Chapter Text
The trip to get back to the castle was, needless to say, rough without any carriages to carry Shinsou and his troops.
They once again raided the area of the crash, gathering all they could carry. Most of what remained at the carriages was the tents Shinsou and his troops had camped out in, as well as some perishable food that was found in some hidden compartments.
After raiding the carriages, the group moved on to Kaminari’s small camp. Kaminari packed up all the items there, and the troop was on their way.
Shinsou turned to Midoriya as the troop began to make their way down the road that led to the castle. “How far out are we? It won’t take too long to return to the castle, will it?”
Midoriya shrugged. “It’s hard to make an estimation now that we’re traveling on foot. But I’d say it will most likely only take about two days to get back if we make the most of our time.”
“Could be worse, I guess.” Shinsou said, before slowing his speed so he could fall into stride with Kaminari.
“How long was it, did he say?” Kaminari said, shifting closer to Shinsou as they walked.
“About two days,” Shinsou said, chewing his lip, “We’ll probably end up setting up camp late tonight and then pack it up early in the morning to keep us on the road.”
Kaminari nodded, humming quietly to acknowledge what Shinsou said.
They walked in silence for a moment, trailing slightly behind the troop.
Kaminari finally broke the silence. “So, how’re you going to break this whole… situation to your parents?” When he said ‘situation’, Kaminari waved his hands around to gesture between him and Shinsou.
“I’m just going to tell them. I’ll wing it.” Shinsou shrugged, kicking a small rock across the ground in front of him. “I mean, they can’t change my mind about you or anything, so…” Shinsou let his voice trail off.
A sad smile formed on Kaminari’s face. “Do they know?”
“Know what?” Shinsou said, confused.
“Know that you’re… y’know… into guys?”
Shinsou’s face flushed. “Yes, they know. They just would rather me be romantically involved with someone who is not a criminal.”
Kaminari chuckled. “Yeah, that’s definitely not something a royal parent wants to hear.”
Shinsou laughed quietly. The two men then fell into a comfortable silence, walking alongside each other as the troops walked ahead of them.
Eventually, it began to get dark outside. Once night had truly fallen and it was too dark to see, the soldiers set up camp in a small place in the woods off the side of the road.
They rationed out food, each person getting roughly an equal amount of food. The atmosphere when the troop actually ate was silent, as if they were trying to ignore each other.
At one point, Kaminari turned to Shinsou. “I remember your troop being quiet, but were they always this… devoid of emotion?”
“No, but, to be fair, we just walked quite a large amount after fighting off some rebels, so…” Shinsou shrugged, letting his voice trail off.
“Fair.” Kaminari chewed his lip before going silent for the rest of the meal.
Everyone eventually wandered off to their tents, the amount of people in each tent varying depending on the size of the tent. Shinsou and Kaminari stayed together in the tent that Kaminari had originally raided from the carriages.
The two men huddled together under a single blanket, trying to conserve warmth in the chill of the night.
Shinsou, who was seeming to have issues falling asleep, rolled over so he was facing Kaminari. Kaminari was sleeping, his eyes shut as he breathed softly in the silence of the dark tent. Shinsou sighed, shifting so he pressing into Kaminari.
Shinsou looked at Kaminari’s sleeping face, reaching a hand up and gently brushing his fingertips against Kaminari’s cheek, before moving his fingers to gently twist into Kaminari’s golden blonde hair.
Shinsou chewed his lip, realizing that he had finally come to terms with the truth.
Kaminari truly did look beautiful while he slept.
Shinsou wrapped an arm around Kaminari, hand resting on his lower back. Finally comfortable with where he was, Shinsou drifted slowly into sleep.
•••
Shinsou awoke to Kaminari staring at him.
It wasn’t exactly a creepy stare, more of a stare of admiration.
When Kaminari noticed that Shinsou had awoken, his face flushed pink.
“…What?” Shinsou suppressed a chuckle, feeling his face become pink as well.
“…You drool when you sleep.” Kaminari scoffed, his face flushing more as he reached a hand up, wiping his thumb across Shinsou’s mouth and chin quickly before sitting up.
“Wha- Hey!” Shinsou sat up too, wiping a hand across the bottom half of his face before shoving Kaminari playfully.
“It’s true!” Kaminari rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
Shinsou shook his head, laughing. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to straighten it, at least slightly. Kaminari leaned towards him, reaching up and gently cupping Shinsou’s chin in his hand.
