Chapter Text
They both are silent as they return to camping. Not even the insects dare to make a noise. Neither bother to put any logs on to start a fire, neither care about eating. They're too hurt, too wounded to do anything but sit down and start bandaging each other up.
The fight was supposed to be easy. Both of them were professionals, having fought Lungber many times before. They know their weak spots, know where to hit to daze them before they can slice through their fragile wings. The creatures are nasty buggers for the average traveler, but for Katsuki and Eijirou, they were nothing more than a nuisance. Even a whole nest of them should have been an easy pay day for them.
So why had it gone so wrong today? Katsuki lost a sword. Eijirou had been pierced through the stomach. They were forced to retreat. Even worse, they were forced to hide, like cowards, to make sure none of the Lungbers could follow them back.
And now, here they are, bandaging each other up as the sun starts to set. Neither talk. It's a stony kind of silence between them. Katsuki could feel the tension on his tongue, can feel how it wants to choke him. He grits his teeth and refuses to back down, his ire growing as his body aches in pain. When they get done, Katsuki gets up, reaching for his pack for rations. Something fast, for their healing bodies.
His ear perks up when he hears Eijirou mumble something under his breath. "What?" Katsuki barks out. "What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything." Eijirou sounds just as done as he does. Normally, Eijirou kind of lets Katsuki simmer when he's in a bad mood, but the dragon is just as snappy as he says "What is your fucking problem?"
Katsuki snorts, bending down to pick up the bag with their rations. He grabs a stick of jerky for him and one for Eijirou, throwing it at the back of Eijirou's head. "You're my fucking problem.'
The stick bounces off of Eijirou's head, to fall to the ground. For a moment, it worries Katsuki that he didn't catch it, but that worry disappears as the dragon hybrid twists around, snapping his fangs at air. "I'm the problem? I'm not the one that almost got us killed today."
"Me?" Katsuki asks, dumbfounded, awe, and offended all at once that Eijirou would place the blame on him. "You're the one who got his ass kicked and I had to save you."
"Because I was covering your back! You always do this. You jump into a fight, unprepared and convinced that you can just blast your way through it. I have to back you up and I get hurt," Eijirou snarls. "I'm tired of it."
"If you're so tired of it, then stop doing it. I can take care of myself in a fight."
Eijirou snorts, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Just like that fight with the manticore where you got poisoned. Who saved you? I did."
"I don't need saving," Katsuki growls out. He jabs Eijirou in the chest with his finger. "I certainly don't need saving from you."
"Fine! If that's the way you think, maybe I should go my own way. See how you fair without me."
"I'd fair a lot better than you can without me. You're fucking hopeless without me."
"Meeting you was the worst mistake of my life. I could be a free dragon, going where I want to, and yet I have to follow after you."
"Yeah? Well it's not like I like you breathing down my neck. You hover all the time. And we constantly have to stop to help others, because you're too naive for your own good. Without you, I would have a lot more money and be more famous."
"Without me, you would have been killed in your sleep because you're such a self-righteous ass. You give me a bad reputation, as the dragon who is kept on a leash by a selfish barbarian."
They're nose to nose, inches away from each other. Katsuki is practically shaking, his curled fists desperate to punch something. He digs his nails into his flesh.
Eijirou towers over him. His wings are spread, an instinct to show how big and scary he is. His breath is warm, warmer than a human, and there is spark of fire every time he talks.
Katsuki turns on his heel, stomping across the campground to grab his bag.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done talking to you!"
"Well,I'm done talking to you. You think you can make it on your own. Fine. Be on your own." Katsuki stuffs everything he touches into his bag, uncaring about what it is. He's too busy shaking out of his body, too angry. Frustrated tears want to fall but he refuses. "I have better things to do than babysit a whiny dragon who never bothers to thank me for everything I do for him."
"Thank you? For what?" The words are bitter, spat out. Eijirou stands, seeming to grow by the second as his agitation rises. "Should I thank you for all the times you got us kicked out of a town because of your shitty attitude? Or all the fights you got us into because you couldn't put your pride to the side? Is that what I should be thankful for?"
