Chapter Text
The first sign of the intruder had been the dead deer.
It wasn’t odd to see one so far from the forest and venturing into the barren, volcanic areas, as the deer would often come to graze on the plants that grew at the edges of the area, rich with nutrients from the volcanic soil. The deer often picked their way carefully among the rocks and pits, jumping at the noises of rocks being displaced, unable to tell if it was from their hooves, or larger claws that stalked the herd. Leftover bones and antlers were pretty common sights among the rocks, where smaller scavengers had picked them clean of every scrap of meat.
So when Bakugo and Kirishima had rounded the corner and seen the whole, dead deer that was untouched, they knew something was wrong.
The corpse had been there a while, as was evident by the powerful smell and the fact that the carcass was bloated with gas. And yet it was untouched, and glancing over, Bakugo saw Kirishima’s lip curl in disgust, the scales on his face shifting with the wrinkling of the muscles. “What’s wrong with it?” the barbarian asked, scowling at the deer.
Snorting a bit and rubbing his face with a hand, Kirishima grumbled, “It’s sick. Poisoned.” He shook his head, the half-dragon, half-human-shaped shifter looking visibly disgusted. “It REEKS. No wonder nothing’s touched it.” He looked at Bakugo. “Can you smel--”
“Of course I can smell it, idiot!” came the snapping retort. “I may not be able to smell it from 50 miles away, but I can smell how rank it is!”
Kirishima didn’t seem to be bothered much by the snap, adding mildly, “Yeah, it IS rank. I wonder what did this... Nothing around here has this kind of smell...”
The Barbarian smirked. “You sure? Sure smells like your breath in the morning.”
The DragonShifter turned to his friend and smirked, showing off his sharp teeth. “Only after I’ve had a SPECIAL meal. You can be pretty pungent when you haven’t bathed in a wh--”
“DIE!”
Kirishima laughed as Bakugo lunged at him, the sword out and slashing through the air, but it clanged harmlessly off the scaly tail as he swung it up as he dodged. “Hey, come on!” He chuckled, leaping aside as the sword came again, clanking sideways off an armored, scaly arm. “You keep saying I smell! Why can’t I return the compliment?!”
Bakugo roared angrily at him as he ran after him, and then glared as with a powerful leap, adding a small flap from the wings on his back, Kirishima launched himself up onto a nearby column of stone. “Bastard.” he growled, but sheathed the weapon.
Seeing it was safe now, Kirishima chuckled as he stood up, looking around idly. “Nothing for miles...” he reported, and then frowned, rubbing a hand lightly over his middle. “Jeez... haven’t had a decent meal in like... a WEEK. I’m starving.”
Bakugo was approaching the deer, frowning as he inspected it. “You had a whole rabbit yesterday.” he snapped without looking up. “Fur, bones and all.”
Kirishima visibly sagged as he groaned. “Well, YEAH, but a single rabbit? It’s NOTHING for me!” He clambered down to Bakugo, grumbling, “It was mostly bone and fur anyways. Hardly any meat on it. I need more than just a scrap of meat, you know that...”
“It was bitten.”
Kirishima was confused a moment at the abrupt change of topic, but then saw how Bakugo was pointing to the animal’s neck. “Oh whoa...” he kneeled down, peering close. “That’s a big wound... Tooth was nearly as big as mine.”
Hidden by the bloated skin and fur was a large circular opening in the base of the deer’s neck, and the revealed flesh looked differing shades of sickly green.
Bakugo stood as Kirishima grimaced, but leaned in to smell the wound, and shuddering, lightly licked the edge of it. The effect was instantaneous. “AHHH! OH, THAT IS NASTY!”
Kirishima recoiled, hacking and coughing, but Bakugo glared. “Well?”
Spitting as he sat on the ground, Kirishima scowled. “I hate you.”
But his friend glared. “Shut it. You know your senses are better. Now out with it. What is it?”
Sighing, Kirishima stood, wiping his hand across his mouth. “It’s another drake, but not a shifter like me. Full dragon. Wyvern actually, I think. They’re the only ones I know of with venom that tastes that bitter.” His gaze hardened. “This happened pretty recently, Bakugo. The carcass isn’t days old. It’s HOURS old.”
The barbarian stared at the bloated corpse in shock. “What...?”
Kirishima nodded. “It’s the venom. Somehow this deer evaded it after getting bitten, and then just... keeled over. Potent stuff...” he remarked quietly. “Hang on...”
Kirishima walked a small distance away from Bakugo, and there was a surge of movement as the form grew and expanded, swelling back up into his full dragon form. The huge scarlet beast lifted its head high into the air and sniffed deeply a few times. The head snapped to the north, and a deep rumbling growl emanated from his throat.
Bakugo was grinning toothily now. “Well, we won’t allow this bastard on our hunting grounds. Let’s go get him!” He dashed forwards and expertly clambered up Kirishima’s large leg until he had reached the head, holding to one of the horns. If Bakugo had seen the huge black and red eye following his progress carefully, he made no mention of it.
Kirishima turned to the deer, and there was a deep growl. The dragon’s chest swelled as air was drawn in, and there was a roar as flames shot out of the toothy jaw to envelope the corpse. It couldn’t be allowed to pollute the area.
Bakugo watched this silently, covering his mouth and nose with his arm to avoid the stench.
Thankfully, the smell was burned away, leaving only an ashy husk of char and a smell of burnt bone.
They were airborne minutes later, and were heading north, both peering down at the landscape as they tried to find their mystery predator.
