Little Pink Starfish

Fated mates, determined by the gods.

The moment he realised that Asher, who stood before him, was his other half, a burning desire surged through Theodore’s entire body—at the same time, a terrifying hatred overtook him.

He felt intense rage toward Asher, and he had wanted to cut all ties immediately. He had believed that, as someone not a full beastman, a mate would never appear for him.

“I always found the idea of mates bothersome. Even after I realised Asher was my mate… I kept thinking, why did it happen? Why Asher of all people?”

“…You said I was the prince you hated the most.”

Asher furrowed his brows and gave a wry smile.

“It makes sense, considering how I used to be… but it still hurts to hear that you hated me.”

“……It’s different now.”

“But is that just because of the mate scent…? Isn’t that… what’s making you feel that way?”

Asher looked up at Theodore with pleading eyes, his shoulders trembling.

“Being drawn to the scent… I can’t deny it. That’s why my father kidnapped my mother, and forced his feelings on her… ignoring her will, her emotions.”

The urge to make her his own. The desire for one’s other half—such passion in beastmen toward their mates is fierce. Theodore also knew the agony of craving that connection.

“If I had done the same as my father… would you have fallen in love with me, Asher?”

“…Eh?”

“If I’d taken you for myself, driven by desire.”

If Asher had remained under Landalim’s control—that could have happened. Could he have watched in silence as his other half committed cruel, inhumane acts? Could he have remained sane under that hatred and unrelenting thirst? Theodore himself didn’t know.

“But you didn’t do that, Theodore.”

“…That’s because you didn’t let me.”

Asher had been thrown into a situation beyond understanding the moment Landalim’s effect ended.

He hadn’t run away from the sins he was forced to commit against his will. His eyes had brimmed with tears, and without remembering a thing, he had sincerely repented for crimes he couldn’t recall, offering an apology that would likely be rejected and condemned. Just how much courage had that taken?

Theodore couldn’t stop watching his every move, questioning whether this person in front of him was really that Third Prince.

Was it because they were fated mates, or――…?

Back then, Theodore had thought about it over and over. His feelings and actions were full of contradictions. He himself had been shocked by this side of him he’d never seen before.

Their hearts changed. Asher’s—and Theodore’s.

“…I told you before. That I’d changed.”

“When you say changed… you mean—”

“If Asher had still been under control… I might’ve tried to hurt you. Justified it by saying you were my other half, my fated mate. If I had done that, you…”

He would never have come to love Theodore. In fact—he might have ended up hating him, just as Theodore’s mother had hated his father. His heart might have broken.

Even if they talked about what-ifs, they could never know what would have happened. In that moment, at that time, what would they feel, how would they act? They wouldn’t know unless it truly happened.

Asher looked up at Theodore, his eyes uneasy as he saw Theodore fall silent. He had meant to reassure him—but instead, he had only added to his worries.

…No. This isn’t what I wanted to say.

“It’s hard to put what I’m feeling… into words.”

How deeply he loved Asher—he wanted him to know everything. And yet, he couldn’t express it well.

Until he met Asher, Theodore had always lived avoiding deep bonds with others. What could he say to make Asher believe that it wasn’t just about being mates? How could he take away his worries? No words felt right.

Even if I said, ‘I’d have loved you even if we weren’t fated’—would that really put him at ease? Would that erase the doubt?
But empty words mean nothing.

Clink—Theodore pressed his forehead to Asher’s and closed his eyes.

“If we hadn’t been mates… If I hadn’t realised that you were my mate…”

What kind of expression was on Asher’s face right now? Theodore’s brow twitched. He resisted the urge to open his eyes, clenching them shut.

If he saw Asher’s face now, he knew he wouldn’t be able to speak properly.

“…It’s not just that. If the beastman-hating Third Prince had remained that way… If he hadn’t treated an injured beastman… if he hadn’t smiled at a beastman child…”

When Asher had started acting in ways no one expected, everyone, including Theodore, had been confused. What was he plotting? No matter how carefully they watched, they found no trace of deceit. And the smile he gave the children—it didn’t look like a lie at all.

“If, despite being blamed for sins that weren’t his fault, he hadn’t stood his ground… if he hadn’t accepted the criticism of those around him…”

He had stood there trembling, facing all the condemnation.

He hadn’t made a single excuse. He had said, it was my fault. Theodore still remembered clearly the fear and anxiety that had coloured his eyes.

“And… if, back then… he hadn’t tried to help me while I was fighting the beast raiders… then that scar on his back wouldn’t be there.”

“That’s…!”

Asher tried to speak, but Theodore pressed his thumb to his lips and silenced him.

“There’s more… If the newly adult prince hadn’t risked his own life to help a knight…”

A prince—royalty—risking his life for a mere knight. That should have never happened.

In such a terrifying situation, how many princes would have thrown themselves into danger?

“If he hadn’t acted to save the beastmen, without caring what happened to himself… if he hadn’t opposed the king’s ruling…”

The trial where the beastmen’s deaths had been decided. Muzzled, silenced, left only to await death—no one else had tried to save them. A beastman who committed a crime was to be executed. But only Asher—only him—had rejected that fate. It’s wrong, he said.

That was when Theodore realised the biggest contradiction within himself.

Though he had always wished for a world without discrimination more than anyone—he had, without questioning it, accepted that discrimination.

The Third Prince he had once hated so much—Asher—had changed at an incredible speed, right before Theodore’s eyes.

“…If I tried to count them all, there’d be no end.”

As Theodore came to know Asher more and more, he too began to change.

“There were many times we might not have ended up together… I even tried to leave you once.”

“Eh…?”

“If it meant Asher could be happy, even if the one beside him wasn’t me… I thought that would be fine. I’d protect you from the shadows.”

