Ancient Magus Familiar [Dragon!Kirishima x Magus!Bakugou]

[NicTheDjinn]

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Bakugou insisted that he really was a dragon and he did bring up a fair amount of good points. "I guess..." He relented with a pout, clearly dejected got not being able to breathe fire. The dragons weren't the only ones that might think of him as a baby... Goodness to could act like a petulant child... "Huh...? They're rare? Oh no... Are dragons dying out?! I-is there anything I can do to help?"

He was a little surprised to be told that the talking cat wasn't a cat. At the very least he wasn't just a normal cat. Surprisingly, he didn't even slow down his petting. Shinsou seemed to be enjoying it so why would he stop? "Huh...? Karaoke? I don't know if I'm allowed, but... Even if I am, I've never done it. I doubt I'm any good..." With as little as he seemed to think of himself, he was probably better than he thought. "And singing in front of other people sounds really embarrassing..." He felt his cheeks flush as the cat assured him that he was pretty. "Th-thank you..." He relented, but still didn't look convinced. The tail curling around his wrist for a moment brought a smile to his lips at least.

He listened as names were discussed with him, but he frowned, clearly a little confused. "Uh... So... I should tell people my name is Red...?" That was only the vaguely right and he knew it. "But people here are okay?" He still was uncertain but he did turn to the cat again. "My name is Kirishima. It's really nice to meet you." He finally said, even though it would be okay to give his full name here. He'd get it eventually. If nothing else, the dumbass teen was going to fit right in with Bakugou's other idiot friends...

He was a little started when urged to move inside, but did do without complaint. "I... I get to eat?" What, did he think he would never be fed? He hadn't been fed since he signed his contact! It was a miracle he was still as alert as he was, of course he needed to be fed! Wait. "A... Bath? Like an actual bath? Like I can soak for a little bit?" It was painfully obvious that he didn't expect to be allowed and so was already limiting his own soaking time. They must have really drilled in the expectation of cruelty in this kid, or worse, it was what he was already used to.

-----

Good gods. Bakugou blinked at Kirishima in bewilderment before bursting into laughter, spooking cotton fly that was about to land on his head. “W-well, you can help of course,” he snorted, eyes squinting in mirth. “If you find yourself a dragon spouse and then you nest together and make a clutch of baby dragons. Basically, procreate.” He shook his head in amusement; no doubt this wasn’t the reply Kirishima expected.

“What do you mean, ‘if you’re allowed’?” Shinsou tilted his head in confusion, twisting a bit in Kirishima’s arms. “Who can forbid you anything? If you think Bakugou has any say in where you can or can’t go, think again.” But just in case, he raised his voice so the fire mage could hear. “Oi, can Kirishima go with us to the town? We wanna do karaoke next week.”

Bakugou only blinked in confusion at the question before scoffing. “Like I would care where you idiots drag him off to. Just make sure he’s home before midnight and don’t get him in trouble.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized he sounded like his own mother, a thought that left him fuming a bit.

“People here are okay. Just, normal humans can know you surname, no harm in that, but don’t use it with fae. Call yourself Red or whatever else you want. Names have more power than you can imagine.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll fit right in, Kirishima,” the cat laughed quietly in reply before sneaking inside the house.

Meanwhile Bakugou frowned at the questions, once again contemplating just going back and burning everything to the ground. If only to sate the fury burning deep inside him. “You’re not going to sleep on an empty stomach. And you can soak as long as you want, it’s no big deal.” At first, he was thinking of just sending Kirishima to take a shower… but that idea was quickly dismissed now.

“You can hang the cloak here, house’s warm,” he gestured at the hanger by the entryway before motioning for Kirishima to follow. “You got any allergies? Or stuff you won’t eat? I’m not feeding you something you’d hate.” Though they better start with something light, if the kid hasn’t been fed in a while, a heavy meal would just upset his stomach.

-----

He smiled eagerly when told that he could indeed help save the dragons only for it to falter a little when the obvious way he could help was pointed out to him. "O-oh. Right..." He muttered, getting amusingly red at the suggestion. "I read somewhere that dragons are both. Ya know, down there. If I learn to turn into a dragon, does that mean that I would be the mom dragon 'cause I'm younger?" The idiot was trying to piece together a culture he knew nothing about, though it was rather sweet that despite his embarrassment, he was still no less inclined to help if he could and willing to submit himself to something like this if that's what it took. Sure he was all male down there right now, but if dragons were shapeshifters what was to say that couldn't change too?

