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Your human life in your world was everything you expected it to be, however here, a new and amazing experience lurked on every corner. Though frightening at first, falling from the sky and landing amongst the company of a friendly dragon and a feisty prince, was likely the best experience of your life. Even the monotonous motion of putting one foot in front of the other was suspenseful, because in this marvelous world, adventure lurked behind every large tree trunk.
And even if it didn’t, Eijiro’s company made up for the lack of excitement.
As they traversed the land, onward to their next destination, he kept up a steady stream of chatter. He was so curious about your world, getting hooked on descriptions of even mediocre things.
“So, this wa-shing me-chine cleans your clothes for you? All you have to do is feed it soap and water?”
“Kinda yeah. And well turn it on.” you mention.
Eijiro's face melted to pink and Katsuki whipped around, “What perverted things are you saying, Outsider?”
You flushed with realization, “No, that not what I meant. I just mean, well it’s how you activate it.”
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at you before turning back around.
“Wow, it’s amazing how your world has adapted to live without magic.” Eijiro commented.
You found it interesting how Eijiro was so fascinated with your world when he had this; Dragons, Fae, Monsters, Magic, all the things people wished were real in your world.
Thinking back to the last time you were home, you couldn’t imagine surviving without your phone and fanfiction and yet here you were, dimensions away from it and enjoying nature at it’s purest.
You did however miss vehicles.
Walking was fine, you’d even gotten used to it ,to an extent, however in the past few days, you feel yourself a little short on breath. You wonder if perhaps the terrain was subtly inclined and causing you to feel winded.
“It’s so humid today.” you comment, casually, eyeing the overcast sky.
Eijirou glances at you, a little wrinkle at his brow told you what you’d said was strange, “I don’t think it’s humid. It’s kinda neutral. Though, that may be my dragon temperature. Katsuki, do you think it’s warm today?”
“No, Shitty Scales,” Katsuki snaps, “Stop asking stupid questions.”
He was holding the map in his hands, assessing it carefully. Another thing you missed, Google Maps.
“Maybe it’s just me.” you say, dismissively, however your chest began to tighten a little more with every few meters.
Katsuki does eventually stop, when the day had flitted away and the sky dimmed to a darker gray, “I think we’ve gone far enough today. We’ll stop here.”
He drops his back down and says as he marches into the forest, “I’m going to see if there’s anything worth hunting here. Both of you set up camp.”
“Yes, My Prince.” Eijiro answered, obediently.
It wasn’t rare to see Katsuki barking orders but it was times like this that you were more aware of the royal blood that flowed in his veins. What a strange thing to have a royal roaming the country and not in a castle somewhere making laws and evaluating taxes.
You try to picture Katsuki like you would the Queen of England, and suddenly burst out laughing at the image of Katsuki in goddy, old lady attire.
“What?” Eijiro asked, smiling naturally at your laughter.
“Sorry, nothing. I was just thinking about what Katsuki would look like if he was a royal in my world.” you say, as you set your things down and clear the area for the bed rolls. You were careful to get rid of all the small stones, you’d slept on a pebble once and did not fancy another indent ever again.
“Are the rulers in your world fierce and wise?” Eijro asks as he unpacks.
You shake your head, as you roll out the bed rolls, “More like greedy and power-hungry.”
Eijiro nods, walking toward the edge of the forest and picking up stray twigs and branches, “So exactly like Katsuki.”
You shrug, going to help him, “Maybe.”
“I can hear you idiots!” Katsuki yelled from beyond the trees.
“Bakugou, you’re going to scare the animals with that yelling.” Eijiro griped.
“Then stop fucking talking about me.”
Eijiro exhaled exasperatedly and then began the fire. He breathed life to the campfire. You never tire of seeing the beautiful way the branches catch light. They sit before it, keeping warm as night brings a slight chill. Moments ago, you’d been too warm and yet now the air awakened goosebumps on your skin. A weird occurrence, but one you brushed off as not being used to this world’s seasons.
Katsuki appeared a while later with three rabbits in his hand hanging by their feet.
“Nice catch.” you compliment.
Katsuki clicks his tongue obnoxiously, “Rabbits are easy.”
“Not for me.” Ejiro pipes, “They’re wicked fast.”