You were reckless enough that I couldn’t take my eyes off you. So earnest it made me worry. So dear to me I couldn’t stand it. That’s why I thought I had to walk away. I thought I shouldn’t be by your side.

That if I, with beastman blood, became a burden on your future—I had to step back.

“…But the one who stopped me was you, Asher.”

“I… I didn’t do anything.”

Theodore opened his eyes, looking straight into Asher’s. He felt like he could be drawn into those sparkling blue eyes.

All the words they had exchanged, every choice they made—each and every one had led to this moment.

Theodore smiled.

“The one who pulled me back that night, when I was about to walk away, was you, Asher.”

“…That night… pulled you back?”

Asher tilted his head, but the moment he understood what Theodore meant, his face turned bright red, and he tried to pull away in a panic. But Theodore embraced him, holding him close.

“T-that was…”

“If, that night, you hadn’t grabbed my arm… I’d never have known your warmth.”

“…ッ”

Asher blushed to his ears, and Theodore gave a troubled, amused smile.

“If that night hadn’t happened… no, not just that night. If even one thing that happened since we met had been different—if we’d made one different choice—then I wouldn’t be here now, by your side.”

Theodore gently stroked Asher’s reddened cheek.

He didn’t even want to imagine such a thing—it was unthinkable. For him, there was no one but Asher.

But if they hadn’t been fated mates—…

“If my fated mate hadn’t been you… I wouldn’t have loved anyone. I couldn’t have. That’s all.”

It probably wasn’t the answer Asher had wanted. But it was the truth for Theodore.

If the person before him wasn’t Asher, he would’ve ended up just like his father. It was only because it was Asher that he wanted to make him happy, wanted to be the one beside him.

“…Are you disappointed?”

Those blue eyes, which had looked away before, now stared straight at Theodore.

Was he sad? Disappointed? Or—was he angry?

The sound of Theodore’s heartbeat grew louder and louder. But Asher, seemingly unaware of his fear, simply blinked.

“Disappointed…? Not at all.”

“…………Sorry.”

“Wait! No! I’m really not! It’s just, um…”

Theodore stared at the flustered Asher.

“…To be honest… I think I would’ve felt unsure no matter how you answered.”

Asher looked sheepish as he continued.

“If we weren’t fated mates… who knows what would’ve happened. Even if you said you would’ve loved me anyway… I’d be happy, but I’m not sure I could believe it. So I’m not disappointed. If anything, I feel relieved…”

“Relieved?”

“Yeah. …Because…”

Asher smiled shyly, pressed his face into Theodore’s chest, and wrapped his arms around his back.

“Because you taught me that every single thing that happened between us… all of it matters… So, um, that night too… I’m glad I had the courage.”

Asher’s voice wavered, and Theodore let out a soft breath and laughed.

“…Fated mates are a pair chosen by the gods, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always be together. Some beastmen go their whole lives never meeting their mate—what they call ‘mate-less’. And even if they’re lucky enough to meet, staying together depends on their own choices… or so I believe.”

“…Yeah.”

Asher had just said he felt relieved—but the next moment, his smile vanished. He looked up at Theodore seriously.

“Hey… Theodore, just one more thing.”

Asher’s gaze trembled.

“Why… why did you think you could walk away from me that night?”

“……”

“If someone else had come to stand beside me… you would’ve been okay with that? You really thought… you’d be fine with me choosing someone else?”

Theodore realised too late that he’d misspoken. He had meant to reassure Asher, but instead had planted another worry.

It was true—back then, he had tried to step back. But not because he was okay with someone else taking Asher.

“…I could have taken you by force. But I didn’t. Because I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to act on desire alone and force anything on you.”

It was hard to say aloud. But he couldn’t let Asher misunderstand.

“…If it meant only I suffered, but you’d be happy… then I thought that was fine.”

“……”

“…For your sake, I was prepared to do anything… because you meant more than anything else to me…”

“……”

“No—mean. You mean more than anything to me…”

“……”

“……”

“…Asher?”

When Theodore nervously peeked at him, he found Asher smiling from ear to ear, blushing.

“…What’s with that face?”

“Hehe… You were so desperate trying to explain how much you love me… It was really cute, so I got a little mean.”

“……”

Seeing Asher’s slightly mischievous, adorable smile, Theodore sighed.

“B-but… I was just so happy. Every time you explained, it felt like you were saying you loved me again and again… so I…”

“—It’s not just love. I’m in love with you.”

Wrapping his arm tightly around Asher’s waist, Theodore pressed his lips to his.

“…ッ”

“I love you so much that beastman instincts, mate bonds, all of that means nothing. I’ll say it as many times as you want. I love you. I’ll do anything to make you happy—until the day I die.”

“…A-are you mad?”

“How could I be angry?”

“Nn… mm…”

He kissed him again, more forcefully, entwining their tongues. As the kiss deepened, Asher’s breath grew ragged. He tugged on Theodore’s cape, but Theodore pretended not to notice.

If he couldn’t believe him, then he would show him—over and over—just how much he loved Asher.

That night, that moment—the one who pulled Theodore back was Asher.

The only chance he had to escape Theodore… Asher let it go himself.

“Should I just keep telling you I love you, until you don’t even have time to feel anxious?”

He whispered at his ear, and Asher shuddered, his eyes glistening.

“…S-sorry… for testing you like that…”

Theodore looked into his eyes. He saw the faint spark of desire flickering in those moist blue irises.

“…Nn…”

Their tongues entwined again, their hands gently tracing one another’s bodies.

No matter how much I come to know you, it’s never enough.

With every new thing I learn, I fall harder. I keep falling.

The more I know you, the deeper my love grows.