.

「𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 ⇀ 𝑰. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

── ❝ 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗟

𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗬 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥

𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖 𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 ❞

〡𝑰𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐 𝑿 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓〡

◉ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅ ┅

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

꒰ 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧⁺˚*

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕺𝖓𝖊 ||

Choromatsu - Attention Seeker

𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰!𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘟 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

These battles Choromatsu was engaging with you were becoming harder for him to keep up with.

He should have expected no less from you, though, being a super villain with more powers than he could keep track of. You appeared out of nowhere eight months ago, and had been targeting him ever since, managing to pull him away from his group of heroes to fight him one on one every time without fail.

You were teasing, sometimes borderline flirty with him as you fought, endlessly dodging his attacks and fleeing from his grasp. There was always a promise of him seeing you again, and you never failed to keep them.

What confused him the most, however, is how you never seemed to try to hurt him. He wasn't stupid; he could clearly see you purposely miss your target, and you had never actually killed anyone despite destroying buildings. In fact, the buildings you destroyed were either always empty, or they were scheduled for demolition.

You were an enigma. Choromatsu seemed to have himself wound around your finger, endlessly running in circles with you like a game of cat and mouse. It was infuriating, as well as intriguing — he was caught in the middle of these confusing feelings, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

But he didn't have time to think about that now. As he stood in a flattened battlefield, where there once stood tall office buildings and apartments, he heaved his heavy suit of armour to stand tall despite his knees being ready to buckle underneath him.

His helmet removed itself from his face as he painted heavily, narrowed eyes locked onto your form as you descended down from the air, gracefully landing before him with a large grin.

"You always give me a good fight, Law," you chuckled, the dulcet tone ringing through the air. The hero tensed at the sound, fists clenching tighter as he watched you creep closer.

"Not good enough, it seems," all he wanted was for this battle to be over and done with, where he stood victorious over your weakened form and he could finally go home. "Why are you always doing this?"

"Why..?" You tilted your head, feigning innocence as you pressed a delicate finger to your chin. "Now, let me think for a moment.."

Choromatsu growled your name out in warning, demanding you to speak. You laughed louder, relishing in the way his rasped voice reverberated through your body.

"I thought it was obvious!" You took another step closer, your hands folded behind your back as you pushed your chest further out, catching his eyes. "What other reason could I possibly have for wanting to go up against you in a battle other than for attention?"

The hero squinted, and you could practically see the cogs in his mind turning as his eyes slowly widened into a look of disbelief.

"Attention? From... me?" The nod of your head and cheeky smile made his cheeks tint a pretty pink, and he suddenly didn't seem so big and intimidating in that large metal suit of his. "B-But why? And why go through all this just to get m-my attention?"

"Well, if I've got the power to level buildings to the ground with the snap of my fingers, of course I'm going to use it to my advantage."

You were now stood in front of him, craning your neck up to see his face. With a flick of your wrist, you glided your body off the ground and raised yourself up to his height, meeting his timid gaze.

"Do I have to spell out why I want your eyes on me at all times?"

You were satisfied with his silent, flustered answer, the blush on his face creeping down his neck as you rested your hands on the chest of his suit, tracing a dainty finger over the divots in the metal.

"But... You're a villain, right?"

"I have destroyed buildings, but I don't actually want to hurt anyone. I never have. I just want you." You traced your hand up to his cheek, your thumb brushing over his heated skin. "I don't consider myself a villain, and I hope you won't either."

"I-I.. Uh... N-No, of course not!" He stammered, all seriousness in his tone now gone. You giggled, the chime ringing in his ears.

"I'm glad! So... What do you say?" You watched as the man trailed his gaze over your face, watching how your tresses of hair fell over your eyes in a beautifully attracting way, how your eyes glimmered with hope that he would agree, how your lower lip was now pressed between your teeth the more silent he became...

"I.." he turned away, frowning at nothing in particular, "I wouldn't be opposed to it, I-I guess..."

"Great!" You pushed yourself forward, pressing your lips against his cheek adoringly. He stiffened, catching the sweet scent of the perfume you wore wafting from your neck, your lips brushing against his cheek as you murmured, "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow in town — I'll find you. I think you're gonna need as much rest as you can get."

