I'm not too sold on the name of this story and will probably change it. If anyone has any ideas what to rename it, suggestions, please! Enjoy~

Ace was at the park on the swings, taking turns with Izuku since the second swing was broken and out of use. His ear was mostly healed now. He was happy about that! Though he still needed earplugs and muffs. He could hear okay with them on, but without them, it was uncomfortable and he was afraid of them getting hurt again.

"Ace, do you hate being like this? Part dragon and all?" Izuku asked, playing with the sand beside the swing, using their pail and shovel to make sand castles, filling up the pail with water to make the sand thicker to hold up their creations. Ace thought for a minute. He was torn on the question, really. Well, torn on his answer.

"I don't hate it, I just hate how everyone else reacts. I… it's not my fault for them being upset, right? I wish more people were like me, though. It's lonely being the only one," Ace admitted. "I wish I was accepted more, like you, too. Not many people are quirkless, either." Izuku looked down and nodded, knowing that was true.

"I wish everyone could be nice to each other. I wish you could come back to the daycare to be with me, but people were mean to you, so I don't want that of course." Ace did miss playing with him every day, but Makino and Dadan made it clear he wouldn't be returning when they did nothing to punish Bakugo when he purposely hurt Ace with his quirk.

Ace nodded. His friend missed him, too. Ace knew he wasn't going to be standing up for himself with Ace not there to help him. He felt guilty for being torn away from that, from protecting him as best as he could from bullies, even if Ace was as well. They had worked together to combat it, even if it was largely unsuccessful, but now that was really over.

The two grew silent when a clearly mother dragon walked into the park and got a drink of water from the large tub of water near the drinking fountain. It drank a bunch, looked directly at Ace and Izuku, who was much more scared than Ace, and then went on her way, the little baby popping its head out of the pouch.

Then the two boys continued to play, switching roles so the other could go on the swing. "Heh, looks like you didn't drop off the face of the earth after all!" Bakugo's voice said from the park entrance, with some of his cronies. The mean boys he hung out with. Ace felt so sad for not being there for his friend when he was bullied. He felt he truly abandoned him. He wished he could do more for him, he wasn't a good friend. Ace coldly asked what he wanted. Izuku stopped swinging, looking apprehensive. "Nothing," Bakugo said, though Ace thought it was probably a lie.

"Then go away and leave us alone," Ace replied, and built up the sand castle, aiming to ignore him. But Bakugo came over, and kicked his sand castle down! Ace was furious and kicked him in the privates. So he couldn't use his bomb power, Ace also kicked him in the nose, foot swinging upwards into his face as he was bent over.

Bakugo looked up with tears in his eyes and a bloody nose. Time to run away! Ace picked up a handful of sand and threw it at his face before grabbing their things and running away with his best friend. "Get back here you jerk! I'm gonna kill you!" Bakugo raged. Ace sped up, dragging his friend along who wasn't as fast. He had tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Ace said firmly while they ran. Bakugo was behind him while his friends went around the other side. Ace jerked to the side and entered the nearest store, which sold biscuits and cookies. There was a back door that Ace and Izuku ran to, much to the owner's annoyance.

Once they were on the other side, they disappeared into the crowd of shoppers, heading to Izuku's apartment. It was close. They were supposed to stay at the park, but it wasn't safe for them. Ace messed up, perhaps, but it wasn't safe for them with Bakugo around at all. The meanie. He hated him. Why did his friend want to be friendly with him when he was scared of him? It never made sense, really.

They were nearly there when someone grabbed the scruff of Ace's shirt and dragged him away. "Hey! Let go!" he shouted, thrashing around before a piece of cloth was over his mouth. Izuku was screaming for help while Ace thrashed around, growing sleepy. What was going on? Was he being kidnapped?!

But then he was dropped to the ground hard, breathing in deeply, his head hurting from that cloth. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw a full sky dragon, the size of a bus, had landed and was glaring down at the kidnapper. Ace stood up and ran away to Izuku. The kidnapper backed away in fear, and the dragon stalked him before it crushed the van the man had been heading for. With no escape, he cowered, begging for forgiveness.

"Kidnapper! Hey, hey, someone!" Izuku was shouting, both boys crying from the scary experience. Someone heard them and came running over before stopping at the sight of the aggressive dragon, tail whipping around, showing anger and hostility. He was staring down the bad man, and Ace was shocked that he helped him out. Dragons ignored humans as often as they could.

The police were called, and the dragon retreated when the cop cars pulled up. "Come, boys, let's get you home," a nice lady officer said. Izuku pointed to his apartment building, saying that was a safe space. They were both crying when they got to the building, running up the stairs in tears.

Ace was nearly kidnapped! They banged on the front door, and Inko opened it in shock, seeing both of them sobbing and hurrying inside. Izuku hugged Ace, crying out that it had been scary! "What happened?!" Inko asked in shock and worry.

