Fandom 𝕯𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖑'𝖘 𝕭𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖊 {Kiribaku FANTASY AU: DISCONTINUED}

[HarijTheMoth]

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Fantasy AU (Dragon Knight Kirishima; Prince Bakugo): Kirishima is a newly appointed guard for the prince after Bakugo is caught by his mother breaking the law. Kirishima was hand-picked from the gladiator ring, where he had survived for the last two years of his life. Little does the Queen, or the Prince for that matter, realize the dragon hybrid living under their roof now.
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For most, it would just be an ordinary business day in the vast kingdom. The Kingdom of Shizuoka. The streets were lively with children and their mothers as they went around the various shops and markets to gather supplies or food, or even for just a day of shopping, while most of the men worked their asses off to provide for their families or loved ones. Nothing special here. But for Eijiro? Today was special. Today was the day. Today was the day his life would permanently change, forever. The day he would finally leave behind the horrors of the gladiator ring, fighting for his life just to amuse those blood-thirsty upper-class monsters that called themselves humane. To escape the once-though fated death he would face one day after slipping up too badly. He'd come close to death too many times to count. He didn't want to count, but it was more than enough to know that he'd be forever grateful for today's event.

He was finally free! After two years of torture and gruesome behavior, he could finally be free! Well, As free as a royal knight could get...and he wasn't complaining. Any kind of freedom was better than none in his eyes. Today, Eijiro was going to be appointed one of the kingdom's knights. One of the highest honors a civilian, let alone a gladiator, could get from the Queen herself. But not just any 'royal knight'. No. He was the royal knight for her son, the Prince. His personal guardian for the rest of his life, or well, for as long as he was Prince at least. Maybe once he was the King, he wouldn't need such a thing. He'd have the whole royal army! Well.. that was a thought for way sooner down the line, not now!

Eijiro's attention snapped over to the grating sound of the metal door on his cell swinging open, a small flock of soldiers standing with the royal advisor the Queen had brought along last time. He was an older man with dark olive skin, gray hairs sprinkled in his drawn back, and short hair. He was fairly tall, towering nearly 6'5. He stared at Kiri with unreadable eyes, their orange hue reflecting with the torches his followers held. "Come along now, the Queen is awaiting your arrival for your induction this afternoon. Shouldn't keep our royal highness waiting for too long." Without another word, the other male turned and started walking through the parted guards, leaving Eijiro to hurriedly scramble out of his cell, stumbling over his shackled feet as he caught up and was encircled by the guards. The grin on his face might as well have been a torch too with how bright it was. His whole body crawled with the feeling of excitement, his heart hammering in his chest. He couldn't believe it! This was actually happening and he really hadn't just dreamed about it yesterday! The group arrived at the outside doors, and there Eijiro was released of his shackles, the gladiator soldier staring at him with such envy and hatred, it made Eijrio shudder.
He could see why they were pissed though. Eijiro gave them a stare, his pupils slitting for a moment as he gave them a sneer, baring his sharp teeth as he allowed his primal side to show briefly. Maybe there was even the brief instance of steam coming from his bared mouth, or maybe it was just an illusion.

It threw the guard into a loop and they just stared after him. But it was too late. Eiji had already reverted back to his perky self, giving them that toothy grin and happy wave on his way out.

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Not long after, Eijiro was escorted safely to the castle, where he was shown his new sleeping quarters, instructed to have an actual shower, thank god, and was given his new attire. He was definitely not used to the overly-nice looking clothing, pulling at the garments as he stared at himself in one of the body mirrors in his room. The tight metal on his forearms was definitely going to have to be redesigned.... and he wasn't sure how to feel about being completely covered in this...shiny...glittering...

The more Eijiro stared at the metal in the mirror the more in awe he became. The reflection of the sunlight on the metal glinted, capturing his gaze and putting him almost into a trance. No. He knew better. He shook his head, shaking away the feeling of just wanting to stare and admire the shiny material. He was over that. That had almost gotten him killed at the beginning of his time in the arena. Suppressing the dragon side of himself was hard. Very hard. Yet he had managed these past two years, and he wasn't about to let that slip out now. Not when he was being given the life-time opportunity to prove his freedom. A knock on the door gained his attention again as one of the other guards, a guard slightly older than himself, announced that it was time. Not only for the induction but for the meeting of the Prince as well.

Eijiro gave a slow nod, finally securing the sword belt around his waist and sheathing his new shortsword. The red-head quickly made sure his hair was set as well, running his hand through the spikes. Perfect. He turned and briskly followed his escort out, walking alongside him down the long halls and down to the throne room. As the doors to the room opened, he swallowed a little, feeling his nerves starting to tense together. Hopefully, this prince wasn't much of a handful as his mother made him out to be. . .

Red eyes flickered around the room, taking in the sight of the throne room as he stepped in, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. Okay. He's got this! Yeah!

 

[foxeyes]

The throne room was grand in a way that should have made Prince Katsuki seem small. It was lavish and full of itself and the decor was loud, much like Bakugo himself. But there he sat upon his throne beside his mother, sunk low in his seat and cheek propped up on one fist. And yet his presence was still so large.

When Kirishima entered the room, the Queen stood, a wicked and confident smirk upon her face before she seemed to remember herself and shape it into something more regal. Still vicious, but vicious in a more elegant disguise. When Katsuki did not immediately stand, she cleared her throat. When he didn't even bother to acknowledge the noise, her Queenly demeanor loosened.

"Katsuki!" She turned her sneer on him, "Stand up, you little monster." Her fist clenched like she might move to rub her knuckles into his skull, but she restrained herself.

Bakugo's eyes, which had previously been pointed towards the floor, flickered up finally and took in Kirishima's form. He was not impressed. Though, that didn't surprise him because very little impressed him these days. The man, the boy, before him looked a little too cheerful and it annoyed Bakugo already. Everything annoyed Bakugo. He was already thinking up all the ways he was planning to make his mother regret this decision.

With a sneer to match his mother's, he lifted his gaze away from his new guard (absolutely maddening) and focused on the far wall. He slowly stood from his seat with an obnoxious sigh and corrected his posture the way his nursemaids and tutors taught him to; He put his hands behind his back and straightened his spine, lifting his chin.

"Let's get on with it then."

"Shut your mouth, this is a punishment." His mother hissed back at him, though in the echo-y room, everyone heard. She cleared her throat and gave the idea of a curtsey to Kirishima and a nod to the guards. They backed up slightly, along the walls, and stayed silent.

"Step forward, then." She said to the gladiator in as gentle a tone as she could manage for a woman such as herself. "Today you take on a most honorable title, Kirishima Eijiro."

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Eijiro's eyes went wide to the sight of the throne room, taking in every detail with observational eyes. He analyzed as he walked, looking astonished. The decor really was...something. Finally, his eyes landed on the queen herself, along with the prince. Eijiro practically stopped in his tracks, a sudden look of surprise and confusion etching into his facial features as his eyebrows knitted up slightly. Okay... well..he hadn't been expecting this in the slightest.