“Wow, Rabbit vs Dragon. Who would have thought Rabbit wins.” you joke.
Ejiro smiled good naturedly, “Never assume the weaker animal wins.”
“You’re not an animal, Kirishima.” Katsuki mumbles as he skins the rabbit. His knife was quick and accurate and soon three rabbits were roasting over the fire. The scent of cooking meat wafted through the air. You normally enjoyed the smell and the promise of food after a long day of traveling. Tonight, however, the smell churned your stomach.
Subtly, you shift back a little and later when Eijiro offers you a cooked rabbit, you decline, “I think I’m going to skip dinner tonight.”
Ejiro frowns with concern, “Are you sure? We have a long journey ahead, Traveller.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just not feeling that hungry. You can have it.” you say, smiling reassuringly.
“Well, if you’re sure…” though reluctant, you’d never know the crimson dragon to turn down extra food.
“At least have some bread so you don’t get hungry later.” Eijiro says.
You accept the bread, nibbling on it. Though the savory item helped settle your stomach, you still could not manage the entire roll.
Over the fire, Katsuki glares at you, but remains silent.
***
“Pst, Katsuki.” Ejiro whispers, “Are you awake?”
“I am now, you dumb lizard.” Katsuki grumbles, “What is it?”
“I think something’s wrong with the Traveller.” he says worriedly.
Groaning, Katsuki rises from his bed roll on the other side of Eijiro. He’d suspected something was off about you. He’d noticed how winded you’d become on recent travels. The way you’d looked a bit feverish despite the neutral weather and at other times, you shivered. Tonight’s incident just added to the list he’d been building. He hoped it would just be a passing illness, but looking down at you now, he knew it was not.
You were shaking, even curled up in your bed roll and with Ejiro’s wing sheltering you protectively. A light sheen of sweat coated your ashen skin. You breathing was unsteady, almost as though you were drawing breath through a rag.
You’d been somewhat normal only a few moments ago and Katsuki did not like how far whatever this was, progressed.
“What could have made them sick?” Eijirou asked, anxiously.
“No idea.” Katsuki replied, assessing, “Wake them up and give them a healing tonic.” He said, finally, “They’ll get better by morning.”
“Are you sure? This seems a little different from what we normally use the healing tonic for.”
Katsuki was not sure, but he’d rather give you a healing tonic than do nothing, “Just do it, Kirishima. It can’t make it any worse.”
Katsuki pulled himself up and reached for his bag with the healing tonic inside. He uncorked the sloshing dark green liquid, while Eijiro woke you gently.
“Traveler.” he cooed, “Hey, Traveler.”
He shook you, lightly, but you groaned and shifted away. “Hey, come on, now.” he called softly.
“Oi, dumbass. Wake up!” Katsuki yelled, impatiently.
Eijiro gave him a chiding look.
“What?” Katsuki said, defensively, “You wanna keep cooing like a mamabird. Then none of us will get any sleep.”
Your eyes blink open, reluctantly, “Did something happen?”
“Yeah, your shivering is worrying Shitty Scales and he’s keeping me awake.” Katsuki grumbles and plops down. Holding out the healing potion, he says, “Here.”
Eijiro coaxes you into sitting up. He allows you to use his wing as a back rest.
Groggily, you ask, “What’s that?”
“A healing tonic. Like the one I gave you when you first got here.” Eijirou explained.
You take the bottle in shaky hands, and Eijiro cups them in his one hand to steady it. You never really noticed how large his hand is, how his one engulfs both of yours.
Together, you bring the bottle to your lips. You cringe away from it when the taste touches your tongue, but Eijiro holds you firmly. His wing at your back and his hand on yours, don’t falter.
“Come on, you have to drink all of it for it to work.” he encourages.
You swallow the last of it, wrinkling your nose, “Can I go back to sleep now?”
Katsuki is already heading over to his bedroll, “Yeah, try not to worry Eijiro this time, Outsider. It becomes a bother to me.”
Eijiro shoots a glare to Katsuki but turns a gentle eye to you, “You should rest. Are you cold? You can sleep closer to me.”
You nod, drawn to his warmth and how it made you melt readily into the dragon’s chest. You didn’t consider what a compromising position it was. Neither did Eijiro with how concerned he was for your health.
