A/N: Hello, guys! I hope you're all alright and safe during this crisis. This is my super late Secret Santa gift for WhatIsMagic on the Boku no Ship Academia discord server. ^^" When I saw the preferred pairing was either Kacchako or Kirikacchako and tropes Fantasy AU or Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers, I knew I had to try my hand at writing my favorite OT3 with all of them! I didn't expect it to get so out of hand and reach 5k but I hope it brings you some joy in these tiring times~ ^w^
Fight us? She's so tiny! Kirishima had thought upon landing his gaze on Uraraka for the first time.
From barely reaching the knee of his dragon foot to the deteriorating state of her clothes, the Mage hadn't appeared to be a threat. Not until she managed to knock down Kirishima with a single attack.
This infuriated his partner-in-crime and the land's most dangerous bandit, Bakugou Katsuki. No amount of foes had been able to do that before, neither this fast. So he attacked Uraraka without holding back while Kirishima tried to stand again, pain traveling on his long skull like ripples on a lake.
Their fight seemed endless. Through his dragon vision, Kirishima could follow it easily despite the dust cloud they raised while dueling. It had been forever since he had last seen Bakugou being equally matched by anyone. Yet, this girl made him struggle with her wind magic, forcing him at some point to use his explosive fire magic. It resulted in leveling the first line of trees surrounding the glade Uraraka had found them.
As the aftershocks of that clash resided, Kirishima decided this had run long enough. Someone from the nearby village would come to chase them out; bringing more trouble than this dispute was worth. He could admit the Mage had guts though. Holding her ground against Bakugou with a ferocity akin to a mother bear was an admirable feat. But they had to stop. Kirishima sprained his mind, trying to figure out how to resolve this fight without hurting their pride. All he came up with was sitting in between them during a pause for breath. This effectively blocked their path of attack, redirecting their general frustration at him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bakugou shouted, striking his blades against the dragon's scales.
Kirishima couldn't feel anything so he left him to rage and addressed the Mage. "We aren't going to hurt anyone. We're simply passing by on our way to the Elderworm Forest."
She stared at him with wide eyes as if it was her first time seeing a dragon talk. The attention felt different though. Sure, she stared but it wasn't the unsettling glare most peasants gave Kirishima like they pondered whether he would eat them or not. Her smell was flowery sweet like awe and wonder, instead of the sharp tang of fear. Flames danced in his stomach like fleeting butterflies.
"I see," said the Mage. "If that's the case, uh… Mr. Dragon."
"Kirishima," he said with a snicker. "Just call me Kirishima."
"Alright…You seem kind, Kirishima, so I believe you." She grabbed her staff tighter and tried to glance over at Bakugou. "But he—"
"I'm what, Round Face?" Bakugou sneered. "Not worth your time?"
"I'd say rude and tactless but you know that already," she mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You got some nerve! Third-class Mages like you should know their place."
"Oh? I wonder what your bandit brothers will say when they find I swiped the floor with you!"
Kirishima placed a paw on Bakugou's head to prevent him from attacking her again. "How about we all calm down and eat something? It's getting late and dinner tastes better with a company, don't you think?"
Both adversaries huffed in annoyance. Their growling stomachs betrayed them though and they reluctantly agreed to the idea with blushing faces. Leaving them at opposite sides of the clearing, Kirishima set up camp. He had plenty of fallen tree trunks at his disposal to create a small pure in the middle. After lighting it up with his dragon breath, he forced Bakugou to quit his sulking and unpack their things from Kirishima's back. They were running low on vegetables and other spices the bandit used in their meals but had enough meat to last them until the next big town. So Kirishima wasn't too worried. After all, Bakugou could make everything taste good even with the bare minimum of materials. It was one of the reasons the dragon enjoyed traveling together. Things used to taste very bland before.
Soon, the smell of a freshly cooked meal spread in the clearing. Kirishima's mouth watered, saliva dripping on the ground and sizzling whenever it hit the burning embers of the fire.
"Watch it," Bakugou scolded him. "You'd get drool all over the food!"
He whined in return and dropped his head between his front legs, wagging his tail like a puppy dog. Of course, this motion raised quite the racket coming from an overgrown lizard. Annoyed from this distraction, his friend eventually threw him a half-cooked rib. Kirishima gobbled it whole in one go.
