Serendipity [Bakukami]

Chapter 18

"Midoriya? What- what are they saying?" Denki flatly chuckles, pointing at them. He stutters a little before turning around towards Midoriya. 

"Your Highness, it's nothing I swear. They were talking some nonsense, you know how peasants are" Midoriya chuckles dryly, hoping that it convinces Denki. "Come on!" He tries to add some enthusiasm, "Kacchan must be waiting for us, let's go-" 

"Don't lie to me. Midoriya- they- they think I'm dead? What the hell- I'm- I'm right here? Your Majesty told me she would make me the king in a few months! Midoriya, what happened here?" Denki mumbles pleasingly, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. 

"Your Highness, the Queen never allowed you to come outside for a reason," Midoriya starts slowly, "She told us she had a good reason for it, so all the servants promised never to tell the others that you were alive. Soon she made a cover-up story and- and she held a fake funeral too." Izuku mumbles, quieting down as he finishes. 

"Midoriya- okay well, did you believe that? That she did it with 'a good reason'?" Denki asks, raising his voice slightly. Midoriya flinches a little but hesitantly answers him. 

"I mean- yes? She's the Queen. Of course, I believed her, why else would she do that, she's your mother..." Midoriya whispers fiddling with his thumbs. Todoroki reaches them just in time but doesn't say anything after noticing the tension. 

"We are talking about the same Queen who banned homosexual marriages, increased taxes without any regard to a person's salary, continues waging wars because she wants to annexe more territories, uses all the treasures and taxes on the military and has started banning various daily necessities because 'she doesn't like them'. If you believe this woman, I'm sorry to say but you're the most innocent person I've ever met and I should've never thought you'd make a good King." Denki yells, tears rolling down his cheeks in frustration. Denki almost falls to his knees until Todoroki catches him. 

Izuku doesn't even look surprised. It's almost as if he had expected this. Of course, he did. He knew the consequences of hiding the truth from his potential friend who had done everything he could to make Midoriya feel comfortable. It was unjust. They shouldn't have to go through this, why did Midoriya even agree to this in the first place? He feels so stupid. 

Did the queen really care so little about others? Even her own son? Midoriya could never imagine such a mother. He grew up in a fairly loving joint family, with his grandparents, aunts and uncles under the same roof. They had too much love and always learned to share it. But Denki wasn't like that. He may have grown up luxuriously with riches surrounding him, but without a mother what was it worth?

If his mother could create an entire soap opera and make him a fake funeral, then to what lengths would she go? Would she even try to... kill him? 

"Midoriya i- I'm sorry," Denki sniffles, "I shouldn't have said that but please don't trust her. She is not my mother- I would never call her one. I didn't mean to yell at you, of course I think you'll be a great leader but you're naive about such matters and it just hurt cause-" Denki looks up at him with unshed tears glistening in his eyes, "I thought we were friends." 

"Your Highness-" Midoriya starts with a soft smile. 

"Denki. Please, call me Denki." Denki interrupts, sniffling "I don't think I'm worthy of that title anymore."

"Your High- uhm Denki, of course you are. Just because people here don't know about you doesn't mean you are undeserving, yes? We apologise for not telling you sooner, but we were put in a situation where we couldn't, I hope you understand" Todoroki says gently trying to calm him down. 

"Okay okay," Denki harshly wipes his tears, standing up more upright, "there's no time to cry over an old hag, let's go find Bakugo, please" 

The three of them walked towards the bank of the river, but Katsuki was nowhere to be found. "Let's just walk more this way, he could be anywhere in the bank," Midoriya says, about 20 minutes later (with Denki constantly whining about walking too much) they see a mop of blond hair, standing a few feet inside the water with his pants rolled up to his knees. 

Denki had never seen him in casual clothes before and he couldn't help but notice how built Katsuki looked. He was sure it was his gayness peeking out but didn't really stop himself from staring. 

"Kacchan," Midoriya calls out. Bakugo turns around and immediately his eyes go wide. Denki doesn't hear or notice anything in his surroundings, he simply looks at Katsuki with what seems to be a relieved smile. 

Katsuki looked surprised and was sputtering nonsense about how Denki should've never come out of the castle and how stupid Midoriya and Todoroki were to think that they could get away with it, but for Denki the world was slow, he didn't hear them.

"Your Highness-" Katsuki starts, only to let out an immediate 'oof-' when Denki hugs him tightly. Denki could hear Midoriya and Todoroki chuckling behind them but he ignored them. 

"I- I'm sorry if I said something wrong or like came in between your friendship with Midoriya," Denki starts, leaning away from the hug to look at Katsuki, "I swear I was only trying to help and Midoriya looked really sad and-"

"Your Highness," Katsuki breathlessly chuckles, the softness squeezing Denki's heart, "it's okay, I don't mind you coming in between my friendship with Deku, besides Todoroki already did," Katsuki continues blissfully ignoring the offended squeak from Todoroki. "but, I'm happy you came here today, if the Queen says something we can handle her, yeah?"

Denki smiles bashfully, "Yeah..." he then remembers what he wanted to ask in the first place, "but why didn't you come to the castle today?"

Katsuki looks confused, "Your Highness, you didn't know? The Queen asked me and my father to take a break. She said you requested one for me because I was apparently in need of one... you didn't?"

Denki stays silent. What was the queen planning?