In fact, he had sworn to believe this whole time the prince was a child! A literal child! Like, 6 from the way his mother had spoken about him yesterday! Yet here he was. A teenager around his age! He was going to be watching over someone he could've been friends with growing up. Eiji's thoughts hesitated a little to that. This made this a tad bit more nerve-wracking for the dragon-hybrid as he tried to wrap his mind around this situation. Don't get him wrong, he didn't mind looking after someone within the same age group as him, not like he had much of a choice now that he was here, but, he had expected a child! He was good with children! Always had been!

--He used to help his mother take care of his villages' hatchlings growing up. That was one of the major differences between humans and the dragonkin that Eijiro had to adjust to. One person overlooked the young of the village, allowing their parents and others in the village to fill their own duties. While here, each was to their own.--

People his age? Eh...well... he wasn't sure. The last two years of his teenage years were blurred. He hadn't interacted with anyone around his age genuinely in a long, long time. Human interaction was nearly little to none outside of the gladiator ring. Eijiro swallowed a little, letting his eyes lock onto the young blond as his feet slowly started to move again. His heart hammered even louder it seemed in his chest as he kept his gaze trained onto the young male. Whether it was from the nervousness he felt or something else, he wasn't sure. But he
did know that the prince sure was a looker.

Eiji's attention was grabbed by the Queen sneering her sons' name, and as he stopped in front of the steps to the throne, Eiji set himself down onto a knee, bowing immediately. Katsuki. That was his name. Katsuki. It rolled off the tongue for anyone using it... he liked it.

At least he wasn't too distracted by learning the prince's name to remember his own courtly manners. Hearing the sigh from the prince, Eiji couldn't help but steal a glance upwards to take in his now straightened posture. Suddenly it became a bit harder to breathe as his chest constricted. Holy shit. Was it possible to say that this prince was stunning? How had he not been married off yet, was the real question here. He was sure the prince was old enough to do so. Maybe their traditions were different here in this kingdom? Not to mention the queen and his interactions with each other were....strange. Forced. Strained. 'Possibly not the best relationship between them', he concluded silently. Either way. Eijiro couldn't shake the fact that they were around, if not possible, the same age. How would this even work? Would the prince even listen to him? If his own mother couldn't get him to listen, then how would he be able to? Unless. . .unless she did this intentionally. Okay. that was a stupid theory. Of course, she was doing this on purpose. He was hand-picked. But why?

Eijiro didn't have time to try and wrack his brain for an answer to his own question as the queen now addressed him. He was quick to stand and straighten his posture, moving closer to the bottom of the steps before slowly stepping up to be closer in proximity to them. His chest swelled at the mention of his full name. God. It'd been forever since he had been addressed as such. It felt nice. His chin tipped up a little higher, his face relaxed now as he stared directly up to the queen with respect. "Yes, Your Highness. It's an honor to be here today. I'm very very grateful for the opportunity. I-. . . thank you." He kept it simple. Tried not to show how much he truly did appreciate it. He didn't want to come off as overbearingly grateful. It may make him seem unsuitable for the position, or even worse, like a kicked puppy trying to please its owner with everything. That wasn't the impression he wanted to make here. No. He was tough. A gladiator, for the god's sakes. Someone who had killed others, regretfully, for survival. He couldn't be soft here. Not yet.

Eijiro kept his gaze on Queen Mitsuki now, awaiting her next action or set of words, his hands resting respectfully in front of him, clasped together.

 

[foxeyes]

"I'm hoping your new clothes and armour are suiting you well, as are your chambers. Picked specifically so my son has no chance of fleeing in the night." She said somewhat off-handedly and without any sense of formality. With quite a sense of motherly malice to it, however.

Katsuki's careful posture was abandoned as he clenched his fists at his mother and bared his teeth, jutting his chin up, "I'm not a fucking toddler, I'm not gonna take a tumble down the stairs and break my damn head."

"You know very well that's not what I'm worried about, as I can assure you I'll break your head myself if you don't remember yourself." She grinned at him, narrowing her eyes, "You're a prince, so start acting like it."

As if Katsuki didn't exist and wasn't the entire reason this was happening, Mitsuki once again put her attention on Kirishima. "Now, since my son is growing impatient and I am growing weary of his presence, let's proceed without further delay." She brought herself down the large steps leading to the throne, not bothering to lift her skirts. When she was in front of Kirishima, gazing down at his bowed head, she waited.

She waited in a way that filled the room with her annoyance and made it hard to breathe. Katsuki knew what she was doing, and despite wanting to annoy her a little more, he figured he was already in deep enough shit. So with a dramatic huff, he sauntered down the steps with no rush to get to his destination. Throughout all of this, he kept his eyes firmly off of the gladiator, a bit uncomfortable and sickened by the bowing and more than put out by the fact that he was pretty much the same fucking age as him! As if the whole thing wasn't degrading enough, honestly. His mother knew how to get under his skin.

He reached his spot, just one step behind his mother, and took up his disgusting regal position once again and only out of habit. He stared at her back and thought of all the ways he could stab her there.

"Right, then." The Queen stood tall, her height something to marvel at in a woman, "Kirishima Eijiro, you are summoned here today to be released from the chains that bind you as a gladiator and to be raised up into a new and glorious status."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. This whole thing was so rehearsed.

"From this day forward, I will be entrusting you with the care and well-being of my son and heir to the throne, Prince Bakugo Katsuki. You are charged with his health, his safety, and his life. From this day on, you vow to protect and serve as the Prince's personal guard, even at the cost of your own life."

Katsuki clenched his teeth and made a face. He hated that. He hated the whole thing, but mostly he hated that. Why should someone else have to dedicate their entire existence to him? And worse, why did they think he couldn't take care of himself?

"Do you vow this, Eijiro?" The Queen's voice softened as she used his given name.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Watching the interaction between the two Eijiro found it hard to try and not make a face to the behavior the prince was giving. Being a prince, he would've thought he had more respect towards his mother. Especially in front of someone new. It appeared to him. This obviously didn't matter to Prince Bakugo in the slightest.

An act of rebellion, it seemed. Even Eijiro could see it. He kind of admired it, as it showed that this prince was headstrong. Maybe a little bit too much, but, that could always be worked on. Right?

Besides. Queen Mitsuki and he seemed to have the same mannerisms. So it wasn't too bad of a trait, maybe.

Eijiro gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to her statement and adjusted his stance a little. As they waited for the stubborn son to do as he was instructed, Eijiro couldn't help but glance again. He really was a defiant one, Huh?

As they began Eiji turned his full attention back to the queen and listened carefully. His face showed just how concentrated he was on her, absorbing every word.

Health. Safety. Life. Even at the expense of his own.Right. Not much difference from the ring. This job was just as dangerous as bring a gladiator. If not more tedious. He could handle it though! If he could handle a 300-pound man coming barreling at him with a war hammer, he could handle a teenage boy with the world at his hands! Yeah!

Eijiro gave a curt nod, his face full of determination, "Yes, Your Highness. I vow my utmost dedication to protecting the wellbeing of Prince Bakguo. Even to the extent of my sacrificing my own life. no matter what."

