A/N: Hi all! I know it's been a hot minute since this story has been updated- I'm sorry for the wait! More of an explanation will be given at the end of the chapter (to not keep you up here for too long- I know you probably want to just get to reading).

For brevity's sake, I will be replying to your review in the end note, so I look forward to seeing you there!

Onward!

Rated T: for violence and language (a la Bakugou)

Pairings: None, but plenty of fluff.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own My Hero Academia, just my own words.

The journey away from Lytton had been pretty smooth, as far as Izuku was concerned. He had taken out his map to guide his way almost as soon as he stepped foot onto the vaguely familiar trail leading away from the village, fully aware of his own weakness when it came to directions.

If he had been somewhere multiple times, he'd be fine and dandy, finding his way easily by using landmarks. However, send him somewhere new and tell him that all he had to do was go "southeast" from such-and-such a point and the next thing he knew it'd turn out that he accidently went straight north instead. There was only so much a compass would do for one if they, say, weren't paying attention to it, instead caught up in their own head.

…Not like that had happened to him or anything.

Yeah, totally.

The sun was shining despite the cloud cover and he had yet to stumble upon any wild animals nor somehow hurt himself a la his own clumsiness. Izuku smiled, turning his face to the sky to bask in the warmth and enjoy the spring breeze running through his hair, verdant locks tickling the back of his neck.

To think everyone was so worried about me…this isn't so bad.

Of course, as fate would have it, the clouds decided that this moment was prime time to dump what felt like a literal river upon the teen's head.

The sky quickly transformed from the sleepy blue of before, wisps of clouds blurring the image to a splotchy grey, rain falling fast and hard. Each drop hit with a vengeance, soaking through Izuku's map and rendering the ink useless, black lines smudging and running across the paper, making it indiscernible despite Izuku's attempts to salvage it.

"Ah great…" The freckled teen moaned, running a hand through his sopping wet locks, evergreen strands falling into his eyes.

Izuku balled up the ruined map in frustration, releasing a sigh through his nose only to let out a gasp as his lapse in attention caused him to slip on the muddy path and fall face first into a puddle.

Spluttering, the freckled teen shot up from the puddle, wiping at his face vigorously. Mud was smeared on his palms, matching streaks on his cheeks.

"Oh my god—seriously? I just had to open my big fat mouth." Izuku groused, giving up and peeking inside his bags to ensure nothing had broken due to his involuntary tumble.

Despite being a bit damp, everything appeared to be in proper order. Despite all odds, his rations also seemed to have held on, Izuku grateful that his mother had the foresight to wrap them in multiple layers of cloth for storage.

Closing his bag, the teen stood to take stock of his situation, electing to ignore his soaked status for the time being. The first thing he noticed with a frown was that the ruined map was absolutely unsalvageable now, floating in the puddle with pieces already breaking down into sorry strips. He really didn't know what he was expecting, being that above all else, the map was still just paper, but he was still disappointed and the slightest bit miffed at its fragility.

Not to mention he now had no guidance for how to get from wherever he was to the capitol.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to make the best of it." Izuku pondered aloud, continuing forward on the trail aimlessly. "I guess the most important thing to do now would be to find somewhere to wait out the storm—"

His rambling was suddenly cut short by a roar of pain echoing from the woods lining the path.

Izuku froze, hand reaching for his dagger and his head turning ever so slowly to stare out into the tree line. His eyes darted to-and-fro, searching for the source of the distressed cry, but he couldn't make out anything thanks to the torrential downpour.

For a second, the boy considered just continuing on the path—not only did he not know where he was and would only be getting himself more lost by getting off the trail, but whatever made that noise certainly did not sound friendly.

But…

The sound had been so pained. Even now it reverberated in his ears, head replaying the screech on rewind and sending tiny spikes of pain through his chest, as if he himself were also on the receiving end of whatever upset the creature so.

Gritting his teeth, Izuku mentally sent an apology to his loved ones, knowing that if any of them caught wind of what he was about to do, they would kill him.

If whatever that was didn't do that first.

Turning on his heel, the green-haired boy dashed into the trees, rain erasing the imprints of his boots from the trail and leaving no sign he had ever been there at all.

Izuku dashed through the forest, doing his best to avoid running into low-hanging branches and keeping his pant leg from being caught among the brambles that reached out with greedy hands from the undergrowth.

The rain certainly wasn't making this task easy, obscuring his vision and causing his hair to flop down in front of his eyes, but years of scrambling through bushes and shimmying between trees to get the best herbs served him well and allowed Izuku to traverse the wet terrain with minimal hindrances.

Bursting through the tree line into a small clearing, Izuku paused to pant for breath and whipped his head around frantically, looking for any clue that would lead him to—what he assumed to be—a wounded animal.

"Dammit, I should've seen something by now…" Izuku grumbled under his breath, pushing his hair out of his eyes and squinting through the downpour. "Which way now?"

He paused when his eyes landed upon a red splotch in the grass, a few yards ahead of him.

Creeping forward cautiously, Izuku knelt to pick up what appeared to be a single red scale, cracked and rigid. Bringing the scale closer to his eyes, he took in the garnet red coloration curiously, brow furrowed and glanced up to see a line of broken branches and bent trees heading deeper into the forest.

"What on earth…?" Izuku murmured to himself, pocketing the scale and wandering closer to get a better look.

The damage was extensive, branches scattered along the ground and a few smaller trees felled. Gigantic claw marks decorated the ground, looking almost random as if whatever had been there had been dragging…something along the hastily-made path through the undergrowth. Large pines groaned ominously, pushed about by the wind and rain. Jagged cracks decorated their trunks, threatening to send the trees hurtling to the ground at the slightest provocation.