It took an hour of slow wheeling and turning and sweeping before there was a new color below them: a sickly green blob.
Kirishima’s nostrils filled with the scent of the creature, and he growled as he descended a little, getting a good look at it before it sensed his presence.
It was about half his size, a Wyvern with two folded wings and two stubby hind legs. The head was smooth, almost like a vulture’s, with no spines. In fact, the creature seemed devoid of spines entirely! And with a mouth resembling a beak, Kirishima was confused. How had it bitten the deer when there was no visible point on the creature?!
Nonetheless, he could smell this was the intruder, and he felt Bakugo shift to be near his ear, talking relatively quietly to avoid being overheard. “That him?”
The dragon gave a deep rumbling noise of a reply.
“Good work. Get in close so I can drop on the head. That’ll distract him and let you go for the damned thing’s throat.”
Another deep growl.
They swooped in low, and the creature seemed unaware, resting quietly by a large boulder.
Kirishima then folded his wings, and they dropped like a rock.
Bakugo leapt off the huge red scaled head and with a screech, landed squarely on the green one, his sword plunging downwards. But he then got a shock as the sword SANK in to the very hilt and the flesh underfoot felt... soft! He shouted in surprise at this, but that was dwarfed as there was a deafening SCREECH as the creature reacted to the injury, rising up and flapping madly, shaking its head to throw off this painful attacker. But before the creature could get airborne, Kirishima had landed on it with a heavy thud, crashing into it and slamming it back into the ground. He too was surprised at how... soft it was, but he snorted and started to try and grab for the head, wanting to pull it back to expose the throat. The creature screeched and shrieked at the assault, the beak turning to snap at Kirishima, but it glanced off the scales and Kirishima snapped in return, his teeth snapping shut JUST short as the neck was jerked away.
Bakugo tried to withdraw his sword so he could attack again, but he was yanked to the side as the head shook, and he had to cling to the hilt to avoid being tossed away. How was this thing still alive?
Suddenly, the beast rolled over to its back, a feat that seemed impossible as its body almost rippled with the motion, like water, and Kirishima found himself straddling the other dragon. Seeing an opportunity, the red jaws dashed downwards, but were met with a clash as the green jaws rushed upwards, and Kirishima felt sharp points prickle on his muzzle. He shook the other dragon free instantly, and saw that inside the beaked jaw were rows of sharp, spike-like teeth. Kirishima smelled the horrid stench of venom in the air, but while it coated his scales, none had penetrated deep enough to affect him.
He leapt up, flapping to back off the creature, not wanting it to have the opportunity to bite his neck or fins where those teeth might penetrate.
Bakugo in the meanwhile had used the new angle to yank the sword free, dodging a shower of rust-colored blood, and came to slice at the neck. The creature roared in pain as the sword cut DEEP into the soft flesh, and the head whipped around unnaturally fast to try and bite him, but he had already jumped out of reach.
The dragon got to its feet, but then was slammed right back down on its side as Kirishima barreled into it, and then ducked his head to CHOMP into the short neck. The creature screeched at this, but Kirishima was shocked as his teeth felt... nothing! No skin, no scales, no bones! Just soft flesh! And it tasted bitter...
As the tainted taste from the deer filled his mouth, Kirishima backed off the beast with a snarl, instantly spewing a blast of fire into the air, burning the poison in his jaws into inert goo. No wonder this thing had no armor! Its very flesh and skin were coated with poison!
He tried to warn Bakugo, but the smoke and fire blinded his eyes and nose temporarily, distracting him, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he heard Bakugo’s pained cry.
The dragon’s eyes narrowed to pin pricks as he BARRELED forwards through the smoke and without even caring for his own safety, he crashed into the slimy green creature.
He heard another gasping cry and looked to see the beast had grabbed Bakugo in its jaws, and the shocked look of pain on the barbarian’s face sent Kirishima into a frenzy, snarling as his head shot forwards to try and get the small form.
The green head jerked aside at the last second and there was a look of triumph in the sickly green eyes as the dragon snapped up Bakugo entirely in its jaws and then swallowed.
Black and red eyes glowed scarlet as the red dragon went absolutely BERSERK at this, shrieking as the head plunged forwards and shocking the green dragon, actually clamped his jaws down on the bulge as it slithered down the green neck. The green creature writhed in shock at this attack, choking out roars, trying to claw at the red scaled head with the wing claws, but despite the poison flooding his mouth, despite the sickly stench of sizzling flesh as it came in contact with the poison, despite the claws threatening his eyes, Kirishima didn’t let go this time and forced his jaws closed, tearing his head away in a swift and brutal move, ripping out the other creature’s throat.
The green dragon shrieked and roared in agony, and it got louder as Kirishima spat out the hunk of meat and went in for another bite, his teeth digging deeper until his probing tongue tasted something familiar under the poison. He curled his tongue around the small form and withdrew his precious mouthful, blood, poison, gore, and shredded flesh trailing from his jaws as he growled deeply, backing away from the other drake.
The green creature was still writhing, SOMEHOW not dead from this, and as he saw the flesh sort of... oozing back into place, Kirishima scowled. He tilted his jaws and working his tongue, rejected everything that wasn’t Bakugo, hunks of poisoned viscera slopping out of his mouth. He continued growling at the green creature threateningly as he started to work his tongue again, and this time a steady wave of heated drool and saliva dribbled from the teeth. It hissed to the ground as it reacted with the poison, flushing it from his mouth and fully rinsing its contents, and he kept growling angrily as the drake struggled to get back up.
