Forbidden In Love (Kiribaku)

I'm Not Like Him

Bakugou's p.o.v

   One week? That's all the time I have until I have to get married? This had to be a joke. But I could tell by my father's eyes, it was no joke. He was serious. "You have about three hours before I expect to see you in the Grand Dining Hall. Use that time wisely. As for you," he turned to Eijirou, scowl resting on his face. "If you dare disrespect anyone in this castle including the staff, your fate will be the same as those you used to call parents." He simply put his head down, nodding with a "Yes your majesty." And opening the door for me on my way out. I could tell his mood was down from hours ago when we went on our ride. It hurt me to see him sad like he was but I didn't blame him. "Are you okay?" I asked, walking beside him. He had no clue where he was going, just wandering around. He simply shook his head yes. I left his obvious lie alone for now, not wanting to make him more upset than he already was.

   "You know, there's this place I really like to go when I'm upset. Do you wanna go?" I asked, hoping to bring his mood up at least a little. He just nodded and let me take the lead. We walked down a few corridors and down a flight of stairs to a meadow below. It was a giant greenhouse made of glass with the sun setting over the flowers. It had flowers and a little stream that ran through the room. It looked like a place pulled from a fairytale or a storybook. "I like going here when I'm upset. I like sticking my hands in the stream." He seemed to cheer up at the sight of the meadow, tears pricking the edges of his eyes. He wiped his face only for more tears to come but he wouldn't let them fall. "It's okay to cry." I assured him, patting his back. He fell to the soft grass beneath his feet and sobbed, letting everything he had stored up for the past few days out. I gently patted his back in a comforting manner. "I-I" he started but I shushed him. "You don't have to talk right now. Just, let it out."

   "It's okay. I'm ready to talk." He mumbled, wiping his face and rubbing the soft grass between his hands. I just nodded encouraging him to continue. "My mom used to take me to meadows like this and we used to make flower crowns. I just really miss her. After what happened this morning it's all been so unbelievable and it was just like reality caught up with me and slapped me in the face. Then with what the king said, it just embedded the memory. But I should be fine." I grabbed his hand from the grass and intertwined our fingers, rubbing his hand gently. "Its okay not to be okay." He smiled gently, and stared out into the stream. "Can- nevermind it's stupid." He shook his head and cleared his throat looking at the grass beneath his feet. "What is it?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. "Can....can we make flower crowns?" He asked, a coat of embarrassment covering his face. "Sure. I don't know how so you'll have to teach me." I said, standing and pulling him up with me. "Oh, it's really easy. Choose a flower that has a sturdy but thin stem. We usually made them out of dandelions but we have more of a selection here. Grab about fifteen of them." He was smiling now, looking around the garden and picking up the flowers he liked.

   "Have all your flowers?" He asked, showing me the flowers he chose:  daisies. I held up the purple orchids and gave him a confused glance. "Those will work perfectly." He smiled, sitting down next to the stream. "Now, take a flower and near the top of the stem, slice a little vertical line with your fingernail like this." He showed, jabbing his nail into the upper stem if the flower making a small slit. "Now, take another flower and stick the stem in the hole you just made." He showed me again, sliding the flower into place. "And you just repeat that process until it's long enough to fit your head." He hummed to himself as he made his, small smile rested on his perfect face. Once I thought I had enough, I connected the ends together and rested the crown of flowers on my spiky hair. "The purple looks great on you!" He complimented, placing his own crown on his flat black hair. "I could say the same for you." I teasingly said, dipping my hand into the water and splashing him. He yelped at the sudden cold water hitting his skin and splashed me back. I dragged his hand and pulled him into the water where it rushed over him. The water wasn't higher than his hips when he was sitting in it. "Ah! It's cold!" He whined, pulling my hand down for me to splash into the water. I shivered and kept splashing around, giggling at our antics. We both stood up and grabbed onto each other for support, kicking out socks and shoes off and onto the grass. We splashed and laughed for a good thirty minutes, running amd leaping in the stream.

   It wasn't but a few moments later when two guards came into the meadow room and hoisted both of us out of the water. "Prince Katsuki, what were you thinking. You have dinner in fifteen minutes and the way you choose to spend your time is in the stream getting messy. You're not a child." He dropped my arm and let me pull my shoes on, turning to Ei. "And you. It's your job to protect him and make sure he gets into no trouble. And what do you do? Bring him into it. I ought to tell the king about this and see what he thinks. Wait, I know exactly what he'll do. He'll kill you like he was supposed to this morning. Now instead of being a useless waste of space, bring the Prince to his room this instant. He best be down to the Grand Dining Hall in seven minutes. No sooner. No later. Do you understand me." He simply nodded, grabbing my hand and dragging me to my room, ignoring any of my pleas for him to stop until we got to my room.

   "Get dressed your majesty." He said, voice void of any emotion like it was just a few minutes ago. "What happened to Kats? Don't call me something like that, I thought we were friends." I defended, shrugging off my clothes and pulling on new ones. "Don't you understand, I'm not supposed to be your friend. I'm supposed to work for you." He mumbled, closing the closet doors behind me. "That's not what you would have siad thirty minutes ago. Don't listen to what the guard said earlier." I tried to assure him. "How am I supposed to do that when what he said was true? I'm just useless and shouldn't waste my time trying to be your friend because like it or not, I'll be gone soon anyways. Once he realized you can't turn me straight he's going to kill me too." He almost sobbed, wiping his eyes and taking my wet clothes to the laundry shoot. I grabbed his hands and intertwined them with mine, forcing his eyes to meet my gaze. "My father won't kill you. He'll have to kill me first." I smiled, hoping to bring his mood up. "What do you mean by that?" He asked. "I have to go to dinner now or my father will have our heads. Stay up here though. I'll tell you when I get back." His gaze dropped to the floor with a frown rested on his face. "Hey Ei?" I asked. He looked back up at me right before I closed the door.

    "I'm not like him."