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Katsuki fought his drooping eyes, and nodding head to witness his favorite part about coming home. The statues.
Dragons memorialized for countless generations, every clan in Hell's Valley having their own.
Clan Chiryu [千龍] was no exception.
A total of six, soon to be seven, stone dragons sat protecting Chiryu's homes and shops. Each stone monument carried a story, some new, some old. Some stories were sad, others full of adventure or love. However, they were all passed down religiously to the children of Chiryu.
The guardians of Chiryu's gate, the first to be honored, sat proudly on pedestals. One on each side, a brother and sister while alive and long after their deaths. One of their forelimbs forever clutched at their seats, claws digging into their crumbling pedestal. While their other was outstretched, open-palmed in an almost inviting way. Their wings were open, touching each others' nearest one over the gate as if they'd take flight at any moment. Ready to blast a wind strong enough to knock over any intruders. The Dragon's Eternal Flame burned in their open mouths, making smoke rise from their nostrils making it seem like they were still breathing.
The twins not only marked the entrance to Chiryu, but their spirits also protected the lives within.
As the small party, sullen from the task of carrying a downed dragon mother behind them, passed under the twins' wings Katsuki finally let his eyes fall shut.
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Masaru pulled back the fabric concealing their doorway. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry one of them?" He asked softly as he watched his wife struggle to balance both her son and the little dragon in her arms.
"I told you, I got it!" She hissed back, eyes softening as she looked down in her arms. Katsuki was snuggled into her collar. He was balanced on her forearm, one arm draped over her shoulder the other clutching one of Kirishima's wings. The baby dragon almost mirrored his position, tucked on her other forearm. His snout was pressed under her chin, ruffling Katsuki's wild blonde locks with every exhale. "When's the last time he's been cuddly with me?"
Masaru smiled lovingly. "He's growing up fast."
"Yeah." Mitsuki sighed back, shaking her head in exasperation. "Growin' into a pain in my ass."
Her husband coughed into his hand as an attempt to hide his chuckle. Keeping a few paces in front of Mitsuki, Masaru opened the door to the family's bedroom. Knowing they'd be back late, Mitsuki had made sure to keep their futons lined up with the duvets pulled back ready for them to slip into when they were back home.
"He's covered in duff, make sure to strip him down." Mitsuki sighed, finally relinquishing her son over to his father.
She turned just enough for Masaru to easily grab under Katsuki's armpits. As he went to pick his son from his wife's hold, the boy started to squirm.
"No!" He cried out sleepily, with both hands suddenly in a vice grip on the base of Kirishima's wings.
His mother stumbled forward, getting her feet back under herself a breath away from crashing into Masaru.
"Don' take 'im," Katsuki mumbled through a sleepy pout.
"I'm not taking him, brat. He needs a bath before he's goin' near any bedding. The pup's filthy." Mitsuki chastised, wiggling the baby dragon free of her son's grasp. "I'll bring him back in a moment. Let your dad help ya change."
It didn't take Mitsuki that long to scrub down Kirishima until all the caked-on mud was free. Thankfully the little dragon was mostly dusty and only needed a quick soak before his red based black scales were shiny once more. She took a moment to look him over as well since he hadn't woken while she'd cleaned him.
Mitsuki gently rotated or bent each joint to make sure he had no sprains or breaks. She ran her hand down his smooth ribbed belly to check for abrasions. She also gripped both his horns to ensure they were not loose or chipped. Lastly, Mitsuki checked the Dragon's gums for any malnutrition not noticeable by his well-fed frame.
Satisfied with her examination, Mitsuki lofted Kirishima back into her steady arms.
When the young barbarian mother got back to the bedroom she was met with her son's petulant glare. He wasn't tucked in and sleeping as Mitsuki had hoped. Instead, he was sitting up with his arms crossed over his chest, bottom lip stuck out as far as it would go, and lidded glare pinned at the doorway.
As soon as Katsuki noticed his mother in the doorway both arms shot out toward her, little hands flexing in a grabby motion. "Gimme 'im!"
Mitsuki shook her head, but walked forward, depositing the baby dragon in her son's waiting arms. "He can have his own bed." She tried holding no hope Katsuki would give in.
As expected, the child shook his head venomously. He even made a show of tightening his grip around Kirishima's belly, holding the small dragon as close as physically possible.
"If you're sure you wanna share then get under your covers and sleep." Mitsuki relented as she moved to get ready to sleep herself.
"Y'know he's never gonna want to sleep elsewhere if you let him sleep with you now." Masaru cut into the conversation, having stripped down for bed already. "Dragons get clingy like that," He attempted to explain in the simplest way, "You're basically tellin' him that's his bed too."
Katsuki was busy throwing back his duvet and wiggling down so he could lay comfortably. "I know." He stated confidently as he settled Kirishima on his futon, tucking one corner of his duvet under the dragon. He finished once the other side of the duvet was pulled up over his shoulders and he was on his side facing his parents, more importantly, Kirishima.
"Don' go whining to us when he's bigger than you an' refuses to sleep without ya," Mitsuki warned after pulling a dull green tunic that was two sizes too big over her head. "I won't hear it from you."
"Not gonna!" Katsuki grumbled before pressing his face into Kirishima's scaly side.
The room was silent after that. Mitsuki pulled back her own duvet, allowing her husband to sneak in. She followed quickly, pressing into his warmth as she settled in for the night.
By the time she looked back at her son, Katsuki was fast asleep. Mitsuki couldn't help the tender smile that adorned her lips. Kirishima had shimmied closer to her boy, his snout pressed back into Katsuki's collar. Katsuki with his arms wrapped securely around his new companion.
Mitsuki sighed. "They're going to be a handful."
"It won't be that bad after Kirishima's arcanum really starts kicking in and he can shift." Masasu comforts, snuggling into his wife.
"If you are right about the Dragon's age it'll take nearly six more years for that to happen. He'll be bigger than a pony." She scoffed back.
Masaru grimaces. "I guess we'll need to build another room onto the hut."
Mitsuki smacked his chest and replied scathingly, "Ya think?"
The last sound in the room was Masaru's low chuckle before the slightly larger family fell into a restful slumber.