Chapter Text
Bakugou had known for years he was going to have to go out and find himself a dragon. His parents had been reminding him constantly, and as he crept closer to his 16th birthday, they reminded him almost daily. Bakugou knew he would have to go out in search of a dragon. He was entirely aware. He wasn't worried or apprehensive. In fact, he couldn't wait to go. It was probably one of the only times he would be allowed outside the castle walls without a guard or his parents breathing down his neck, watching his every move.
So when his 16th birthday finally came and his parents gave him a heavy, shimmering sword to aid him on his journey, Bakugou was more than ready to leave. He didn't take much with him. He took minimal food, a fire-starting kit with flint and steel as well as some kindling, an emergency change of clothes, and a small sack of gold coins.
"You have as long as you need to find a dragon, but I know you won't take nearly as long as I did," Bakugou's father said with a smile on his face as they stood in the main foyer of the castle. He reached out to ruffle his son's hair, which earned him an annoyed growl as Bakugou pulled away from his touch. He grumbled something under his breath that couldn't quite be made out, but there was definitely a swear word involved.
"If I'm not back in less than three months, I'm not coming back," Bakugou said. He was planning to go on foot, so he didn't bother to have a servant fetch his horse. He gave his last farewells to his parents before he finally set off to find his dragon.
Bakugou traveled for several weeks with no luck. He came across several dragons in his travels, but none of them had the fiery personality he was looking for. They were all willing to just roll over and do whatever Bakugou asked of them. That wasn't what he wanted. He needed a strong, bold dragon to match his own fiery personality.
Dragons in the kingdom of Xuria varied from the typical idea of a dragon from legends and myths. Dragons in Xuria possessed a magic that allowed them to take different forms. Most dragons could appear fully human, fully dragon, or somewhere in between. Very few dragons could change their size, but the rare dragon could take a dragon form that could vary from the size of a small cat to a towering 20 feet tall.
Another note about dragons was the ability to use fire. Only red dragons could breathe fire, and red dragons were incredibly rare. They were the most sought-after dragon, and Bakugou certainly didn’t expect to find one on his journey. He knew his odds. Finding a red dragon would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Or at least that’s what Bakugou thought.
It was getting close to midday, judging by the way the sun was crawling towards its highest point in the sky. Bakugou came upon a village nestled at the base of a mountain and decided to stop for a few days so he could rest, eat, and get cleaned up. It had been about a week since he had last seen a village or any sense of civilization, and he was in desperate need of a hot bath. Bakugou made his way into the village, his tattered cape trailing behind him. He didn’t look at anyone in the streets or talk to anyone, but if anyone tried to start a conversation with him, he shot them a harsh glare. It didn’t take people long to realize the stranger in their midst wasn’t very friendly.
Just as he was about to head for the Inn, his attention was captured by shouting followed by the sound of snapping wood. Bakugou turned to see several men running toward a wooden cart that was toppled on its side. There were various fruits and grains spilling out of the cart, and as Bakugou turned to investigate, he saw the cart jerk as the snapping of ropes was heard, and the shouting got louder.
“Watch out, he’s loose!” Someone cried as something red slammed against the ground before whipping past, knocking several people off their feet. There was a mighty roar that Bakugou instantly recognized as belonging to a dragon. He felt his chest tighten with anticipation as he saw the red tail slam against the ground again.
A red dragon.
Bakugou hurriedly made his way closer to the commotion. The dragon’s tail sailed through the air again, narrowly missing Bakugou’s head, as it connected with the cart and caused the wood to splinter. Bakugou didn’t even flinch. His hand settled on the hilt of his blade as a chaotic grin started to work its way across his face. This was it. This was what he had been looking for.
The dragon itself was currently in a hybrid form between a dragon and a human. It had a relatively human form with massive wings that were currently bound tightly to his back with ropes and chains. His hands, which ended in sharp claws, were bound together. His tanned skin was littered in scars and patches of shimmering red scales, and his feet also ended in sharp claws. He had a guard on his face, likely to prevent him from biting anyone. But as he opened his mouth to hiss at someone who had moved too close to him, Bakugou could see his sharp teeth. There were two broken-off, white stumps above his eyes that Bakugou could only assume had once been horns. His hair was bright red like his scales and long enough to fall just past his shoulders. Elongated human ears poked out through the hair like a pair of elf ears, and as the dragon became more agitated, Bakugou saw the ears snap downward like a dog pinning its ears.
Suddenly, the dragon whipped around and locked eyes with Bakugou. He had the fierce eyes of a dragon, burning red irises with yellow sclera and pupils narrowed to thin slits. He opened his mouth, and a cloud of smoke billowed out.
Everyone started shouting frantically, and suddenly everyone swarmed the dragon. It was with the collective weight that they finally managed to pin the dragon to the ground, even as he tried to struggle underneath them. After a few more minutes, everything calmed down and everyone climbed off the dragon.
He was now more heavily bound and seemed to have given up fighting. He was lying limp on the ground, breathing hard from his earlier struggle. His tail was now bound by chains, and his legs were chained together so he could still walk, but only at a shuffling pace. But his eyes were still shining with a ferocity Bakugou hadn't seen in any of the other dragons he had come across. He knew for certain this was his dragon.
