Rising Ashes

Really Creepy

Bakugou, accompanied by a redheaded ex-member of a King's Guard, sets out for Yuuei the next morning. He's eaten, had water, and donned new black boots of his own.

"So, partner," muses Kirishima, "where are we going?"

"Yuuei." The sooner Kirishima finds a "nice kingdom to serve the king there", the sooner he'll be rid of him. The sooner, the better. "There's a person over there I have to talk to."

"Who is it? Is it a lover?"

"None of your fucking business!" he barks, smacking Kirishima upside his head. "And no, it isn't a damn lover, you absolute moron."

—𝚡—

It's the afternoon of the next day when Kirishima brings up the state of Bakugou's palms. "Your hands look really bad. We should stop by a stream so I can clean them up."

Bakugou's since washed off the blood on his face with a few drops of the water Kirishima brought, but he didn't want to waste more of it on his palms. He subconsciously glances down at his hands; his greatest weapons. They won't stop shaking, aggravatingly enough. As much as he hates to admit it, Kirishima's right. They are really bad. He can't use his explosions without streaks of pain shooting through his body. While he can of course totally handle it, he'd just rather not have to.

"Fine. We'll stop at a stream, but you ain't gonna clean my palms for me. I can take care of myself, Shitty Hair."

"I'm sure you can, but you'll just be rubbing wound on wound. Just let me do this for you, alright?" Bakugou frowns and looks over at the redhead, who shrugs. "It's the most I can do for the man who helped me realize I was making the biggest mistake of my life."

Bakugou just stares at him for a little while. What a disgustingly noble thing to say. He ends up shoving Kirishima's face away and stomping into the trees to follow the faint sounds of rushing rapids.

"Where are you going, Bakugou?" the redhead calls after him.

"Stream, dumbass. There's one in this direction," replies Bakugou with looking back. He can hear Kirishima jogging over to join him.

"I can't hear anything." The ash blond rolls his eyes. "Huh. You'd think a guy who spends his days blowing everything up would be the one with worse hearing."

"Shut up."

Once he reaches the stream, Bakugou kneels down in the water, submerging his hands. The cool water feels unbelievably soothing to his burning palms. At the same time, it stings from the exposed skin being in contact with another substance. Kirishima quietly kneels down beside him.

He reluctantly allows the redhead to take his hands in his own, the rough pad of his thumbs very softly rubbing some sort of green salve over the raw, bloody flesh. Bakugou sucks in a sharp breath, biting on his bottom lip.

"I know it hurts, I'm sorry," murmurs Kirishima softly.

"Don't talk to me like I'm some wounded animal!" Bakugou immediately snaps back.

Kirishima doesn't reply, instead lowering one of Bakugou's hands back into the water and massaging the salve into his palm. He nearly jumps back at the sudden zigzags of pain that shoot up his arm. He settles for a venomous spit of several swears.

The redhead does the same with his other hand, taking some cloth out of the pack on the ground beside him and wrapping it around Bakugou's throbbing palms. Then he's done.

"See? It's not a bad thing to let other people take care of you once in a while," Kirishima grins and pats Bakugou on the back. The latter looks over at him only to find the former already watching him.

Red meets red. And, for a while, that's all that exists in the world. Dark pools of ruby Bakugou now prefers over the real gem any day stare into sharp, angular irises of carmine. The small scar on Kirishima's eyelid is still there. Why wouldn't it be? But, as Bakugou's gaze drags down his face, he catches other scars, just as tiny and just as hard-to notice.

Kirishima has a small scar scoring the bridge of his nose, but it blends in well with his sun-kissed freckles. He has one marring his upper lip, too. Bakugou wonders if he did that to himself with those ridiculous teeth of his. He really needs to stop looking at the redhead's lips. It's getting creepy now. Really creepy.

The ash blond shoots to his feet, snickering as Kirishima jerks backwards with a dazed, half-lidded expression on his face.

"That wasn't very nice," he huffs with a pout as the two make their way back to the trail. "Leading a guy on like that then just leaving."

"You're a knight, Hair for Brains, and I'm the Barbarian King," shrugs Bakugou, a smug smirk on his face. "It just wouldn't work out."

"We could make it work," Kirishima suggests. "Another knight I know is courting a smooth-talking thief."

Bakugou whirls around, prompting the redhead to stop in his tracks. "Face it, Kirishima," he murmurs, and flicks out his tongue to wet his lips and another streak of pride racks him at the painfully obvious way Kirishima's eyes follow the movement and stay there, swallowing hard, "you couldn't handle me."

"Oh, I think I could very much handle you," Kirishima corrects breathlessly. "See? Handling— I'm handling this very well." The way his voice cracks at 'handling' tells Bakugou he is most definitely not.

"How 'bout this?" the Barbarian teases even further. He presses his newly wrapped palm to the redhead's chest and trails down to his sides, tugging him flush against his own chest.

"This? This is venturing into dangerous territory, Bakugou. Are you sure you want to do this?" Kirishima's own hands snap to the ash blond's hips and if Bakugou was a weaker man he probably would've gasped. "I'm a persistent man, you know."

Bakugou wouldn't be surprised to learn everything around him is on fire. It sure feels that way, with Kirishima's half-lidded gaze boring bullets into his lips and Kirishima's warm hands on his hips and how Kirishima keeps circling with his fingers. He almost breaks right then and there, giving into what he wants.

But Bakugou Katsuki isn't weak. He is, however, cruel.

The ash blond shoves Kirishima away and shifts the pack strap over his shoulder again, walking down the trail without waiting to check if he's following.

"So evil," Kirishima sighs and shakes his head. "So, so evil..."