He pledged his loyalty without skipping a beat as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times and knew for certain what he was doing. And he did. He would show the world around him, even the lowest of the low could reach the highest cliff if they worked hard enough. He hadn't become one of the best fighters in the ring overnight, that was for sure. But he certainly had worked hard to do so over the last year. And now he was here. Hid hard work was paying off, and he could show both of them how much this meant to him, and how well he could do his job. Regardless if they were the same age or not. He wouldn't let that stop him from his duties. No way in hell would he screw this one up, let alone let someone do it.

 

[foxeyes]

The Queen seemed relieved in a way, only showing it through the subtle relaxing of her shoulders. She took a step back and spread her arms, "Rise then, not as a gladiator in the pit, but as a Royal Knight." She fled fully after that, taking a few large steps back and focusing her harsh gaze on her son.

For the next part, oh for the next part, Katsuki was not excited. It was his turn now. He bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to move stiffly forward, one leg at a time, until he found himself standing in front of the newly appointed Knight. Despite himself, he still couldn't lift his gaze, and it made him boil with self-hatred at his own cowardice.

So, for the next part, he was going to make it short and sweet and he was going to be done with it so he didn't have to be in the same room as his Knight anymore. Hearing the gladiator, Kirishima's, vow...it had made his heart pound with an indiscernible feeling and his vision had gone spotty. He didn't know exactly why, but he knew he just wanted away from this person. He had not glanced up once the entire time and he knew it because he could not even recall the color of Kirishima's hair. Pathetic.

With a huff, he held out his hand and made 'give me' motions with his fingers. Despite his hard attitude, his movements were graceful. Years of harshly scrutinized practice that he couldn't shake himself of, even though he often tried.

"Your sword." He stated shortly, voice gruff.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Slowly, Eijiro stood after having bowed again at the start of the induction, his chest swelling more with pride and joy. This was really happening. He was a knight. Just like the bedtime stories he had been told growing up. He couldn't have imagined this in a million years.

As he stood, his gaze drifted over to the prince, watching as he moved in front of him and beckoned at him, despite not even looking at him.
It made Eijiro wonder what exactly was going on through his head right now. Surely this hard prince had confidence enough to look at him. He had enough confidence to do anything else. Even Eijiro saw that by just taking in his posture and the way he spoke. No. He didn't lack confidence, so it had to be something else. Maybe embarrassment. That could be it. The embarrassment that someone the same age as he had to be his caretaker now.

Eijiro removed his sword from its sheath with ease, his own movements fluent and relaxed. The way he removed and held his sword with ease amazed even him. EIjiro carefully grasped it, holding it out to the prince by his palms, raising it so it was leveled with the princes' own hand.

Eijiro stared up at him in silence, eyes gleaming brighter than they normally would have. This feeling he had, this feeling of cheerfulness. It was dulled down from his time in the ring, but now it hit him almost full forced. He had to press his tongue to the top of his mouth just to not break out into a grin. Especially since he was trying to make a first impression here on the prince, who seemed weary and uninterested.

Eijiro prepared to take another knee as he offered his sword up, careful to not tip over in the armor. A bit harder to do than it was said.

 

[foxeyes]

Katsuki took the blade carefully into his hand, lifting it up easily without needing to support it with his other. He took a moment to appreciate the glint of light that flashed over the blade as he moved it, but soon remembered himself and how he just wanted this whole thing to be over.

Next in the Induction Ceremony was something he had witnessed before and something he had practiced for, but had never done. The words, however, came easily to his lips as he brought the blade of Kirishima's sword to rest in the palm of his opposing hand.

"With this, let your sword be quenched of it's thirst for royal blood." He gripped the blade and drew it across his palm. When the blade slid free of his hand, he squeezed it into a fist to stop all but a few drops of blood from leaving the wound he'd made there. He continued in a bored tone, "And let it never rise against me." The Prince let his eyes leave the floor momentarily to award his Knight with a menacing grin, "Because if it does, I'll win."

Mitsuki clicked her tongue, "Get on with it and stop your posturing."

Katsuki scoffs. The old hag could be so boring. He blinked at Eijiro's hands (still wouldn't lift his gaze) and rolled his eyes, "It means don't be a fucking traitor." The crown had seen too many of those.

He turned the blade towards the floor and took a knee of his own, raising his hand and pressing it to Eijiro's forehead without warning. He always thought this custom was rather overkill. And it was especially outside of his comfort zone, not because of the blood (because come on), but because of the disgusting intimacy it created. He wanted to puke.

Despite his demeanor though and what one might expect from him, he touched Eijiro gingerly and his hands were gentle. His eyes focused on his hand and only his hand as it smeared blood across the Knight's skin, but it was the only point throughout the entire meeting where his face relaxed, even slightly.

This was the part where they were both on the same level (something about symbolism and trust, he didn't know) and Katsuki really had no choice but to look at Kirishima then. He forced his thoughts to remain neutral as he finally took in his Knight's features. His hair was stark red. He had this gross, hopeful look in his eyes. He'd seen that before. It made his stomach twist.

Before he ended up making a scene, he uttered the final words of his part in this elaborate play and tried to hold eye contact for as long as possible, "With this act, I give you my trust and name you Sir Kirishima Eijiro." Ugh. "Rise once and for all as a Knight of Shizouka or whatever." He paid no mind to his mother's disapproving stare burning into his shoulder blades.

Katsuki stood, chin up in defiance and held the sword out to tap once on one shoulder, and then the other, before he lost all his patience altogether and flipped it so he held it hilt out for Kirishima to take. With blade still in hand, he called back to his mother, "It's done, Mitsuki. I'm going to my room."

Mitsuki laughed like he'd told a joke, "You little clown. Your Knight will escort you there." She turned her gaze to Kirishima, "Everything he tells you is a lie and there is a balcony window in his chambers. Watch him like a hawk, but better, and we'll get along just fine. He's not to leave to go anywhere tonight, and he is not to leave ever by himself."

 

[HarijTheMoth]

At first, Eijiro thought he was just going to tip his shoulders and dub him a knight, and that would be the end of it. But when he watched as the prince took his sword and sliced his hand, his eyes immediately flickered over to Mitsuki and back over to Bakugo, as if questioning what exactly he was doing. When Mitsuki didn't interject to her son's actions, he realized this was on purpose. This was new. He hadn't heard of this kind of tradition before, then again this family was something he hadn't seen before either. Mitsuki's and Katsuki's relationship was completely out of character of what Eijrio was used to between a mother and a son.

Eijiro couldn't help but let a smile slip through now though at the princes' added words. OF course, Kirishima couldn't ever dream of raising his sword in vain to slay a royal member. Not when they had practically saved them!

Kirishima breathed a quiet chuckle, his shoulders shaking only slightly to Katsuki's next line of words after his mother interjected that time.
"Right...gotchya!" He whispered back, unable to help himself from commenting back. Now, he watched as Katsuki took a knee in front of him, what came next completely caught him off guard.