Once the scalding hissing of the poison stopped, the red dragon shut his jaws with a defiant snap, sealing the small form safely inside. As the green dragon struggled back upright to all fours, Kirishima swallowed the small human easily, the bulge hardly noticeable under the scales until it vanished into the broad chest, and he huffed as he felt Bakugo slide into the crop.
Stepping forwards, Kirishima spread his wings, roaring his claim to the area, asserting his dominance. The green dragon snarled back, challenging, but Kirishima stepped forwards heavily, and the smaller dragon seemed to have realized that it was hopelessly outmatched, having been too caught up in the fight earlier to notice the substantial size difference. There was some snarling, which shifted to a low hissing, but when Kirishima exhaled a short blast of fire, the green dragon had had enough.
It would hunt somewhere else.
Kirishima chased the creature for a good couple hundred meters before he let the thing run off and take flight, and then glanced down, his rage fading as he realized something terrifying: Bakugo hadn’t moved the entire time.
Trembling suddenly, Kirishima looked around, but then he started to change, his body shifting. This was risky, with the challenger having only just been driven off, there was a chance that he would turn around for round 2 as he saw Kirishima’s new form, unaware it was the same being. And as Kirishima lost his fire and power of flight and took on a humanesque form, he wouldn’t be able to fight as effectively if he were attacked, even though he was still keeping his enormous size. It took concentration to do this form, and he struggled a bit as he felt ill and shaky, but he continued until his neck and mouth had finally changed enough for him to cough out, “Bakugo?!” He was still sporting various draconic qualities, such as his still blackened eyes, his horns, wings and tail, but he was human enough to speak now.
There was no reply at first, and he shuddered, kneeling to touch at his chest, feeling Bakugo was tucked into his crop, up in the chest above his belly, protected behind his ribs. “Bakugo, answer me! Are you okay?!” Kirishima was trembling, his heart hammering as his head swam with questions and worries. What if he hadn’t gotten to him in time? What if that thing had bitten Bakugo clean through and he hadn’t noticed? What if HE had bitten Bakugo when he had torn him out of the other dragon’s throat?!
“...stop yelling... m’head hurts...”
The voice was soft, muffled, and irritated and Kirishima almost passed out from relief. “Oh THANK GOODNESS!” He flumped to sit down heavily on his rear, the tail curling to the side. He rubbed at his chest, unable to feel Bakugo with his hand through the ribs, but he continued the motion, knowing that Bakugo would hear the noise. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” He was smiling hugely now, his wings flopping down in relief.
There was a weak kick inside, and a grouchy shout. “...I said quit yelling, lizard breath... You’re so loud...”
Chuckling in relief, Kirishima stood up, pausing to pick up the small sword. “Okay, okay. You just hang tight. I’ll get us back to camp.”
A steady distant thumping sensation started up, and Bakugo sighed softly, knowing that Kirishima was staying in his half and half form even when large and was starting the lengthy walk back to their current home camp. It would take a while to get there, and Kirishima hadn’t had a substantial meal in a solid week, just like he had complained earlier. But while Kirishima had been whining and groaning, there was some truth to the statement. Like anyone, Kirishima needed to eat to survive, and he had just had a sudden battle, and while he was sure he hadn’t mentioned it, Bakugo was certain he was also somewhat injured from attacking the other dragon.
He scowled, snapping up weakly, “You know this form drains you when you’re this big, idiot. Go full dragon and fly to camp.”
“No.” came the firm answer and Bakugo scowled yet again.
He struggled to sit up, the soft flesh around him difficult to move on. It compressed and shifted at his touch, not to mention was slimy and slippery. When he tried to push a hand down to prop himself up, his hand sank deeply into the soft flesh, and then changing the angle caused it to slip away, leaving him on his back. It was comfortable, to be sure, but Bakugo was too angry to enjoy it. His body felt beaten and sore, his head was aching terribly, he felt a rawness on his back, and his whole body was hot and throbbing, like he was boiling. He knew Kirishima was hot inside, but this was too much. He felt sweltering, and focused on the heat in order to stay angry, and stay awake.
He was shaking as he lifted his leg, but he managed another kick, wordlessly voicing his displeasure.
But the steady walking continued, and Kirishima’s voice rumbled around him. “I said no. You just got beaten up by a poison Wyvern. I need you to keep talking and reacting to me, until we know the poison hasn’t affected you too badly. And you know I can’t talk in my full dragon form. Now talk to me. Tell me what happened.”
Bakugo scowled, sighing as he leaned back on the soft flesh, grimacing as his head pounded again. It was like every heartbeat was thrumming through his body. The heat of the flesh touching his skin seemed to help, as though it canceled out whatever was making him feel so weird, but he still couldn’t FOCUS well. “The hell… do you mean?” he managed finally.
There was silence from Kirishima for a moment, aside from the steady, deep heartbeats that pulsed through the area. “Uh…” A hollow noise started up, and Bakugo turned his head towards it. Kirishima was rubbing at his chest again. He seemed… nervous? Kirishima’s voice came again, slower and gently, saying, “In case you didn’t remember Bakugo… That drake grabbed you and SWALLOWED YOU.”
Bakugo’s red eyes went wide and his form went still.
The sound of the rubs grew louder at his reaction, Kirishima saying softly, “I literally had to tear its throat open to get you out… Don’t you remember?”