"On your feet, lizard!" An annoyed voice snapped before a bigger man stepped forward. He grabbed the dragon by his hair, yanking harshly upward. This earned a pained his from the dragon as he pulled his feet underneath himself and managed to stand, glaring ill intent at the man. "Are you done throwing your little temper tantrum? You cost me another wagon, you useless reptile. Throw another fit like that and you'll go without dinner."
Seeing the man be rough with the dragon made Bakugou angry. How dare he be so rude to his dragon. Bakugou approached the man and cleared his throat.
The man looked up at him and spat on the ground. "What do YOU want?" he growled.
"You should show a little more respect for your future king," Bakugou snapped as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "I am the prince of the Bakugou family, and I'm on a quest to find my dragon."
The red dragon turned to face Bakugou, a grow escaping his throat. It was clear he knew where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit.
Now that Bakugou was closer, he could see how unwell the dragon was. Some of his scars were fresher, and there were even some cuts and bruises that hadn't healed yet. He had long scars and lacerations down his back and Bakugou was willing to bet they were whipping marks. The dragon was thin, too, and hardly clothed. All he had for clothes was a pair of rag-like shorts. This was no way for a dragon to live. Bakugou could see his ribs.
"He's not for sale," the man said. "So I guess you'll have to keep looking."
"I'm leaving with this dragon," Bakugou snapped, an air of authority hovering over him. He tightened his jaw, standing taller. "The question is if I'm leaving quietly." Bakugou fished his small sack of coins out of his pocket and produced several gold pieces. The man's eyes lit up, and Bakugou knew he was getting somewhere.
"He's a red dragon," the man pressed. "Surely he is worth more than a few pieces of gold."
Bakugou let out an annoyed sigh but produced a few more pieces of gold. He glared at the man. "Take it or leave it," he said.
The man eyed the gold, then looked at the dragon. Finally, he nodded and took the gold. "Good luck, Your Majesty," he grumbled. "You saw the fit he threw. He can't be tamed."
As if to prove the man's point, the dragon turned to hiss at Bakugou. He looked annoyed when Bakugou didn't even flinch.
"I'll see about that," Bakugou said. He pulled his sword from its hilt, swinging it overhead before dropping it down on the chains and ropes tying the dragon to the cart. He looked at the dragon.
"If you prove to me I can trust you, the rest of these chains can come off," he said. "But for now, I know you would take off if I set you free. So these chains will have to stay on."
The dragon didn't say a word, just continued to glare at Bakugou. He huffed out his nose before turning his head away.
Bakugou didn't want to drag the dragon, but he was pretty sure he was going to have to, with how stubborn he was acting. So Bakugou sighed softly, nudging the dragon toward the nearest little pub. He knew it would be a safer bet to leave the dragon outside while he went inside to get food, but he wasn't going to risk someone stealing him. Bakugou managed to guide the dragon into the pub.
The dragon instantly became apprehensive as eyes fell on him, and Bakugou saw the dragon lower his head. He wasn’t sure if it was shame or just not wanting to be stared at that made the dragon suddenly act submissive, but Bakugou wasn’t having it. He couldn’t have a royal dragon that had no self-confidence.
“Put your head up,” Bakugou grumbled. “I saw that stunt you pulled. You could take all of them on by yourself if you weren’t bound.” That seemed to do the trick, and the dragon picked his head up as Bakugou led him to a back corner of the pub where they would be away from prying eyes and ears.
A waitress nervously approached the table, continuously glancing at Kirishima. “Sir,” she said to Bakugou. “We don’t...we don’t allow dragons in our establishment.”
“Make an exception,” Bakugou said. “Or you’ll get a letter from the King and Queen. I want two orders of your biggest meal, a pitcher of water, and two glasses.” He glanced at the dragon. “Make it two pitchers of water.” He dropped a few gold pieces in the waitress’s hand before leaning across the table, closer to the dragon.
“So,” the prince started. “You got a name? Or do you just like being called lizard or reptile?”
Nothing. The dragon wasn’t even looking at him. He was staring at the table, breathing heavily out his nose. This was going to be a challenge, but that was what Bakugou wanted.
“Fine,” Bakugou said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “I guess I could come up with my own name.” A grin found it’s way on his face. “Or I could keep calling you lizard. You tell me what you prefer.”
The dragon huffed again, hissing at Bakugou. He bared his teeth, his pointed ears flattening back against his head. “My NAME is Kirishima,” the dragon snarled.
Bakugou could tell by the rasp in his voice that he was malnourished and dehydrated. If he had been strong enough to splinter a wooden cart weakened, Bakugou was anxious to see what he could accomplish at full strength. The corner of Bakugou’s mouth twitched as he realized he had been successful, and he sat up a bit. “Well, Kirishima, I am prince Bakugou,” he said. “You can call me any royal pronoun you want, but you address me with respect. Got it? I’m not your friend. You’re my servant. That’s it.”
