Empress Inko of Draconia stared at three positive pregnancy tests. She'd kept trying over and over again, hoping she'd get a different result. Of course, that had been a waste of time. The Dragon Kingdom used magic to test for pregnancy, far more reliable than any mortal means. When Inko had touched each of the three white orbs on the table, they'd turned blue, indicating that she was (lamentably) expecting. If the father of her child touched one of the orbs, it would also glow blue. Such means of determining paternity were critical for succession to the throne because dragons typically took multiple husbands and wives.

Not that Inko needed any such test. She had only one husband—the Dragon Emperor, Hisashi.

As if on cue, laughter came from the hallway. Inko swept all three orbs into a drawer.

The bedroom door opened. Hisashi had two human women hanging from each woman, one with white hair and the other so platinum blonde that her hair appeared to glow white in the dim light. Two of his numerous wives.

"May we borrow the bedroom, empress?" Hisashi asked, his tone making it clear this wasn't a request. One of his woman kissed his neck.

"Of course," Inko said coldly, sweeping out of the room.

She'd never objected to his many wives, but throwing his empress out of the royal bedchambers was a deliberate insult, and they both knew it. Someone was still a little sore (possibly literally) from the time she'd stabbed him.

For Hisashi to have so many wives while Inko had no other husband had made her the target of gossip among the court. Other dragons believed she must be desperately in love with the husband who barely paid her any attention. In fact, Inko hadn't wanted to marry Hisashi at all. She'd been forced into this arrangement for political reasons—Hisashi was the strongest dragon, and the strongest always ruled, but he had no nobility in his bloodline, so he'd married the daughter of the last emperor to ascend to the throne. Being already stuck with one husband she didn't want, Inko saw no reason to marry several more just to keep up appearances.

She'd even hoped that after Hisashi solidified his grasp on the court, he might allow her to divorce him. Now, with a child, that had become impossible.

Tears stung Inko's eyes. She refused to give up like this. Especially now she had a future child to protect.

King Toshinori sat in his study examining treasury records when something tapped against his window.

Since he was on the fifth floor, this was must unexpected. He looked up.

A green dragon peered through the window pane, her eye so large it filled the whole space. A female voice called, "Excuse me? Are you the king of U.A. kingdom?"

Toshinori lunged for his sword, resting against the wall. "How did you get past our barrier against dragons?" Court Wizard Nezu had warned him the barrier around the kingdom was weakening, and he feared this proof. He raised his blade protectively.

"I have no bad intentions toward you or your people, so the barrier didn't affect me. Please, can I come inside and talk to you?"

Toshinori considered. If the dragon had wanted him dead, then she would have immolated him while his back had been turned. "Turn into a human before you terrify the army into action. I'll meet you downstairs."

A woman with green hair sat down on the couch. Toshinori handed her a cup from his tray. "Tea?"

"Thank you." She took a sip.

"What brings you to my kingdom, Miss Dragon?"

"I'm Inko, the Empress of Dragons."

Toshinori choked. The dragon All for One—known as Emperor Hisashi among his own people—had an ancient grudge against U.A. Kingdom, only stopped by the barrier from destroying them. And this was his wife? Perhaps he'd been too hasty to let her into his home. His free hand inched toward his sword hilt.

Inko didn't seem to notice. "I'm here to ask you to marry me."

Toshinori dropped his tray.

A scaly green tail grew out of Inko's back and snagged the tray before it hit the floor. The teacup wobbled.

"Oh, uh, thank you, your imperial majesty." Toshinori sat down and took a long sip of tea to steady his nerves. "I'm aware that dragons take multiple spouses, but why would you want to marry your husband's worst enemy?"

"I want to marry you because Hisashi hates you. I'm pregnant, and I need you to pretend that my child is your own. Ideally, this will disgust Hisashi so much that he won't want anything to do with either of us."

Toshinori nearly choked on his tea. "Your imperial majesty—"

"We're both monarchs here. Please, just call me Inko."