He ducked his head a little as the cat demanded to know who could forbid him to do something, not quite able to make eye contact anymore. "Well... Bakugou paid for me. He signed my contract and everything so... He owns me. That means he can tell me to do or not do stuff. He's already started setting rules and stuff so..." There was a difference between setting boundaries for his safety and outright ordering him around, but it seems he was relating the two on some level. Katsuki naturally dominant demeanor hadn't helped things.

In the end, permission was granted and rules regarding names were clarified. There was only one problem. "Um... How do I know who's a fairy? I doubt it'll always be as easy to tell as flying sheep or tiny pixies or something." He pointed out, though it was a little hard to concentrate as he'd been allowed to go sing with the blond's friends. How would they even do karaoke with a cat...? Time would tell he supposed!

He smiled that brilliant, sharp smile of his, already excited for his bath as well as a meal to ease the pain in his empty stomach. "Thank you! I look forward to it!" When asked his next question he frowned and pouted in concentration. The twunk really needed to stop being this adorable. "I'm not really picky... I like meat." Which was too heavy for his poor empty stomach. "Savory and spice things are good." The latter also being bad for his stomach right now. "Oh, uh, I'm not allergic to anything!" He added, almost having forgotten the question.

He approached the coat rack by the door only to hesitate. The cloak was the only thing keeping him decent. Would be okay to just strip down in front of a sentient cat? Well... Bakugou had told him to. He took a steadying breath and shrugged out of the cloak and carefully hung it up like he'd been told to. Shinsou would get his chance to see how thin he was, though part of that thinness was hidden by the fact he still had his muscle. He tried not to be self-conscious about how exposed he was now, but as he hadn't been dismissed, nor did he know where the bathroom was, he simply lingered awkwardly and hoped someone would direct him.

-----

Suddenly, Bakugou found himself in a conversation that was way over his head. Why - why was Kirishima even asking him these questions?! "Okay, no, I draw the line here. I don't have a single damn clue how dragon genders work, you'll have to ask Toyomitsu when we visit the nest." He was just as confused as Kirishima here, dragon gender just... wasn't something he thought to research. "You would be a mother if you want to be one, not because you're younger or some shit." He grumbled eventually, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. It wasn't that he was embarrassed as much as he hated not knowing stuff, and the topic was something he never even considered.

Oh, there was so much work to do with this one... But they could work with it. The kid just needed to learn the right way. "Just because he did that doesn't mean anything. When the doctor tells you not to eat too many sweets, they don't tell you just because they want to order you around, aren't they?" Shinsou offered with a tilt of his head. "Human world has rules, like crossing the road at the right time, and not killing each other. Now you just gotta learn new rules for the new world. It's not here to restrict you, just how any society works." He licked his paw with a soft thoughtful hum, before adding, "And any rules Bakugou makes are just for us to cohabitate better. Managing several people in the house is hard, y'know? If there's a rule, there's a reason for it, and you can argue it if you don't like it. Bakugou never says things on a whim."

So much to learn yet, such a long journey. Good thing Kirishima wasn't all alone there. "You'll know," Shinsou reassured. "Your instincts and magic will help. We'll just teach you how to use it." He just needed a little practice, is all.

Bakugou heaved a heavy sigh, no way he could feed Kirishima that. They'll have to take him to the healer first, make sure he could actually eat stuff like that without making himself sick. "I'm not sure I can make you anything like that..." He bit his lip, Kirishima looked so hopeful, he didn't want to tell him no. "You've been hungry for a while, so spicy food would make you sick. I'll make you something like that when you feel better, okay?"

Though he had to slap himself on the forehead as he completely forgot Kirishima was actually naked under his coat. "Wait a sec, Shinsou'll get you a bathrobe and I'll lend you something to change into after your bath."

Taking the clue, the cat nodded before disappearing in a soft whisps of purple smoke, only for a young man to reappear a few moments later with a folded fluffy bathrobe in his arms. "Can't really carry stuff with paws," he explained with a lazy shrug, handing the robe to Kirishima. "Should be your size."