Kirishima flinched back at first, eyes going a bit wide to the action of having the prince coat his forehead in his own blood. Though thanks to the gentleness he showed and how careful he was, Eijiro was quick to relax again, allowing him to complete the ceremony as needed. If they needed to douse him in blood, then fine. He'd do it. Blood wasn't an issue for him, not in the slightest.

Eijiro took in Katsuki's own facial features now that they were so close, noting how his crimson eyes stood out against his complexion and dirty blond hair. They locked eyes, ruby red eyes blending with crimson. He blinked a little, trying to place the expression in Katsuki's eyes, but it was kind of hard to do so. This was the only time the prince had even dared to look at him.

Eijiro bowed his head finally as Katsuki finally dubbed his shoulders, and then he stood afterward, straightening his posture as much as he possibly could, standing tall in front of them both. He carefully returned his sword to its' sheath, so as not to cut the prince more than he had already done to himself.

And then the moment between him and the prince seemed to snap as Mitsuki laughed at Katsuki's statement. He stared at the queen, giving her his undivided attention, and curtly nodded his head. Right. So the window was the biggest concern. and lying. Okay. Well... from what he had seen displayed today, he wasn't so surprised. But maybe Bakugo wasn't so bad as his mom made him out to be!

"Yes your highness, I'll be sure to keep your son safe! You can count on me!" Finally, he let his bright and signature smile erupt onto his face, his sharp-toothed smile going from ear to ear as he gave a small thumbs up towards her. Okay. maybe that wasn't so formal but he wasn't sure how else to express to the queen how genuine he was about all of this.

Eijiro stepped to the side, allowing Bakugo to move before him, tucking a hand close to his stomach and using the other one to direct him to the door, only to follow behind him once he did so. The excitement he had felt earlier came rushing back to him now, making the dragon side of him bounce around internally, eager to spread its' wings and take to the sky in celebration. He wanted to get to know this prince, and it seemed they had supple time to do so! He was quick to place himself next to Katuski to walk him out, subconsciously placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"So! Prince Bakugo, I know we kinda had that introduction just now, but I think it's a bit more formal to do it myself! You can just call me Kirishima! I hope this isn't so awkward for you, but... I really wasn't expecting you to be ..well... the same age! Ha! When Queen Mitsuki asked me to look after her son, I swore she meant a literal kid!"

Maybe he was speaking a bit much, but he didn't care. A lack of human interaction made anyone desperate for any kind of conversation. He rubbed the back of his neck with slight nervousness, his eyes closing a little.

 

[foxeyes]

Katsuki frowned the entire time they walked and the entire time Kirishima spoke to him. Somehow, he managed not to interrupt and simply yell at the fool to shut up. A kid? He really wanted to fucking throw something. But he didn't. Maybe it was because even though Katsuki was an asshole, he wasn't that much of an asshole. No, he mused, he definitely was.

But as they approached the corridor with their chambers, as close as they could be to one another, Bakugo felt his hands twitching against his will. He was staring straight ahead, trying, for the most part, to ignore Kirishima and everything he said. But he couldn't just ignore the blood that was starting to dry on the moron's face.

Without permission and without any sort of warning whatsoever, he turned to Kirishima and gripped one of his shoulders to pin him where he stood. He reached up with his other arm and used his sleeve to scrub at Kirishima's forehead until there was barely a trace of what had happened. He stepped back, ignored his own dirtied sleeve (the sleeve of an expensive looking black overcoat) and rolled his eyes before actually meeting Kirishima's in real and unforced eye contact.

"I'm not a child. I'm not your friend. I don't wanna be your friend. I don't wanna see you or hear you." He clenched and unclenched his fist, knowing he was being somewhat ridiculous, "Just. Stay out of my way."

He stopped in front of his door and opened it, darting a look inside. He squinted at Kirishima, feeling a pang of longing when he was forced to stare at that disgusting look the Knight carried in his eyes. That wouldn't do. He stepped in and leaned against the doorframe. "Wash your face. I'm not going anywhere." He tried to muster a glare that Kirishima in no way deserved, before slamming the door shut. He forgot to lock it, but he was too preoccupied with tearing off his formal overclothes and rolling up the sleeves of his undershirt, heading straight for his balcony as if that wasn't exactly what his mother expected him to do. All he wanted was some fresh fucking air and some space. He just needed to think.

Was Mitsuki trying to dig her witchy little fingers into his life by assigning him a playdate? What the hell did she expect from him! What did she want! If this was her way of trying to get her son to make friends and stop acting out, it was not going to go her way, that's for sure.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Eijiro remained close to the prince yet kept some distance between them. He didn't want to smother him or make him feel like he was constantly watched. Oh wait.... that was his purpose of being here. Oh well. Either way, he didn't want the prince to feel even more trapped than he probably already did.

He was still walking forward when Katsuki suddenly pinned him in place, making his eyes snap wide open like saucers. He froze, body going tense and rigid under the others grip. He swallowed a little, feeling a small bit of panic go through him. The urge to suddenly flee or draw his sword entering his limbs. A learned instinct, one that he had to now learn to push down. He didn't need to run. He didn't need to fight. He was fine. Fine.

Eijiro shut his eyes to the feeling of cloth against his skin where the drying blood was. He screwed his face up in slightly discomfort to the material against his face and slowly blinked his eyes open as Katsuki backed off. He glanced down to the sleeve, hoping that the blood didnt stain it. That looked really expensive.

Ei felt eyes bearing in to him and he met the gaze of his prince. Atleast they were making eye contact now! It was like earlier the prince couldnt bear to stare at him! As if he was just too ugly to even glance! Ha! It almost made him chuckle. He wasnt that bad looking, right?!

The feeling to chuckle to his own thoughts went away just as fast as it came as Katsuki spoke. Right...not a friend. A small pang of what could possibly only be rejection or disappointment creep up. Eijiro didnt really have anything to say to that, his lips pressing together in a thin line as his face screwed up again, this time reflecting that sudden pang in his chest. His eyebrows knitted together and his chin lowered a little.

So this was just professional work. He figured it was, but he had a small hope of befriending the blond. Maybe he was easier to read than he had thought because the prince shut that whole plan down quickly. The dragon gave a sad snort. Wow. Maybe he had been too quick to assume differently of Bakugo but..he still couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he wasn't as bad. That maybe this was just him being in a bad mood. Or angry.

"Of course, your highness..", he mumbled quietly, sighing it out gently and with patience. He watched as the prince entered his quarters, ordering him away.

The dragon hesitated to that, the queens' words echoing in his head. Ei reached a hand out to interject, only to have the door slammed on him with a harsh glare, causing him to flinch.

Now that he stood alone in their corridors, Eijiro allowed his body to relax in a defeated posture, his shoulders sagging as he let his arms hang. His head bowed for a moment as he wore a small look of disdain.

That sure as hell went well. "Good job y'talked his ear off."He muttered to himself as he forced his feet to move to his own room. He moved quickly, digging around in the washroom to find a rag and scrub the remaining stain away from his skin. It didn't phase him in the slightest. But now he took a good look at himself in the mirror. He hadn't been able to do so earlier. To just stop and stare. Whoa. He could barely...recognize himself. When had his face changed so damn much?!

