Diana-simona - DianaBanana

✩°｡⋆𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐩𝐭. 𝟑

꒰𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲꒱: in which you unintentionally travel inter-dimensionally to a universe where the avengers exist. will you make it back home? or will the allure of this new universe with all its differences entice you to stay?

꒰𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬꒱: reader x polyamorous!pack!avengers, omega!reader x alpha!avengers, reader x steve rogers, reader x bucky barnes, reader x peter parker, reader x tony stark, reader x natasha romanoff, reader x thor odinson | platonic relationships with clint barton, bruce banner, loki laufeyson, carol danvers, wanda & pietro maximoff

꒰𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬꒱: mentions of past child abuse (hitting/spanking), abusive father flashbacks (brief), steve spanking reader, reader triggered/dropping into subspace, panic attacks, drinking/alcohol, sexism/misogyny, sexual dancing (grinding), clubbing

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒: tags

thots | ideas | asks | feedback

[feel free to send in any asks or requests for drabbles/one shots/hcs! 🤍]

author’s note: round 2, let’s go! hopefully tumblr doesn’t stuff up this one😅 if you’re curious to see the girls clubbing outfits, check out the pinterest moodboard linked below!🫶🏼 enjoy 😚😚 don’t forget to reblog!! Xx

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𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 | 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐤𝐨𝐟𝐢

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐢 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 @st3rgirlibrary 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 ♡

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☆彡

[NOTE: I do not give permission for my work to be posted, translated or published to any third party site or app. If anyone sees my work anywhere but here, it has been reposted without my permission. Please let me know!] ๑˖࿐ʚiɞ

“Quick! Get him to his room — F.R.I.D.A.Y. will lock it under rut protocols!” Tony’s voice yelled through the madness.

Steve was unconscious on the floor, and Bucky was a raging menace trying to get to his best friend through the wall that was Thor.

“I’m a bit preoccupied!” Thor bellowed out, growling as Bucky was punching and twisting in his weakening hold.

“Peter!” Tony called out for help, slowly dragging Steve towards the elevator, “He won’t be out for long! His super soldier serum is already working against us.”

“Mr. Stark!” Peter panicked, making Tony look up from his hold on Steve’s ankles.

“Shit,” he cursed, seeing Bruce’s shaking form in the corner, “Don’t go green, don’t go green!” He dropped Steve’s legs, running towards his mate.

“Wanda, help!” Pietro screamed at his sister as he sped towards Steve, trying his best to drag him to the elevator. Wanda was shaking in the corner, wishing she had gone with Nat to find you.

She hurried over, willing herself to use her magic. Her shaking hands started glowing red, and a gentle cloud of ruby drifted out of them and towards Steve’s body. She jumped as she saw Steve’s eye twitch, before they flew open and he let out a massive roar. Her powers faded and she looked up in a panic, seeing Tony dragging the green-looking Bruce away from the scene. Peter and Thor were now battling a feral Bucky, doing their best to stop him from going over and helping Steve on his quest to find you and claim you.

Wanda let out a shriek as Steve grabbed Pietro by the throat, throwing him across the room. His head hit the wall and he collapsed, unconscious, to the floor. Peter’s head twisted at her scream, his eyes bulging when he saw his mate on the floor, head bleeding. His eyes flew back when he saw Wanda meet a similar fate, now unconscious by the couch.

He immediately let go of Bucky, letting out a roar of anger as he dove toward the Head Alpha. He should’ve known he was no match for him though, as Steve merely picked him up by the neck, squeezing his pressure points. And just like that, Steve had rendered Peter unconscious too, with merely a hand.

Now that Thor was by himself with Bucky, he was struggling again. He tried to remember how to detach his metal arm, but couldn't. He thought about electrocuting him, but he couldn’t bear to do that to his soulmate.

Steve saw the scene, and roared in anger.

“Don’t touch him!” He made it over to their violent tussle with two big strides, punching Thor in the back. The big fella barely grunted, and hit Bucky in the temple. He fell to the floor, joining the others in their unconsciousness.

Steve saw red.

“HOW DARE YOU HURT OUR MATE?” He roared, diving on Thor.

“LOOK AROUND — LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE!” Thor bellowed back, his teeth baring as he prepared to battle the Head Alpha. Steve spared a glance around, noticing all the bodies of his loved ones around him. His eyes softened, before narrowing again. He couldn’t see you.

“Where is she?” He quietly seethed.

Thor grunted as Steve kept blocking his punches.

“WHERE IS SHE?” Steve roared again, shaking in anger as his Alpha had fully taken over, intent on finding you. He had had enough of Thor’s unwillingness to help, and delivered a sickening blow to his head, knocking him out.

He looked around, his eyes flashing as he couldn’t see Tony or Bruce.

He stalked off down the corridor towards the pack bedroom, his fists clenched in anger. He slammed the door open, seeing Tony desperately trying to calm a hyperventilating Bruce. Normally, Steve would’ve dropped everything to help the Beta, but his Alpha hindbrain had taken over. All he cared about was his Omega. You.

“Tony, I’m only going to ask once. Where is she?” His whisper was deadly. He doesn’t miss the way Tony’s eyes flicker up to the roof.

Of course.

Natasha was missing. You were missing. It didn’t take a genius to realise where you were hiding.

Steve was out of the room in a flash, making Tony panic as he glanced between Bruce and the open doorway. But Omegas always came first.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaving Bruce on the bed as he ran after Steve.

Steve didn't bother waiting for the elevator and instead strode up the stairs, making it to Natasha’s level in less than a minute. You and the scent of your slick was the only thing on his mind.

Find Omega.

Claim Omega.

And he would destroy anyone who got in his way.

Your eyes flew open as a loud bang reverberated throughout the room. You sat up, confused and disorientated.

Your heart dropped when the familiar scent of vanilla, patchouli, cedar, and lemon infiltrated your nostrils. Natasha must have smelt it too, because she sat up with a start next to you in the bed.

“Quick – go in the bathroom and lock the door,” she whispered, pushing you out of the bed and forcing you into the ensuite. She knew a measly door wasn't going to do much to stop Steve in his rut, but it was another barrier that gave you more time.

You locked the white door behind you, backing away into the shower. You glanced around the bathroom, seeing if there was anywhere you could hide.

There wasn’t.

You clutched your hands over your mouth, quieting your erratic breaths and muffling your whimpers of fear. You could hear Nat trying to ration with Steve, but his Alpha had long since taken over. You screamed into your fist as you heard a deafening crash, followed by a sickening silence.

The only sound was your heavy breathing and your heart violently pumping in your ears. Your hand was covered in saliva and bite marks from being shoved into your mouth. You strained your ears for any hint as to what was going on in Nat’s bedroom, but there was nothing.

You screamed as the silence was broken by the bathroom door being pushed open so violently that it fell off its hinges. Steve’s huge frame filled up the space, his figure ominously puffing from knocking out all of his mates. You could make out his nostrils flaring as he scented you, letting out a low hum.

“It’s okay, Omega. Your Alpha is here now. You're safe.”

He had mistaken the putrid scent of your fear for someone other than him, and strode towards you in the oversized ensuite. Your eyes flashed to an unconscious Natasha on the floor as you let out a cry of fear. Tears dripped down your cheeks as you backed away from him. Something cold hit your back as you came into contact with the tilted wall – you had nowhere to go.

“STEVE! STOP!” Tony had burst into the room, and dived to pull him back from you. Steve just lifted his fist, punching Tony’s face and knocking him out cold. Your eyes widened in fright as salty tears dropped.

“Please don’t hurt me,” you pleaded, holding your hands up in front of you in a pathetic attempt at protection.

“Never run away from me in heat again,” he growled out, turning you around and forcing you to bend over the sink. You screamed out for help as you tried to wiggle out of his strong embrace, but it was no use. He was a super soldier and Head Alpha. No human was stronger than him.

You let out a loud wail when Steve’s big hand made contact with your bottom, leaving it stinging and burning. He continued to spank you, growling about punishments and obeying. You closed your eyes, choking on your sobs and wails. You tried to scramble away, but he easily held you down against the cold sink, and your mind flashed to your past.

You were running through the corridors of your childhood home, the heavy footsteps of your father chasing you fueling your panic. You made it to your room, slamming the door shut. You screamed as he easily banged it open, hands raised as he came towards you. You screamed and flinched away as his heavy palms swatted down on your skin, leaving behind red handprints.

Your eyes rolled back into your head as you felt yourself drop into that familiar space of nothingness, with no scents to comfort you. You tried your best to move, to scream, but your body was rendered useless as you were forced to watch the memories of your abusive childhood flash through your head on repeat.

Steve hadn’t realised you had dropped, too busy unbuckling his belt as his rut hit its peak. He didn’t have time to react when he was suddenly flung back.

“Bad Alpha!” The Hulk grunted out, repeatedly slamming Steve into the floor like a ragdoll until he stopped responding.

The Hulk dropped Steve onto the floor next to Nat and tried to walk into the bathroom, but stopped when he realised he couldn't fit through the door frame.

“Omega okay?”

He observed your slumped-over body in confusion, realising something was wrong. He ducked his head as he forced his wide shoulders through the doorway and to your body.

“Omega?” He tried again, turning over your body to see your eyes rolled back. He easily lifted you up in his arms, recognising his Omega had dropped into subspace.

“Omega okay, Alpha here now. Hulk take care of you,” he sat down with you in his arms, trying to get you to scent him. His green face crumpled up in confusion when he saw your face still scrunching up in pain and fear. He stood up with you in his arms, walking out of the bathroom, past Nat and Steve on the floor, and out of Nat’s apartment. He took you back to the pack floor – maybe if his scent wasn’t enough to calm you in subspace, a mixture of everyone else’s would. He stomped onto the pack floor, seeing Thor groaning as he began to wake up. He quickly sat up when he remembered what had happened, and saw Hulk trying his best to comfort you. He forced his aching body up and rushed over to you. They both turned their heads to the elevator that dinged open, revealing a panicking Tony. His eyes zeroed in on your limp body in the Hulk’s hands, and he rushed over. Tony was second in command in the pack, meaning if anyone could calm you down after Steve, it was him.

“Oh my God, is she okay? What happened?!” He rushed out, kneeling beside the Hulk and Thor to grasp your hand.

“Tony! Calm down, she needs you right now – she needs your pheromones. Do your job and be the Alpha she needs. I'll take care of Steve.” Thor spoke as the voice of reason, stopping Tony’s panicked rambling. And with that, he quickly stood up and made his way to Nat’s level, where he gently set her down on her bed. He picked Steve up and brought him to his shared level with Bucky, and locked him in his room under ‘Rut Protocols’, meaning F.R.I.D.A.Y. wouldn't let him out until his cycle had passed.

The Hulk had gently passed your body over to Tony who cradled you in his muscular arms, directing your face to his neck.

“Shh, you're okay,” he spoke your name, focusing on emulating calming pheromones. He watched as your face slowly relaxed, and your fearful scent was replaced by your wonderful combination of black currant, plum, sandalwood, and peonies. He stroked your hair, gently rocking from side to side as he continued to speak soothing words of affirmation into your ear. He saw that the Hulk had closed his eyes, and he guessed that his words were also soothing to him, bringing Bruce back.