With a final laugh, you pushed yourself away, glancing at him with a sultry smile and a look in your eyes he could only describe as hot before you vanished in a bolt of electricity, teleporting yourself away.

Choromatsu stood stock still for a moment before he fell to his knees, his breath too quick for him to catch whilst his heart beat frantically against his rib cage. He was sweating profusely, and there was an ache between his legs that he really needed to get rid of.

"So now you're getting laid by your enemy? Way to go, Chorofappyski."

The sudden voice of Osomatsu sounding from behind him made Choromatsu scream.

"Wh-When did you get here?!"

"Early enough to see the whole thing."

Chapter 2

'Another day wasted.'

It was the first thought to come to your mind when you had awoken the next day, the sun already high above the horizon and glaring through your windows.

You didn't feel well rested, despite having slept for hours on end. Your mind was tired, your heart still ached, you didn't feel as if you had the strength to open your eyes. You just lay there on your bed, unmoving and unbothered.

You would have stayed there all day, had it not been for your hunger. Clutching at your stomach in pain, you remembered how you had barely eaten anything the previous day, too busy wallowing in self pity to even think about eating.

With a groan, you slowly sat up on the edge of your mattress, blinking away the sudden head rush that came with the movement. The floorboards felt cold beneath your feet, sending shivers up your spine as you placed them flat on the wooden flooring. You rubbed at your eyes as you stood up, stumbling out of your bedroom to go and wash up.

It was unbearably hot in your living room, prompting you to open up the patio doors to allow some air inside, the humidity increasing as a new wave of warm air wafted into the room. The echoing sounds of cicadas that rested on tree trunks beyond your fencing filled the air, buzzing and buzzing until that white noise in your mind was finally cancelled out.

You chewed slowly on your food, maybe to waste more time so that the sun would go down and you could go back to sleep. But it was barely noon and the sun was still hovering high in the sky, scorning you with its intense rays as if to punish you for wishing it to leave. It was going to be a long summer's day, and you were already sick of it.

Sick.

You suddenly placed your half-eaten plate of food down with a clatter as you scrambled to your feet, slapping a hand desperately over your mouth as you felt it rise and boil in your throat, barely making it to the bathroom as your stomach spewed out bile into the sink.

It was happening again, you realised as you continued to gag, fumbling to turn the tap on to wash away the disgusting sight before you, prompting you to choke again. It was all going so well, and now it's happening again. Tears welled in your eyes as you squeezed them shut. Just make it stop. Please make it stop.

Your legs finally collapsed from beneath you and you tumbled to the tiled floor, hands still clutched to the edge of the basin as you crouched down, head low and breaths heavy. A cold sweat had broken out over your skin, leaving you shivering and abnormally feverish.

It wasn't fair, you thought miserably. Nothing had happened. Nothing had gone wrong. But apparently something did go wrong. Things always go wrong. You can never seem to be at peace, no matter what you try. The sudden waves of anxiety that hit you when you least expected it wasn't your fault. And yet it was entirely your fault. Nothing made sense. Nothing ever made sense. You were too stupid to understand. You could never understand.

'If only I didn't go outside yesterday.'

But it still would have happened. This would still have happened. You didn't know why, but it would have. Because that's just how it works. It's not supposed to work that way. But for you, it does. You didn't need to understand. You just needed to let it happen. Even if you didn't want it to. You have no power, no control. Just fall to your knees and cry, as you always do. That's how it always works.

You stood up shakily, hesitantly staring back at the face in the mirror. She looked better than you did. Smiling, happy, glad she was behind the glass and wasn't there with you.

You blinked, and the image changed. That was you. You, with the messy hair and the dark, tired eyes, the sickly skin and pinched cheeks, frail and weak, gaze sullen and dazed. Lost and confused. Sad and pitiful. That was who you were.

Unable to look any longer, you twisted the faucet back on, cupping handfuls of cold water and splashing it over your face multiple times, scrubbing harshly at your eyes and mouth, rinsing it out to get rid of the sickening taste of bile. You didn't dare look back into the mirror as you grabbed your towel, rubbing it over your face and tossing it aside before exiting the bathroom.

Breakfast didn't sound appetising anymore, and you regretfully threw the rest of the food away. You stood in the middle of your living room, glancing around from the couch to the TV, to the console next to it, to the small bookshelf stuffed with a few books you had decided to keep for whatever reason, your fingers furling and unfurling against your palms.

