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Fandom π•―π–Šπ–›π–Žπ–‘'π–˜ π•­π–†π–ˆπ–π–‡π–”π–“π–Š {Kiribaku FANTASY AU: DISCONTINUED}

Now that both hands were placed on his face, that seemed to ground the redhead a little. He snapped out of whatever cross-phasing he was just experiencing, finally meeting Katsuki's gaze in forced eye-contact. Ruby red searched Crimson red as they stared each other down. They were so close. The little bit of contact they had right now felt like a lot more. Like they were closer than just Katuski's hands on his cheeks. Was it just him or was it growing hot out here? He looked a little shameful for being caught trying to change the subject, his eyes gaining that kicked puppy look to clash with the panic and fear. He was just a whirlwind of emotions right now as his vulnerability shined through. "Sorry. . "

The longer he stared at Katsuki, the more he relaxed, the tension in his shoulders slowly slacking. His heart skipped a beat at how gently Katsuki said his name -- his GIVEN name--, listening to how it rolled off the other's tongue effortlessly to join the relaxed features of Katsuki's face.

The calming manner of Katsuki was doing wonders as he relaxed further, his own eyes starting to clear as his thoughts were slowly hushed. How could he have such an effect on him, he wondered. It gave him a warm feeling. A fuzzy kind. Kiri made a soft noise to Bakugo's next sentence, adverting his gaze for just a split second as his cheeks flushed lightly, resisting the urge to jsut nuzzle against his hand that patted his cheek now. Protect him? That wasn't his job though.
Ei frowned, meeting those half-lidded eyes of Katsuki with his own.

"But Why? . . " He asked without even thinking about it first, his face grim and almost pouty. "Why would. .? Why would you do that? I'm just your knight, Kats. I should be the one threatening that..not you."

Ironic indeed. But his words, he could hear the genuine, raw emotion behind them. He meant them. . . This was making him reconsider keeping his mouth shut. Maybe Katsuki could do something about the hemlock . . ? Or at least, be aware of it so he knew what spots to avoid after proper navigation? He could tell a half-truth, yeah! That seemed to be the most plausible here. He didn't really have to go to detail about it.

Inhaling some, Kirishima let out a hefty breath and spoke quietly between the two of them, spilling the most logical, lying, truth he could come up right now,

"I...I'm... I'm allergic to Hemlock. Deathly allergic. I found some..." He struggled to speak some, words catching in his throat.
"I found some on the outskirts, almost ran into them. . It just ermh, I just.
it just reminded me of an incident I had as a hatc....child. That's all..."
Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

Maybe he could cover it up!

"I'm sorry man.. I didn't mean to scare you that way.. I swear. I dunno what got into me. . "
 
As Katsuki searched Eijiro's eyes once more, he found that they were beginning to lose that glint of fear and it undid a knot in his chest that he hadn't even realized was there. A relieved breath escaped him and rustled Eijiro's bangs a bit, making Katsuki fully aware of how close they were for the first time. Awkwardly, he blinked rapidly at the realization and pulled back just a little. He hadn't meant to get so close...

He kept his hands on the Knight's cheeks, partly to keep Eijiro facing him but partly because he wanted to. He wanted to touch Eijiro and he didn't know why. It didn't burn in that bad way he was used to. Sure it burned, but it was that satisfying kind. Like the burn in your muscles after laughing too hard. When he focused in on the warmth of the red head's face in his hands, he realized for the first time that the rain had stopped and he could see better as the dawn approached. Shit.

What ended up making Katsuki lose his cool was when Eijiro flushed at his words, making a sound that went straight to his chest and forced him to reboot his brain. He scoffed at his Knight and finally removed his hands, only to absentmindedly reach up with one and start moving Eijiro's bangs away from his eyes. "Your life matters, ya know. I care about your life just like I care about the life of any of my subjects. Man, do I look like that much of a douche?" He snorted, fingers brushing against the Knight's forehead, "But also. You're in my direct circle now, under my direct responsibility, even if you are the one that's supposed to be taking care of me. I take that seriously. As long as you're watching my back, I'll be watching yours. That's how it works."

At Kirishima's explanation, Katsuki narrowed his eyes in a way that suggested his gears were turning, like he was putting the pieces together. His hand paused in his fixing, strands of hair held in his grip. He stared at Kirishima like that for longer than was necessary. Hemlock allergy? That was...well, it's not like it was safe for anyone, so it checked out, sort of. But usually, it wasn't going to do anything to you, unless-

His thoughts had been going down the right track, could have made it there, but another, more pressing thought interrupted the first. Seemingly without warning, he tugged on Kirishima's hair just hard enough to be uncomfortable and hissed, "You're sure you didn't fucking touch it, right?! Fucking dumb bitch of a Queen and her dragon problem, I swear to all fuck, fuck." He reached up to scrub at his face and then glare at Kirishima in 'I'm actually just worried about you' Bakugo fashion. "Mitsuki thinks those plants are gonna stop a dragon from eating me, but they're actually just gonna kill my Knight. Fucking figures. I'll tear them out myself."

Katsuki would never win any detective awards, that's for sure. Though a part of him still whispered: What about this seemed familiar? What about it seemed wrong?
 
Katsuki's touch was the only thing keeping Eijiro grounded right now as he listened to his words with forced attention, trying to make it a goal to abosrb every word. Part of him was a bit upset Katsuki had pulled away from their closeness. The other part simply begged to be closer. The warmth from Katsuki's hands felt nice against his cheeks, welcoming the feeling of calloused hands on his smooth skin. And when they were removed, he felt his lips press together, as if to protest the loss. But then feeling him play with the hair in his face erased that idea.
"Never said you looked like a douche .." He mumbed out, half to himself, in a pouty grumble while glancing down. A sharp yelp from the pull of his hair caused Ei to sharply look back up and glare at him. He froze thoguh as he saw the narrowed eyes. He swallowed a little, awaiting to see what the prince was thinking exactly. Shit. Had he figured it out?!

No. No he didn't figure it out, he was too focused on if he had touched the plants. Still, that was too close. Too close of a call. He couldn't do it again. He needed to tread carefully and watch how he spoke or acted now. His guard needed to be set off the charts from now on around Katsuki.

Dread was the only thing present now, though. His heartbeat grew loud in his ears as everything else around him faded after Katsuki got done explaining exactly why there was hemlock in the garden in the first place. A truth that he hadn't wanted to realize or think about, but was now being forced to face. He was seen as a danger to the prince. Granted, he wasn't called out specifically, but his kind. His kind were threats to this royal family. Enemies. Probably hated and despised. Maybe they were the enemies of the crown Katsuki mentioned earlier? A cold chill ran through him at the thought, unable to keep himself from physically shaking at it. He couldn't tell them. The sound of Katsuki's voice came back to him, bringing him forth. He shook his head only slightly to signify he hadn't touched those plants. If he had, he'd definitely not be sitting here.

"No, It's fine. I'll just.. I'll have to be careful." He mumbled as he moved away from the blond's touch completely, slowly dropping himself down from the wall again. "Let's just go eat, before Queen Mitsuki catches us out here."
He didn't say much after that, in fact, he had nothing to say. He just felt numb, unsure if he should just shake away the information discovered, or confront it.
He couldn't tell them, ever. He realized now, he wasn't actually truly free. He never would be, never had been since he was forced out of his home. He'd never be able to freely spread his wings and walk around in what he deemed comfortable for himself. He had to keep his true identity under wraps for the rest of his life, or else he'd be faced with death, because what queen would allow a known dragon to watch after her son? What prince would let his enemy take his life into his claws with such trust?

Sure, he had their trust now. But the moment he revealed himself to be the beast they were trying to ward off with hemlock in their gardens, would he still have that same trust from them? He couldn't be certain and it scared him. Scared him to the point that he made a mental note to just accept the fact of the sacrifice he was making here. Eijiro had to shut himself out, at least, the part of him that wasn't welcomed here. Eijiro could never raise his wrath towards these people, but there was no way they'd know that. Being not only a gladiator but a dragon? They wouldn't believe it. He was an immediate threat, even if he had shown them he was nothing like how dragons were percieved. Mostly.

Inhaling, Eijiro shook it off. He couldn't act so gloomy and down today, he refused. He'd push this to the back of his mind for later tonight when he was awake and alone. For now, he'd just play off his current mood from the brief panicking. He straightened himself up as he walked, masqerading his face with bright eyes and the slightest look of optimisim to make it all the more believeable.

He was fine.
 
When Kirishima broke away from him and started back off into the garden, Katsuki just watched after him for a moment. And then with a curse, he followed. At first, he kept a distance behind, mumbling curses and chastises to himself under his breath. What had he said wrong? What could he do? Lifting his gaze to watch Eijiro's back, he scoffed and walked faster, reaching out with one hand.

But then he pulled it back. Maybe he didn't wanna be touched? Katsuki knew he would bite someone's head off if they just assumed he wanted them to touch him. But...

He wanted to so badly. It felt like the only thing that he could offer. He wasn't good with words, he wasn't good at making anyone feel better. He was only capable of offering threats, of physical violence or comforts. So he finally did lift his hand again and made sure that his touch was light as he gripped Kirishima's arm to pull him to a stop. "Dumbass, you'll get lost again..." His words held a hint of confusion and insecurity and he let his hand slide down the length of Eijiro's arm to loosely grip his wrist. He tilted his head in the other direction and started to lead him down a different path. "This way is far from any Hemlock."

