Claiming a King's Heart

So this is another story I've been working on. I have seen a lot of great BakuDeku fantasy stories on here and wanted to take a crack at it myself. I also recently found a piece of fan art where Izuku finds an injured Bakugo in a cave and that gave me the inspiration to write this. I have been desperately trying to find the original artist so I can credit them, but to no avail. Hope you enjoy it ?

Chapter 1: An Injured King

A blonde figure made his way slowly through the massive forest. The red cape trailing behind him torn and tattered, blowing in the harsh wind. Blankets of rain surrounding him, soaking him to the bone even through the thick canopy of trees overhead. The storm had caused his dragon and himself to be separated, leaving him to find shelter on his own. Each step left a trail of blood in it's wake.

'D-damn demons' Bakugo thought. His village in the mountains had been attacked by lowly demons, dumb creatures with their brains exposed and horribly disfigured. Though they seemed to be under the control of wizards. One of the wizards among them was trained in portal magic. He had used an opportunity during the battle to transport Bakugo and his dragon Scatha nearby this forest.

His vision began to grow hazy as he found a small cave near the forest. The amount of blood he had lost would have killed a normal human. He settled on the floor of the cave. Many of his wounds were simple scratches, the largest wound being in his side, right below his ribs. One of the demons was able to extend it's teeth like daggers, and managed to find the perfect opportunity to run him through.

'I-is this truly how I die?' he thought, his vision filling with shadows before darkness finally consumed him.

X

Izuku, a charming green-haired wizard; gathered his supplies and secured his dagger to his belt. He then made his way out the door of the small, mushroom shaped house.

"Izuku!" His mother called, a small round woman with long dark hair, "Wait! I have some dried foods for you to take!"

"It's alright!" He called back behind him, "I already packed some!"

"Well please be careful!"

"I will!"

He made his way into the dense forest. The sun casting a calm glow on the forest floor as it reflected off the morning dew. The rain the previous night had been just what the forest floor needed. The air smelled fresh and clean and the whole forest felt revived.

'The perfect day for foraging' He thought as he made his way through the dense trees. His eyes glued to the ground. Along his chosen path, he found many herbs that could be used in potions. Though he was still a wizard in training, he had become quite proficient at healing spells and potions. Though he still had much to learn, he was quite happy with his progress thus far.

He came upon a small stream. A bright smile broke across his lips as he searched the bank.

"Ah perfect!" he said, gathering up moss nearby the bank. It was a rare breed of moss that when mixed with the right ingredients could close any wound, no matter how severe. It seemed to be quite abundant around this stream, and he thanked the earth for providing it to him.

He ventured further towards the northern edge of the forest. He knew there were caves lining the north side as the forest met the base of the northern mountains. Tales spoke of rare mushrooms that grew in those caves. When crushed into a paste or mixed with drink, they would nullify any poison; no matter how strong. He spotted the caves and quickly ran into one of the dark openings, excited to find this rare spore. Though it wasn't mushrooms that he initially found.

Lying on the ground of the large cave was a blonde man. His hair spiking out. A red cape surrounded him with a collar of what looked like white wolf fur. His upper body covered in a variety of tattoos, all strange symbols that Izuku was unfamiliar with. His deep blue trousers tattered and bloodied. He slowly opened his eyes, their color red like burning embers. Once the initial shock wore off, Izuku began to recognize the stranger.

'T-the Dragon King?!' He thought, his hand holding tight to his bag. He had thought that the Dragon King was simply a legend. A story that you told children to help them sleep. Yet here he was, sitting right in front of him.

"Y-your hurt!" He said, rushing forwards and throwing his bag to the side. The blonde's eyes hardened and he growled, raising his hand as sparks flew from his palm.

"Are you one of those damned wizards?!" the blonde barked at him. Izuku backed up slightly, raising his hands defensively.

