Hello! I hope that you're feeling fine and doing well in school!
I was reading some old posts and fics of other people that write bakugou x reader, then I stumbled upon a collab fic. There I saw your name and link to said fic. But I couldn't access it, figured I was blocked because I didn't have my age in the bio (I was new to the app and didn't know how, this was in 2021) and now I crave to read your works again đđ if you would be so gracious to unblock my account @/katsukistrustychurchshoos I will be forever in your debt đ« đ«¶
Lord this next part to I Promise is so long please đ also my oldest dog turns 5 tomorrow and Iâm so sad where did the time go đ he was just a little man yesterday đ„č
Summary: After your clan had been exiled and shunned from the western lands, your family grew to hate the royal family who they felt betrayed them. In return you were sent on a mission to reclaim your families honor, but you would come to find out that your mission came with a price.
Dragon Prince!Bakugou x AFAB Reader
Warnings: hmm not a lot, lmk if I missed some, but just intended violence, scars on reader, ofc grammar errors
A/N: I'm glad everyone has been liking this story so far :) it's been fun to world build with this one! According to my outline I'm thinking it might be eight parts, we'll see lol we've got a long way to go!
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Part Three
When you finally woke, it was morning. The sun was shining through a crack in the tent flaps illuminating a small sliver of the furs on the floor. You blinked and sat up, rubbing your eyes as you glanced around. This tent was full of plants, and different medical instruments as well as art. Your eyes widened when you saw a painting of your dragon.Â
âOh, youâre awake,â A gentle voice said from deeper within the tent, and a man with green hair came forward. He was tall, built like a warrior, not a healer. He glanced at where you were looking and smiled, âLooks just like your dragon right?â
You nodded, âyes, itâs beautiful, youâre quite talented.â
The healer grinned, pleased with your answer as he pulled up a stool and sat down next to you, âthank you, but more importantly how do you feel?â
You looked towards your leg, it was wrapped in cloth, but it didnât hurt not like last night. âIt feels much better.â
âGood, glad to hear it. Iâm Midoriya, the clan healer, I donât think weâve been properly introduced,â Midoriya said as he stuck out his hand.
You took it, surprised with how firm his handshake was, and you told him your name.
Midoriya hummed as he placed his hand back on his thigh, âWell, Iâd like to keep you here for a few more hours, just to be sure youâre back to normal, but thatâs up to Kacchan.â
âKacchan?â you repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Midoriya nodded, âKatsuki.â
âOh,â you said, feeling a bitter taste in your mouth. Even though he saved you, he did leave you out there to die in the woods.Â
âHe should be here right about,â Midoriya said as he lifted the tent flap to look at his sundial, which almost immediately got blocked by Bakugouâs shadow. âNow.â
You lifted your gaze to see Bakugouâs hulking figure in the middle of the entrance to the tent. He was still covered in your blood from last night, and you could see your bloody hand prints on his chest, neck, and face.Â
âGet out Deku,â Bakugou snapped, giving his friend a harsh push out of the tent and yanking the flaps shut as he walked toward you and sat on the stool next to your bed. He remained silent for a few moments, examining your wounds. You were mostly healed, just a few scabs on your calf from the pincher. âYou healed nicely.â
You frowned, âLucky me.â You wished more than anything that this mission was over and your enemies were gone, you wished Bakugou was gone. That pompous jerk, you glanced at him again, jutting out your bottom lip as you narrowed your eyes.
âI guess you have a right to be pissed at me-â
âYou left me knowing those insects would be out!â you snapped, how was I supposed to fend for myself? I had no weapon because Sero took my spear away from me.â
âI know, look,â Bakugou hissed as he ran his hand over his face, âit was a lapse of judgment alright?â
You scoffed, âwhatever.â You looked away from him, still feeling more than upset. Despite your current feelings, this was the moment you were looking for. The moment you could slip past his guard and progress your relationship with him.
âDonât be such a brat, youâre fine. Kirishima got stung by one once,â Bakugou snapped back, clearly done with your attitude.
You huffed, glancing back at him. He did seem to be somewhat conflicted with himself. This was good. âAlright,â you began, letting your shoulders drop, âwe can just forget about it, okay? Iâm fine thanks to Midoriya.â
Bakugou rose a brow, clearly confused as to why you were letting him off the hook. Why would you do that? Youâre people were full of hate, they held a grudge. He knew that for a fact, he saw that when he met your mother when you were both kids. He wouldnât ever forget her cold gaze, it felt like ice was pelting his skin when she looked at him.Â
But when he looked at your eyes, there was no malice. Your amber eyes were warm, welcoming. Had he misjudged you?Â
No, there was still a glint of scheming behind your eyes. He still couldnât trust you.Â
You offered him a small smile, âwhat? Not used to someone letting you off the hook? Canât say Iâm surprised your grandmother seems to run a pretty tight ship around here.â
Bakugou pulled himself out of his thoughts and scoffed while shaking his head. It was then he noticed something around your neck that wasnât there before. It was his necklace, âwhy do you have that?â he asked.
You furrowed your brows and glanced down seeing a leather necklace around your neck. It had a few gemstones on it, carnelian, quartz, and a bear claw? That wasnât yours. âOh, I donât know, I woke up with it.â
Bakugou snorted, glancing outside to see Deku talking with Kirishima. Damn idiot must have put it on you last night. He absently rubbed his neck, feeling your dry blood flake off his skin, did you yank it off by accident? Maybe thatâs how you got it? He let out a sigh, as he looked towards you struggling to untie the leather knots that held his necklace around your neck. âWhatever, just keep it for now. Iâll get it later. Donât lose it, itâs worth more than your entire clan,â Bakugou snapped as he stood up narrowing his eyes at you before leaving you in the tent alone.
Your eyes widened in shock as you looked down at the necklace, and then you grinned. This was a big step in your friendship, which meant you were that much closer to achieving your goal.
â--------
The next few days you spent in camp so you could finish healing. It was nice though, you learned where everything was and even met some people that didnât seem to hate you for your family name.
Your favorite part of camp was probably the market. Every family in the clan had some sort of speciality that could be traded which meant that the market was busy everyday with something new. Personally, your favorite trader had to be an old man who was a beekeeper. He would have a huge spread of various honeyâs he collected from his hives along with honeycomb, and beeswax that heâd turn into different moisturizers.Â
All in all it was very impressive to you, considering you had no idea what a bee was up until now.
âSo this honey,â you began as you pointed to the dark golden liquid in the jar, âcomes from insects?â
âYes,â the beekeeper, whose name you learned was Gran, said, âfor the hundredth time yes! If you keep cominâ back here asking me about my damn beeâs-â
You grinned and held up your hands, âsorry, sorry, itâs just so weird that you eat this stuff from them?âÂ
Gran rolled his eyes, âlook if I give you some will you leave me alone? I have paying customers here,â he snapped while leaning around you to see a growing line of irritated people.
You shook your head, âI couldnât-â
âJust take it,â Gran grumbled and tossed you a frosted glass jar filled with honey and some honeycomb.
You caught the jar and gave him a sheepish smile before darting away from the rest of the people in line. You didnât miss how someone cursed you out as you passed, one man even spat at your feet. Not that you really cared anymore. These people would have what's coming to them in due time.Â
For now, you were more interested in your honey. You made your way across camp, holding the jar up to see the sunlight illuminate the honey, making the gold liquid glow.Â
While you were so busy inspecting the honey, you failed to miss two pairs of eyes watching you closely.Â
â
âLook at that creature,â Mitsuki snapped, watching you from a distance. She was seething at the fact that you were still here. âWhy hasnât she left?â
âAsk the ancient hag that,â Bakugou scoffed, as he shot you a quick glance, and then looked back at his reflection in the bowl in front of him. He was carefully painting red lines down his bare chest, trying hard not to mess up.Â
Mitsuki huffed, âif she steps one toe out of line, you have my permission to eliminate her-â
âWhat is with you two?â the queen motherâs frail voice sounded from behind Bakugouâs tent. âShe hasnât done anything wrong-â
âBut she will, mother,â Mitsuki snapped as she turned her enraged gaze towards her mother, âit is in her blood.â
âWe donât know that,â the queen mother said as she inspected Bakugou. âAll sheâs done is pester Gran about honey for the past three days. Sheâs nothing like her mother, itâs clear to see that.â She paused, taking a rattling breath as she turned to her grandson, âKatsuki, keep those lines straight, none of your suitors want to see sloppy work.â
âWhatever,â Bakugou snapped, not bothering to look at his grandmother.
â-----
You soon found yourself under a large willow tree beside a wide shallow creek. There were a few water birds waddling around the edges of the creek, ducking their heads into the current to catch a mouthful of minnows.Â
You let out a sigh, as a warm breeze shook the branches of the tree above you, making the leaves rattle softly in the wind. It was so nice here, and so pretty. The people here took that for granted. They didnât know what it was like to not feel plush green grass beneath the feet, or have clean flowing water.Â
Or to be able to experience the gifts that mother nature bears to her friends. Like the honey you were given. You undid the top of the jar, setting the lid on your knee as you inspected the honey, it was a viscous liquid, and sticky looking.Â
Without giving it a second thought you dunked your finger into the jar and pulled it out, watching as the golden liquid clung to your finger. You stuck out your tongue, giving it a tentative lick and to your surprise it was sweet.Â
In fact, it was the best thing you've ever eaten in your whole life. Before you could even register you had your whole hand in the jar trying to yank out the honeycomb inside.Â
âIf I didnât know any better, I would think you were a bear,â Bakugouâs grandmother said from behind you.
How you didnât hear her sneak up on you, you had no idea, but that didnât matter. You were more embarrassed that she had caught you with your whole hand in a jar of honey. âOh, Iâm sorry I didnât see you,â you began, completely caught off guard as you tried to yank your hand out of the jar.
âItâs okay, go back to eating your honey,â she said with a chuckle as she moved beside you and then sat down with a soft groan. She then placed her cane next to her as she leaned back against the tree. âItâs not often I find myself this far outside of my tent but I have to admit, this is a nice view of camp.â
You nodded, wondering if she figured out you would come out here to scope things out. If she was starting to suspect you.Â
Although you were also out here to enjoy nature and get away from the people who could barely stand your entire existence. âIt is impressive.â
âI imagine so,â Bakugouâs grandmother said as she watched you take a bite of the honeycomb. You had honey dripping off your chin, and then she noticed the necklace you were wearing. It was Katuskiâs, it was made after he killed his first bear.Â
You chewed on the honeycomb, savoring its sweetness as you glanced at the queen mother again. âWhat brings you out here?â
âWatching my grandson scare away his suitors,â she said with a sigh as she lifted her hand to point to where Bakugou was storming towards a group of women.