As they walked, Katsuki kept stealing nervous glances at Eijiro's face. The Knight looked so upset. It was so weird. Honestly, it hadn't been that long, but Katsuki had been beginning to think he couldn't even feel that way. He wanted the other to just have that annoying smile again; the smile he couldn't bear to look at. Sure, Kirishima seemed to be smiling now, but it was ugly. Not because Kiri himself was ugly (because fuck, did Katsuki know he wasn't) but because it was so fake. It didn't suit him.

He eventually got fed up with it all as he held a branch for them to walk through and huffed, tugging on Kirishima's wrist to halt him and blocking his path. He didn't let go of his wrist but his other hand came up to cup the back of his own neck, some sort of nervous tic.

"Rule number three is don't lie to me, Eijiro." His eyes searched the Knight's before he looked away and then back again. He was...so not good at this. His gears were turning so hard in his head that he stared for too long, but then finally opened his mouth with an expression of discomfort. "I'm...sorry?" He wanted to tear his skin off, fuck! What about Kirishima made him wanna fucking apologize to him? He didn't do anything wrong. So why...? But his face.

He set his jaw and ground his teeth together, rubbing at his arm and digging his nails in involuntarily. "Or something. I dunno. Can you just stop looking like that?" He hadn't had to deal with someone else's emotions in a while, he was kind of rusty. Not that he'd ever been good at it, anyway.
 
Eijiro welcomed the touch silently, not brushing it away, and rather went in motion with whatever Katsuki did. Touch wasn't an issue for Ei in the slightest, considering he used touch to initiate conversation or to greet, or pretty much for anything. He could come off as quite clingy sometimes, too.

He paused as he was pulled back and blinked at him, waiting quietly. His eyes followed Katsuki's touch, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he gently gripped his wrist. His skin tingled under his touch, leaving a wake of goosebumps where his armor wasn't against his skin. He gave a small look back up to Katsuki, nodding a little as he started to lead him away from the hemlock-laced areas. Ei looked grateful for that, glad he didn't really have to go depth about how he was 'deathly allergic' to the already poisonous plant.

Ei paid no mind to the occasional glances the prince gave back at him and simply took in the sights of the garden around him. Ei hadn't been able to take in the sight and beauty of the area since he had come out here. It was all simply a blur because of all the running and searching. It was actually very pretty out here. Whoever took care of the garden ground, did a pretty good job of layout and blending the flowers and plants.


"Hm?" Ei stopped, tearing his gaze back to Katsuki as he pulled him to a stop. A blink or two, and Ei looked confused about the nervousness his prince showed. He shifted on his feet some, waiting for whatever the prince had to say. Rule three...? What were the..ohhhhhhhhhh. . .

It registered in his head, thinking back to the first rules Katuski had given him early this morning.
"Rule number one, don't fucking touch me without permission."
"Rule number two, not a word."
and now, rule three
"Rule number three is don't lie to me, Eijiro."

Eijiro must've been pretty easy to read if Katsuki was stating his third rule, which, made Eijiro wonder if he was making them up on the spot as they went along. Like a list of commandments that he had to follow as long as he was in the presence of him. Bt his focus tore away from the question once Katsuki apologized. Why was he apologizing?! Eijiro looked at him in slight alarm, eyes flashing as he looked around and then back to him, looking a little confused. "Why are you. .?" Oh. His face.

What sounded almost like a defeated sigh, Eijiro relaxed his face with a very small smile, his face apologetic. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, Kats. You haven't done anything. Plus I'm the one making the face, not you. I swear to you, I'm fine. I didn't touch the plants. The whole...dragon thing threw me off though. So." Ei shifted, turning his wrist around so he could turn his own palm up towards Katsuki's, loosely grasping his hand into his. The flush on his cheeks returned to his own actions, but it felt necessary as he gave a genuine and small smile.His calloused hand fit perfectly in his, causing his heart to just thrum." 'M sorry for looking so down and trying to cover it up. I guess I'm not as good at hiding emotion like you, so I envy you a little for it," He admitted cheekily. "Though I do have a question...Rule one still exists? Or? Are you scratching that? You're confusing me a little, is all." Ei gave a breathless and nervous chuckle, quickly letting go of Katsuki's hand as if he had suddenly just remembered
 
"You shouldn't be apologizing, either." Katsuki grumbled at Eijiro. He was seriously apologizing for how he felt? That pissed Katsuki off. The Prince rarely apologized for the things he should, let alone how he fucking felt. He blinked back at Eijiro.

The dragons...? What about them? He didn't know why that had thrown him off so much, but it hit him then that Eijiro had basically been a slave until just a little while earlier. This place wasn't his home. And that knowledge gnawed at the inside of him, made him feel so stupid for not even considering. Did Eijiro want to go home? What was his home like? Did they have dragons there? He had seemed so upset about it...It's not like Katsuki had a personal problem with the beasts. But they had attacked his kingdom before and despite his words of anger earlier, he knew why his mother was obsessed with Hemlock. He knew why they were their enemies. His own heart was somewhat filled with distrust towards dragons and dragon sympathizers.

But then...Katsuki frowned. What was this about a deathly allergy? He'd been too worried earlier to fully put thought into it. His heart had jumped at the idea that Kirishima might have accidentally touched it. But now...

His thoughts were once again interrupted as Eijiro moved their hands so that they fit together. Katsuki's eyes snapped down to them and he glared, but not out of anger. Mostly because it had startled him. And yeah, kind of out of anger. Anger at the way he liked it.

When Kirishima released him, he followed the retreating hand with eyes that said 'why the fuck did you let go?!' and scoffed. He caught his gaze and turned his face away, attempting to calm the color on his own cheeks. Able to hide his emotions? As if. If he didn't like the way he was feeling, he just looked angry. If he didn't know how he was feeling, he just looked angry. There was rarely an emotion he couldn't express through some form of looking angry. Though, it seemed to confuse everyone around him. Whatever.

At Kirishima's question, he reached up to rub at the back of his neck and didn't meet his eyes, "Maa, I dunno, I just made those up on the spot." He glared at Eijiro's hand again before reaching for it and using it as a prop for his next explanation. "This is fine." He raised the hand towards his face, "Not this." Then his neck, "You'll end up on the ground if you touch me here. Ask first." Then his chest, "Here is fine but don't ever fucking touch me from behind if I don't know you're there. And it goes without saying that you shouldn't touch me when I'm sleeping." After his explanation, he frowned and then released Eijiro's hand, "Sorry, you're allowed to have boundaries, too. I have a habit of just doing what I want." He admitted that somewhat sheepishly, if you could count a low grumble aimed at himself as sheepish. "Your stomach keeps growling and I'm cold. Sorry, we should keep going." He waved the whole thing off and started forward once again. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Shit, once the word was out, it was like he couldn't stop saying it. Fuck. He had apologized to Kirishima more times in just a few minutes than he had to his mother in his entire life. Shit. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
 
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If Katsuki had asked aloud about whether or not Eijiro wanted to go home, the dragon would've hesitated. He would mull over it for a while before answering that yes, he did want to go home. It was a very long way though, and it would require a practical conquest to get there. They'd have to travel on horseback. Cross the mountains. Sail. It'd take a month, maybe more. But if they were flying? Oh, Eijiro could make it there in maybe a week if not less depending on how many times they stopped. But, He couldn't fly, it was out of the picture. So no, he couldn't bring that up to the prince or even bring himself to ask for it. Plus, he didn't want to jeopardize those back home. If he brought Katsuki with him? The whole village would go feral, and then Katsuki would know the truth. There, you didn't have to hide your dragon bits or quirks. You were free to walk around with your wings spread and tails lashing. (OF course, you could, there was nothing but dragons there. And in their society, it was acceptable.) So it really was out of the picture. His home was here now, despite how much he longed to go find his mother or hit it up with his cousin Testutestu! It wasn't in the question.

Eijiro focused on Katsuki's face, watching his emotions go through the motions over their hands.Ei gained his own sheepish look, wondering for a split-second if that had been the wrong thing to do, but then he caught sight of Katsuki's eyes chasing after his hand. A small look of what one could easily mistake for ...longing? Then their eyes locked for a brief second and Ei couldn't help but even notice the darkening red spreading on Katsuki's cheeks too. He couldn't stop the thrum of his heart as it wanted to jump out to the sight.

Fuck, it was starting to become harder to deny, even though he really hadn't been doing it in the first place, his attraction to Kats. And then when the other grabbed his hand and practically guided his hand into feeling his body, Eijiro was ecstatic. His dragon gave an internal purr, trying to force it out of Ei's throat. Ei was faster though and clamped his mouth shut. He didn't purr. He couldn't purr. It'd go down as not only embarrassing but suspicious.

His cheeks flamed up darker, watching with shocked eyes as he followed the touch, feeling how warm and smooth Katsuki's skin felt under his touch. The touch to Katsuki's neck made his heart beat faster, knowing damn well that that spot in all societies was a. . . sacred spot of sorts. And damn was he built, was the next thought to come to his head as his hand was guided to Katsuki's chest. His hand remained relaxed, so as not to give in to the urge to firmly touch and grab the prince. He really didn't want to get punched right now.