As he was licking his snout in delight, his gaze fell on the Mage. She was sitting on a log at the furthest point the fire could reach. They had introduced each other properly while setting camp earlier. Her name was Uraraka Ochako, a wandering Mage currently in her thesis quest. She had to complete the quest to graduate from her Master Wizard school. It sounded like a lot of trouble for a seal of approval to Kirishima, but humans always had to make things more complicated than they should.
Picking another freshly cooked piece of meat from Bakugou's makeshift pan, Kirishima approached Uraraka and placed it on a smooth rock in front of her.
"Is that for me?" Uraraka asked, surprised.
"Yup!" He took a seat next to her. "And it's not poisoned if that's worrying you."
She cooed and picked it up bare-handed. "That's so sweet of you. I've been starving actually!" Ignoring the look of hatred Bakugou directed at her from the other side of the fire, she inhaled the food in a matter of moments.
No lie. She must have been really hungry, Kirishima thought.
He hadn't seen a human woman eat so carelessly and messy before. It was different in a good way; like everything about her seemed to be.
They spent the better of the night talking about this and that until both Mages fell asleep. Kirishima stayed awake a little longer, self-conscious of Uraraka's back leaning against his side. Her body heat was nothing compared to the raging inferno in his gut. But it made his thoughts travel far and wide.
Maybe those exact thoughts were the reason when—come morning—he asked Uraraka to join along in their journey to the Elderworm Woods—much to Bakugou's loud and very vocal objections.
"No."
"We're all headed in the same direction."
"I refuse!"
Kirishima dropped his shoulders with a sigh. "Technically, I'm the one carrying the bags so it's my shot to make."
"You wouldn't dare," Bakugou said. "I'm the one in charge."
"Please don't make me say things I'll regret, man."
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
"That you just don't want me along because I kicked your butt," Uraraka said. She had perched on a tree branch, observing the scene at a safe distance from Bakugou's fire-like powers.
He turned around, pointing his finger at her. "You stay out of it! This is between me and my partner."
Seeing this was going to turn into another fight, Kirishima donned his human form and stood in between them again. "She's coming or we're walking there and that's final." He said to Bakugou.
He appeared firm and serious, but his insides were coiling with anxiety. It was rare for the dragon to directly challenge Bakugou's 'authority' like this. More often than not, Kirishima let Bakugou take the initiative because their goals aligned, not out of fear. Kirishima could withstand most magic attacks with ease after all. Except when it came to Uraraka's magic. He couldn't understand what had come over him regarding the Mage. It worried him not that she beat him. There was a first time for everything and Kirishima wasn't the strongest dragon in the land at the end of the day. He told himself that her coming along wasn't just to keep a close watch on her. He wanted Uraraka to come, simple as that.
Bakugou crossed his arms, still scowling. "Fine. But she's cooking her meals."
Kirishima grinned. "Aye, sir!" He turned around but his words were cut short.
Once she got a glimpse of his face, Uraraka fell from the branch into the bushes underneath the tree.
"Gods!" Kirishima rushed to her and parted the vegetation. "Are you alright?"
Uraraka straightened her hooded hat. "Yes! I...lost my balance is all!" she said with a cheerful high-pitched squeak, taking his offered hand. After standing up, Uraraka continued holding onto it. Her fingers trailed the larger scales along his forearm before stopping on the underside of his human arm. She seemed mesmerized from the smaller pebble-like scales he had there instead of smooth skin.
Bakugou's curt cough snapped her out of whatever trance she had entered.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, Kirishima!" Uraraka said, blushing and waving her hands in front of her. "That was rude of me. I should have asked you if it was okay. I'm very sorry!"
The dragon returned his gaze on his arm. Warmth, unlike any he'd felt before, spread from the spots she had touched him. "You don't have to apologize," Kirishima stammered, scratching the back of his head. "I don't remember the last time anyone grabbed my hand so carelessly."
"I see." Her rosy cheeks turned, if possible, redder. "If that's settled then...I should get my things ready! Bye!" She bolted in the direction of the camp.
Her reaction puzzled Kirishima but he didn't press the matter any further. They had an entire trip ahead to figure out things if they had to.
Bakugou remained uncharacteristically silent for the rest of that day.
Uraraka turned out to be a pleasant company indeed. With a spring in her step, she filled the following weeks with joy and excitement. Everything amazed her. From flowers growing on top of ancient columns, to the way Kirishima's scales glistened when the sun hit them just right. It was contagious.
Even Bakugou started warming up to her. Especially after discovering how terrible were her actual cooking skills.
"No one can burn boiling water," he said while throwing away the remains of Uraraka's shoddy kettle, "or turn perfectly solid meat into slime. How you made it this far is beyond me!"