He stopped suddenly in his inspection as he remembered his task in hand. Right! The prince! Eijiro tossed the rag somewhere In the room to worry about later, and marched himself right back to the front of Katsuki's door.

He inhaled, taking a deep breath to ready himself. He had to be persistent here. He couldn't just back off and give the prince what he wanted. He had to watch him. No matter what he said. He was under Mitsuki's ruling. She hired him. Not Katsuki.

Without so much as a knock, Eijiro simply let himself into the room, closing the door behind himself and standing in front of it, crossing his arms over his chest. For a moment, he scanned the room, feeling a panic rise when he didn't spot him at first, only to realize the balcony doors opened. Shit. Eiji's nose twitched a little before he slowly craned his neck to try and peer outside, without actually moving.

This is what the queen meant by watching him like a hawk, right?

 

[foxeyes]

Katsuki had heard the shuffling, the opening and closing of his door, even if his intruder hadn't meant for him to. Being a prince, he often slept with one eye open and a knife tucked beneath his pillow. But he knew this intruder was just Kirishima and not an assassin, because he had already trained his ears to the specifics of the Knight's footfalls and honestly, who else would it be?

Cursing to himself as he rubbed his thumb over the still uncleaned cut on his palm, he regretted his misstep of leaving the door unlocked. And he felt stupid for thinking he could just get rid of the Knight that easily. What would he have to do to get a little privacy around here?

"You might as well come outside. We both know that I know you're there." He called, voice laced with irritation, but mostly he just sounded tired. Too tired to fight, really, but not too tired to try. Not too tired to glare.

He clenched his injured hand into a fist and his mouth twitched at the burn. Stupid fucking Bakugo traditions.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Eijiro paused to Baku speaking out to him only to make his way cautiously to the outside balcony, taking note of the irritation in the princes' voice. He peered out at the back of the prince for a few moments, and then finally exited onto the balcony himself. His breath hitched at the view laid out in front of them, his eyes going wide.
wow. If he thought he had wanted to fly earlier, then he was wrong. This wanted to make him fly. How high up they were. The view. The breeze.
A very slight gurgled noise escaped him, one that he ended up covering up immediately afterward with a clearing of his throat.

Ei stood next to the prince, keeping his eyes on the view, letting a thick silence cast over them. After just a few minutes of taking it in and allowing himself to relax at the feeling of being out in the open again, he turned his gaze over to Bakugo. He blinked a little in question to himself, trying to figure out the expression on his face before his nose twitched again. The smell of metallic iron filled his nose, along with the many other scents around them, but that stuck out the most. His eyes fell to the hand Bakugo had used in the induction as he tracked down the heavy scent as subtly as possible.

The realization hit him like a rock. Had the prince tended to that cut yet? It didn't look like it from the lack of a bandage. Eijiro turned his body slightly to the prince, holding out his hand to grab towards Bakugo's injured one.

"You haven't treated your hand yet from the induction? Do you mind if I help you, if not? That cut could get infected easily with you touching everything. ." The answer was obvious, but he still wanted to ask and to offer his help.

 

[foxeyes]

Bakugo slowly raised his head, hand still clenched in a fist and the other gripping it by the wrist as if it were paining him. He stared at Kirishima for so long and without blinking that the air around them began to grow muddy with awkwardness. The thoughts going through his head had needed time to process in that moment, however, and he was considering the idea of letting Eijiro touch him with great care. And by great care, Katsuki meant that he was trying his best to figure out how to tell him to fuck off without actually having to expel the energy to say it verbally.

But on the other hand, the Knight's face was so open, even now. And he had had this expression...when he first stepped outside. What, does he not know what the fucking sky looks like? Though, Katsuki thought with a grimace, gladiators weren't often allowed to look at it, so...

But it had been more than that, the emotion in Kirishima's eyes. Something that he recognized, like it was something he felt, too.

A curse left his lips as he realized too late that he was already raising his injured hand to Kirishima, uncurling it with a wince so the Knight could properly see the wound. He clenched his teeth against the feeling of shame in his gut that settled there when he twitched in pain. Something this insignificant (even if it was a fairly deep hand wound) shouldn't bother him at all. His mother would probably be disappointed. At least, more than she already was.

As he held his hand out, his eyes stayed firmly locked on the Knight. Not eye contact, really, because Katsuki wasn't any good at eye contact unless he was antagonizing someone. But he did finally look at him. Actually look at the person in front of him.

He thought he'd examined Kirishima well enough in the throne room, but out on his balcony, against the darkening sky...it was like he was seeing someone else. He couldn't help the intensity of his gaze as his mind tried to figure out exactly what shade of red his eyes were.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

The silence that took over them again made Eijiro stare harder at him, waiting quietly for an answer, his eyes blinking a little as if he were expecting the blond to say something.
As the prince held his hand out to him finally without a word, Eijiro carefully took his warm hand into his own, holding the palm of the other's hand up.

Eijiro seemed to pay no mind to the searing eyes of the other bearing into him as he took a good look at the smooth yet fairly deep cut on his hand. His attention was focused solely on the injured prince's wellbeing, and it was evident. Shadows cast on one side of his face from the lowering sun setting to the west; the shadows helping highlight and contrast the parts of Eijiro's face that remained in the sun. His eyes also benefited from the setting sun, reflecting its light naturally.

His face dropped to that of a serious expression, replacing the soft look he had had previously as he took in the deep wound, sucking in some air sharply. His eyebrows knitted up against his sun-kissed skin, creasing his skin around his eyebrows and around his ruby-colored eyes as they narrowed. His eyes were staring in concern to the cut, wondering to himself about why the hell he would cut so deep. Maybe it hadn't been on purpose. He had seemed a bit impatient to get out of there. This could be a result of that.

"By the gods', you didn't need to cut yourself that much just for a little bit of blood, dude. You're still bleeding from it!" He sounded slightly exasperated but also concerned with the amount of blood that was seeping slowly from the cut, at least it wasn't rapid. But he'd rather none at all to be dripping from the wound. A frown took its place on his lips as he suddenly grabbed the prince by the wrist without warning and dragged him indoors to properly treat his hand. Eijiro dragged him to the bed placed in the middle, pushing him down onto the bed by the shoulders, and briskly made his way to where he suspected the washroom to be. "Keep pressure on it, slow the bleeding some more, yeah?"

Kiri disappeared into the washroom, disappearing for a couple of minutes before coming out, strangely quickly, with a bowl of hot, steaming water and a rag. There was a slightly smokey smell drifting from the washroom, but it wasn't too noticeable. Hopefully. He didn't think too much of that either as he placed the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed, and dipped the cloth into the steaming water, taking a seat next to Bakugo. He carefully wrung the rag over the bowl, twisting it tight to get rid of any drippage and dampen the rag.

"Do you have any medical supplies laying around here anywhere?"