They finally landed on a slim, black, hard-cover book shoved lopsidedly into the bottom shelf, it's ringed binder hanging out over the edge of the dark wood.

You reached for it, gingerly pulling it out of the shelf with the tips of your fingers, holding it at arms length as if it were some kind of wild animal. The first few pages were frayed and withered, but the rest were crisp and clean, untouched and unused.

You stared and stared at the tough cover, running your gaze over the blank darkness, as if you were searching for something. But you knew everything you were searching for was inside the book. The courage to look was dwindling away as time tricked by.

You suddenly grasped the corner of the cover, flipping it open with force and coming to a halt at the sight of the first page. All you saw was coloured blotches, streaking across the otherwise empty paper in messy lines. The blues and greens merged together in a disgusting mesh of hues, the watery disarray of paint unable to form any real structure.

After staring at it for a long while, face stoic, you flipped over to the next page. The paper was stiff and wrinkled, less like paper and more like cardboard, crackling with the slightest amount of pressure applied to it.

It was just the same as the previous one, if not, worse. You couldn't look at it for longer than a couple of minutes before moving on, and that time hastily shortened down to a few seconds until you finally reached a blank page.

With a shaky breath, you grabbed a pencil from one of the pots on your shelf and silently seated yourself down at the low table behind you. You hovered the lead over the white canvas, carefully moving it along with your hand, the sound of the pencil scratching against the paper filling your ears.

Your arm made jerky movements, wrist flicking left and right as you attempted to make an outline of something you had seen before, with the lead eroding away ever so slowly with each stroke. You watched your hand wander to every corner of the paper, pausing with a flinch every now and then when it moved just a little too far off the intended path.

The clock ticked on and on, seconds to minutes to hours, with you sat at the low table in the bright light of the sun in your living room, scratch, scratch, scratching away, even as your pencil became blunt, forcing it to mark out the lines of a seemingly misshapen landscape, thin and delicate lines becoming thick and crooked veins.

It wasn't until the pencil began stabbing the paper with its splintered tip that you finally stopped, moving your hand off the page to look down at the horrible mess you had made. It was the same picture as the others, only much, much more awful, with less colour and less sense of mind.

That same stoic face stared down at the page. Your grip on your pencil was now limp, your hand dropping to the floor by your side and the tool now slipping from your fingers, rolling over the floor and out of your reach.

You can't do anything right, can you?

The sting of tears in your eyes was going to drive you mad. You stood back up, ignoring the needle-like numbness in your lower limbs as you staggered to your bedroom, the urge to get out of the deathly silent house growing stronger.

You changed out of your clothes into an oversized beige hoodie and shorts, thinking that it wouldn't draw attention to yourself, only to realise that it would draw attention because what kind of idiot would wear a hoodie in the middle of summer? So you tossed it aside and pulled on a white vest and a grey dress-shirt on top instead, thankful that the loose fitting clothing would at least cover your curves.

You slipped on the first pair of sneakers you saw and left the house, your keys, purse and phone stuffed into your back pockets. You stood in front of your door for a moment, unsure of where to go, then ultimately decided that it really didn't matter, and you turned left and started walking.

You kept your head low, hands awkwardly swaying by your sides, unsure of where to put them because you had no other pockets. The sun was lower in the sky now, gently stretching your shadow behind you as you walked further and further down the street, following it wherever it took you because who cares where you would end up?

As always, there was no one outside besides you. The gentle patter of your footsteps against the cobbled pathway was the only sound you could hear besides the familiar twitter of birds above you. It was moments like these when you began to miss the sounds of the city, with its constant bustling streets and roads filling that emptiness in the air and somewhat reassuring you that you weren't completely alone in this world.

But here, you were. You were entirely alone.

You always thought you would be okay with that, and yet you were now hating it more than anything. How pathetic.

Glancing upwards, you noticed with a blink that the houses in the village were now far behind you. You paused, turning to look over your shoulder to see the shrunken structures in the distance, and your surroundings were instead replaced with rolling green fields of tall grass, mutely swaying in the breeze. How long had it been since you had started walking?

Despite your confusion, you turned back around and continued onward. You shouldn't think about it too much. You didn't want to think at all anymore.

