#prince tdbk is my new aesthetic

[kagehinataboke]

hey kage :) I really love your writing and saw your new promts and was wondering if you could write TodoBaku royaltyAU (17)? I'm having such a bad week and your fics always bring a smile to my face, I'm in desperate need of something sweet! :-*

aww honey, i’m so sorry you’re having a tough time!! i’ll do my best to cheer you up~ (｡• ᵕ •｡) ♡

tdbk: [17] royalty AU i wasn’t sure about length for this but i stopped sometime after 1k…. idk

***

Todoroki is used to being a pawn. Actually, he shouldn’t say ‘used to’: he’s sick of it. His father is always maneuvering him around the political chessboard, attending this dinner or that foreign affairs ball. On top of that, his mother is always trying to arrange dates for him with royalty from other kingdoms—undoubtedly to secure alliances. It’s all so tiring that he doesn’t know how much longer he can stand it without stabbing dear old dad in the chest.

Of course, his siblings all go through the same thing. Fuyumi is unhappily engaged, and Touya has been missing from court for three months. Todoroki wishes he could be as bold as his older brother, but his father is harsher on him than anyone else. Todoroki has no choice but to play nice, which involves attending another ball. This one is the welcoming party for some royal entourage from a neighboring kingdom. Todoroki could care less, although he knows his mother’s intentions for the night probably include matchmaking.

“Shouto, you look like you’re falling asleep.” Fuyumi appears from the crowd, drink in hand. “Why don’t you go dance?”

“Father told me to wait here until the royal family arrives,” Todoroki sighs, rolling up the sleeves of his white dress coat. “I hate these ridiculous stuffy clothes… Would he notice if I snuck away?”

“Most definitely.” Fuyumi pats him on the shoulder consolingly. “Hang in there, little brother. The royal family will arrive any minute, and you can slip away in the commotion.”

Todoroki sits back with a longer sigh. The more of these parties he attends, the less tolerant he becomes for them. What’s the point of being sociable? As the youngest, he’s supposed to be exempt from these things, but it’s the opposite: there’s more pressure on him than on everyone else.

“Oh, the royal entourage is finally here,” Fuyumi whispers, finishing off her drink. “I’d make a break for it now if I were you.”

“Thanks.” Todoroki slips out of his chair and disappears behind a tapestry. Thank god Touya showed him these passageways before he disappeared. They let out right by the kitchens, which are only a short distance from Todoroki’s room.

His dad will murder him later for vanishing, but he’d rather be confined to his room for a year than be stuck in that ballroom for another second. Being royalty is the worst, as stupid as it may sound. Everyone is always vying for attention in the court: a way to rise in the ranks, even if it means throwing away their pride.

“I’ll die before I attend another party,” Todoroki mutters, slipping carefully into the hall. “I wonder how long it will be until he notices I’m—“ Todoroki nearly bites his tongue in half when he turns around and smacks face-first into a person’s chest.

“Oi, watch where you’re going.”

Todoroki scoffs, fixing his displaced clothes. “Watch where I’m going? You’re the one who…” He trails off slowly, squinting at the stranger whose chest he was rudely introduced to. He’s tall, blond, and dressed nicely: certainly not a servant, although his attitude already gave that away. “Wait… Where did you come from? Who are you?”

“Why should I tell you?” The boy scowls, crossing his arms over an intricately-embroidered maroon overcoat. “I was only getting away from that stuffy ballroom.”

“You came from the ballroom?” Todoroki relaxes a bit, but keeps a solid five feet of distance between them. “I didn’t see you there earlier.” He’d definitely remember such a well-dressed, handsome party-goer. Or, er… not handsome. Whatever.

“I just arrived, but I’m already bored.” The stranger studies Todoroki for a minute before holding out a hand to him. “I’m Katsuki.”

Todoroki is a bit shocked by the informal greeting, but it’s also refreshing. Nobody’s offered to shake his hand in a long time, let alone introduced themself with their first name. “I’m… Shouto.” He shakes Katsuki’s hand, which is warm and unusually rough. “Where are you from, Katsuki?”

“It’s not far from here, but it’s a lot warmer back home.” Katsuki glances around the empty hall. “Should we go somewhere else? I don’t want to run into anyone.”

Todoroki knows he should still remain cautious, but something about this person puts him strangely at ease. “Sure. Follow me.” He hesitates before taking Katsuki by the sleeve and leading him down the corridor. “The gardens will be empty this time of night.”

***

The moon illuminated the garden nicely, and Todoroki has no trouble finding the bench at the center of the hedge maze. Katsuki stands by the fountain instead of sitting beside him, watching the fish darting across the bottom. “You sure know your way around here, huh?”

“I would hope so. I live here, after all.”

Katsuki turns to look at him. “What?”

Well, so much for that. Todoroki kept his identity a secret for all of five minutes. “Ah… I meant to be discreet, but I guess it’s pointless now.” He looks down at his joined hands with a grimace. “My family name is Todoroki, and this is sort of my castle…”

Katsuki snorts: an unexpected reaction. “Figures the one person I accidentally run into is a crown prince.” He crosses the garden and sits down next to him, eyes shining in the darkness. “If I was an assassin, you’d be dead by now, moron.”

“But you’re not, are you? An assassin, I mean.”

“No, luckily for you.” He shifts on the bench, and Todoroki feels their knees brush. “My family name is Bakugou.”

It takes Todoroki a minute to place the name, but then he stiffens. “Bakugou… Katsuki…? You’re… the prince that’s visiting.”

“Visiting you, actually. I thought I was ditching you when I avoided the ballroom, but apparently you ditched me first.”

“Sorry,” Todoroki murmurs half-heartedly. “It does appear we both left for the same reason, though. I’d rather—“

“—die than sit through another party, right?” Katsuki finishes with a grin. “I’m starting to like you more and more, Todoroki Shouto. Should we spend the night together instead of at that stifling party?”

“If you say things like that, I might get the wrong idea.” Todoroki wants to impale himself as soon as he says it, but Katsuki only laughs.

“Is that a yes, then?”

Todoroki glances from Katsuki’s face to the full moon and back. He knows he should be socializing inside, but Katsuki is a prince… In the end, what does he really have to lose? “Alright… You have a deal.”

“Good.” Katsuki’s grin grows even wider. “Don’t worry: If you fall for me, I’ll gladly take responsibility.”