-----

What was he ever going to do with him... He had to have somehow found himself the most dim-witted dragon in this plane of existence. He was even looking down and rubbing a hand on his pelvis over a uterus that he didn't even have at the moment. "Sorry... You're just so smart and I don't really have anyone else to ask." He muttered sheepishly before simply clutching the cloak a little more tightly over himself for comfort. This was all just so much to take in. He'd expected his life to be completely different after he'd sold himself, but his whole world was different, not just his day to day life. It was a lot! Well, he supposed he'd have to hold at least some of his questions for the Toyomitsu person.

When his new fluffy friend started to explain things to him, it was adorable how you could see the cogs turning in his head and the moment it clicked! "Ohhh... I get it." He announced, smiling brightly with pride. "I'll be sure to learn all the rules then, I wouldn't want to be any trouble." He added thoughtfully and it wasn't hard to tell that he meant it. Kid was sweet. Definitely had some issues in the self-esteem department, but very sweet.

Unfortunately, his next 'explination' was simply that he'd know a fairy if he met one, but he wasn't so sure. He hadn't been able to identify anything so far... Maybe he just needed to practice? Or maybe now that he was more aware of what all the stuff he had always been able to see where his instincts might kick in? Time would tell he supposed, but he hoped the cat was right or he might find himself in some serious trouble with all the warnings he was getting. Hopefully, he would learn how to do it before he every ventured out of the house alone, till then he was sure the household members would help him.

"Oh! Uh, it's okay! I don't eat spicy food a lot anyway. I'll eat anything really!" He assured guilt hitting him like a truck that he'd made the blond feel guilty because of his honest answer. Unfortunately, this also had him overcompensating in the other direction now. "I'm sure some bread and water are fine, too!" He insisted, holding up his hands in a soothing gesture. It would be nice when the poor guy reached a point where he wasn't a hair's trigger away from panicking. It was sad really... Such a proud and noble creature so constantly filled with fear that he couldn't properly be himself.

He froze when told to wait and sure enough panicked for a moment. Should he wait? Should he put the cloak back on to wait? Should he ask which of those he should do? A part of his mind still couldn't shake the feeling of ownership and that was making him lean towards the last one, but in the end, Shinsou returned with the solution before he could come to a decision.

The shock of seeing the soft furred cat as... Well... Not a cat, was jarring. He distractedly took the robe and slipped it on, seemingly too distracted to feel sheepish about his nakedness for the moment. Small blessings perhaps. "You're not a cat anymore." How astute. "Do you still like being pet like this?" Of all things for him to be concerned about, he fixated on Shinsou's petting preferences. The moron was too pure for this world...

-----

"I didn't say that you can't ask me stuff," Bakugou sighed, yes the question was dumb, but he could understand why the oher was asking. "You're learning. There will be more poeple you can ask, and there are books and the internet. Not your fault you don't have the right tools to learn just yet." After all, that was what he promised, wasn't it? To teach Kirishima how to survive in their world.

Fluffy tail tickled under Kirishima's chin as the cogs finally clicked in place in his head. "That's good, but don't try too hard. You'll get in trouble anyway, that's just bound to happen. And when it does happen, it wouldn't do you any good to blame yourself." Most fae were tricksters first and foremost, someone as sweet and naive as Kirishima was pretty much asking for trouble. That, and their bunch always found some trouble for themselves and for Bakugou to solve. If Kirishima hang around with them, getting in trouble would be pretty much... unavoidable.

The reassurances about food didn't work. Bakugou leveled Kirishima with a deadpan stare instead, crossing his arms. "I'm not feeding you 'bread and water', what the fuck. I asked, you answered, I'll remember for the future. Don't trip over yourself trying to take your words back." That was just ingenuine, in his opinion. "Sides, bread and water would make you just as sick as spices."

Shinsou only offered a lazy grin at Kirishima's stunned reaction, tail flickering contently. "I am still a cat," he countered, very much at odds with his very human body. "I can just take on human form. Kinda hard carrying stuff with small paws and no opposable thumbs. So I do still like being pet," he hummed, ears flicking, barely visible among his fluffy hair. "Not my back though, feels kinda weird as a human." He waited until Kirishima was all wrapped up before motioning for him to follow and leading him down the hallway where Bakugou disappeared. "The kitchen's this way. We hava dining room here," he nodded at one of the closed doors, "but we don't really eat there. Kitchen's better."