Tony sat there, continuing to soothe you until all the worry had left your gentle skin. He picked you up and brought you to the pack bedroom, the Hulk following as he stumbled along, Bruce fighting to get back out. He laid you down in the massive bed, cuddling up next to you as he continued to rub your back, pressing gentle kisses to your face.

“You’re okay now, I’ve got you.”

Three days had passed since the incident. You had awoken on what felt like a cloud, tucked in with the most delectable scents surrounding you. Tony hadn’t left your side once, making sure you knew he would keep you safe. He informed you on what had happened after you dropped; how the Hulk had knocked Steve out, allowing Thor to drag him to his room and lock him away in there under ‘Rut Protocols’. F.R.I.D.A.Y. wouldn’t let him out until it was over. The rest of them had spent a day in the medical bay, recovering from their injuries — Pietro having faced the worst of it. But more importantly, Tony and Natasha had sat you down to talk about ruts. And heats.

“It was your… scent that caused him to start his rut. F.R.I.D.A.Y. tracks them all so there are never any surprises, but throw an Omega into the mix — more specifically, our Omega, and things are bound to go awry,” Tony awkwardly chuckled.

Nat cleared her throat, “When an Alpha goes into their rut, they revert to their most primal nature, their most basic, animal instinct. To mate. It’s the same for Omegas when they go into their heat.”

“Kind of like our periods?” You asked her, to which she nodded.

“A lot more painful, though. It can only be soothed by… You know…” She awkwardly waved her hands around.

“By having sex.” Tony bluntly put, making your face grow red.

“Oh.”

Your eyes glazed over as you faintly remembered the distant sound of a belt unbuckling.

“Why was Steve… Hitting me, though?” You whispered, your body involuntarily shivering.

Nat’s lips dropped into a frown.

“That’s our fault, we should’ve discussed this sooner, we were planning to before everything happened, but… It’s considered standard discipline in our universe for disobeying Omegas,” she spoke, Tony overtaking, “Alphas set out a series of rules for their Omegas to follow, like not leaving the residence without an Alpha by their side, or going to bed at a certain hour. We’ll sit you down once Steve comes out of his rut — which should be any day now — and go over your rules, and we can discuss punishments we’re all comfortable with.”

Your nose scrunched at that.

“Why would you have rules? There’s no need for punishments if I agree with all the rules — I wouldn’t break them. I’m not a child,” you huffed, crossing your arms. This all sounded so stupid.

Tony and Natasha glanced at each other.

“The main point of the rules is usually to lay out a schedule for domming and subbing sessions. We all need to dominate you at least once a month to safely release our pheromones, just like you need to drop to release your submissive pheromones.”

“…Dominate me?” Your eyes bulged as you looked at Tony. Natasha quickly chimed in, “Not sex — not unless you want to. Domming sessions can be a variety of things, like letting us do your hair, or picking out an outfit for you to wear. I promise, любимая, we will never do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

You gulped as you took it all in, slowly nodding. It didn’t sound so bad.

“And how do you safely drop? Everyone keeps saying it’s dangerous every time I have dropped,” you questioned.

“Omegas are never supposed to drop by themselves, and it should never be out of fear. Your Alphas will guide you down lovingly, safely. Lots of Alphas use the contact point of the bottom—“

You immediately gulped, making Tony slightly raise his voice.

“—But! We know you don’t like that, and Bruce has been testing a new dropping technique via meditation guided by one of us.”

You blinked, slowly nodding again.

“Okay,” you whispered. Your heart fluttered as the two Alphas in front of you grinned.

You missed the flicker of worry in Tony’s eyes, he would have to talk to Steve and Bucky about the no smacking. They were always more traditional. He could only hope they would listen to him.

You cleared your throat as you prepared your last question.

“Wanda told me that only Alphas and Omegas that are soulmates can scent each other. That day in the lab, I could smell the faint aroma of chamomile, incense, and freshly mown grass…”

They glanced at each other, already knowing where you were going with this.

“I smelt it again when I was in subspace. When the Hulk helped me.”

A beat.

“He’s an Alpha, isn’t he? And he’s my soulmate — our soulmate — that’s why I can smell him.”

They both nodded.

“And you said… that we all have to mate?” You gulped, your breathing picking up.

“It sounds scary любимая, but you don’t actually have to do it with the Hulk. Bruce is enough, they share the same DNA.” She leaned forward to grab your hand. You let out a shaky breath, “Okay.”

“Mr. Stark,” F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice came from the ceiling, “Mr. Rogers has finished his rut. Permission to let him out of his room?”

Your breathing picked up again, and Natasha took you under her embrace.

“It’s okay, honey,” Tony spoke, “F.R.I.D.A.Y can’t be wrong, she’s measured his hormone levels.” He then turned to the ceiling, letting her know it was okay to end Steve’s rut protocol.

You turned around at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Behind you, on the couch you were sitting on, stood Bucky. A small, sheepish smile flickered on his face as he awkwardly stood there.

“Mind if we talk?” His blue gaze centred on you, making you gulp. Natasha squeezed your hand.

“Can Nat stay?” You whispered, and he glanced at her, before looking back at you with a nod.

“Ouch,” Tony clutched his heart in mock offense.

“Sick of me already?” He stood up, leaning down to kiss your forehead as you giggled.

“It’s okay, I’ll go check on Steve and the others,” and with that, he left the pack living room.

Bucky walked over to the couches, sitting across from you and Nat. You appreciated the distance.

“I owe you an apology,” he softly spoke.

“Steve and I met and mated over eighty years ago, so our bond is incredibly strong. We tend to sync up a lot, which is why when he got sent into his rut and his Alpha took over, mine did too. The only thought on my mind was to help him, and protect him. I’m sorry I didn’t help you. Protect you. I can’t imagine how frightful that must’ve been for you. And I’m sorry.” He leaned forward, his blue eyes shining with apology and guilt.

“If it’s okay with you, I'd like to start over again. On a better foot,” he stood up, coming over with his flesh hand held out, “My name is James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky.” His smile was infectious, and you couldn’t help but smile back as you returned his handshake, also introducing yourself.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” your name fell from his lips like honey, making your heart flutter.

“I owe you an apology too.”

All three of your heads swiveled to the elevator, seeing Steve stepping out with a face of embarrassment and regret.

He spoke your name, “I am so, so sorry. It’s no excuse, but I was so imbalanced from the mission we’d just returned from, and having your scent lingering around the tower, but not being able to see you, was killing me. Killing my inner Alpha. I was due to start my rut soon, as well, so the mission leaving me on edge really didn’t help. And then to hear that you had arrived, our beautiful Omega, while I was gone? It destroyed me. I wanted to meet you in person, rather than hear about you from everyone else. So when I saw you, and then smelt you… I just snapped. I’m so sorry.” He spoke sincerely, his gentle blue eyes watering. He had walked closer to the three of you on the couch, but kept his distance as he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

“Thank you, both of you,” you glanced at Bucky before your eyes returned back to Steve, “for your apologies. I really appreciate them.” You smiled, before blushing sheepishly, “And I’m sorry, too. I didn’t realise that would happen… In that amount,” you referred to your slick, “It’s just… Well, you’re really hot,” you squeaked, your eyes dropping from Steve’s face to your lap.

His pale cheeks turned pink at your admission, and he shyly rubbed the back of his neck, still the shy 5’4 boy from Brooklyn. Bucky chuckled, standing up to slap Steve on the shoulder, “Never could take compliments, could you?”

“Shut up, Buck,” he whined, half-heartedly pushing him away. The four of you chuckled, and you found yourself entirely comfortable for the first time.

‘See? This isn't so scary,’ your inner Omega told you, making you internally roll your eyes.

“Well, I love a lot more apologies I need to give out,” Steve awkwardly smiled, making Bucky nod in agreement, “Me too.”

They both bid you goodbye, promising to see you soon. And with that, they were off to apologise to the rest of their pack for their actions.

“So, how do you feel?” Nat held both her hands in yours, gently smiling at you.

“Overwhelmed, but weirdly okay with it all,” you slowly nodded, trying to gather your thoughts.

“You know what I need?” You glanced up into her green eyes. She rose one delicate eyebrow, signaling for you to continue.

“I need a night out. A girl's night out.”

She smirked.

“That can be arranged.”

You, Nat, and Wanda were dancing around her massive ensuite in your intimates, getting ready for your night out. Nat’s bathroom was still being fixed, so you had been staying with Wanda in the meantime, still not ready to sleep in the pack bedroom.

“I love this song!” Wanda yelled out as Nobody’s Business by Rhianna started playing. You giggled as Nat clutched your chin, applying makeup to your face. A blue whir sped into the bathroom, making you all jump as Pietro appeared. Luckily, Nat hadn’t been applying anything to your face, otherwise it would've ended up a mess.

“PIETRO! GET OUT!” Wanda screeched, clamoring for a towel to cover her bra and undies.

“Someone’s here to see you,” he spoke, avoiding looking at Wanda at all costs.

“Who?” Nat asked in curiosity.

“Your favourite alien,” a blonde woman winked, walking into the room.

“Carol!” Wanda squealed, dropping her towel as she ran to hug her. Pietro took that as his cue to go, and sped off to find Peter and tell him what he saw. You looked delicious in your lace white bra and panty set.

“Hi Wands, how have you been?” She tapped her finger under the younger woman’s chin, making the brunette preen at the affection. This elicited a low growl from Nat’s throat.

“Still as territorial as always, Nat? And I see now you've finally found your Omega?” She grinned with an air of arrogance. You shifted under her gaze – she was definitely an Alpha.

“Yes, so tread carefully,” Nat wrapped her arm around your waist, pulling you flush to her body. Wanda, who could sense the rising tension, stepped in.

“Could you help me pick out an outfit for tonight? We’re having a girl’s night out!” She grabbed Carol’s hand, pulling her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom.

“A girl’s night, hey? Mind if I come?” You could hear Carol talking in the bedroom, making Nat groan in annoyance.

“I’m guessing you don’t like her very much?” You whispered to Nat.

“She’s just very flirty,” Nat grumbled, “Which is weird considering she’s mated.”

“To who?” You questioned.

“Dunno, more Kree, I guess,” Nat shrugged, not caring.

“You're cute when you're jealous,” you shyly flirted, making Nat smirk at you.

“Yeah?” She leaned in, raising her eyebrow.

“Yeah.” You nodded, eyes darting down to her lips.

She took that as a green light, and leaned in even closer, giving you the opportunity to back away. Instead, you moved to close the gap, pressing your lips to hers. You sighed as you felt her pillowy lips move against yours, like two pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly together. Like soulmates.

“Am I interrupting something?”

You both broke apart as you saw Wanda smirking in the doorway, holding two outfits by her side.

“Beta,” Nat growled, annoyed that she had stopped your kiss.

“It’s okay, there’s plenty of time for that later,” you soothed the redhead, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She calmed significantly.

Wanda sighed dreamily, “Everything’s better with an Omega. Anyways, I picked out your outfits!” She held up black clothing items in both of her hands, and you took in her own outfit. She was wearing a black cropped top with tight-fitting long sleeves, with a matching black mini skirt and boots that came to rest gently at her mid-calf. She had slicked her hair back into a messy braid, and popped in some gold hoop earrings.