And so, you walked. You walked and walked and walked. You had no idea where the road was headed towards, you had no idea if you were even in the Akashika District at that point, but that was fine. The unknown was welcomed with open arms. Anything to keep your mind quiet.

Unfortunately for you, though, all good things must come to an end. That end came far too quickly when your legs and feet began to ache. Your body was becoming tired — most likely due to you not having any food in your system — and your shortness of breath under the brutal summer heat was making your head spin. You needed to stop soon, unless you wanted to faint.

With great reluctance, you steered yourself to the side of the road, kneeling down with your knees tucked into your chest and your forearms hanging over them. You pushed your hair away from your face, disliking the sweat accumulating on your temple. Whilst you caught your breath, you looked back again down the road you had walked up, and the town was now a lot smaller than it was before.

You would have to walk back there eventually, you reminded yourself, and you outwardly groaned. You didn't want to do that. But you guessed it was your own fault, anyway. You deserved this. It's the consequence of your actions, isn't it? You acted irrationally, and now you had to suffer further.

The sound of a car horn startled you from your thoughts. You whipped your head over to your right with wide eyes, watching as a white car rolled to a stop a few feet ahead of you, its tires crunching against the dirt. The engine died down into silence as you heard the clutch being pulled into place with a squeak, catching a brief glimpse of a shadowy silhouette through the windscreen as it shuffled to get out of the car.

You were frozen in place as you watched a man step out of the vehicle, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes as he regarded you with a curious look, raising a brow as he stepped closer. His rounded face looked so familiar, as well as those large, half-lidded eyes, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. He wore a white shirt complete with a deep blue tie, which hung loosely under his unbuttoned collar. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his black slacks, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbow, exposing his forearms.

"Are you okay there?" He asked, sauntering to a stop as he stood over you. You stared up at him, breath caught in your throat, unsure of what to say. No, you were not okay, but you couldn't just tell people that, could you? You had to be okay, you had to be normal.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." You attempted to smile, the strain of forcibly stretching your lips across your cheeks paining you greatly, and you would have kept it up if the man hadn't frowned at you. The smile that was more akin to a grimace slowly slipped off of your face, replaced by a nervous pinch to your lower lip instead.

"You don't look 'fine' to me," he stated bluntly, leaning down a little so that his head was mere inches away from your own. "What are you doing all the way out here on the ground?"

You inched yourself back slightly, wobbling under the uneven balance on your limbs. Excuses, you had to come up with excuses, but that was becoming an increasingly difficult task when the man interrogating you seemed to know that you were lying before you even spoke.

Just as you were about to lose your balance in your crouched position, he grabbed onto your upper arm to steady you. The warmth radiating from his palm seeped through your sleeve, your already boiling skin heating up further from the touch. You felt your cheeks heat up, too, the unfamiliar touch of this (admittedly attractive) man leaving you in a slight daze.

"I-I was just out for a walk, and I got tired, that's all," you quickly stammered, unable to look him in the eyes lest you burst into flames. His scrutinising look didn't falter, instead increasing as he squinted at you harshly.

"You look like you're gonna faint. I think you're a little more than tired, lady."

Your heart pounded painfully in your chest at his words. You were fine, totally fine, why couldn't he just accept that?

You gasped as you suddenly felt yourself being lifted off the ground, your arms pulled forward as he forced you to follow behind him. He was leading you to his car, his grip on you firm as if to say that you didn't have a choice.

"Where are you taking me?" You couldn't exactly trust a man you had just met so easily. He stopped in his tracks, turning to look back at you with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ah, sorry! I'm gonna look weird if I just start dragging you over here, huh?" He released your arms to bow mockingly, peering up at you through one eye as the other closed in a wink.

"The name's Akashika Ozo. Taxi driver, at your service." He grinned widely, seemingly proud of himself for the little skit he had pulled. Ozo straightened back up, taking a hold of your forearm tenderly this time and gesturing towards his car. "I was just planning on giving you a lift to wherever it is you're going. If you want one, that is."

✧ Matsuno - School Grounds

𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵!𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘟 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

You let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing your temple with your fingers. It did nothing to stop the yelling coming from just outside the classroom window, however.

They were at it again. Those six idiots that you had scolded countless times had once again abandoned all your rules and were now causing a ruckus on school grounds. This was already the fourth time this week, and it was only Wednesday. Your hips were still aching from last time.