The Mage joined her hands together with an awkward smile. "People's generosity?"
Bakugou shot his meanest stinky eye and begrudgingly accepted to involve her in their meal plans. He didn't change his overall attitude towards Uraraka though; always keeping his distance as if uncertain of what to think of her. In Kirishima's eyes, it was a tentative first step forward at least.
They eventually fell into a peaceful routine in their traveling. Guards stopped chasing Kirishima and Bakugou the moment they spotted them in town, allowing them a couple of hours to browse for supplies before sounding the alarm. As the group traveled mostly through the air, they had already covered a great distance by the time kingdom forces were alerted.
Kirishima had been worried Uraraka might come to the wrong conclusions. The duo weren't criminals. Bakugou had simply ridiculed the current ruler once, and the King hadn't taken it lightly. But Uraraka laughed her heart out when the dragon tried to explain the situation, calling it silly and dropping the subject. Relief washed over Kirishima. He let her ride on his head for the rest of that flight, smiling all the way. His partner, surprisingly, didn't complain about the sitting arrangement for once.
This serenity was a fragile and fleeting state to remain for long though.
Things started going downhill when they reached the Great Mountains. Those massive blocks of earth, rising white and blue from the mist, were the last barrier before the Elderworm Woods. Plenty had attempted to cross them in the past; most giving up from the harsh cold and lack of proper passages. However, Kirishima had been confident about making it across when he had first suggested it to Bakugou. He could keep the Barbarian warm even if his winter garments and furs failed him. But the dragon hadn't planned for a third person in their group, more so how it would distract him from his duties. The Gods had their way to jog his memory though.
On the third day of their crossing, while they were scaling a steep slope, Bakugou slipped. Kirishima could only stare in shock as his partner fell, his cape billowing behind him. Something passed next to Kirishima in a blur. It was Uraraka free-falling. The action startled him enough to snap out of his trance. Kirishima jumped after them, his wings unfolding from behind his back as he regained his dragon form. Passing through the clouds that had settled around the cliff, he found them suspended in midair. A pink aura was covering both their bodies like a shimmering cloak, but it flickered around Uraraka. She continued chanting; hands shaking around her magic staff. Her levitation spell wouldn't last long.
With Bakugou too dumbfounded to reason, Kirishima just hovered below him and called for Uraraka to drop him. She did with a relieved sigh. Feeling Bakugou's weight settle on his saddle, Kirishima flew upwards and picked the Mage midair. They reached the top and landed smoothly on the plateau there.
As Uraraka stroke Kirishima's snout, Bakugou approached them with heavy steps and turned her around to face him.
"What did you do?" He yelled.
Uraraka stared back, the sharp scent of fear emanating from her body. "I saved… you."
"Get one thing straight, Round Face. I didn't need your help! Not now, not ever."
"But you'd have died!" She released her arm from his grip. "I couldn't just stand there and let you perish!"
"Spare me this shit," he snapped back. "I have a motherfucking dragon on my side. Kirishima would have caught me before I hit the ground."
"I wouldn't."
Both turned their questionable gaze at him.
Kirishima stared at his feet, his two hearts beating erratically. "I froze for a moment back there. Yeah, I might have had reached you but I can't say that for sure. If Uraraka hadn't intervened…"
Bakugou huffed and withdrew to the furthest corner of the plateau.
The Mage and the dragon set camp by themselves, occupying their thoughts with small talk and jokes.
Later on, when night had spread her silky midnight veil over the horizon and Uraraka had fallen asleep against Kirishima's side, he heard the shuffling of clothes and steps approaching. The faint aroma of caramel Bakugou gave off was the only reason Kirishima wasn't alarmed and continued to pretend to be asleep. The steps seized when they reached the dragon's right side.
"You didn't have to side with her," Bakugou said.
Kirishima finally opened one eye to look at him. "I was being honest."
"Bullshit."
"It was the truth and you know it. You'd have been injured or worse, dead."
"I'm not afraid of death," Bakugou said. "It comes for everyone in the end." Stepping on Kirishima's snout, he scaled the dragon's head to sit between his horns. "Your tongue has been getting ahead of itself lately."
"Is that a problem?" Kirishima didn't need to study his partner's face to understand this was troubling him.
"It's a bother, that's what it is." Bakugou flopped backward. "Where is this audacity coming from?"
"I'm not saying anything different than I did before." Kirishima snorted. "You react to it more now."
"I do not!"