“Wanda, you look hot!” You exclaimed, moving forward now that Nat had finished your makeup.

“Thanks!” She grinned, “You too! And we can all match in our black outfits,” she held out her right hand to you, and you grabbed a black mini dress from her.

“Both of you will have to take your bras off,” she winked, handing Nat her clothes too before shutting the door behind her to give the two of you privacy.

You chuckled as you turned around, unclipping your bra and resting it on the bathroom counter. Nat had turned to face away too, and you both got changed into your chosen outfits. You hummed at Wanda’s decision, liking the halter-neck dress she had chosen for you. You felt a hand graze your bare back and you turned around, seeing Nat dressed.

“Woah,” your eyes bugled, taking in her beauty. Wanda had her in a tiny black top that looked more like a bra, with a pair of black leather pants.

“Are you two done?” Wanda banged on the door, eager to accessorise the two of you.

“Yes!” You called out, gulping as Nat’s hungry eyes drank your body in. Wanda burst in, holding some black boots for you that ended just below your knees, and some black heels for Nat. She grabbed your wrists to place a gold Cartier bangle on it.

“Where’d you get this from?” Your eyes bulged at the expensive item.

“Tony just sent it up! Pietro must’ve told Peter, and Peter would've told Tony. Which means we should get going, like, now. They’re going to be so insanely jealous and try to tag along, so we need to make our quick escape!”

“Солнышко, if they want to come, not much is going to stop them,” Nat chuckled. This made Wanda let out a loud whine, “But it’s supposed to be a girl’s night out!”

“You’re acting like you don’t have magic,” Carol snorted from where she was lounging on the bed. You saw that she had changed outfits too, and was now wearing a black silk blouse with the first few buttons undone. She had a black leather jacket over the top, with black jeans and boots to match.

You smirked as you looked in Wanda’s big mirror, “We all look so hot. Like dark angels or something.”

“Connecting with our dark feminine!” Wanda exclaimed, twirling around you.

“Have you already had something to drink, Солнышко?” Nat asked Wanda amusedly, making her giggle, “Maybe!” She dragged out.

“Okay, let's go,” you clapped your hands together, eager to go to a club and get drunk.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., where are the rest of the pack?” Nat asked the ceiling, knowing they would have to be very sneaky if they wanted this to remain only girls.

“Sitting in the living room and kitchen on the pack floor, Ms. Romanoff,” the robotic voice answered.

“Okay, could you please take us straight down to the car garage? And have Happy waiting there for us with the address Wanda picked out earlier?” She spoke, grabbing your hand as she guided you out of Wanda’s room, the other two following.

“Yes ma’am.”

Ten minutes later, the four of you had successfully snuck out of the tower and were now on your way to a club.

“Will F.R.I.D.A.Y. cover for us?” You asked the girls, to which Carol scoffed.

“It’s an A.I., of course it won't.”

Your shoulders sagged as you leaned closer to Nat, making her wrap a protective arm around your shoulders, “Ignore her любимая. But, to answer your question, no. She can never lie to Tony.”

You hummed in response.

“So, that gives us probably an hour max, before they start looking for us!” Wanda exclaimed, bouncing in her seat next to you as she urged Happy to drive faster.

Another ten minutes later and you had reached the club, being brought in through a V.I.P entrance.

“Perks of being an Avenger,” Nat winked at you, making you swoon.

‘Fuck, she’s hot,’ you thought.

You all immediately went to the bar, ordering your favourite drinks and downing them in minutes.

“Shots on me!” Carol exclaimed, ordering some more alcohol for the four of you.

“Do you even have American money?” You chuckled, to which she replied, “Nope.”

You all burst out into laughter, taking the shots anyway, because as Wanda said, “We’ll just use Tony’s card.”

Your inhibitions went away as the liquid courage coursed through your veins, making you want to dance. You grabbed Nat and Wanda’s hands, the latter grabbing onto Carol, dragging them onto the dance floor. ‘Losers’ by The Weeknd and Labrinth blasted throughout the club, making you feel like a million bucks. You ran your fingers through your hair as you were sandwiched between Nat and Wanda, the flashing lights colouring the dark club. You closed your eyes, letting yourself get lost in the music and blissful feeling of being drunk. You moved your hips in rhythm to the song, grinding your hips onto Nat behind you. She quickly placed her hands on your hips, pushing her pelvis into your bottom. Wanda grabbed your hands, twirling under your arms as she moved in beat to the song as well. Carol stood behind her, making eye contact with you. She winked and smirked as she leaned in closer.

“We’ve got company.”

Your eyes widened as you glanced around, not seeing what she was seeing.

Wanda groaned as she saw the familiar white hair of her brother, “It’s only been an hour!”

You glanced around and spotted various pack members scattered around the club.

“Fuck them,” you yelled out over the music, “Let’s give ‘em a show,” you cheekily grinned, leaning further back into Nat as you continued to move your hips sexually. You grabbed her hands on your waist, pulling them up closer to your breasts. Wanda giggled as she saw you teasing, and came in closer to you. You were all sandwiched together, dancing and grinding to the sexual music. You opened your eyes and made direct eye contact with Steve who had been sitting at the bar, a beer tightly clutched in his hand. He gulped as he saw your hooded eyes staring back at him, a teasing smirk playing on your lips as his eyes trailed down your body. He watched, entranced by the way your hips ground back into Nat. Oh, how he wished that was him. Bucky sat next to him in a similar state.

Peter and Pietro were downing shot after shot, eager to push their way onto the dance floor and join you. Tony was carefully watching from a velvet couch in the V.I.P section, accepting the complimentary drinks that were being brought to him. His eyes scanned the dark club, watching the heaving mass of bodies on the dance floor. Thor and Bruce had stayed back at the tower, so Tony didn’t have to worry about Bruce going green. But that didn’t mean he had nothing to worry about – Steve and Bucky were looking like they were about to eat you alive, and they weren’t the only ones.

Tony’s eyes narrowed as he saw multiple other men in the club watching the four of you dance together, licking their lips.

Steve had noticed this too, and let out a growl of jealousy. He stood up, making his way over to the dance floor when he noticed one of the men pushing his way towards you.

“Hey girls, you looking for an Alpha?” The stranger flashed a grin, making Nat growl and bear her teeth. Carol shoved him with her shoulder, pushing him away with a snarl.

He rolled his eyes, making eye contact with you, “Pretty little Omega like yourself deserves a proper Alpha to be with. None of this pussy shit,” he sneered, glancing down at the two female Alphas.

“Back off, or things are gonna get real ugly,” a deep voice growled, and you turned to see Steve standing next to you, his body bristling with anger. How dare they disrespect his girls like that? His pack?

“Oh shit,” the man gulped, seeing Steve fucking Rogers standing in front of him. He quickly scampered off, and Tony watched, amused, as all the other men that had been staring at you averted their gazes. You scoffed in annoyance.

“So the only time they’ll respect us is if there’s a man here?” You rolled your eyes, annoyed, but not surprised, that misogyny also existed in this universe.

“You wanna come with me, baby?” Carol spoke, stepping closer as she ran her knuckles over your cheekbones, “It’s a lot less crazy where I’m from,” she whispered into your ear. Loud growls from Steve and Nat came from behind you and to your side, making Carol step away with her hands raised. She chuckled, shooting you a wink.

Nat could sense your anger — they all could — and so she pulled you off the dance floor and towards the V.I.P lounge that Tony had booked.

“Hey, baby,” he grinned up at you, swishing a glass of scotch in his hands. You grumbled as you sat next to him on the couch, arms crossed.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, to which you shook your head.

He wouldn’t get it.

“I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink—“ Steve leaned forward, itching to pull you onto his lap.

You leaned away, “Have not!”

Bucky chuckled at your childish response, leaning forward to tickle your chin.

“You’re so cute.”

You glared at him in annoyance, shifting closer to Nat.

“So much for a girl’s night out,” you mumbled.

“Eh,” Wanda shrugged, “an hour, that’s a new record.”

“I think we should set out some rules — I don’t want you sneaking out again—“ Steve spoke, interrupted by Nat.

“Are you forgetting that she had two Alphas with her, Steve? One of them being her literal soulmate?” She raised her eyebrow in annoyance.

“Are you trying to challenge me?” Steve puffed his chest, his designation as Head Alpha coming forward.

Nat leaned back in defeat, rolling her eyes as she mumbled a ‘no’.

“Didn’t think so,” Steve curtly spoke, his gaze turning back to you. You gulped.

“Now, let’s talk rules, and more importantly, punishments.”

author’s note:

note to self: don’t publish stories from your laptop again, tumblr will mess them up😭

thank you guys for being so patient and understanding! tumblr was being so annoying yesterday and ruining my chapter :( it looked really ugly lol so i deleted it, and luckily it’s back to working again!!

there’s not too many chapters left to go now, maybe two or three? unless you guys give me more thots👀 and i can’t help but add them in and make it longer

anyways, please, please, please reblog!! likes don’t help at all in the way of sharing my work, so if you appreciate this story, please reblog!😚 also let me know your thoughts on the chapter, i absolutely adore reading them! it’s literally the favourite part of my day :)) it means the world to me! 🤍🤍 thank you for reading, and i hope you enjoyed it!

kisses, char Xx

holding out (just for you) [3] || katsuki b.

pairing: dragon!bakugo katsuki x reader

word count: 12.9k+

mentions: female reader, fantasy au, near death experience, descriptions of injuries (blood, some light gore, nausea, poisoning wrt reader), not completely revised akhdfg, aged up chars (24+), sfw, second pov, part of the bnha big bang collab!

with art drawn by the talented @your-fellow-passerine!! here is a link to the original post (give it some love!!!!) <33

side note: there had been some confusion wrt the ending of ch2 when i had posted it so im here to say that bkg did not leave LOL.

masterlist part two

You had a feeling for a while now that Bakugo didn’t like being indebted to you.

You picked it up from some of his more subtle mannerisms whenever you brought him food or spent hours on end healing him. You didn’t mind, you really didn’t, and you tried telling him as much. But well, if there was one thing you learned about him over all these months, it was that he was a stubborn bastard (and he knew that, too). He could be grumpy all he wanted, though—it wasn’t like you were going to stop.

One day, you were just finishing up on healing the wound near his eye when he decided to puff a small bit of smoke directly into your face. Your nose scrunched slightly as you waved away the cloud with a hand and looked into his eye expectantly. He was lucky his smoke smelled kind of good; you don’t think you would have tolerated him doing it so often if it didn’t. “Need something?”

He made a deep rumble and lifted his head up, your hands dropping away from it as he jerked his chin towards his back. You looked at it curiously. “Oh, do you want me to heal—”

He cut you off with a light growl and shake of his head. You could only watch him dumbly, not quite understanding even as he appeared to get a bit irritated. He gestured to his back again and gave his wings a little flap, then looked pointedly down at you with another huff.

“Oh!” You brightened as his actions seemed to click together in your head. “You wanna go somewhere?” He let out a snort and lowered his head to give you a gentle nudge with the tip of his nose. “With me?” A puff of caramel-scented smoke and quick nod was all the confirmation you needed. “Sure, we’ve got time.” The sun wouldn’t set for a while. You stepped around him to tug on your bag and head over to his back, your eyes moving to look for somewhere you could sit atop him. It wouldn’t be an issue if he didn’t have all those spikes in the way.

