face.
“Shitty deku. Shitty round face,” Katsuki muttered, clenching his hand shut as he felt a strange ache creep under his skin. Rolling his shoulders, he pushed on and forgot about the whole thing.
~*~*~
Katsuki woke up with a headache, brutally wicked, a hangover that he hadn’t experienced since he was a teen, but most of all, his hand prickled with pain, like a thorn caught in his palm.
Sitting up, Katsuki brought his hand up and noticed the one thing he’d never thought he’d see. A tattoo, at the centre of his palm; a pink rose, surrounded by lily of the valley, stem after stem, sprouting from the rose and bringing forth the colour of it amongst the stark white. Katsuki flushed as he saw the ridiculously feminine tattoo and cursed the moment more than anything, because he knew exactly what it meant. He had touched his soulmate.
Oh, what kind of fucked up fate was this?! Why did his soulmate have to be into flowers?
Katsuki dressed quickly, trying to ignore the bouquet that was now decorating his palm, but the flash of colour kept his attention waning. Katsuki threw the tan suit jacket over his shoulders, resting in place and adjusting his dress shirt sleeves to be rolled up to his forearm. As he looked at his reflection, he tugged at the black vest with thin red stripes down, matching his red slacks. He didn’t care much for appearances, but his mother said his style was always unmatched by other prancing royals.
“Oi, dunce head, get me gloves,” Katsuki called out, watching Denki poke his head into the room with a furrow in his brow.
“You don’t normally wear your gloves, your highness?” he questioned, his suit out of place for a household staff member. Though it were very rare that Denki looked like he worked for a royal household, it was a miracle he looked alive most days. Katsuki mentally thanked Kyoka for kicking her soulmates ass everyday to get the bastard there on time. The few times Katsuki had met her were brief but not unpleasant - she was a good music instructor, and also helped Katsuki get his drumset to help with his anger management.
“I asked for them, idiot, go get them!” Katsuki shouted and Denki shrugged, lazily walking off down the hall. “I want them in the next fucking five minutes, asshat, hurry the fuck up or I’m telling Ears that you’re slacking off again!”
With that, Katsuki heard hurried steps echoing down the end of the hall.
That was more like it.
Days went by, a flowing bouquet of flowers bloomed up his arm and all he wanted to do was hide away. Each day, Katsuki was met with Deku and Ochako, her disdain for him was so clear, she may as well have been spitting in Katsuki’s face every time they met. It was like his mother had seen Katsuki’s outburst with Deku and scheduled the two to see each other every day since that night.
Katsuki rarely avoided people. He hated people outwardly and was always up for a fight - but with the round-faced Ochako, something made his skin crawl. Moreover, he didn’t want to fight her, but it seemed like a natural occurrence once the two were set next to one another. In another time, maybe they could have been acquaintances that would bicker, but now this was the fate that they were handed; repeatedly seeing one another and wanting to tear the other to pieces.
With yet another trade dispute between the two royals, Ochako sat beside Deku, glaring at him with her hand on the hilt of the sword on her hip.
Ochako was almost in military dress compared to the night at the ball - less like a doll that was forced into a dress she didn’t want to wear. Tight black pants with a simple white dress shirt were one thing, but over her shoulders was thrown an imperial army jacket from the Midoriya kingdom, linked by golden ropes and a broach of the same kingdom’s crest. On her hips however, hung a sword, and the way she rested her wrist upon it was natural, as though she had done it without thinking.
If Katsuki didn’t know any better, he’d say she was a knight, but most would carry guns now. She was not noble, but of high rank, considering how she tailed a royal every day.
Who the hell was she?
“Are you even listening?” she snapped, making Katsuki flick his attention to her. “Maybe if you paid attention, you’d actually give a damn.” She was pissing him off more than usual.
“If I wanted to hear from the moron that gets into this idiots bed, I would have called Mei here for this meeting and not you,” he growled back. Deku looked at Katsuki with the colour drained from his face.
“Kacchan, we aren’t -”
Ochako practically jumped the distance of the table, grabbing hold of the collar of Katsuki’s shirt. “Listen here asshole!” she roared. “If I sleep with the prince, it isn’t your fucking business. We’re having a meeting, stop making this shit so difficult,” she said, practically screaming in his face, nostrils flaring and a fire burning in her gaze. Katsuki grabbed hold of both of her forearms, dragging her over the table until she was back on her feet. She gasped at the suddenness of it all, but once there grounded, she returned to her rage, shoving his hands off of her. Katsuki kept his grip as he walked her to the door.
“Get the fuck out of here,” he snapped, throwing her out. “If you touch me again, I’ll have you shot.”
“Love to see you try, fucking asshole.”
Katsuki slammed the door behind him and turned back to Deku.
“This is going to be a difficult two months,” he said, sitting back down and sinking down into the chair.
