Y/N TURNED IN THE BED THE NEXT MORNING, watching Shoto as he peacefully slept the morning away. Is he actually going to be the one I marry?
Honestly...I wouldn't mind.
"Shoto..." Y/n whispered. "Shoto?"
The boy started to wake up, his bi-colored eyes gleaming under the sunlight. "Mm, good morning,
y/n. Is there something wrong?"
"No no, I'm just...bored." She whined, turning on her back and staring up at the ceiling.
Shoto yawned, running his slender fingers through his hair. "You're bored? How long have you been awake for?"
"Maybe an hour. It's just...now that you're back home, I don't have to roam around the palace alone anymore." Y/n explained, pouting out her bottom lip.
Shoto grinned, turning on his side to face her. "Then we will do whatever you'd like today. Together."
"Archery is your pick?" Shoto judged, watching y/n prepare her aim at a faraway target. The couple were dressed for the occasion, wearing the same uniform they did for horseback riding. With the Todoroki personal archery equipment and field, y/n found it the perfect opportunity to brush up on her skills.
"Archery is probably my best expertise." Y/n denoted, closing her left eye as she aligned her arrow to the middle of the target.
Moments later, she released her fingers from the string, the arrow cutting through the air and towards the mark...
and landing a bullseye.
Shoto raised his brows in surprise. "A bullseye. Impressive."
"My Grandma Amano taught me when I was younger. She was a fierce old woman." Y/n shared, placing another arrow on the bow. "Are you not an archer?"
"I've never been good at it." Shoto sighed, picking up a bow and arrow and taking aim at the wood target. "I specialize in swordsmanship rather than archery."
Shoto released the string, the arrow flying through the air...
and stabbing straight through a bird's chest that was perched in a tree.
Y/n's mouth fell open, Shoto staring in shock as he watched the dead bird fall from the branch and to the ground.
Y/n bursted into laughter, dropping her weapons and holding her stomach in affliction. "O-Oh my g-god!! Your aim is horrible!"
"I'd rather you not laugh about me killing an innocent animal." Shoto pouted embarrassingly, dropping his arms to his side.
"Here. Let me help you." Y/n took another arrow from the barrel, standing behind Shoto. She wrapped her arms around him, putting his arms up directly in front of him.
"Hold the bow like this." Y/n whispered, adjusting his grip around the wood of the recurve. "Close your left eye, and focus on the tip of the arrow..." She explained, placing the arrow in the carved part of the bow. "...and aim it at the red dot."
"Y/n?" Shoto whispered, the cicadas in the trees singing loudly and the leaves rustling gently. Y/n lifted her chin from his shoulder, which was placed there to help him take aim. "Shoto?"
"I realized...
we're hardly ever intimate with each other."
Shoto released the arrow, it letting out a loud "swoosh" as it pierced through the bullseye. Y/n stared off into space, completely speechless as to how she was supposed to respond to that.
Shoto turned behind him, the space between them barely existing. He gazed down at her, the silence growing louder and louder as the wind blew through their hair. Y/n felt as he grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his chest.
"I can tell we have the emotional connection. But if we are to last till the end...
we should cherish each other more closely.
Don't you feel the same?"
Y/n's heart dropped to her feet, and nearly came back out her mouth. "How...do you mean?"
"...It's something that mother and father don't do...I believe it is because they don't love each other...I don't want us to end up like them...I want us to always love each other."
Within a blink of an eye, y/n was being pressed into Shoto's chest, him embracing her tightly around the neck.
"I feel more comfortable with you, it just feels wrong not to hug you more often...So I hope this is okay."
Y/n's body felt stiff, as she was too busy getting over the fact that the prince of Japan was hugging her so firmly.
He's warm...As I hug him, I feel like I'm learning a new side of him...
Y/n slowly wrapped his arms around his waist, snuggling further into his chest. "This is more than okay, Shoto...We can hug as much as you want."
"...Really?"
"Mhm." She hummed softly.
"...Thank you." He whispered, kissing the top of her head gently.
Shivers were sent spiraling down her spine. His hug grew tighter as he set his chin on the top of her head, swaying his body lightly back and forth.
She felt like she was a baby being rocked to sleep, her eyes fluttering to stay open. She felt so comfortable in his arms, so protected.
He smelled so nice, and he was so cozy, and he was just so...
perfect.
y'all like the symbolism i used 😼 get it, cuz she's sparrow, and he just killed a bird?
it's not foreshadowing i swear i just wanted to pat myself on the back