"Someone tried to kidnap Ace!" Midoririya exclaimed. Inko was horrified, and immediately called Makino. Both boys got two cups of chocolate milk as they tried to calm down. Ace was still sniffling, and was scared of what could have happened if a dragon hadn't been nice and saved him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," the green haired boy said in self-hatred. There wasn't anything he could have done, even if he did have a quirk. He was only four, after all. Ace was sure neither would be allowed to go anywhere alone anymore. Maybe that was for the best, Ace didn't know. But it would suck to not get to go places anymore. Makino and Dadan were too busy to take him to places he wanted to go!

"I'm sorry I scared you."

Inko firmly said he didn't do anything to apologize for. Ace looked guilty, because he beat up Bakugo. Well, he always did that to Izuku, and had put Ace in the emergency room. Any guilt disappeared very quickly. The two boys sat on the living room rug, silent and lost in thought. Ace had been so scared and angry, and was very thankful for the dragon saving him. Maybe it was only because he was part dragon. Probably why, really. Makino showed up soon, and was let inside to hug Ace. He was unsurprised he was barred from going to public places alone. It still made him sad. But Inko gave the same order to her son, as well. Out of precaution. Well, Bakugo wouldn't find them and attack them off daycare property. Well, not Ace anymore.

The black haired boy ended up spending the night. But both were subdued and quiet, even after ordering pizza. It had been a terrifying experience. Ace had his knees up to his chest, and his chin resting on them, arms wrapped around his legs, hugging them to himself, trying to compress his body in one ball as best as he could.

After a movie that they didn't watch, both went to Izuku's room for bed. Ace was in a sleeping bag on the floor, a nice pillow under his head. His friend's room was covered in All Might merchandise. "You want to be a hero, right?" Ace asked in the dark. The white noise machine was going, the sounds of sloshing waves filling the room.

"Yeah," Izuku said. "Then maybe I could stop kidnappers like those guys."

"How will you be a hero without a quirk?" Ace wondered, meaning no disrespect. Izuku was quiet for a moment before he responded with a simple "I don't know." Ace looked at the All Might night light in the socket near the door, and rolled onto his side. It was nice to drift to sleep, the ear plugs out and muff beside the bed.

The tail was out of his pajama shorts Makino had brought, his body relaxed as he snoozed quietly.

The next morning, both boys felt much better, much more positive and bright. They ate the bacon and toast happily, delicious and perfectly crunchy. "How are you both doing?" Inko asked from the kitchen.

"Okay… I don't want that to happen again," Ace said quietly, voice sad. Izuku nodded in agreement. It had been scary for both of them. His friend had been useless to do anything while Ace was being kidnapped. Ace was scared to go outside. The kidnapper had been arrested thanks to the dragon, but still. There might be accomplices.

"Don't worry, Ace. But stay aware of your surroundings. Makino-san will give you a tracfone to use for emergencies." Ace asked what that was. "A very rudimentary cell phone - one that isn't fancy and doesn't do very many things."

"I'd rather play outside." She was confused. "Cause people on their phones don't go outside." She smiled and told him he would only use it for emergencies. "Then I can go out on my own?"

"I don't think that's how it will be for now. Both of you are very young. Maybe it was a mistake to let you both wander around. But once you're older, the trac phone will be important," she explained patiently. "For now, you have to stay with adult supervision for your own safety. A dragon won't always be around to help you out."

Ace beamed, and wondered if he could make friends with them! Izuku thought that would be amazing! His eyes sparkled, thinking of being friendly with dragons. Though he would also be scared to try that out. Dragons could be scary if they were disturbed. If they felt threatened.

After they finished their juice, they both went to the couch to watch morning cartoons. "Inko-san? Do you think when I go to school, kids will still be mean to me?" Ace asked suddenly. Inko looked sad, but didn't lie.

"It's very possible. But people are much more accepting now than long ago. The new generations are being raised in a much more accepting and inclusive world." Ace pouted, but wasn't surprised that it was very possible. He wondered if he'd be treated normally ever, since he knew more symptoms would come as he aged. It was like some kids who had troublesome mutation quirks that messed with their autonomy.

"What about me being quirkless? Will they always be mean?" Izuku asked in worry, holding his stuffed bear backpack, it having sat next to them on the couch all morning.

"I'll be there to stop them!" Ace vowed. "We gotta watch each other's backs. Cause we're both not expected. In different ways, though, too." Inko smiled, and said he was very mature for his age. Ace blushed and giggled, liking the praise. After lunch, Ace was brought back home, and he stood in the living room for a long moment, looking at the carpet beneath his socked feet. Looking down at his fingernails, which needed to be sanded down again, he wondered if he was attempted kidnapped because of what he was. He was rare, wasn't he? Not many people were like him at all. Was he in danger a lot? To be underestimated.