He did remember, the whole thing coming back in a flash.
Bakugo remembered fighting the creature, slashing at its neck and watching in excitement as Kirishima had lunged forwards to bite down on the exposed neck as it reacted to his attack. He had felt a surge of pride at this, shouting in encouragement, but then froze as he saw the huge eyes widen in something akin to panic. Kirishima had leapt off the dragon and had suddenly turned his head and blasted fire into the sky, not aimed at anything. Why?
But as he looked down at his sword, Bakugo saw the rusty blood, but also saw a thick, greenish slime. Poison! This thing was COATED in poison! He looked up at Kirishima worriedly, but saw the char around the teeth and mouth, and he grinned. Good. That much heat would render the poison useless! He turned his attention to the dragon, wanting to attack it when it was distracted, but the beast had been ready before him and struck
The clawed wing joint slammed into him, making him cry out as he was slammed back into the rocks, hearing his cloak tear and feeling dampness on his back. But it wasn’t broken and he slashed his sword at the hand, wincing as he felt a burning ache where the creature touched his bare skin. The creature hissed at him, and the head rushed forwards. The instant the toothed beak slammed shut around his waist, he felt a burst like a thousand daggers digging into him, and he choked out a cry of pain in shock.
Why couldn’t he move? His sword slipped from his grip and he fought to move, but his body was slow, lethargic and shaking terribly… He couldn’t fight…
Kirishima came barreling in then, slamming into the creature, only furthering Bakugo’s pain as this jolted the head, making the barbarian gasp, unable to formulate words or even gather breath to cry out. Kirishima was trying to bite at the head, to get him back, but in a sudden movement, Bakugo had been jerked and tossed into the air slightly, and then he saw only known a suffocating darkness.
He knew the sensation well, and he tried to fight back as he was swallowed, tried to kick something important, tried to make the creature cough or gag, but his body wouldn’t obey his commands. And then as he was squashed into the throat it only got worse. He was used to Kirishima’s gullet being snug, but firm. The walls were soft, but they had definite boundaries and limits.
This?
He felt like he was drowning.
There was liquid EVERYWHERE. It burned his eyes and nose and mouth. It seeped into his ears. It soaked into his clothes. If it hadn’t been for the ruff of his cape absorbing most of it, and offering him a few precious mouthfuls of air, he was sure he would have drowned.
The world was shaking and roaring and trembling around him. He tried to fight, weakly coughing for air in the slimy fabric, trying to call for help…
Help arrived.
In a surge of enormous, white teeth that seemed to crash together inches from his nose, Bakugo saw daylight suddenly, gasped at air, but he wasn’t free yet. His body was still sliding down the ripped-open throat, and he started to see the ridge of gooey flesh cover his eyes again. Was he going to slip right out of reach?!
The teeth flashed down again, and this time enveloped him, Bakugo’s head thwacking hard into them as he was gathered up in the familiar maw, forced into a curled ball amid slime and poison and hunks of green flesh. He was hacking and coughing, gasping at fresh air, his small noises lost amid the thunderous growls echoing threateningly around him.
The last thing he remembered before he had passed out was moving his trembling arms enough to hug at the slimy, powerful tongue…
…and feeling he was now safe.
“Bakugo? Please, keep talking to me!”
He jerked as his name was called again, accompanied by heavy thumps that made the chamber around him shake. “Hey, knock it off! I’m fine!”
“You didn’t seem fine.” Kirishima grumbled back at him, and heaved a sigh. “You went silent for like… 5 minutes… Thought you passed out…”
Bakugo bristled, huffing as he worked to cross his arms over his chest, but then hissing as this brought him new pain from his back. He kept himself quiet though, snapping, “I was just… thinking… about how you left my sword behind… and how we have to get my cloak fixed AGAIN.”
There was a rush of air as the large shifter huffed. “I grabbed your sword, and that’s fine. I’ll take some small job to pay for it. People will always pay well if I hunt for them, or whatever.” He was silent a bit, and then there came some softer, resonating thumps. “You okay though?” He paused, and Bakugo could picture the unsure look on his face as Kirishima patted his chest questioningly. “We can go to a healer if you need it? I’ll work for it too.”
His chest puffed indignantly and Bakugo kicked at the wall. “I don’t need a HEALER!” he spat. “I’m just a bit scratched up. Nothing some stitches won’t fix.”
Bakugo settled back in a huff, his head turned to the side as Kirishima spoke again. “Okay, okay fine.” He chuckled. “You’ll be more thread than man after this one, I think. I…” The joking tone trailed off. “I… tasted a lot of your blood, Bakugo…”
There was a tense silence between them.
The heart rate was starting to climb, and Bakugo had to admit he kind of liked it when Kirishima couldn’t hide his feelings from him.
He liked having honest reactions from people, despising being tricked or swindled. More than once, Bakugo had met with a snake-oil salesmen traveling in their lands, and when the crook had tried to pedal his wares, Bakugo had all but shoved them into his huge dragon companion’s maw, saying it was the fate of all liars and crooks. Of course, the salesmen had all been terrified and renounced their ways 7 times over, and Kirishima would later joke about how they would have given him SO much indigestion if he HAD actually eaten them and not just trapped them in his jaws, legs dangling down his gullet.
Bakugo couldn’t stand liars, twisters of the truth, conmen. That’s why he liked Kirishima. The shifter wasn’t any scholar, but he was intelligent, clever when the time called for it, loyal to a fault, and most of all; honest.
