Ever After (BakuDeku)

Chapter Three

Izuku quickly bowed, his eyes glued to the ground as he mumbled apologies over and over again like a prayer.

The prince scoffed, dusting off his clothes, "I guess that's what I get for resorting to theft," he muttered, massaging where the apples had hit him.

Izuku kept his eyes on the ground, more out of respect than fear as it became clear that the prince wasn't going to hang him for assaulting him with apples, as he said, "my Lord, we have other horses," he glanced at the stolen horse with slight amusement, "I don't mean to question your judgement but, this one may not be the best choice."

Katsuki shook his head, climbing back on the horse, "no, this one will be just fine."

Katsuki thought for a moment before adding, "don't tell anyone about this encounter, I left a bag of coins in the stables to compensate you for your silence."

"Of course, your highness," Izuku replied quickly.

Without another word, the prince left.

Shaking his head, the greenette straightened, sighing as he looked at the apples scattered across the ground.

~

It was much later than he had hoped when Izuku finished regathering apples, deciding it was best not to use the apples he had used as weapons against the prince. So instead, he had to go back over to the apple trees and gather a basket full of new apples.

By the time he finished, workers had begun their chores around the house and the quietness from before was gone. There was definitely less workers than Izuku had grown up with, mostly due to his step families impulsive spending habits which led to them not being able to pay as many workers.

Izuku made his way to the stables, thankful for once that he had also been assigned to care for the horses, meaning no one questioned why he was there.

It didn't take long for Izuku to locate the bag of coins the prince had left and the sight made Izuku giddy.

Unlike most of the other workers, Izuku wasn't paid for his work, relying on his skills to get what he needed to survive.

However, the money wasn't for him.

~

Izuku sat the basket down on the kitchen table, careful not to bump into any of the chefs as they worked.

A chef near him handed him a plate full of food and Izuku took it without hesitation, moving out of the kitchen and into the dining room where his step family sat around the large table.

Aku and Akumu looked at him expectantly, making it quite clear they were getting impatient, despite already having food at the table. Izuku glanced at Akari who sent him a small smile, mouthing a quick "hi," before turning back to her food.

He placed the plate in the center of the three and turned to leave, barely making it two steps before Aku said, "where have you been? I haven't seen you all morning."

Aku's voice dripped with fake concern, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Izuku.

"I was out collecting apples for tonight's pie," Izuku replied and Aku just nodded, shooing him away.

T.B.C

I had to rewrite that whole thing because what I had written wouldn't work with the plot I had decided so it was kinda rushed...

Lmk if you see any grammatical errors or if you have any suggestions on how to make the chapter better (just be respectful).

~A