It was scary, thinking about being in constant danger, or at least feeling like he was. Feeling he could be hurt or grabbed at any time. That any adult that passed could be aiming to harm him. He didn't want that at all. Sighing, he went to his treehouse, but found Suzi was already inside. And Ace's short legs couldn't climb the longer ladder to the other treehouse.

So he went back inside, drooping. Dadan came over, Makino busy with the baby. "How are you feeling? Yesterday had to be pretty scary." She said it nicely, despite the words being really blunt. Ace replied that he was okay. Mostly. Worried, too. "There is cause to be worried, but not fearful. Make your worry into caution. Be aware of things around you and all. It's something that you should take care to keep for the rest of your life. I'm very sorry about what happened."

Ace nodded, liking when Dadan showed her genuine nice side. "I'll get stronger! Then nobody will worry about me, or have'ta protect me." Dadan laughed, and said he had a long way to go before people no longer worried about him. "I'll still do it, though! Just you wait. I swear!" The large woman ruffled his hair and went to the other room while Ace got out a puzzle to work on.

-x-

"Makino, will you read this to me?" Ace asked, holding the tablet with the book about dragons on the screen. He couldn't read it, and the baby was sleeping and the others were all at school. So it was just him and Makino in the house. He wanted to be stronger. He had no quirk, but he could maybe be strong in other ways.

She took the tablet and agreed. "What do you want me to read you? It's a long and complicated book." Ace said he wanted to learn about feathered dragons. Ace had plain white feathers. They were mostly downy, like baby bird feathers, with him still being so young. No full sized feathers had come yet. Still soft and weak. "Alright."

Ace sat on the couch next to her while she read to him about the feathered dragons. The feathered dragons were the type closest to Ace's appearance. "'Unlike most dragons, the feathered kind do not breathe fire. Being those most adept at flight, it only makes sense that air is their greatest weapon. Instead of flames, feathered dragons can blow out air, as if their breaths are air cannons. While easier to control, they are less intense than their fire breathing cousins.

"Like all dragons, feathered dragons have enhanced senses. While they prefer rocky cliffs and open prairies, they are most known to gather in New Zealand and in the lands right below the arctic circle. They can handle cold much better than their scaled cousins. Feathers will keep them warm from cold weather and snow.

"While feathered dragons tend to shy away from humankind and live where humans don't populate in large numbers, they are also some of the most aggressive types of dragons, not being used to living in the same spaces as humans. If you see a feathered dragon on a hike somewhere, do not approach, walk the other way loudly, to show you are retreating and no threat. They are some of the most majestic there are, but are extremely dangerous and easy to anger or offend. They are also incredibly intelligent, which can factor in their danger.

"While admiring their beauty from afar is not inherently dangerous, be prepared to leave the area at a moment's notice. There is still much to learn about them, since they don't mingle with human kind, and never have, but they are still dragons and wish to not be bothered by humans and their creations.'"

Ace had his head cocked. He was bummed he didn't get to see them since they live so far away. But a dragon that wasn't feathered had been nice to him. "Do you think I'm scary?" Ace wondered.

Makino ran her fingers along Ace's little horns. "Of course not. There's nothing scary about you to me. You may be part dragon, but you feel and think like a human mostly," she said kindly. Then the baby started wailing, and Makino put the tablet down to go tend to him. What a fussy baby. Poor thing lost his family in a plane crash.

Brought back to what he'd learned, Ace went outside to the backyard, and sat down on the comfy chair by the fire pit. He took in a deep breath, and blew out air. He wanted to learn how to do that! Then he could just make people go away from him without even needing to touch them. And he couldn't wait to finally grow wings and fly! It would be so fun and interesting. He did wonder if he'd ever find anyone else like him, but knew it was very unlikely due to what Makino had said about his case being extremely rare.

He spent the rest of the afternoon trying to breathe out blasts of air, but it looked more like he was just panting for no reason. Well, it would take awhile! He would have to be patient, though he didn't really want to be. Like all children, he wanted instant gratification. When dinner came, Ace gave up for the night and went inside to eat with everybody. The household was still quiet for his courtesy. While he wasn't harmed by the loud noises anymore, they gave him headaches.

Ace decided to call Izuku about everything the next day. Maybe they could have a playdate and could talk all about Ace's most likely affiliated type of dragon. He went to bed satisfied and excited. He would be so cool.

-x-

"Two!"

"Wow, you really can see in the dark!"

"Hehe, of course! Dragons have to be able to see where they're flying," Ace said proudly. Izuku turned the lights back on, and jumped onto his bed. Ace sat on the beanbag chair in the corner, his now more feathered tail coming from his left pant leg. Izuku was looking at his All Might bedding, and then his face grew a little distant.

"You really like being like this?" he asked curiously.

