Chapter Text
The urgent messenger commands his horse to go faster as he approaches the edge of King Endeavor’s estate. The beta’s heart is pounding as he cannot even imagine how his majesty is going to react to the information he had just inquired. It has been eight years since the disappearance of Prince Shouto. It was almost as if he fell of the face of the Earth, however, he had been hiding in plain sight this entire time.
He is halted by massive guards that are almost as tall as the horse he was on in their magic-wielding form. The kingdom of Endeavor is those of powerful sorcerers. Their abilities are unmatched compared to all other magic users of the land ruled under their ruthless tyrant, Enji Todoroki. What makes them one of the most intimating races is the form that they shapeshift into whenever they activate their magic. It is as if they are encased in an armor of jagged shards. Their pupils disappear as their eyes glow a bright, menacing yellow. The beings could scare off entire armies from intimidation alone.
“State your business,” The guard command in a deep voice. The messenger feels that this is a waste of time considering the news he brings.
“I am here to speak to his majesty! I have information on the whereabouts of the runaway prince!” He announces. Both of the guard step back in shock as their magic forms falter for just a second. No one has seen of hint of Shouto’s existence since he vanished.
“Right this way! The king must know!” The guards exclaim as they rush to open the gate. The messenger wastes no time rushing in on his horse once the opening is wide enough for him. Once he comes to the entrance of the dark castle, the beta makes a run for the King’s quarters. He did not have to run far though, because after three steps, King Endeavor’s magic began to pull him forward to his presence.
Enji Todoroki (formal title, King Endeavor), has never been known to be a patient man. In fact, he is known for executing people on the spot for wasting his time. He rules his country with an iron fist and has dedicated his life to creating his kingdom to be the most powerful one of the entire continent. However, it never seems like any of his achievements is enough for him. Lately, being only the King of the land of Endeavor does not seem like enough for the powerful alpha.
The messenger gasps as the magic that was pulling him abruptly stops at the steps of Enji’s throne room. It is clear that the intimidating alpha is getting impatient by his stiff posture as he looks as if he is struggling to stay sitting. He was conveniently using a surveillance spell to check his surroundings when the beta appeared announcing that he had news of Shouto. The moment he heard that name he could not waited the several minutes it would have taken for the messenger to make it to him.
“Where is he?” Enji asks cutting to the chase. The messenger quickly bowed to the proper stance to speak to his majesty.
“He is in the land of the humans. The Musutafu Kingdom. More specifically, Takoba village,” the messenger informed. Enji raised an eyebrow in surprised. That was the village that Shouto’s mother was from. That was also the first place they looked for him.
“How could that be possible?”
“He must have changed his appearance, sir. This what he looks like at the current moment.”
The beta’s hand transforms as he calls upon his magic to show an apparition of Shouto’s new identity. The once ten-year-old boy is now an eighteen-year-old alpha. He used to have quite unique features, but now just looked like any average man. He had black hair that went down to his shoulder blades, but he kept a low bun. His skin had an olive tone making it apparent that he worked out in the sun regularly. He had matching emerald green eyes instead of his original blue and grey eyes. His facial structure is still the same except for one vital detail. The apparition before them did not have a scar over his left eye.
“He is going by the alias, Sora Takagi,” the messenger added.
Enji could feel his blood boiling as he runs a hand through his hair. How stupid could his men be? Did they not realize that Shouto would change his appearance? It is such a simple spell that even young children are capable of doing. Why did it take eight years from them to realize this?
The messenger activates his magic state to shield him from the flames that are emitted from Enji’s rage. The beta sunk further into his bow as he waits for King Endeavor to yell out his frustrations.
“Are you telling me it has taken you all eight years to find my heir because you forgot to take into account that he could change his appearance? I should behead you all myself!”
The beta begins to tremble in response the king’s rage. He scrambles to think of words despite the threat of execution that it is looming over his head.