Just as the thought crossed your mind, though, Bakugo lowered himself closer to the ground. After a short moment that had you raising an eyebrow at him, he retracted his spikes completely into his body. You stared at his smooth back for a second, then looked at him with bewilderment painted across your features. He avoided your gaze a bit, then flicked his eyes towards you. “Wow! Since when could you do that?!” He only snorted as a response.

It took a bit of shimmying to crawl your way up Bakugo’s back—his scales were warm like an hearth under your palms and slightly slippery as though coated in a light layer of oil—but you eventually managed to nestle yourself in the crook where his neck met his back. Your legs dangled down from the sides of his neck in a way that reminded you of riding a horse—except your thighs were forced to spread apart much wider. You were going to be sore as all hell tomorrow.

You rested your hands lightly on his neck in front of you and looked up to see him peering back at you, one slitted, crimson eye sharply trained on your form. You gave him a thumbs up, doing your best to ignore the butterflies fluttering away in your stomach. Were you really about to do this? “Ready!” You guessed you were.

Bakugo chuffed and turned back around as the muscles in his back rolled beneath you. It was an entirely different experience being on top of him as he prepared to take off. Part of you kind of preferred to be on the ground—watching—instead. Your heart shot up to your throat when his wings gave two massive flaps somewhere behind you, and you leaned forward to wrap your arms around his thick neck as much as you could, practically cementing your body against him.

“Ohhh my goddd,” you choked out, holding on for dear life as he leapt up into the air in a sudden, quick motion and flew up, and up, and up. Your stomach lurched, your hair whipped around sporadically. You almost didn’t want to look down, but you did, and you gaped in amazement as the clearing got smaller and smaller. The forest turned into an indecipherable ocean of green and if you looked to your left, you could see the small houses and buildings that made up Yuuei.

Bakugo eventually leveled off and started heading in the direction of Mount Kamino. Since his movements were less rocky than they were while he was climbing up into the air, you were able to somewhat let go of his neck to sit yourself up. The wind pushed your hair back and stung at your eyes from being this high, but it wasn’t unbearable. You breathed in deeply, the crisp air filling your lungs, then exhaled it all in a relieved sigh. The warmth of the gleaming sun to your left and the coolness of being at this altitude contrasted against each other, but you felt nothing but the heat radiating from the dragon beneath you.

You stared around in wonder, the vast expanse of blue that stretched on until it reached the silver lining of the horizon. You felt like you could get lost in all that blue, unable to tell left from right or forward from backward. The thought made you suppress a small shiver and you turned your attention to the puffy, white clouds that Bakugo soared by—you couldn’t help but reach out to them, humorously imagining that you could just snatch a chunk off to hold in your hand.

If you peeked down at the Earth, you could see the moment when the grey of Mount Kamino met the thick forest that surrounded it. Some distance away, you could see Lake Might—a mirror in the ground that felt like a portal to another universe. That you could fall through and end up in another sky not unlike this one. Your eyes moved to skim over the face of the mountain, locating a familiar dark cave atop an equally as familiar slope.

You felt, more than heard, the rumble that quaked through Bakugo’s chest. You raised your head to look at him; he’d turned his head slightly to peer at you from the corner of a glowing, ruby eye.

“This is amazing!” You laughed out, a silly grin on your slowly numbing face. He snorted and returned his gaze to the front. Where you both were going, you didn’t know, but you trusted him.

You got so lost in watching the green ground pass below you—the way Bakugo’s shadow drifted across the clouds he soared above—that when he started to decelerate and tilted himself downwards, you blinked in surprise. There was a large clearing atop a plateau that he circled around once before he dropped himself down onto it in a smooth landing. You hardly felt yourself get jostled around. He puffed out some smoke and crouched his legs so you could slide off his back, your thighs only slightly sore for now.

You straightened out your clothes and looked around to see where he’d taken you. It really was just a regular clearing. You wandered away from him and crouched down by a flower sticking out from tall blades of grass. A familiar, cerulean-colored flower, with petals shaped in the form of a star and leaves that reminded you of the hearts Denki would sometimes doodle on the sides of your drink containers. Your jaw dropped open.

“Zeniths!” you exclaimed as you picked said flower and jumped to your feet so you could spin around to face Bakugo. He was watching you quietly, his eyes flicking down to the Zenith as you scurried closer to him to brandish it eagerly. “You found a clearing!! Shit, look at all this!” You waved your hand out at the seemingly endless field covered in cerulean flowers. “This is enough to last me years!” You turned back to look at him with a wide smile that made the apples of your cheeks hurt. “Thank you! Truly.”

For a moment, all he did was stare down at you. Then he snorted out some smoke into your face and turned his head to look away in a random direction. You only laughed at his reaction and jogged off to start collecting as many Zeniths as you could. You’d have to remember where this clearing was for the future—maybe you could come back on your own.

You took your time to carefully pluck and bundle the Zeniths, wrapping their stems together with string so you could stash them in your bag. At one point, you looked around to see what Bakugo was up to and saw that he’d taken to the skies again—you hadn’t even noticed when he’d lifted off, so absorbed in your work. He was steadily circling around the plateau, clearly enjoying himself, in his own way.

You wandered over to a particularly rough, bumpy, patch of the plateau and knelt down to gather the Zeniths there. But you paused, for a short second, as you felt a faint tremor through the soles of your shoes. You slowly stood up and waited to see if there would be another, your eyes latched onto the gently swaying grass and flowers below you. One second, two seconds—a faint shake. Three seconds, four seconds. The ground shifted. You furrowed your eyebrows.

And then the Earth erupted beneath your feet.

You let out a yelp as you tumbled backwards onto the grass and dirt, your brain not fully processing what was happening. Your reflexes kicked into overdrive when you noticed a large, dark shadow shoot towards your disoriented form, and you were just barely able to toss yourself to the side to avoid it. A large jaw snapped near your head, missing it by inches. You rolled, heart picking up a frantic beat when you heard a low, raspy hissing. From your periphery, something grey and scaley—covered with flecks of brown and green—gyrated at your side and sunk back into the ground. You stared at where it had disappeared, the Earth a mess of overturned soil that quivered for a second before it stilled.

You swallowed thickly, breaths bated, and slowly picked yourself up from the ground. You kept your eyes locked on the area around you. And you listened. And you waited. You were scared to take a further step for fear of disturbing the odd silence that had befallen the field, but you forced yourself to slowly inch away from your spot. You licked at your dry lips, a foreboding feeling settling in your chest. Your fingers trembled into fists.

This time, when the ground exploded in a monstrous plume of dirt and grass, you let out a piercing scream and whipped yourself around so you could run.

Keep your gaze low, you panicked to yourself as you pumped your legs as fast as you could. The terra basilisk let out a hiss that you could hear over your palpitating heart. Its large shadow lunged towards you again. You yelped and dove to the side, a pain bursting along your upper right arm as your hands scraped against rock and rough patches of soil. Still, you couldn’t stop, you couldn’t. You scrambled up and sprinted off towards some trees you could see in the distance, not giving yourself the time to rest for fear of what would become of you if you did.

You could hear the way the basilisk snaked across the ground after you, the way it dove deep into the soil once more to leave you for a terrifyingly quiet minute. The ground shook minutely behind you, before all went still. You didn’t dare look back to see where it was, keeping your eyes locked on a point in front of you. A crisp pain was starting to manifest itself in your side, just under your ribs. Your breaths came out in quick gasps.

Still, you ran.

A column of dirt burst forth into the air to your right. You yelped and ducked down as you lunged to the left to avoid the dark, snapping maw that descended upon your head like the hand of death itself. But just as you pivoted to sprint in a direction opposite of the hole the basilisk had emerged from, your foot slipped on something—made it twist sharply and suddenly. You barely had time to throw out your hands to catch yourself as you went plunging towards the grass. Before you could hit the ground, however, something slammed into your side.

Hard.

It threw off your momentum—knocked you into the air—a choked gasp leaving your chapped lips as you soared blindly in a direction you couldn’t make out. Your hair whipped around your face, your eyes scrunched closed as though to brace yourself. You hit the ground with a rough thud and rolled through grass and dirt that tangled around your hair and limbs. Sticks and stones scratched at your clothes, your skin. Your head swam with the motion of skidding across the Earth in a seemingly never-ending whirlwind. A rough grunt escaped your mouth when you finally, finally, felt your back collide with something rough. It forced the wind right out of you—caused a throbbing pain to radiate across your torso. You crumpled into a heap, the energy sapped out of you like a sponge wrung dry.

And through the pounding of your heart in your ears, you heard a thundering, soul-encompassing, roar.

It reverberated through your very bones, sunk deep into your chest and made your heart skip a beat. You could barely even move. The hammering in your head, along your back, was debilitating. Your lips trembled with the pained groans you wanted to release. The dirt felt cool against your overheating cheeks. You kept your eyes shut tightly, unwilling to look up for fear of meeting the yellowed eyes of the basilisk. All you could do was curl into a ball and listen to the snarls and growls in the near distance. Feel a sudden, sweltering heat that washed along your exposed skin—accompanied by a deep, deep rumble. You bit at the inside of your cheek and pressed your forehead further into the Earth in the hopes that it would swallow you whole.

A shrieking hiss. A vicious snarl. The sound of flesh tearing apart. The steady flapping of large wings that got fainter and fainter and fainter, until all you could hear was the gentle rustling of leaves above you. Peaceful, almost, in a way that made you feel sick. Grass tickled at your neck. Your back throbbed at the slightest of movements.

In the far, far distance, there was a faint crack that was followed by the shrill chirps and caws of birds as they fluttered up into the sky.

You don’t know how long you lay there, your consciousness flickering in and out like a candle fighting to stay lit in a storm. Your eyes fluttered as you struggled desperately against the encroaching darkness that threatened to pull you under. Eventually, you were jolted awake by a thud somewhere near you that you could feel through the ground. For a moment, your heart stuttered in your chest, worried that the creature behind the impact was one with grey, scaly skin and yellow eyes. But then something gently nudged at your right side. Hot air fanned out over your body, ruffling your hair. There was a familiar, quiet rumbling sound that only became more insistent when you didn’t move.

You released the groan you’d been choking on and started to shift so you could push yourself up. Your back immediately protested, practically screaming at you to lay down once more. But you couldn’t—you knew you couldn’t, no matter how much you wanted to close your eyes and simply rest. You needed to check the stinging pain you felt on your upper arm, the tenderness in your ankle.

With muscles tenser than you’d ever felt them before, you propped yourself up on your palms and moved your legs until you were in a crawling position. You blinked hazily down at the dirt and grass beneath you, your chest moving as you took slow, steady breaths in the hopes that they would get rid of the spots of black that lingered across your vision. Bakugo let out a chuff near your head and nudged you again until you shifted, painstakingly slow. God, everything hurts.

You managed to sit yourself up and lean back against the tree you’d slammed into, your legs extended before you. Just doing that simple action made your head swing dangerously. Inhale, then exhale. You shivered at the gentle breeze that drifted through the air. You closed your eyes for a second, then reopened them to gaze blearily up at Bakugo hovering in front of you. Worried, it seemed, if the way he was chuffing close to your face was any indication. Something dark burgundy was smeared across his mouth, coated his fangs. You swallowed thickly and forced down the sudden nausea you felt crawling up your throat. Bakugo watched you carefully for a moment, then his pink tongue darted out to lick at his maw in a quick motion. You let out a quiet sigh.