"Your future child should be the heir to the throne of Draconia. Why would you throw that away by denying your husband paternity?" Toshinori wondered if this woman truly hated her husband so much she'd cause a succession crisis in a fit of pique. She seemed more sensible than that, but then, he barely knew her.

Inko flinched. She took a sip of tea before answering. "My husband is a supreme douchebag on his best day, and he's absolutely bonkers when it comes to family."

Surprised, Toshinori snorted. "The douchebag part fits what I know of All for One, though I had no idea he had any family."

"Hisashi had a human younger brother. He's half-human, half-dragon—that's why he needed to marry me to solidify his claim to the throne. Certainly not because we liked each other, I assure you. Hisashi has the powers of a full dragon. But his younger brother had only a human's abilities and lifespan. Since Hisashi knew he would inevitably lose his little brother, he had the brilliant idea to turn him into a statue."

Toshinori blinked. "That doesn't sound brilliant. That sounds deeply twisted."

"I know, I was being sarcastic."

"Okay, that makes more sense."

"He took the statue with him everywhere and would talk to it." Inko shuddered.

"Because he was crazy or because his brother's mind was aware inside his frozen body?"

"Huh, I always assumed he was crazy, but that second possibility might be even worse. Probably better not to think about it."

"Agreed." They both shuddered.

Inko took another sip of tea. "An ancient prince of U.A. was in love with Hisashi's younger brother, so he snuck into the dragon palace and carried him off. He broke the curse using true love's first kiss and a bundle of discount cursebreaker charms. His wizard erected a barrier around his kingdom preventing dragons from entering. The two of them lived happily ever after and adopted a child, who would have been your predecessor to the throne."

Toshinori said, "I was always taught that my ancestor defeated All for One in battle, and that's why he hates us."

"That could be true," Inko said, in a tone indicating that she doubted it.

"But since Emperor Hisashi is flying around looking quite healthy, it's probably a fictional story to make ourselves look good?"

"Honestly, yes."

Toshinori shrugged philosophically. "I did wonder why the supposedly defeated dragon wasn't dead."

"After his little brother died of old age before he could find a way through the barrier, Hisashi sulked for a century, then he started marrying dozens of human women with white hair and green eyes." Inko winced. "To give you context, his younger brother had white hair and green eyes."

Toshinori dropped the teacup. It shattered and spilled tea everywhere, but he barely noticed. "Do you mean to say that your emperor had some creepy incestuous fixation on his own brother?"

Inko stared. "By my wings and tail, I hope not. I assumed he was trying to produce a child who looked like his brother as a replacement. He had one wife beheaded because she was secretly dyeing her hair white, so clearly genetics matter more to him than the wives' appearances."

"Oh, yeah, that would also make sense. Let's go with your theory because that will let me sleep at night." Toshinori started mopping up tea with his handkerchief. "Either way, you weren't kidding about him being bonkers, your imperial—Inko."

"I know, right? The first time I met him, he told me that my hair was all wrong but my eye color was acceptable so I barely pasted muster to be his wife. I tried to stab him in the crotch, but his scales were too thick. Otherwise I could have removed the issue of him reproducing permanently."

"I would have liked to see that!"

"Half-dragons tend to be less fertile, so Hisashi has never been able to have a child. All the more reason he'll never let mine go whether the hair and eye color turn out as he prefers or not." Inko flinched and touched her stomach. "I want a better life for my baby than serving as a replacement for an overly possessive lunatic."

"I apologize for ever doubting why you would want to keep your child away from that supreme douchebag." Toshinori hesitated. "However, my duty to my kingdom compels me to admit that I don't see the benefit to myself in your proposed arrangement. Despite the barrier protecting us, U.A. constantly suffers from Hisashi harassing our traveling merchants and hiring human assassins to come after me. If he's going so far over a centuries-old grudge against my predecessor, I don't want to imagine what he'd do if he took offense to me supposedly banging his wife."