You fell back asleep almost instantly, as though you’d never been awake. Ejiro stretches his wing over you, protectively, a shield against the night's chill.
Katsuki checks to see whether you’re asleep before he drags his bedroll onto your other side. He hastily slides into his bed roll and mumbles to Eijiro, “Not a word, Overgrown Lizard.”
Eijiro smiled knowingly at him but didn’t say anything. He turned to you, wondering if the tonic would help.
“They’re gonna be okay, right?” Eijiro asked, the wing he had wrapped around you, flexed a little tighter.
Katsuki knew he was immensely protective of you, that you being sick distressed him. He knew giving him anything other than reassurances would only send him further down the spiral, “Of course, you dumb lizard. They probably just caught a bug. Nothing serious.”
Though as Katsuki observed you, he noticed your tremble hadn’t ceased, even with the dragon’s warmth.
***
Katsuki didn’t sleep much that night. Every time he’d close his eyes, he’d hear your labored breaths and his snap open. A little inkling of fear crawled into his head, a brainworm whispering that if he took his eyes off you, you’d stop breathing all together. He’d hoped that the tonic would kick in as each hour passed, but as dawn approached, he realized it had done nothing and you looked a lot worse.
By the time Eijiro woke, he’d made a decision, “There’s a small village going East.” He told Eijiro, “We should take the Outsider there. There might be a healer who can help them.”
Eijiro gazed down at you, sadly, “I really thought they’d get better.”
“We’ll figure this out.” Katsuki reassured him, he couldn’t have Eijiro become distraught and not be able to function, “Leave them to sleep a little longer and help me pack up.”
***
It became apparent that having you walk on your own was slowing everyone down so Eijiro offered to carry you on his back. You found it a little embarrassing but couldn’t deny that you were threatening their progress.
In your time in this world, you began to recognize the cardinal points by the position of the shadows. You’d been heading North yesterday, but now they were walking East, “Are we changing route?” you inquire, puzzled.
“We’re heading into this nearby village,” Eijiro answered. “We’re hoping there’s a healer there.”
“What? You don’t have to. This is probably just the flu, guys. We get that back home. It’s nothing.” you say, hating that they were going out of their way for something that wasn’t even that serious.
Katsuki glances at you, unimpressed. Usually Katsuki is ahead by at least ten paces, leading the way. You find it a bit strange that he’s walking so close, but comforting nevertheless.
“How long does it take to pass?” Katsuki inquires, “This flu?”
“Um, a couple days?” you reply.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “You can’t be slowing us down for a couple days and you can’t expect Eijiro to carry you. Even he gets tired. Finding a healer is the better option.”
You pout, hating that Katsuki’s points were valid.
“Don’t worry, Traveller. This way you’ll be feeling better in no time.” Eijiro said, trying to cheer you up.
Your lips quirk up a little and you settle onto his back, finding it more comfortable than a memory-foam mattress. You had worried that you were squashing his wings when you first climbed on, but with Eijiro’s countless reassurances, you rested against him snugly. You counted yourself lucky to find such dependable companions in this foreign world.
You had expected Katsuki to push on ahead no matter the state of your health. He’d want to finish this quest to move on with his life, and yet he was going out of his way to help you get better.
The kindness of both red-eyed men warmed your heart. It felt special and truly other-worldly to experience such rare kindness.
They crested a hill to find the village lay just below. Small and quint, you were sure you could walk the circumference of it under a half hour. As you neared, you noticed children playing in the surrounding fields. As one after the other spotted your little group, they ran to each other and then scurried to the village.
Entering the village drew the stares of the few people milling about. They watched wide-eyed, parents shielding their children behind them.
“Oi, stop looking at us like that. If three strangers make you react like that, maybe you should get out more!” Katsuki snapped, irritably.
“Katsuki!” Eijiro chided, “Sorry about that.” he said to the few villagers present, “We’re looking for a healer. Our companion is sick.”
You tighten your arms around Eijiro, disliking the distrustful stares the villagers cast upon him.
A middle-aged woman with long bushy brown hair and prominent smile lines, stepped forward. She seemed less agitated than her companions, “I will lead you to our healer. Forgive our village’s suspicion, we do not get many travelers here and definitely not… Crimson Dragons.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue but Eijiro placated, “That’s alright. We understand.”