Swallowing, Ei quickly nodded his head to show he understood the agreement. Right. No surprise touches from behind, and no touching in his sleep. .. Okay.. he couldn't really promise the last one. Seeing the prince thrash around like that was impossible for Eijiro to not calm him down. Once his hand was released, Ei let it fall back to his side and he shook his head, raising both hands up almost in defense as he followed Katsuki,
"No no! You're fine! A lot of touching is actually really acceptable back home, appropriately course. It's how we communicated a lot, considering we were all a tight society. Of course, you have individuals there too who don't like a lot of touches! but! Touching isn't an issue for me, I can actually be pretty clingy sometimes. So if I get hit, I proobaaaaaaaaaably deserve it!

He explained quickly as if he was nervous about sharing that tad bit. He moved to stop Katsuki for a moment, stepping in front of him.

But, Eijiro returned the favor in showing his where it was acceptable to touch, which he only deemed fair. He carefully grabbed for Katsuki's hand, starting at his hair. "This and my face is fine. . "
He drifted down his face a little. He shook his head at his neck, not even brushing over it with Katsuki's hand, even though his mind screamed at him to allow it. "Not here, or the ears." He mumbled, trying to force the blush off his face at the thought. "Arms are fine. My back is fine, as long as I'm aware of it. " He drifted over his own chest and torso, hesitant from the touch at first. Skin twitched a little over his firm build from the soft grazes. "I'm okay with is, too." He then was quick to grasp Katsuki's hand again with his. "And this is always okay. Sneakin up on me probably isn't the best idea either unless we're like. . I dunno. training or something. Hugging is okay."

He realized he was still holding his hand and slowly moved his hand away from Katsuki's despite wanting to keep his hand in his. It felt nice, just that bit of innocent touching, he mvoed to walk next to Katsuki now, matching his pace. "Okay, now we can keep going. You need to change before you get sick and we both get fussed at. No need to apologize Kats, it's cool! We're still getting to know each other. It's still less than 24 hours, so I mean. . hiccups are gonna happen! We're moving a lot faster than I had thought, which, I don't mind! Uh.. .. All I'm saying is it's nice to actually talk with someone rather than trying to slice them open. . .heh. .. "


He definitely looked a little better now, despite the constant grumble of his stomach.
 
When Eijiro stopped him after he had already started off towards the balcony again and grabbed for his hand, his breathing completely stopped. It's not like he was trying to suffocate himself, but every part of him was just too focused on the feeling of his fingers skimming over Kirishima's skin, over his body. He hadn't really expected the other to take his hand and to repeat his own explanation, but he couldn't find it in himself to complain. When Kirishima completely skipped over his neck, Katsuki almost growled at himself for being a little upset about it. He'd respect Kiri's wishes, of course, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and block out his mind attempting to figure out how touching there might feel.

So he'd just sort of stared, slackjawed and eyes showing that his mind was a million miles away. And then Kiri let go of him and started walking again and he frowned, eyebrows pinching together. He turned to walk beside the other again, but his eyes stayed glued on his hand, which he lifted up to look at (glare at). He eventually snapped out of it and cleared his throat, linking his hands behind him so he was forced to keep them to himself. It wouldn't do to just go about touching up on someone he'd just met.

When Kiri mentioned him getting sick, it actually did force an involuntary shiver from him and he hugged himself, silently cursing himself. Saying fuck it, he actually partially unbuttoned the front of his shirt and pulled it over his head. It messed up his already wild hair, but he didn't look like he cared. He simply carried the shirt in one hand the rest of the way. When Kiri mentioned to him about being able to finally talk to someone after so long...not having to fight...it made him feel...He didn't know what it was making him feel. But he had to fight the urge to make an upset face because Kiri was finally getting to interact with people again and it had to be with him. The one person that was so not made for this.

He went in front of Kiri and used self-made handholds in the stone of the wall to haul himself back onto the balcony before reaching down with one hand for the other. "Here. I know where they keep all the good stuff in the kitchen." His smirk was different than any of the ones from earlier. It was playful, without any malice behind it.
 
Eijiro's eyes had remained forward for the most part as he carefully guided himself through the garden until they reached the stone wall. Then he glanced and noticed the other's shirt off. He was quick to look away, red flushing his cheeks and burning him underneath the skin. The wild look of his messy hair seemed to compliment the look, whatever look that was. Hot? Cute? Both?!

Ugh, he didn't know.

He stepped to the side as Katsuki pulled himself up, watching his muscles flex under his movements as he climbed up the wall with ease. He was a bit ashamed for staring the way he was, but he couldn't help it. The prince was such a sight. And he was beginning to understand him more than his own mother. He felt proud about that, that Katsuki was able to open up to him when he had built up all of these walls. He made it a plus because he'd done it under 24 hours! That had to be some record! Well if it wasn't it was now, or at least some sort of achievement for him.

Eijiro gladly took his hand, hoisting himself up as he gripped tightly to Katsuki's hand. A smirk of his own graced his lips as he pushed himself up, coming face to face with Katsuki. "Hell yeah, That's what the hell I'm talking about. I'm guessing you raid the kitchen all the time huh?" He laughed.

"I bet it's gonna be busy there too with a banquet tonight, so shouldn't we be extra sneaky? Is anyone even up?"

He was a mile a minute right now, seemingly hyper fixating on the idea of food. He drooled a little as he finally leaned over the edge and practically fell into the prince, bowling over him with a loud laugh.
 
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Katsuki caught him with his hands on either arm, holding Kiri firmly so that neither of them fell. His smirk broke only briefly so that he could huff out laugh as he nodded his head towards the room. "Servants will be up already, prepping. Its kind of an all day thing. But I know what I'm doing, trust me." He took Eijiro's hand again and pulled him through the doors and into the room.

He almost went straight through the other doors and into the hall, but paused briefly with an 'ah'. He let go of Kirishima's hand and threw his wet shirt on the bed without a care. He opened up his closet, which was obscenely embellished in a way that was entirely his mother, and sorted through a bunch of different shirts. He pulled a black button up out and threw it on without bothering to do any of the buttons, turning back with a huff. "Alright, follow me."

He opened his door and peeked out, nodding towards Kirishima and letting that smirk fall back into place.

He ended up leading them both down a corridor that looked rarely used and then down a flight of stairs through what seemed like a forgotten about door. He opened it slowly and peeked with one eye. His smirk widened and he chuckled as he looked back at Kirishima and raised a finger to his lips. "You can be the thief this time." And just like that, he threw open the door and walked right into the kitchen.

There were servants at every table, all doing seemingly different tasks, and they all stopped to look at him as he walked through. And despite how people might envision the interactions between Katsuki and his servants, they all smiled and greeted him like he wasn't royalty. Like they didn't have to care about status at all. He greeted them back and leaned against a table, stealing an apple out of a bowl of fruit that was being cut into pieces. "Looks good, it always does. Make sure you eat something yourselves, I don't want that Yamada guy or any of the others getting to be gluttonous when you're the one who worked all day to make this. Koharu-San, how's your father doing?" All of their eyes were focused on him as he talked. It was probably the longest string of sentences that had ever come out of his mouth, and everything he said was surprisingly genuine. More than that, they were all smiling at him like he came down and did this often.
 
Ei gave a goofy grin as Katsuki caught him, joining him in a laugh as they walked inside. He nodded as he explained about the servants and gladly accepted the hand.
He paused with him, watching him with a tilted head as he blinked at him. He scrunched his face up a little to the number of shirts, raising an eyebrow. Black was definitely his color, Ei concluded as he tossed on the shirt. After that, he followed close on Katsuki's heels. He peeked out overtop the blond's head and followed suit, taking in his surroundings as the morning sun filtered in. The castle was huge! Kiri was drawn back in from his admiration for the design of the building and its architect, and stared back to Bakugo, unable to resist returning the mischievous smirk he gave him. That looked good on him too.

His eyes went a little wide to his statement, but he didn't protest it! He watched the display, his jaw going slack to the sudden change in the mannerism of him. It was quick to wipe away as he followed in behind him, crouching low to the ground to hide behind the first table. He focused on his task on hand, eyeballing the plates of food above. He peeked up from his crouch slowly over the edge of the table, eyes flitting over to where Bakugo stood and talked. He couldn't help but be surprised at his words and the way he talked. And the servants seemed very. . .used to it. Something told Kirishima Bakugo did this often. Too often. He smirked, unable to help but realize, they weren't that much different in this aspect.

Ei snatched whatever pastry was settled on the plate with surprising speed, hunkering back down once he had grabbed two or four. He cradled them in his arm as he moved on to where the next plate was, letting his nose guide him with all the delicious smells. Without even looking, Eijiro reached up with his free hand to slowly drag forward an empty basket he had spotted on the edge of the table, and placed the four pastries in it. Now his next task, filling in the rest of the way! Eijiro slinked around the kitchen with no sound whatsoever, his feet silent and quick. He timed his way through though as servants dwindled about. A few times he had gone still, holding his breath as they walked right by him. As he snuck around, he grabbed whatever his hands could lay on, making sure to grab two of each. His mouth was watering.