"If you say so, man."
Bakugou huffed. "She was being reckless," he said, returning to their previous argument. "The idiot could have killed us both with that risky plan."
"I thought it was brave," Kirishima said wistfully. "And Uraraka did save your life, dude. You gotta thank her!"
"Whatever." His cape slipped over the dragon's right ear as Bakugou laid on his side. "Just go to sleep."
Typical, Kirishima thought with a fond eye-roll.
His partner would prefer to set himself on fire before he acknowledged anyone's help, even if that assistance had saved him from plummeting to his certain death. But if there was one thing bothering Kirishima was his own reaction back then. He prided himself in his quick reflexes. And yet, Uraraka's smile had distracted him.
Could this be dangerous? he wondered while drifting asleep.
After the fiasco with the cliff, Bakugou decided he had his fill with scaling the mountains. If they could fly to reach them, they could fly across them too. No one objected to this plan at first, but it quickly turned into an extremely awkward ride. Bakugou hadn't exchanged a single word with Uraraka since the incident and neither did she. Having to sit close, due to the harsh cold, didn't prompt them to mend their differences either.
This negativity tired Kirishima. He was doing all the hard work. Couldn't these two clear the tension between them? If only until they reached their destination at least.
The Gods granted his wish in the form of a snowstorm. Strong winds were bending his wings in the wrong directions. His second eyelid protected his eyes from the snow, but Kirishima couldn't see clearly from the fogginess it accumulated.
"Hold on!" He shouted as dark shapes sprouted in front of him. The last thing he heard before colliding with something solid where his party's screams.
When Kirishima opened his eyes again, everything was white. Ice and snow slid from his belly as he turned around to stand on all fours. His ears were ringing and his front was sore from his fall. Still, he craned his neck to find his saddle empty.
Panic flared in his chest as Kirishima scanned the horizon.
Oh, no… How long has it been?
There was nothing but plan hills made of snow as far as his eyes could reach.
No. I didn't ask for this.
He dashed ahead, the ground parting beneath him in waves.
No! That's not what I wanted.
Sure, things would be better if they got along. Bakugou was his friend, his partner, the closest thing he had to family anymore. The world could be against him and his personality had seen better days, but Kirishima had sworn to be there for him, in thick and thin. Compared to that, his relationship with Uraraka was still fresh; an uncharted, delicate bond Kirishima was only starting to make sense off. But if anything happened to her, none of his hearts wouldn't take it.
Something shimmered on his left. The air was different around that terrain as if there was a boiling pot buried underneath. Kirishima bolted in that direction, not paying any attention at how the snow got deep enough to reach his shoulder. It was getting warmer.
After a long final jump, he landed on something soft and squishy. Releasing his fire, Kirishima melted the ice around it to reveal a pink force-field. Two forms were huddled together in its center, under Bakugou's fur-lined cape.
"Guys!" Kirishima shouted.
Uraraka's eyes fluttered open and she offered him a weak smile. The field started dissipating, allowing him to enter. Kirishima didn't waste time and curled around them, offering his body's heat. Relief washed over him, filling his eyes with water. Just as Kirishima settled his head on his tail, his gaze crossed with Bakugou's red.
"Why are you crying, idiot?" The Barbarian murmured, exhausted.
He sniffed. "I almost lost you again."
Bakugou scoffed and rapped his knuckles against the dragon's scales. "You're here now and that's what fucking matters."
When they resumed their traveling, the tension was gone. Uraraka even settled in Bakugou's lap and he had to hug her to hold the reins. At first, Kirishima didn't pay much attention to it. They had been in mortal peril before, almost freezing to death. Of course, they would cuddle for warmth. Kirishima went as far as to congratulate Uraraka for convincing his stubborn partner to go with the original plan. Her flustered reaction tipped him off that something was amiss though. Ignoring the sour taste it left in his mouth, Kirishima focused on getting them away from these cursed mountains instead.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and after a particular steep peak, the Elderworm Woods unfolded before their eyes; a vast green sea, full of creatures with every size and color under the sun. Giant trees—taller than the High Castle itself—spread over the terrain. Magic rode on the wind like sparkly ribbons made of stars. Kirishima could sense it, filtering through his wings and bouncing on his scales.
It felt like home.
His excitement carried over to the others. Uraraka was tracing her fingers through the air with glee. A small smile spread across Bakugou's face as he tried to see everything at once.
