DRAGON'S BROOD II (Kirishima x Bakugou)

Chapter 37: Home sweet Home

Bakugou's PoV

A little smile lay on my face as I watched the half dragon carefully embrace little Tomoko. During our trip I had told him that I had met Miss Crownway and the girl in my former home village. So he knew that they had planned to move on to the Order. But the fact that they were already there meant they probably packed their bags and left shortly after I left the village.

I stepped beside my mate as he straightened up and so carefully separated from Tomoko. With a warm smile he looked down to her and it warmed my heart to see him like that. Then Miss Crownway came slowly towards us and Red looked up at her again.  I could feel his fingers on the back of my hand as he groped blindly for my hand and I enclosed it tightly.

I could hardly imagine what this reunion meant to him. Miss Crownway was like a mother to him all his life and to see her again after all these years was certainly an overwhelming feeling. My hand almost hurt, he clung to it so tightly. But his face spoke of pure joy.

Miss Crownway stepped in front of the half dragon and placed a hand on his cheek. The elderly woman's stern grey eyes were gentle and shimmered with tears. "Eijirou," she whispered with emotion. "You have grown up so much."

My mate grinned at her carefully and his eyes were watery as he leaned forward and embraced her with one arm. But he did not want to let go of my hand. "Hello, Miss Crownway," he replied softly as he separated from her again.

Then the former director of the home turned to me. "Hello Katsuki," she said smiling. She was the first person besides Red to use my first name without it really bothering me. No, I even liked it because Miss Crownway was Red's foster mother and she had accepted me as part of her family.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, looking down at Tomoko, who was standing at Red's other side, clawing into the fabric of his shirt.

"It's been almost a week, Blondie," she said cheekily.

Blondie? "Tch. The name's Katsuki," I said with a frown. But Red just laughed heartily and ruffled the little girl's raven-black hair.

"It's good to see you two again. So much has happened since then, but I've always thought of you," Red said with a grin.

"You've changed, Eiji," Tomoko remarked. But her tone of voice showed she didn't mean it negatively. She was jumping up and down happily as she realized that.

Red ran through the red strands of his hair. "Yes, my hair is red," he said thoughtfully.

Tomoko shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, but that's not what I mean. You're happier and you smile properly. I like it when you smile."

As if to confirm this, a broad grin fell on the face of the half dragon. I could understand Tomoko, I loved that open smile. By now I had almost gotten used to it, but the little girl's statement made me realize that it had been a long time since Red had shamefully hidden his smile behind one hand.

My attention was directed to the crowd that had formed around us a little distance away. A man pushed his way through and walked straight towards us. It was Mr. Dracoon, the leader of the Order.

"Kirishima!" he said warmly, reaching out a hand to him. Red took it with a smile and shook it once. "And Bakugou!" he exclaimed with the same smile and reached out to me.

Somewhat confused, I stared at it. When did he become so friendly towards me? The last time we spoke, he had made it very clear that I was not a member of the Order and therefore had no power of decision in the missions. I had expected that he did not agree in any way with the fact that I had taken over a large part of the mission on my own authority. But Mr. Dracoon remained adamant and continued to offer me his hand. I gritted my teeth a little, but I took it.

But of course he hadn't missed my hesitation and he cleared his throat a little embarrassed when I pressed his hand briefly and firmly. "Telana and Taran have told me how your mission began and what you decided then to continue. Did everything go well?", he asked interested.

"It went very well," Red said seriously. "We have a negotiator on the Dragon side and Katsuki has returned from the royal court with the Prince."

I frowned for a moment, as he did not mention that he was the negotiator himself, but I could guess why. We would have to discuss everything extensively together with Todoroki anyway and that included the whole Council of the Order. He surely wanted to explain it in detail in a big round and not mention it late in the evening only to the Order's leader. The topic was too important for that.

"The prince?" asked Mr. Dracoon with a twinkle in his eye. Before that, he didn't seem to have paid much attention to Todoroki, who had stayed a bit in the background with Deku.

The leader of the Order walked past us to our companions. I watched with a frown as he greeted them. Red massaged my hand a little as he seemed to notice how tense I was. I still didn't quite trust Mr. Dracoon. His kindness seemed to depend too much on how well the people around him suited him. But at the same time, the Order's mission was as important to me as it was to him, and I was sure that Red and Todoroki could prevail.

"I don't like him either," whispered Tomoko, who must have noticed my critical look. The girl was smart.

I glanced at her briefly and mumbled in agreement before I looked up again and noticed how friendly the Order's leader was towards Deku. Yet he was as much a dragonslayer as I was. Tch. He always had it so easy.

Mr. Dracoon waved to the stable master who took our horses before he returned to us with Todoroki and Deku. "So", he said, rubbing his hands. "I'm sure you're all tired from your journey. Where are you going to sleep?"

I frowned. "At home, of course. Where else?"

"Yes, I was also more concerned about Prince Todoroki and Mr. Midoriya. We're not really geared for visitors, I'll have to find out who has a little room left," he said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure there's plenty of room at Miss Farney's," Red interjected. "She took us in when we first came here."

I saw clearly how Mr. Dracoon squirmed at the proposal, Miss Farney was certainly not his first choice, but Red had spoken it so authoritatively and firmly that he did not object. A little grin fell on my lips. I liked it when my mate was so in control.

Since we were all really tired, we wanted to start our way up the mountain as soon as we could. Before that, Red said goodbye to Tomoko and Miss Crownway and promised that they would meet again the next day. Then we set off.

Since Miss Farney's cottage was on the way to our home, we brought Todoroki and Deku there. The older woman didn't mind taking them both in. Miss Farney and I had not always been in complete agreement in the past, but unlike Mr. Dracoon I trusted her.

And finally Red and I were alone. After what felt like an eternity, we walked up the path together to our shared house. Red put a hand around my waist and looked up at the sky. By now the sun had long since set and the sky was starry.

It was quiet. As quiet as it had not been for us for weeks and I felt the tension release from me. And finally, in the darkness, I saw the familiar contours of our house.

When we stepped through the wooden door for the first time in weeks, the air was a bit musty and yet the smell was familiar. "Home, sweet home," Red said with a grin, but you could tell he was tired. The half dragon immediately opened the window in the bedroom, and then he lay down on our big soft bed with his arms outstretched.

I leaned into the door frame for a moment and looked at him smiling. But I longed for a little sleep, so I did not hesitate for long and finally crawled into bed with him to lay my head on his chest. His strong arms wrapped around me and held me tight. Red's slow calming heartbeat had something hypnotic about it and I had a satisfied smile on my lips as I closed my eyes. We really deserved this time off.