Probably because it was way more comfy, wooden furniture and warm colors, herbs drying on the walls between shelves and cupboards. Shinsou took his place at the corner bench, sinking into pillows scattered there and gesturing for Kirishima to join them as Bakugou busied himself with something by the stove. "Come sit, do you drink tea or something else? Might take a bit until the food is ready."

-----

"Oh, I didn't mean...! Sorry... I'm kinda dumb..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not sure if he should keep asking questions as Bakugou seemed to want him to, or if he should avoid asking questions as he also seemed to have made the mage uncomfortable. He supposed he would lay off for now at least. "Uh... But... I read that on the internet. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place..." He gasped at a sudden realization, smiling like an idiot. "Is there a magical internet too?!" So much for laying off the questions...

He couldn't help the little laugh that left him as the grey cat's tail lightly tickled under his chin, but he was a good boy and didn't just drop the cat like a sack of potatoes. No, he was still being as gentle and considerate as he'd been from the start. "Well yeah, but there's a difference between trouble finding you and you trying to find it. Like... I dunno... Wapping a werewolf on the nose with a newspaper or something sounds like a distinctly bad decision, but when you wake up to some shadow thing sitting on your chest and you can't move, that's not really you're fault, right?"

He flinched when corrected again, tensing visibly and bracing himself for a hit that wasn't going to come. This poor kid... What kind of home life did he grow up with for him to so quickly assume that the natural correction for him making a mistake was to be struck. Needless to say, the trend wasn't continuing here, but the reaction was ingrained enough that it would take a bit for it to ease back out of him. "S-sorry, I didn't think, I, uh, a-anything is fine! I'm not a picky eater, I promise! I mean that too, I'm not just saying that!" It was a half lie. Though he was honestly not picky when it came to flavor, he only had four molars in total and no premolars. Chewing his food was a bit of a challenge, depending on the texture of the food. Not that it stopped him from eating things that were harder to chew, not with the way he enjoyed food.

It was then that he noticed that Shinsou did, in fact, still have a tail and a second glance allowed him to locate his ears. So he *was* still a cat. Sorta... Still he took everything in stride and made a mental note on petting preferences in this form. "I assume you can't change what your cat form is like or you would choose to be... Shoot... What are Hemmingway cats actually supposed to be called... The ones with thumbs..." He muttered half to himself, securing his lent bathrobe as he contemplated polydactyl cats.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as they got moving, looking around curiously as he made mental notes of where everything was and started to learn the layout of the house he would now call home. At least till Bakugou saw fit to be rid of him. Already he found himself not wanting to leave... He'd only just gotten here and already he felt more welcome than he ever had anywhere else. The only thing that got even remotely close, were the times he'd spent with his best friend. Oh. His best friend... His expression dropped at that thought. That was his singular regret and the one thing that had made selling himself difficult.

He sat himself down when urged to, looking around the kitchen curiously, but there was something much more subdued about him. He was almost child-like in the way wonder sometimes took him, but much of that was muted now. "I can see why you like eating in here. This entire place is like something out of a fairy tale or something, but... There's something homey about a kitchen if that makes sense. It's nice for a kitchen to feel that way again." Right, he'd been asked a question. "I like tea, yeah. I'm not really picky... Is there tea that's good for tummies? I still feel a little... Not sick. Like softer than that? I still feel weird after throwing up earlier is what I'm trying to say." He played with the tie to the bathrobe shyly, having some trouble making eye contact again.

-----

Oh man, there was so much to work with... It wasn't that Bakugou had trouble answering questions, no. Compared to Deku, Kirishima barely asked him anything at all. It was just that the was feeling the toll of the day, and it was way past midnight already. He was fucking tired, is all. "Pfft, no. Magical internet, yeah right," he shook his head with a snicker. "You just gotta know where to look. Or, well, learn where to look, in your case."

It seemed that Kirishima had a knack for unexpected questions though, because for a moment, Shinsou just stared at him, trying to wrap his head around the concept of wapping a werewolf on the nose. "I," he started, blinking, before finally collecting his thoughts. "I can't really imagine a scenario where you'd see a huge wolf-like beast, growling and drooling because they think you're dinner, and go 'Hey, a newspaper! That would totally help!'. Uh. Unless they're a medicated kind?.." Poor cat wasn't very well-versed in the ways of werewolves, but he really couldn't follow Kirishima's train of thought without shuddering. "But then again, you'd get in trouble because you wouldn't know any better. Not because you wanted to." He kinda got the point that it might take a while for Kirishima to embrace the concept that doing stupid things because he didn't know what to do otherwise wasn't equeal for being at fault for the consequences. At least, not in Kirishima's case. The kid felt like he had not a single malicious thought in him.

