Star-Crossed (Fantasy AU - Bakugou Katsuki x Reader)

Ch.26- Triticum

Ch.26- Triticum

He heaved, wiping the blood off the blade, and fell onto his rear. That was the fourth one of those pesky dybbuks he had dealt with tonight. Had it not been for the enchanted blade that he got from the Elves, he wouldn't have been able to separate the malevolent spirit from its host.

In all four cases today- it had been some dimwitted Elf who didn't come home in the last two days and wondered back here processed by the ghost of someone who perished in these woods. At least now they would be actually sent to their afterlife.

Bakugou pulled a canteen off his side and pressed the cold metal to his lips. Only a few drops came out and he cursed. The summer heat was nasty, even at night. But he should be off soon... Edlin or Merlion should be coming soon to relieve him and put the actual guards on duty.

But, he had pretty much become this village's monster slayer and exorcist it appeared. The last six months had been nothing but him working long hours fighting creatures, getting back to his little tree hut, eating and showering before checking on you, and then passing out.

Repeated day after day after day until the days were no longer accurate measurements of time to him. Bakugou had been focused on his agreement with the Elves and they appeared to actually be trying their best to revive you for him.

Bakugou sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It had always been wild before, but he needed a haircut from how long and crazy he was starting to look. He was even starting to get a shadow of a beard on his face. Yeah... he needed to try and groom himself a little and not look like a wild mountain monster hunter.

"You are done for the night." Edlin announced and gave him a look. "I'd retire to your home immediately."

Bakugou's eyes widened and his stomach dropped. He clumsily grabbed all his things and took off to where he had been staying. Never once had Edlin told him to go home, usually only to leave him and his guards.

So could that mean...?

He pushed back the cloth entrance to his residence and his chest stopped. Ladies Vanadis, Liriel, and Fleur all stood around the bed he had never used once since using this place. On it was a young girl who looked to have not aged a day since he last saw her.

Her breathing was light and her eyes closed. The usual shimmer she had always had was gone, but she still looked like her. God... she was here before him again.

He took a few cautious steps forward as if fearing this was an illusion. But as he reached out and touched your soft locks of (hair color) Bakugou fell onto his knees and couldn't hold back the tears of relief.

All that relief turned once more into grief though as he realized something. He turned to look at the three Elvian women. Lady Fleur had paced to the door, looking to be leaving while Ladies Vanadis and Liriel remained close to your bedside.

"Why isn't she awake?" He husked out.

Lady Fleur stopped and Vanadis and Liriel both inhaled sharply. Bakugou's eyes widened and his carmine hues flickered back to you. You were breathing and your physical form had returned... but that seemed to be it. You showed no sign of consciousness... no sign of any of you inside of the body that was your own and finally returned to you after a year and a half.

It was too much. All this time and work and pain... and this was what these Elves gave him? He couldn't take it... so, Bakugou snarled and looked at the three Elves with a burning hatred for this and for not doing more or working as hard as he had been for these last six months.

"Why the fuck isn't she awake?!" He asked and turned to the two Elvian women.

"We're not sure... but the most we can guess is that while she's regained her form, she's unable to wake up due to a low amount of magic. Elves rely on magic to live and thrive... if we are low, our bodies will go into a state of hibernation until we can regain that magic we need." Vanadis explained to him.

"She's going to wake up though?" Bakugou sterned. "Right?!"

Liriel exhaled gently and gave him a conflicted look. "I wish we could provide you a definite answer, Drgonbourne. However... its a miracle that I was able to figure out this much with such a unique case as the one the half-breed- half-elf- has faced."

"So what next then?" He asked and looked at the women with a flash of determination.

"We are not sure of there is anymore we can do." Vanadis admitted. "We returned her form and from here, its really on if she's able to absorb magic again now that her star-half has gone dormant once more."

"Are you fucking saying that she might not... that (Name) is gonna fucking sleep the rest of her damn life!!" His hands gripped into fists. "That's not fucking good enough! She's still not here!"

"We brought her form back to you, did we not, Beast?" Fleur finally spoke up.

Bakugou whirled around to face her and he glared at the Elvian woman. She merely raised her nose upwards, a sigh of disgust in this culture as he had found out from being here for so long.

"I asked you to help her! Not just fucking give her her body back! If she's still unresponsive... then its not different in her flesh then in a crystalization!" He shouted back and took a step towards Lady Fleur. "I'm fucking sick of you all! I do exactly as you say and go beyond that... and you won't be return the favor! Does your shitty culture not believe in compromise or collaboration?!"