“It is not just that! The last several times we checked Takoba village we had sensed no sign of a magic user in the area. It is quite an advance technique to be able to hide one’s powers so completely. We had no idea Shouto was capable of that at the age of his disappearance,” he tried to explain. Enji almost looked amused for a second at the mention of Shouto’s advance skill level. Of course, the boy would be advanced at a young age when the king trained him personally. The flames still do not relent despite the valid excuse.
“You think your ignorance is going to save you? When it has led to years wasted on this search? Shouto is supposed to be the spearhead to all my plans to conquer this continent!”
The beta swears that his majesty would be roasting him alive if his magic form was not protecting him. He makes no effort to shield himself from the fires of rage, because he knows it will only get worse if he would do so.
“Forgive me, King Endeavor. I will accept any punishment you deem fit,” the messenger states respectfully. Before he could even lift his head, Enji aims a piercing shot at the beta’s heart. The magic form of their kind could only withstand so much. If the attack had a concentrated level of power, it could pierce the protection of their form. The messenger is dead before he even fell to the ground. His magic form dissipates as servants come to take his corpse out of the throne room.
Enji stands up from his chair as he goes to the window to cool off. It is absolutely infuriating to have such incompetent men working for him. None of them appreciate the empire he wants to make out of the Kingdom of Endeavor. They do not understand how vital it is to his plans. Of course, he could conquer the human kingdoms without his son, but he is going to need another person of royal blood on his side. His first three children did not make the cut, so Shouto has to brought back from hiding.
As he cleared his head, his advisor, Takami Keigo, walks in. The man is probably one of the most annoying people to Enji, but he was one of his most competent subjects. He is a powerful sorcerer and has an eye from detail that the king found tremendously valuable. It almost made up for how much of an insufferable smartass he was.
“Well, that seemed a little unnecessary. What if he had more information to give us?” Keigo said with a smirk. The servants look at the blonde omega as if he had a death wish. Enji turned to him with the desire to strangle him but knew it would be unwise to do so. His advisor is currently too critical in his plans to kill. However, the moment he no longer needs the winged sorcerer, Enji swears he is going to murder him.
“The only thing I needed to know from that imbecile was the location of my masterpiece. I can take care of everything from here,” Enji proclaims. Keigo raises a brow at the king as he takes long strides to exit the throne room. The omega quickly rushes using his wings to keep up with the large man’s pace.
“Hold on! You’re not going out to get him now, are you?”
“What does it look like I am doing?”
“Wait a second here, Majesty sir!”
Keigo has the audacity to get into Enji’s way. The king gives his advisor a deadly glare wishing he could roast the man like a chicken. The omega had a mischievous expression as if he had come up with a great plan. The alpha raises a brow as he waits for the other to explain himself.
“Before you start stomping into some no where village to retrieve your son, here me out. I think we can kill two birds with one stone. We can begin with your plan of conquering Musutafu and get your son back at the same time.”
Enji is thoroughly intrigued as his anger starts to slowly fade. There is a reason why Keigo is able to talk to the king the way he does without getting beheaded. It’s because the man has quite the mind for strategy.
“I’m listening,” Enji exclaims in a much calmer voice than he previously had. They both turn around as they go back to the through room.
“This is how I see it. Shouto never wanted to be a part of your plan. In fact, the kid pretty much hates your guts. So, dragging him back to the kingdom is not going to do any good. However, Shouto has spent the past eight years in Takoba village. My guess is that the boy must have found someone worth protecting there,” Keigo states as a smile plays on his lips. Enji can already see the beginning of a wonderful plan starting to form.
“You know, Takami, sometimes I think you are more heartless than I am,” the king laughs.
“Oh, don’t flatter me. That’s not your style,” Keigo retorts. The two of them continue talking as they iron out their next steps. It is decided they would have a change of plans in how they would conquer the human kingdoms by starting with Musutafu. Hopefully, by the time that they are finish, Shouto will finally come out of hiding on his own.
~
Shouto lets out a loud sigh as he wipes the sweat off his brow. He had just spent the entire day plowing the fields to prepare for the planting season. His shoulders and back are sporting a new tan from the hours he spent with the sun blasting onto him. Taking care of the farm has become a lot more difficult now that his grandfather has gotten too frail to do field work. However, the alpha did not have a single complaint. He owes everything to his grandparents. They had every right to refuse to take him in. He was the embodiment of everything that wicked sorcerer did to their daughter. However, they showed him true kindness and accepted him with open arms.