The women led the way while the others' eyes stayed locked on you all as you passed. Many emerged from their homes to gape as they crossed doorways. You’ve grown so used to Eijiro’s presence that you forget that while dragons are plausible in this world, they were still incredibly rare. They must be quite a spectacle considering the gawkers and muffled gasps.
“Here we are.” the woman said, directing you inside a house that looked no different then the rest of the village homes. Your eyes were instantly drawn to the walls lined with vials and jars filled with plants and liquids that shimmered in the early sunlight. A small desk with simple parchment and ink and quill lay just after it.
“I will just go and get him. He normally makes house visits. I’m sure he’s close by.” The woman says before departing. Eijiro deposited you on the single low bed present in the room. As you waited, Katsuki took an interest in the jars and seemed to be considering each one critically.
“How are you feeling?” Eijiro asked, dropping down to balance on the tops of his feet and rest his elbows on his thighs.
You smile bravely, “I’m fine. I wish you both didn’t have to drag me all the way here for this.”
“Well, it’s either that or bury you and head home but I’m sure Shitty Scales would complain about the second option.” Katsuki said, off-handedly.
Eijiro shot him a look but just sighed, exasperated.
“Well, I would hope no one needs to be buried here.”
All heads snap to the doorway. The healer is an elderly man, though one of those that look as though they could run a marathon at a moment’s notice. He smiled kindly, welcomingly and possessed a pleasant aura that made you feel in good hands.
Katsuki scoffed, “Took you long enough.”
The man thankfully was not offended and walked calmly to you. Eijiro rose and stepped aside instantly.
The man stood before you, running his eyes over your frame clinically. You could almost see mental notes being taken. Then finally he looked up to meet your eyes, “How are you feeling?”
“Um, miserable I guess.” you say, not completely sure how best to describe your current state of being, “I’ve just been finding it a lot harder to keep up and well breathe.”
The healer nodded as you spoke, “Alright,” he held up his two fingers and they began to glow a pale baby blue, “Is it alright if I touch you? I tend to get a more accurate read on your symptoms like this.”
You nod, agreeing and he places his two fingers on your heart and says, “Breathe in…And out. Good.”
A frown twitches on his lips, “Are there any other symptoms you can tell me about?”
You consider it, “Well, I guess I’ve been feeling too hot or too cold at odd moments. Even if I’m sleeping next to Eijiro, I still feel cold.”
The man nods, removing his hand, “Anything else?”
“Yeah,” Katsuki pipes up from where he was leaning against the wall, “The healing tonic didn’t work and they have loss of appetite.”
The healer smiled knowingly, “Sensitivity to meat?”
“Yeah.”
The healer withdrew to his wall of vials and bottles, “Good news. It’s not serious.” he began pulling things from the shelf and pouring ingredients into a larger bowl, “You have Mescella.”
Katsuki groaned,loudly, “The Menacing Meccies. We came all this way for that!”
You look at Eijiro a bit confused, “What’s the Meccies?”
Eijiro’s lips quirked up as though amused, a one-eighty change from how worried he was moments before, “It’s an illness mostly children get at least once. Some adults get it too, but it’s rather… rare.”
The healer returned to the conversation holding a few vials in his hand, “It’s easier for children to deal with the illness than adults. A shame you had to get it at this age. This will help with it though. Drink one a day, preferably at night and soon you’ll be as good as new.”
Katsuki grabs the vials before you reach for it, “I’ll keep those. I don’t trust you to remember to take them.”
You throw Katsuki a small glare, but say your thanks to the healer. Eijiro helps you onto your feet.
“Oh and you may want to refrain from sleeping with the dragon until your fever clears up. His high body temperature may be making it worse.” the healer commented.
You blushed lightly at the insinuation, though Eijirou luckily didn’t catch that.
He whined, pouting, “Do we have to?”
In all honesty, you were just as upset. You’d grown so used to falling asleep next to each other, you weren’t sure how you sleep without Eijiro’s comforting warmth only an inch away.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “It’s just for a few days. Stop being such a brats. Come on, both of you.” Katsuki coughed up a few silvers for the healer, “Making me waste money on the Menacing Meccies. Fucking annoying.”