Inko said, "If you pretend to be my baby daddy, then I'll supply you with enough magic to keep your anti-dragon barrier up for another millennium, I'll order all dragons to stop harassing your people, and I'll gift you with the only surviving visual recording of the time I stabbed Hisashi in the dick when we first met."

Toshinori sat up straight. "My future wife, you have yourself a deal!"

"It's an egg?" Toshinori asked, staring at the round green egg as long as his forearm and speckled with white spots.

Inko lay in bed, her face pale but her voice strong. "All dragon mothers give birth to eggs, regardless of if the child turns out dragon or human."

Toshinori flushed. Her tone had been more patient than his stupid question deserved. Clearly she'd given birth to an egg—the evidence was swaddled in a blanket in her arms. "It's a very pretty egg," he said, trying to recover.

"I'm glad you think so, because I need your help," Inko said. "Traditionally, dragon men incubate the eggs. They have a naturally higher body temperature than us females. Obviously I'm not letting Hisashi anywhere near my precious egg." Her voice held a note of murder.

Toshinori wrung his hands. "I don't have a stomach pouch."

Inko said, "I need a fireplace and I need help keeping it constantly alight for the next several months."

"Oh! Of course!" Toshinori raised his voice. "My wife requires a fire!"

Minutes later, the egg sat on a stone stand in the fireplace. Toshinori could easily summon a servant to tend the fire and then leave, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the flames licking at the green shell. An irrational part of him was afraid the fire might hurt the baby. Human newborns were already so vulnerable—an egg seemed even more breakable.

Inko stepped into the room wrapped in a wool shawl. "Thank you for keeping such a careful eye on the egg."

Toshinori sprang to his feet. "You should still be resting."

"I'm fine here." She sat down on an armchair. "Dragon legend says the baby can hear us. I'm not sure how true that is, but I want to sing a lullaby."

"Oh." Toshinori cast a glance at the egg, remembering guiltily when he'd dropped the poker on his foot and swore.

The egg wobbled slightly in the stand.

Toshinori reached forward without thinking.

Inko grabbed his hand before he stuck in the fire. "Whoa, stop! Dragons have much tougher shells than birds. You could slash it with a sword, and it wouldn't break."

"Who would do that to a baby?" Toshinori asked, paling.

Inko shrugged. "Knights of old have tried. There's no need to look so slack-jawed. No one in this castle would do such a thing."

Toshinori resolved to add guards outside the door, just in case.

The shell bulged slightly as something inside moved. "Oh," Toshinori cooed, enraptured. A baby lived inside the shell. It felt like a miracle and a delight.

Inko smiled at him. "Would you like to listen to my lullaby?"

Nothing could make Toshinori leave at this point. "Please, if you'll allow me."

Inko opened her mouth, and inhuman notes poured out, a shade too deep to come from a human throat. Each word crackled like the flames in the fireplace. Flickering light danced off Inko's cheeks, giving them a rosy look. The egg rippled slightly in time with the music.

By the time her song was done, Toshinori was madly in love with both her and her child.

Taking off his coat and sword belt, Toshinori called, "I'm home!"

"Dad!" Izuku ran down the stairs and hugged him. "I want to hear all about your adventures. Did you win a tournament? Did you slay a dragon?" He glanced behind him. "I mean an evil dragon, of course. No offense, Mom."

"None taken." Inko swept down the stairs wearing an emerald-green gown and pecked her husband on the lips. "Welcome back, darling."

"It's so good to be home." Toshinori beamed at both his wife and his son. Despite the secret of his biological parentage, Toshinori considered Izuku to be his true child. He'd never seen a braver or more compassionate boy. Izuku was his pride and joy. Though their marriage had started as a sham, he and Inko had sincerely fallen in love. Accepting her proposal had been the best decision of his life.

Fortunately, Izuku had yet to show any signs of dragon heritage. That was unusual when both his parents had been dragons, but not impossible since Hisashi had human blood in his family. It made it easier for him to pass the adorable freckled boy off as his own son. As hoped, Hisashi had been so furious that his wife had married his old enemy and supposedly given birth to his child that he'd banished her, which suited everyone perfectly.