So as he felt the whole body reacting in worry and concern to the subject of his wounds, without his own even being addressed, Bakugo couldn’t help a small, rough smile.
“I’m fine…” he barked out finally, raising a hand to shove at the flesh. It was a little easier to move around now, like his body was being boiled into usefulness. It was sweltering, and not pleasant, but he preferred this to not being able to move!
“You sure?” came the rumbling worry.
Bakugo punched the wall again. “I think I would know if I’m fine or not. The only thing I can complain about right now is you’re too damn hot, as usual! I’m baking in here!”
Kirishima smiled to himself as he walked, his heart starting to slow back into a steady walking pace, his eyes paling back to their red and white coloration. Bakugo continued to talk with him as he worked his way back to camp, and he was starting to think that his earlier fears about the poison hadn’t been well-founded. Bakugo didn’t seem lethargic or stiff or woozy. Maybe he had been able to get him out in time, and the impromptu rinse he had done when he had excessively drooled over him to wash away the poison seemed to have worked as well to protect him.
It took a good hour for them to make it back to where they currently called home; a reasonable-sized cave, large enough for even Kirishima to be in with his larger forms. As he approached, Kirishima saw a few small furry scavengers trying to sniff at the stone chests where their food was stored. A single rumbling growl sent them running for their lives, making Kirishima chuckle as he entered the cave. He gave it a once over, sniffing the air cautiously, but they had no other guests.
He went and sorted out their fire pit, chucking a few logs in as easily as sticks, and then bending over, started to exhale on them deeply. While unable to ignite his fire in his half-and-half form, his hot breath dried the wood so much that when he then scraped a nail on a nearby bit of flint, the sparks came up instantly and the wood swiftly caught ablaze. Nodding in satisfaction, Kirishima went to the stone chest, opening the heavy thing easily, and brought out a small box, which fit ridiculously small in his large hand. It was meant for a normal man, but right now, standing full height, a normal man was hardly over half a foot to the DragonShifter, so he moved carefully, just in case. At a towering 72 foot when upright like this, he had a lot of weight to throw around, and he was always careful not to knock over anything important.
He brought it by the fire, and then also got a large iron pot. He went outside to the nearby stream and after rinsing the pot, filled it and brought it in. He could feel that Bakugo was awake inside, so he didn’t worry about speaking with him at the moment. He hung the pot carefully over the fire on small bit of scaffold for that very reason.
The last thing he grabbed from the chest and set up by the fire was a small, raggedly, bloodstained sheet of leather.
He sighed as he surveyed his handiwork, and then smiled. He sat down, and patted gently at his chest. “Okay… You ready? Best we get it over with now.”
There was a huff and he swore he could FEEL Bakugo’s scowl through the walls of his belly. “Yeah… fine.”
Chuckling, Kirishima then bent forwards, “Okay, arms up…” He waited a moment until he felt the small hand press against the top of his crop and then bent forwards, squeezing the muscles. He huffed as Bakugo was squished, but then forwards upwards easily. Almost by routine, Kirishima stuck his fingers into his mouth, and as soon as the small hands slipped up his throat into reach, he grabbed for them, and gently helped to tug Bakugo out, letting his tongue lie flat to protect the small barbarian from his bottom teeth. He had enough wounds already!
Bakugo was coughing as he came out, but no more than usual, and this was proven as he glared up, “You still squeeze me too hard, idiot!”
Kirishima shrugged, gently setting Bakugo down right by the fire, on the leather, so he would be warm, saying as he did so, “And I told you, I have no control over how TIGHT it gets! I just tell it to let things in, or shove them out.”
While Bakugo grumbled and worked off his ripped cloak, Kirishima let out a soft noise as he saw the gashes covering the small back. “Oooh yeah, you got torn up. Lie down.”
“Hey, don’t tell me what to do!” the blond snapped at him, chucking the cloak at him. “I’m ALREADY doing it! Stop going so fast!”
Smirking a little, Kirishima took the cloak and set down by the fire to dry, watching as Bakugo lay facedown on the leather, grumbling, “And don’t scratch me this time.”
The red eyes rolled as Kirishima settled down by Bakugo, saying, “I told you, it was a hiccup! I didn’t MEAN it. And I only grazed your arm. It didn’t even leave a scar!”
“That was more than a graze, lizard breath!” Bakugo snapped, not lifting his head as he felt Kirishima's huge form lean in, his breath puffing hotly against his back. As the warm tongue touched his back, he jerked in reflex, adding in a scowl, “You nearly took my hand off!” There was a soft chuckle from behind him, and as another lick came and started to wash away the remaining blood and to clean the wound deeply, Bakugo grimaced at the stinging pain, gritting his teeth as he snapped, “Don’t laugh. You have those scales, but I don’t. Maybe I should carve a chunk of your hide off and wear it like a jacket. That would protect me from your teeEETH.”
Bakugo was silent, furious at his squeal as the rough, draconic tongue had scraped out a rock that had been lodged in the wound, and he heard the plink as Kirishima spat it out to the side. He huffed, saying, “You know, you’re lucky that your spit is so effective at healing wounds…”
Kirishima made a soft rumbling noise, and Bakugo turned to his side to see the dragon smiling in a self-satisfied manner.
He then took pleasure in adding, “It might mean I make some good money when I sell you someday.”
The face dropped into an angry expression and Kirishima leaned in closer, growling, “Hey, you don’t OWN me! We are partners!” His huge face was inches above Bakugo, who just looked up at him mildly, an eyebrow raised and a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Well, you drool in your sleep, so maybe I should just bottle and sell the stuff? Make a side profit?” he asked, chuckling.