***
A day later, you’re walking through the forest. Katsuki refused to slow down for ‘Just the Meccies’. He wouldn’t stop talking about how dramatic you had been, leading him to believe it was something more serious. You felt bad for derailing the mission, though after the first couple of hours of his complaining, you snapped at him, “Alright, I get it! I’m sorry.” you say, exasperated, “I didn’t even know what it was. Can you stop?!”
Katsuki glared, but reduced his rant to a grumble.
Eijiro at least was still supportive. He offered to carry you until you were better, but truthfully after the first vial you felt up for the walk, maybe not as rigorous of a pace as Katsuki set but you managed with Eijiro dragging behind to slow Katsuki to your pace. You were thankful.
It was depressing sleeping apart from Eijiro. You hadn’t realized how addicted you’d become to the dragon’s warmth. And it wasn’t just you, Eijiro sulked in his separate bedroll, tossing and turning, his wings creating a gust of wind each time, until Katsuki yelled in frustration, “Oh for fucks sake, just fucking hold hands or something. Just go the fuck to sleep!”
Eijiro and you exchanged looks and you held out your hand with a timid smile. He took it happily.
It wasn’t as effective as having him next to you, but it did help you sleep.
On the second night following the healer visit, you tried to claim that your fever had probably gone down. Eijiro was momentarily delighted, though Katsuki settled you with an unimpressed look. He merely walked up to you and placed his hand on your forehead and said, “Nice try. You’re close to dragon temp yourself.”
You deflate at your ruined attempt, and though Eijiro looks sad as well, he scolds you for pretending to be better.
Your appetite had not returned but you were hopeful it would.
That was until the third day, when the walk began to hurt your lungs again. When the vomiting began and you couldn’t keep down anything, not even dry bread. When the temperature fluctuations returned worse than before. When your vision began to swim with dizziness.
You caught the concerned glint in Katsuki’s eyes, but he insisted they keep moving forward. He was sure that the medicine the healer gave must make the illness worse before it got better. That this was just what Meccies looked like in adults and that did sound reasonable, though you grimaced to think of how much worse it could get before you finally have a proper meal again.
They walked the glade on the fourth day. You were lightheaded with effort and struggled to draw breath. Katsuki is ahead as usual, but Eijiro is fretting at your side, “Shouldn’t the medicine work by now?”
You pant heavily, trying to focus on getting oxygen and moving one foot in front of the other.
“I don’t know how that shit works.” Katsuki said from in front of you, “It’s just Meccies, Shitty Scales, it will pass for them like it does for all the brats that get it. We’ve lost too much time, we can’t afford to lose any more. Keep moving and it will be through your system before you know it, Outsider.”
The world tilted, or rather your body did. Eijiro was fast, snatching your hand and pulling you upright to lean on him, “Katsuki, maybe we should take a break.” his tone sounded panicked, though by now every sound that filtered through your ears was muffled and without clear meaning.
Katsuki’s feet dragged to an annoyed stop,“Urgh, you coddle them too much. It’s not like they dying-”
Then you coughed, a horrid, guttural cough, like you were choking. You reached for Eijiro, gripping his clothes to try to steady yourself as waves of misery and dizziness compounded itself and assaulted your body and mind.
“Traveler!” Eijiro shouted, frantic.
“What the hell is happening?” you could sense Katsuki directly in front of you now.
The coppery taste of blood invaded your mouth and nausea was added to the whirlpool.
“S-something’s wrong.” you manage to say, before your coughing fit possessed you again. You’re forced on your hands and knees. Your eyes water and through it all you start to notice specks of blood splashing on the ground below you. The dark red stark against light dirt.
***
“This happened because you pushed them too far!” Ejirou growled, angrily.
“It’s the Meccies, Kirishima. I don’t recall you coughing blood when you got it. How the fuck was I supposed to know it would get this bad?” Katsuki countered.
They’d set up an impromptu camp, merely placing their bags down and rolling out your bedroll under the shade of a tree. You were barely conscious before you laid down and as soon as you closed your eyes, you were gone to the world.
The fever had spiked and you were wheezing as though you couldn’t breathe. Your chest rose and fell rapidly. A sheen of sweat is already shimmering above your skin.
Eijirou’s eyes skimmed it all and he whined, “They’re worse than before.”