With one arm around his son and one around his wife, Toshinori headed to the living room. "I brought back souvenirs for each of you. Izuku, you'll have to wait to open the last one until your birthday."

Izuku made the face of a child who considered a few days an eternity. Toshinori laughed and ruffled his hair. "I'll tell you all about my adventures. But first, we need to prepare a room for two guests, Lady Rei and Lord Shouto Todoroki."

"Todorokis? Are they both dragons?" Izuku bounced from foot to foot.

"Rei is a human, but Shouto is a rare dragon with both ice and fire breath."

"Amazing! I can't wait to meet him! I'll help prepare the bedrooms." Izuku ran off.

Inko met her husband's eyes. "Was it as I feared?"

Toshinori nodded. "Touya didn't take it well when his half-human younger brother developed both kinds of breath." Touya was Enji Todoroki's oldest son, the only one from his draconic wife and thus his presumed heir. But the Todorokis had always valued power over blood. "I barely got Rei and Shouto out of the kingdom alive."

Inko stood on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a true hero, darling. Thank you for saving my friend."

"I'd do anything for you," he said, and meant it.

With a screech of metal, Izuku knocked his opponent's sword to the ground.

Hitoshi Shinsou immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Good match," he said with a very small smile.

Izuku knew his stoic friend well enough to take that small smile as a big compliment. "Thank you," he said, beaming. Since Hitoshi was Sir Aizawa's squire, he trained with the blade all day. Izuku only beat him on rare occasions.

"Yay!" Ochaco Uraraka flicked her wand, and towels floated toward both participants. "I call dibs on the next match."

As Court Wizard Nezu's apprentice, Ochaco didn't need to learn the sword. However, she'd asked the boys to teach her during her spare time and they'd agreed. As Hitoshi had put it, "One of these days you might get trapped behind an anti-magic barrier with your wand broken, and then you'll want to know where to stab someone with the pointy end of the stick."

Shouto Todoroki sat on the bench next to her. His expression hadn't changed a bit during the practice match—at least judging from what could be seen of his face under the bandages. However, he breathed on the bucket of water, and several little ice cubes formed inside.

Izuku dipped his cup into the cold water and took a sip. "Thank you so much. You're so useful to have around! I'm glad I invited you to come." He stuttered to a halt, afraid he sounded exaggerated and insincere. Maybe he was trying too hard.

Ever since Shouto had shown up at the castle with his left eye bandaged and bruises all over his arms, he'd barely spoken a word. Izuku very badly wanted to befriend him, but also didn't want to push someone who'd been through trauma.

Shouto nodded. "Can I fight next after Ochaco?" His voice was soft.

"Of course," Izuku said. "You're welcome to join us for our regular weekly practice session. I bet I'll get a new sword by next time!"

"Oh?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow.

Izuku said, "My dad brought home a long, thin package for my birthday. What else could it be?"

"A wand?" Shouto asked.

The three friends exchanged glances. Shouto couldn't have possibly known what an awkward question that had been.

It very much bothered Izuku that he'd never been able to learn any magic from Court Wizard Nezu. His mother said that maybe his draconic heritage interfered with him learning human magic. What a waste, since he couldn't even turn into a dragon! Kacchan mocked him, saying this proved a half-lizard wasn't suited for the throne.

"I can't perform magic," Izuku mumbled. "Ochaco, let's get ready for our fight." He was eager to change the topic.

Shouto said, "I couldn't perform any magic either before my draconic heritage awoke. But after my first transformation just a few weeks ago, it suddenly all became easy."

"Really?" Izuku perked up. "Maybe there's hope for me after all. Although I'm rather old to develop dragon shapeshifting."

"Sometimes more powerful dragons take longer before their first transformation, even until their late teens," Shouto said. "My father got impatient waiting for me, so he spat fire at my face. Danger can trigger it sooner." He touched the bandage covering his eye. As if an afterthought, he said, "I don't recommend trying that method."