 

[foxeyes]

When Kirishima took his hand, it was with such care that Bakugo couldn't think about anything else the entire time his hand was being inspected. He couldn't recall the last time someone had held his hand, even if they were currently bitching at him about the amount of blood seeping from it. Yeah, he'd definitely cut too deep. But if he was being honest with himself, he'd done so out of pure frustration, digging the blade a little too hard into his palm.

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop and his eyes widened when the Knight pulled him to his feet and drug him back into the room. He couldn't even say anything, didn't even have the time to be upset until he'd already been sat down and Kirishima had returned from the washroom. He faintly smelled smoke, but before he could put any pieces together (if he had any pieces), Kirishima was sitting next to him and ringing out a wash rag.

He scowled at being caught so off guard and clenched the sheets of the bed in his uninjured hand.

"Fuck if I know." His words were meant to bite, but they came out softer than he'd wanted them to. "Actually. There's clean bandages on my desk, next to my sword." There was an ornamental scabbard sitting atop the desk, black with amethyst and gold engraved designs.

As he'd said the words, Bakugo wanted to take them back. What was he doing? Letting this ex-gladiator order him around like this? It was mostly the shock of the thing, because no one ever handled Katsuki like this, but it wasn't any less infuriating.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Eijiro gave a simple nod, turning to the blond now and gently taking the gently hand into his own again, taking note of the softness in Katsuki's voice. Was he warming up to him finally?

He took a glance around the room to spectate where the desk was, spotting it easily from the obvious sword he had mentioned sitting atop it. Eijiro was very quick to tear his gaze back down to the hand before him to avoid becoming entranced by the shining metal.
Now was not the time to admire, yet again. He could do it later and just blame it on the fact he had never seen such an item.


"Hold still. This'll sting. Don't bite my head off, if you can help it, your highness," he teased a little to try and put some of the edges off that still remained in the air between them. It was a long shot, considering they were still strangers to one another. He quietly thought to himself if saying that had been the greatest idea. Oh well, he'd debate that later when he wasn't dealing with a self-inflicted wound.

Carefully, Eijiro began to clean the wound, being extra careful around the edges of the wound and the wound its self. He cleaned from outwards in, getting around the wound first to get the already drying blood cleaned. Then he focused on the wound directly, being cautious as he touched it. The rag soaked up the blood like a sponge, dying the white fabric permanently in its crimson coloring.

"Sorry...sorry.." he mumbled, apologizing ahead of time as he worked in case he was hurting him. Now that he could start seeing where exactly the wound was and how deep it was without all the blood on it, he began to contemplate if the prince needed a suture or not...

"Y'know...this might not heal on its own without some extra care. Might have to sew you up..."

Eijiro wasn't so surprised at his sudden knowledge of wounds and medical practices. The number of times he had to have been worked on or seen others worked on. Even if the doctors were sloppy and rude and fucking barbarians when it came to treatment, Eiji knew a thing or two when it came to them. Beforehand? He couldn't even properly wrap a bandage around himself, let alone suture someone's wound. Hence why he probably had a scar of his own above his eye in the first place.

 

[foxeyes]

When Kirishima joked about Katsuki not biting his head off and then continued to mumble apologies, he barked at him, "It's fine, it doesn't hurt." It was snappy, but he didn't flinch or move at all as Kiri cleaned his wound and he honestly could have been more of a dick about it. He was gonna write it off to being tired and not because the warmth of the water against his hand and the somehow softness of the gladiator's fingertips was throwing him in loops that gave him a constipated expression. His muscles kept relaxing and then tensing again.

When Kirishima mentioned having to possibly suture the wound, he pulled his hand back slowly and flexed his fingers. "I've had worse." He muttered, mostly to himself, before looking up. Eye contact came easier now, even if it wasn't his favorite thing in the world. At least his pulse wasn't skyrocketing anymore. "But whatever you want, I guess." The weak part of him wanted to be touched again (Yeah, yeah, he wasn't held enough as a child and all that) and the other part of him, the part that was mostly his mother, wanted to punch the Knight and make him leave and lock the door and maybe cut his other hand, too.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Eiji looked up to him at the snappy tone, hesitating for a moment as he contemplated backing off, but when the other didn't move, he kept on.
He just sighed out, giving a small perplexed look as he continued on silently. He put pressure as he wiped on the wound to clean it better, then tossed the rag into the bowl as the prince withdrew his hand finally.

"Really? How is that?" He genuinely looked curious to that, his eyes flashing with the look of interest as they made eye contact. He chuckled a little, going to stand up to head on over to the desk. "It's not what I want, it's common sense! That wound won't close up on its' own with just a bandage around it. It'll still get infected. And as your caretaker now, I can't allow that to happen! No way in hell! I'd rather not have you lose your hand within the first week of me being your protector."
The hybrid stalked over to the desk, peering at the sword, taking in its beauty as his hand reached for the bandages. He swallowed a little as his eyes turned to slits. Holy shit. That scabbard really was something else. Eiji tried to subtly shake his head, reaching up to place a palm against his forehead, He turned with the bandages is hand, walking back over and this time crouching on the side of the prince on the floor.

To try and make small conversation and distract himself, Eijiro spoke softly to Bakugo, reaching out for the injured hand to wrap it. He quietly questioned him on what he had been wondering about the whole time after the induction

"So... speaking of being your protector... the induction, why exactly does it include wiping your blood on my face? I've never heard of that kind of tradition before in any kingdom. Don't get me wrong! I guess it was pretty cool in terms of a badass thing to do and have done to you, and it's pretty unique, but... is it really worth this? Cutting your hand and injuring yourself? Seems a bit...er..." He paused, trying to consider his words carefully as he wrapped his hand tightly, "....much? 'specially since I wasn't too aware of it happening till it happened! Ha! "

Ei gave a small smile, flicking his eyes up to his princes' face as he awaited an answer, hoping it might make it better in answering for Bakugo.

 

[foxeyes]

Katsuki remained silent and watched Kirishima's back as he went to retrieve the bandages. When the Knight didn't immediately grab them, the Prince frowned. What was he doing? As he'd decided to say something mean to make Kirishima hurry up, he'd grabbed the bandages and had already started walking back. Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the look on Eijiro's face, but didn't object when he got down on the floor before him.

Bakugo kept his eyes glued to his hand as much as possible as the Knight talked. Somehow, he was getting used to the other's ability to ramble. Sure, it irked him; reminded him of someone else and made his blood sing. But he was tired, and for that weak part of him...maybe it was nice to have someone else drown out his own thoughts with their words.

Though, at the question in Eijiro's voice, Katsuki did look up from where the Knight's hands had been almost expertly moving across his own. It's like he's done this before. Bakugo almost snorted at his own idiocy. Of course he'd probably done this before, gladiators get injured almost every battle. What a moron he was being today.

When his crimson eyes met Kirishima's, he went to frown, but his mouth mostly remained in a soft and neutral line. He'd be lying if he said he didn't wanna make the dumb smile on the other's face go away in some mean and cruel way. But it was somehow better than the dejected one he'd glimpsed when Bakugo had told him off in the hall.