âOh?â you said as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, âhe gets to choose?â
âHe does, to some extent,â his grandmother answered, âwe have this tradition that the prince or princess must choose their partner before obtaining the throne. We have a pool of suitable partners put together for them, usually this is decided by our elders. Itâs a bit like a ceremony and the healer has a vision.â
âA vision?â you asked with raised brows.
Bakugouâs grandmother nodded, âyes, in our clan our healer is the one closest to our ancestors. They see and understand what we do not. Along with healing the sick and wounded they also guide us. Young Midoriya has done well after his mentor, Toshinori passed.â
âInteresting, back in my home, we didnât have anything like that,â you said remembering back to your home. The decisions were made by your mother. She was swift with her judgment and anyone who didnât impress her was thrown into the streets at night, which were wildly unsafe with rogues and murderers. Most of the unlucky people who faced your mothers judgment did not live to see the next day.Â
Your home was chaotic at its best. There were no rules except to survive. If you had a piece of land or a shack of your own, you had to fight for it. Every person fended for themselves.Â
The honey seemed unappetizing now as you set the jar beside you, watching as Bakugou talked to a tall girl with wildflowers braided into her hair. âHow do the visions impact his choice?â you finally asked.
âWell, this was Midoriyaâs first time, so he wasnât able to give us a clear picture. I believe he said he saw a bear, the ocean, a good amount of blood, something about a large beast, red dahlias, and a ladybug. It was rather confusing to a good majority of the elders, including myself.â
You huffed, âwell, hopefully Bakugou figures it out fast, looks like heâs done for the day.â you mentioned with a chuckle as you watched him stomp off and one girl clearly kicked dirt in his direction.
âThat brat,â Bakugouâs grandmother hissed, âhere help me up will you? Iâve got to get back.â
You nodded, standing up fast and quickly washing your hands and face off in the creek so you werenât covered in honey before helping the queen mother up. She was looking more frail today and you heard her let out a rattly breath again. âAre you doing alright?â you asked as you let her cling onto your arm.
She looked up at you, âoh yes, thank you Iâm fine. Itâs just when the nights start to get cold like this, my lungs give me trouble. In fact,â she began glancing at the mountain range ahead. The snow was starting to creep down the face of the mountain. âWe should be packing up to move to our winter camp soon.â
You gave her an odd look before remembering that they were nomadic. It would make sense for them to leave when it got cold here to go somewhere warm. âWhere would that be?â
âOh, itâs my favorite,â the queen mother smiled as she shut her eyes, âwe go to the ocean.â
â-----
As the week went on you were mostly left to your own devices still, due to how intense Bakugouâs courting was. He would be out in the fields all day talking to girls. You learned everytime he chose someone, he would have to bring them to Midoriya, where they would have to be approved. All week you saw a frustrated Bakugou storm out of the tent followed by the sound of crying.Â
Which meant he was in a rotten mood. He stayed true to his grandmother's request to teach you his clan's ways, but he had a short span of patience for you and more often than not he would call you some foul name and then leave.
âYou have to use a saddle,â Bakugou hissed as he pointed to your dragon. âItâs part of our customs.â
âBut I donât want to use a saddle,â you argued, âit slows her down and it restricts me.â
Bakugou growled your name as he took a threatening step towards you, âwell if you want to stay here, you have to use a fuckinâ saddle.â
You rolled your eyes, âsheâs not gonna like that.â As if she understood your words your dragon pressed herself close to the grass, letting a low hiss pass through her teeth at the sight of the large saddle on the ground.Â
âI mean, maybe she doesnât have to wear it,â Kirishima said with a shrug, "it is pretty uncomfortable during long rides.â
âDid I ask for your input, shitty scales? No.Â
 So keep your trap shut,â Bakugou hissed.Â
Kirishima snorted and shook his head before sharing a glance with your dragon and then shrugged.
You folded your arms across your chest, âI bet your grandmother would be fine if I rode bareback.â
âThe ancient hag is not on your side,â Bakugou hissed, âjust cause you two talked for a bit doesnât mean shit. You're still a brat, and a traitor.â
âThat line gets old,â you said as the wind started to pick up, making you have to raise your voice. âWhy donât you go and talk to another suitor? Kirishima can teach me more-â
âThatâs not Kirishimaâs job,â Bakugou interrupted, âyouâre my responsibility, and like hell Iâd leave you with him.â
âWell maybe you should go, man?â Kirishima said gently, âI think, and I mean this nicely, you need a break. It canât feel great that everytime you bring someone to Midoriya you get turned down.â
Bakugouâs upper lip twitched. He was pissed as hell at Deku. That damn healer was set on staying true to his vision. Well, Bakugou thought that vision was shit, it literally meant nothing. He just needed to have a betrothed before the fall festival which would be in the coming months after the clan traveled to their winter location. His motherâs old war wound was forcing her to give up her throne sooner than expected and he had to step up, yet he was failing all because of a stupid damn vision.
âItâs fine, Katsuki, nothing is going to happen,â Kirishima assured again.
Bakugou shot you one last glare before storming off, muttering about something under his breath.Â
âWell I feel better now,â Kirihsima laughed as he came closer to you, âheâs been wound up for weeks now.â
You snorted, âdonât know how you manage to put up with him.â
Kirisima smiled, it was bright, âyouâll learn to love him in time, heâs a good guy.â
You gave Kirishma a weak smile. That was far from true. Bakugou was part of the family that condemned yours. He was the farthest thing from a good guy.Â
Kirishima hummed, sensing a bit of your apprehension, but decided to leave it. âSo tell me more about your dragon?â he asked as he walked forward letting your dragon sniff his arm.
âOh, well I donât know that much about her. Sheâs not like you all,â you commented to him. Hoping he didnât ask too many questions just due to the fact that your dragon was from the royal clutch after all.Â
Kirishima laughed, âshe isnât at all. I canât say Iâve seen a green one before. Back in my homeland, most of us are bright red, aside from a few being maroon.â He paused and looked at you briefly, âare you planning on staying with us for a while?â
You were taken back with his question, and your heart jumped in your chest. Why did he ask that? Did he want you to leave? Was he able to sense that you were going to betray his and Bakugouâs trust someday? You swallowed thickly, âum, I was thinking it would be nice to stay with you the clan till you reach your winter grounds.â
To your utter surprise Kirisima smiled again, âgood, Iâm glad to hear that. Despite what everyone else thinks, I like having you around.â
You furrowed your brows, âwhat makes you say that?â
Kirishima shrugged, âjust instinct, I guess.â He rolled his shoulders, âwell, why donât we try out this saddle then?â
You sighed, âalright, fine. But if she throws me off, youâll have to catch me.â
Kirishima snorted and then helped you saddle your dragon. It was a little touch and go as she clearly didnât like having straps around her chest to hold the saddle in place. After a solid thirty minutes of struggling she was ready.Â
You tentatively climbed onto the saddle. It looked almost ridiculously small on your dragon's huge back. She turned her head to look at you as you sat down, and stretched your legs in the seat. The leather creaked and groaned as you adjusted your seat. âThis is wildly uncomfortable,â you muttered.
âJust need to break it in,â Kirishima said, âitâll get better with time.â He then looked to the sky and squinted. Aside from the wind, the weather was perfect for flying, especially since this was his first time shifting since he was poisoned with silver.
You watched Kirishima look down to the ground and then crouch, you werenât exactly sure what he was doing until he stretched his wings and suddenly his form shook. Before your eyes he transformed into a huge crimson dragon. He was much larger than yours, and instead of having just back legs and using his wings as front legs when walking, he had front arms too.Â
Your eyes widened as he walked forward, the ground seemed to shake under each step till he was eye level with you. He chuffed, causing a hot burst of air to hit your face, making you sputter. Kirishima made a throaty growl, which you thought could have been a laugh.
Kirishima took a few more steps past you, letting your dragon position herself to take off after him. Then he took off, running. The ground shook after each step and his claws left deep grooves in the ground after every step. Then he bunched his back legs and jumped up, flapping his wings as he took to the sky.Â
You heard a few children squealing as they ran to the edge of camp to watch Kirishima fly. Your dragon wheezed and moved forward, following Kirishimaâs steps before jumping up and following him into the sky.Â
You frowned, holding onto her spike as the saddle slipped sideways, maybe you didnât tighten it enough? Nonetheless you followed Kirishima up higher and higher until you were above the clouds.
He seemed happy to be back in his true form. He was darting around the clouds and diving down into some, making them split apart and wisp away in the strong wind.Â
You smiled, watching him play in the sky. He was sweet, and was easily the kindest person in the clan, besides Midoriya, and maybe Bakugouâs grandmother. It made your heart ache at the thought of betraying Kirishima, which was unsettling. You had only been in the clan for a little over a week and you were already getting attached.
While you were lost in thought, your dragon, obviously surprised to see Kirishima having fun, was curious as to what he was doing, and took off at a speed youâve never seen her travel before.Â
âWhoa!â you yelped as you almost got flung off the side of your dragon as she chased after Kirishima, weaving through the clouds.
Kirishimaâs red eyes widened with delight and he took a swooping dive down to the ground, and then your dragon followed him.