Into the sudden silence, Izuku said, "That's so horrible, Shouto. I'm sorry."

Ochaco nodded. "Good thing you got away."

Hitoshi said, "I'm sorry. Do you want to change the topic?"

"I do, but let me impart one more useful fact first in gratitude for your family providing me with safe shelter." Shouto's impassive face matched his determined tone. "There are particular wands made to be used by those with mixed blood. Any part-dragon should be able to use one of those wands. But they're extremely rare."

"Hmm." Ochaco tapped her chin. "I overheard King Toshinori asking Court Wizard Nezu about dragon-made wands, right before his trip. I don't want to get your hopes up…"

Too late. Izuku felt a thrill of excitement. "That could be the package Dad brought home!"

Katsuki poked his head out the castle window. "What are you shitty nerds doing? Fighting or gabbing? That's why you'll never beat me!" He turned away, laughing.

Izuku winced. To Shouto, he said, "That's Katsuki Bakugo, the son of Prime Minister Mitsuki Bakugo. He really is quite skilled with the sword. Sometimes he joins our practices if he feels like beating all of us."

Hitoshi muttered, "Someone needs to put that guy out of my misery."

Izuku crept into his royal father's office. Last night he'd been up tossing and turning, wondering about the long, thin package for his birthday.

Was it a wand or a sword? It was about the right size for either one. Izuku couldn't wait a whole week for his fourteenth birthday. He had to know.

A package wrapped with a bow sat on his father's desk. He shook it, but nothing rattled. It must be padded inside.

At the sound of footsteps up the stairs, Izuku jumped out the open window.

Unfortunately, he forgot to set down the package first. Izuku dangled from the ledge by one hand as the other held the gift. He could hear his father muttering to himself as he sat down at his desk.

Unfortunately, the office was on the top of a tower. Izuku knew the smart thing to do would be climb back through the window and fess up. Instead, he grabbed the drainpipe and climbed upward.

The tower had a flat roof where Izuku used to sneak out to watch the stars, before his mother caught him and told him it was too dangerous for children. With a groan, he heaved himself up and lay spread-eagled on the roof, panting.

"What the hell are you doing invading my hideout, Deku?" Katsuki leaned over him with a scowl. His childhood friend (for a given definition of friend) had always been difficult, but then someone had whispered in Katsuki's ear that he would have been the prime candidate to be adopted by King Toshinori if the king had been childless. The next thing, Katsuki had started acting like they were enemies.

Izuku stood up and headed for the stairwell. "I was just leaving."

"Stop." Katsuki glared. "Is that a wand?"

"I'm not sure what it is, actually."

"A wand would be wasted on a half-lizard like you. It should go to someone who knows how to use magic." Katsuki yanked away the package.

"Hey! That's my birthday present!" Usually, Izuku let Katsuki have what he wanted, but this was too important. He lunged.

Katsuki threw the gift over the side of the tower.

No! His dad would be so disappointed in him! Izuku leapt forward and grabbed it.

His toes gripped the edge of the roof, then he lost his balance. He fell.

As Izuku tumbled over the edge of the tower, his last sight was Katsuki's horrified face.

The ground rushed up. Izuku had just enough time to realize he never should have leapt after the package, his imminent demise was going to hurt his father far more than the destruction of a stupid birthday gift, and he didn't want to die.

Something deep inside him responded to his will. Scales erupted over his skin. His limbs expanded as his fingers turned into claws. It felt like he'd exploded from the inside out. Then he was soaring upward on two green wings.

Oh, cool, I'm a dragon after all, Izuku thought. Then he smashed his head into a tree.

Emperor Hisashi jolted on this throne. A long time ago, he'd cast a spell to let him know if any of his family was in danger. He'd just felt a reaction, which shouldn't even be possible, because his only family member had died a long time ago.

Ignoring the messenger babbling before his throne, Hisashi leapt to his feet and stormed out of his castle. As soon as he stepped outside, he'd already started shapeshifting.