"We do. But not with those we know would never understand our culture." Fleur silenced him with a strict tone. "And only Elves know of the importance of Elvian culture. No other race out there will ever be able to understand and adapt to another-"

"Bullshit!" Bakugou slammed one of his hands against his chest. "You're fucking saying that when I'm right fucking before you? I'm not an elf but I've put up with all your rules for months now!!"

"Only because you wished to get something out of us." Fleur countered him.

"So what?! That's why you work with people? People everyone always gets something out of it!" His brows twitched. "How the fuck do you think humans and dragons came to live together and how Dragonbourne's became a recognized race?!"

Fleur huffed and turned her head to him. Vanadis and Liriel looked conflicted on what was happening but didn't say anything to stop their fellow village leader from continuing to poke someone who had a short fuse made shorter by his desperation to have the half-elf returned to him.

"A human taught a dragon language and in return the dragon taught the human language." Bakugou sterned and turned back to where you lay on the bed. "Dragonbournes only exist because humans and dragons were willing to give the other a chance and ended up creating not only half-dragons but an entirely new race of people too... last I checked- you Elves only had a single example of your society and yourselves."

Lady Fleur rolled her eyes and turned on her heels. She knew of this temper and could see that even if he had matured, the inner burning monster within the ash-blonde was as dangerous and vicious as when he was a mere child.

If not even a child could change, then established races wouldn't either. People could never see eye to eye... so why bother if it would only lead to insults and rage. The Elves stuck to themselves for this reason. They had too much within their culture to let others in... or allow halves to be born within their villages.

"Who's gonna tell your history if your entire race gets wiped out?" Bakugou spoke softly, sitting down in the chair beside your bedside.

He took one of your hands into one of his own. His knuckles ran across your skin and he tried to ignore how cold your skin felt. He frowned still though and turned to look at Lady Fleur once more.

"You're race and its history will become lost of you keep closed off. So what's the point of protecting something destined to be destroyed?" He asked her and then looked away. "Those who will remember will be the half-elves you exiled and they sure as Hell won't speak lightly of your treatment of them."

Lady Fluer's left eye twitched and she turned. Her bare feet moved against the wood outside and echoed from her stomping away. Lady Liriel followed after Fleur and told her to cease her rapid pace. Only Vanadis remained with Bakugou.

"You have made some valid points here tonight." She told him but still frowned. "But... if its wrong of us to not share of values according to you, then isn't it as equally wrong of you to judge and tell us exactly how we Elves should be living according to the principles you were raised off of?"

"Charity and sharing ain't part of dragon culture." Bakugou muttered and squeezed your hand. "Dragons hoard what they see as value and won't ever give up those treasures. Dragonbournes and Half-Dragons picked up on that trait too. I've collected a lot of shit in my life and had grown up with the impression that if I could take it then it just meant the person I took it from didn't care enough about it to fight for it."

Bakugou closed his eyes. "I won't lie... I was a pretty bad kid: arrogant and rude. But the day I left to find a magic guild was the first time I started to interact with other races. Thinking your above everyone else won't help you at all in the end- cause you'll be by yourself. I didn't know the importance of growing and trusting others until I joined my guild. I didn't know how toxic certain parts of my own culture could be... until I was interacting with people from all walks of life. I hated it at first... but now- it was those frustrations and slow progress on who I was that helped me put up with all of you here."

Lady Vandis hummed and turned to the door. "What works for one should never be applied to others."

"Take your own advice." Bakugou spoke as she left.

The sound of Vanadis walking away didn't occur right away but it did a minute after his parting words to her. Her steps were rapid as if she wanted to flee from here. Flee from the words and ideas that Bakugou had shared with her and learned not from his own people... but from every other race aside his own.

He knew she had listened and heard him. So now it was a matter of what Vanadis and the other Elves here would do. He had said all he could.

He glanced at your restful face and let his lips turn upwards for a passing moment. He had forgotten in this past year and a half how soft your features were. Your eyes were still hidden from him but your skin was still soft and smelled of balsam and freshwater.

"I'm not leaving until you can walk out of here with me, Pointy-Ears." he told you. "So you better wake up soon so I can quit doing all the shitting gaurding they're making me do."

It was a lie though. No matter how long it took... Bakugou would uphold the end of his deal with them. Not just for you or him... but to show the Elves that he was not like they assumed every non-Elf was: perfidious.