With some effort, he lifted his chin as if in a subconscious display of superiority and scoffed under his breath. "The whole thing is stupid. It's only been tradition for a few generations, something about an enemy of the crown." Bakugo did know more about those enemies of the crown, but he decided not to delve into any details. They hadn't come back to the kingdom in so long, Bakugo deemed them irrelevant. "As for the blood..." He couldn't help himself from reaching out with his good hand and brushing the spot on Eijiro that he'd smeared with blood earlier, just grazing it with his fingertips. Kirishima's hair was up in some stupid spiky style, but a few strands had broken free of it and dipped over the other's forehead and brushed Bakugo's fingers. Soft. Ugh, whatever. He withdrew his hand and sneered at it, the open expression that had taken over his features now completely gone.

"As for the blood," He continued, "It's supposed to be a symbol of satisfaction. If I offer you my blood now, you won't wanna bathe in it later. It's dumb and edgy, but I guess I see the point." Yeesh, he was talking a fucking lot. Why did he just keep on talking? "The whole thing is also supposed to be for you, as much as, uh, me, I guess. It's supposed to be, uh, putting my trust in you or whatever. A great honor, as my bitch mother would say." He couldn't stop the uncensored words from leaving his mouth and it pissed him off.

"But I don't really care." Oh, this was better. The challenge in his voice made a mix between his previous sneer and a manic grin come to his face. He was always at his happiest and most confident when he was taunting someone for their prowess. He leaned close, still connected to Kirishima by the hand, eyes boring into the other's. (Eye contact was great, but only if it was used to make someone else feel intimidated. Eye contact for intimacy? Ew, that's gross.) His voice came out with the hint of growl behind it, like he was speaking in the back of his throat, "Like I said, I'm not worried. You wanna kill me and I'll be happy to show you just how much that is not going to go as planned."

Though, he did feel a little ridiculous threatening the person who was currently treating his wound, it sent his body blazing with the need to fight and his eyes lit up with it.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

His own eyes seemed to search Bakugo's face as he took in the little bit of expression he allowed himself to show., his hands pausing in their work as they spoke to one another.

Eijiro couldn't help but let his mind wander at that moment, taking note of how soft the prince looked when he relaxed his face, despite the slight frown. It was better than the scowl, where he tensed his face up, looking like an angry animal ready to bite. Kind of ironic now that he thought about it. Even as the other showed his superiority before him, which really wasn't necessary if Eijiro had to be honest. He was already kneeling before him, taking care of a wound that he could very well take care of himself.

Eijiro wasn't even doing it because he had to, but because he wanted to, hence why he asked for permission beforehand. He was somewhat desperate to warm up to the prince. He had a pull towards him. (Whether that be because he now had pledged his loyalty to this man and his dragon-kin was going fucking berserk in an urge to satisfy the prince in any way possible, or because he genuinely did want to get to know him. He was stuck with him after all, until Mitsuki or even himself one day deemed him useless to him. Or maybe he was just desperate to finally have someone to talk to after being on his own and cautious of everyone around him.)

Enemies of the crown? That spiked Eijiro's attention as he attentively sat up a little taller, his eyes showing his undivided attention to Bakugo as he spoke to him. Were they still a threat? who or what exactly were they? Was it something he needed to worry about? Was that also a reason why Queen Mitsuki had assigned a guard? In fear of her son's safety? These questions wracked his brain, slamming into his conscious thoughts like a hammer.

Ei was snapped out of it to the sudden feeling of fingers grazing his skin. He flinched back a little in slight surprise, only to freeze right after. Kiri kept his gaze locked onto Bakugo's face, head tilted p and still as the prince gingerly touched where he had smeared his blood. He hadn't even realized some of his hair had fallen in strands in front of his face. Not until he felt them being gently brushed alongside his forehead.

The dragon gave an innocent blink of his glimmering eyes, somewhat questioning the action silently.

Damn. He almost gave a pout as Bakugo hardened his face again with a sneer. Eijiro forced the feeling away so he could focus on what Bakugo explained, Ei's eyes slowly tore away to stare off to the side as he silently thought to himself, processing the words. Right. Of course, that made sense. Slitting his hand went along with the words Bakugo had said in the speech. Eijiro almost
scolded himself for not realizing that before his eyes drifted back to Bakugo. Trust. Right. Trust was the whole thing behind this. . . .partnership of sorts.

Eijiro was once again snapped back to reality as Bakugo suddenly got closer to him, the sneer and challenging look and tone he gave him catching him off guard once again. This guy was really all over the place, huh? The sudden confidence that radiated off of him as they locked eyes made Eijiro's chest swell, something fluttering from within.

They locked eyes, Ei's searching deeply into the other's red eyes, taking in the confidence and daring look this prince gave him. A look to fight. His skin prickled to the growl Bakugo gave off behind his words and it made his inner dragon rumble with instinct, feeling himself become a bit more on edge with a sense to show his own dominance clouding his consciousness.

Eijiro pulled away slightly, returning the challenging glint in Bakugo's eyes as they stared at one another, a thick and tense silence filling between them as they just stared each other down. Eijiro embraced the silence, focusing in on it to ground himself before he could return the growl. If he growled back, it wouldn't be human-sounding. It wouldn't be him entirely. Internal rage seeped through him as his dragon roared in anger to the restraint and defiance Eijiro was pushing on himself.

After a few moments like that, a large and devious smirk found its way onto Eijiro's lips as he finally spoke out, allowing the dragon side of himself to show through his words. A rumble still managed to rasp behind his own words as he spoke lowly to Bakugo, whether he realized it or not.

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who has to have a royal guard to babysit you, you know that?" He gave a mocking snort, looking down to Bakugo's hand and pulled tightly on the bandage, maybe a little bit too tightly for comfort, secured it in a knot, and ripped off the excess. He was being a tad bit rough with the rest of the work, completely out of character with himself as his dragons' anger seeped from him.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd have already been dead. I've been alone with you since the induction. Plenty of time to have your head rolling off the balcony and for me to escape. I've killed plenty to know how to pinpoint the body's weaknesses. It's not hard to pick up on yours either, Your highness."
His eyes glittered dangerously, pupils dilating and constricting as Eijiro fought off the urge to have them slit. He cast his face downwards as they did, trying to make it less noticeable. The ex-gladiator stood, turning his back from Bakugo as he stalked back over to the desk to set the remaining bandages down.
"I'm not proud of the blood I've spilled or the lives I've taken just to ensure I live for another day, but I won't hesitate to tell you that I've done exactly that. I survived for two years in that hell-hole on my own facing off people three times my size, So I think it's safe to say I can handle a prince with an ego twice his body weight. If a fight is what you're looking for, I'd say you look for it once you have your temper under check. But as you stated just now, my thirst for royal blood is quenched~. So I suppose you're shit out of luck for a fight from me, Prince Bakugo,"
He turned his head over his shoulder after shrugging them and humming out the last statement, only to stare at him tauntingly, the smirk going from ear to ear before he could even realize he was doing it. If the prince wanted to taunt, he could taunt back just as menacingly. Eijiro was never one to back down or run, not anymore. And he never would be that person again. Ever.