Kirishima rolled his eyes and gently forced Bakugo to his front again, and got back to licking and cleaning the wound, noting that Bakugo’s muscles were tense. “Oh shut it. It doesn’t work that way, and you know it…”
Bakugo only chuckled softly, and offered no more protest, allowing Kirishima to continue his work, cleaning out the wound and washing away any remaining blood and poison. Spitting regularly to the side to make sure HE didn’t get sick either, Kirishima then huffed as he finished. “Okay… now comes the fun part.” After concentrating, Kirishima soon shrank down in size, now scaled to Bakugo’s height, but still sported his half-and-half features; horns, fins, wings, tail and his hands ended in small claws.
He sighed to get himself reoriented, and then brought forward the small box, and opened it to reveal some cloths, and needle and thread among other things. He went and tied the needle with thread, and then put it into the boiling water, as Bakugo had taught him. He then got the cloth, wet it also, his hands not even reacting to the boiling water. He wrung it out, waved it a few times, and came back, touching the edge of it to Bakugo’s skin. “Okay?” There was a soft noise of agreement, and Kirishima started to wash the back one more, focusing now on the edges of the wound. He did the entire back, then went back for the needle and thread, and then warned, “Okay, I’ll be quick… Just breathe.”
With an air of experience, Kirishima started to stitch up some of the deeper wounds, and while Bakugo hissed and groaned a bit at the pain, they had done this enough that he was able to deal with it without much other fussing. Kirishima did the work gently, soothing the skin with the warmed wet cloth as he went until he finally finished and tied off the last stitch, bending down to snap the thread with his teeth.
“Okay, there we go…” He huffed as he leaned back, putting the items back into their box, smiling as he said with an unhidden smile. “And now, you know the routine. You need dinner, and then you need a warm bed for the night. Help you heal up those wounds.” He was grinning unashamedly at the thought, knowing very well that while he was going hungry tonight, he would still have a full weight inside, even if it was only in his crop, as he couldn't control the safety of his belly when he was asleep. But he knew he could deal with no food better than Bakugo could, and he was happy to help heal his friend however he could!
He was surprised, however, as Bakugo… didn’t react.
Kirishima crawled forwards on all fours. “Bakugo?” He frowned. “You okay? You usually threaten to gut me when I suggest your sickbed.”
Silence.
Kirishima’s heart began to thump in his ears and he rolled Bakugo over, seeing he was unconscious.
Kirishima went still, unable to understand for a moment. “Bakugo?” He gently shook the barbarian’s shoulder, but there was no reaction, just the head lolling to the side limply. Shaking, he bent close and sniffed at Bakugo’s mouth, but then tensed up as he smelt the bitterness of the venom on his breath. He must have accidentally ingested some of the poison during the fight! Kirishima shook, his mind turning.
He knew that he, as a shifter, was a bit hardier to things like this, as demonstrated by the fact that he had swallowed way more poison when he had been fighting the thing and was doing fine now. But he knew that despite his protests to the contrary, Bakugo WAS still weak to certain situations, and potent poison definitely applied.
But how to FIX this?!
Kirishima had always just kind of let his body deal with it, but he knew that wasn’t something Bakugo could do. He hadn’t gotten as direct a dose as being injected, like the deer had, but the knowledge that that sickly green venom was coursing through Bakugo’s veins scared the dragon shifter deeply.
His mind flashed back to the deer. Bloated, rotting…
His head shook violently, trying to banish the thoughts. He wouldn’t allow that to happen to Bakugo!
A healer. They needed a healer!
His mind raced. The nearest town was to the west, he knew this. They often went there for trade deals and for whenever Bakugo needed to buy extra food that couldn’t be hunted down. But did they have a healer? Kirishima’s mind turned as he tried to think. They had never used one before, with Bakugo’s wounds having always consisted of cuts and slashes that were always healed by the draconic saliva.
But he knew that they had to try anyways and he leaned forwards, working to help Bakugo sit up, saying, “Hey, Hey, Bakugo… Don’t you die on me! I’m going to get you help! You stay with me!”
He felt his heart leap as there was a weak movement in reaction to his voice, and he leaned in. “What?”
“…’m cold…”
Bakugo’s words were weak and shivery, something that Kirishima had never heard before and he trembled. “That’s okay, I’ll get you warm.” He reached over and grabbed for the cloak nearby, warmed and dried by the fire. He hooked it around Bakugo’s shoulders and worked to wrap it loosely around him, stammering, “You j-just hang on, ok-kay? Hang on!”
As he spoke, Kirishima was already growing larger and larger, filling up the cave but not in danger of collapsing it. They had been careful with their choice of base for this very reason. He held the human in his hands, watching in worry as he seemed to just shrink smaller and smaller, seeming to grow more vulnerable by the second. He felt his heart pound in worry, especially as Bakugo squirmed weakly, trying to turn and hide his face in the soft part of the base of the thumb, seeming to be seeking the warmth of his skin. Biting his lip carefully, Kirishima lifted him to his face and opening wide, exhaled slow and hot on the small form.
The reaction was almost immediate. Bakugo turned towards the heat, mumbling sleepily, and finally opened an eye.
Kirishima’s heart plummeted, his mouth snapping shut to avoid making a sound.