They were happy and it should have been enough. Kirishima didn't want to think about the consequences of reaching their destination. But as they settled for the night, he was unable to sleep. Scenario upon scenario bounced around his head like excited fox-squirrels. What all of them had in common was Uraraka or Bakugou or, Gods forbid, both leaving him behind. He could stay in this forest forever but could they?.
The blooming romance between the two only increased Kirishima's worry. Bakugou wasn't the type of guy to sit in a field of flowers with anyone before; more so with someone, he had been on the fence for a while. Whenever Kirishima asked him about it, the Barbarian claimed he was helping Uraraka with her thesis. The sooner she finished, the better for everyone. Uraraka would return to her Academy, he and Kirishima would return on their adventuring. Yet, by observing them, it seemed more like Bakugou stalled on purpose. Chasing Uraraka around while she was gathering herbs. Climbing with her on trees to stargaze or exploring the forest together.
Kirishima couldn't ignore the truth anymore. He didn't want to get in the way of their happiness either.
So one day, while Uraraka went on her regular herb-hunting, Kirishima grabbed Bakugou and flew to the nearest hill. Despite his protests, the Barbarian remained quiet after their landing. Transforming into his human form, Kirishima took a seat on a boulder. He had gone over his words several times. Still, he didn't know where to begin.
"If you have something to say, just get this over with." Bakugou crossed his arms. "She's gonna get worried and whine about it."
Kirishima took the crumb, like a drowning man looking for a lifeline. "That's what I wanna talk about."
"Uraraka's whining?"
"No! Uraraka in general." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And she's kind-hearted enough to worry about us. You should give her more credit about that."
"Fine. What about her?"
"I've noticed she acts differently around you lately. I mean you still have your arguments and rivalry going on, but it's more mellow than before. Almost like teasing," Kirishima said, pulling at some weeds. "I don't think you notice it but you have this look on your face whenever Uraraka is around like spring has come early." Saying his observations aloud wasn't supposed to hurt. But Kirishima's insides were twisting; as if the fire in his lungs had escaped to the rest of his body. "All I'm trying to say is that it's pretty obvious that you like her and she does too. So I—"
"Huh?!" Birds flew away from the foliage nearby, Bakugou's yell scaring them off. His eyes were so wide, they might as well had popped up from their sockets at any moment. "You serious?" He said, calmer but still in a tone of disbelief. "Are you blind? She likes you!"
"What?" It was Kirishima's turn to stare as if madness had contaminated his partner.
Bakugou started passing. His cape swiped the ground, raising dust behind him. "She never shuts up about you. Always has a nice word and a smile for you. Haven't you learned anything about human courtship all these years?" He turned around to point dramatically at him. "You obviously like her back too. Giving her the best part of the meat. Offering rides. Looking at her as if you worship the ground she walks on. So don't joke around!"
"I'm not! I'm not human, man. I may look like the part from time to time. Deep down though, I'm too different to completely understand her," he said. Clenching his scale-covered fists, Kirishima stood up to reason with his partner. "I'm a monster. That's why she's better off with you anyway."
"Bullshit!" Bakugou bonked him on the head. "You're soft-hearted to a fault! People see someone big that breathes fire and they think he's dangerous. We both know that you'd be better off at some secluded cave in the mountains than go around burning villages," he said with a wave. "So what if I am human? They are scared of me! Who, in their right mind, would want to be around someone who half the kingdom is asking for his head?"
"You're not that scary, man," Kirishima said. "I've stayed by your side for so long, didn't I?"
"You don't classify as 'someone in his right mind' for exactly that reason." Bakugou took a deep breath. "Never. Not once, I got that reaction from you. As if you aren't fazed by anything and everything in the world is your friend. So don't give me this crap of being a monster. If there is one, that's me. And Uraraka is better off with someone that can treat her right."
"But she's so head-over-heels for you, dude!" Kirishima shook him by the shoulders. "You just don't want to admit it."
Bakugou grabbed him by the horns and pressed their foreheads together. "You are the one in denial and projecting your feelings on me."
"Just admit it!"
"You admit it!"
"Don't I have a say in all this?" Uraraka's voice, albeit sweet with a tinge of a hidden laugh in her tone, dropped like lighting right then and there.
The boys untangled themselves and stared back at her. Uraraka held her wand on one hand and a patch of herbs under the other. Her hair and clothes were a mess. She probably flew to this hill too since their camp was at least a mile away. Her body language wasn't showing any angry signs. But Kirishima could smell the anxiety oozing from her in waves.
"I thought something happened," Uraraka said with a sigh. "And here you are, arguing over something so stupid!"