“Did it nick you?” you croaked out once your nerves had settled, your tongue like lead in your mouth. Bakugo huffed out his irritation and nudged your shoulder pointedly. You let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, I should… focus on myself, huh?” Your left hand reached across your chest to press your palm against the stinging part of your upper arm. When you pulled it away, it was coated in crimson—though it was much darker than you’d expected it to be. And when you turned your head in an attempt to peer at the wound, you saw that it was tinged with an inky black. Your stomach dropped. No wonder you were feeling so lightheaded and clammy.

“Fuck, it got me,” you rasped and pressed the back of your hand to your forehead. It felt warm. You needed to do something, and you needed to do it fast. Bakugo made a low whine as your eyes darted around the grass surrounding you. There were a few Zeniths swaying lazily back and forth a few feet to your left. Perfect. You took a deep breath to brace yourself, then shifted back onto your knees so you could crawl closer to the cerulean flowers. Your back pulsed hotly—you winced and struggled to push through the pain for the brief seconds it took you to reach out and snatch them up in a clumsy hand.

Bakugo followed you with his head, puffing near your body as he kept an eye on you. The light around you was starting to… look strange. Almost like you were underwater. That couldn’t be good. You sat on your calves and promptly stuffed the Zeniths into your mouth, your jaw working furiously as you chewed them into a paste. It wasn’t the best method of execution to get them to the state you needed, but well, it would have to do. They tasted like… nothing, really. Maybe the vague hint of something that reminded you of honeydew.

You were lucky—really fucking lucky—that you were surrounded by the right flora to aid in healing your injuries and slowing down the spread of the basilisk poison. You dared not ruminate on the dark implications of the plateau housing other… less useful plants.

You did your best to wipe the blood on your palm on the grass near your knees. There was no time to waste—you couldn’t spare the minutes it would take to get your arm to stop bleeding. As you spat the murky green mush in your mouth onto your left hand and smoothed it roughly over the gash on your upper arm, you felt Bakugo insistently nudge the side of your head. The puffs of air from his nostrils fanned gently against your cheek and tickled your neck. You glanced over to him with an inquisitive hum. Once your attention was on him, he lowered his head so he could nose at the hand clutching at your arm, pointedly huffing at it. His scales felt cool, almost, against your hot skin. That definitely couldn’t be good.

“What?” you asked confusedly when Bakugo continued his actions. He let out a low rumble and nudged a bit harder at your hand, but you were lost as to what he was trying to say. “I don’t…” you trailed off, blinking heavily at him. You felt tired. You didn’t have the time for this. Bakugo huffed out his irritation and lifted his head away from you so you could see the white glow of his fire at the base of his neck. But instead of releasing it, he let the glow fade and exhaled a cloud of dark smoke. He then leaned towards you again so he could nose at your hands.

“Your… fire? My hands…?” you mumbled to yourself, trying to get your foggy brain to work enough to piece things together. What did they have in common? Was there anythi— “Oh!” you exclaimed as things clicked together. “My— my magic?”

Bakugo rumbled and leaned away from you so he could give you an expectant look—though there was something to it that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. Something that made your insides twist with guilt. He was antsy, you realized, as you spotted the way his tail undulated almost frenziedly behind him. The way his unsheathed spikes bristled along his tensed spine. You bit at the inside of your cheek and turned your gaze away from him so you could inspect your wound. The Zenith mush was just enough to cover it entirely. Good. It wouldn’t take too long for the Zeniths to take effect—but you needed to get back to your cottage soon. You had more effective treatments you could administer there that would help get rid of the encroaching fever and chills.

You cleared your parched throat and finally looked back at him impatiently waiting. “I ah, forgot to mention that my magic… it doesn’t really work on me.” You didn’t think your avoidance of telling him such information in the cave would come back to bite you in the ass, but here you were. You grimaced when he let out a low growl, his eyes slitting into thin slices. “You were being defensive when you saw— What was I supposed to do? Look”—you took a deep breath in an attempt to reorient yourself—“never mind that. We— We have to get back to my cottage.”

Bakugo made a sound from deep within his chest as you looked away from him and down at your shirt. You still felt lightheaded and your body felt like you’d just stepped out of a funeral pyre. It was exhausting. Focus, you had to focus. After doing your best to wipe the Zenith mush off of your hand, you made quick work out of tearing off a piece of the bottom of your shirt. You wrapped it around your upper arm as tightly as you could, wincing as you used your teeth to help you tie a knot that rested on top of your wound. Fuck, it was sloppy, but it would have to do until you got back home. At least the pain had simmered down to a dull throb.

“Okay.” You nodded to yourself and slowly shifted your legs around until you were in a crouching position. Leaning most of your weight on your uninjured ankle, you paused to take a small breath, then pushed yourself up.

Immediately, your back spasmed—a sudden and ferocious thing that made you yelp and lurch forward in a reflexive attempt to curl in on yourself. You caught yourself on something in front of you that shifted underneath your torso and poked your stomach. It felt like you could hardly even move. Once you blinked away the darkness that tinged the edges of your vision, you found yourself hanging off the shimmering gold of Bakugo’s snout—practically leaning your entire weight on top of him. Slitted crimson eyes zeroed in on your perspiring face.

“Shit, sorry,” you gasped out, eyebrows scrunched together as you waited for your back pain to settle down to a dull ache once more. Bakugo let out a rumble and a small puff of smoke that you felt caress the sides of your face. It was strangely… comforting, you guessed. Once you’d managed to collect yourself, you eased yourself off of him, one of your hands delicately resting on the scales of his left cheek as you grimaced down at your ankle.

The boots you were wearing were thick enough that you were certain your ankle wasn’t dealing with an injury that was too dire. But still, as you tentatively shifted some of your weight onto it, you couldn’t help wincing as it gave a sharp throb. Broken, no, but it was definitely tender—maybe sprained. You sighed.

“Les’go,” you told Bakugo as you clumsily stepped forward in the direction of his wings, your back hunched slightly to stave off any more spasms. You raised an arm to wipe it across your warm face. If you didn’t make any sudden movements and kept your back tilted, then you could somewhat hobble around. Somewhat. Bakugo puffed out some smoke and lowered himself so that he was resting flat on the ground, his spikes retracting once more. He kept a slitted eye on you, warily watching as you approached his shoulder.

It took you longer than you would’ve liked to admit to shimmy your way onto his back. The slightest movements in the wrong direction would cause your back to pulse or your ankle to twinge. Bakugo rumbled an anxious little sound as he attempted to help you, the muscles of his back and front leg shifting underneath your scratched up palms to make the incline up his side easier to crawl across.

As soon as you settled on top of his nape, he gave you one last glance before immediately taking off. You nearly tumbled off him with the force of his jump, your grip around his neck tightening. His wings moved at a rapid pace. The wind stung at your eyes. You grimaced when your back throbbed and leaned forward until your front rested against his neck. His scales felt a bit warmer now where they were pressed against your cheek—that meant the Zeniths were working. Good.

In the far distance, away from the plateau, you caught a glimpse of something long and grey laying on the ground. Terrifyingly still. It made something foul twist its way through your chest. You closed your eyes and lost yourself to the beating of Bakugo’s wings.

You woke up abruptly, your body jostling harshly in a way that made you bolt upright. You regretted it once your back protested angrily, a pained hiss escaping your lips as one of your hands pressed itself somewhere against your lower lumbar region. You felt groggy—sluggish—but at least you were cognizant. A rumble somewhere in front of you made you look up to see Bakugo watching you carefully, his pupil flicking to your hand pressed to your body. And it was then that you realized you were both on the ground—not in the sky. That was fast.

He’d taken you straight to your cottage instead of the forest clearing, you noticed, as you glanced around. The space you had around it wasn’t large enough to accommodate him. He was mostly standing on top of the soil you used for your garden—you’d cleaned out the area a long time ago. You just hadn’t had the chance to plant anything yet, with all the medicinal responsibilities you were in charge of. He’d tucked his wings close to his body and made himself as small as possible—though even then it was barely enough. It certainly didn’t seem comfortable.

By now the sun had started to creep its way to the horizon, its light painting the walls of your cottage a rich honey color. Slipping off Bakugo’s back was certainly easier than the whole ordeal of clambering on top of it, though once your feet hit the ground you grimaced at the simultaneous waves of pain that radiated through your back and ankle. You mumbled something to Bakugo—a thanks, maybe, you weren’t quite sure—and stumbled your way towards your front door.

As you reached behind you to grab your key from your bag, you startled slightly when your hand met nothing but air. A quick glance around you let you know it was nowhere in sight. You slapped a hand against your face and let out a groan. You hadn’t even noticed it was gone. Bakugo made a questioning sound in reply—you could hear him shifting closer behind you, feel the hot air that left his nose as you turned around to see his head hovering over you. He’d curled into an even tighter ball, now that you’d gotten off his back.

“Dropped my bag back at the plateau,” you told him wearily with a sigh. You already didn’t particularly like the prospect of going back there, but well… you really needed those Zeniths. It didn’t help the bubbling, anxious feeling in your gut, though. This was a problem for another day, you decided. “We’ll grab it later,” you mumbled offhandedly and turned back around so you could clumsily swipe the spare key you kept hidden in a flower pot to the side of the door.

You shuffled inside once the door opened, making a beeline for one of the wooden chairs you had by the table of salves and creams. You collapsed onto it heavily and grumbled when your back gave a sharp pang. There was the sound of huffing and shifting from outside that you paid no mind to for the time being, instead focused on easing your boots from your feet. A groan escaped your lips once you managed to free your aching ankle and a quick inspection of it after you slipped your sock off showed that it was swollen. Great.

You were lucky that you had some supplies on the table from the last person you’d treated earlier in the day—just thinking about needing to walk over to your bedroom closet to grab them made your ankle pulse with another wave of pain.

But first—the wound on your arm.

You made quick work out of unwrapping the bloody piece of cloth from your upper arm, grimacing when it peeled wetly off your wound. You had to awkwardly twist your arm towards you and crane your neck so you could inspect it. The Zenith mush had mostly been absorbed already, eradicating the black tinge of the poison and leaving nothing but the fresh red of blood. You pressed the back of your hand against your forehead and slumped your shoulders in relief at the steadily decreasing temperature. You felt marginally better, certainly, but there was still work to be done.

You began the tedious process of cleaning your arm up and slathering a poison-specialized salve over the gash to ensure that it wouldn’t still be in your system. You craved nothing more than to just lay in the comfort of your bed, to sleep off the aches and pains—or attempt to, at least. But you couldn’t, not yet. You let out a sigh as you tightened a roll of bandages around your arm and fastened a knot directly over the wound once more. At least you felt cleaner—albeit marginally.

From outside, you heard Bakugou make a low whining sound that pulled you out of your focus. You lifted your gaze to see him peering at you through your open door. He couldn’t fit his head through the entryway—it was too big—so he had to settle on watching you through one of his eyes, the pupils slitted to make way for gleaming crimson. Once he saw you were looking at him, he chuffed and glanced up and down your seated form.

