Chapter Text
When you’re immortal nothing really surprises you anymore but upon seeing the young man sleeping in his personal quarters Bakugou was quite taken back. This was one of his many estates that he frequently visited because he had built it far enough away from the neighboring village and no one had ever dared trespass on his property, whether it was out of fear or respect he didn’t know or care. Curiosity got the better of him and Bakugou inched closer to the sleeping man. After living for so many lifetimes Bakugou knew that real beauty was rare and had grown to appreciate it greatly when he did come across it, he could not help but appreciate the striking bone structure & physique of the man that laid sleeping before him. Tresses of midnight black hair surrounded the slumbering man and without realizing it Bakugou was face to face with him slowly brushing away a stray lock of hair from his face. On closer inspection, he saw a scar down the eye of the handsome stranger and for a moment Bakugou cursed whoever had done such a disservice to this mans face but after a minute he decided that the scar added a bit of character and mystery to this strangers face. Even if he didn’t have his heightened senses, Bakugou guessed he could easily have smelled the stench of alcohol emitting from the stranger. He shook his head and laughed as he imagined the hangover the sleeping man would wake to. Bakugou’s appraisal of the man was cut short by the realization that dawn would approach in a few short hours and he had to decide whether or not to make himself known to the stranger upon his awakening or to just let him leave of his own accord. As he played with both options in his head, Bakugou decided that he wanted to know more about this man that walked into a strangers house with no fear and slept in an unknown bed. At the very least it would provide him some entertainment from the very long and dull eternity Bakugou faced. With his mind made up, Bakugou quietly exited the room and prepared for the rising of the sun.
Kirishima woke up to a splitting headache and a severely dry mouth. He assessed the room and on the nightstand next to him he saw a pitcher of water, greedily he drank most of it and slowly began to remember stumbling upon the mansion the night before. It suddenly dawned on him that someone must have left the water there for him to drink and that meant that whoever it was, most likely was the resident of the mansion. Kirishima got up and quickly got dressed so he could find whoever was there and thank them for their hospitality. As he made his way down the stairs, the smell of meat suddenly filled his nose and driven by instinct, he made his way to what he presumed was the dining hall. The spread of meats and other delectables filled the room with a mouthwatering aroma, Kirishima waited a bit to see if anyone else would be joining him before he sat down and helped himself to the delicious food. As he bit into a drumstick he saw a piece of parchment paper at one of the empty seats and seeing as there was no one else it might have been for, he cut open the wax seal and began to read the contents of the note:
“Eijiro,
Good morning, please do not be alarmed as to how I know your name, as I set the pitcher of water for you to drink upon waking up, I noticed your satchel which had your name on it. I do hope you have enjoyed your stay here in my humble abode. I do apologize for not being there to introduce myself in person but I had a few things that needed my immediate attention. I will return after sundown, if you wish to stay until then I would greatly like to make your acquaintance. Until then, please make yourself comfortable and enjoy all the amenities my mansion has to offer. My only request is that you refrain from entering the west wing. I do so hope to see you this evening.
Sincerely,
Count Bakugou”
“Looks like I’m in the company of nobility” Kirishima murmured while taking another bite of food as he examined how well written and fancy the letter was. “I wonder what this count is hiding in the west wing? It wouldn’t be very manly of me to go wandering about it after he’s been so generous already. If I’m going to meet a nobleman I should probably clean myself up. Argh! I didn’t bring any extra clothes, I wonder if there’s any here that’ll fit me, I could go back to the room I was in and check the closet.”. After having his fill of food, Kirishima cleaned up and walked back up to the room he had slept in and went straight for the closet to see what his wardrobe situation was going to look like. To his relief, there was an array of options for him to pick and choose from. Kirishima loved adding his own personal touches to his eclectic sense of style but he didn’t want to put on anything that might have been of value to his host so he opted for a billowy white tunic style shirt with a deep v-neckline and some brown pants that would pair nicely with his dark brown boots. Once he had his outfit laid out, he went in search of the bathroom. When he found it, he let his whole body sink into the comfort of the warm water, as the bath did its job Kirishima let his mind wander. He knew he would have to send word to his fellow knights and let them know he was alright and was just on an extended excursion. His mind began to trail off into thinking about the count and wondering what kind of a person he was. Was he a scholar or was he well versed in combat and the sword? Would he be willing to spar against a trained knight? Many thoughts crossed through his mind as he slowly exited the bathroom and began dressing in the clothes he picked out. He combed out his long dark hair and tied it back in a pony tail, a few strands of hair escaping the ponytail and framing his face. After bathing and getting dressed, Kirishima decided he wanted to walk the grounds of the mansion and see what other details he could get from his surroundings about the count.
The cold crisp morning air felt rejuvenating as Kirishima made his way to what was the most lavish eden of a garden he had ever seen. The garden was truly a sight to behold, so many types of flowers all in varying shades of red, but the flowers that caught his eyes the most was a a large bush of red roses that almost looked like they were black from a distance. Kirishima had never seen such beautiful roses, without thinking he kneeled down and was about to pluck one from the bush, as he did so he was startled by the voice of a man behind him
“Ahem, excuse me sir but my master would greatly appreciate it if you could please not defile his prized Black Baccara roses”.
Kirishima almost fell back from the sudden embarrassment he felt, with a rush of heat going to his cheeks, he turned and faced the tired looking man who stood before him. “I’m sorry man, these roses are so cool and I’ve never seen them blossom this color. I honestly didn’t mean any harm.”
The tired looking man assessed Kirishima and with a small sigh and a raised brow stated “No harm done, the master will be pleased that you find his roses so intriguing.”With his right hand over his heart and a small bow, the man began his introduction, “ My name is Hitoshi Shinsou, I am the caretaker of this estate, we are very pleased to welcome you. If there is anything you are in need of while you await for my master to return, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Kirishima bowed in return and gave Shinsou a hearty pat on the back and happily replied “Thanks man! I was starting to think there wasn’t anybody living here beside this count guy. My name is Eijirou Kirishima, it’s nice to meet ya!”
Shinsou straightened up “You’re quite welcome, please continue to enjoy the garden at your leisure. I will continue to tend to the preparations for dinner and my masters return. If you need anything, please let me know.”
“Aww, your leaving already?” Kirishima asked a bit disappointed. “I was actually going to ask you if you could tell me more about Count Bakugou” he chuckled with his arm behind his head. “Wait! I could help you prepare stuff and we can talk while we work and you’ll get done twice as fast!”.
The thought of less work did intrigue Shinsou but he shook his head and retorted “I could not possibly accept a guests help to do the work that I have been given, such things are unheard of.”
“Aw, come on man! Four manly hands are better than two and I would really like to know more about him”.
Shinsou replied with an even heavier sigh “Very well, since I cannot seem to deter your determination and since you are our guest and I have been given orders to accommodate you in any way, I will allow you to help and I will do my best to answer any questions you have”.
“Alright!” Kirishima victoriously exclaimed, they both made their way back into the mansion and as Shinsou closed the door behind him he quietly asked “Now, what exactly is it that you’d like to know?”