At one point, Eijiro had to lift his head above one of the tables to stare and scootch a plate forward, only to duck down and have the servant that worked the table scoot the plate back in confusion as to how it moved. Eiji poked back up and frowned and shifted it again only to pop back down. This happened a few times with the plate before the servant gave an annoyed growl and lifted the plate up completely to figure out the hell was happening. Eiji's hand so happened to reach up at that moment, hand on top of the croissants, and extending his arm as the plate was raised.
Eijiro poked his head up, gave a slitted glare to the servant with a toothy snarl, causing the man to flinch back and drop the plate in surprise. So, Eijiro booked it to the next table. Of course, he just ended up piling the whole plate of the pastry into the basket and disregarded the confused servant. (Who seemed too stunned to make a scene.)

Now, he focused on the delicious smell of sausage and bacon. His mouth watered more as he neared that table, popped up, and just went ahead and snatched all of it. Okay, maybe it hadn't totally been him. but either way, MEAT!!! He looked like he had just scored the jackpot before moving on to grab some fruits he had spotted and some bread. He snatched some jam he found on one of the tables and some cheese, and he couldn't help but hiss in delight at finding some sort of beverage or two.

"Oi!" A voice called out from above Kiri as he had just finished pulling down the bottles, startling him in his task.
Eijiro slowly looked up to be faced with the servant from earlier, glaring daggers. Eijiro stared unphased with large eyes, popping a croissant in his mouth to mock him, flipping him the bird in even more mockery and a smirk to go with it. He ducked away under the tables as the guy gave a curse and reached to try and snatch the basket."Fucking thief!!"
He crouched as low as he could with this hefty basket, maneuvering as quickly as he could until he made it out the door again, giving himself a successful air pump with his free hand once he was successfully out.

Ei munched the croissant in his hand, humming out in satisfaction.
 
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At one of his servants yelling, Bakugo looked up from where he had been listening to someone talk about their daughter's birthday. He bit his lip to keep from cackling as Kirishima darted back through the door with a basket that was absolutely loaded with shit. He couldn't keep back his snort as he turned to his servants, walking backwards towards the door.

"Wow, so anyways, that's my cue." A smile battled for purchase on his face, despite how hard he fought it. His servants all looked exasperated, like they'd been somehow fooled once again and like they should know better. Though, Katsuki often came to the kitchen with pure intent and no stealing, too. So they'd it slide. He was the Prince, after all.

When he was back on the other side of the door, he closed it and whirled on Kiri. His Knight had a croissant in his mouth and looked like he was going to let go of it anytime soon. At the outrageous amount of food in the basket, Katsuki barked a surprised laugh. "Shit, man! Save room for the banquet tonight, there's no way you can eat that much." He looked up at the hungry expression on Eijiro's face and narrowed his eyes, "There's no way." He snorted and grabbed the basket from him, tossing his untouched apple in with the food and walking back up the stairs to find their way back to his room.

As he walked, he realized once again, just how tired he was. It hit him like a wave and he stumbled against the wall at one point. He caught himself, sniffed, and righted his stance so that it wouldn't happen again. It was bright and early now and he had barely slept a few hours. Coupled with the few hours he'd slept yesterday and the day before that? He wasn't doing too good, to say the least.

He was so tired, actually, that he was startled when someone approached them and didn't even really notice until they snatched the apple from the basket. His eyes flickered up with a scowl, but his face relaxed into mild annoyance as he realized it was only Aizawa.

The man before them looked a lot like he needed a nap, too. "What are you doing up so early, Katsuki?"

"That's Prince Bakugo, to you." He grumbled, but the fight wasn't there. After the excitement of their raid had begun to wear off, his vision had started going double.

Aizawa chuckled and a weird smile spread across his face, "No, it's not."

Creepy old man. He told him that, too. "Creepy old man."

Aizawa blanched, "I'm like thirty..." He recovered quickly and let his eyes wander to Eijiro. Something like recognition sparked on his face, but also something else. Something he wasn't going to address. "Who's your friend, Prince Bakugo?"

Ew, he hated that title, even though he had asked for it. Katsuki shrugged and tried to move past Aizawa, who moved with him to block his path. Creepy old man! He finally rolled his eyes and gestured with a nod towards Eijiro, "Personal Guard. Named last evening."

"Thought so. So this is the reason we're being forced to attend a party tonight?"

"I guess." Bakugo snapped, growing even more annoyed as the seconds passed.

Aizawa snorted and reached up to ruffle Katsuki's hair, who hissed like a dying cat and attempted to swat the hand away. "Alright, I'll leave you alone til then, I guess. It's nice to meet you, Personal Guard. Make the Prince here get some sleep, alright?" He finally released Katsuki's head as the other went to wrench his hand off and started down the hall again.

When Aizawa passed Eijiro, he made eye contact with him and the look on his face spoke volumes, as well as the wide smile there. But he didn't say anything other than, "He's a handful, that one. Be careful." The warning was probably not about Katsuki. And then he was gone. Like one second he was in that hall, and then he wasn't.

Katsuki finally regained his composure, having heard nothing of what Aizawa had said to his Knight. He ruffled his hair back into place, which was just getting to be a state of extreme wildness, and started off towards his door with a huff. "That guy is the fucking worst, so just avoid him as much as possible." He opened his door, didn't stumble inside, and set the basket of food on his desk. He immediately went to go sit on the bed, but missed the edge and sat hard on the floor instead. He tried to play it off by leaning against the side of the bed and crossing his arms, but the scowl on his face revealed everything. He was tired. But he wasn't going to sleep. That was final.
 
Ei's large eyes looked up to Katsuki from where he sat against the wall, giving a large ass grin around the croissant hanging from his mouth. He Hugged the basket for a moment with a challenging stare, muffling out a few words around the bread."I goff enuff for boff of ufs!" He protests out to the prince before popping what was left hanging out of his mouth, holding it, "But I can eat that much if I wanted! Food is amazing!"He was quick to stand after Katsuki too the basket from him, like he was protesting and about to throw a fit that someone had just taken his prize! That was his! He shook it away quickly though, knowing it was just instincts talking at that moment. There was plenty and he could share. Kiri followed next to him, taking small and controlled bites out of the food in his hand now, trying to not shove it down his throat and seem like a beast; despite how hungry he was and wanted to do nothing but stuff his face as much as possible.

He eyed the basket the whole time they walked until he noticed Katsuki stumbling and running into the wall. Concern etched onto his face and he went to reach out to his arm to steady him. Though he hesitated as Katsuki righted himself and brushed it off like it hadn't happened. Right, okay. Stubborn much? He was so focused on making sure Katuski wouldn't just fall over on his face, that he too was spooked by the voice. His shoulders tensed as he stared in alarm towards the black-haired male that had approached. Damn, where did he come from?! His eyes flickered to Katsuki to watch his body language, reading it closely before slowly relaxing his own body as Kats' relaxed as well. Okay. Not a threat. Just an annoyance. Eijiro was quick to shove the rest of his treat into his mouth, clamping it shut and folding his arms behind his back, trying to look as casual as possible. He chewed slowly, watching the interaction between them in silence. He almost choked to Kat's comment about 'creepy old man', turning away so as not to cough out the pastry in front of them in case any came flying out.

He turned around just in time to catch Aizawa's gaze, freezing and locking eyes. He stared him down, looking him up from head to toe, a small, pensive frown forming on his lips. Why did the guy look like he knew him or something? Ei had never seen him in his life... unless...
That was quite possible. The rich and those looking for an event went to the ring all the time, so he wouldn't put it past him. It still didn't shake the troubling feeling the knight had from staring at Aizawa. Not to mention that other look he had that Ei couldn't quite place. It made him wary of the other. It made him even warier when he blocked Bakugo off from trying to walk. It caused the protective side of him to flare up, his shoulders going tense again. He didn't really like this aura this guy was giving off.

He stayed frozen in his spot, his ruby eyes following Aizawa's every move like a predator eyeing its prey, just without the hunger. More so out of territorial means, or trying to intimidate. Especially as he ruffled Katsuki's hair, knowing damn well Katsuki didn't like to be touched. Eijiro didn't respond as Aizawa didn't even bother to ask for his name or even make an effort to figure it out and just called him his occupation. He really did not like this guy. As he went to go follow Katsuki, he froze mid-step to what Aizawa had to mumble to him, and he shot him a glare over his shoulder, staring after him only to see him gone. The fuck was that supposed to mean?! He gave a glare around to search for the stranger, only to finally give up and sprint to catch up to Katsuki.

He wore a troubled look, repeating the man's words in his head. Surely he meant Katuski? Or maybe he didn't? He didn't respond as Katsuki warned him, he didn't need the warning. His gut was telling him the same thing long beforehand. He shook it away as he watched Katsuki. If he wasn't worried he would've probably laughed at him, but right now he just showed nothing but concern and sympathy. He needed sleep. Especially if he were to attend tonight and not pass out on everyone. He sighed to his prince's stubbornness and moved to crouch in front of him, ignoring the basket completely and at him with a knowing look. "Can we make a deal?" He asked quietly after a few moments to gather his thoughts. "Well not even really a deal. I'm not going to eat until I know you're curled up nice and comfy in that bed and asleep, Kats. You look like a zombie! You can barely walk let alone sit down on your own bed. Please? Look, I can take your knife so you won't risk hurting me if that's what you're worried about to not sleep. and the nightmares? You'll be fine. I'll wake you up, without touching you. I promise. I'll be in here, across the room, watching the area. I swear."
 