He goes to unlatch the mule from the plow to bring it back to the barn. The animal exhales as if informing Shouto that it was just as tired. The alpha smiles as he gives the mule a couple reassuring pats before walking it back to rest.
Shouto’s life certainly is not a fairytale. There was nothing glamourous about being a poor farmer from a meager village. However, it is in this humble life that he found his peace and contentment. He had learned from a young age that being extraordinary came with a lot of suffering. People expected so much out of him and punished him for being anything less. He still remembers the abuse as if it happened yesterday. Shouto would take impoverished farmer over his past life any day. After all, he had so much more freedom now than he ever did as a prince.
It is when he finally makes it to the barn that hears the sound of hooves coming from the distance. His smile widens already knowing the excited omega that is being carried by that horse. Shouto looks up to see the other trying to quicken the horse’s stride to get to the alpha faster. It is a marvelous sight. The omega had an exuberant smile on his freckled face that matched his curly green hair exquisitely. He is a small-statured person just like any other omega, but he made up for it in resourcefulness and energy. He is the village’s mail deliverer which is the perfect job for him. He travels throughout Musutafu to deliver letters back and forth from Takoba. Shouto learned early on in their relationship that Midoriya Izuku had a difficult time staying in one place. However, he had a new reason to visit home more often than he used to.
In a moment of excitement, Izuku gets down from his horse so that he could run the last few strides. Shouto could not help but laugh as the omega launches himself into his arms. The alpha twirls them around as they bask in each other’s scents. Izuku smelled of eucalyptus and warm herbal tea. It was a different scent compare to other omegas, but Shouto thought it was the most wonderful thing. He instinctively buries his nose in Izuku neck to inhale more of it.
Before he could, Izuku pulls back as he scrunches his nose at the alpha. Shouto pretends to be offended but thought it was amusing. He did just spend the entire day plowing fields, so he certainly did not smell the freshest.
“Sorry, it’s just that you’re all sweaty. I should have waited until you got your bath to see you,” Izuku apologizes. Shouto did not have any ability to actually be mad at Izuku. There is a mischievous glint in his eyes at the mention of bathing.
“It just means that you have an opportunity to take one with me,” Shouto suggests with a smirk. Izuku sputters for a moment as his face goes bright red. He averts his gaze bashfully suddenly becoming very shy in front of the alpha.
“Sora! We haven’t even finished courting yet!”
A pang of guilt goes through Shouto’s heart at the mention of his alias. Izuku has known him since he came to this village, and yet, the omega knows nothing of his past. Shouto cannot help but feel dirty that he wants to start a life with the other but has yet to be truthful of his identity. He is just so afraid of the person he loves so much to get hurt. His father would kill the omega if he knew of Shouto’s desire to bond with him. It is for this reason he has yet to tell a soul about his true self.
“What your parents don’t know, won’t kill them,” Shouto teases mostly just to see Izuku’s reaction. The omega pouts as he playfully hits the alpha’s chest. Izuku crosses his arms signally that the joke is not very funny. However, Shouto cannot help but smile at the other.
“You know how my parents are. It means a lot to them that you court me properly.” Izuku states with a more serious expression. Shouto let go of his smirk as he takes the other’s hands into his. He gives Izuku an equally serious expression as the topic of their future comes up.
The two of them have been romantically involved since they were fifteen. Shouto has known for a long time that he wants to bond with Izuku. For most common villagers, it is not really that big of a deal. They did not indulge themselves in a long courting process, because no one really had the money to buy that many gifts. However, Izuku was the only son that Inko and Hisashi have. It is a miracle that they had a child at all. It is because of this they devoted themselves to giving him the best life imaginable. It also meant making sure that the alpha the boy chose would treat him well. This meant Shouto had to go the extra mile for Izuku, but it was certainly worth it to him.