Your stomach lurched as you flew straight down screaming at the top of your lungs as your legs flew out straight behind you. You had your arms tightly wrapped around your dragonâs spike as she caught up with Kirishima, flying next to him as they dove towards the ground.Â
Your eyes were watering as you tried to see how close the ground was. However, to your horror you were heading towards a lake. Even through your watery eyes you could make out a few commoners mulling around the water side, now obviously pointing at Kirishima and your dragon racing.Â
You could see Bakugou sitting at the water's edge with a girl who was talking animatedly but then she pointed at you. He stood up abruptly leaving his suitor to run to the shore of the lake, waving his arms rapidly.Â
âKirishima!â you shouted above the roaring wind, not like he could hear you. The water was getting closer and closer by the second and Kirishima pushed himself faster, and your dragon followed suit. They were flying so fast that you had no option but to shut your eyes, they simply wouldnât stay open.Â
Suddenly your dragon pulled up, making your legs and body slam back down into the saddle, which was already loose. Your eyes shot open as you scrambled to find your seating but the sudden change in movement had you unbalanced and to your horror the momentum of your body had you falling sideways.Â
You scrambled to grab onto the straps of the saddle as your hands slipped from the spike you were holding on, but it was futile. You were falling.Â
At the notice of your absence your dragon quickly turned around flying back down towards you with her back claws outstretched to catch you.Â
Your eyes were wide as the water came closer and closer. You could hear Bakugou shouting at Kirishima. It didnât matter though, you would hit the water before anyone could catch you. It probably wouldnât hurt that bad, you were about thirty feet from the water.Â
A claw hooked into your shirt just before you hit the water, tearing the tunic you were wearing right from your body. You landed into the water with a grunt, wincing as water shot up your nose.Â
Bubbles floated up past your face as you opened your eyes briefly, and started paddling towards the surface of the lake. After a few short moments you surfaced sputtering and shaking. Above you your dragon and Kirishima were hovering above the water, making waves with every flap of their wings. âItâs okay, Iâm fine. Just go land.â
You watched as the two dragons flew to the shoreline and landed. Kirishimaâs form shook and he shrunk back down to his human form, and immediately sprinted into the water shouting apologies.
âShitty scales!â Bakugou shouted, âget back to the shoreline and watch her dragon, everyone is scared shitless of that thing.â He was referring to the common folk fleeing the opposite direction from your dragon, especially now because she was obviously distressed from losing her rider.
You continued paddling towards the shore, fighting the strong current as best you could. You swam a few times in a pond that would show up after a big rain back home. It wasnât nearly as deep at this lake, or as clear. You wrinkled your nose at the memory of that pond. It was filthy, and mostly mud and silt, but you were thankful you did swim in it or else you wouldnât have known how to swim back to shore now.
You huffed, lifting your head up to avoid a wave as you got closer to shore, and then you realized you were now closer to Bakugou who was swimming out to get you. To your horror you glanced over your shoulder to realize that your shirt was floating a good ways away from you, your dragon must have ripped it when she tried to grab you.
With hot cheeks you turned around in the water and paddled back towards your shirt. How humiliating.
âThe hell are you doing!â Bakugou shouted as he continued to swim towards you.Â
âJust go back to shore,â you replied with chattering teeth as you approached your shirt. It was mostly shredded, but at least it would cover your chest.Â
âYou canât be out that far, damn it,â Bakugou yelled, picking up the pace, âthereâs a reason why we donât swim in this lake, dumbass!â
Just as you were about to grab your shirt, it disappeared under the water followed by a few big bubbles. A sense of dread filled your gut as a large tail poked out of the water and slapped the surface.
Then you turned around as fast as you could and swam towards Bakugou with big eyes. âThe hell is in here?â you shouted as a dark shadow started to swim underneath you.
The water rippled next to you and a beast of fish, bigger than Kirishima in his dragon form popped its head up out of the water. It was looking at you with one giant unblinking eye before it ducked back under the water.Â
You almost froze at the sight of the fish but instead you swam as quickly as you could. You were so focused on getting out of the water that you didnât even care when you ran right into Bakugou who was getting ready to pull you out.Â
âYouâve got to be the unluckiest person Iâve ever met,â Bakugou began as he went to push you off his chest. You were clinging to him like some drowned rat.
It was horribly embarrassing that you were pressed into his bare torso with yours, but you wouldnât dare pull away now that people were starting to gather close to you both. âWhatever, look I need a shirt,â you hissed, looking up at him with warm cheeks.
It was then Bakugou realized the situation he was in, and his ears turned bright red when he looked down at where your chest met the bottom of his own chest. He quickly averted his eyes, swallowing thickly as he yanked off his fur lined cape and held it out. It was soaking wet and heavy as hell but you obviously didnât care because the moment he took it off you snatched it out of his hand.
âThanks,â you muttered, quickly glancing up at him as he cleared his throat and gave you a nod.Â
Kirishima was running towards you with your dragon awkwardly running after him, and he was shouting your name before he came to a halting stop in front of you, âIâm so sorry, I should have never made you fly like that when it was your first time in the saddle, and you almost got eaten by the giant catfish-â
âItâs okay,â you said with a small smile, âit was just an accident, and if I wasnât in the saddle I definitely would have stayed on. So letâs do it again, yeah?Â
Kirishima nodded, âIâd like that.â
â------------------
After you had returned to camp you made your way back to your tent to get a new shirt. Your other shirt was more of a loose tunic and the sleeves were long, which was good for when it got cold at night. It was a little small on you though, which was unfortunate, you just would have to avoid lifting your arms above your head so the hem of the shirt wouldnât lift up.
After your little incident with Bakugou today, you would like nothing more than to see him again, but you had to return his stupid cloak. It was mostly damp now after drying in the sun for the rest of the afternoon, so it wasnât nearly as heavy as it was before.
As you thought back on the events of the afternoon, you felt your face warm again. There was a strange feeling in your stomach, it felt almost like there was something flapping in your chest. You let out a breath, as you placed the back of your hands against your cheeks to cool them down.Â
While you continued to walk through camp towards Bakugouâs tent, you happened to walk past someone cursing and then the sound of crashing objects. You tilted your head and moved towards the sound and to your shock it was the queen, Mitsuki.Â
She was clutching her abdomen and was clearly in pain as she tried to use the hilt of her ax to stand up.Â
A dark sense of foreboding rushed over you and it was like you felt your mother standing behind you. Her cold hands were wrapped around the top of your shoulders like vulture talons, and she was whispering in your ear.
This is your chance, the queen is alone. No one will know.Â
The fluttering feeling in your chest dropped like lead in your stomach and you took a step forward. Your hand was shaky as it blindly reached towards a rock on the ground. It wouldnât be pretty.Â
You paused, swallowing thickly as Mitsuki swore again. She was panting and sweating, obviously struggling to overcome whatever was causing her to be unable to stand.Â
Do it! Useless child!
A rush of cold wind pushed past you and ruffled your top, making it rise past your stomach. The scar across your abdomen seemed to ache as your mothers voice rang through your ears again.
You took a step forward, hearing blood roar in your ears as you grabbed the rock. Mitsuki was finally able to stand. She was wheezing almost as she looked down and to your shock she yanked up her own shirt.
It was then you saw a scar identical to yours on her abdomen. The rock fell from your hand and Mitsuki looked up to see you standing in the shadows, she was about to curse you out till you took a step forward and she immediately noticed your scar.Â
You both looked at each other in silence.Â
Was her scar from the same person who gave you yours? Surely it had to be, that was your motherâs trademark cut after all.Â
Mitsuki opened her mouth to speak but her leg buckled again.Â
This time you rushed forward to grab her arm and held her up. âHere,â you muttered as you wrapped her arm around your shoulder, âwhere do you need to go?â
âMidoriya,â Mitsuki said through clenched teeth as she eyed you warily.Â
You nodded as you helped her limp to Midoriyaâs tent, and avoided the common folk eating their dinners around campfires in front of their tents.Â
After a few moments you delivered the queen to Midoriya who rushed her. He thanked you heavily before shutting the tent flap and leaving you alone to your thoughts. You felt like everything you had somehow known was standing on the edge of a knife and for the first time in your life, you didnât really know what to do.
Summary: After your clan had been exiled and shunned from the western lands, your family grew to hate the royal family who they felt betrayed them. In return you were sent on a mission to reclaim your families honor, but you would come to find out that your mission came with a price.
Dragon Prince!Bakugou x AFAB Reader
Warnings: hmm not a lot, lmk if I missed some, but just intended violence, scars on reader, ofc grammar errors
A/N: I'm glad everyone has been liking this story so far :) it's been fun to world build with this one! According to my outline I'm thinking it might be eight parts, we'll see lol we've got a long way to go!
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Part Three
When you finally woke, it was morning. The sun was shining through a crack in the tent flaps illuminating a small sliver of the furs on the floor. You blinked and sat up, rubbing your eyes as you glanced around. This tent was full of plants, and different medical instruments as well as art. Your eyes widened when you saw a painting of your dragon.Â
âOh, youâre awake,â A gentle voice said from deeper within the tent, and a man with green hair came forward. He was tall, built like a warrior, not a healer. He glanced at where you were looking and smiled, âLooks just like your dragon right?â
You nodded, âyes, itâs beautiful, youâre quite talented.â
The healer grinned, pleased with your answer as he pulled up a stool and sat down next to you, âthank you, but more importantly how do you feel?â
You looked towards your leg, it was wrapped in cloth, but it didnât hurt not like last night. âIt feels much better.â
âGood, glad to hear it. Iâm Midoriya, the clan healer, I donât think weâve been properly introduced,â Midoriya said as he stuck out his hand.
You took it, surprised with how firm his handshake was, and you told him your name.
Midoriya hummed as he placed his hand back on his thigh, âWell, Iâd like to keep you here for a few more hours, just to be sure youâre back to normal, but thatâs up to Kacchan.â
âKacchan?â you repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Midoriya nodded, âKatsuki.â
âOh,â you said, feeling a bitter taste in your mouth. Even though he saved you, he did leave you out there to die in the woods.Â
âHe should be here right about,â Midoriya said as he lifted the tent flap to look at his sundial, which almost immediately got blocked by Bakugouâs shadow. âNow.â
You lifted your gaze to see Bakugouâs hulking figure in the middle of the entrance to the tent. He was still covered in your blood from last night, and you could see your bloody hand prints on his chest, neck, and face.Â
âGet out Deku,â Bakugou snapped, giving his friend a harsh push out of the tent and yanking the flaps shut as he walked toward you and sat on the stool next to your bed. He remained silent for a few moments, examining your wounds. You were mostly healed, just a few scabs on your calf from the pincher. âYou healed nicely.â
You frowned, âLucky me.â You wished more than anything that this mission was over and your enemies were gone, you wished Bakugou was gone. That pompous jerk, you glanced at him again, jutting out your bottom lip as you narrowed your eyes.
âI guess you have a right to be pissed at me-â
âYou left me knowing those insects would be out!â you snapped, how was I supposed to fend for myself? I had no weapon because Sero took my spear away from me.â
âI know, look,â Bakugou hissed as he ran his hand over his face, âit was a lapse of judgment alright?â
You scoffed, âwhatever.â You looked away from him, still feeling more than upset. Despite your current feelings, this was the moment you were looking for. The moment you could slip past his guard and progress your relationship with him.