Readjusting your school tie and straightening your blazer, you took a deep breath before leaving the room and heading out past the school entrance, hands resting angrily on your hips.

"What the hell are you doing, you shitty delinquents?!" You hissed through clenched teeth. Six boys with the same face stopped mid-argument, whipping their heads to face you. Almost immediately, identical smirks crossed over their mouths as they eyed you up and down.

"Well, if it isn't [Y/N]. Did we disturb your precious studies?" Osomatsu drawled cheekily, taking slow steps towards you. You frowned up at him as he leaned over your smaller form.

"I barely even got to start before you started fighting again!" You glared hotly towards the others. "You're still on school grounds! Don't you at least have any decency to take your pointless arguments home? You're ruining the-!"

"-Ruining the schools reputation, yeah, yeah," Todomatsu stepped up next, a sly look in his large eyes as he peered down at his phone. "Y'know, you talk a lot for someone who can get just as loud as we can." He flashed a quick picture towards you, causing your eyes to widen and cheeks to flare.

You did your best to ignore the burning of your cheeks at his teasing comment, opening your mouth to speak before feeling a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

"Don't we still have a deal, Prez?" Ichimatsu muttered into your ear, chuckling darkly as he felt a shiver run through your body. "These bruises here are still fresh, you know. It's like you just want us to keep bending you over..." you grit your teeth as he swiped his tongue over the small hickeys littered across the back of your neck.

"S-Stop it..! The only reason I agreed is because you all promised you'd tone it down!" You whined with a pout. A pair of fingers tucked themselves under your chin, raising them to look into a pair of eyes peeking over dark sunglasses.

"My rose, we really did try to keep to our promise, but we simply can't get enough of you," Karamatsu winked, rubbing his thumb gently over your lower lip. Your legs wobbled at the attention; you really wished you weren't so easily swayed.

Your hands that had clutched tightly onto the fabric of your skirt were each taken into the hands of Choromatsu and Jyushimatsu, who both brought the palms of your hands up to their mouths, pressing chaste kisses down to your wrists.

"Don't tell me you're going to back out now, [Y/N]?" Choromatsu pushed.

"I want to you hear you scream more for us," Jyushimatsu mumbled against your skin, locking his dark eyes onto your own.

You bit the inside of your cheek, attempting to avert your gaze. But no matter where you looked, you could see their satisfied grins, knowing already that they had won you over.

»»-----　♔　-----««

You could feel their hands all over you, rubbing and squeezing your most sensitive parts. Your hips and neck were surely covered in bruises and red markings, but at this point, you couldn't feel anything other than an insane amount of pleasure.

Karamatsu was beneath you, lifting your body up and down over his length, hitting deeper inside of you with each thrust. He revelled in the faces you made, watching each bounce of your breasts as he fondled with one in his free hand.

"You look stunning from this view, darling," he purred, your moan of response spurring him on.

From behind, Osomatsu was filling you up just as much. You could feel his grin against your skin as he bit down on the back of your neck, his hands playing with your ass with no shame.

"See? You totally wanted this, didn't you? You enjoy this just as much as we do, right?" He continued whining sweet words of filth into your ear, knowing full well that you couldn't form any kind of coherent sentence to reply.

Your hands were guided back and forth over Choromatsu's and Todomatsu's cock, pumping mindlessly from the base to the tip. They each wore drooling smiles on their faces, playing with the strands of your hair every now and then as they showered you in praises.

"You're taking us so well, [Y/N]! You're used to us by now, aren't you?" Todomatsu cooed, panting heavily as he felt himself getting closer and closer.

"You're so good, [Y/N]...!" Choromatsu babbled, leaning over to plant kisses over your hot cheeks.

You continued to moan over and over, the sensation running through Ichimatsu's and Jyushimatsu's hardened lengths that they prodded into your mouth, muffling your screams. You could barely wrap your tongue around their shafts, but they seemed completely satisfied with the feeling of your warm cavern around them.

"So warm... So nice..!" Jyushimatsu huffed, his ever present smile only growing larger at your overstimulated body.

"You can take more, can't you, kitten? You're gonna take turns with all of us, like a good girl," Ichimatsu laughed, his wolffish smile shaking of his sharpened teeth.