"I-I am a wizard, yes." He said, "I am a healer. I wish to help you"

The blonde leaned forwards and took a deep breath. The smell of his magic did not match the scent of those that attacked his village. It actually smelled familiar, though the owner of such magic he had assumed to be long dead.

The King slowly leaned back, looking at the wall across the cave. He slowly moved his cape out of the way and lifted his arm, exposing the large wound in his side. Izuku went pale at the sight of the large gash, but quickly composed himself. Pulling out the necessary supplies, he quickly made a paste with the moss and other ingredients in his mortar. He pulled out a handkerchief from his bag and poured some of his water on it and began to clean the large wound.

Bakugo let out a slight growl, the water stinging the wound.

"I'll need you to hold still" Izuku said, slightly glaring at the blonde

"How long will this take?" Bakugo barked at him through gritted teeth.

"With my current skill, it will take a few days for you to fully heal."

"So you're a deku then?"

Izuku rolled eyes slightly at the name. Deku was slang for a "useless" or "skilless" wizard,

"I wouldn't say that about the wizard that is attempting to help you" he muttered as he spread the paste across the wound and held his hand to it. The wound glowed blue before closing. Though the wound appeared healed, it would take a few days to heal internally. He quickly got to work on spreading it on the smaller cuts as well.

"This way you won't bleed out" he said, "It's amazing your alive after the amount of blood you have lost"

"I am not like some weak human" Bakugo snapped, eyes locked on the wall on the other side of the cave.

"You are the Dragon King, aren't you?"

Bakugo's eyes turned to look at him and glared, "Why is that your concern?"

"A dragon king would certainly have a dragon. Where is yours?"

His eyes settled back on the wall, "We were separated in the storm"

"Ah, I see"

"You are an apprentice of the great wizard All Might, aren't you?"

Izuku's eyes widened slightly, "H-how could you tell?"

"Your magic smells just like him. Tell me, is he dead?"

Izuku turned to his bag and pulled out bandages, "No, he is not."

"But he's weaker than he was?"

Izuku paused for a moment and stared at the Dragon King in awe, 'H-how can he know so much? Can he read minds?' He thought. There were many tales about the strength of the Dragon King and his tribe. Many did not believe that a dragon could be broken, yet tales floated around about a massive army of dragon riders under his command.

Bakugo met his eyes, leaning back slightly, "I met him only once, when I was a child. He was beyond comparison. I wouldn't think he would take someone like you as an apprentice, let alone give you his power"

Izuku glared slightly at him, half regretting promising to help him as he began wrapping his wounds with bandages, "He saw something in me that he found promising, and I have worked very hard to make this power my own"

He pushed up his sleeves as he finished bandaging the arrogant king. Bakugo's eyebrows raised slightly. Jagged scars surrounded his arms. Once Izuku caught him staring, he quickly pulled his sleeves back down.

"When I began my training, the rebound from the magic was fairly intense. I nearly lost the use of my arms. I have learned to control it at this point" He leaned back and sat on his feet. Bakugo attempted to stand and hissed slightly in pain.

Izuku reached for him, "Y-you shouldn't' get up! I only just closed your wounds. Like I said it will take a few days to heal"

Bakugo let out a large growl, if Izuku hadn't known better; he would say he saw fire escape the King's lips, "Damn it!"

"W-what brought you here?" Izuku asked after a moment. The King remained silent and glared at him. He figured that would be a topic for another time. He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a few large pieces of rabbit jerky.

"Here" he said, handing him half of the pieces, "Eat up, you must be hungry"

Bakugo's glared softened slightly, taking the food and hungerly biting into it. There was something about this young wizard. Maybe it was the bright glint in his large green eyes, the softness of his smile or his genuine heart. It dug at him, nipped at his brain like a small bird pecking the ground for seed. It felt familiar, yet distant like a dream.

A soft memory played in the back of his head, a young boy's voice saying, "Kacchan! Wait up Kacchan!" He pressed the memory down, thinking that it was nothing.

Let me know what you think :)