The entire eye had turned red as blood, making the red iris seem almost pale in comparison. Bakugo was sweating badly, his face pale and trembling. He coughed quietly, unable to lift his head much, and finally rasped out, “…get to town, idiot…” Nodding fearfully, Kirishima started to open his mouth again, but froze as Bakugo had another order. “…keep t-talking to me…”
The world was swimming, and Bakugo could barely make out the details on Kirishima’s face. He saw a large blob of a skin color, and here and there, patches of red which he knew to be the scales that peppered the shifter’s face when he was in his half-and-half form. He tried to use them to orient himself, trying to find the red eyes, but red blended into red and his eyes grew weak and tired. He struggled to stay awake, but the silence…
The silence was like water, soothing and deep, and he knew that if he slipped under the surface, he might not be able to come back up. He struggled, latching on to the closest thing he could: Kirishima’s voice.
It was deep and rumbling and cut through it, keeping him grounded and helped to keep his head above the drowning silence that kept trying to suck him down.
He saw the huge head move, and he assumed that he had to be nodding at his order, but the red splotches just seemed to dance in front of his eyes and it took all his focus not to vomit from how dizzy this made him feel.
“Okay… Okay, I will… I’ll get you tucked in and get right over. I’ll run.”
The voice echoed in his mind, pushing back the silence, and Bakugo physically leaned towards it, not wanting to be alone.
He wasn’t used to feeling this weak, this dependent on someone else. He felt like his body was slipping away from him, trying to pull him down with it into the mire and he kept fighting, raging against his traitorous body, fighting to keep control.
Bakugo would NOT just die like a deer! He wouldn’t let this poison kill him. He would fight it until his last breath.
Heat…
Bakugo gave a shudder as his body came in contact with a thick, slimy surface and he could FEEL the heat of it soaking into his body. It seemed to help him to focus, to somehow help beat back that silence that kept trying to overwhelm him. It almost seemed to burn through his clothes and skin like paper, smoldering deep into his muscles and while it did feel almost borderline uncomfortable, the pain kept him awake. He struggled to get more of it, to make it burn and itch and distract him.
Thankfully, more came without his asking and he let out a moan as his whole chest was pressed to the hot surface. It felt too hot, like lying on a blade that had been left in the noon sun, even though the thick material of the cloak. He swore he could almost feel his clothes and skin melting as they pressed to the surface, making him hiss and groan in pain, but while his voice was small, a dull echo of it reached his ears, letting him hear something and block out the silence.
Quickly, swiftly, before Bakugo even had time to properly prepare for it, the world was tossing and he let out a louder groan as he was suddenly squashed in place all over, the heat just pouring into him. It was like being tossed into lava, and he writhed a bit, scowling and growling at nothing as he glared at the heat for making him feel this way. He couldn’t see, he could barely hear, he smelled nothing but hot flesh, and he spat as his mouth was dry and hot and itchy.
Everything about him felt wrong and sickly, and he could only writhe weakly as he was tucked again into a warm, familiar chamber.
In here there was something else to drive away the silence: steady, pounding heartbeats.
They echoed in the chamber, in the very flesh as he lay on it, and Bakugo clung to the sound, almost breathing in sync with the beats, the silence between each thump terrifying him. Another deep sound started up as well, filling the gap between the beats and as Bakugo struggled to keep his hold, Kirishima left the cave in a rush, mumbling about how he was going to get help.
Kirishima ran though the barren lands, his heart pounding, muttering constantly about where they were, what he was doing, begging Bakugo to hold on, and just making noise. He felt sick with worry, his heart feeling tight and compressed in his chest, and he just prayed he was able to find someone in time!
Thanks to his large size, the ground flew beneath him, and while he did long to shift fully and get his wings out to actually soar, he knew that for this one time, he had to sacrifice his wings for his words. He could feel that Bakugo was awake inside, moving and squirming, reacting to his words, keeping himself awake.
He was fighting this, and Kirishima had faith that he would overcome it, but he needed help this time around. They needed to find someone who would be able to give Bakugo that edge he needed to push past this…
On the journey, there was a frightful moment for a bit as Kirishima had to leap to get over a small canyon.
His huge body had landed hard, and he had missed the landing as the rocks had crumbled underfoot, sending him sprawling on his back. He was quick to get up though, his hand instantly rushing to his chest, panting as he gasped out, “Bakugo?! Bakugo, I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
Bakugo didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. His throat felt like dried leather, his head swimming. The impact hadn’t harmed him, being far too well-padded to have been inconvenienced, but he just felt like his grip on reality was slipping away. He was having trouble distinguishing what was real and what wasn’t.
He felt the flesh supporting him, felt the heat, heard the steady heartbeats and Kirishima’s voice… These carnal sensations seemed to be the only real things to him. His eyes saw flashes of color in the darkness, he heard other soft voices, he tasted blood and bitterness and other flavors he couldn’t even identify, he smelled char and a sour stench of poison…
What was real?
“Bakugo?!”
The voice… That large, growling, barely understandable voice was real for sure. He knew it well. He focused on it, tried to hold it, his hands moving weakly against the soft walls. These walls were real too… He felt them pulse with the heart beats, felt them shift at his touch.
Panting and gritting his teeth to keep this reality in focus, he touched at the wall, grabbing a handful of the soft flesh, and squeezed as hard as he could.
Bakugo practically heard the heart skip a beat, and he kept up his grip, trembling and shaking. But he knew he had to push his friend on. Kirishima had to keep moving, not fawn over him. Time was running out…
The pinch was tiny, usually hardly noticeable to the shifter, used to Bakugo grabbing or hitting him almost on a daily basis.
