Cardinal Kings- East (Deku/ Izuku)

Constellations

Kagome was honestly having difficulty functioning with Izuku's gentle flirtations. While she was forward and deliberate, Kagome's flirting was rather weak. Meanwhile, Izuku's subtle— actually, Izuku was doing nothing out of the ordinary. But the difference was that Kagome was no longer a bunny. Izuku doing something simple as holding her hand as they walked, resting his head on her person when she or he rested, or casually calling her Bunny.

Was it naive to be this attached? Was it even love if she'd only met one man that treated her well? Where did love even come from?

"I'm sorry I'm not flirting as much, like you asked," Izuku said as he caught her thoughtful expression while she was looking at a book, seated at a sofa. She hadn't turned the page in a good ten minutes, so he knew she was simply lost in thought. "It's been a while since my last encounter with a girl, let alone one who's enjoyable."

"...are you talking about Ochaco-Sama?" Kagome asked quietly, flinching when she saw the flash of pain the crossed Izuku's face. "Sorry, you don't have to say."

"It's alright," Izuku sat down beside Kagome, reaching for her book and putting it down. "I was thinking I could make up for my horrid flirting skills by maybe having a deep conversation with you."

"Deep conversation?" Kagome said, turning her body to face Izuku. "Is this a date, sir?"

"I thought our first date should take place among the sand and the stars, since I see your little doodles of them among your work," he teased, opening a random page of Kagome's in-book annotations (she wrote them on a separate paper and stuck them between the pages) to show her affinity for the constellations. Kagome was only thankful that he didn't flip to the page where she had accidentally drawn him. "Is that alright?"

"Well, sure," Kagome responded softly. "When do we leave?"

"Right now!" Izuku said with a blindingly lovely smile. He offered Kagome a hand to help her up, and led her away from the sofa to a stair case that didn't exist. Izuku was making it as they climbed. It spiraled up with each of their steps, a solid wooden structure growing around the tower, getting just close enough to the dim chandeliers before it extended outa window and higher, going to the highest tower of the castle before making a faux observation deck right around it.

Kagome could see the ocean from this height, she could see the constellations, and she could feel the metal of her rings buzzing in excitement. "Oh," she gasped out. She could feel her eyes watering, though she wasn't sure if it was the crisp cool air, the sight of all the stars, or if it had something to do with the warm feeling that pulsed through her veins and heart.

"I'm not finished~!" Since the entire castle was made of trees and stone that all fell under Izuku's jurisdiction, he was able to make the tower's window widen into a door. "This is your tower now, it's my gift to you. Your astronomy, for your alchemy. I've filled it with all books on the subjects, and I've decorated and stocked it with supplies for you to practice alchemy as much as you like. And the entire bottom part of the tower is made of iron, so you can practice, and—!"

Kagome choked a sob out, interrupting Izuku's explanation. With the force of a bullet, she crashed into Izuku's chest.

"Wh-are you okay, bunny?!"

"Thank you,"  her body shook in grateful joy, overcome by her feelings. "Thank you so so much," she cried.

"Can I hug you, bunny?" Kagome nodded into Izuku's shoulder, and he pulled her in close, his  arms wrapping around her middle. "Why are you crying, silly bunny," Izuku smiled a water smile himself, not that Kagome could see it.

"...in Liberation City, I used to be an alchemist," Kagome explained. "But the moment it was most convenient for them, everyone just... objectified me. They never really expected a girl to intern and become the only alchemist in the east... You... you never hold me back... you give me everything I need to become strong, and you... you ask permission to hug me," she held Izuku tightly. "You give me all the things I thought I had to work for. Why?"

"Because you're amazing," Izuku said simply. "You defy your odds, you're sparked by knowledge and compassion, and you make me feel cared about."

"...who else is gonna make sure the great Demon King Midoriya Izuku of East gets to bed once in a while~?"

"None other than maybe the future Queen of East," Izuku said back teasingly, causing Kagome to redden. "You're pretty when you're red. And when you're not."

"You're awfully good at making me swoon for someone who claims to not have flirted for centuries."

"You're awfully weak for flirtation for someone who acts so bold."

"What can I say, you make me vulnerable. You've brought me to a place without people, brimming with books, and brought me to the stars for your first date with me." Kagome said, falling back onto her bottom before laying in a blanket of stars. A tree branch brought them a real blanket. "Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A moment of silence had Kagome gasping in recognition. "That one is Sirius, so that's Canis Major... and right above that is Orion! That there is Rigel, and Betelgeuse, and there's Castor and Pollux, the twins constellation! And that puts Polaris right there! And That— that must be Jupiter, it's inconsistent with the star charts!"

Izuku had laid down beside Kagome, and over the night, he did not once interrupt her, smiling gently and saying a few words here and there. She'd moved his head onto her lap and played with his hair, ridding the curls of knots, as she continued to ramble about the stars. "Izuku, would it be alright if I..." her hands slowed a bit when she was at the base of his cracked horn.

"Yes, of course. Just... uh... be careful." She followed the cracks of his horn, so tenderly that Izuku found himself leaning into her touch. "It's not my favorite thing about myself."

"I don't like that someone hurt you," Kagome admitted, tiredly. "But I don't think your horns are horrible. They're beautiful."

"I'm afraid it'll take me a while to believe that."

"I'm afraid you'll be hearing it very often, from now on."  The two chuckled at her words.

"You sound tired, Kagome. Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Izuku, I have a question," Kagome asked. "Can you also turn into a rabbit?"

"I can turn into any animal in my domain. Why?"

"I wanna see a cute bunny Izuku!"

"Maybe another time. You look faint. Come on, let's call it a night." Kagome nodded and Izuku and her both stood up, walking down the stairs. "I put your new room in the base of the tower but you're welcome to have your pick of the rooms here," Izuku let her know, thiugh he did escort her to the tower room. "Good night."

"Good night, Zuku," Kagome mumbled as he pulled a comforter over her before leaving the room. He wanted to stay, he did. Sleeping near Kagome always made him feel well-rested. He'd settle for simply reading some of his old notebooks instead, however, until the day he hoped she would invite him herself.