 

[foxeyes]

Bakugo had let him go on his rant, hadn't even flinched when the bandage on his hand was tightened to an uncomfortable degree. There was something...off about his Knight. Something that wasn't, that couldn't be human. Bakugo knew that there were other things in the world, that wasn't such a big deal to him. But when confronted with this feeling of not knowing, not being able to understand something...it was new. He didn't like it.

But also, along with that strange energy radiating off of Kirishima, there was something else. Something that made letting the Knight talk to him in such a way not make him immediately throw himself up in a fighting stance. Something that made him stare, instead, as his eyes widened and his mouth went slack.

Kirishima was powerful. There was pure, unadulterated power there, plain as day. So when the taunting stopped and Kirishima stood there with that odd, challenging look on his face...Bakugo burst into laughter. Loud and boisterous laughter that had just a little bit of malice to it. He clutched his stomach and fell back against the soft sheets of his bed, going on for what felt like forever and loving the pain in his stomach because of it.

When his laughter started to ebb, he propped himself up on his elbows and gave Eijiro a haughty smile, "No one talks to me like that. Everyone's too scared. It's always Prince and Highness and shit." He laid back down with a plop and his muscles relaxed fully for the first time that day.

He remained silent, staring at the ceiling as his expression went from delighted to neutral once again. Faintly and like he was removing a dagger from his throat, he grunted, "Thanks." It was like he'd never said the word before.

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Was this dude seriously laughing at him after that? Or was he laughing because of what he had said? The menacing look went slack as Eijiro now stared in confusion, his normal aura edging back slowly as his dragon backed off from the confusion setting in. Even more, confusion set in as Bakugo got over his laughter, smiled at him, and then last but not least, thanked him. This dude really was crazy!

Eijiro stared at him, turning his body towards him silently, eyebrows knitting up as he tried to decipher what the hell just happened.

He had expected the other to come at him! or be defiant again! But this? This threw Eijiro into a loop until he finally understood it.

A symbol of respect. He talked to Bakugo the way he had talked to him. Didn't waiver. Didn't sink to his feet and beg for mercy or for his apologies. Didn't try and correct him on his behavior. Rather he joined him and showed him his own malice. Didn't show fear and let him walk all over him. Maybe he wasn't as crazy after all.

Now the red-headed knight stood there, grinning over to the blond with a bright smile, chuckling a little. That look of delight and actually taking in a moment to relive the moment Baugo had laughed, it suited him, whether the prince realized it himself or not, seeing that look of delight and that haughty smile and laugh, it was perfect. It looked amazing on him. Sounded amazing on him. That laugh was something else, even if it had a hint of malice. It was astonishing.

The 'thank-you' almost sounded strained but Kiri accepted it anyways, making his way back over to stand near the bed and peer down at the prince with gleaming eyes.
"You're Welcome~!? Scared? What is there to be scared of here, eh? I don't see anything ferocious." He looked around like he was searching for something. It was obvious he was joking from the tone of voice and the cheesing grin on his face, before he let out another gentle laugh, plopping himself down on the floor next to the bed. He shifted, sighing a little as he calmed himself, leaning against the bedframe.
It felt nice to genuinely laugh. It really did.

He, too, could feel the power radiating from the prince. Not the power of being a prince, no. He had a powerful soul and personality with such confidence, it made even a lion look cowardice. A burning fire that raged on. And he liked that about him. Eijiro relaxed his own body, sighing, closing his eyes for a moment as he placed his gloved hands into his lap.

 

[foxeyes]

Bakugo acknowledged him with another grunt, not moving his spot on the bed as they both sat peacefully. It wasn't usually his style to do anything peacefully, but it was surprisingly nice.

He closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, focusing on the night air drifting in through the balcony window and the shuffling of the Knight on the floor. Just a little bit ago, he'd yelled at Kirishima to leave him alone. But now, in the quiet of the room and listening to the other breathe, he didn't actually mind the company so much.

It ached. Something deep inside of Bakugo that he hadn't bothered to uncover for all these years, it ached. He opened his eyes to mere slits and rolled his head to the side, looking out onto the balcony. He'd had every intention of slipping off that balcony and going to the courtyard to train by himself. Not return until well into the morning and have his mother believe he'd left the castle grounds. But this was okay, too.

With an irritable sigh that could have more effort behind it, he sat up and leaned forward so that they were both on eye level. "Wanna see something cool?" Without waiting for an answer, he got up and walked lazily over to his desk, picking up the scabbard there. He returned to the bed and sat down, crossing his legs in front of him and nodding his head towards the spot next to him.

He slid the sword inside free of it's sheath and placed it carefully upon his lap, turning it with both hands so that it caught some of the moonlight seeping in. "This was a gift from my mother. Never used it, obviously, not even in mock spars." He slid his hand carefully across the flat of the blade, not risking any cuts.

With a shrug, he offered it up to Kirishima to inspect. "Saw you eyeing it earlier."

 

[HarijTheMoth]

Peace. Yeah.. it was peaceful, something Kiri hadn't done in what seemed like a lifetime. He was basking in it, a gentle smile on his lips, just enough to give him a soft look. He also basked in the company of the blond in the bed above him. That too was something new for him now, one that he gladly and contently accepted. It seemed like things really were looking up for him.

He had a secure job, housing, a new friend? A life. Granted it hadn't even been a day since he was inaugurated, he could already feel this was going to be better than the ring.

Anything was better than the ring. Hell even being a servant of the queen or the prince would've been nicer. At least then he would've had the same benefits minus the pay. You didn't get anything being a gladiator unless you earned it. Even then that was hard and not always guaranteed.

Eijiro blinked open his eyes to the sound of Bakugo leaning down, the sound of sheets moving below him. He turned his head up to look at him, tilting his head in curiosity. "Hn?" He perked up a little more as he watched Bakugo go and grab the scabbard he had been eyeing before grabbing the bandages.

As Katsuki motioned to the spot next to him, Kiri slowly got up and sat next to him, being a little hesitant. Excitement rolled off him as he shoved his hands into his own crossed lap to resist reaching out and snatching it from Katsuki. Fighting that urge was hard. Very. Hard.

Eyes immediately widened to the sight of the blade, his breath catching his throat to the sight. "Holy ..." He whispered softly, before carefully taking the sword into his grasp as Bakugo offered it. "Do you know...where it came from?" He mumbled quietly, sounding mesmerized as he twisted and turned the sword in every angle possible, inspecting every inch of it. His pupils constricted a little as he did, unable to help himself as he slowly immersed himself into a trance of admiration for the shiny metal.

'Treasure' a voice hissed in his head in a grumble, 'Not ours.' Eiji mentally scolded himself with an internal eye roll. He swallowed a little, bringing the blade closer to his face to further examine the etchings into the blade. His eyebrows furrowed up to it, tilting his head even more like a cat, or even a bird. A soft noise escaped him, one that he didn't even realize he had made.

A very tiny grumbling keen from the bottom of his throat that went up an octave towards the end.