Arriving in Musutafu, a new place unlike anything you could ever imagine of a village. It sounded smaller when Izuku described it, but your eyes saw different. Izuku vowed he'd take you here one day, and now that you were here, you were tired and in pain around your stomach. Bakugou took the lead as there was a place in his mind familiar to him from his childhood. Like a second home away from home. It had been years, so he wondered if it would look the same. You watched most of the shops closing up for the day and street lamps being lit.

Like the village in your kingdom, the people were lively, and the kids ran everywhere. Everywhere you look, there's a smile on people's faces, and you hear the faint sound of bard music. You felt raptured by the energy and wanted to dance with the street performers dancing for coins. In Izuku's stories, a large portion of the villagers cannot use magic. However, the village is home to a living legend and is advanced in cooking and delicate tailoring, which is how everyone is nicely dressed.

As the sights amazed you, Bakugou stops abruptly, causing you to ram into his back. You grunted, grabbing your nose and walked around him. He pointed ahead, and you saw a tavern opening up its doors. A few people immediately walked into the building, including you and Bakugou. You looked around, catching your eyes on the pictures hanging on the walls behind the bar. While you observed the tavern, Bakugou spots a short green-haired woman wiping up tables. He instantly gained her attention, causing her to gasp.

"Katsuki! Long time no see," the woman beamed, dropping the cloth in her hands on the table.

"Hey, auntie," Bakugou greeted back, making the woman smile with joy. You quickly recognised the resemblance between the woman and Izuku. As she and Bakugou chatted, he suddenly turned around, gesturing for you to come closer. You slowly walked by his side, brimming the warmest smile you can muster to the woman.

"What a beautiful young lady you have here, Katsuki," the woman complimented you, making the blood in your cheeks warm up.

"Hello, Inko. My name is y/n. Your son has told me so much about you," you introduced yourself, referring to numerous stories you told during your time together. Her eyes widened, taking your hands into hers and pulling you down to her eye level.

"Oh my god...what are you doing here?!" She asked frantically, squeezing your fingers. "It's not safe for a princess to be outside her castle walls,"

You sighed, squeezing Inko's hands back. "Unfortunately, things didn't go so well back home. I ran away before things went too far and I ran into Bakugou by accident. Now I'm stuck with him."

"And what of my boy? Is he safe?" Inko cried out, fat tears forming in her eyes, to which Bakugou laughed. You both stared at the man, craning his head back in amusement.

"That fool can look after himself if he was hanging around All Might," Bakugou revealed, earning a questioning look from you. 

"All Might? As in the hero All Might?" You looked back at Inko, who groaned, rubbing her forehead after she released your hands.

"All Might is Izuku's mentor. He taught him magic and how to defend himself for a long time. He's also my husband." Inko explained, tracing the back of her finger under her eye. "You two must be tired, but guessing that was the favour you were asking me for, Katsuki. You're more than welcome to stay in the rooms upstairs, and I'll draw you a hot bath if you like."

Relaxing. You dipped your head into the water and ran your fingers into your locks. It was better than the lake, and the water had you resting against the tub's edge. As you sit your chin on your arms, you quietly enjoy the scent of the remedies Inko mixed in the water. The petals from the flowers stuck on your skin, and you played with a few on your arm. You giggled, blowing a petal off your finger and fluttered its way down to the floor.

A couple of days passed, and you stayed in a room above the tavern. Sleeping in a bed rather than the floor of a cave brought a smile to your face. Staying in the tavern gave you the chance to get to know Izuku's hometown. You bought new clothes with the money you kept in your satchel. You were lucky that no one knew you as you explored the village. The nights you ate with Bakugou, the music kept you entertained before you went into the bath. 

As you dunked your head beneath the water one last time, you lifted yourself, letting the water run down your nude body. Wringing your hair, you stepped out of the tub and grabbed onto the towel, sitting on a chair. Under the towel is a nightgown for sleeping. You quickly dried yourself off, patting every inch of your skin. You left your hair last and pulled the gown over your head after putting on the undergarments. "That feels so much better,"

Leaving your hair to air dry, you heard voices. They were faint at first, but the volume increased when you opened the door. No one should be inside since it was past closing time. You recognised Bakugou's voice, and then Inko's a moment after.

"But that's dangerous, Katsuki-"

Upstairs is where you eavesdrop on their conversation. The two were sitting at a table, catching up as you bathed. The dark kept you hidden as you stayed on top of the stairway, listening in more carefully. 

"You may know what you're doing, but y/n...she has a duty to her people, and you can't keep her away from that," Inko lectures him like he was Izuku himself.

Bakugou objected. "It wasn't my choice. She chose not to go back because she wanted to. I offered to take her home if she didn't,"

"It still doesn't make it any less dangerous. I understand why she refuses to marry Prince Shouto, but there's no better option. You should be able to understand better than anyone," Inko explains, making Bakugou scoff.

"Who said you need to be married to make a great kingdom. Look at me. My kingdom is already great as is." Bakugou yelled, standing up off his stool. His posture stood proudly, and his head was held high to display his pride.

Inko frowned, knitting her hands together. "Your father would disagree with you,"

With those words, Bakugou's shoulders dropped. He lowered his head towards the floor and let out a breath. The memories were flooding in again, and his back where his scar resided began to sting. "...yeah,"

"It's okay to grieve, Katsuki, not run from it-"

"Don't-I don't wanna hear it," Bakugou cuts her off. He shakes his head and then grips his shoulder where he felt the ache. "I'm going to bed,"

Hearing that, you retreated to your room, shutting the door behind you. Sliding down the door, you could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. You sat back and waited for them to stop until it did. Suddenly a knock on the door made you jolt. You got up on your feet, ready to face Bakugou when he spoke.

"Don't bother opening the door, just listen-" he says, earning your full attention. You were shocked and froze with your hand gripping the doorknob. "I know you were listening. It's not that hard to notice."

You let go of the handle and saw his shadow under the door. Instead, you laid your hand against the wood of the door. 

"Look...I know you're doing this because of our deal, and you want to stay away from your home. It's me. I'm the one who doesn't know what they're doing, and it's been like that for four fucking years." He ranted at your door. His voice was shaky and low. "I've done stuff that I regret and cost me so much. Yet, I can't face it. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I thought you should know because I deserve whatever comes at me for helping you,"    

Your heart dropped. Not once have you heard anyone dismiss their wellbeing for you without mentioning your title. You sensed his pain through his voice.

"You don't have to say anything but god...I'm a fool for telling you this. I'm going to sleep. Thanks for listening, I guess." He thanked you. Treads fade down the hallway, and at last, you were left to your thoughts. Retreating to your bed, you pulled the thin covers over your body and rested your head on your pillow.

"I deserve whatever comes at me for helping you-" You repeated, turning on your back. You look up at the ceiling. "What is he hiding?"

Happy one year to this story!