âDonât be such a brat, youâre fine. Kirishima got stung by one once,â Bakugou snapped back, clearly done with your attitude.
You huffed, glancing back at him. He did seem to be somewhat conflicted with himself. This was good. âAlright,â you began, letting your shoulders drop, âwe can just forget about it, okay? Iâm fine thanks to Midoriya.â
Bakugou rose a brow, clearly confused as to why you were letting him off the hook. Why would you do that? Youâre people were full of hate, they held a grudge. He knew that for a fact, he saw that when he met your mother when you were both kids. He wouldnât ever forget her cold gaze, it felt like ice was pelting his skin when she looked at him.Â
But when he looked at your eyes, there was no malice. Your amber eyes were warm, welcoming. Had he misjudged you?Â
No, there was still a glint of scheming behind your eyes. He still couldnât trust you.Â
You offered him a small smile, âwhat? Not used to someone letting you off the hook? Canât say Iâm surprised your grandmother seems to run a pretty tight ship around here.â
Bakugou pulled himself out of his thoughts and scoffed while shaking his head. It was then he noticed something around your neck that wasnât there before. It was his necklace, âwhy do you have that?â he asked.
You furrowed your brows and glanced down seeing a leather necklace around your neck. It had a few gemstones on it, carnelian, quartz, and a bear claw? That wasnât yours. âOh, I donât know, I woke up with it.â
Bakugou snorted, glancing outside to see Deku talking with Kirishima. Damn idiot must have put it on you last night. He absently rubbed his neck, feeling your dry blood flake off his skin, did you yank it off by accident? Maybe thatâs how you got it? He let out a sigh, as he looked towards you struggling to untie the leather knots that held his necklace around your neck. âWhatever, just keep it for now. Iâll get it later. Donât lose it, itâs worth more than your entire clan,â Bakugou snapped as he stood up narrowing his eyes at you before leaving you in the tent alone.
Your eyes widened in shock as you looked down at the necklace, and then you grinned. This was a big step in your friendship, which meant you were that much closer to achieving your goal.
â--------
The next few days you spent in camp so you could finish healing. It was nice though, you learned where everything was and even met some people that didnât seem to hate you for your family name.
Your favorite part of camp was probably the market. Every family in the clan had some sort of speciality that could be traded which meant that the market was busy everyday with something new. Personally, your favorite trader had to be an old man who was a beekeeper. He would have a huge spread of various honeyâs he collected from his hives along with honeycomb, and beeswax that heâd turn into different moisturizers.Â
All in all it was very impressive to you, considering you had no idea what a bee was up until now.
âSo this honey,â you began as you pointed to the dark golden liquid in the jar, âcomes from insects?â
âYes,â the beekeeper, whose name you learned was Gran, said, âfor the hundredth time yes! If you keep cominâ back here asking me about my damn beeâs-â
You grinned and held up your hands, âsorry, sorry, itâs just so weird that you eat this stuff from them?âÂ
Gran rolled his eyes, âlook if I give you some will you leave me alone? I have paying customers here,â he snapped while leaning around you to see a growing line of irritated people.
You shook your head, âI couldnât-â
âJust take it,â Gran grumbled and tossed you a frosted glass jar filled with honey and some honeycomb.
You caught the jar and gave him a sheepish smile before darting away from the rest of the people in line. You didnât miss how someone cursed you out as you passed, one man even spat at your feet. Not that you really cared anymore. These people would have what's coming to them in due time.Â
For now, you were more interested in your honey. You made your way across camp, holding the jar up to see the sunlight illuminate the honey, making the gold liquid glow.Â
While you were so busy inspecting the honey, you failed to miss two pairs of eyes watching you closely.Â
â
âLook at that creature,â Mitsuki snapped, watching you from a distance. She was seething at the fact that you were still here. âWhy hasnât she left?â
âAsk the ancient hag that,â Bakugou scoffed, as he shot you a quick glance, and then looked back at his reflection in the bowl in front of him. He was carefully painting red lines down his bare chest, trying hard not to mess up.Â
Mitsuki huffed, âif she steps one toe out of line, you have my permission to eliminate her-â
âWhat is with you two?â the queen motherâs frail voice sounded from behind Bakugouâs tent. âShe hasnât done anything wrong-â
âBut she will, mother,â Mitsuki snapped as she turned her enraged gaze towards her mother, âit is in her blood.â
âWe donât know that,â the queen mother said as she inspected Bakugou. âAll sheâs done is pester Gran about honey for the past three days. Sheâs nothing like her mother, itâs clear to see that.â She paused, taking a rattling breath as she turned to her grandson, âKatsuki, keep those lines straight, none of your suitors want to see sloppy work.â
âWhatever,â Bakugou snapped, not bothering to look at his grandmother.
â-----
You soon found yourself under a large willow tree beside a wide shallow creek. There were a few water birds waddling around the edges of the creek, ducking their heads into the current to catch a mouthful of minnows.Â
You let out a sigh, as a warm breeze shook the branches of the tree above you, making the leaves rattle softly in the wind. It was so nice here, and so pretty. The people here took that for granted. They didnât know what it was like to not feel plush green grass beneath the feet, or have clean flowing water.Â
Or to be able to experience the gifts that mother nature bears to her friends. Like the honey you were given. You undid the top of the jar, setting the lid on your knee as you inspected the honey, it was a viscous liquid, and sticky looking.Â
Without giving it a second thought you dunked your finger into the jar and pulled it out, watching as the golden liquid clung to your finger. You stuck out your tongue, giving it a tentative lick and to your surprise it was sweet.Â
In fact, it was the best thing you've ever eaten in your whole life. Before you could even register you had your whole hand in the jar trying to yank out the honeycomb inside.Â
âIf I didnât know any better, I would think you were a bear,â Bakugouâs grandmother said from behind you.
How you didnât hear her sneak up on you, you had no idea, but that didnât matter. You were more embarrassed that she had caught you with your whole hand in a jar of honey. âOh, Iâm sorry I didnât see you,â you began, completely caught off guard as you tried to yank your hand out of the jar.
âItâs okay, go back to eating your honey,â she said with a chuckle as she moved beside you and then sat down with a soft groan. She then placed her cane next to her as she leaned back against the tree. âItâs not often I find myself this far outside of my tent but I have to admit, this is a nice view of camp.â
You nodded, wondering if she figured out you would come out here to scope things out. If she was starting to suspect you.Â
Although you were also out here to enjoy nature and get away from the people who could barely stand your entire existence. âIt is impressive.â
âI imagine so,â Bakugouâs grandmother said as she watched you take a bite of the honeycomb. You had honey dripping off your chin, and then she noticed the necklace you were wearing. It was Katuskiâs, it was made after he killed his first bear.Â
You chewed on the honeycomb, savoring its sweetness as you glanced at the queen mother again. âWhat brings you out here?â
âWatching my grandson scare away his suitors,â she said with a sigh as she lifted her hand to point to where Bakugou was storming towards a group of women.
âOh?â you said as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, âhe gets to choose?â
âHe does, to some extent,â his grandmother answered, âwe have this tradition that the prince or princess must choose their partner before obtaining the throne. We have a pool of suitable partners put together for them, usually this is decided by our elders. Itâs a bit like a ceremony and the healer has a vision.â
âA vision?â you asked with raised brows.
Bakugouâs grandmother nodded, âyes, in our clan our healer is the one closest to our ancestors. They see and understand what we do not. Along with healing the sick and wounded they also guide us. Young Midoriya has done well after his mentor, Toshinori passed.â
âInteresting, back in my home, we didnât have anything like that,â you said remembering back to your home. The decisions were made by your mother. She was swift with her judgment and anyone who didnât impress her was thrown into the streets at night, which were wildly unsafe with rogues and murderers. Most of the unlucky people who faced your mothers judgment did not live to see the next day.Â
Your home was chaotic at its best. There were no rules except to survive. If you had a piece of land or a shack of your own, you had to fight for it. Every person fended for themselves.Â
The honey seemed unappetizing now as you set the jar beside you, watching as Bakugou talked to a tall girl with wildflowers braided into her hair. âHow do the visions impact his choice?â you finally asked.
âWell, this was Midoriyaâs first time, so he wasnât able to give us a clear picture. I believe he said he saw a bear, the ocean, a good amount of blood, something about a large beast, red dahlias, and a ladybug. It was rather confusing to a good majority of the elders, including myself.â
You huffed, âwell, hopefully Bakugou figures it out fast, looks like heâs done for the day.â you mentioned with a chuckle as you watched him stomp off and one girl clearly kicked dirt in his direction.
âThat brat,â Bakugouâs grandmother hissed, âhere help me up will you? Iâve got to get back.â
You nodded, standing up fast and quickly washing your hands and face off in the creek so you werenât covered in honey before helping the queen mother up. She was looking more frail today and you heard her let out a rattly breath again. âAre you doing alright?â you asked as you let her cling onto your arm.
She looked up at you, âoh yes, thank you Iâm fine. Itâs just when the nights start to get cold like this, my lungs give me trouble. In fact,â she began glancing at the mountain range ahead. The snow was starting to creep down the face of the mountain. âWe should be packing up to move to our winter camp soon.â
You gave her an odd look before remembering that they were nomadic. It would make sense for them to leave when it got cold here to go somewhere warm. âWhere would that be?â
âOh, itâs my favorite,â the queen mother smiled as she shut her eyes, âwe go to the ocean.â
â-----
As the week went on you were mostly left to your own devices still, due to how intense Bakugouâs courting was. He would be out in the fields all day talking to girls. You learned everytime he chose someone, he would have to bring them to Midoriya, where they would have to be approved. All week you saw a frustrated Bakugou storm out of the tent followed by the sound of crying.Â
Which meant he was in a rotten mood. He stayed true to his grandmother's request to teach you his clan's ways, but he had a short span of patience for you and more often than not he would call you some foul name and then leave.