Ace nodded. "I don't like people who glare at me or whisper, but I don't wanna hate myself either. I can't get rid of it all even if I wanted to. Why are you sad?" His friend looked at his fingers, and said he felt like Ace had a quirk, and he didn't. Ace didn't have a quirk, but he was going to have abilities a normal human wouldn't. A quirkless human wouldn't be able to fly or blow air or have good senses.

Feeling sympathetic for his best friend, Ace said it did feel like a quirk, but only one nobody wanted to see. "I wish I had something interesting about me. Kacchan got everyone to gang up on me again. They were laughing at me because I draw about heroes in my notebook, but don't have any quirk. They all say that I shouldn't draw what I can't do. So, I just wished I had something interesting about me…" he confessed. Ace glared, hating everyone at the daycare. "Mommy is going to move me to a new daycare, but what if it's the same there?"

"You're interesting! And no quirk would be better than ones that really mess up, right? Where you can't control it or anything!" Ace protested, but was glad he was being moved to a new daycare, though he wished it had been done a long time ago, after Ace left. Hopefully a new place would be more accepting, or they didn't even need to bring up the fact that the boy was quirkless.

"Still… I feel plain, and boring. You're so interesting and unique. I think I'm jealous," the shorter, nearly five year old said honestly. Ace was happy he was being honest, but didn't like that he felt this way. Ace stood up and sat next to him on the bed, and hugged him.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry. You'll be super cool someday! Even if you don't have a quirk, you could learn other stuff! Like martial arts and flips and cool stuff other people can't do. Even Bakugo couldn't do some stuff if you learn to!"

Izuku nodded, hugging his best friend back. "Maybe we can learn together. We can both be really cool." Ace wasn't sure about that. He wanted his friend to be more unique. Have things he could do that Ace couldn't. But he was happy he'd want to do it with his friend. There was a knock on the door, and Inko asked if she could come in.

"Yeah," Ace said, and she entered the room. She was smiling, and had two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on a tray with some cookies. Christmas was coming soon, and this year Ace would spend it with his friend instead of at the orphanage. He looked forward to it, even if Ace didn't expect presents from them. They weren't rich people, Ace knew that at nearly five.

They were both happy to see the hot chocolate, and hurried to the bedside table the tray was set down on. They had to wait for it to cool, of course, but there were already fluffy marshmallows on the top, with chocolate shavings there. Inko was a good cook. It looked so yummy. "What have you boys been doing in here?" she asked curiously.

"Ace can see in the dark now, too," Izuku said, but didn't sound bitter or upset about it, thankfully. Ace would feel bad if he did, though he would understand why. Inko said it was very interesting, giving him that kind smile. Makino gave him that nice smile as well. "Hey, let's play hide and seek later," the quirkless boy said brightly. "But not in the dark because that would be unfair."

The other gladly accepted the offer to play the game. There were more places to hide at Ace's house, because it was bigger, but it was nice with how quiet it was at Izuku's house. Ace didn't always hear somebody doing something here. It was quiet when the two were quiet. A nice and peaceful place to be. Ace enjoyed coming here more than Izuku going to his home.

While they drank the hot chocolate, the two sat on the bed and watched cartoons on the computer at the desk. It was a big screen, bigger than any computer at Ace's home, at the orphanage. After that, they played hide and go seek around the house, both finding creative places to find in the minimalist space. Inko stayed in her room to let them take over the rest of the apartment.

Ace spent the night and then was driven home in the morning. He was quiet on the ride back, wishing he could help his friend in some way, make him feel confident without having a quirk. He was also nervous about going to a new daycare soon. Kindergarten would start next year for both of them. A big step into the world of Big Boys.

But Ace was scared, too, of that. He hadn't been put in another daycare, so going to school would be jarring. Everyone would know him well just by appearance. They wouldn't all like him, he knew that from personal experience in just his short four years of life, where he'd always had some sort of aspect of himself not normal, even when he was an infant.

When he was dropped off, he hurried inside to try and come up with a plan to help his friend be unique. Maybe find some places online to make him strong and cool. Of course he couldn't type, so he'd ask Makino to help him. He got the tablet, as he wasn't allowed to touch computers or laptops, and hurried to find the nearest adult in the house. "Makino! Help me make Izuku cooler!" he said, accidentally waking the napping baby. Makino looked tired, and frustrated with the baby waking up. "Sorry…" he said, ashamed of causing her trouble.

She patted his head, and said she'd help him after the baby was back asleep. It shouldn't take long, and it didn't. They looked up martial arts places, and gymnastics places, too! Anything to help his best friend get confidence in himself. He would be a good friend, he was determined. When he went to bed, though, he was satisfied with that day's research. He'd call Izuku the next day to tell him about it.

Hopefully that would cheer him up and give him something to look forward to.