Katsuki blinked up at him through bleary eyes as he spoke, before realizing he'd been nodding out of it and snapping to attention. He straightened out his spine and lifted his chin, eyes clearing and showing that he was finally paying attention. Just a slip up, he was fine. He didn't really need to sleep. He was insistent on that.

Part of him wanted to say yes and finally give in, crawl into bed and pass out without a care. But it wasn't that easy, and he was prideful, too. He believed Kirishima. He believed that if he gave up his knife, he'd be fine. He believed that if he had a nightmare, Kiri would wake him up without touching him. But...

Katsuki rubbed at his eyes, sighing, "Listen," He lowered his hands and looked up at Kirishima through his lashes, eyes once again struggling to focus, "I know that if I lay down and go to sleep right now, I'll just end up having a nightmare and that's..." He frowned deeply, "Not a fucking word to anyone, but they scare me, okay? There are a million things I rather do." He attempted to stand, feeling angry because of how weak he was being. He felt his way onto the edge of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, resting his head between his palms and trying his best to keep his eyes open. "So the plan is. I'm gonna just ride this out." He stood up again after a few seconds and walked over to the basket, rifling out a peach and offering it to Kirishima, "You're hungry. You should eat." He stared down at the floor, knowing he was being ridiculous.
 
Watching the display only made Eijiro doubt Katsuki's words more. He couldn't believe the other was actually refusing to sleep. The nightmares. .. they were that bad? Bad enough to scare big and bad Bakugo Katsuki? He looked troubled to that. They always did say your mind was your worst enemy. He sighed heavily out of his nose, tilting his head to his to him.

"I won't tell anyone. I have no reason to tell anyone, plus who else do I talk to, besides you? Not only that but Rule 2, remember?" He sounded hopeful as he spoke, his voice calm. "Look. Nightmares are.. . they're a way into the mind, is what my mom used to tell me. It's your...your fears taking advantage of your mind when you're at your most vulnerable. The best way to get rid of the nightmare is to face the nightmare, head-on." He stared at him, watching him climb onto the bed, standing up to make sure he didn't need help up. "And I know.. . that sounds ridiculous but it's the truth. Find a way to face it head-on, and tell it to fuck off, as you do in the real world!" Ei gave a soft smile, moving to sit on the edge of the bed now next to him. "You can't ride out not sleeping, Kats. IT's impossible. Some way or another, you're going to sleep. Whether you do it on your own, or your body starts shutting down and forces you to sleep. It's not healthy, and you can become sickly. Can't become king one day if you're just sick all the time, now can you?!" He hoped having that brought up would urge him to sleep, or maybe even make him realize just how bad not sleeping was. It would explain a lot as to why Bakugo was always very snappy. Maybe if he got some well-deserved rest, he wouldn't be as feisty? Honestly, that was probably just Bakugo, but still. He'd bet he'd feel ten times better if he just slept than just two hours a day.

Eijiro gave a slightly annoyed huff to Bakugo standing up and grabbing a peach to hand to him. Eijiro stared at it and then back up to Katsuki's face. He really needed to get to sleep here soon. He was looking worse and worse the more he forced himself.

"You're tired. You should sleep." He huffed back, purposefully wording it like Katsuki had done to get his point across; shaking his head to the adverted gaze Kats gave him. "It's the same concept here, Katsuki. I can be a little more lenient in my stubbornness than you. I have enough time to eat when you are sleeping. YOU don't have the time not to sleep because of this banquet. Your time is limited, not mine. Eating takes a few minutes. Sleeping takes hours. So I'm not taking another bite of your castle food until I know you're sleeping like a bear in hibernation. Because honestly? That's what you need. I bet you haven't slept more than two hours a night this whole week. That's not good...." Ei paused as an idea popped up in his head, his eyes lighting up. Of course! Maybe that might work! He stood, walking over to Katsuki and taking the peach out of his hand, tossing it behind Katsuki back into the basket. He grabbed his hands in his own, staring at him pleadingly.

"What if I sang you a lullaby my mom used to sing to me . . do you think that might help calm you down enough to sleep?"
 
Katsuki listened intently to Kirishima's words, focusing on them with every fiber of his being as he attempted to stay standing upright. He knew the Knight was right and that irked him. It seemed Kirishima was right about most things and that was going to be hard for Bakugo to adjust to. When he offered the peach, he felt silly. When Kirishima tossed his wording back at him and discarded the peach, he felt even sillier.

When Kirishima gripped his hands and looked at him with hope in his eyes as he asked to sing him a fucking lullaby, he pouted. It was probably just because he was so damn tired that he let the expression onto his face and stay there for any length of time, muttering, "A lullaby? I'm not a baby..." But the idea of a mother like that...one that would sing their son to sleep...

He steeled himself against the wave of emotion threatening him and instead stared at Eijiro's hands in his, "But, whatever. You can try if you want. I make no fucking promises." He had meant to walk over to the bed then, but instead kept staring at their hands, his expression growing steadily more constipated.

He was awkward. He was being awkward. Katsuki didn't realize he was capable of something like that!! It made him feel embarrassed for the millionth time in just one day and yet, he couldn't help it. He just kept staring daggers into their hands.
 
Ei couldn't help his own embarrassment at keeping his hands in Katsuki's but didn't bother moving them away, not this time. Part of him was enjoying this contact, feeling the warmth of calloused hands in his own calloused hands. Rough yet... yet smooth? He wasn't sure how that was possible but it was the best way to describe it. And the other part of him was worried to death Katsuki was just going to collapse right then and there, and he wanted to be there to settle him. He felt better knowing he had Katsuki hanging on somehow.

Ei's eyes went bright from KAtsuki's agreement, grinning to match his gaze. He quickly, yet carefully, pulled Katsuki back over to the bed, moving to gently push him down on the edge of the bed, promptly setting himself down once the prince was under the covers and settled comfortably. "Y'don't have to be a baby for a lullaby, silly. It's a song. Lullabies can be anything." He reasoned with a gentle grin. "Here. I'll take your blade now. I promise you won't need it. Not while I'm watching you." He waited, holding his hand out for it. Once he had it, he shoved it carefully into his boot. Ei looked to the floor for a moment, seeming to be in thought for a few seconds. He was wracking his brain for the engraved tune in his mind, as well as the words to the small song his mother taught him from the nest. It was one that he enjoyed to this day. He sang it to himself all the time, a way to comfort himself and give him a sense of ease. And now, he was passing it on, hoping it too would ease Katsuki just as it had done for him.

The dragon shifted a little, a bubble of nervousness forming in his chest as he realized just what he was doing. Singing. In front of someone else, someone he had just met. His cheeks flared at the sudden insecurities filling his head. What if his voice was worse than he thought it to be already? What if he stumbled over the lyrics in a fit of nerves or messed up the tune? His head leaped a little, spiking at the anxiety clawing at him. And then, he inhaled and exhaled a few times to still it. No, he could do it, he had to. For Katsuki. He just had to pretend he wasn't there! "I'm.. a bit rusty so forgive me." He mumbled finally as he breathed again to settle his nerves further. And then, he started out, closing his eyes and taking a breath in.
He started off nervously, his voice quiet as he tried to find purchase of this situation, but it didn't take long at all for him to warm up once he did.

"Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go"

Now, he was fully into it after just the first verse, his body and voice relaxing from the tension and nerves as he fully eased into the song and emersed himself into it.

"May you sail far to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet,"

He really did forget that Katsuki was there as he focused in on the lyrics, his voice filling the quiet room as he continued, his confidence building up the more he sang.

"May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"

His voice was gentle as he sang to Katsuki, his body very gently moving in time with the tune he sang out in his voice.

May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the end of your days
Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay

Ei slowly opened his eyes, smiling a little softer than earlier, feeling a gentle pang in the heart as he thought of his mother while wrapping up the song, thinking back to how he used to join in with her to finish it, no matter how sleepy he would get.

May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li lai-lay "

Once he finished, he sat there in silence, staring at seemingly nothing for a second, and then turned his attention to check to see if his idea had worked; seeing if he had managed to lull the other into a much-needed sleep.
 
Katsuki let Kiri lead him to the bed, staying silent the whole time as his brain worked into overdrive trying to keep up with all of these weird decisions he keeps making. He barely registered as he was coerced into the bed and begrudgingly tossed the covers over himself, folding them over his head and hiding everything but his eyes and nose. He knew he looked absolutely ridiculous, glaring out of his blanket cocoon, but he needed a way to hide his face at least a little. To hide himself. He was baring so many things in such little time that his mind was having to play catch up, trying to figure out why he was completely ignoring his walls. He decided he was just going to have to blame Kirishima on that one and concluded that train of thought with a soft grunt, seemingly out of nowhere.

When Kiri asked for his knife, he reached out of his cocoon and sifted under his pillow before reluctantly dropping it into the Knight's outstretched hand. It made him anxious to see it stuffed into Kirishima's boot, to not have it within reaching distance. But he really rather not accidentally kill the Knight, so sacrifices had to be made.