With one meeting done for the day, Katsuki completely forgot that he had to see her once more the next day, and the day after that. Ever since that night out in the garden, it seemed as though they were going to be hellbent on ruining the other, and Katsuki was almost excited - and terrified - to find out.
With yet another meeting of Ochako glaring at him, Katsuki sighed, rubbing his temple.
“Get your fucking guard dog to stand down for once,” he huffed, reclining back into his chair.
“I can show you what a guard dog really looks like, your highness,” she spat and Katsuki sat up straight, his hands resting on the table.
“I’m surprised you even know how to use that thing and it isn’t just for show,” he challenged as her thumb pressed on the hilt, sliding the sword an inch out of its sheath.
“Ochako, can you step out, please?” Deku asked, voice cracking.
“As you wish, your highness,” she said politely towards Deku before turning her attention to Katsuki, her happiness dropping from her features, “jackass,” she snapped back.
“Fuck you too, cheeks,” he snarled, watching her walk out the door and slamming it behind her.
“You two are killing me,” Deku sighed to himself.
Katsuki, for once, agreed; being around her was slowly killing him.
After yet another day of waking up to see his tattoo still remaining on his hand, he got up and wandered down to get breakfast. Before he could, he was met with the sight of the two people that couldn’t seem to be away from each other. Deku was still a distance away, just out of the dining area, followed closely by Ochako. Katsuki hissed, ducking behind a wall and just out of sight. Why was she always there?
“You look nice today,” Ochako said to Deku, her cheeks slightly flushed. Katsuki huffed as he stayed away from the pair.
“Thanks,” Deku said, “got a bunch of important meetings,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.
“I won’t keep you. I’m going to explore the garden from the ball. I bet it looks even better during the day,” she smiled before her feet touched together and she gave over a rigid bow.
Deku watched as she walked away, and Katsuki groaned. The loser was in love with her, wasn't he? How irritating.
He wasn’t sure why, but something about them together made his skin crawl. Katsuki walked the short distance to Deku and tapped on the nerd’s shoulder.
“That round face who’s always on your stupid tail, who is she really? Besides being a pain in the fucking ass,” Katsuki jut his chin in the direction she had just walked and Deku glanced back.
“Ochako?” he asked and Katsuki nodded back, “she’s an advisor. When you left for your boarding school, I didn’t really have any friends. My mother wanted people around me that weren’t royals, and weren’t going to treat me any differently. I became friends with Ochako and Tenya Iida,” he explained.
“Tensei’s brother,” Katsuki recalled.
“Yeah!” Deku confirmed. “Ever since, they’ve been trusted friends and my most loyal advisors,” he said with a pleasant sigh that made Katsuki’s stomach turn.
“So why wasn’t that nerd there with you,” Katsuki asked.
“Tensei hasn’t been well, so Iida went to check on him. Ochako could still come. Why do you ask about her?”
Katsuki wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. “She’s got the nerve to touch royalty,” he grumbled.
“She’s a little protective,” Deku laughed, blushing as he spoke.
“What? Is she your shitty soulmate or something?”
“Oh, no! We’re just friends,” Deku squeaked, shaking his hands in front of him.
“Stop freaking out on me, Deku. If she’s not your fucking soulmate, why are you so freaking worked up?” Katsuki huffed, walking to his next meeting he knew that Deku was supposed to be at. The little time they had to spend together was best.
“It’s strange. A lot of people think we should be,” Deku continued and Katsuki rolled his eyes, following the hall and ignoring the nerd. “But she met her soulmate last week at the ball,” Deku sighed, and Katsuki stopped. He heard back to the nerd and stared him down.
“What?”
“Yeah. She apparently has her tattoo and everything. She won’t show me though,” he sighed wistfully. Katsuki was just staring— the knowledge that two people were bound the same night, and those two people had met as well. “Kacchan, is everything alright?” Deku asked softly. Katsuki’s trance was broken and he came back to reality.
“Fine! Stupid nerd! Let’s just get to this shitty thing,” he grunted, the two walking off to the meeting room.
For the entire meeting, on god knows what, Katsuki was thinking about the tattoo that had formed on his hand overnight. He clenched his fist and what it meant and thought of one person the entire time too. Her stupid round face and the smile she held for Deku of all fucking people.
She was Katsuki’s.
Shit.
No she wasn’t, what the hell was he thinking.
Fuck. He had to find her.
When the meeting was done, Katsuki raced to the area he heard her say before leaving Deku’s side. The garden.
He raced there, going through every flower and bush, trying to figure out where the fuck she could be. The only place he hadn’t looked was the one he should have expected. Roses.
Marching there, he caught sight of her, her fingers lightly brushing over a pink rose. His heart lurched before he called out roughly.
“Oi! Round face!”
Katsuki marched to her, her face scowling back at him and she was almost ready to trudge off but she reconsidered at the last moment.
“What is it, your highness?” She huffed, crossing her arms. Katsuki reached the distance between them and tugged the same arm as he had done the week before.