“Almost done, it’s okay,” you murmured—to reassure him or yourself, you would never know. You shuffled through some of the ointments on your table until you found a pale pink one. Uncapping the jar, you swiped your fingers through the paste and lifted your shirt slightly so you could spread it lightly across your back. It was a bit cool—room temperature, you knew—and you did your best to cover all the areas that twinged and panged whenever you moved in the wrong way. Bakugo rumbled again and shifted outside your little cottage. Antsy still, you assumed.

It wasn’t until you were finished coating and tightly wrapping up your ankle that you finally breathed out a sigh in relief. You wiped your hands off on your shirt—you’d need to trash it anyways, with how it was ripped at the bottom—and tentatively stood up from your chair so you could test how much weight you could place on your ankle. It still ached, and your back protested when you straightened up, but they were both much more manageable than they were before. At least you could walk without limping too heavily.

You made your way over to the open doorway, painstakingly slow, and stopped just before it, bracing one of your hands against the frame. Bakugo huffed out a bit of smoke and raised his head up and away so you could step outside slightly and look up at him.

“I’ll be fine,” you told him when it became apparent he was waiting for you to say something. He snorted and lowered himself so he could inspect your arm. The hot puffs of air from his nose fanned out along your exposed skin and made a shiver run down your spine. He gently nudged your side until you lifted a hand to rest it on his nose. Your thumb smoothed over the scales there, as though you could make them gleam brighter than they already were. He let out a quiet sound—soft enough that it nearly blended in with the rustling leaves and chirping insects.

You glanced up at the sky—the deep navy that intertwined with the last bits of tangerine from the sun—then at Bakugo, who still looked way too large for your little garden space. “It’s getting late. I need to rest and you need to head back to your own clearing for the night.”

At that, Bakugo made a low rumble and pulled away so he could properly look down at you. He seemed to curl himself into a tighter ball—nestled himself more comfortably in front of your cottage. You raised an eyebrow at him. “You can’t stay here,” you said slowly, but even then he only let out a huff and curled his tail around himself like he was going to sleep there. “No, Bakugo, seriously, you’re too big for this clearing. There’s no way you’ll be comfortable for the night.”

He didn’t agree with you, it seemed, for he bared his teeth at you in a move that you supposed was to be threatening—but it wasn’t anymore. Not to you. He growled, but you only crossed your arms over your chest and lifted your chin as you held eye contact with one of his slitted, gemstone-like eyes.

Stubborn bastard, you thought sourly when his gaze didn’t waver after a few moments of silence. Believe it or not, it was actually rather difficult to uphold a glare with a dragon—who knew. But you couldn’t be mad at him for wanting to stay, not really. His intentions behind it made your gaze soften as you let out a halfhearted sigh.

“Okay, fine,” you acquiesced, your shoulders slumping. “But we really can’t stay here.” He wouldn’t be comfortable and you didn’t want to risk him getting caught camping out in front of your cottage—it would be too much to deal with if you had to explain. You chewed on the inside of your lip as you weighed your options, then tiredly rubbed the bridge of your nose. “Hang on.”

Bakugo made a rumbling sound as you turned around to shuffle back into your home—curious, perhaps, as to what you were doing. You slipped into your bedroom and grabbed a spare blanket from the closet that you tossed onto your bed. Then you rummaged around for some clean clothes and headed over to your bathroom so you could clean up. You grimaced at your reflection in the small, dinky mirror you had—dirt was smeared across your face, scratches littered your skin, and your hair was a mess of bits of grass and leaves. You’d seen better days, that was for sure.

You were quick with doing your best to scrub away all the dirt and tending to some of the deeper scratches on your face and palms. The clean clothes you tugged on made you feel better—fresher—and you swiped away the hair from your face as you tossed your ruined clothes in a corner of your little bathroom to deal with later. You grabbed the blanket you’d dropped onto your bed and shuffled back to the entrance, casting your gaze around the small space of your cottage before you closed the door and hid the spare key back in its flower pot once more.

“Alright,” you said once you turned around to look at Bakugo. He eyed the blanket overflowing in your arms like a cascading waterfall, then puffed out a cloud of smoke. “Let’s go, then.”

You’d been prepared to make the painstakingly slow journey to his clearing on your own—a process that likely would’ve gotten more difficult as the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon—but it seemed like Bakugo had caught on to what you were doing. He snorted and lowered himself down to the soil-covered ground in front of you, tilting his body so you would have an easier time clambering atop his back. You gave him a smile and did as expected, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck with the blanket smushed underneath you.

His clearing wasn’t far from your cottage—it felt like you’d arrived within two or three flaps of his large wings. Bakugo landed smoothly on the ground and lowered himself so you could clumsily slide off of him. Your back gave a slight twinge, but at least it was much more manageable than it had been before. You patted his side as a thanks and picked your way over to the center of the clearing.

Seems comfy enough, you thought to yourself as you spread your blanket over the ground, patting down any particularly lumpy areas. Then you eased yourself onto it and let out a sigh as you crossed your hands behind your head and stared up at the inky sky. Splatters of white winked at you through the heavens, intermingled with specks of blood red and sunshine yellow. It was just light enough to be able to see, though the moon had yet to show its full face. You could sense the steadily cooling air as it settled across your skin. Maybe you should have brought another blanket.

You could feel, through the ground pressed against your back, the heavy steps Bakugo took as he circled around you. The vibrations made the hairs on your arms stand up—seemed to reverberate through your entire body. You craned your neck up and to the side to watch him settle around you in a crescent moon. He yawned widely, then nestled his head somewhere to your right atop his front legs. You lifted yourself up partially to look at him lying behind you—if you shimmied yourself back by a foot or so, you could rest your head on the smooth scales that made up his underbelly.

So you did, awkwardly shuffling backwards until your upper body came into contact with the hearth-esque warmth that he radiated from his stomach. He chuffed gently as you made yourself comfortable, wrapping your blanket snugly around yourself like you were the filling in a flaky pastry. From the corner of your vision, you could see something dark curl closer towards you in a manner that made you tense up—his tail (not a snake, no, you breathed easily).

You relaxed into him and stared up at the sky that was soon obscured by one of his large wings as it sloped over your head. “Happy now?” you murmured, quiet in the open clearing, but loud enough that he heard and made a soft rumble that you felt through his chest. You listened—for a moment—to the sounds of his gentle breathing, the rustling leaves, and the chirping insects, then closed your eyes.

And there—surrounded by the chilly night air, the cold grass that tickled at your skin—you felt warm.

There was a noticeable shift, in the following weeks, regarding the way Bakugo behaved around you. It was so stark—so different—from the way he’d previously been that it was impossible to not pick up on it.

He started hovering over your cottage during the day—you noticed him through your little window more often than not. He sometimes landed upon the barren area of your garden while you were tending to things inside and peered a giant, crimson eye through the front door you left open for him. You let him so as he pleased for a day or two, but he couldn’t keep lingering around your home—you often had visitors, and you knew it would not bode well for you nor him if he stayed. You worried about the unspoken consequences.

You told him just as much, but he was still unbearingly stubborn. However, he seemed to understand, albeit reluctantly, and toned down his visits… not by much, though.

In fact, he started flying around Yuuei more—looping around it in a massive circle whenever you were conveniently there for medicinal work or errands. You wondered how he knew when you were in the village, but figured it was easy enough for him to fly over your cottage and see if you were home or not. You did find that you still had a difficult time walking around properly—you were sore and had to use a spare cane in your closet for long treks. You supposed he was just keeping an eye on you, but well, you think you preferred him lingering around your cottage more so than this. It was startling—and a bit ominous to those who didn’t know him (that is, the entire village)—to see him flying so close. Especially since he hadn’t bothered to beforehand. He was not a bird in the sky, but rather he was close enough that you could see the way the tangerine and black markings on his scales absorbed the sunlight that gleamed off him like a shiny coin.

You had to admit, the shadow he cast upon the Earth—large enough to block out the sun and cover people in a darkness that felt just a bit too cold—was more than a bit terrifying. You were sure the villagers were uneased by his presence; you saw the looks on their faces, the way they would keep glancing up at the sky. Wonder and amazement had been replaced by anxiety and trepidation with a beat of his wings.

(“Is it scoping us out?” one villager whispered to another as they lingered under the awning of a shop—hoping the covering would conceal and protect them. “What does it want? My kids think it’s cool but they don’t understand the danger.”

“Mmmh, I don’t know,” the other replied, fidgeting with the bag they grasped in white-knuckled hands. “I hope it’s not… hungry…”)

You grew antsy—nervous—at the whispers, but you knew if you told Bakugo to stop for the reasons you were thinking of, he would brush off your concerns. He was a dragon—he was strong enough to handle himself but… you knew he would not be unscathed if anyone particularly powerful came along. His still-healing wounds were evidence enough.

Something, however, that struck you a little odd was when you encountered Izuku whilst heading over to treat one of your patients in Yuuei.

He’d been carrying what seemed like half of the village’s record collection when you—quite literally—ran into him. A waterfall of leather-bound books and scrolls tumbled to the paved ground. You stumbled back a bit, fumbling with your cane and bag of herbs and salves. Apologies spewed out of your mouth until you realized they were being mirrored by a rather familiar voice. Looking up, you were greeted with the sight of curly green hair and flushed, freckled cheeks.

“I-I’m so sorry!” he stammered out, his hands hovering awkwardly over you as he glanced over your figure. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“Izuku, I’m fine,” you told him with a small laugh as you straightened up and brushed away his hands. You hadn’t seen him in a while—he was awfully busy nowadays. With what, you weren’t privy to, but you supposed it wasn’t any of your business, not really. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good— I ah”—he looked down at his feet and stooped down to start picking up his papers—“I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Sorry—“

“It’s okay, really,” you soothed him again. He had a nasty habit of endlessly apologizing for things that weren’t even his fault. You bent down carefully so you could help him gather his things. One of the scrolls you grabbed had a golden seal that looked rather familiar. But before you could observe it more carefully, Izuku had grabbed it from your hands to stuff into his arms once more.

“So, what—” Izuku cleared his throat as you stacked some books together. They looked handmade, now that you were close enough to see, and a bit worn from use. “What… happened?”

“Hm?” You raised an eyebrow at him, then saw he was pointedly looking at the bandages around your ankle that poked out from the bottom of your pants. “Oh! I fell. Got my foot stuck around a tree root, sprained it pretty badly.” There was no way you were going to tell him you got injured while running away from a fucking basilisk. It would bring up the question of how you had escaped and, well… You still didn’t want to expose the odd friendship you had with a dragon. Not even to Izuku—and certainly not in public like this.

“Ouch.” He grimaced and steadily rose to his feet once he’d picked up his belongings—the ones you didn’t grab, anyways. You used your cane to support most of your weight as you gingerly followed him up and meticulously stacked the books in your own hands onto his arms. “Thanks. Hopefully you feel better soon! I imagine being a healer yourself has its benefits.”

You chuckled and adjusted your bag over your shoulder—it was a spare. “Yeah it does. I’m at least able to alleviate some of the pain with the salves I have. But anyways, where are you off to with all of that? I could hardly see your face poking over all those scrolls.”

Izuku brightened, as though he was glad you were curious enough to ask. “Ah, turns out Yuuei’s got an amazing historical archive! Did you know All Might used to live here?”