“Give them more of that potion.” Katsuki said, scrambling for something to do other than stare and watch you suffer.
“I did! It’s not helping.” Eijriou’s tail swished agitated behind him, “We need to turn back,Katsuki. Maybe it’s not Meccies. Maybe it’s something else.”
“We can’t turn back. We’ve lost too many days.” Katsuki reasoned, “We’ll never reach-”
“They look like they’re dying, Katsuki! What’s the point of everything we’ve already overcome if they die?!”
Katsuki exhaled, his eyes drawn to you, trembling under the cover of your bed roll. You were so pale, he could almost see the loom of Death hanging over you.
“Fuck, okay, Eijiro. Give it a day. It could get worse until it gets better. If this doesn’t clear up by tomorrow morning, We’ll head back.”
Eijirou was reluctant, however he knew that their quest was time-sensitive and that Katsuki had made his decision with that in mind.
They set up camp as normal, though neither could sleep that night. Both Dragon and Prince watched you slumber restlessly as though demons plagued your dreams.
***
Before the sun touched the horizon the next day, Eijiro was on his feet, packing, “I can’t wait any longer.”
Katsuki couldn’t argue this time, not when touching your head was akin to touching recently boiled water. Not when every breath sounded like it would be your last. Wordlessly, he helped Ejiro pack, shoving things haphazardly into their bags.
He made a bad call and every time his eyes found your weakened form, he felt the spike of guilt.
He was in the middle of rolling his bedroll angrily when a voice spoke from the forest, “I had expected you all to be further along in your journey by now.”
The healer from the village emerged from the thicket, curiously looking at the small group.
Katsuki’s rage rushed him and he launched himself at the elderly healer. He snatched his collar and yanked him to face his fury, heedless of the little trinkets that tumbled from the pockets of his coat. “You sold us faulty medicine!” Katsuki seethed.
The healer was flabbergasted and responded in an offended tone, “I did no such thing.”
“Then explain to me why the outsider is still like this!”
The healer glanced over Katsuki’s shoulder and past Eijirou who stood protectively in front of you.His eyes lit with interest, “Well, isn’t that peculiar…”
The healer swatted at Katsuki hands on him and Katsuki let go, mostly in shock.
“What’s peculiar?” Katsuki demanded, irritably.
“Tell me, Prince, was your companion born in this country?” The healer asked as he walked past Eijirou to kneel by you.
“Why does that matter?” Katsuki snapped.
“No, they weren’t born here.” Eijirou answered, anxiously.
“Ah, that explains it. A foreigner.”, the healer says and he holds his two glowing fingers to your chest, over your heart as he did before. His eyes dim a little and he straightens, “My dear dragon, I hear your kind has good noses. Would you mind finding some herbs for me?”
He riffled through his coat pockets, there seemed to be at least 20 of them. He pulls out a vial with red herbs and another with a dark green flower with rounded petals.
“For the Traveler?” Eijiro asked.
The healer smiled, kindly, “Yes. I’m not completely sure if the flower is native to this part, but I need a lot of these two ingredients in order to make the cure.”
He held the two vials for Eijiro to take. He uncorked them and smelt them separately. His eyes lit up, “I smelled these, when we were walking before. I know where they are.”
“Great,” the healer said, “Now if you could hurry. I’m afraid your friend may not have that much time.”
Eijirou nodded hurriedly and ran off to find the herbs.
Katsuki watched Eijiro go, agitated, “What’s this about? All this for Meccies?”
“Do you know the story of how Mescella came to be?” the healer asked, as he continued to pull things from his coat pockets and from the large brown leather satchel he carried.
“There’s a story?” Katsuki questioned, indignantly.
The healer nodded and took up a mortar and pestle. He began to grind various plants together as he spoke, “Mescella was developed. A man-made disease. Before cities formed on the land and before all creatures intermingled in this country, a mad king ruled over the humans that resided here. He was an awful ruler. Taxed too high, gave his people little to look forward to in life. Naturally, the people revolted against him, However, he expected it, and he prepared. He created Mescella and infected his kingdom with it to weaken the fighting force. What he did not expect was for his son to have kindness for his people. The prince couldn’t bear to see his people suffer and die.”
“People don’t die from Meccies.” Katsuki interrupted.
