Chapter Text
It was one of those rare evenings when Rei managed to drag herself out of bed to take a short walk around the castle, getting a bit of movement into her aching limbs, seeing something other than the bedroom she had been trapped in for far too long already.
She had tried to do that more often now, actually moving, beyond just sitting up in bed and the healers moving her body for her. Probably ever since her son Shouto's wedding that took place a few weeks ago and had forced her to properly get out of bed the first time in what felt like years.
It was also what caused her feet to carry her straight towards the bedroom of her youngest now...
Enji had arranged the marriage with neither Shotou's nor Rei's knowledge or approval, something beneficial for him and their kingdom which seemed to be the only thing he was able to ever think about.
The chosen one was a young prince from a neighboring kingdom that they could now call their allies. A kingdom of barbarians and dragons but a strong kingdom nonetheless.
A kingdom that could have otherwise brought them trouble in the future, although it kind of already did.
Her now son-in-law, King Bakugou Katsuki...He was quite something to say the least.
Foul-mouthed, loud and disrespectful, a picture perfect barbarian it seemed. He had arrived on dragon-back, in an indecent state of undressed and with an attitude not even his kind-spoken commander could compensate for.
And he had thrown over most of their traditions he deemed "useless fucking bullshit" (to say it with his words) before the first sun-down. The blonde had demanded to see and talk to Shouto before the wedding ceremony, had refused the cleansing ritual and, despite the guards trying their absolute hardest to stop them, had taken Shouto for a flight outside their borders.
And the longer he stayed, the more rebellion he showed.
He wouldn't let their servants dress him in proper uniform for the wedding, had spoken out his own vowes instead of the ones written for him and approved by the court and to set the cherry on top of it all, he had kissed his freshly declared husband before proper allowance.
The only light Rei had seen in the whole situation was how much her husband had fumed at the rough display of the barbarian he had allowed into their circles himself. At the very least, he seemed to regret his choices immensely and probably would for quite a while still. Bakugou was a mighty match for the short-fused king and Enji had no one to blame but himself for once.
It was only a small relief though. Rei was still worried about her Shouto, who had the very least say in all of this, in his whole life if Rei was honest and he was also the one who was married to the barbarian king now.
Quite quickly after the wedding, Bakugou had taken Shouto along to his own homelands to hold up their version of a wedding. Rei would have loved to come along but her health wouldn't allow for it. Enji had refused to attend and had forbidden their other sons as well. Only Fuyumi was allowed to attend her brother's wedding.
She had sent letters back home for her mother and brothers to read, about how different things were in the barbarian's kingdom, how different the wedding had been.
But especially how different Shouto had been, outside of the castle's walls that trapped him as much as they did Rei.
According to her daughter, Shouto had seemed...happier. Rei wouldn't quite believe that but apparently, he had accommodated himself with the other kingdom's ways quite well. Had made friends with Bakugou's friends, quickly melted his parents' hearts too, tried to get used to their traditions and to his husband's antics.
Fuyumi had come home far before Shouto.
The youngest only just returned this morning and Rei had yet to get a chance to see him. Touya had been the one to inform her that Bakugou and his dragon had brought Shouto here and were planning to stay for a few days.
Why, Rei couldn't fathom. She had expected that after the wedding, the two newlyweds would return to their common kingdoms to go after their duties, only reuniting if the matter called for it.
And honestly, it scared her. She of all people knew what it was like to be under the full control of her husband, never to be left alone or out of sight. She didn't want that for Shouto. Touya had tried to comfort her, telling her that during their arrival, Bakugou had been nothing but gentle with their prince, lifting him off his dragon's back, carrying his satchel for him, holding his hand to go up the stairs.
Even his beast of a companion had settled down to a mere guard dog, keeping close watch over their newest crown member.
And Shouto? He had smiled, not the polite, well-trained smile he was expected to wear during formalities but the kind that reached his eyes, the kind Touya rarely ever saw on him anymore.
But Rei was still unsure. It could all be for show. She knew how much acting Shouto was capable of to keep his father sated. She just...She had to know. She had to see her son, she'd see right through every charade, she was sure of it.
She didn't know what she would do then, but that was something to figure out later on.
Quietly, without as much as a squeak, she pressed the heavy wooden door to her son's chamber open, just enough to peek her head inside.
The first thing she could identify was the barbarian's dragon, Eijiro she believed he was called, his huge body filling up almost half of the room alone. He layed semi-curled, his back towards the windows while his head was placed closest to the burning fireplace.
His blood red chest rose and fell with deep breaths and wouldn't it have been for the tip of his massive tail swaying contently, Rei would have almost expected him to be asleep.
The dragon was a shifter, Rei had seen his human form already, otherwise the boy wouldn't fit through any of the doors, but he seemed to much prefer his dragon form, spending as much time in it as possible.