Oh, so much work to do with this one, it'd definitely take a while. No one really flinched from Bakugou - at least, no one they knew, no one who mattered. Kirishima was one of the people who mattered now, though, and despite the blank look on the mage's face, Shinsou could tell he was distrought by the kid's reaction. He had not a single idea what caused it, even, but at the very least Kirishima didn't stay covering in fear. That'd be even worse.

Bakugou took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose to keep himself from snapping at Kirishima and demanding reason for the kid's reaction. That won't do any good either of them. "Just... tell me if the food's not something you don't like or can't eat. Okay?" Maybe he should've said he'd know if Kirishima lied.

Thank god they weren't alone though. He was annoyed about having the dumb cat here at the beginning, but now he was just glad for someone who could distract Kirishima and make things less awkward.

"Hemmingway cats?.. Is it some type of fae? Or a cat type?" Shinsou tilted his head to the side, tail swishing in curiousity. He'd never heard of a cat with opposable thumbs. "Is this like this jellicle cat thing? I have no idea what it is either, though." Which was annoying, but Denki was silent like a fish and didn't allow anyone to explain it to him either. "But, no, I can't change how I look in my cat form. It's how I was born and how I died, my one true form. My human look, I can probably change, but I don't really want to."

And since everyone was alright with it, he didn't need to, either.

"Would be more surprising if you felt alright after that," Bakugou grunted, working over a teapot. "There's always a tea that's good for any problem, if you make it right. This should help with that." It'll take just a bit for the tea to be ready, but as the water heated up, soft scent of oranges and honey was already spreading through the kitchen.

-----

"Don't scoff at me! When I woke up this morning I didn't think dragons were real, why wouldn't something like a magical internet exist too? The internet is just a big gathering place of information that you can reach from anywhere if you can connect to it so why not have something like that for magic and keep it safe from the wrong people with wards or something?" The teen was pouting again. At least he was cute while doing it. Still, he looked forward to learning where he should be searching. He wondered if anyone could just come across this information if you typed the right thing into a search. That seemed dangerous to him... Sure some people would surely think it was just fake or something, but surely that's not enough to keep everything safe. There had to be more to it than that. Of more interest to Bakugou himself, surely, is the fact that the young dragon was so quick to talk back rather than wilt reflexively as he had repeatedly done already. Good to know there was still some fight in him somewhere in there to salvage.

"That's what I mean though. Like it would be really stupid to do that to a werewolf and you're kinda asking for trouble then, but sleep paralysis demons or whatever aren't your fault. At least I hope not... Shit, I didn't somehow invite those things in, did I?" He looked a little panicked then, desperately hoping that he wouldn't somehow attract things to this place. He'd already been assured it was safe here, but what if he was more trouble than Bakugou had anticipated?

The redhead nodded, only to look a touch startled. Can't eat? He hadn't brought up is difficulty chewing, how had he picked up on that? Was he that obvious? Easy to read? Magic? He really did have so much to learn in this new world of his... "Yeah... Sure." He finally got out, the embodiment of awkwardness.

"It's a type of cat. Kinda... Like it's any type of cat really, but they have extra toes. Sometimes like... An absurd amount of toes... Point is with the extra toes they can grip things. Once saw a video of one catching a ball in their paw, it was really cool!" He explained with all the child-like excitement they were already getting to know him for. "Jellicle cat...? I don't know what that i---oh! Oh wait! You mean from like the Cats musical? I don't think those are real, but in the show they're like regular cats except they're magic and they can sing I think? I don't know, it's not really explained well in the musical." And so the cat was out of the bag. Kaminari had a good run it seemed but his fun was innocently spoiled by the cinnamon bun Bakugou had brought home.

