Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

Chapter 18

The Emperor

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Chapter 18

The sky above them was a perfect, endless blue, the kind of clear, cloudless sky that Katsuki would normally enjoy if he weren't currently dealing with a shaking, terrified nerd gripping onto Kirishima's scales like his life depended on it. Which, to be fair, it kind of did.

"Oi, Deku," Katsuki grumbled, his arms crossed as he sat directly behind Izuku, the wind whipping through his hair. "You're not gonna die, you know. Quit clinging to him like you're about to fall off."

Izuku's entire body was tense, his fingers dug into Kirishima's rough scales with a white-knuckled grip. His face was hidden behind the dragon's broad neck, but Katsuki didn't need to see it to know exactly what kind of expression Deku was wearing right now—wide-eyed panic, probably biting his lip, trying to keep from screaming every time Kirishima so much as shifted in the air. It was almost sad. Almost.

But mostly, it was just annoying.

"I'm fine, Kacchan," Izuku muttered, his voice muffled by the wind but still high-pitched with anxiety. "Just... just making sure I don't—uh, you know—fall again."

Katsuki rolled his eyes so hard he could've sprained something. "Tch. That was one time, Deku. One time. And it's your own damn fault for sitting behind me like a moron. Who the hell doesn't hold on to their mount when they can't even keep their balance?"

Katsuki smirked, though in that moment it hadn't been funny, the look of sheer terror on Deku's face when Kirishima had taken off for the first time, the sudden weight shift behind him, and then... whoosh. Deku had slipped right off the back of Kirishima's saddle scale, arms flailing like some sort of pathetic, drowning fish. Katsuki hadn't even had time to react before Kirishima's tail had swooped down and caught the idiot midair, depositing him back on the dragon's back with all the grace of someone tossing a sack of potatoes.

It would've been hilarious, really—if it hadn't been such a colossal pain in the ass... and hadn't scared Katsuki half to death.

So now they were stuck like this, with Deku seated in front of Katsuki, his back pressed against Katsuki's chest as if that would magically keep him from falling off again. Which was fine, really, except now Deku was shaking every time Kirishima did anything remotely dragon-like, which Katsuki also had to deal with.

Perfect.

Kirishima's massive wings beat steadily, carrying them through the endless stretch of sky. The dragon's voice rumbled suddenly, echoing through the bond he shared with Katsuki.

"Nor'tal ves'kan kor'mek'thar, zhar'kesh Lorkash," Kirishima said, his deep voice carrying easily over the wind. "Zhan'kor ves'ral, nor'mal'rath kor'tesh."

Katsuki gave a curt nod in acknowledgment, though he kept his focus on Izuku, who was still gripping Kirishima like a lifeline. Just as Katsuki was about to tell him to stop shaking for the hundredth time, Izuku twisted slightly to glance back over his shoulder, confused.

"Kacchan... what did he say?" Izuku asked, his voice laced with curiosity and that ever-present nervousness. "I can't understand him. How do you know the dragon tongue?"

Katsuki huffed, his arms still crossed over his chest. "It's not that complicated, nerd. Has to do with the memories we picked up from our other selves here." He gave a casual shrug, like understanding a dragon was just yet another annoying detail the long list of things he had to deal with. "I got stuck with all the berserker crap. That includes speaking dragon."