“People don’t die from Mescella today , but it was created with the intent to kill and it did kill hundreds of good people until the Prince was able to manufacture a cure. Through magic he ensured that the cure spread through the winds to all humans in this country. It was a rather small population then, but his actions were no less great. From then, the cure has been carried from the blood of each mother to their child through the generations. The Mescella we deal with is merely a shadow.” He waved a hand over your fragile and vulnerable form, “This is it’s true face.”
The healer returned to his mixing, “It’s a miracle that I found you before it was too late. They would have been dead before the sun set on this day.”
Katsuki’s anger diminished at the thought. Eijiro had been right, he'd pushed you too hard, he’d called you ‘dramatic’ when you’d been battling something fatal and sparsely complained about it, at that. His actions had led you to Death’s door.
Eijirou arrived soon after the Healer had finished his story holding an abundance of red herbs and dark green flowers.
The healer took them gratefully, “Could one of you start the fire? I must boil these.”
Katsuki snapped out of his stupor and grabbed the small soup pot they carried. Ejirou breathed life into the remaining wood from the previous night, giving the morning the sound of a crackling fire it was not accustomed to.
The healer took the pot from Katsuki and dumped the many ingredients he’d ground and Eijirou’s spoils from his search. To finish, he poured water and stirred, “We must wait.”
Eiirou was back by your side, guarding your unconscious form, “Wait? How long?” he asked, anxiously.
The healer smiled reassuringly, “Not long. Only until the color drains from the red-herb.”
It felt like an eternity, though it couldn’t have been more than 3 hours judging by the sun’s position in the sky. Katsuki had found himself sitting against a tree near you and Eijirou with his arms crossed. Eijirou had barely taken his eyes off you and when he had, it was to watch the pot as though that would make the medicine finish faster.
Katsuki had hardly taken his eyes off you either, guilt crawled up his throat every time a violent quiver took over your body.
The healer attended the pot meticulously, until finally he removed his wooden spoon and held his palms to the broth. Both hands glowed blue over the red mush. Katsuki straightened to see it better.
From its center, the red bled into liquid gold.
Only then, with the mixture still boiling, did the healer pull a syringe and needle from his satchel and dump it in the pot. Moments later, he fished it from the pot with his wooden spoon. Katsuki realized it was likely to sterilize it.
He then drew in the liquid gold from the pot, examining it within the syringe and nodding with approval.
Ejirou tensed, swallowing nervously, “That’s a big needle.”
It was a big needle, even Katsuki could admit.
“It’s a good thing, they’re asleep then.” the healer said, “But it does need to go into their heart.” he moved to kneel by you.
“Can I hold their hand?” Eijirou asked, chewing at his lip.
The healer smiled, kindly, “If you think it will make them feel better.”
Katsuki knew that Eijirou was an empathetic person. It didn’t matter if you were unconscious, he wanted to support you even in your sleep. Though Katsuki suspected, it was also so he could feel better. Eijiro wasn’t a fan of needles or medicine in general.
Before the healer could raise the injection, Katsuki blurted, “Me too.”
He looked up, questioningly.
Katsuki walked over to you and placed his hand on your shoulder. He pointedly ignored the way Eijiro’s eyes lit up and the amused quirk of the healer’s lips.
The healer hovered the needle over your heart, carefully checking its position, and then thrust the needle in one fast motion.
You inhale sharply, the only break in your previous ragged breaths. Eijiro’s hand squeezes yours.
The healer pulls out the empty syringe and places his two fingers on your chest again. He’s silent and contemplative, before smiling approvingly, “It seems to be working. Their heart is slowing down.”
“Their heart?” Eijiro asked.
“A sped up heart-rate is the best indicator for Mescella. If their heart is slowing down, it means the cure is working.”
The effects of the cure were astounding. Within a few minutes, your breathing evened, your skin returned to a healthy color and your temperature cooled.
Eijiro’s tail wagged happily behind him at the tangible proof that you were healing.
“I’m not understanding this.” Katsuki scowled, “When Eijiro and I got Meccies we weren’t affected? We’re not human so our kind were not around when the cure was distributed.”
“You are dragon born and he is a dragon.” the healer explained, “You both have a natural affinity to human diseases. Most don’t affect you at all. Mescella would affect you like a passing uneasiness but it is not so for humans and most definitely not so for those without the Prince’s cure.”