"I see... So your cat form is what you naturally---WAIT! Y-you died?! Are you okay? What happened?!" Poor thing looked so honestly worried for the guy that looked perfectly fine. Such a sweetheart, but... Well, not the brightest it seemed. He sat himself down at the table with the cat and despite his human-like appearance, he still reached for him like before. No less gentle than before, his fingers dipped into purple hair and ran through the soft strands, petting along his head and being careful not to squish his ears uncomfortably in the process. He even took a moment to give him a nice scritch behind one mostly hidden ear. "Please... Be careful from now on, okay? It would be really sad if you got hurt."

He paused his petting for a moment before nodding and continuing. "Thank you... Not just for the tea. For everything really... You're a lot nicer than I expected you to be... I-I don't mean you specifically! Just... When I sold myself, I was sure that my master would be rough, I guess. Like I was sure anyone that bought me would just think of me as a thing and not care so long as I was good. This is so different... I'm really glad you were there to buy me..." He smiled almost shyly, even as he continued to gently pet the man next to him and somehow acting like there wasn't anything out of place about what he was doing.

"Um... Is there anything else I should know? Or is there something you guys want to know about me?" He hesitated then but noticeably forced himself to take a chance and ask another question. "Once food is finished and I take a bath, what will happen to me? Is there a place for me to sleep?" He barely resisted the urge to assure him that the floor would be fine if he didn't. Bakugou was a little rough around the edges, but he'd been nothing but kind outside of some teasing and Shinsou had been as well. Surely he was safe. Right?

[MrHedgehog]

Okay, that critique was fair. Besides, it made Kirishima show a reaction that wasn't fear or guilt, so if Bakugou was at least a bit better at the communication thing, he would've tried to tease the little dragon more. He took a safer route instead, shrugging with a soft snort. "Point. Look, I grew up with all this stuff so it's hard for me to say what's obvious and what's not. You'll have to guide me here, 'cause I sure as hell can't guess these things myself." He shook his head as he got pack to his cooking. Luckily, some stuff has already been prepared - there was broth from earlier today and some peeled potatoes, all he needed to do was come up with something palatable for Kirishima to eat right now.

Shinsou frowned as Kirishima spoke about the demons, frowning thoughtfully. "I never really heard of such demons... You probably saw something else?.." He supposed, cats hardly experience sleep paralysis. "You're a dragon, a rare and probably tasty source of magical energy, so it's not unlikely that you attracted all sorts of things in your vulnerable state. This place's totally safe though. Nothing would sneak past the wards." That, he was sure of.

Of course Bakugou Katsuki would have the best protection for his home.

Kaminari would be so disappointed to learn that his little joke was spoiled. However, could anyone get mad at Kirishima when he had no idea and wasn't in on the joke? "It's from a musical," Shinsou huffed, tail flicking in annoyance. "What an idiot, should've guessed it would be something like that!" He laid down on the table, shamelessly bumping his head against Kirishima's arms, asking for pets. "Humans invent so many types of cats that don't exist, it's weird."

Though he was quickly startled by Kirishima's outburst, blinking owlishly at him. It never really bothered anyone before... was it because Kirishima was new to their world? "S'okay, really - " Whatever he wanted to say broke off halfway through as he leaned into the pets and purred, eyes closing at the gentle touches. Kirishima was really good at petting! "I had a long and happy life. My owner is really nice and loves me lots, but a cat can only live so long, you know? But my owner's not so simple, so instead of crossing the threshold, I had a chance to stay. So I did." He shrugged, quite at ease despite talking about his death. "Fae are tied with death, so you should get used to it I think. Most of us are reborn after death, and some just... keep on living in a different form."

Bakugou paused his chopping for a brief moment before continuing, not turning around from the cooking as he spoke. "I'm merely treating you like a human being, s'all. Don't thank me for being half-decent. And I'm hardly nice," he scoffed at the word because "nice" was definitely the last thing someone would use to describe him.

He wanted to ask why Kirishima sold himself to begin with, what was so wrong with him that he felt - guilty over everything, and expected bad treatment at every step. But now was definitely not the time, and Bakugou was hardly the right person to confine in. "There's a room ready for you. I'm going to sleep once we finish and recommend you do the same, it's late as hell already." Picking up two mugs, a cat-shaped one and plain red one, he brought them over to the table along with a pot of tea. "Do you have anyone you want to come in contact with? I am not kidnapping anyone, so if you need to contact someone and let them know you're okay or whatever, we'll do that in the morning."