Katsuki scoffed under his blanket as Eijiro apologized for his voice in advance. "Oh, please, you probably sing like a fucking angel, I'd be surprised if you didn't." It was a Katsuki brand compliment, if anything. But it was true. Kiri was just...so...well, he was pretty. And Katsuki couldn't think of a reason why that wouldn't also mean he had a pretty voice. Because that was Bakugo logic at its finest and he hadn't slept in weeks, so give him a break.

Though, he had to admit, he was right. Eijiro had started off with this nervous lilt, something that Katsuki found annoyingly endearing, and then he had gotten more comfortable and...

Bakugo couldn't even really be mad at the way Kirishima's voice made him feel. He wanted to, trust that, but he couldn't. His eyes involuntarily shuttered and he had to blink them open forcibly a few times. His chest felt tight, but his muscles relaxed. He was calm and anxious at the same time and he didn't understand how that worked.

Kirishima's voice was just so soft, so comforting, so spoken just for him. It ached. It ached in that way he had noticed earlier, when he had craved for Kiri to touch him. It ached so much so that his hand ended up moving on it's own, across the bed and towards Kiri as if wanting to pull him closer. But instead, he caught himself, fisted the sheets and buried his face deeper into the blanket.

And he continued to try and fight against the soothing sound of his Knight's singing. Tried to fight it off like a sickness. But he was so tired and...

He lost, eventually. Around the 'may you bring love-' part was when he finally bit the bullet and passed out. His face stayed screwed up in the very image of discomfort for a while before it slowly relaxed and he began to look like what a normal and not traumatized person might look like when they slept. His lips parted as he took even breaths and his hand released from the sheet, just a little.

It was actually not until the sun was high in the sky, a bit past afternoon, that he would start to have another fit. He had been sleeping so soundly, so undisturbed for hours, but then a nightmare began bit by bit. At first, the only tell was his nose twitching, a frown, his fingers clenching and unclenching. But it soon escalated to thrashing and then-

"I'll fucking kill you."
 
Kiri breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as he took in the sleeping form of Katsuki, watching him slowly relax his body and his face as he slipped deeper into a sleeping state. He looked...peaceful...calm... the most he had seen since meeting him. The sunlight that filtered through shone on what part of his face Ei could see. He looked.. .beautiful. His cheeks warmed up, suddenly remembering Kat's statement before he started singing.

"Oh, please, you probably sing like a fucking angel, I'd be surprised if you didn't."

That compliment. It made his heart thrum happily, stomach fluttering with more butterflies. It was sincere in Bakugo's own way. He wondered if he had been right. IT also made him wonder Katsuki's view of him. Was he just being nice? Trying to compliment him in ways that could bring them closer as friends? Or did it hint so much more. His heart lurched to the last question. It wanted so desperately for that to be the answer, but Ei knew better. Katsuki was more than likely just complimenting him, building their bond as Prince and Knight. That was it. There were no feelings involved here. There couldn't be. It was too early and, and!..

And even Ei couldn't place his own feelings. He was conflicted with himself too. It was too early for him to tell. And he didn't want to be an idiot and fall too fast or convince himself of something that wasn't even there, only to get hurt; which was really easy for him sometimes, emotionally.

He calmed the thoughts for a moment, very quietly and slowly shifting away from the edge of the bed. He admired the other for a while before finally deciding to leave him to rest. "Night Kats." He whispered, making his way to the other side of the room and grabbing the basket. He grabbed the plates of already cold sausage and bacon and began to munch quietly, scooting down to the floor by the door, leaning on the stone wall. His dragon was appeased from the food, his stomach full for the first time in a long time.
___

Ei had sat there for the last few hours, unmoving from his post. (Besides getting up at one point the close the curtains so Katsuki could remain unbothered.)
He was relieved that Katsuki was sleeping, despite how bored he was right about now. He found himself investing time to look at his new blade Katsuki had offered him, running his fingers along it and trying to read the inscriptions. He had mused his hair, fixing it from where it had ruined in the rain. He kept it down, realizing he would have time later to get ready for the banquet once time grew closer.

That was until his eyes caught sight of movement on the bed. Ei perked up, scanning the room to make sure it was still them, and slowly stood. Once he had that confirmation, he moved silently, watching the way his body twitched and his face scrunched up. He had gotten up to the side of the bed by the time he was full-on thrashing and then the shout. It startled the dragon for only a moment. He stuck a hand out to gently shake the prince and quickly decided against it, remembering the touching rule and boundaries.

Swallowing, Kirishima leaned down, keeping a distance between them, knitting his eyebrows together. He had been doing so well without a nightmare. .

"Katsuki?" He called out once, his voice gentle and breathless as he tried to keep quiet.
 
Katsuki was having a bad one. Worse than the one earlier and worse than the ones from the past few weeks. It wasn't so much a memory as it was a feeling he was having, in his dream. It was fear, death, loneliness. There were the faces of several assassins. None of them were alive anymore, but in his dream they were. And in his dream, he was weak. He wasn't strong enough to fight them off. Katsuki had had at least one assassin every year since his birth. One assassin for every year. He was turning 17 soon...where was his birthday present?

He tossed in his sleep again, rolling over to face Kirishima and somehow hearing his name. It startled him, because he was an extremely light sleeper, even during a nightmare. He had to be. So at the whispering of his name, his eyes snapped open wide and the fear and anger there didn't flee immediately. Sweat was beaded on his face and had made parts of his hair stick to him, like he'd just gotten into a fight, and his breathing was stuttered. One hand reached for his knife, searching under his pillow but not finding it. His heartbeat grew faster at that before his eyes locked with Eijiro's and he paused.

Right. His breathing stopped and he just stared. Stared until he was forced to breathe again and then it came out all at once, making him feel dizzy. Right. He blinked, his exhaustion once again taking over his body and he tried his best to keep his eyes open, to keep making eye contact with Kirishima. Because those red eyes across from him were the only thing offering his fragile mind stability in that moment. The only thing that screamed safe.

His heartbeat was in his throat and his eyes kept trying to close on him, but he was terrified of going back under, so in sleepy Bakugo fashion he reached out and grabbed Kirishima's hand, like he had wanted to earlier. He tugged lightly, forcing Kiri onto the bed but no closer than that, and brought their clasped hands to rest near his face as he closed his eyes with a pained expression.

"Sing me sumthin', ur voice 's nice." He mumbled into his pillow, not fully coherent enough to realize he was being somewhat clingy and demanding and too honest. "An' don't fuckin' leave."

He mumbled something else that was almost a cohesive sentence, along the lines of 'shitty hair' and 'dumb pretty eyes', but it wasn't meant to be an insult. And he ended up falling asleep as he was still saying something. His grip on Kirishima's hand stayed strong, even as the rest of his body relaxed once again, like an anchor keeping him from floating away. It was something he did with Midorya once, but had been too embarrassed to do a second time. Though, his thoughts hadn't exactly strayed that far when he was reaching for Kirishima's hand. Mostly his tired brain had been thinking 'Safe. Keep it close.'
 
Ei's eyes trained onto Katsuki, watching his wake up the process in agonizing worry. He shifted back a little at the sudden roll and snap of his eyes. He detected the movement of Katsuki grabbing for the knife that was no longer there, glad that he had taken it from him in the first place. It was like him grabbing it was an automatic response. Instinct. That panged Kirishima that Katsuki had developed that habit, but the world just wasn't kind enough to spare anyone, not even royalty.

As they made eye contact, Kiri's breath left his throat in what sounded like relief. He watched as Kats tried to keep his eyes open as they stared at one another, watching his struggle against his body. He wasn't sure what to do at first as Katsuki reached out to him, but he surely did not resist. But he hadn't expected the tug, being pulled onto the bed near Katsuki. His heart hammered in his chest against his ribs, eyes a little wide as he hesitantly shifted himself so he was laying down and not awkwardly leaning over him and the bed. His cheeks flared a deep red as he realized as well that Bakugo wasn't going to release their hands anytime soon. They rested together against the pillow he was using in a strong grip, despite his relaxing body. The pained expression that twisted in Bakugo's face pained him also like he was sharing the pain with him. He wanted it to go away, and let it be replaced with that calming look from earlier. He just wanted him to be able to be comfortable and ...safe.

His lips parted to the mumble Katsuki gave him and he couldn't help another flutter of the stomach. He couldn't believe this, in all honesty, especially as the prince told him not to leave. Not to let go and leave the bed. He swallowed. Well, if this is what the prince wanted and was comfortable enough to do, he'd follow orders and do so. He didn't mind himself one bit. The closeness, even though there was still a bit of distance between them, made his breath hitch as he gazed at the half-conscious state of his prince.

The phrases he was able to pick up from Katsuki's mumbling made his ears burn. Had he heard that right? No, surely his mind was playing tricks on him. Katsuki did not just call his eyes pretty. Or compliment his hair in his own Bakugo style. And the way his voice sleepily called out, he knew he had no evil or mean intent behind it. He was being honest in his sleepy state. Well, he might as well make himself comfortable, he thought as he shifted onto his side, facing Katsuki. He gently returned the grip on his hand, welcoming it. Kiri couldn't help but think, he could lay like this forever. Holding his hand, staring at him as he lay near him, close enough to be able to watch the rise and fall of his chest. To watch the flickering behind his eyelids and whenever his face twitched.