His king didn't seem to mind and surprisingly, neither did Shouto, not intimidated but rather fascinated by the beast from the moment he met him.
And upon further inspection, Rei finally caught sight of her son.
He was seated on the floor by the fireplace, on top of the softest furs their castle had to offer. He was already in his sleeping attire, the top of his shirt untied and hanging off of one shoulder lazily. One of the dragon's paws was draped over his lap almost like a blanket and Shouto was dragging a hand along the ridges of his scales. In his other hand, he held a book, a worn little thing Rei was all too familiar with.
It had been Shouto's favorite ever since he learned to read.
The picture in itself was a strange kind of domestic to look at but it wasn't everything that Rei spotted.
Behind her son was someone else too.
Bakugou sat right behind Shouto, legs settled on either side of the prince. His red cape had been discarded, leaving him in just his pants, scars and tattoos on full display. A picture of a true-born warrior.
And he was-...
Braiding Shouto's hair?
Rei hadn't realized just how long her son's hair had gotten over time, almost reaching down to the floor now when he sat. Shouto usually wore it up, braided and secured, both for efficiency during battle and to keep Enji's wrath at bay. It was probably for the better, the long hair had always been a thorn in his father's eye, if he saw just how long it had grown, he would surely have it cut off, forcefully if needed.
She would have expected Bakugou to think the same.
Instead, she watched as the barbarian gently ran his fingers through the strands before intertwining them, mixing the pristine white and rich red into a quite impressive artwork. Not just a simple braid but a delicate thing with smaller braids running through it and well placed twists in between.
Shouto usually didn't allow anyone to touch his hair, not their maids or the servants, not even his siblings. Fuyumi had been an exception for the wedding preparations but apart from that, Shouto only ever did his own hair.
Until now it seemed.
Rei's stomach made funny turns at the sight.
Bakugou was so...gentle with it. Intend on not pulling too harsh, handling the strands like the finest silk, working in full concentration. For someone usually so explosive, he seemed awfully patient in his work.
The Queen was curious about where Bakugou had even learned to do that.
Once the barbarian reached the end of Shouto's hair, he grabbed the silk ribbon he had kept between his teeth, tying the ends of his husband's hair together to keep the braid from unraveling.
He traced his fingers along his work one last time before leaning forward and Rei's eyes went wide as he slowly wrapped his arms around the prince's middle before placing a tender, lingering kiss onto Shouto's exposed shoulder.
It was more a breath than a proper kiss, like any pressure too hard could shatter the boy in his hands. And he did it a few more times, going further up towards Shouto's sensitive neck.
A soft smile danced along the prince's lips as he closed his book without hesitation, placing it to the side to give his full attention to his husband. "Thank you, Katsuki."
The other returned his smile, placing another kiss to his shoulder, then to his jaw and one more to his cheek. "Always, my love. I promise, if your old man ever tries to chop just a strand of it off, he'll lose his hand."
Shouto chuckled, gently pulling his legs out from under the dragon's claws to turn around and straddle Katsukie's lap. "I'm pretty sure that's called treason."
The barbarian's hands found Shouto's waist easily, pulling him closer. "No, it's called devotion, Princess."
"You're devoted to me?" Shouto whispered, like it was a secret they had to keep between each other.
"I am, just like the rest of my kingdom became the moment they met you. You've even got my dragon wrapped around your finger."
Said dragon huffed in what seemed to be agreement, causing the two men to laugh.
"I mean it thought," the blonde continued, drawing soft circles onto Shouto's waist. "You don't have to hide your hair anymore. Braid it, wear it down, chop it all off, I don't care. It's yours. You are yours, even if for the first time in your life..."
"And I'm yours," Shouto returns, gently pressing their foreheads together.
"And you're mine, for as long as you want to be."
Something in Rei's chest squeezes tight.
"Forever then?" Her son smiled, brighter than he had in years.
"Forever, Pricess," Katsuki returned in what had to be his mother tongue. Rei didn't understand him but Shouto seemed to do and Katsuki must have said something very sweet, if the way the prince leaned in to kiss his husband was anything to go by.
Rei gently closed the door again, feeling like she had been intruding in something far too sacred for her eyes for too long already.
Sneaking back towards her own chambers, she felt a weight that had been pushing down on her shoulders for weeks finally lift.
Katsuki was nothing like Enji.
She could see that now. Had already known that the barbarian king was a much greater ruler than the fire king but now she knew that he was a much greater husband as well.
And it settled her heart, knowing that Shouto would never become something like her either.
Touya had been right, like Fuyumi had been too.
Her Shouto was...happy. So very happy it left enough light to reach Rei's wilting heart as well. And for the first time in years, her smile reached her eyes too.