It stunk. Was there a possibility she wasn't romantically interested in either of them and they had made a fool of themselves, treating her as an object and not a person with her own will?
"What do you mean?" Bakugou demanded to know.
"I have two hands!" Uraraka exclaimed frustrated.
Kirishima didn't understand the statement and by Bakugou's blank expression, neither did he.
"Of course you have two hands," the dragon offered. "You're a human. That's normal."
Uraraka huffed. Leaving her staff and the herbs on the ground, she approached them with a confident stance. Both boys took an involuntary step back, not sure what to expect of her. When Uraraka finally stood in front of them, she took ahold of one hand from each.
"See?" she asked with a blinding smile. "We can all stay together this way."
Bakugou figured it out first. His whole face turned the same shade of red as Kirishima's scales. Heat emanated from his body, small wisps of smoke trailing from his free fist.
"Don't be ridiculous," the Barbarian muttered, not looking any of them in the eye.
Kirishima scratched his cheek, still staring at their joint hands as if it was a puzzle he couldn't solve. "I don't get it," he said.
"It means I like you both, silly!" Uraraka said as if it was the simplest concept in the world.
"Oh."
"Oh?" Bakugou grabbed Kirishima by his jacket. "That's all you have to say?"
The dragon allowed his body to be rocked sideways. "Why are you angry, man? This great! I haven't heard of a three people's mating but it could work, right?"
Bakugou's face turned, if possible, redder than before. "Like hell it is!" He turned to Uraraka. "And you. I don't know what possessed you, Round Face. This idiot here isn't some pet you keep in your backyard and throw away when it's too big to fit there. He is someone with feelings you can hurt with statements like that. Last week, he cried because he thought he destroyed a badgers nest!"
"I know! That's why I like him!" Uraraka said. "For his heart is his biggest strength and his smile is..." She blushed. "Adorable."
"Really?" Kirishima pointed at his razor-sharp teeth. "Don't you think it's scary?"
"Says who?" Bakugou scoffed. "It's badass, that's all."
Uraraka cooed—to the Barbarian's embarrassment—before her grin turned into a frown. "I still can't believe both of you like me. I thought I was getting between you two."
"What?!" The boys cried.
"Hear me out!" she said. "You called each other 'partner' all the time."
"Yeah," Bakugou said. "Because we are comrades-in-arms."
"I was watching you two from the day I met you. It always looked like something more."
At that moment, a particularly challenging battle flashed before Kirishima's eyes. Bakugou and he had been separated. Soldiers were surrounding the dragon to stop him. Kirishima did feel a bit sorry for them when he resumed his human form and broke through their blockade. It hadn't lasted for long though, as the mindset of battle overcame him. With half a mind, he continued searching for his partner. Deep down, Kirishima knew it was unnecessary. Bakugou was a powerful wizard and a merciless warrior; he didn't need assistance. But he was also human and not having him in his sight, made Kirishima worry.
During a lull in the battle, he finally spotted ash-blond spiky hair in the distance. The Barbarian had lost his cape, fighting bare-chested with his trusty curved blades on both hands. Bloodstains littered his body but they weren't from his wounds. Kirishima dropped the soldier he had just defeated, watching mesmerized while Bakugou fought simultaneously against three enemies with a wicked grin on his face. It was a memory the dragon held dear in his two hearts because it was what real freedom looked like to him.
"I guess that's true," Kirishima said with a shy smile.
Pulling his hand away, Bakugou turned around with arms crossed. His scent was resembling more of burnt caramel and smoke escaped his clenched fists in bulk.
"Said something wrong?" Uraraka asked.
Although his expression wasn't visible, Kirishima knew they didn't have to worry. If anything, the Barbarian's ears still had a touch of red to them.
"No," Bakugou grumbled. "You're just disgustingly corny."
The dragon and the Mage exchanged a knowing look before both tackled him from behind.
"Get off me!"
"We love you, too!" Uraraka chimed.
Kirishima's hearts were hammering so loud in his chest. Joy, unlike any he felt before, filled him to the brim like a magic boost. Without Kirishima realizing, his wings unfolded and he shot to the sky above them with an excited roar. He didn't have to choose between them nor would he be left behind. They could stay together for as long as they lived.
"Put us down, you idiot!" Bakugou shouted over the wind. "You can be happy on the ground too!"
A/N: Please stay home if possible, wash your hands, be nice to people and don't hoard! Kirishima would be very disappointed in you and he's a dragon... .