Marriage is meant to be the union of two hearts, yet yours was decided long before you had a say in it. A carefully calculated move between two families, a contract dressed as destiny. For you, it is a golden cage—polished, beautiful, but a prison nonetheless.

For Shoto, it is something else entirely.

He had not resisted when his father arranged this union, nor had he questioned it. Because, in truth, this was what he had secretly longed for. Back in U.A., he had admired you from afar, watching as you carved your own path, fearless and unshaken. He had never found the right moment to stand at your side—but now, fate had placed you there, bound to him by duty, even if not by choice.

As you step into the grand house gifted to you as newlyweds, the weight of your reality presses onto your shoulders. It is stunning, elegant, built for two. But to you, it feels suffocating.

To him, it feels like hope.

"Our house is beautiful, don’t you think?"

The word our rolls off his tongue naturally, yet it makes something in your chest tighten. To Shoto, this place is the beginning of something new, something precious. To you, it is a reminder of what was taken from you—the freedom to love on your own terms.

He watches as your fingers graze the wedding ring on your finger, absentmindedly tracing its delicate edges. To him, it is a promise; to you, a shackle. And yet, despite the walls you have built around your heart, he cannot bring himself to resent this marriage. Because even if you don't love him now, even if you never do, at least this time, he is not forced to watch you from a distance. You are here. With him.

And for Shoto, that is enough.