As Hisashi flew over the kingdom of U.A., a dome made of blue light gleamed below him. He flew down as close to the barrier as he could without getting zapped.

A small green dragon lay tangled among a giant oak tree, upside-down and groaning.

Hisashi flinched, nearly falling. The hatchling looked exactly like his own dragon form, from his long neck to his five claws. The only difference was that this little one had green scales, and the exact same green eyes as his younger brother.

The conclusion was obvious. Inko had deceived him about the parentage of her child.

He'd been upset (and more jealous than he'd cared to admit) when he'd first found out about his empress marrying Toshinori. Sure, he had numerous wives, but he didn't care about any of them and had largely been flaunting them to get back at Inko for ignoring him. At first, he'd assumed she couldn't possibly like the blonde oaf. It must all be a plan to annoy him in return. He'd pretended indifference to her obvious strategy, assuming she'd miss him if he left her alone, but that hadn't worked out.

Before, he'd been insulted she had the nerve to prefer a human over him. Now he was infuriated.

Hisashi dove through the barrier. It parted before him, because this time he sincerely held no bad intentions toward U.A. Kingdom.

He only wanted to rescue his son, heal his injuries, and bring him back where he belonged.

Izuku became aware of a heavy weight over him. He cracked an eye open. He remained in dragon form. A massive metal net pressed him to the ground. His belly dug into his birthday gift, the bow tangled around his claws. He shifted, trying to ease away from the corner of the package poking painfully into his scales. But the net had been weighed down with rocks so he could barely move.

"Are you awake, my beloved son?" A giant white dragon towered over him. Smoke puffed from his nostrils. His mouth opened in a toothy smile that might have been designed to be reassuring, but made him look hungry.

Izuku coughed on the smoke. "Where…am…I?"

"You're nice and safe in my palace. I'm Hisashi, Emperor of Dragons. I know this must come as a dreadful shock, but I'm your father." Hisashi waited.

Belatedly, Izuku said, "Oh, uh, yeah, very shocking." In fact, Izuku had already known.

When Izuku had been very young, his father had shown him a family album of a spikey-haired ancient king with his white-haired, green-eyed prince-consort and their adopted son. Then Toshinori had explained to Izuku that he was extra-special because his dad had picked him to be his child.

After he'd turned into a teenager, Inko had given Izuku the full story about his biological father and why she'd hidden him. She'd finished by saying, "Dear, I wish I could do the standard good parent thing tell you that I'd support you if you decided to have a relationship with that man, but honestly I can't advise it. He has a track record of turning relatives into statues for stupid reasons. I'd be afraid for your safety."

Izuku hadn't cared in the slightest, because he had no interest in another dad. He loved Toshinori with all his heart and soul.

However, Izuku was currently tied up and imprisoned in his biological father's home, and he didn't think that was what Hisashi wanted to hear. So for the sake of his continued survival, he lied. "I'm so excited to meet you."

"It's absolutely shocking that your mother kept the truth from both of us and helped that vile human king kidnap you."

"Uh-huh. Shocking." Izuku tried to smile with his reptilian mouth. "How about you untie me, since we're getting along so well?"

Hisashi pretended not to hear. "Yo—uh, what's your name again?"

Izuku did not miss the part where he'd almost been called someone else's name. "I'm Izuku."

"What a lovely name. It's so wonderful to have you in my claws, Izuku. Your eyes, they're just the perfect shade of green. You'll make such an excellent replacement."

Izuku gaped. Before he could help himself, his indignation escaped his lips. "Did you just call me a replacement?"

"What? Of course not." Hisashi pointed a claw at himself in mock-confusion. "You must have misheard."

Under his breath, Izuku muttered, "Whoa, Dad, I've barely known you for five minutes and already I hate you."

"After I've finished killing your kidnapper, we can—"

"What?" Izuku shrieked. Did he mean Toshinori? He must mean Toshinori. "Please! Don't do that!"