You had lost count of the amount of times you had climaxed, unsure of whether the wetness between your thighs belonged only to you or to one of the boys in the room. However, your brain was scrambled.

The only thing you knew was that everything felt so good. You were close to passing out from exhaustion, feeling wet tears trickle down your cheeks and neck, but you didn't want it stop.

"You wanna know what I think, Prez?" Osomatsu panted, pinching at one of your perked nipples.

"I think that tomorrow, whether we do anything or not, you're gonna come crawling right back to us."

If you could speak, you would repeat the word yes, over and over and over again.

Oh wow, you're that person who wrote that denkimatsu reader insert. I'd often check AO3 for updates regarding it.

Omg I—

Thank you so much! It’s so cool knowing ppl actually know me for something kekekdbakka

I hope you continue to enjoy reading! (Even if my updates are slow as hell)♥️♥️♥️

❀ | ⑥

╔═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╗ 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ╚═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╝

Setting down his teacup with a sigh, Karamatsu's gaze didn't wander from the perfect view of the gardens just behind the large windows.

It had been a few days since he had gone on that magical horse ride through the forest with you, and ever since you had arrived back at your palace, it seemed as if you had been avoiding him. Which he found to be most unfortunate, as he had found the conversation the both of you had then was heartfelt and honest, and he even thought that it had brought you two ever so slightly closer together.

Alas, he was wrong. The words you had exchanged with him had only weakened your bond and any chances at becoming closer, it seems. Now, whenever you spotted him around the palace halls, you would swiftly turn the other way and scurry off before he could get the chance to speak. He would be left in the dust of your footsteps, a hand outstretched towards your silhouette and a frown on his lips.

Karamatsu wasn't sure what to do.

His words were true; he wanted to get to know you, bit by bit. He wanted you to give him a chance, despite his reputation as a stupid and unwise prince. Despite all his flaws and imperfections, he wanted you to take his hand and walk alongside him, if not as lovers then at the very least as friends.

Clearly, however, you didn't have the same thoughts in mind.

He sighed again, much heavier this time, his sorrow almost visible in the air around him. Karamatsu had no idea what to do. He had never been in this situation before — he had never even lasted this long inside someone else's kingdom! He usually would have been kicked out, literally, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. Although you didn't give him the kindest of welcomes, you had at least allowed him to stay. He thought that to be very kind of you.

Resting his palm against his cheek, he cast his sullen gaze to the sky. No matter what he did, his mind would always fall back to you. He would like to think it was love, but he wasn't that stupid of a prince to truly believe that.

"Prince Karamatsu?" He startled at the call of his name, sitting up straight and turning to look over his shoulder to find your mother, Queen Koume, walking steadily towards him with a kind smile. He stood up from his seat, bowing low as his signature smirk worked its way into his face.

"Queen Koume! It is truly a blessing to be in your presence."

"Likewise," she chuckled, tapping his shoulder and gesturing for him to rise, "But I think formalities can be dropped for a short while, don't you agree?"

"If that is what you wish," he flicked his sparkling cape around him, the material elegantly twirling around him before settling along his back.

"I hope you have been enjoying your stay in our kingdom," she started, moving to take a seat opposite from Karamatsu's.

"Of course! I expected nothing less from the Aoki Kingdom — full of beauty as far as the eye can see!"

Queen Koume chuckled again, silently liking the flowery words that always seemed to flow seamlessly out of the young prince's mouth. He had quite a talent for it.

"And my daughter has been treating you well?"

"Indeed! She truly is a kind and soft soul, to treat me as gently as the flowers that bloom in her wake—!"

"Then why is she not with you?"

Karamatsu stilled, eyes wide and smile stiff. He glanced over to the Queen, and upon seeing her raised brow and the suspicious squint in her eyes, he deflated, sitting himself back down and tracing a finger around the rim of his teacup.

"How long has she been avoiding you?"

"...Almost three days, now..."

She sighed, her eyes falling to her folded hands in her lap. A few moments of silence go by, and she interrupts it with her soft voice.

"I would like to apologise for my daughter. She has always found it difficult to bond with those from outside our kingdom."

"No, no, I understand her completely." Karamatsu shook his head, a small smile on his lips that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I am a prince from the kingdom of Akatsuka. We are known for our unwillingness to become kings and our poor knowledge on royal duties. I'm not surprised that she wouldn't want anything to do with me... It is something that I have become used to."