Katsuki's anger rises. He practically sees red, his fist shaking as he continues to stuff his things into his bag. "Sure. If that's what you truly think. Not like I've saved us from traps you walked into because you couldn't be bothered to use your brain. Or how I made sure that we don’t get scammed because of your stupid bleeding heart." He swings his backpack on his back. He doesn't look back at Eijirou, can't stand to look at him right now.
He can still hear him though. He can hear how he snorts, can hear the grinding of his teeth together. "I rather have a bleeding heart, then be a selfish bastard like you. You know what? Mina and my mothers were right. You're just a no-good human who can't see past your own greed."
A stab goes through Katsuki's heart, an ache in his chest. He suspected that Eijirou's friends and parents didn't like him, but he had wanted to believe they changed their opinion. Looks like he wasn't being self-conscious. He should have listened to his instincts. Maybe then it would have protected his heart.
He finally turns, glaring at the dragon. Eijirou is more dragon like now, so close to fully shifting. Barely holding himself back. Still, Katsuki does his best to look him in the eye. "And my father was right about you. That you would lead me to ruin and forgetting what truly matters."
Eijirou jerks back, shock on his face. He had always thought Katsuki's parents loved him. They had seemed to accept him with open arms. Were they lying this entire time?
Hurt colors his tone, and as he spreads his wings, flying into the air, he yells back "If that's how you really feel then fine. I never want to see you again."
He flies off before Katsuki can say anything more, flying faster than he's ever had.
Katsuki stares after him, sneering. "Stupid dragon," he shouts after him, even if he's sure Eijirou didn't hear him.
Katsuki turns and finishes packing. He spits on the ground, glaring at the campsite.
~
Somewhere far away, with tears in his eyes and the wind rushing past him, is Eijirou. Stupid barbarian, he thinks.
He's not sure how far he has flown, before he thinks about stopping. Enough that it makes his wings ache. He shifts in midair and lands on a nearby three, his head hung low.
What am I doing? He thinks. They've fought before but something about this felt...rough. Raw. Katsuki was always angry, yeah, but he was hardly ever that angry with Eijirou. Eijirou liked to think himself as special to the other. They were supposed to be mates, after all!
Nothing about today had felt mate-like at all.
Eijirou worries his bottom lip. If he's being truthful to himself...this had been building up the last couple of weeks. Maybe even longer. They had been snapping at each other, getting into more arguments. Fuck, even before they ran into that nest of Lungbers, they had gotten into an argument, which is why the monster had been able to catch them off guard and get a good hit on Eijirou.
Eijirou taps his claws against his thighs, looking up at the night sky. He finds nothing there, stars hidden behind thick clouds. He won't be able to get an answer out of his ancestors tonight.
It had just been a stupid argument, right? Neither of them had meant the words they said...right? Eijirou brings his knees up to his chest, wrapping his tail around himself. Well. He might have meant a little bit of it. It is true that it's frustrating that Katsuki just can't be nice to someone, that he always demands something in return. And they had been kicked out of a lot of towns because of the barbarian's anger. Eijirou's frustration isn't for nothing. Katsuki can be a hard person to deal with.
Eijirou blows out a breath. He wasn't being unreasonable, no matter what Katsuki said. He had every right to be angry. But those words don't keep him warm like the other's arms would.
...not that Katsuki would hold him tonight. Or tomorrow. Or even the next night. They don't cuddle like they used to. They hardly touch anymore. Fuck, when was the last time they kissed?
Eijirou leans his head in the crock of his arms and breathes. He just needs time. Just needs a little time to cool down so he doesn't burn his mate to a crisp for being such an ass.
He'll go back and sit the other down for a talk as soon as he cools down.
~
Katsuki looks up to the sky. When he doesn't see anything there, he hefts his backpack up higher and gets to walking. He keeps his face like a stone. He will not cry over a stupid dragon. He's the great Katsuki of the Bakugou clan! He's fought bigger things than a broken heart.
He continues walking down the road with an aching chest and does not look back.