Kaminari opened his mouth as if preparing to speak, then seemed to think differently of it and leaned forwards to place a quick kiss on Shinsou’s lips.
He pulled back, whispering something quietly to himself.
“Hm?” Shinsou hummed, wondering what Kaminari had said.
Before Kaminari could repeat himself, the zipper of the tent was pulled down from the outside. Midoriya stood in the doorway.
“Are we ready to pack up and leave? If we leave now, we might be able to make it to the castle by tonight.” Midoriya said, seeming to ignore the close proximity Shinsou and Kaminari were in when he walked in.
Shinsou shifted away from Kaminari quickly, his face becoming pink. “Yes, we are.” He crouched and moved out of the tent, Kaminari following him. The two of them collapsed the tent as the rest of the soldiers collapsed their own tents.
Soon, they were on the road. Kaminari and Shinsou hung towards the back as the rest of the soldiers walked ahead of them.
At one point, Shinsou looked up into the distance, focusing on the castle, his home, in the distance. It looked so far away.
“Homesick?” Kaminari said, as if he had read Shinsou’s mind.
“A little.” Shinsou shrugged. “I don’t know, it just feels like it’s been so long. This all started out as a hunt for you,” Shinsou paused to gesture at Kaminari, “But it ended in me and my soldiers being captured by a group of rebels. It’s been… a lot.”
Kaminari nodded in an understanding way. “I get it. Either way, we’re gonna make it there soon.”
Shinsou nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
The two of them walked alongside each other for the entire day, drifting in and out of conversation. At one point, Shinsou’s hand brushed against Kaminari’s briefly. Instead of moving away, Kaminari took Shinsou’s hand and laced their fingers together.
Shinsou hummed in surprise, glancing up to see Kaminari donning a shit-eating grin. Shinsou smiled in return, feeling his face turn red. As the two continued walking, their hands continued to stay together.
•••
As a smattering of small village houses and cabins began to appear in the distance, the sky was already beginning to become purple with the shadowy darkness of night.
The path was also no longer dirt; it had instead slowly become a bumpy cobblestone road. The group of soldiers had even seen at least two carriages pass by.
They were so close to the castle now that Shinsou could see the cramped village that surrounded it.
“It’s starting to get dark. Do we want to set up camp, or just keep going?” Midoriya said, turning towards Shinsou. The rest of the troop turned to him as well, waiting to hear the verdict.
Shinsou thought about it briefly. “Let’s just keep going. We’ll probably make it there by tomorrow morning, if not earlier, if we keep walking.”
Midoriya nodded, as did a few other members of the troop. They all turned, returning to walking down the cobblestone path.
Kaminari, next to Shinsou, groaned jokingly, slouching backwards. “All night?” You’re killin’ me, Your Majesty.”
“Yea, yea,” Shinsou rolled his eyes, elbowing Kaminari playfully. “You’ll be fine, you’re tough enough to walk through the night this once.”
“Aww, you think I’m tough?” Kaminari faked a pout.
“You’re a thief. Of course you’re tough.” Shinsou laced his fingers into Kaminari’s, bringing their palms together.
Kaminari smiled, leaning into Shinsou slightly. The two of them continued walking a good distance behind the troop, talking quietly and messing around until the sun began to rise.
•••
The sun grew large and bright from behind the castle. Its golden light fizzled through the air, spreading through the now pink sky.
As the sun began to show itself, Shinsou and his troop had finally entered the village that closely surrounded the castle. The cobblestone path was smoother, easier to navigate.
Since it was earlier in the morning, there wasn’t a large amount of people wandering the streets. However, within the next hour, Shinsou knew these roads would be bustling with people.
As they navigated through the village, Kaminari leaned close to Shinsou, his lips so close to Shinsou that he could feel Kaminari’s breath on his ear. “I still can’t believe you live in there.”
“Hm?” Shinsou glanced at Kaminari, only to see he was staring at the castle. “Oh, in the castle, you mean?”
Kaminari nodded.
“I guess it is kinda of odd. It’s such a huge place for the amount of people there.” Shinsou shrugged. “But I don’t know any different. I’ve lived there since I was a child.”
“Fair. I’ve never lived in a place this huge, let alone for so long.”
Kaminari’s words concerned Shinsou. “Really?”