But that little motion was different. Bakugo was running out of time, but still had the sense to reassure Kirishima that he was still fighting. It was up to Kirishima now, and he better not make him wait.
Straightening up and shaking off the dust, Kirishima growled softly to acknowledge the touch and started off again.
It took two hours of steady running before Kirishima saw the distant lights of the town starting to appear amid the last afternoon. He slowed a little bit, not wanting to hurt anyone who might be on a roadway, and swiftly made his way to the town center.
His nose was assaulted by the various smells of the town, ranging from delicious food, the various people and beings around, the stench of animals and livestock, bitter and sweet smells of perfumes and potions… Normally when they came to town, Kirishima would be in his fully human form to avoid scaring people and would be almost childishly distracted by everything, often making Bakugo have to literally keep a hand on him to keep him focused. But today, Kirishima disregarded everything and followed the road up to the opening of the center, gasping for air as he got close.
He paused to catch his breath, seeing some eyes turning his way. But who should he ask?
Screams suddenly began to ring out and Kirishima’s eyes got huge as he saw people starting to flee from the center. He was confused for a split second, even glancing behind him in case something had been chasing him, unbeknownst to him. He was briefly worried it was the poison drake back for round 2 and that he had inadvertently led it to the town. But he saw nothing and turned back, his arms around his middle as he panted, trying to catch his breath. What were they so scared of?
“Dragon!”
The cry was repeated and taken up, and the center started to empty faster and faster.
Kirishima’s heart plummeted as he realized he had forgotten something very important; he had never come here in either half-and-half [small or large], or full dragon form before, having always squashed himself down into his fully human form to avoid scaring people. DragonShifters were often regarded with worry and fear, as many in the past had used their size to their advantage.
He tried to call out to them, to tell them he wasn’t there to hurt anyone, that he needed help, but his lungs heaved from running and he lost some control, only managing a loud growl, which did nothing to calm the panicked townsfolk.
Shaking, Kirishima tried again, coughing out, “H-He…” but it degraded into a snarl as he could only focus on Bakugo’s weak movements.
This was one of the problems with his half-and-half larger form; his looser grasp of speaking, especially when he wasn’t calm. And right now, as his heart pounded and his lungs heaved, Kirishima was anything but calm.
The town square was almost empty now, people fleeing into houses and inns and anything that was sturdy. He even saw some people diving to hide among the skittish horses in a nearby stable!
But he heard something else on the edge of his hearing: metal clanking. He felt his stomach tense, his crop tightening reflexively around Bakugo, who could only weakly react now. He wasn’t moving as much anymore, and Kirishima felt his heart thud heavily. He had to get help before he was driven off! Bakugo would die if he didn’t!
Stamping footsteps came closer and closer, and the cries of fear, the cries of caution started to grow bolder and harsher.
“Get away!” “You’re not wanted here!” “Kill it!”
Kirishima was used to these shouts, had heard them for years, but right now, he didn’t care. He needed help! He tried again to speak, to manage words past the worried knot in his throat, but nothing but a coughing snarl escaped his lips.
The clank of armor and foots steps rang out, and the angry cries turned to cheers as the knights of the town came out in force, all making a ring at the town center, facing Kirishima and all lances and swords pointed at him. They were going to charge!
Trembling, Kirishima thought fast and dropped to his knees, folding his wings against his back, and kept his arms around his middle and while he allowed his voice to degrade instead of speaking again, he managed to twist his voice from a growl into a keening whine.
The knights paused, and even the harsh cries of the townsfolk quieted.
Shaking, but knowing he had to act, Kirishima coughed and tried again, managing a softer whine, almost a moan.
He heard the confused whispers starting to float from mouth to mouth.
“Is it sick?” “Did someone hurt it?” “Maybe it needs help?” “Maybe it’s faking?”
Kirishima didn’t begrudge them their worries and concerns, knowing some were well-founded due to the actions of past shifters who had abused their powers. He whined again, and it was cut off as one of the knights stepped forwards, lance raised, his blue eyes glinting behind sturdy glasses.
“Leave, beast! We won’t hurt you if you just leave us in peace!” the man snarled, and the cry was taken up by the rest of the knights, and then by the whole town.
Kirishima’s eyes grew wide and blackened as he started to panic, especially as he felt Bakugo was barely moving now. He focused on him, and felt how shallow he was breathing.
What could he do?! He coughed again, keening, but the knights stepped forwards as a group, again demanding that he leave. He tried to explain, shuffling on his knees, trying to gesture to his chest, to try and make them understand, but he saw only the shining metal of their swords and their lances, and he started to feel despair. He whined again, his throat too tight and dry for words, and that’s when the first arrow struck him
He yelped in shock, though not in pain. The arrow had been poorly aimed, striking at his bent leg, clattering harmlessly off the scales. He winced as another followed, snapping uselessly off the scales of his shoulder, fighting his arms around his belly, wanting to protect Bakugo at all cost. He let out another keen, trying to make his point, but another arrow got into his hand. He roared louder at this, mostly in shock, and looked down to see the shaft sticking out of the back of his hand, where it had pierced by chance between two of the scales.
Kirishima heard shouting, but his ears heard none of it, only registering that Bakugo… wasn’t moving anymore.
He felt his heart thump, skipping a beat and he looked up, his eyes black and red and pleading for help as he let out a roar of anguish.