The dragon, Kirishima, went quiet again. He huffed, just as the waitress came back with two towering plates of meat and eggs. She dropped the plates off and hurried off before returning with two pitchers of water and two glasses. Once the food was in front of him, the dragon couldn't take his eyes off of it.
Bakugou glanced up at the dragon before looking down at his own food. "You're allowed to eat," Bakugou said. "You think I can eat two whole fucking plates?"
Kirishima glanced down at his hands, which were bound tightly together. He tried to reach up to grab his fork, but the chains groaned as they hit their limit just short of the plate. He huffed. "I can't," he growled. "No hands and this muzzle makes it impossible to eat."
Bakugou sighed, throwing his fork down before he had even taken a bite. He got up and moved over to Kirishima's side of the table. "Don't make me regret this, got it? If you try anything, I'm not afraid to cut your throat." He let a hand settle on the hilt of his sword to prove his point. "You won't do me any good if you don't have energy and strength, so you'd better eat the whole fucking plate." The prince grabbed the dragon by the headpiece, pulling so that Kirishima was facing him. "If you make one wrong move, my sword gets buried in your chest. And I've been training with swords since I could walk. So don't think you can outsmart me, got it?"
When the dragon didn't say anything and just held his hands out, Bakugou took a dagger out of his pocket and jammed it between the chains, wiggling the dagger until it finally snapped the chains. He also cut the ropes so that the dragon's hands were completely free. The dragon rubbed at his wrists, a soft relieved sigh escaping him. But it didn't go unnoticed by Bakugou. Next, the prince unlocked the mouth guard and pulled it off. Being this close to Kirishima, he could feel the heat radiating off his skin. He had heard dragons were very warm to the touch, but now he knew what they meant.
"There," Bakugou said, standing up. The dragon's hands and head were now freed. "Now you can eat. Try anything funny, and it all goes right back on. Got it?"
Kirishima said nothing as he narrowed his burning eyes at the blonde prince and turned his attention to the food in from of him. He picked up the fork and started to eat, and Bakugou could tell he didn't really know how to use the fork. He could tell the dragon was frustrated because his tail would try to twitch, and his ears would snap down.
With a sigh, Bakugou reached over and roughly grabbed Kirishima's hand, repositioning the fork. "Dumbass," he grumbled. He was a bit surprised by how soft and smooth the patch of scales on the back of the dragon's hands were. Bakugou huffed before taking his seat again, pouring a glass of water for himself and for Kirishima. He pushed the glass toward the red dragon before drinking from his own glass. Then he started eating his own plate of food.
Even though Bakugou was a prince, he certainly didn't eat like one. He wasn't a messy eater, but he definitely took bites that were almost too big to chew, and he hardly chewed his food before swallowing and taking another bite. And it seemed the dragon ate in a very similar fashion. Once they had both cleaned their plates and each downed a pitcher of water, Bakugou finally announced they were leaving.
"Can I trust you to behave?" Bakugou asked. "Or am I going to have to put those restraints back on? Because I will if you don't cooperate."
Kirishima stared at the prince, eyes narrowed. He growled low in his throat, his ears snapping down again. He glanced toward the door and then down at his hands as if weighing his options. "I'm not some pet you can train," he spat, eyes narrowing further. "I won't roll over and play dead for your amusement."
"Fine, have it your way," Bakugou said with a shrug as he got up and moved back over to the dragon, the faceguard in hand. The dragon's ears flattened against his head, and he put his hands up as he did his best to scoot away from Bakugou without falling out of his chair.
"No, wait," Kirishima said, glancing nervously at the faceguard. "I won't try anything. Just...don't put that back on. It's uncomfortable."
"Then I guess you should listen," Bakugou said as he tucked the guard into his bag just in case he needed it. He grabbed the trailing chain that had previously bound Kirishima's wrists. "Come on," he said. "We are going to spend the night at the Inn. I haven't slept in a bed for several days."
Bakugou led Kirishima out of the pub and to the Inn. By now, the sun was starting to set. Bakugou wanted to get a good night's red, so he wanted to go to bed early. The prince ordered a room with two beds for the night, and once he had paid for it, he led the way up to the room.
"I need to take a bath," Bakugou said as he took his boots off and set his sword and sheath on the bed. He turned to the dragon. "Are you going to try to take off? Because you won't get far in those chains, and I doubt you can get them all off in the time it takes me to take a bath. I'll bind your hands if I have to. It benefits you to just stay put."
Bakugou went to the bathroom and filled the tub before he finished undressing. He hadn't been able to take a bath in almost a week, so it was much overdue. He sighed softly, letting the hot water soak into his muscles and ease the tensions from the day. He washed his hair and his body as thoroughly as possible, knowing he might not get to bathe again for some time. After he got out, he put the same clothes back on and walked out of the bathroom.
When he walked out, he was expecting to find his dragon missing, so he was pleasantly surprised when he instead found Kirishima fast asleep on the other bed. Bakugou didn't understand how he could sleep with all of the chains and ropes, but he assumed the dragon was used to it. With a sigh, Bakugou climbed into his own bed and pulled his sword close before falling blissfully into sleep for the night, hoping he would wake up to a dragon still laying in the other bed.