âYou have to use a saddle,â Bakugou hissed as he pointed to your dragon. âItâs part of our customs.â
âBut I donât want to use a saddle,â you argued, âit slows her down and it restricts me.â
Bakugou growled your name as he took a threatening step towards you, âwell if you want to stay here, you have to use a fuckinâ saddle.â
You rolled your eyes, âsheâs not gonna like that.â As if she understood your words your dragon pressed herself close to the grass, letting a low hiss pass through her teeth at the sight of the large saddle on the ground.Â
âI mean, maybe she doesnât have to wear it,â Kirishima said with a shrug, "it is pretty uncomfortable during long rides.â
âDid I ask for your input, shitty scales? No.Â
 So keep your trap shut,â Bakugou hissed.Â
Kirishima snorted and shook his head before sharing a glance with your dragon and then shrugged.
You folded your arms across your chest, âI bet your grandmother would be fine if I rode bareback.â
âThe ancient hag is not on your side,â Bakugou hissed, âjust cause you two talked for a bit doesnât mean shit. You're still a brat, and a traitor.â
âThat line gets old,â you said as the wind started to pick up, making you have to raise your voice. âWhy donât you go and talk to another suitor? Kirishima can teach me more-â
âThatâs not Kirishimaâs job,â Bakugou interrupted, âyouâre my responsibility, and like hell Iâd leave you with him.â
âWell maybe you should go, man?â Kirishima said gently, âI think, and I mean this nicely, you need a break. It canât feel great that everytime you bring someone to Midoriya you get turned down.â
Bakugouâs upper lip twitched. He was pissed as hell at Deku. That damn healer was set on staying true to his vision. Well, Bakugou thought that vision was shit, it literally meant nothing. He just needed to have a betrothed before the fall festival which would be in the coming months after the clan traveled to their winter location. His motherâs old war wound was forcing her to give up her throne sooner than expected and he had to step up, yet he was failing all because of a stupid damn vision.
âItâs fine, Katsuki, nothing is going to happen,â Kirishima assured again.
Bakugou shot you one last glare before storming off, muttering about something under his breath.Â
âWell I feel better now,â Kirihsima laughed as he came closer to you, âheâs been wound up for weeks now.â
You snorted, âdonât know how you manage to put up with him.â
Kirisima smiled, it was bright, âyouâll learn to love him in time, heâs a good guy.â
You gave Kirishma a weak smile. That was far from true. Bakugou was part of the family that condemned yours. He was the farthest thing from a good guy.Â
Kirishima hummed, sensing a bit of your apprehension, but decided to leave it. âSo tell me more about your dragon?â he asked as he walked forward letting your dragon sniff his arm.
âOh, well I donât know that much about her. Sheâs not like you all,â you commented to him. Hoping he didnât ask too many questions just due to the fact that your dragon was from the royal clutch after all.Â
Kirishima laughed, âshe isnât at all. I canât say Iâve seen a green one before. Back in my homeland, most of us are bright red, aside from a few being maroon.â He paused and looked at you briefly, âare you planning on staying with us for a while?â
You were taken back with his question, and your heart jumped in your chest. Why did he ask that? Did he want you to leave? Was he able to sense that you were going to betray his and Bakugouâs trust someday? You swallowed thickly, âum, I was thinking it would be nice to stay with you the clan till you reach your winter grounds.â
To your utter surprise Kirisima smiled again, âgood, Iâm glad to hear that. Despite what everyone else thinks, I like having you around.â
You furrowed your brows, âwhat makes you say that?â
Kirishima shrugged, âjust instinct, I guess.â He rolled his shoulders, âwell, why donât we try out this saddle then?â
You sighed, âalright, fine. But if she throws me off, youâll have to catch me.â
Kirishima snorted and then helped you saddle your dragon. It was a little touch and go as she clearly didnât like having straps around her chest to hold the saddle in place. After a solid thirty minutes of struggling she was ready.Â
You tentatively climbed onto the saddle. It looked almost ridiculously small on your dragon's huge back. She turned her head to look at you as you sat down, and stretched your legs in the seat. The leather creaked and groaned as you adjusted your seat. âThis is wildly uncomfortable,â you muttered.
âJust need to break it in,â Kirishima said, âitâll get better with time.â He then looked to the sky and squinted. Aside from the wind, the weather was perfect for flying, especially since this was his first time shifting since he was poisoned with silver.
You watched Kirishima look down to the ground and then crouch, you werenât exactly sure what he was doing until he stretched his wings and suddenly his form shook. Before your eyes he transformed into a huge crimson dragon. He was much larger than yours, and instead of having just back legs and using his wings as front legs when walking, he had front arms too.Â
Your eyes widened as he walked forward, the ground seemed to shake under each step till he was eye level with you. He chuffed, causing a hot burst of air to hit your face, making you sputter. Kirishima made a throaty growl, which you thought could have been a laugh.
Kirishima took a few more steps past you, letting your dragon position herself to take off after him. Then he took off, running. The ground shook after each step and his claws left deep grooves in the ground after every step. Then he bunched his back legs and jumped up, flapping his wings as he took to the sky.Â
You heard a few children squealing as they ran to the edge of camp to watch Kirishima fly. Your dragon wheezed and moved forward, following Kirishimaâs steps before jumping up and following him into the sky.Â
You frowned, holding onto her spike as the saddle slipped sideways, maybe you didnât tighten it enough? Nonetheless you followed Kirishima up higher and higher until you were above the clouds.
He seemed happy to be back in his true form. He was darting around the clouds and diving down into some, making them split apart and wisp away in the strong wind.Â
You smiled, watching him play in the sky. He was sweet, and was easily the kindest person in the clan, besides Midoriya, and maybe Bakugouâs grandmother. It made your heart ache at the thought of betraying Kirishima, which was unsettling. You had only been in the clan for a little over a week and you were already getting attached.
While you were lost in thought, your dragon, obviously surprised to see Kirishima having fun, was curious as to what he was doing, and took off at a speed youâve never seen her travel before.Â
âWhoa!â you yelped as you almost got flung off the side of your dragon as she chased after Kirishima, weaving through the clouds.
Kirishimaâs red eyes widened with delight and he took a swooping dive down to the ground, and then your dragon followed him.
Your stomach lurched as you flew straight down screaming at the top of your lungs as your legs flew out straight behind you. You had your arms tightly wrapped around your dragonâs spike as she caught up with Kirishima, flying next to him as they dove towards the ground.Â
Your eyes were watering as you tried to see how close the ground was. However, to your horror you were heading towards a lake. Even through your watery eyes you could make out a few commoners mulling around the water side, now obviously pointing at Kirishima and your dragon racing.Â
You could see Bakugou sitting at the water's edge with a girl who was talking animatedly but then she pointed at you. He stood up abruptly leaving his suitor to run to the shore of the lake, waving his arms rapidly.Â
âKirishima!â you shouted above the roaring wind, not like he could hear you. The water was getting closer and closer by the second and Kirishima pushed himself faster, and your dragon followed suit. They were flying so fast that you had no option but to shut your eyes, they simply wouldnât stay open.Â
Suddenly your dragon pulled up, making your legs and body slam back down into the saddle, which was already loose. Your eyes shot open as you scrambled to find your seating but the sudden change in movement had you unbalanced and to your horror the momentum of your body had you falling sideways.Â
You scrambled to grab onto the straps of the saddle as your hands slipped from the spike you were holding on, but it was futile. You were falling.Â
At the notice of your absence your dragon quickly turned around flying back down towards you with her back claws outstretched to catch you.Â
Your eyes were wide as the water came closer and closer. You could hear Bakugou shouting at Kirishima. It didnât matter though, you would hit the water before anyone could catch you. It probably wouldnât hurt that bad, you were about thirty feet from the water.Â
A claw hooked into your shirt just before you hit the water, tearing the tunic you were wearing right from your body. You landed into the water with a grunt, wincing as water shot up your nose.Â
Bubbles floated up past your face as you opened your eyes briefly, and started paddling towards the surface of the lake. After a few short moments you surfaced sputtering and shaking. Above you your dragon and Kirishima were hovering above the water, making waves with every flap of their wings. âItâs okay, Iâm fine. Just go land.â
You watched as the two dragons flew to the shoreline and landed. Kirishimaâs form shook and he shrunk back down to his human form, and immediately sprinted into the water shouting apologies.
âShitty scales!â Bakugou shouted, âget back to the shoreline and watch her dragon, everyone is scared shitless of that thing.â He was referring to the common folk fleeing the opposite direction from your dragon, especially now because she was obviously distressed from losing her rider.
You continued paddling towards the shore, fighting the strong current as best you could. You swam a few times in a pond that would show up after a big rain back home. It wasnât nearly as deep at this lake, or as clear. You wrinkled your nose at the memory of that pond. It was filthy, and mostly mud and silt, but you were thankful you did swim in it or else you wouldnât have known how to swim back to shore now.
You huffed, lifting your head up to avoid a wave as you got closer to shore, and then you realized you were now closer to Bakugou who was swimming out to get you. To your horror you glanced over your shoulder to realize that your shirt was floating a good ways away from you, your dragon must have ripped it when she tried to grab you.
With hot cheeks you turned around in the water and paddled back towards your shirt. How humiliating.
âThe hell are you doing!â Bakugou shouted as he continued to swim towards you.Â
âJust go back to shore,â you replied with chattering teeth as you approached your shirt. It was mostly shredded, but at least it would cover your chest.Â
âYou canât be out that far, damn it,â Bakugou yelled, picking up the pace, âthereâs a reason why we donât swim in this lake, dumbass!â
Just as you were about to grab your shirt, it disappeared under the water followed by a few big bubbles. A sense of dread filled your gut as a large tail poked out of the water and slapped the surface.
Then you turned around as fast as you could and swam towards Bakugou with big eyes. âThe hell is in here?â you shouted as a dark shadow started to swim underneath you.
The water rippled next to you and a beast of fish, bigger than Kirishima in his dragon form popped its head up out of the water. It was looking at you with one giant unblinking eye before it ducked back under the water.Â
You almost froze at the sight of the fish but instead you swam as quickly as you could. You were so focused on getting out of the water that you didnât even care when you ran right into Bakugou who was getting ready to pull you out.Â
âYouâve got to be the unluckiest person Iâve ever met,â Bakugou began as he went to push you off his chest. You were clinging to him like some drowned rat.
It was horribly embarrassing that you were pressed into his bare torso with yours, but you wouldnât dare pull away now that people were starting to gather close to you both. âWhatever, look I need a shirt,â you hissed, looking up at him with warm cheeks.