Distantly, Toshinori's voice bellowed, "All for One!" Banging could be heard on the door below.

Hisashi's grin turned even more predatory. "He's chased you out of his barrier. How lovely. I'll be right back, son!"

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Izuku screamed, thrashing against his bonds. "I'll never forgive you! Get back here!"

His screams echoed around the empty tower.

Ever since King Toshinori had left in pursuit of the dragon who'd kidnapped Prince Izuku, the castle had been a bustle of chaos and shouting.

Katsuki slouched down the stairs, desperately hoping no one would notice him. No one had seen him cause the prince to fall off the tower. But once Izuku returned, he'd be in so much trouble.

What if Izuku didn't return? Then it would be all Katsuki's fault. Guilt sloshed inside his uneasy stomach.

There was only one thing to do. Katsuki would have to go rescue Izuku himself! Then ideally Izuku would be so grateful that he wouldn't feel the need to tell people about that regrettable accident at the tower.

The staff were running around the hallways like headless chickens. A potential break in the anti-dragon barrier terrified everyone. Katsuki slipped past two hysterical guards into the throne room.

A sword in a stone rested embedded between the king and queen's thrones. Legend had it this sword had belonged to the king who'd defeated All for One to save his lover so many years ago. It was supposed to be a powerful dragon-slaying sword, but King Toshinori never used it. When Katsuki had asked once, the king had mumbled something about how only the old king, who'd been skilled in fire magic, could use the legendary sword.

Katsuki was excellent at fire magic.

Red flames had been carved with beads into the sword's hilt. Legend said the blade spewed fire. Katsuki had thought the sword the coolest thing ever from the moment he laid eyes on it as a child. He'd longed for an excuse to steal—uh, borrow it.

Katsuki grabbed the hilt and yanked out the sword to reveal a serrated blade.

Immediately, the sword burst into flames.

Katsuki could summon the fire! He must be a special person destined to use this sword!

Then the flames spread up the hilt to set alight Katsuki's sleeve. He cast a spell to control the fire. Nothing happened. The magic of the flames blazed too strong to control, creating a backlash inside his head. He abruptly realized why King Toshinori had claimed this sword unusable.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Katsuki screamed, rolling on the ground trying to beat out the fire spreading down his tunic.

Izuku's initial panic gave way to cold determination. He had to stop the insane dragon emperor from killing his dad. That meant finding a way out from under this stupid net.

Shifting again, Izuku dug his claws into the package. Whether it held a wand or a sword, either would be useful.

He ripped through the leather bindings to reveal a long, slender chestnut rod. Runes covered the wood. A note fluttered to the ground. In Toshinori's handwriting, it read, "My boy, this wand belonged to the first prince-consort, who was Hisashi's younger brother and thus your biological uncle. Since you're the crown prince of U.A., this legacy belongs to you twice over. I'm so proud to be your father."

A tear fell from Izuku's eye. He sniffled. He had no time to be touched, not when he needed to save his dad.

Remembering his lessons from Nezu, Izuku gripped the wand in his claws and though, Let this net break into two pieces!

The floor caved in beneath him.

As Izuku fell through the tower, he realized that: A) Magic was harder than it looked and B) At least he could fly.

With bits of net still sticking to his horns, Izuku staggered to the dragon-sized doorway and peered out.

Toshinori and Hisashi were locked in ferocious battle. Between the roaring of fire and the clash of metal against scales, neither had noticed him. Izuku readied his wand.

Then he hesitated. What if he accidentally hurt his own father? (By which he meant Toshinori.) Last time, the wand hadn't done what he'd intended at all.

Paper crinkled against his claws. Izuku peered closer. One of the ruins of the wand had a ribbon tied over it. Words were scrawled on the cloth: If imprisoned by crazy relative, press here.

Izuku decided to trust in his uncle. He aimed the wand at Hisashi and pressed the rune.

A bolt of green light shot forth. Hisashi froze in place as his body turned into white marble. His mouth petrified in an angry snarl.