Kaminari nodded. “Really.”
“Oh.” Shinsou said quietly. He hoped Kaminari could settle with him. He really hoped.
By the time they actually reached the gates of the castle, the streets were beginning to get busy, the occasional person bumping into Shinsou. Nobody seemed to recognize Shinsou or his troop as any sort of something special. They just went on their way as if nothing was happening around them.
The group approached the gates. Shinsou pulled himself up to the front, standing up tall to speak to the guards.
“-you aren’t identifiable, so we can’t let you in!” the guard at front was finishing his words to Midoriya as Shinsou approached.
“We are quite literally the Prince’s escort!” Midoriya grumbled. Shinsou placed a hand on his shoulder, before moving to stand between him and the guard.
“Y-your Majesty!” the guard’s eyes widened. “You’re back!”
“Yes, I’m back. And I would appreciate if you let me and my troop through.” Shinsou let his voice become a commanding growl, a voice only used when he was presenting as royalty.
“Yes, Sir! Of course, Sir!” the guard quickly gestured to his companion, the two of them moving to quickly open the gates and let Shinsou’s group through.
As they made their way through the courtyard, Shinsou noticed a goofy grin appearing on Kaminari’s face.
“What?” Shinsou said, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing, nothing,” Kaminari smirked. “I just didn’t know you could be so commanding.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Shinsou’s face flushed. “Oh, shut up!” he elbowed Kaminari as they entered the doors and walked to the courtroom of the palace, where Shinsou’s mother and father awaited him.
Before they actually entered the room, Shinsou turned to his troop. “Midoriya, come with Kaminari and I. Sero,” Shinsou gestured to a soldier in the group, “take Todoroki to the medical wing to see if he needs any aid. The rest of you, take a break. You deserve it.” Sero nodded quickly.
Todoroki reached out, taking Midoriya’s hand. “Wait, let me come with you. I’m fine-“
Shinsou held a hand up, silencing him. “No. Go with Sero to the medical wing, then get some rest. Midoriya has the most accurate story from the events that happened.”
Todoroki sighed but obliged. The troop dispersed, and Shinsou opened up the door and entered the courtroom.
Shinsou’s mother and father were two very regal individuals. They both wore long purple hair that matched Shinsou’s, with royal outfits that matched. Their faces always seemed to stay tediously blank, hiding all emotion from those who conferred with them.
However, the moment they saw Shinsou, their faces broke into gentle smiles.
“You’re back!” Shinsou’s mother sighed joyfully. “We were so worried. You were gone for so long!” Shinsou had almost forgotten the many months he had spent trying to capture Kaminari.
“You really were. Did you complete the mission?” Shinsou’s father huffed.
“Well, yes. But there were some… complications.” Shinsou stepped aside to reveal Kaminari, who smiled awkwardly and waved.
“He’s gotten free of his cuffs! Quick, guards, seize him!” Shinsou’s mother raised her hand quickly to the guards, who rushed towards Kaminari.
“Wait!” Midoriya and Shinsou said in sync. They quickly moved to either side of Kaminari, keeping the guards from getting to him.
“You can’t take him!” Shinsou snarled.
“That is the stupid thief, is it not? Let the guards take him!” Shinsou’s mother growled, turning to Shinsou’s father to look for aid.
“Please, no!” Shinsou looked to his father, trying to look as pleading as possible, hoping his father would hear him out.
After a few moments of silence, Shinsou’s father spoke. “Why should we not capture him? Please, elaborate.” He waved his hands, and the guards backed down but still stood at the ready.
Shinsou straightened, before fully turning to his parents fully and exhaling. “This man, while he is a thief, is not the one we should be after. Soon after capturing him, he saved my life from a group of rebels that captured me.”
“He also saved us!” Midoriya butted in, before realizing his rudeness and coughing. “I mean, the troop was also captured. He aided in releasing us.”
Shinsou nodded before continuing. “Midoriya is right. He helped to save all of us. He and I have also been…” Shinsou coughed, face turning red briefly, “Romantically involved recently.”
“You’ve been… romantically involved with a criminal?” Shinsou’s mother said, her voice laced with annoyance and disgust.
“That’s not nearly as important as what he said about the rebels. Where we aware of the fact that there was a rebellion cooking out there?” Shinsou’s father replied.