A traditional courting is a yearlong process that consists of giving a gift to the omega each month. The gifts are supposed to represent the alpha’s devotion to the one they are pursuing and their ability to take care of them in the future. Each gift is to be presented to the omega in front of their parents and each month they decide if the alpha is still worthy to pursue their child.
It always starts with flowers. Because Shouto is still restricted to a commoner’s wealth, he had to be inventive in how he acquires gifts. He had waited until the spring to go to the meadow of wildflowers to pick a bouquet out for Izuku. He actually went to several places around the area which thoroughly impressed his parents. Shouto still remembers the way the omega hugged his neck and kissed all over his face completely dismissing the flowers because he was just so excited that Shouto was courting him.
Other gifts that the alpha gave so far included: a new pouch for his saddle which he made himself for Izuku’s travels, one of his old coats for the winter, survival tools that Izuku needed for camping on longer journeys, the best out of the farm’s first harvest, and various game that he hunted that he knew feed them for a long time. The last gift is supposed to be a ring which represented the promise that the alpha would bond with the omega during their next heat. Honestly, Izuku would have been content if Shouto wrapped twine around his finger; however, he wanted to give him something that the omega would cherish for the rest of his life.
Shouto had actually been saving up for the ring for two years now. It was a modest ring compared to the extravagant jewelry he had seen in his past life, but he knew no one in the village had something like this. It was a simple gold band with a small diamond. He had to travel all the way to the Capitol just to buy it which was a two-week trip. He had shown it to Inko while Izuku was still away which made her sob large, happy tears. Shouto could only smile knowing that the omega is going to have the exact same reaction.
With all this being said, he knew exactly how important his courting of Izuku is to them. Another part is that they had abstain from any contact too intimate until they were a mated couple. Shouto will admit that little aspect could be a thorn in his side, but he could wait if it meant a lifetime with the omega.
“I know, Izuku. I would not dream of ruining it. Especially not on the day of your final gift,” Shouto exclaims. The other blushes as he looks down at his feet. If Izuku is honest, he did not necessarily care about all these traditions. He personally saw it that the two of them equally chose each other, but he knew how important this was to his parents. He complied to the courting because he knew it would make them happy.
“Knowing you, you probably went all out like you always do. I thought my dad was going to faint when you came to our home with that giant elk,” Izuku laughs nervously. Shouto also remembers the way Hisashi also lost his footing over the massive game. The alpha had to admit that his old training did come in handy when it came to hunting.
“I only do so because you’re very special to me, and I want the world to know.”
Shouto will admit that has taken a lot of himself to make this courting possible. However, it has all lead to tonight and Izuku’s next heat where they’ll be bonded as one. The alpha gets goosebumps thinking that it is only about ten days away now.
“You’re special to me too, Sora.” The moment between them again is tainted by the fake name. The alpha could only imagine Izuku calling him by his real one. He told himself long ago that he was fine leaving “Prince Shouto” in the past, but it seems ingenuine courting the other as “Sora.”
The two share a brief kiss before Izuku has to depart to go home and get ready for tonight. Shouto watches as the omega mounts his horse and goes off to the other side of the village. He has a soft expression thinking about how tonight is going to go. His grandparents would also be accompanying him to witness the new union of the families. Shouto had asked his mother if she wanted to come, but she was unresponsive as she always was.
He tries not to let the negatives bring him down. He tries to remind himself what his grandmother, Yua, always tells him. He deserves happiness just as much as anyone put on this Earth. The circumstances of his past do not have to dictate his future. Shouto took his life into his own hands when he rescued his mother and fled to her home village. He made the decision to change his name and appearance, so that he could live a life he wanted. She always tried to make him feel better about keeping so many secrets from his future mate. She would tell him that it is not deceit to let Izuku call him Sora because it is his chosen identity. However, he assumes that she only says such things because she agrees it is too much of a risk to ever speak of his past out loud.
He sighs as he finally enters the barn to put the mule back into its stall. He pushes his guilt aside so that he could be excited for tonight and for his future. He certainly had a humble life now, but it is one that made him happy.