Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

LXXX

The letter was a heavy weight against his chest during breakfast, and he endeavoured to eat quickly so that he could open it as soon as possible. Fuyumi seemed to notice his fidgeting, and asked with the same look as this morning if the letter was from someone important. He told her that it was, and whilst she smiled warmly behind her glass, she said nothing more. Natsuo, on the other hand, seemed to take the opportunity to tease him, even daring to reach across the table teasingly and only retreating when Shoto raised his knife to flick jam onto his freshly pressed shirt. It was such a childish thing, and the giddiness of that small interaction stayed for the rest of the meal, whilst he and Fuyumi listened to their brother's plans for the day with the person of his affection.

Once breakfast was finished, he decided to take a stroll around the gardens and enjoy the clear weather. Far in the distance, grey clouds were starting to creep closer and closer to his kingdom, and he believed their lands would be graced by a fresh spring rain that afternoon. It would be good for the crops to have fresh nourishment in the slowly but steadily increasing temperatures, and as he walked through his mother's garden he could see some flowerbeds that needed some of nature's gentle encouragement. 

He soon found himself in the greenhouse, the glass ceiling reflecting the sunrays that dappled upon the colourful flowers that were blooming within. His mother's greenhouse was truly wonderful, where flowers were in bloom all year round, only changing in colour or species, and he still held rare but fond memories of her wearing her royal blue winter coat and heading out into the gardens with some of her handmaidens to check upon their hard work. Shoto would watch from the castle entrance, carefully watching the pot of fresh tea his mother entrusted him with, watching the rising steam and making sure it never grew too cold. He must have been only a few years old in that memory, and it was rather blurry too, but his mother was as beautiful and vivid as ever, thriving in the winter breeze, at one with snow covered leaves and the crunching of boots on icy paths. 

He found a small table shrouded by growing leaves and palms and the most vibrant of blue rindous, shedding his outer jacket before reaching for his letter. He slowly traced his name with a delicate finger across the parchment, imagining each brush stroke paired with a small furrow of the brow, before breaking the seal and pulling out the message inside. 

"Dear Shoto,

Gods that was fucking formal as fuck. Pinkie says I should try and sound romantic, apparently letters are secrets of the soul or some shit, but you and I both know I'm not in the slightest bit romantic."

"Liar." Shoto whispered to himself, a smile beginning to form on his face even after having only read the start of the letter. 

"The idiots are probably gonna send letters of their own, but don't try and read Sparky's 'cause he can't spell to save his life. Anyways, I'm gonna write this letter however I damn well please so...

Hey, princess. Not missing me too much, hah? Bet you are, who the hell wouldn't miss me?! Everyone always talks about you here, especially Pa, but I'm tryna spend more time with him these past few days now we're not occupied with a war. I can kinda see why you like this afternoon tea shit, it's nice to sit in quiet and not have to listen to people talking nonstop. But it's still not as good as a pint of beer.

I got ya letter, and gods damn you sound exactly the same in writing as you do in real life. I can definitely tell you got a nice princely education, with the correct punctuation and shit. But... it was nice readin' it, I guess. You have a way with words if you wanna put it that way. I made the stupid fucking decision to open it at breakfast and of course the idiots snatched it out of my hand the moment I went to put it in my cape. Kiri was voted the one to read it aloud, but thankfully he has some brain cells and didn't read the whole thing."