It was then Bakugou realized the situation he was in, and his ears turned bright red when he looked down at where your chest met the bottom of his own chest. He quickly averted his eyes, swallowing thickly as he yanked off his fur lined cape and held it out. It was soaking wet and heavy as hell but you obviously didnât care because the moment he took it off you snatched it out of his hand.
âThanks,â you muttered, quickly glancing up at him as he cleared his throat and gave you a nod.Â
Kirishima was running towards you with your dragon awkwardly running after him, and he was shouting your name before he came to a halting stop in front of you, âIâm so sorry, I should have never made you fly like that when it was your first time in the saddle, and you almost got eaten by the giant catfish-â
âItâs okay,â you said with a small smile, âit was just an accident, and if I wasnât in the saddle I definitely would have stayed on. So letâs do it again, yeah?Â
Kirishima nodded, âIâd like that.â
â------------------
After you had returned to camp you made your way back to your tent to get a new shirt. Your other shirt was more of a loose tunic and the sleeves were long, which was good for when it got cold at night. It was a little small on you though, which was unfortunate, you just would have to avoid lifting your arms above your head so the hem of the shirt wouldnât lift up.
After your little incident with Bakugou today, you would like nothing more than to see him again, but you had to return his stupid cloak. It was mostly damp now after drying in the sun for the rest of the afternoon, so it wasnât nearly as heavy as it was before.
As you thought back on the events of the afternoon, you felt your face warm again. There was a strange feeling in your stomach, it felt almost like there was something flapping in your chest. You let out a breath, as you placed the back of your hands against your cheeks to cool them down.Â
While you continued to walk through camp towards Bakugouâs tent, you happened to walk past someone cursing and then the sound of crashing objects. You tilted your head and moved towards the sound and to your shock it was the queen, Mitsuki.Â
She was clutching her abdomen and was clearly in pain as she tried to use the hilt of her ax to stand up.Â
A dark sense of foreboding rushed over you and it was like you felt your mother standing behind you. Her cold hands were wrapped around the top of your shoulders like vulture talons, and she was whispering in your ear.
This is your chance, the queen is alone. No one will know.Â
The fluttering feeling in your chest dropped like lead in your stomach and you took a step forward. Your hand was shaky as it blindly reached towards a rock on the ground. It wouldnât be pretty.Â
You paused, swallowing thickly as Mitsuki swore again. She was panting and sweating, obviously struggling to overcome whatever was causing her to be unable to stand.Â
Do it! Useless child!
A rush of cold wind pushed past you and ruffled your top, making it rise past your stomach. The scar across your abdomen seemed to ache as your mothers voice rang through your ears again.
You took a step forward, hearing blood roar in your ears as you grabbed the rock. Mitsuki was finally able to stand. She was wheezing almost as she looked down and to your shock she yanked up her own shirt.
It was then you saw a scar identical to yours on her abdomen. The rock fell from your hand and Mitsuki looked up to see you standing in the shadows, she was about to curse you out till you took a step forward and she immediately noticed your scar.Â
You both looked at each other in silence.Â
Was her scar from the same person who gave you yours? Surely it had to be, that was your motherâs trademark cut after all.Â
Mitsuki opened her mouth to speak but her leg buckled again.Â
This time you rushed forward to grab her arm and held her up. âHere,â you muttered as you wrapped her arm around your shoulder, âwhere do you need to go?â
âMidoriya,â Mitsuki said through clenched teeth as she eyed you warily.Â
You nodded as you helped her limp to Midoriyaâs tent, and avoided the common folk eating their dinners around campfires in front of their tents.Â
After a few moments you delivered the queen to Midoriya who rushed her. He thanked you heavily before shutting the tent flap and leaving you alone to your thoughts. You felt like everything you had somehow known was standing on the edge of a knife and for the first time in your life, you didnât really know what to do.
Summary: After your clan had been exiled and shunned from the western lands, your family grew to hate the royal family who they felt betrayed them. In return you were sent on a mission to reclaim your families honor, but you would come to find out that your mission came with a price.
Dragon Prince!Bakugou x AFAB Reader
Warnings: hmm not a lot, lmk if I missed some, but just intended violence, scars on reader, ofc grammar errors
A/N: I'm glad everyone has been liking this story so far :) it's been fun to world build with this one! According to my outline I'm thinking it might be eight parts, we'll see lol we've got a long way to go!
--------------------------
Part Three
When you finally woke, it was morning. The sun was shining through a crack in the tent flaps illuminating a small sliver of the furs on the floor. You blinked and sat up, rubbing your eyes as you glanced around. This tent was full of plants, and different medical instruments as well as art. Your eyes widened when you saw a painting of your dragon.Â
âOh, youâre awake,â A gentle voice said from deeper within the tent, and a man with green hair came forward. He was tall, built like a warrior, not a healer. He glanced at where you were looking and smiled, âLooks just like your dragon right?â
You nodded, âyes, itâs beautiful, youâre quite talented.â
The healer grinned, pleased with your answer as he pulled up a stool and sat down next to you, âthank you, but more importantly how do you feel?â
You looked towards your leg, it was wrapped in cloth, but it didnât hurt not like last night. âIt feels much better.â
âGood, glad to hear it. Iâm Midoriya, the clan healer, I donât think weâve been properly introduced,â Midoriya said as he stuck out his hand.
You took it, surprised with how firm his handshake was, and you told him your name.
Midoriya hummed as he placed his hand back on his thigh, âWell, Iâd like to keep you here for a few more hours, just to be sure youâre back to normal, but thatâs up to Kacchan.â
âKacchan?â you repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Midoriya nodded, âKatsuki.â
âOh,â you said, feeling a bitter taste in your mouth. Even though he saved you, he did leave you out there to die in the woods.Â
âHe should be here right about,â Midoriya said as he lifted the tent flap to look at his sundial, which almost immediately got blocked by Bakugouâs shadow. âNow.â
You lifted your gaze to see Bakugouâs hulking figure in the middle of the entrance to the tent. He was still covered in your blood from last night, and you could see your bloody hand prints on his chest, neck, and face.Â
âGet out Deku,â Bakugou snapped, giving his friend a harsh push out of the tent and yanking the flaps shut as he walked toward you and sat on the stool next to your bed. He remained silent for a few moments, examining your wounds. You were mostly healed, just a few scabs on your calf from the pincher. âYou healed nicely.â
You frowned, âLucky me.â You wished more than anything that this mission was over and your enemies were gone, you wished Bakugou was gone. That pompous jerk, you glanced at him again, jutting out your bottom lip as you narrowed your eyes.
âI guess you have a right to be pissed at me-â
âYou left me knowing those insects would be out!â you snapped, how was I supposed to fend for myself? I had no weapon because Sero took my spear away from me.â
âI know, look,â Bakugou hissed as he ran his hand over his face, âit was a lapse of judgment alright?â
You scoffed, âwhatever.â You looked away from him, still feeling more than upset. Despite your current feelings, this was the moment you were looking for. The moment you could slip past his guard and progress your relationship with him.
âDonât be such a brat, youâre fine. Kirishima got stung by one once,â Bakugou snapped back, clearly done with your attitude.
You huffed, glancing back at him. He did seem to be somewhat conflicted with himself. This was good. âAlright,â you began, letting your shoulders drop, âwe can just forget about it, okay? Iâm fine thanks to Midoriya.â
Bakugou rose a brow, clearly confused as to why you were letting him off the hook. Why would you do that? Youâre people were full of hate, they held a grudge. He knew that for a fact, he saw that when he met your mother when you were both kids. He wouldnât ever forget her cold gaze, it felt like ice was pelting his skin when she looked at him.Â
But when he looked at your eyes, there was no malice. Your amber eyes were warm, welcoming. Had he misjudged you?Â
No, there was still a glint of scheming behind your eyes. He still couldnât trust you.Â
You offered him a small smile, âwhat? Not used to someone letting you off the hook? Canât say Iâm surprised your grandmother seems to run a pretty tight ship around here.â
Bakugou pulled himself out of his thoughts and scoffed while shaking his head. It was then he noticed something around your neck that wasnât there before. It was his necklace, âwhy do you have that?â he asked.
You furrowed your brows and glanced down seeing a leather necklace around your neck. It had a few gemstones on it, carnelian, quartz, and a bear claw? That wasnât yours. âOh, I donât know, I woke up with it.â
Bakugou snorted, glancing outside to see Deku talking with Kirishima. Damn idiot must have put it on you last night. He absently rubbed his neck, feeling your dry blood flake off his skin, did you yank it off by accident? Maybe thatâs how you got it? He let out a sigh, as he looked towards you struggling to untie the leather knots that held his necklace around your neck. âWhatever, just keep it for now. Iâll get it later. Donât lose it, itâs worth more than your entire clan,â Bakugou snapped as he stood up narrowing his eyes at you before leaving you in the tent alone.
Your eyes widened in shock as you looked down at the necklace, and then you grinned. This was a big step in your friendship, which meant you were that much closer to achieving your goal.
â--------
The next few days you spent in camp so you could finish healing. It was nice though, you learned where everything was and even met some people that didnât seem to hate you for your family name.
Your favorite part of camp was probably the market. Every family in the clan had some sort of speciality that could be traded which meant that the market was busy everyday with something new. Personally, your favorite trader had to be an old man who was a beekeeper. He would have a huge spread of various honeyâs he collected from his hives along with honeycomb, and beeswax that heâd turn into different moisturizers.Â
All in all it was very impressive to you, considering you had no idea what a bee was up until now.
âSo this honey,â you began as you pointed to the dark golden liquid in the jar, âcomes from insects?â
âYes,â the beekeeper, whose name you learned was Gran, said, âfor the hundredth time yes! If you keep cominâ back here asking me about my damn beeâs-â
You grinned and held up your hands, âsorry, sorry, itâs just so weird that you eat this stuff from them?âÂ
Gran rolled his eyes, âlook if I give you some will you leave me alone? I have paying customers here,â he snapped while leaning around you to see a growing line of irritated people.
You shook your head, âI couldnât-â
âJust take it,â Gran grumbled and tossed you a frosted glass jar filled with honey and some honeycomb.
