Crossing Fates : Book 1 - Escape (BakuDeku)

35 - Bringing Treasures

"You are a stupid boy," Katsuki said.

He sounded furious.

Why was Katsuki so mad at him?

The world tilted as the dragon swept him into his arms bridal style. "I'm not done."

Holding Izuku tight, Katsuki started to run.

Izuku tucked his head against Katsuki's neck and fell into a halfwaking state. Afterward, he never did remember much of that run but he remembered it went on for hours.

Katsuki never faltered, never slowed. The man broke into a light sweat, but his breathing remained deep and even. Katsuki's steady grip cushioned him from any shocks.

Izuku did note one thing and murmured a question when he realized Katsuki was not taking them back the way they had been brought.

"Hush," Katsuki told him. "I'll explain later. You just have to keep trusting me."

That seemed to matter a lot to Katsuki. He kept bringing it up.

Izuku buried his face further into his neck. "Okay."

It wasn't like he had any choice at the moment.

"Good," Katsuki said gruffly, his arms tightened.

That was the last they spoke for a long time.

At last, Katsuki began to slow. Izuku roused from his doze and struggled to lift his head and look around.

They had left the barren, rocky landscape and Goblin fortress far behind and stood in a small clearing.

The man had run the rest of the day away.

The moon shone brighter than he had ever seen before. It hung huge and low and witchy over murmuring trees. The silverlined and intensely shadowed edges of the clearing shifted with a fitful breeze, the rippling contours so lifelike, hidden faces seemed to peer out at them, whispering news of their arrival.

Running water trickled nearby.

Katsuki knelt and placed him on the ground near the water.

It was a small brook. The man put a hand at his shoulder blades and supported him as he struggled to sit up.

"The water's safe," Katsuki told him. "Drink as much as you think you can. You've got to be seriously dehydrated."

Katsuki moved to the water's edge a few feet downstream from him, laid on his stomach and ducked his head all the way in.

Izuku fell forward, desperate to provide relief for his parched mouth and throat. He scooped up cold handfuls and sucked them down. When the need to drink eased, he splashed water over his face and arms, desperate to get the stink of the Goblin dungeon off of him. He scooped up more to drink and sighed.

Katsuki came up for air at last, flinging back his head in a wet spray that sparkled in the moonlight.

"That's got to be one of the best things I've ever tasted," Izuku said.

It wasn't just thirst talking. The water was crisp and alive somehow, more nourishing and satisfying than anything else he could remember drinking. He could feel his wilted resources soaking it up greedily. It soothed the cramped, starved part of his soul into something resembling peace.

Already, he felt steadier than he had in a while, the sick sense of crisis brought on by exhaustion, injury and stress, easing.

Katsuki grinned. "It's being here, in the Margin Land. The heightened land magic makes everything more intense. If you like that, just wait until you see what else I have for you."

He pushed back on his knees and sat up. "What is it?"

"I found some food you can eat. I got you other things too, but nourishment comes first," Katsuki opened the leather pack and pulled out a flat leaf-wrapped package and handed it to him.

Izuku took it with obvious reluctance. "Bakugo, I don't think I could stomach anything you found in that hellhole."

"Don't jump so fast to conclusions," Katsuki nodded. "Go ahead, open it."

He pulled the leaves apart and the most mouthwatering aroma escaped.

Katsuki broke off an end of the wafer he held and coaxed it between Izuku's lips. When the piece hit his tongue, it began to melt.

He chewed and swallowed with a moan. It was indescribably delicious.

"Elven wayfarer bread," he breathed.

Vegetarian nourishing in a way that fed the soul as well as the body and imbued with healing properties.

"I've heard about it, of course; who hasn't? It's legendary. But I've never had the chance to taste any before."

Katsuki broke off another piece and fed it to him, watching as he closed his eyes and moaned again with delight. "Eat every bite of that. It'll do you good," the man told him. "I found a dozen wafers. We have plenty."

He stared at Katsuki. A dozen wafers would fetch a fortune on the black market. Most people couldn't beg, borrow or steal the wayfarer bread.

Oh. He looked down at what he held and his enjoyment dimmed.

"You found it in the Goblin captain's rooms?"

"Among other things. Remember I said half the loot was untouched?" Katsuki frowned. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Oh, I will," he assured him. He broke off another piece. "It's too precious to waste and I need it. It's just hard to enjoy someone else's misfortune."

Katsuki smiled a little and touched the corner of Izuku's mouth. "For all you know, some Elf suffered a minor annoyance when his or her pack got stolen, and they've forgotten all about it by now. You go ahead and relish every bite."

"That's true."

The unknown Elf hadn't necessarily been hurt or killed.

He took a deep breath. "Aren't you going to eat any?"

"Not my kind of food," Katsuki told him. "I'll go hunting if I feel the need."

Right. Carnivore.

Izuku went back to his meal.

Katsuki reclined on his side, propped his head in his hand and watched Izuku enjoy the wayfarer bread. He waited until he had put the last piece in his mouth, then he started to pull other things out of the pack and lay them in Izuku's lap.

A light woolen Elven blanket, a shirt and pants, a packet of soap- soap!- and a hairbrush.

Izuku stared at the treasures.