[NicTheDjinn]

The dragon pouted in a way that was completely unfair in its magnitude of cute. "If I'm asking about it or assuming something wrong, then clearly I think it makes sense, even if I'm wrong." He pointed out with a little huff. At least he didn't look honestly upset, just pouty. Honestly, it took quite a lot to upset him and something as innocent as a little teasing wasn't about to get to him there. He was already painfully aware that his knowledge was lacking... He really hoped it would come more naturally than it was so far. He'd never been very good at school and studying so that was a bit of a daunting thought.

To the cat's questioning, he shrugged. "I don't know. Sleep paralysis and sleep paralysis demons are what humans call them I guess? Or mundane people? Anyway, it's when you wake up, but can't move at all. Sometimes that's all that happens. Sometimes you just can't move, sometimes there's this sort of pressure on your chest like something is sitting on it. Sometimes you see things. What you see can just be someone just watching you. Sometimes it's monsters. Sometimes they make you watch really horrible stuff, but then suddenly you can move and it's all gone. Sometimes they do horrible things to you, but it's gone again when you can move, too. Let me tell you it's not fun laying there, limp, and watching some monster cut you open and show you your insides one at a time..." He muttered the last bit, rubbing his stomach where he knew no scar lay. "Maybe they're just things that feed off fear... Oh! That's right! Even when nothing is happening and you're just laying there till you can move, there's always this horrible terror that comes with it. It's just worse if the other stuff happens."

"I'm really hoping that won't happen here. Some of the worst sleep paralysis I've ever had happened at that slave place. I was afraid I was gonna die..." His lips parted to continue, but realizing that admitting he'd kind of hoped that he would might upset them and so chose to keep it to himself. It was fine. If he dared to let himself hope, he was pretty sure he would honestly be happy living here.

"About magic singing cats. Yeah. Like humans in lots of cat makeup and everything. I've... Heard mixed things," the faux redhead rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. His information was limited as he'd never actually seen the musical himself, but really it was famous enough to at least know the bare basics. "Well, I mean, those cats with lots of toes actually do exist. But I hear winged cats or those cat-bunnies don't?" With all the magic stuff he was learning, it was really hard for him to be sure what was real and what was made up at this point.

Slowly, the young dragon's worry eased as things were explained to him. So that's how it was... He nodded accepting the concept. "So you're okay with it. That's okay then, I was afraid something bad happened! I'm glad! That does sound like a really nice life, I'm happy for you." And there was a touch of his dragon showing. Though he didn't realize it, his own kind was quite comfortable with passing away when their time came. It was just a natural transition, like the transfer of oxygen in your lungs. Death itself didn't seem to bother him, instead, it had been the thought that something had hurt what he hoped to be a new friend. He was too sweet for his own good. He wondered if it would be rude to ask who had owned him. He thought better of it, instead moving his hand down to cup Shinsou's cheek and rub the pad of his thumb over his cheekbone. Cat's liked that, right?

In the end, he didn't need to as Bakugou revealed himself all on his own. He blinked over at the man cooking for him, smiling with a little snicker. "But you are! I know we haven't known each other for very long, but you're one of the nicest people I've ever met! Thank you for buying me, I'll do my best for you!" He promised, looking like he would wag his tail if he had one. It was going to be chaos once he learned to grow that thing out... It was also rather telling that Katsuki ranked so high on the list. It apparently was an upsettingly low bar if his mixture of kindness and grumpiness still ranked him among the highest.

He smiled at the mug he was offered, his favorite color, finally pulling his hands away to first pour Shinsou some tea and then to pour himself some. "It'll be nice to sleep somewhere safe." Why did have the stuff that came out of this tragic goofball's mouth have to raise so much concern...? He blinked brilliant red eyes at the blond for a moment when asked if there was someone he wanted to contact. That really shouldn't have been such a hard concept to grasp. "MINA!" Easy there. Volume control. "S-sorry! Mina! Ashido, Mina! She's my best friend. My only friend really, she was never scared of any of the things I told her I saw. She was the one that taught me to put salt at all the doors and windows of my room. My parents made me stop though, they didn't like the mess. Anyway, she's probably worried sick! I left her a note so she knows I left on my own, but she's probably really worried and I miss her so, so much!" It was nice to see him light up like that. It wasn't hard to tell that he was very close with this girl.