You caught the jar and gave him a sheepish smile before darting away from the rest of the people in line. You didnât miss how someone cursed you out as you passed, one man even spat at your feet. Not that you really cared anymore. These people would have what's coming to them in due time.Â
For now, you were more interested in your honey. You made your way across camp, holding the jar up to see the sunlight illuminate the honey, making the gold liquid glow.Â
While you were so busy inspecting the honey, you failed to miss two pairs of eyes watching you closely.Â
â
âLook at that creature,â Mitsuki snapped, watching you from a distance. She was seething at the fact that you were still here. âWhy hasnât she left?â
âAsk the ancient hag that,â Bakugou scoffed, as he shot you a quick glance, and then looked back at his reflection in the bowl in front of him. He was carefully painting red lines down his bare chest, trying hard not to mess up.Â
Mitsuki huffed, âif she steps one toe out of line, you have my permission to eliminate her-â
âWhat is with you two?â the queen motherâs frail voice sounded from behind Bakugouâs tent. âShe hasnât done anything wrong-â
âBut she will, mother,â Mitsuki snapped as she turned her enraged gaze towards her mother, âit is in her blood.â
âWe donât know that,â the queen mother said as she inspected Bakugou. âAll sheâs done is pester Gran about honey for the past three days. Sheâs nothing like her mother, itâs clear to see that.â She paused, taking a rattling breath as she turned to her grandson, âKatsuki, keep those lines straight, none of your suitors want to see sloppy work.â
âWhatever,â Bakugou snapped, not bothering to look at his grandmother.
â-----
You soon found yourself under a large willow tree beside a wide shallow creek. There were a few water birds waddling around the edges of the creek, ducking their heads into the current to catch a mouthful of minnows.Â
You let out a sigh, as a warm breeze shook the branches of the tree above you, making the leaves rattle softly in the wind. It was so nice here, and so pretty. The people here took that for granted. They didnât know what it was like to not feel plush green grass beneath the feet, or have clean flowing water.Â
Or to be able to experience the gifts that mother nature bears to her friends. Like the honey you were given. You undid the top of the jar, setting the lid on your knee as you inspected the honey, it was a viscous liquid, and sticky looking.Â
Without giving it a second thought you dunked your finger into the jar and pulled it out, watching as the golden liquid clung to your finger. You stuck out your tongue, giving it a tentative lick and to your surprise it was sweet.Â
In fact, it was the best thing you've ever eaten in your whole life. Before you could even register you had your whole hand in the jar trying to yank out the honeycomb inside.Â
âIf I didnât know any better, I would think you were a bear,â Bakugouâs grandmother said from behind you.
How you didnât hear her sneak up on you, you had no idea, but that didnât matter. You were more embarrassed that she had caught you with your whole hand in a jar of honey. âOh, Iâm sorry I didnât see you,â you began, completely caught off guard as you tried to yank your hand out of the jar.
âItâs okay, go back to eating your honey,â she said with a chuckle as she moved beside you and then sat down with a soft groan. She then placed her cane next to her as she leaned back against the tree. âItâs not often I find myself this far outside of my tent but I have to admit, this is a nice view of camp.â
You nodded, wondering if she figured out you would come out here to scope things out. If she was starting to suspect you.Â
Although you were also out here to enjoy nature and get away from the people who could barely stand your entire existence. âIt is impressive.â
âI imagine so,â Bakugouâs grandmother said as she watched you take a bite of the honeycomb. You had honey dripping off your chin, and then she noticed the necklace you were wearing. It was Katuskiâs, it was made after he killed his first bear.Â
You chewed on the honeycomb, savoring its sweetness as you glanced at the queen mother again. âWhat brings you out here?â
âWatching my grandson scare away his suitors,â she said with a sigh as she lifted her hand to point to where Bakugou was storming towards a group of women.
âOh?â you said as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, âhe gets to choose?â
âHe does, to some extent,â his grandmother answered, âwe have this tradition that the prince or princess must choose their partner before obtaining the throne. We have a pool of suitable partners put together for them, usually this is decided by our elders. Itâs a bit like a ceremony and the healer has a vision.â
âA vision?â you asked with raised brows.
Bakugouâs grandmother nodded, âyes, in our clan our healer is the one closest to our ancestors. They see and understand what we do not. Along with healing the sick and wounded they also guide us. Young Midoriya has done well after his mentor, Toshinori passed.â
âInteresting, back in my home, we didnât have anything like that,â you said remembering back to your home. The decisions were made by your mother. She was swift with her judgment and anyone who didnât impress her was thrown into the streets at night, which were wildly unsafe with rogues and murderers. Most of the unlucky people who faced your mothers judgment did not live to see the next day.Â
Your home was chaotic at its best. There were no rules except to survive. If you had a piece of land or a shack of your own, you had to fight for it. Every person fended for themselves.Â
The honey seemed unappetizing now as you set the jar beside you, watching as Bakugou talked to a tall girl with wildflowers braided into her hair. âHow do the visions impact his choice?â you finally asked.
âWell, this was Midoriyaâs first time, so he wasnât able to give us a clear picture. I believe he said he saw a bear, the ocean, a good amount of blood, something about a large beast, red dahlias, and a ladybug. It was rather confusing to a good majority of the elders, including myself.â
You huffed, âwell, hopefully Bakugou figures it out fast, looks like heâs done for the day.â you mentioned with a chuckle as you watched him stomp off and one girl clearly kicked dirt in his direction.
âThat brat,â Bakugouâs grandmother hissed, âhere help me up will you? Iâve got to get back.â
You nodded, standing up fast and quickly washing your hands and face off in the creek so you werenât covered in honey before helping the queen mother up. She was looking more frail today and you heard her let out a rattly breath again. âAre you doing alright?â you asked as you let her cling onto your arm.
She looked up at you, âoh yes, thank you Iâm fine. Itâs just when the nights start to get cold like this, my lungs give me trouble. In fact,â she began glancing at the mountain range ahead. The snow was starting to creep down the face of the mountain. âWe should be packing up to move to our winter camp soon.â
You gave her an odd look before remembering that they were nomadic. It would make sense for them to leave when it got cold here to go somewhere warm. âWhere would that be?â
âOh, itâs my favorite,â the queen mother smiled as she shut her eyes, âwe go to the ocean.â
â-----
As the week went on you were mostly left to your own devices still, due to how intense Bakugouâs courting was. He would be out in the fields all day talking to girls. You learned everytime he chose someone, he would have to bring them to Midoriya, where they would have to be approved. All week you saw a frustrated Bakugou storm out of the tent followed by the sound of crying.Â
Which meant he was in a rotten mood. He stayed true to his grandmother's request to teach you his clan's ways, but he had a short span of patience for you and more often than not he would call you some foul name and then leave.
âYou have to use a saddle,â Bakugou hissed as he pointed to your dragon. âItâs part of our customs.â
âBut I donât want to use a saddle,â you argued, âit slows her down and it restricts me.â
Bakugou growled your name as he took a threatening step towards you, âwell if you want to stay here, you have to use a fuckinâ saddle.â
You rolled your eyes, âsheâs not gonna like that.â As if she understood your words your dragon pressed herself close to the grass, letting a low hiss pass through her teeth at the sight of the large saddle on the ground.Â
âI mean, maybe she doesnât have to wear it,â Kirishima said with a shrug, "it is pretty uncomfortable during long rides.â
âDid I ask for your input, shitty scales? No.Â
 So keep your trap shut,â Bakugou hissed.Â
Kirishima snorted and shook his head before sharing a glance with your dragon and then shrugged.
You folded your arms across your chest, âI bet your grandmother would be fine if I rode bareback.â
âThe ancient hag is not on your side,â Bakugou hissed, âjust cause you two talked for a bit doesnât mean shit. You're still a brat, and a traitor.â
âThat line gets old,â you said as the wind started to pick up, making you have to raise your voice. âWhy donât you go and talk to another suitor? Kirishima can teach me more-â
âThatâs not Kirishimaâs job,â Bakugou interrupted, âyouâre my responsibility, and like hell Iâd leave you with him.â
âWell maybe you should go, man?â Kirishima said gently, âI think, and I mean this nicely, you need a break. It canât feel great that everytime you bring someone to Midoriya you get turned down.â
Bakugouâs upper lip twitched. He was pissed as hell at Deku. That damn healer was set on staying true to his vision. Well, Bakugou thought that vision was shit, it literally meant nothing. He just needed to have a betrothed before the fall festival which would be in the coming months after the clan traveled to their winter location. His motherâs old war wound was forcing her to give up her throne sooner than expected and he had to step up, yet he was failing all because of a stupid damn vision.
âItâs fine, Katsuki, nothing is going to happen,â Kirishima assured again.
Bakugou shot you one last glare before storming off, muttering about something under his breath.Â
âWell I feel better now,â Kirihsima laughed as he came closer to you, âheâs been wound up for weeks now.â
You snorted, âdonât know how you manage to put up with him.â
Kirisima smiled, it was bright, âyouâll learn to love him in time, heâs a good guy.â
You gave Kirishma a weak smile. That was far from true. Bakugou was part of the family that condemned yours. He was the farthest thing from a good guy.Â
Kirishima hummed, sensing a bit of your apprehension, but decided to leave it. âSo tell me more about your dragon?â he asked as he walked forward letting your dragon sniff his arm.
âOh, well I donât know that much about her. Sheâs not like you all,â you commented to him. Hoping he didnât ask too many questions just due to the fact that your dragon was from the royal clutch after all.Â
Kirishima laughed, âshe isnât at all. I canât say Iâve seen a green one before. Back in my homeland, most of us are bright red, aside from a few being maroon.â He paused and looked at you briefly, âare you planning on staying with us for a while?â
You were taken back with his question, and your heart jumped in your chest. Why did he ask that? Did he want you to leave? Was he able to sense that you were going to betray his and Bakugouâs trust someday? You swallowed thickly, âum, I was thinking it would be nice to stay with you the clan till you reach your winter grounds.â
To your utter surprise Kirisima smiled again, âgood, Iâm glad to hear that. Despite what everyone else thinks, I like having you around.â
You furrowed your brows, âwhat makes you say that?â
Kirishima shrugged, âjust instinct, I guess.â He rolled his shoulders, âwell, why donât we try out this saddle then?â
You sighed, âalright, fine. But if she throws me off, youâll have to catch me.â
Kirishima snorted and then helped you saddle your dragon. It was a little touch and go as she clearly didnât like having straps around her chest to hold the saddle in place. After a solid thirty minutes of struggling she was ready.Â
You tentatively climbed onto the saddle. It looked almost ridiculously small on your dragon's huge back. She turned her head to look at you as you sat down, and stretched your legs in the seat. The leather creaked and groaned as you adjusted your seat. âThis is wildly uncomfortable,â you muttered.