"I won't. ." he whispered suddenly before he could even realize the words were leaving his mouth. "I won't leave you Kats.." 'Ever', he wanted to add but didn't, his voice catching in his throat to it.
He stared at the blond now with half-lidded eyes, starting to hum a gentle tune behind closed lips. He decided on humming out another soft song, rather than singing it, figuring that might be better since he was already sleeping. He refused to move, trying to stay as still as possible for the sleeping prince, just gazing at him in admiration again for a while.

His dragon gave a purr, and Kiri didn't even hold it back this time, not even realizing he was doing it after he finished the song. It rumbled lowly, quietly, and soothingly. It was content, sounding out in such a gentle way, that it too could even be considered a melody of its own.
 
Even as he was sleeping and wasn't aware of what was happening, Katsuki felt soothed by the purring emanating from Kirishima's throat. His subconscious was aware of it and clung to the sound, further causing him to relax as he slept. He stayed like that until the sun had just started dipping again, the most he'd slept at one time in maybe his entire life. He barely moved at all and his breathing stayed even, no nightmares coming to claim him. The only movement really was his hand gripping Kirishima's tighter from time to time whenever his hold loosened too much.

Eventually, he did wake up. But not because he himself opened his eyes and decided it was time to leave his nest. But because his door opened with a slam and someone who looked oddly similar to Aizawa was lowering his foot after obviously having used it to kick the door in. He had his hands down at his sides and his shoulders slumped, eyes locked on them lazily. "Oi, Bakugo. Aizawa said-" And before anything else, his nostrils flared and his eyes went into slits as he stalled in the middle of the room. It was clear from his face, from his movements, that he had not expected Kirishima to be there. In fact, he was surprised by a number of things happening before him that Aizawa had definitely not filled him in on.

His expression quickly went from lazy to aggressive and a low rumble started from his chest, but all of this was quickly covered up as Katsuki opened his eyes and glared.

"The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Room. Weird Ass."

Shinso kept his eyes firmly on Kirishima as he addressed the Prince, "Get the fuck up, you should have started getting ready an hour ago."

"You didn't answer. My fucking question." Katsuki sat up, not yet realizing he was holding Kirishima's hand still. "I'm capable of waking my damn self up."

Shinso let his eyes slide to Katsuki and then to Eijro and finally their hands. "Uh huuhhhh..." He had this creepy grin on his face when he looked Katsuki in the eyes again. "Damn, you move fast. It's been like, one night? Midoriya that replaceable?"

Katsuki couldn't say he was honestly that surprised at the scathing comment, which was obviously meant to get a rise out of him. But it still bit into him, stung in all the right places and made him seethe. He hadn't even had a chance to really wake up and this was being thrown in his face. He wanted to cause a scene, to fight with him like he always did when they were in the same room. But he couldn't do that. He didn't take his hand out of Eijiro's for a good minute, mostly to prove a point, but also to reassure Eijiro that what he said didn't get under his skin. When he did release the other's hand, he got out of the bed, ran his hand through his hair lazily and walked up to Shinso. He walked so close that their noses almost touched, having to look up slightly at the taller boy, but still putting off a much more intimidating aura.

"Midoriya liked you. But I don't. So you don't get to talk to me that way." He backed off and assumed a neutral expression. "I'll be there when I'm there. Tell Aizawa that." He huffed and turned his back on Shinso, a sign of dismissal. He made sure his posture showed no signs of caring as the other barked a laugh and gave a mockery of a bow.

Since Bakugo was no longer looking at him, as Shinso left, he let his eyes slit again and stared Kiri down, even as he technically addressed the Prince, "See ya later, then." He left without closing the door and Bakugo was forced to do it himself, locking it with a frown.

Despite waking up to that confrontation, when he turned back to Kirishima, his body still said relaxed and his eyes were bright. He smirked as if nothing had happened. "Man, that guy's annoying. Ugh, I didn't try and murder you again, did I?" He only vaguely remembered having a nightmare. Which was awesome, because usually they would haunt him for a while afterwards.
 
The purrs continued after further realizing it was keeping the blond calm and relaxed. And after a while, Kirishima himself started to drift off. He stayed in a state between both being awake and being asleep. Even though he had his eyes closed and was drifting, he could still hear around him.

His grip on Bakugo's hand stayed firm, his hand twitching every so often as he felt Bakugo's grip fluctuate between loosening up and tightening again throughout his slumber. He was content, laying here in the warmth and comfort of the prince's presence. It was almost like he was floating in nothingness right now, his own body relaxing to match the atmosphere around them. It was soft, cozy, and he wouldn't be lying if he said he could bask in this for the rest of the night.

He gave a small unseen pout at the thought of the banquet they were currently resting for. Now that he thought back to it, he remembered that Aizawa guy mentioning something about him being named Royal Guard the cause of the banquet. Were they really holding a banquet because of him? For him? The thought of that caused his chest to swell in a swirl of pride and astonishment. Wow. He couldn't have imagined a life like this two years ago. If someone had told him about being a royal guard and living a life most people dreamed of, he wouldn't believe them in the slightest. He'd call them crazy.

He sighed contently through his nose, curling in closer on himself, the rumbling purrs seemingly growing louder.


Oh, he was absolutely startled, (more irritated and bummed that their sleeping session had been interrupted) by the sudden kick-in of the door. He sprang up from where he lay, his purring ceasing at the interruption, and drew Katsuki's dagger from his boot. He stared with narrowed eyes to the door as he blearily blinked towards it to clear his vision. The dragon within him stirred angrily the moment Shinso's presence was made, filling him with a sudden urge to just surge forward and size the other male up in a show of dominance, to stake his territory and chase him out. He hissed out at the sight of the purple-haired male, his hand in Katuski's tightening protectively. His own red eyes went to slits at the overwhelming scent of the other dragon, which only confirmed further what his dragon-side had already confirmed moments before. It wasn't hard for Ei to detect another kin around him, especially since it'd been years since he had last interacted with another of his species. Another dragon! Here! In the castle! And with him mentioning that same name Kats' had named earlier, this Aizawa guy that gave him an unsettling feeling, he'd been here a while. And if that was the case.. Ei was in his territory.

This confused Ei a little. Did that mean they didn't know about this other dragon?? How long had he been here if it'd been awhile? How the fuck had he managed this long to bypass them? The questions were just flooding his brain until Kirishima forced them back, telling himself he'd worry about getting those answers later. Right now, he needed this other male to leave before he did something they'd both regret later on. He wasn't sure why he was being so....hostile towards someone of his kind. Typically Ei was so welcoming and friendly towards others, no matter how hostile they appeared to him. He should be ecstatic to see another! But no, he'd rather tear the guy's throat out right now or scare him far away. Far away from this room, Katsuki, this castle, regardless if this was Shinso's territory or not. Not anymore. Ei would be sure to stake his claim where he deemed fit, and he'd fight that bastard for it, too. (Which was really uncharacteristic of him.)

The scent, the aggressiveness that rolled off Shinso only made Eijiro tense more, ready to just throw himself at him. Ei's own scent, that only other dragons could pick up on, was sour with his own hostility and rage-fired aggression. Maybe the fact of the matter was that the other had just barged in here like he had the privilege to just kick the door down whenever he wanted. Ei would be sure to put a stop to that immediately. The only explanation for Ei reacting the way he was, was out of defensive, natural instinct. The urge to protect what he deemed his. Plus, he had no idea who this dragon was, which only made it worse. For all he knew and did know right now, Shinso was just a trespasser that was threatening the comfort of the area. Even though, it was more than likely the other way around with this being Shinso's territory.

His upper lip twitched upward to show his bared teeth before Katsuki could pop up. And once he did, it dropped, but that glare sure as hell didn't. His eyes stayed in slits and narrowed. He wasn't going to back off as he locked eyes with Shinso while his...their.... prince spoke. Oh, this bastard was only making this worse as he made a comment after Eijiro watched his eyes drift down to where their hands lay clasped together. Midoriya? Who was Midoriya? He'd have to ask about that too. It seemed Ei was more worked up over that statement than Kat's was and he couldn't place why.

Ei wasn't too fond of the idea of letting go of Katsuki's hand but did so as the prince pulled himself out of the bed. And when he stepped up to Shinso and got not even inches apart, it caused Ei's dragon to go into an unknown fit of rage, snarling at the proximity of them. 'GET HIM AWAY', the phrase was shouted within his mind over and over with Eijiro scowling at it. He calmed it slightly after pointing out mentally about the intimidating aura Katsuki alone was letting off. It seemed the prince wasn't too happy or too close with this Shinso guy. His dragon purred in satisfaction to that but still urged for Eijiro to go separate them and force Shinso out. Eijiro fought the strong urge, despite how hard it was, despite how much he wanted to. He remained where he lay, still keeping his eyes on every movement made. He couldn't make a scene.