“Really?” You knew there was a tribute statue to him at the center of the village, but you didn’t really know much else about the swordsman other than that. He’d been a significantly powerful magic wielder, you think. Pretty unheard of for humans, though his time had been quite a while ago, so you weren’t all too sure. You didn’t care enough to do research.

“Yeah! There’s not really a lot of information about him here, though. I found a singular scroll and a few—“

Izuku abruptly cut himself off when a dark shadow passed over both your heads, momentarily dousing you in a coolness that was honestly a bit of a reprieve from the midday sun. You looked up to see Bakugo making his usual rounds about the village. His wings leisurely beat up and down, a sound that seemed so pronounced amongst the quiet bustle of the villagers that surrounded you. If you squinted up at him, you could see his giant, crimson eye surveilling the ground beneath him—it didn’t seem like he had spotted you yet. A small smile pricked at your lips.

Izuku hummed and called your name, prompting you to look back at him. There was a rather contemplative look on his face, to your slight intrigue. Very ruminative. He was quiet for a moment more, then opened his mouth to speak. “You’ve lived here for a while, right? Have you… ever seen dragons around here before?” His voice was low and sounded… distant. Like he wasn’t exactly with you at the present day.

You shook your head. “Not really. Why’re you asking?”

Izuku stayed silent—to the point where you considered leaving him and seeing if he would notice—then seemed to snap out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times, then looked back at you with wide eyes. “Sorry! Gotta go! Can’t keep the missus waiting!”

You were bemused, but waved him off all the same. He scurried away from you, occasionally glancing up at the sky as he left. Izuku certainly was… quirky, that was for sure. You sighed and looked back up at Bakugo to see him circling around Yuuei once more, a bright, crimson eye trained on your significantly smaller figure. You huffed lightly through your nose and set off to your intended destination. You brushed off Izuku’s strange behavior easily enough. Besides, you had more pressing matters to deal with…

Bakugo was worried, you knew he was. What had happened at the plateau was something you tried not to ruminate upon too heavily, but well, it was hard when your back still ached and your ankle still twinged. If you closed your eyes for too long, you could picture the grey scales of the terra basilisk, hear the slithering sounds it made as it chased you. But you didn’t let it affect you—tried not to. You pressed on and drowned yourself with work—with healing the rest of Bakugo’s wounds and tending to your duties as village healer. It worked, most of the time. You didn’t dare linger—didn’t dare let yourself be on your own in the silence for more than a few moments.

And maybe Bakugo could see right through you—maybe he could tell you were avoiding addressing things. Maybe that was why he didn’t really leave you alone.

Now that he knew you were fine with sleeping in his clearing with him, he often wanted you to go there when evening fell. You didn’t mind, not particularly, though you definitely couldn’t go there every single night—you had things to do back at your own cottage. You sometimes got visitors for illnesses that onsetted or exacerbated overnight, so it was always best for you to be at home and ready. You entertained him when you could and drank a special tea you purchased at the market to help you have a dreamless sleep. But it could only work for so long, you knew. It was a problem for the future.

You did, eventually, have to face part of your fears. Bakugo took you back to the plateau a week or so later to retrieve your bag. It was inevitable and you were aware that he had been patiently waiting for you to approach him the entire time. You were reluctant and dragged your feet for quite a while, but eventually you steeled your resolve. You would be fine, you told yourself. You would be fine.

And you were… for the most part.

The moment your feet came into contact with the grass of the plateau, you felt unsteady. Disconnected. You knew the basilisk had been taken care of and yet, you still felt stifled. Like there was a pillow pressing into your lungs, filling your throat and mouth with cotton. You took a deep breath and picked your way over to your bag, avoiding the overturned patches of grass and dirt. Bakugo trailed behind you like a large, deadly shadow. His head hovered just over your shoulder—so that you could feel the warm puffs of air from his nostrils. It was grounding.

You wasted no time in snatching up your bag and checking to see that it contained a decent amount of Zenith flowers—there was no need for the entire experience to be a waste. It would make you feel even shittier than you currently did. After stuffing a few more Zeniths into your bag, you clambered back atop Bakugo and let him take you home. That was enough adrenaline to last you a lifetime. You definitely wouldn’t be returning anytime soon…

He made you stay with him that night again, curling around you as you rested on the ground and stared up at the inky sky. You spent some time pointing out some of the constellations you knew of to him, the cool air hardly noticeable from your position surrounded by the warmth he naturally radiated. You lost yourself in telling him stories that you scrounged up from the deepest depths of your brain, hoping that they would serve you well in distracting your mind from the darker path it wanted to veer towards.

“—so when Vivithia gave her life to guide those crossing the border to safety, the Gods took the dust from her remains and scattered them across the sky,” you told Bakugo quietly, not daring to break the tranquility of the clearing, “forming the stars we see today. At least, according to legend. It is ultimately a tale of sacrifice—and love, if you think about how her lover was able to survive due to her actions.”

Bakugo snorted out a puff of dark smoke that you watched dissipate towards the sky, spreading amongst the stars. “There are different versions of the story that I’ve heard, but they all end the same way.” You craned your head back so you could peer at him curiously. “I don’t suppose you have legends like that, do you?”

He rumbled idly in a way that made you wonder if he was tired. The moonlight gleamed off his scales in a way that made them look opaque—pearly, almost. His eyes, half-lidded from where his head rested on his front legs, were like a pair of smoldering coal, ready to be put out for the night. You returned your gaze to the glistening sky. “Yeah, you probably can’t tell me anyw—” Something caught your eye.

It was stark against the twinkling whites and deep navy of the night sky—a burnt golden speck that kept getting larger and larger. Bakugo made a noise and shifted when you didn’t say anything else, curious. You tilted your head and sat up, squinting at the speck until it got close enough that you could reach a hand out to touch it.

“Oh!” you said in pleasant surprise when you felt something graze your fingers. You pulled your hand back closer to your face to inspect the little insect that sat on it. “A lightning bug!”

The bug was a small thing that radiated light from underneath its fuzzy body. Two large eyes peered at you, its antenna twitching slightly as it crawled along the back of your fingers and hand. It kind of tickled.

Bakugo huffed in a manner that caused you to look up towards him. It seemed like a small swarm had ventured into the clearing: there were more lightning bugs flying around his head—little specks that brought along some warmth to the coolness of the surrounding forest. Some of the bugs had settled atop his nose and were crawling up along it. You grinned; he didn’t look all too amused.

“Careful,” you warned him when his lips parted to bare sharp teeth at the insects that scattered around him. “They’re called lightning bugs for a—” One of the bugs grew brighter and brighter until a small bolt fired from it, hitting Bakugo’s nose with a small zap! He jerked his head back—almost in offense—and puffed out a cloud of dark smoke. You bit your lip to keep yourself from laughing. “…reason.”

You smiled and looked around at the dots of warm, honey-colored light that floated around the area. You lay back down on the ground with a sigh. “It’s nice being able to come out in the forest and encounter different kinds of magical fauna, you know?” Your eyes followed a lightning bug as it bumbled across your field of vision. “It’s different from the capital,” you murmured, then frowned, “though actually I… haven’t really seen many fairies around recently. They usually like to cause mischief. I wonder…”

Bakugo snorted in response and you looked at him to see him resting his head back on the ground. He yawned widely—content with ignoring the lightning bugs for now. It was getting pretty late. You wrapped your blanket around your body and slid closer to his warmth. You spent a moment just watching the flickering golden lights before your vision was obscured by a large, ombré wing. Well, that was a sign as any. You decided not to dwell on things for now.

“Yeah, time to sleep”—you yawned back at him and closed your eyes—“Good night, Bakugo.”

A few weeks later, you were out in the village running your usual errands when you noticed something… strange.

You would like to say that some of the tension at having Bakugo constantly circling around the village had dissipated by now. Or, at least, you didn’t see as many people nervously glancing up at the sky anymore. It seemed they had just needed to see that he wasn’t much of a threat and in fact didn’t really… do anything to anyone. You supposed time had a hand with easing nerves, but you were sure they were still present—just not as prevalent.

That being said, it came as a surprise to you when you saw people murmuring to each other in little groups—looking around them as though afraid they might be overheard. You were curious as to what they were conversing about—but well, they weren’t really looking up at the sky so you supposed it wasn’t in relation to Bakugo. He had eased up his circling around the village by now—seeing that you were doing quite better. Your back only twinged when you did sharp motions and you were walking around with just a slight limp—barely noticeable, really, unless someone was looking for it. Though, you were sure Bakugo would be flying around you if he could—you saw him circling around Mount Kamino earlier, perhaps for a change in scenery.

You finally understood what the whispers were about when you passed by the Blacksmith’s shop.

He was there talking to Aizawa—a tired man with a nasty case of dry eye whom you visited on occasion to supply with special eye drops. It was hard not to notice him, with how heavy-built he was. He loomed significantly over Aizawa, who exchanged curt words with him whilst bathed in his shadow. He looked prepared for a fight, decked out in thick clothing with just as thick silver armor covering every part of his body. A large sword—the blade wider than your head and thrice as long as your own arm—lay sheathed across his back. It made a shiver run down your spine.

When you walked past them, you were able to see a bracelet strapped to the man’s right wrist. It was made of leather, and sitting atop it was a large jewel. Mellow tangerine in color and very… vibrant. There was something… odd about it. Something that made you feel like a hand had grabbed your insides and twisted them about. But you couldn’t exactly put your finger on it.

A chanced glance up at the man’s face allowed you to see the pinched glare settled across his features—the scar that marred the left side of it. You averted your gaze before he could notice your staring and scurried down the stone path to a familiar pub.

The moment you entered through the doors, Denki looked up from where he was cleaning the bartop and dropped the rag in his hands.

“Did you hear the news!?” he instantly shouted at you, then quieted down significantly at the looks he got from some of his customers lounging around in the booths.

“Hear it? More like I saw it,” you whispered as you slid onto a stool in front of the bar. You leaned in closer towards him. “What the hell is King Enji doing here?”

“I have no idea,” Denki whispered back, his golden eyes peering widely into your own, “but Hanta told me he’s staying at his inn, so he’s definitely planning to be here for a bit.”

“When did he get here, do you know?” You didn’t remember seeing him when you were in the village a few days ago.

“Earlier today, I think.” He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s when I started hearing people talking about it, anyway. Is it true he looks like he’s about to go to war?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I just saw him talking to Aizawa about something.”

Denki snorted. “Aizawa’s not gonna tell him shit, he hates any and all royal families.”

You let out a pfft. You didn’t blame him, honestly. From what you’ve seen of the royal family of the capital—King Enji’s, in fact—they were… not quite regarded in a good light. “Do we even know what he wants?”

“No idea,” Denki replied worriedly. He picked back up the rag and started cleaning at a stain—perhaps for something to do with his hands. “But it can’t be anything good.”

You hummed your agreement, then fell quiet as you ruminated. It was quite odd to see someone like King Enji this far from the capital. He didn’t seem like the type to make such a voyage recreationally; there had to be a reason. The way he was dressed only made that twisted feeling in your stomach more pronounced. You didn’t know how fast news spread across regions, but, well… You weren’t stupid. His appearance—his awfully weaponized appearance—said enough.