âJust need to break it in,â Kirishima said, âitâll get better with time.â He then looked to the sky and squinted. Aside from the wind, the weather was perfect for flying, especially since this was his first time shifting since he was poisoned with silver.
You watched Kirishima look down to the ground and then crouch, you werenât exactly sure what he was doing until he stretched his wings and suddenly his form shook. Before your eyes he transformed into a huge crimson dragon. He was much larger than yours, and instead of having just back legs and using his wings as front legs when walking, he had front arms too.Â
Your eyes widened as he walked forward, the ground seemed to shake under each step till he was eye level with you. He chuffed, causing a hot burst of air to hit your face, making you sputter. Kirishima made a throaty growl, which you thought could have been a laugh.
Kirishima took a few more steps past you, letting your dragon position herself to take off after him. Then he took off, running. The ground shook after each step and his claws left deep grooves in the ground after every step. Then he bunched his back legs and jumped up, flapping his wings as he took to the sky.Â
You heard a few children squealing as they ran to the edge of camp to watch Kirishima fly. Your dragon wheezed and moved forward, following Kirishimaâs steps before jumping up and following him into the sky.Â
You frowned, holding onto her spike as the saddle slipped sideways, maybe you didnât tighten it enough? Nonetheless you followed Kirishima up higher and higher until you were above the clouds.
He seemed happy to be back in his true form. He was darting around the clouds and diving down into some, making them split apart and wisp away in the strong wind.Â
You smiled, watching him play in the sky. He was sweet, and was easily the kindest person in the clan, besides Midoriya, and maybe Bakugouâs grandmother. It made your heart ache at the thought of betraying Kirishima, which was unsettling. You had only been in the clan for a little over a week and you were already getting attached.
While you were lost in thought, your dragon, obviously surprised to see Kirishima having fun, was curious as to what he was doing, and took off at a speed youâve never seen her travel before.Â
âWhoa!â you yelped as you almost got flung off the side of your dragon as she chased after Kirishima, weaving through the clouds.
Kirishimaâs red eyes widened with delight and he took a swooping dive down to the ground, and then your dragon followed him.
Your stomach lurched as you flew straight down screaming at the top of your lungs as your legs flew out straight behind you. You had your arms tightly wrapped around your dragonâs spike as she caught up with Kirishima, flying next to him as they dove towards the ground.Â
Your eyes were watering as you tried to see how close the ground was. However, to your horror you were heading towards a lake. Even through your watery eyes you could make out a few commoners mulling around the water side, now obviously pointing at Kirishima and your dragon racing.Â
You could see Bakugou sitting at the water's edge with a girl who was talking animatedly but then she pointed at you. He stood up abruptly leaving his suitor to run to the shore of the lake, waving his arms rapidly.Â
âKirishima!â you shouted above the roaring wind, not like he could hear you. The water was getting closer and closer by the second and Kirishima pushed himself faster, and your dragon followed suit. They were flying so fast that you had no option but to shut your eyes, they simply wouldnât stay open.Â
Suddenly your dragon pulled up, making your legs and body slam back down into the saddle, which was already loose. Your eyes shot open as you scrambled to find your seating but the sudden change in movement had you unbalanced and to your horror the momentum of your body had you falling sideways.Â
You scrambled to grab onto the straps of the saddle as your hands slipped from the spike you were holding on, but it was futile. You were falling.Â
At the notice of your absence your dragon quickly turned around flying back down towards you with her back claws outstretched to catch you.Â
Your eyes were wide as the water came closer and closer. You could hear Bakugou shouting at Kirishima. It didnât matter though, you would hit the water before anyone could catch you. It probably wouldnât hurt that bad, you were about thirty feet from the water.Â
A claw hooked into your shirt just before you hit the water, tearing the tunic you were wearing right from your body. You landed into the water with a grunt, wincing as water shot up your nose.Â
Bubbles floated up past your face as you opened your eyes briefly, and started paddling towards the surface of the lake. After a few short moments you surfaced sputtering and shaking. Above you your dragon and Kirishima were hovering above the water, making waves with every flap of their wings. âItâs okay, Iâm fine. Just go land.â
You watched as the two dragons flew to the shoreline and landed. Kirishimaâs form shook and he shrunk back down to his human form, and immediately sprinted into the water shouting apologies.
âShitty scales!â Bakugou shouted, âget back to the shoreline and watch her dragon, everyone is scared shitless of that thing.â He was referring to the common folk fleeing the opposite direction from your dragon, especially now because she was obviously distressed from losing her rider.
You continued paddling towards the shore, fighting the strong current as best you could. You swam a few times in a pond that would show up after a big rain back home. It wasnât nearly as deep at this lake, or as clear. You wrinkled your nose at the memory of that pond. It was filthy, and mostly mud and silt, but you were thankful you did swim in it or else you wouldnât have known how to swim back to shore now.
You huffed, lifting your head up to avoid a wave as you got closer to shore, and then you realized you were now closer to Bakugou who was swimming out to get you. To your horror you glanced over your shoulder to realize that your shirt was floating a good ways away from you, your dragon must have ripped it when she tried to grab you.
With hot cheeks you turned around in the water and paddled back towards your shirt. How humiliating.
âThe hell are you doing!â Bakugou shouted as he continued to swim towards you.Â
âJust go back to shore,â you replied with chattering teeth as you approached your shirt. It was mostly shredded, but at least it would cover your chest.Â
âYou canât be out that far, damn it,â Bakugou yelled, picking up the pace, âthereâs a reason why we donât swim in this lake, dumbass!â
Just as you were about to grab your shirt, it disappeared under the water followed by a few big bubbles. A sense of dread filled your gut as a large tail poked out of the water and slapped the surface.
Then you turned around as fast as you could and swam towards Bakugou with big eyes. âThe hell is in here?â you shouted as a dark shadow started to swim underneath you.
The water rippled next to you and a beast of fish, bigger than Kirishima in his dragon form popped its head up out of the water. It was looking at you with one giant unblinking eye before it ducked back under the water.Â
You almost froze at the sight of the fish but instead you swam as quickly as you could. You were so focused on getting out of the water that you didnât even care when you ran right into Bakugou who was getting ready to pull you out.Â
âYouâve got to be the unluckiest person Iâve ever met,â Bakugou began as he went to push you off his chest. You were clinging to him like some drowned rat.
It was horribly embarrassing that you were pressed into his bare torso with yours, but you wouldnât dare pull away now that people were starting to gather close to you both. âWhatever, look I need a shirt,â you hissed, looking up at him with warm cheeks.
It was then Bakugou realized the situation he was in, and his ears turned bright red when he looked down at where your chest met the bottom of his own chest. He quickly averted his eyes, swallowing thickly as he yanked off his fur lined cape and held it out. It was soaking wet and heavy as hell but you obviously didnât care because the moment he took it off you snatched it out of his hand.
âThanks,â you muttered, quickly glancing up at him as he cleared his throat and gave you a nod.Â
Kirishima was running towards you with your dragon awkwardly running after him, and he was shouting your name before he came to a halting stop in front of you, âIâm so sorry, I should have never made you fly like that when it was your first time in the saddle, and you almost got eaten by the giant catfish-â
âItâs okay,â you said with a small smile, âit was just an accident, and if I wasnât in the saddle I definitely would have stayed on. So letâs do it again, yeah?Â
Kirishima nodded, âIâd like that.â
â------------------
After you had returned to camp you made your way back to your tent to get a new shirt. Your other shirt was more of a loose tunic and the sleeves were long, which was good for when it got cold at night. It was a little small on you though, which was unfortunate, you just would have to avoid lifting your arms above your head so the hem of the shirt wouldnât lift up.
After your little incident with Bakugou today, you would like nothing more than to see him again, but you had to return his stupid cloak. It was mostly damp now after drying in the sun for the rest of the afternoon, so it wasnât nearly as heavy as it was before.
As you thought back on the events of the afternoon, you felt your face warm again. There was a strange feeling in your stomach, it felt almost like there was something flapping in your chest. You let out a breath, as you placed the back of your hands against your cheeks to cool them down.Â
While you continued to walk through camp towards Bakugouâs tent, you happened to walk past someone cursing and then the sound of crashing objects. You tilted your head and moved towards the sound and to your shock it was the queen, Mitsuki.Â
She was clutching her abdomen and was clearly in pain as she tried to use the hilt of her ax to stand up.Â
A dark sense of foreboding rushed over you and it was like you felt your mother standing behind you. Her cold hands were wrapped around the top of your shoulders like vulture talons, and she was whispering in your ear.
This is your chance, the queen is alone. No one will know.Â
The fluttering feeling in your chest dropped like lead in your stomach and you took a step forward. Your hand was shaky as it blindly reached towards a rock on the ground. It wouldnât be pretty.Â
You paused, swallowing thickly as Mitsuki swore again. She was panting and sweating, obviously struggling to overcome whatever was causing her to be unable to stand.Â
Do it! Useless child!
A rush of cold wind pushed past you and ruffled your top, making it rise past your stomach. The scar across your abdomen seemed to ache as your mothers voice rang through your ears again.
You took a step forward, hearing blood roar in your ears as you grabbed the rock. Mitsuki was finally able to stand. She was wheezing almost as she looked down and to your shock she yanked up her own shirt.
It was then you saw a scar identical to yours on her abdomen. The rock fell from your hand and Mitsuki looked up to see you standing in the shadows, she was about to curse you out till you took a step forward and she immediately noticed your scar.Â
You both looked at each other in silence.Â
Was her scar from the same person who gave you yours? Surely it had to be, that was your motherâs trademark cut after all.Â
Mitsuki opened her mouth to speak but her leg buckled again.Â
This time you rushed forward to grab her arm and held her up. âHere,â you muttered as you wrapped her arm around your shoulder, âwhere do you need to go?â
âMidoriya,â Mitsuki said through clenched teeth as she eyed you warily.Â
You nodded as you helped her limp to Midoriyaâs tent, and avoided the common folk eating their dinners around campfires in front of their tents.Â
After a few moments you delivered the queen to Midoriya who rushed her. He thanked you heavily before shutting the tent flap and leaving you alone to your thoughts. You felt like everything you had somehow known was standing on the edge of a knife and for the first time in your life, you didnât really know what to do.