Dragon Slayer

Eight

The pair headed out at midday. Well rested and well fed. Katsuki wasn't used to leaving his camps this late. He always tried to be up early and gone before the day had broken.
But he guessed that Eijirou wasn't the type to wake up early. He would have to get used to slower travel.
Except, he didn't have to do this, did he? He could just leave Eijirou to do his own little quest. But every time he turned around to tell the redhead that he couldn't, he got those little puppy dog eyes and Katsuki couldn't even open his mouth.
Why did Eijirou make him all tongue tied? Was it because he was a fierce dragon who could crush a village if he wanted? Katsuki had never been afraid of a dragon before, had he?
But no...this was a different kind of fear. He wasn't afraid of being attacked.
He was afraid because his world was flipping inside out.
He had been taught his whole life that dragons were bad. But Eijirou wasn't bad. Eijirou was probably the only person who was friends with him because he actually liked him instead of just being scared of him.
"Hey, Katsuki?" Eijirou walked faster so he could keep pace with the blond.
"What?"
"Here," he held something out in front of him.
"What the-" Katsuki was surprised until he realized what it was. "You still have it?"
"Dragons horde, don't they?"
"I guess you're right." Katsuki stopped, taking the slingshot in his hands. It was rougher than he remembered. Eijirou probably used it a few times.
Or chewed on it a little. It looked chewed on.
"Do you...actually horde stuff?" Katsuki asked. "Like, do you have a heap of gold in a cave somewhere?"
"I have a horde. It's not gold, but I do have one."
"What is it?"
"That's a secret."
"Why is it a secret?"
Eijirou laughed. "It just is."
"I want to know."
"Take a guess. If you get it right, I'll let you see it."
"You would let ME into your lair?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"
Because Katsuki was a dragon Hunter? Because if Eijirou knew that they were enemies, he wouldn't even think of letting him near his den.
"Okay, fine. I'll guess."
Eijirou gave Katsuki a sly smirk that he wanted to punch him for.
"Uh....alcohol?"
"Nah."
"Bones?"
"Nope."
"Rocks?"
"You would make a terrible dragon."
"I should hope so." Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Is it diamonds?"
"Do I look like the kind of guy who would horde diamonds?"
"You look like the kind of guy who won't tell me his horde."
"Keep guessing."
"I know it can't be books because you're probably too dumb to know how to read."
"Can YOU read?"
"Huh?"
"Can you?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Could you teach me?"
"You actually...you don't know how to read?"
"I lost my mother at a young age. Nobody got to teach me." Eijirou kicked a rock, eyes on his feet.
"Oh...shit."
"It doesn't matter." He laughed it off so easily. Katsuki felt sour. "And you're wrong, for the record."
"Wrong about what?"
"My horde IS books. I horde books."
"Why? You can't read."
"No. But I was hoping to learn someday..."
Katsuki nodded, somehow understanding this moron.
"I guess it's fate that I saved you, then."