"Hey, Dad! I can do magic now!" Izuku ran forward. "This is the best birthday present ever!"

"My boy! I'm so happy you're safe!" Toshinori leapt off his horse and hugged one of his dragon son's legs. This was as high as he could reach, since his head barely came up to Izuku's haunches.

"Let's go back home," Izuku said.

Toshinori looked at the dragon statue. "Is it okay to leave him like this? Even though he's a douchebag, turning someone into a statue forever doesn't sit right with me. And it could cause a diplomatic incident with Draconia."

Izuku checked the ribbon tied around the wand. "Hmm. The other side of this note says, 'Ha-ha, big brother, how do you like being turned into a statue? Because I'm a much better person than you and also have less magic, it will only last a week. I hope you get pooped on by a pigeon." Izuku let the ribbon fall to the ground. "Sounds like we can just leave him here until it wears off. Let's go."

The two of them set off, Toshinori on horseback and Izuku flying overhead. Izuku clutched his new wand in his claws.

As they reached the hill overlooking their palace, a blond figure ran toward them.

Katsuki waved a flaming sword. His right hand was heavily bandaged and his left one was wrapped in several blacksmith's gloves to protect him from the red-hot hilt. He cried, "Izuku, I'm coming to rescue you."

Izuku landed. "That's very kind of you, but I've already saved myself."

Katsuki groaned. The flames ate through part of his glove, causing him to yelp and drop the sword.

As Toshinori put out the flames on the grass, Katsuki sidled up to Izuku and stood on his tip-toes to whisper in the general direction of his ear. "Since everything ended well, are we cool? Yes?" He gazed up hopefully.

"Don't worry, Kacchan, I won't tell anyone what you did."

Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief.

Izuku bent down and hissed, "Because then I'd lose my blackmail material. You're my bitch now, Kacchan."

Katsuki swore so loudly that Toshinori jumped. The king turned around. "What's wrong? Are we under attack?"

"I think Kacchan's shoe is on fire," Izuku said. Which turned out to be coincidentally true.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: After Running Away from Her Husband, Inko Became Much More Even-Tempered

Toshinori: For an empress, you're so blunt-spoken.

Inko: My last remaining nerve erodes with each day I spend married to Hisashi, aka the supreme pain in my ass.

#

Omake: If Inko is a Shimura

Izuku: Mom, you said my biological father had a track record of turning relatives into statues for "stupid reasons." Does that imply there are good reasons?

Inko: That's right! It's stupid to curse your own brother just because he's human. Good reasons to turn your brother into a statue and then drop him off the nearest cliff include: because he physically and emotionally abused his wife and children, because he kept eating innocent heroes out of misguided mommy issues, and because he borrowed your claw polish without asking a few too many times.

Izuku: …

Inko: Did I ever tell you about your late uncle Kotaro? I think I still have a chunk of him around somewhere. He wasn't missed.

#

Omake: Even Half Dragon Shouto is a Conspiracy Theorist

Izuku: If Mom is married to both Dad and Emperor Hisashi, does that mean you two are married to each other?

Toshinori: Absolutely not.

Hisashi: Under dragon law, it's complicated. But I plan to remove that complication by killing Toshinori.

Shouto: Yes! My theory about All Might and All for One being exes is finally true!

#

Omake: The Alternative Ending

Izuku: Hey, Kacchan, I'm back home! Everything is all right!

Katsuki: Oh no, it's not! You get back into that tower so I can rescue you, your highness! (Bashes Izuku unconscious with the hilt of his dragon-slaying sword.)

Hisashi: Uh, what's going on? (He looks at Katsuki dragging a bound and gagged Izuku toward him.)

Katsuki: I'm giving you back the shitty nerd. (He throws Izuku at his father.) And now I'm going to rescue him! (He draws his sword.)

Hisashi: Gee, thanks. (He easily grabs Katsuki's sword and breaks it in two.) Bye!

Izuku: (Through his gag.) Mumble mumble! (Translation: I hate you, Kacchan.)