The healer placed his blue finger onto your chest a last time, “It would seem there is no more need for me. I shall be off.”
“What are you even doing out here anyway?” Eijiro asked, curiously.
“Why? It is not so often that a prince gifts me such a hefty lump of silvers for my services. I was inclined to visit the busy markets of the city over.” the healer said, happily.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Then you best be off. Before I decide to take it back.”
***
When you wake, you were nearly doubtless that you’d been run over. Everything ached and your mouth felt as though you’d swallowed sand.
You moan, “Have I died and gone to hell?”
“Traveler!” Eijrou’s excited face pops into your field of vision. You can hear the rhythmic thump of his tail wagging and it makes you smile despite yourself, “You’re finally awake.”
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” you say.
“What’s a truck?” Eijirou asks with a tilt of his head.
“A really really big horse.”, you sigh, not in a mood to explain, “Can I have some water, please?”
“Yeah, of course.” Eijirou grabs a water skin and hurries it back to you. You sit up, gulping the water down and feeling a hundred times better because of it.
Across the fire crackling in front of you, you catch Katsuki’s red eyes staring at you. Oh shit , you think. He must be angry that you’re slowing him down.
You were about to apologize, when he suddenly said, “Is your appetite back?”
“Oh um,” you stumble out your words, “I’m not sure.”
Wordlessly, he took a small bowl, ladle some soupy meal from the pot bubbling over the fire and walked over to you, “Eat this.”
The steam rose in lovely swirls, wafting the smell into the air. You expect the wave of nausea that’s been plaguing you the past few days but are pleasantly surprised to find that the smell made your stomach rumble with hunger.
Excitedly, you take the bowl from Katsuki and scoop the chunky soup into your mouth. You moan with delight. This was the first proper meal you’d had in days and you devoured it with vigor.
Licking your lips, you wonder if Katsuki would let you have seconds-
“Sorry.” he mumbles.
You blink at him, “Sorry?”
“For pushing you too hard.” he’s not looking at you, but yanks your bowl from your hand and ladles more soup in.
“Oh, um, well. As you said, it was just a passing disease. I’m okay now. Um, thanks.” you tripped over your words, not used to an apologetic Katsuki. What did one do with that?
“Actually, Traveller, as it turns out, the Meccies that you had were not as harmless as we thought.” Eijirou said.
They explained how the healer had been passing by and came across them. How he’d had to make a cure for you and how you’d nearly died.
“Woah.” you said with lack of a better word to fill the silence. It was hard to comprehend. Sure, you’d felt as though you were dying, but knowing that you’d been so close to death was purely baffling.
“Aw, too bad for you, huh, Katsuki.” you try to lighten the mood with a joke . “Would have been nice for you to pack up and go home.”
“Don’t- Don’t talk like that, Outsider.” Katsuki said, in a low tone, unlike what you’d ever expect to leave his mouth.
You froze, shocked by his response and stared at him. He who’d been trying to get rid of you from the start of their journey.
“Katsuki was pretty worried about you.” Eijiro said, “He even held onto you when the healer injected you with the cure.”
“Oi, Shitty Scales, don’t start sprouting lies!” Katsuki yelled.
Eijirou pouted, “It’s the truth and you know it.”
You feel heat rise to your face, “Thank you. Both of you.” you say pointedly looking at Katsuki, who avoided your gaze. Even in the darkness of the night, you were sure a slight tint had coloured his cheeks.
“I can’t wait to share a bed roll with you again, Traveller.” Eijirou expressed eagerly.
“What makes you think you can now?” Katsuki asked, rigidly.
“Aw, but Katsuki, their fever has gone down.” Eijirou whined.
“Yeah but do you want it to spike again, dumb lizard?”
“I think you’re being too strict.” You add.
Katsuki glared, “Don’t you start.”
You and Eijirou argued with Katsuki a little more, but as the crickets began to sing Katsuki’s resolve waned. You did end up sharing a bed roll with Eijirou, though you tried not to show any smugness in front of Katsuki in case he changed his mind.
With Eijirou by your side, and Katsuki not far away, you slept peacefully for the first time in days. Grateful for the protection of the Barbarian Prince and the Crimson Dragon.