"But it is not something you deserve."

He paused, slowly raising his eyes to meet hers.

"Appearances are a struggle for royals to upkeep, because it is the only thing that others are willing to look at. When I look at you, Karamatsu, I don't look at the failure of a prince. I look at the heart you wear on your sleeve."

Karamatsu's cheeks tinged a light pink, her knowing smile making it hard to look away.

"When others look at my daughter, they see a cold and silent girl, with her head full of pride and her eyes full of malice. But when you look at her, tell me, what do you see?"

"...What do I see...?"

He saw a beautiful girl with a heart that was closed off to the world in fear of getting hurt. He saw a girl who spoke her mind without the fear of the opinions of others. He saw a girl with a strong and matured mind with a young, caring heart, a weakness that she didn't want to expose. Because if it ever was, her world would crumble around her.

Queen Koume stood up, walking around the small table to reach Karamatsu, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with wide eyes, akin to a child. Her fondness for him grew.

"Talk to her. She will try to run, but don't let her out of your reach."

With those words, she left him to his thoughts, disappearing around the corner. Karamatsu's mind was onto telling him one thing.

'I need to see her.'

He bolted from his seat, running down the hallways in an aimless attempt to find you. As he passed by the entrance to the gardens, he skidded to a halt, rushing over to one of the gardeners who was busy pruning a bush of purple and blue flowers.

"Excuse me!" He called, standing over them. "If you would be so kind, I need some assistance with a gift." He gestured to the flowers around him, his thick brows furrowed into a pleading frown. The gardener stared up at him in shock before relaxing into a grin.

"Of course! I have the perfect gift."

He clipped a hefty bunch of the flowers in front of him, grabbing a ribbon from his pocket and tying it around the stems into a neat bow.

"Hydrangeas. For anything that is sincerely heartfelt." He winked, handing them over to the prince.

"Wonderful! Thank you!" Karamatsu turned on his heel to run off, only to then back around with a sheepish grin. "Do you know where I can find the Princess?"

"She usually hides herself away in the library. But you didn't hear that from me!"

"Thank you!" He called again over his shoulder as he dashed off, coloured petals drifting around him as the wind carried them away. A woman peeked around one of the hedges, grinning down at the gardener.

"Playing Cupid, are we?" She chuckled.

"That's all on him," he shrugged. The both of them watched a blue blur run off into the distance, mentally sending him the best of luck before returning to their tasks.

Karamatsu ran as fast as his legs could carry him, barely making it down the right corridors until he came to a stumbling halt in front of a large set of double doors, the wood engraved with ivory stems curling around bookshelves. This was the place.

He took a moment to catch his breath, brushing his hair back into place with his hand and gathering the courage before opening the doors with a firm push, pausing as they revealed a vast library filled to the brim with books and rolled parchment.

He glanced around as he walked in, scanning every empty table and chair until he came across a set of stairs spiralling upwards, swallowing thickly as he ascended, one slow step at a time.

His heart was thundering in his chest as he reached the top, almost fit to burst as he finally saw your figure hunched over a pile of books that were opened up and spread along the floor, your studious gaze stuck the words on the pages of text until the sound of his footsteps made you look up in surprise.

Your eyes met his, wide and unsuspecting. Karamatsu's heart sped up, skipping a beat as he saw your skin becoming flushed in shock, his own cheeks matching the reddening tint that was spreading across your face.

Neither of you could speak, finding yourselves speechless. You always had something to say, but now, sitting there and peering up at the man you had been attempting to push away for days now, you found that your throat had run dry, and your lips slightly parted, searching for words that couldn't escape you.

You watched as he took careful steps forward, kneeling down in front of you on one knee to reach your eye level, his brown eyes never once leaving yours.

In his arms, he carried clusters of hydrangeas, swirling colours of blue and purple, and your heart jumped. It startled you; it was if it had leapt up your throat.

He held them out to you, a determined glint in his eyes.

"Princess [Y/N]."

His words were firm but gentle, enough to get you to stay, and enough to tell you that there was nothing stopping you from leaving. Even so, you found yourself unable to move.

"These flowers are for you. I hope these will suffice as a gift, in exchange for a chance to speak with you."