You worried, more than you should—and you knew this worry was not unfounded. You glanced out of one of the windows of Denki’s pub and frowned at the hazy sight of Mount Kamino. Dread seemed to pool in your gut.

You left with a quick farewell to Denki and an excuse that you had more shopping to do. The trek back to your cottage was a bit of a long one, but it went by faster than usual as you hurried down stone paths and kept your eyes peeled for any more glimpses of King Enji. He had disappeared elsewhere—you didn’t know whether to feel relieved or anxious.

You wondered if Bakugo would even be in his clearing, if he had even gotten back yet from his leisurely roaming, but you heard him even before you broke through the tree lining. He looked up as you walked towards him, your eyes automatically sweeping across his wounds to make sure they were fine (they were), then looked away to continue idly stretching out his back and wings.

“Hey”—you cleared your throat—“I’m gonna preface this by saying I know you’re more than capable of handling yourself,” you started as you stopped in front of him. He tilted his head towards you with a chuff to let you know he was listening. You bit at your lower lip for a moment, then released it. “But I was in the village earlier and King Enji was there talking to peop—”

His head snapped towards you so fast you wondered if he got whiplash. You cut yourself off abruptly at the snarl he released, your eyes widening as he reared his head back and exhaled a plume of dark smoke. You blinked at him in surprise and stepped back when his wings fanned out behind him, his spikes bristling angrily. “Whoa! What? Something wrong? You don’t like him?” You hadn’t seen him react this viciously to something in a… while.

Bakugo hissed, his eyes shrinking into carmine slits. He gave his wings a few pointed flaps, then stomped his hind leg—the one that had a wound close to it. You stared at the tender scarring on his flank for a moment, your jaw dropping open.

“Oh shit,” you whispered, “is that how you got those?” A rough growl was all the confirmation you needed.

Your heart sank; there was only one reason why King Enji would be in Yuuei. It seemed like your worries had come to fruition. You rubbed at the bridge of your nose, suddenly tired. “He’s so power hungry that I’m somehow not surprised. He must’ve heard the news once you started flying around.” You had questions that could not be answered, but that was the least of your worries. Your main concern was what now? You took in a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself to deal with an irate dragon.

“I don’t think,” you started slowly, “it would be a good idea for you to… be here, right now.”

Bakugo didn’t seem to particularly like what you were saying. He looked taken aback for a split second—if you hadn’t been carefully watching him you wouldn’t have noticed—then bared his teeth at you in a snarl. He moved so that his head loomed over your significantly smaller form, slitted eyes daring you to say another word. You held your ground. “Look, I already said I know you can handle yourself, but I really think laying low or— or even going somewhere else might be the right thing to do here.” Bakugo snapped his jaw in disagreement. “Your injuries are mostly healed, but not fully, and I worry that anything… strenuous might tear them open again.”

The growl he let out was nearly thunderous. He reared back on his hind legs, fanning out his wings to make himself appear larger. He gave them a singular, large flap—purposeful. Powerful. You raised an arm up to cover your face as it sent pieces of grass and dust swirling about in the air. He huffed out a plume of smoke that washed over your body and filled your nose with the smell of burnt caramel. When he landed back on his raised legs, you felt the impact shake through the ground. You frowned.

“I know you’re strong,” you told him again gently, “but it’s okay to run sometimes, y’know? It’s not worth dealing with him—“

His snarl bordered on a tumultuous roar, his tail lashing out behind him with a fervor that made you only a bit uneasy. He was getting really angry—was what you were saying that unreasonable? Or was there something else at play here? You didn’t know, you didn’t know.

“What’s wrong?” you asked him again, worry tinting your voice. He made a deep rumbling sound from his chest, his body tensing. “Why are you acting—”

He didn’t even wait for you to finish your sentence. With two large motions of his wings he’d taken to the skies, the generated wind whipping your clothes and hair around like you’d been caught out in a deadly storm.

“Bakugo!” you called out helplessly, your voice getting lost in the repetitive flapping of his wings as he flew further and further away—towards Mount Kamino. There was a moment where all you could hear was the rustling of the trees around you, the occasional chirp from the wildlife that frolicked within the leaves. Your shoulders slumped and you ran a weary hand down your face.

There was something wrong and you had no idea what.

You made the slow trek back to your cottage, heavily contemplating Bakugo’s reactions and what they may mean. You didn’t have a single clue, unfortunately, and his clear anger left you in a funk. You couldn’t really concentrate on anything. You kept an eye on your windows and often went outside to look up at the blue sky for a hint of gold, but Bakugo kept to himself. You spotted him flying around Mount Kamino on occasion—disappearing beyond it at times—so you knew he hadn’t left, but it still bothered you. Surely he wasn’t pissed at you for showing concern, right? You couldn’t be entirely certain. Everything just seemed to spiral out of your control.

You didn’t see him for the rest of the day and your restlessness carried into the night as you lay by yourself on your little cottage bed. You supposed he just wanted time on his own, maybe to stew in his own frustrations and whatever the cause for them may be. You understood, you did, but still…

Stupid dragon, you thought to yourself as you rolled over and buried yourself in your blankets.

The following day, you went about your usual routine with as minimal distractions as possible. You kept an eye out for King Enji while you were walking around in Yuuei and spotted him talking to a few more villagers here and there. You were caught between feeling relieved and nervous, though you didn’t let yourself linger around him for more than a few moments.

It wasn’t until evening was about to fall that you heard familiar flapping just outside your cottage before the ground shook nearly imperceptibly. Your heart seemed to jump up to your throat as you paused from cleaning up some dishes. Was he—? You looked over at your windows and wiped your hands on your clothes before you speed walked over to your front door to open it with surprising vigor.

“Finally back, huh?” you murmured with a raised eyebrow, trying not to show exactly how relieved you were that he had specifically approached you first. Bakugo rumbled as he curled himself in front of your cottage, his head lowering slightly so he could look at you properly. You reached out to rest one of your hands against his nose and smoothed over the scales there with your thumb. “Calmed down?” Being on his own must have worked wonders if he was no longer as angry as he had been yesterday.

He snorted out a light cloud of smoke into your face and gently nudged at you with his head—his own little way of apologizing. You exhaled through your nose. “You’re really a piece of work to deal with, you know that?” He snorted again as though to say I know, then drew his head away and gave you a steady look. You tilted your head in curiosity. “Something wrong?”

There was a moment where all he did was stare at you—a prolonged gaze that made you feel like you could be sucked into the deep carmine of his eyes. It was strange; like you were being analyzed or assessed—stripped down to your very soul. Then, he made a click from his chest and lifted his head higher. Your gaze was drawn to the base of his neck—watching as it glowed angel-white in that familiar way when he had roasted the food you’d brought him. Except, it just kept growing brighter and brighter and brighter—to the point where you had to shield your eyes with your arm, a confused “what?” escaping your lips. And as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Your eyebrows were furrowed when you lowered your arm. Then they shot up in surprise.

There, gripped in the claws of one of his front legs, was a gem.

It was a deep, iridescent crimson that matched the color of his eyes—a glimmering pool of blood that radiated a heat like no other. There was something electrifying about it, something that made the soft hair on your arms stand up straight. It seemed to pulse with power; gleamed brightly even in the steadily darkening environment. The gem was about the size of your head, maybe smaller, but it was gripped easily in Bakugo’s claws like he was holding a ripe apple. You were dumbstruck staring at the gem—it was like you couldn’t pull your gaze away from it. Like it was sucking you into its core, demanding that all your attention stayed on it. You swallowed thickly. You understood, at that moment, why dragons were so powerful—why they were hunted.

“That’s… You’re…” you trailed off as you stared—mesmerizingly—at his gem. You had to steel your resolve and tear your gaze away from it to look up at Bakugo. He nudged your arm with the claws holding onto his gem, purposely. You blinked, wide-eyed. “You’re… giving it to me?” Suddenly, your mouth felt like it was coated in cotton. Your heart seemed to still in your chest.

He was waiting, patiently, for you to do something. Your movements felt stiff as you looked at the gem, then back at him. Once, twice. And you found the strength somewhere within you to reach out and grasp the gem in clammy hands. It was heavy—like a sack of flour—but you held on tight and brought it close to your chest. It seemed to hum in your palms; made you feel like you were standing next to a large bonfire. Confusion plagued your thoughts—sent them racing around your head.

“But— but why…” You tore your gaze away from the gem once more to look back at Bakugo. He was watching you carefully, a gleam to his rounded eyes that you couldn’t quite make out. “Why are you…” It was then that you noticed he had shifted: his wings had moved to fan out behind him, his legs were tensed like he was a breath away from jumping into the air. Something seemed to click in place and you went still. “Wait— you’re leaving?”

He rumbled a noise that only made your heart sink. This, you feared, would not be like the previous day where he’d simply needed time to himself. No, this was something more. Something that you worried would not leave him unscathed—that was perhaps inevitable. And maybe it was something in your expression, your stance, but he lowered himself back down until his head pressed against your front. You cradled the gem in one hand—near your heart—and used the other to hold his head closer.

“You’ll be back, right?” you asked in a quiet voice. Bakugo nudged you gently with his head and puffed a cloud of smoke at the gem in your hand—a reassurance, a promise. You didn’t know why you were so… affected by everything. Why your chest ached like it was full of water. Deep down you always knew he would eventually have to leave—but you didn’t think it would be this soon. That King Enji’s presence would be the catalyst of it all. You loathed him for it like you loathed him for all the bastardly deeds he had no doubtfully done as king. You thought you had more time.

And—not for the first time—you wondered why. Why was he doing this, why was it important that he did? Why, why, why. You didn’t have any answers and it didn’t seem like you would be getting them anytime soon—if not ever. It all just… seemed so much bigger than you. Like it had always been from the moment you’d encountered Bakugo in that dark, dark cave. He was a dragon and you were, well… you.

But you knew what you had to do.

You would protect Bakugo’s gem—keep it safe for him to avoid having it fall into the wrong hands during… whatever was about to happen. This, you could do with utmost certainty.

You let out a shaky breath, then stood on the tips of your toes so you could press a kiss to Bakugo’s forehead. It was like kissing a stone smoothed down from the elements, a warm mug filled with hot tea. It was the last thing you could give him, for now. You don’t think he had expected it, for he made the smallest of sounds, then seemed to press further into your touch.

“Stay safe, okay?” you whispered to him once you’d pulled away. He leaned back so you could stare into his eyes. “I never got to fully finish healing you, after all. You should be fine but, well, I don’t wanna have to patch you up again.” You kept your voice light to let him know you were teasing him.

Bakugo snorted and with one final, long look at you, he spread his ombré wings and took off. You watched, squinting against the wind he generated, as he rose into the sky in the direction of Yuuei. He disappeared beyond your line of sight once he passed over the trees—but you still heard the loud roar he let out. Felt it reverberate in your bones; a declaration of war. You gripped onto the gem more tightly than before and stood there watching the darkening sky as it transitioned from burnt mandarin to royal purple. It was a moment before Bakugo passed back overhead—a dark shadow against the twinkling whites of the galaxy—this time in the direction of Mount Kamino.

You closed your eyes and let out a sigh that only the stars could hear. Then you turned around and headed back inside your little cottage, closing the front door behind you with a small click.

part four

Diana-simona - DianaBanana

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