It caused a smug look to cross Ei's face as he kept his dagger-glaring gaze on the intruder as Katsuki voiced he didn't like him and dismissed him. They locked eyes again and Eijiro's body jumped in Shinso's direction a little as he left, like a small motion display of 'try me.' He hoped he saw it, too. The moment Bakugo turned to go shut the door after Shinso was gone, Ei was sure to unslit his eyes, relaxing his body slowly. But that didn't mean he kept that angry glare on the door long after Shinso had left, Bakugo had shut the door, and was now acknowledging him.No, it stayed a little while longer until Eijiro forced his gaze away to stare to Bakugo now.

Seeing the bright eyes of the prince relaxed him further, his body flooding now with a sense of relief and calmness as he flushed out the feelings of rage and hostility. His face relaxed, a small smile now taking its rightful place on his lips. The other looked a hundred times better. (not in terms of attractive looks or overall health, but he definitely looked well-rested.) Eijiro sighed what left of the rage he felt out through his nose, calming himself down more. "No, you didn't actually. You actually slept really well, just like I thought you would! Y'look like you had a pretty good sleep, too" Eijrio clambered off the bed to go stand in front of Kats, offering him the blade back. "We should really start getting ready though, I'd hate to have your mother giving herself another reason to scold you any more than you already have..Who is that guy anyway?" He added that last question, trying to be casual about it, though he looked a bit... unhappy about asking it.

Ei had no idea to why the hell he had just acted the way he did, but he didn't like it, even though it was only natural. They were both young adult males. Things like this were common. It still didn't mean he didn't like it; Having this sudden idea of competition. Competition over what? Well...The only thing he could figure was either over territory between them both or Katsuki. . .
 
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Katsuki watched the subtleties of Eijiro's posture, his expression. He marked them carefully. Eijiro was tense and somewhat unhappy, that much was clear, but he couldn't exactly place why. He had to sum it up to the fact that someone had barged in and he had just had a stand off with them, a complete stranger to Ei, if not a recurring annoyance to Bakugo. Katsuki had not been at all aware of the two dragons posturing at eachother, but he had sensed some sort of rise in the room. A deafening aggression. It made little sense to him, other than the fact that Shinso had been being a prick and he was always a prick, so he discarded the thoughts for now.

Katsuki accepted the blade with a sigh of relief, staring down at it and running his fingertips over the metal. He looked back up at Kirishima and snorted, "It's okay to say I looked like shit, I did. Still do." His nose scrunched up, "I need a bath or something." His face was then set into the calm determination of someone beginning a task that they had to do often. He carefully placed his knife on his desk and threw the shirt that was barely staying on off his shoulders and opened his closet again. "I don't do the servants dressing me thing, in case you were wondering. Some of the others do, but it just seems kind of..." He shrugged, unable to find the words, "I'm sure you can dress yourself, though. You'll probably have something laid out for you already. Servants tend to let themselves in." He said nothing of any clothes they might have brought him. Which they didn't. He preferred to dress himself and they had learned that a long time ago.

He pulled out a couple of shirts and jackets and threw them on his bed, barely looking at the things he was removing from his closet. "As for the Queen, she can get over it. As long as I'm not making a fool of myself in the public eye, she generally doesn't give a shit. I dunno if you've ever noticed, but," He turned slightly to catch Kirishima's gaze, the spitting image of his mother, "we're somewhat alike, whether I'm okay with that or not." He wasn't, was what his head helpfully supplied to him once he'd turned back to his closet.

When Eijiro asked about Shinso, Katsuki was once again attuned to the aggression there. He ignored it and turned, walking over to Kirishima and looking at him with analytical eyes, like his mind was a million miles away. "So, Aizawa is my tutor. Was, really. I haven't done any real studying in at least a year because of...reasons. Anyways, Shinso is kind of his adopted son, found him somewhere, I dunno. I don't keep up on things like that. All I know is he's been a pain in my ass since we were like ten. He's a Knight now, like you." Katsuki reached up as if to touch Kirishima's neck, then jerked back as he remembered their boundaries discussion. Right. Instead, he simply stared and then tilted his head before walking right past him and over to an unused-looking vanity display in one corner by the balcony. He opened a few drawers, making disapproving noises in the back of his throat. "Aizawa's kind of weird, but he means well. He helped, uh, raise me. I guess. Still a bastard, though. And Shinso has a bad habit of digging at the wrong nerves, always has. Just don't," He finally found what he was looking for, pulling out a box and opening it before closing it again and walking back towards Kiri, "don't let 'im get in your head. It's his favorite thing to do." He held out the little box and opened it, "Wear this instead of whatever necklace they pick out for you. They don't dress me and it's important we match." As if realizing what he just said, he scoffed, "Fucking...because of politics." The necklace inside was simple, but no less beautiful for it. It was made of intricately woven silver band that formed a branch-like design and embedded with rubies, clasped together with a little chain.
 
"I never said you looked like shit, and you don't. You just look well-rested now. You practically looked dead earlier from the circles under your eyes." He hummed out, treading carefully with his words. He'd much rather call Katsuki beautiful than say all that, but it wasn't that simple. Cleary. He tilted his head to Katuski's statement about the servants, not really too surprised. From the noted ways, he had interacted with the servants in the kitchen, and the independence Katsuki carried around, and not to mention the way he did everything himself, it was easy to see KAtsuki didn't abuse his power. He didn't abuse the power he had over everyone to make them do every little thing like some of these others. Kiri liked that about him, the independence, and his confidence. Katsuki was a good person, even with the temper and attitude he showed. Deep down, Katsuki really did care, and Ei could see right through it all to see that.

They always said Dragons could see the pure of heart, and he'd be damned if that weren't true.

"Hm?" He snapped back to it with wide eyes, blinking a little to clear his mind and focus, staring at the bare back of the prince as he went through the closet. "Oh.. yeah! Right, Yeah I'd rather dress myself too..." He nodded. "Oh? Uh...Right, of course." They probably did pick out his clothing. Ei didn't have any, so they had taken his measurements in the ring when the queen scouted him out. So it was a given that they had clothes waiting for him in his room...The room he had yet to really call his own or claim. He wasn't sure how that would work if he was to be watching Katsuki in his room, yet still have his own. He supposed it could just be where he kept what belongings he had. He probably wouldn't be using the room anytime soon though, not if he had to coax the prince to sleep and keep him from his nightmares.

Ei gave another nod to Katsuki to show he acknowledged but didn't really have anything to say to it. He had seen the resemblance the moment he walked through the door. And they seemingly shared a personality type too, which is probably why they butted heads a lot. He stayed put at Katsuki came over and looked him over, not really sure what the was about. But feeling the eyes of the other staring so intensely at him like that made his face flush just the tiniest of a bit. The knight was too focused on what he was saying though to be bothered by it. He stared intently, wanting to hear every word. Ten?! The guy was around their age then. 7-8, maybe 9 years here! There was no way he kept it under wraps for that long....unless.... unless this Aizawa guy had something to do with it. (And the only reason Kiri figured it was still a secret, was due to the hemlock littering the outside garden.)

Eijiro's mind was reeling as he cast his eyes to nowhere in particular, looking very pensive and far away. Too far gone to even realize what Katsuki had been reaching to do. He didn't zone back in until the prince walked by him, catching the view of his blond hair in his line of vision. Kiri turned with him to face him, raising an eyebrow as to what he was doing, tilting his head in curiosity.
His words made him bite his tongue down, hard. Sounded like Shindo maybe using some form of his draconic powers to fuck with people, if Katsuki was being literal here. He couldn't really be sure, and he couldn't ask the blond either to confirm. He'd rat them both out. Ei tried not to think too hard on it, trying to shove it aside for now. He didn't want to work himself back up over this while Katsuki was being so calm and currently approaching him.

Kiri looked down at Katsuki's hand, and then glanced to his bandaged one with a soft frown, realizing something he had long forgotten about, "By the way, Let me look at your hand before you decide to get ready. We didn't stitch it up, so we should see if it'll still heal properly.." He eyed the box now as it was lifted open, unable to keep the breath from his lungs hitching up in surprise. His ruby eyes went wide to the jewelry, glancing back to Katsuki like he was unsure to touch it. "I....What do you mean?" He asked gently, slowly reaching out to take the box into his own gloved hands. "The matching part...We have to match because of politics?" Kiri yet again tilted his head as he lifted up the necklace, admiring its beauty with adoring eyes. Having to match for political reasons? That was very foreign to him. But even so, he couldn't hide his astonishment to it. He had no idea this would even be a thing when agreeing to this. Matching with the prince on public events or whatnot?! That was a pretty damn sweet deal, at least to Kiri. It made him feel... important? Not to mention how it made him feel when he realized that he'd be matching with Katsuki of all people. "Holy shit, Kats, Where'd you get this?..." he mumbled with a soft smile, quite moved. Granted Katsuki had given it to him just so they could match, Ei couldn't help but feel his heart leap, that same feeling of butterflies fluttering in his chest and stomach again at the gesture. He wondered what necklace Katsuki had been referring to before, and speculated he'd find out once he went to go change.

For now, he put the box off to the side, tucking it under his arm, and started to undo the clasp of the necklace to put it on. He was curious to see how it would look with his eyes with the red rubies that decorated it. He fumbled with it for a few moments, sticking his tongue out as he concentrated on trying to clasp it back together.
 
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