The queen paused, thinking. “No, I guess we we weren’t. You were… captured by these rebels, you said?” She turned to Shinsou, her withering glare boring into Shinsou.
“Yes, he was. As were the rest of the troops.” Midoriya spoke up, returning her stare.
“Why would the thief save you?” The king raised an eyebrow warily.
“Because he felt he needed to. Is that so bad?” Shinsou responded.
Both the king and queen opened their mouths to bite back when Kaminari coughed.
“Can I… say something?” he asked quietly. Shinsou’s mother and father glanced at each other warily, but Shinsou nudged him, urging Kaminari to speak. “I saved him because I felt… attached to your son. He’s correct about us being romantically involved. However, if you feel the need to, well, put me in jail because of what I’ve done, I’ll take it. But I do urge you to go after the rebels. Knowing those types of people, they will end up being a huge problem in the near future.”
“No, you can’t offer that up!” Shinsou said, grabbing for Kaminari’s shoulders, “They’ll take you up on that and-“
Shinsou quickly cut himself off when his father raised his hand, silencing Shinsou altogether. “I think we’ve heard enough.”
“But-“ Shinsou said.
“No ‘but’s. Let your mother and I discuss this.”
Shinsou grumbled a little, but stayed silent. While his parents spoke in hushed whispers, Shinsou shifted so he was closer to Kaminari. Their knuckles brushed, and Shinsou reached out to grasp Kaminari’s hand softly.
After what felt like forever, the queen sucked in her breath and looked at Kaminari. “While your desire to please our wishes of you being put into jail is… tempting, we have decided to let you,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, “Hang around. You may be a criminal, but it seems as if our son is actually connected to you in some way.” Shinsou’s mother glanced at the way the two men held hands.
“What your mother is trying to say,” the king interrupted, “is that as long as you don’t cause trouble, you can stick by our son’s side. The rebels are obviously the larger of the problems here.”
Shinsou grinned happily. “You’re serious? You’re not putting him in prison?”
The queen sighed. “No, we’re not. Besides, what he stole can be replaced over time. The damage the rebels could cause is worse.” She waved Shinsou off.
“Thank you, Mother, Father,” Shinsou said, feeling almost giddy.
“Yes, thank you, Your Majesties.” Kaminari bowed slightly.
“Oh, please get out of here before we change our minds.” the king scoffed.
The three men quickly turned and hurried out the room, shoving the door shut behind them.
Midoriya excused himself quickly to find Todoroki while Shinsou tugged Kaminari into a tight hug. Shinsou felt Kaminari freeze for a moment, before wrapping his arms around him and hugging back.
“You actually convinced them to let you stay.” Shinsou said quietly into Kaminari’s ear, feeling a grin split across his face.
“For the time being.” Kaminari said in return, sounding unsure.
Shinsou pulled away, placing his hands on Kaminari’s shoulders. “Oh, please. They’re going to forget about all of this until it comes for a time for me to be married. That’s when you’re going to have to start worrying.” Shinsou tossed in a wink before wandering off down the hallway in the general direction of his room.
“Wha- Hey, you can’t just say things like that!” Kaminari giggled, running after Shinsou.
Shinsou took the hint and took off down the hallway, trying to take the most confusing route to his room possible as Kaminari chased after him, laughing. Running through the nearly empty hallways made Shinsou feel almost childish, but he didn’t care.
Once he reached his room, Shinsou threw the door open, pulling himself inside, closely followed by Kaminari. Shinsou stopped for a moment and was swiftly tackled to the floor by Kaminari.
They collapsed together on the ground, laughing wildly. Shinsou rolled over, resting an arm across Kaminari’s stomach and dropping his head so his forehead rested on Kaminari’s shoulder.
“I’m so glad they let you stay.” Shinsou said quietly, grinning.
Kaminari turned his head, placing a gentle kiss on Shinsou’s head before looking at him. “I’m glad they let me stay, too.”
There was silence for a few moments.
It was Kaminari who spoke up again, shattering the silence. “You know, you’re pretty lovable, Your Majesty. For a prince, at least.” A grin split across Kaminari’s face, his freckles glittering on his cheeks.
Shinsou thought for a moment before responding. “I think you’re pretty lovable, too. Even if you are just a stupid thief.”
A comfortable silence spread between the two of them, and they fell asleep curled into each other on Shinsou’s floor.