“Where’s the tattoo?” Katsuki growled. There was no reason to specify - Ochako knew exactly what tattoo he was referring to. Her eyes widened and she pulled away, her elbow thrusting out and meeting his ribs. Katsuki was sent off, but he was already grabbing at her waist, tugging them back together. Strangely, it was nice to be close to her as they were - it was like he had never been complete until he was pressed back to her.
“Get off of me,” she muttered, her voice small but dark; warning him that she would react the same way as she had just done.
“Where is it?” he said, his hand reaching for the hand that he had touched just the once. Fear gripped her eyes once more and she reacted quickly.
“Where’s yours!” she shouted, pushing on his chest and giving her the distance she so craved. Her arms folded over her chest, hiding her wrist under her arm discreetly. Katsuki’s hand tightened and she glanced down, seeing his shaking hand. “See. It’s a personal question. You don’t just show it off to anyone,” she huffed, walking backwards - as though she didn’t trust him if her back was turned. “I have to get to prince Izuku’s side. Excuse me, your highness,” she said, giving a bow of her head before she finally let her guard down.
“Is it where I grabbed you?” Katsuki shouted and with that, she stopped. She looked over her shoulder, holding her hands to her chest.
“E-excuse me?”
“I’m not dumb, round face,” he said, walking to her slowly, tucking his hands back into his pockets and moved around her so they would be face to face once more. “If the night I got my soulmate mark is same as you did, I think there’s cause to fucking ask.” Her cheeks flushed, lips pursing as though she was contemplating her options.
“You asked,” she said, pulling up her sleeve and showing his family crest on her wrist; an orange and green emblem, two battling stags and the coat read ‘Born in Blood and Fire’. The flames that were at the edge of the crest licked around her wrist to show the unbreakable soulmate bond.
Ochako reached for him and took his glove off his hand. In the moment, he wasn’t even registering her doing so, so caught up in the fact that he was branded to her. Part of him was saddened for her; that she had to be stuck with him. Her fingers delicately touched at his palm, folding over his hand, but there was no need as the flowers that started to bloom a week earlier had now encompassed his entire hand and wrist - the lily of the valley sprouting over his knuckles and joints. She stared down at the pink rose on his palm before her large brown eyes bore down into his own. He forgot how to breathe when she looked at him like that. “What does this mean?” she asked softly, stepping back into him.
And then, fear gripped him, taking all desires from his body, and made him step away from the one person that he was meant to trust more than anything else.
“Nothing.”
“Then why ask?” she scoffed, pushing her sleeve back down and hiding the crest of his family. He almost reached to stop her but pulled back that desire. “You’re either the biggest tease in the whole kingdom, or you’re an asshole,” she said, a snarl at the end of her words.
“Excuse me?” he replied sharply, an electricity in the air that he had never felt. He wanted to grasp it, to take hold of the tension and make sense of it, but it was an impossible task.
“You heard me,” she barked.
“I could put you in jail for that sorta talk,” he threatened, and with one defiant step into him, her hands bound at her sides and a scowl that could rival his own, she jut her chin up at him.
“Dare you,” she snapped. She didn’t care for the height difference between them, Katsuki could see that as much, she’d have bound up and taken him to the floor in a battle of fists if she was so willing. She let out a shaking breath before she stepped away, her hand running through her hair. “You shouldn’t have asked, your highness. Even I know you can’t marry the one you want. Not like you care much anyhow,” she said, straightening out the jacket draped over her shoulders.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he grunted.
“I can’t believe my soulmate is the heartless Prince Katsuki,” she said, almost as though she were speaking to herself; whispering her disappointment.
“I’d watch my tone if I were -”
“So much for a great love,” she said, voice breaking slightly. Katsuki straightened, frowning as she turned away.
“What?” he asked quietly. She was already walking away before he could get an answer.
Katsuki wandered the halls for the remainder of the day, lost in thoughts that all circled back to her. The one person he never thought he’d meet. They had known each other less than a week, and she had thoroughly confused and bewitched him. All rational thought was gone when it came to her - she stole his mind, and made it impossible to think of anything other than her.
He never would have thought that love was an option - that he would feel it when every other emotion failed. Yet, whenever she challenged him, there was a spark in her eyes, and it made Katsuki want to live in it.
But she walked away, tearing herself from his life. Her words were brutal, almost accusing him of being incapable of giving her the great love she sort after.
But she was right, wasn’t she? He wasn’t free to have his soulmate, regardless of who she was, unless she were royal.
Yet, she was the one to walk away before he could; breaking the trance he was under before he realised he was lost inside it. How was she more rational about it than he? She had the freedom to choose - to love as she wanted amongst everyone else, but she was resolved to live lovelessly the minute she found out it was him.
Why was he the foolish one?
How could his heart not catch up to his head, because as soon as she walked away, he longed to chase after her.