"Well…can't say that this looks like the safest option…" Izuku muttered, preparing to back away and try an alternate route when a gravelly whine cut through the air.

From the direction of the ravaged path.

"…You've got to be kidding me." Izuku deadpans, eying the trail dubiously. He rubs at the back of his neck awkwardly for a moment, hesitating, before giving in and trudging into the forest.

Izuku picks his way through the damage, keeping a watchful eye on the swaying trees and doing his best not to fall as the trail sloped in a sharp incline. He was beginning to see what appeared to be rather sizeable rocks dotting the trail, a fluttering feeling like static electricity beginning to build up in his veins as he nervously pressed on.

Arriving at a large cave, the entrance dark and ominous, Izuku felt the feeling increase tenfold, his heart racing like a rabbit in his chest. The opening looked suspiciously like a mouth, looming over the lanky teen with stalactites hanging like fangs from the roof of the cave.

He gulped, his mouth dry, but determined to figure out what made that noise from before as well as do what he could to help. His hand subconsciously moved to rest on his dagger when he took a step towards the cave, stopping in his tracks when a gigantic eye snapped open and gleamed out at him.

Izuku's wide green orbs locked onto the glistening red glaring out at him from the darkness, a growl ripping through the air and the creature's pupil slit in suspicion.

"Dear All Might…" The freckled teen breathed as a scaly head easily double the size of his torso emerged from the cave's entrance, staring down at the green-haired boy.

Two curved horns sat atop the creature's brow, ear-like fins flared out majestically and head supported by a thick, serpentine neck. He could see the shadowy outline of what appeared to be wings deeper in the cave, half-raised in alarm. The entirety of the beast was covered in large garnet scales, glistening with moisture courtesy of the rain.

The only word Izuku had to describe the creature before him was "dragon," but—but that was impossible wasn't it?! He had to be imagining this!

The beast lowered its head to the boy standing stock-still before it, head tilted to the side curiously and puffing a breath of hot air in his face.

Or not. There was literally no other explanation. This was actually a bloody dragon, oh my god—

Its eyes, which he had mistaken for a blood red from afar, in actuality were more of a molten orange, intelligence flickering like flames in the depths of its gaze. With its proximity, Izuku also managed to make out a curious scar above the beast's right eye, small and faint but standing out nonetheless. The creature studied the teen, who in turn dared not move, unsure of its motive.

After staring at the boy for a long moment, its eyes flickered to the hand still resting uncertainly at his belt loop. It appeared almost offended, looking pointedly between the boy and the dagger, prompting Izuku to jerkily remove his hand from the hilt, instead wringing them uncertainly.

Distractedly he registered that the rain had stopped, a sun beam peeking through the clouds and seeming to illuminate the magical creature looming over him.

Gathering his courage, Izuku craned his neck to look the beast dead in the eye and squared his shoulders, despite beginning to shake from both his soaked clothing and his own nerves.

"Um, was it you that cried out like that? If y—you're," he cleared his throat, cursing his stutter and plowed on determinedly. "If you're hurt, I can help you. I'm something of a healer."

The dragon narrowed its eyes suspiciously at the teen, as if trying to evaluate his honesty and Izuku did his best to hold the gaze, refusing to back down and wishing desperately that he came across as sincere as he felt. He had helped many injured animals in his time as both a forager and a traveler, from rabbits to deer to even a bear once (he still had the scar on his side from its frantic lashing out, panicked and in pain from the metal trap clamped around its leg, but he had freed it in the end so he supposed it was worth it) and he knew one of the most important things to do was maintain eye contact and stay calm.

Seeming to make up its mind, the dragon shifted forward out of the cave gingerly and extended a foreleg towards the teen, who had backed up to give the gargantuan creature room.

Izuku stared at the dragon anew, in awe of its sheer size. The front half of its body alone allowed the teen to determine that the dragon was at least the size of a decent-sized home in Lytton Village, its scaly legs as thick around as trees and just as strong.

Hesitantly walking closer, Izuku looked over the offered foreleg clinically, immediately pin-pointing the root of the problem. It appeared yet another of those godforsaken metal traps had somehow managed to clamp around the leg, closer to the ground and towards his talons. Though he couldn't figure out how, looking at the thick hide covering the beast, it appeared as though the trap had managed to find the "chink in the armor," as it were and burrow into the soft flesh under the protective scales, a dark crimson staining the area and dripping down the leg in rivulets.

Izuku winced in sympathy, glancing up at the dragon with apologetic eyes.

"Okay big guy, I have good news and bad news," Izuku started, the dragon cocking its head, seemingly confused by his gentle tone.

"Well, the good news is that the problem is definitely solvable. I have to remove the trap and then clean and treat the wound…"

The dragon nodded his head—Izuku decided that it was most likely a "he" at this point and it didn't feel right to keep calling him an "it" in his head—at the teen, as if telling him to go on.

"Buuuuttttttttttt- the bad news is that it's going to hurt. A lot probably. It's digging in pretty deep there." Izuku finished, sending him a weak smile.

At that, the dragon seemed to puff up proudly, sending what Izuku assumed was the dragon-equivalent of a smile his way, barring his sharp teeth at the human with the edges just barely quirked up.

While jarring, Izuku couldn't help but find the gesture endearing nonetheless, somewhat surprised by the dragon's easy acceptance. He didn't seem to stay wary long, which the teen found odd, but he supposed that the soul-searching stare the intelligent being gave him earlier probably put him on the "unlikely to stab me" list.

Not to mention that it meant he probably wouldn't be bitten in half when trying to help the dragon out, which was always a bonus.

"Okay then…I guess I'll get started." Izuku mumbled, half to himself and half to the dragon towering over him. Taking off his satchel, as well as the bag containing all of his wares for the festival, he set them to the side under an old tree. He'd really rather not break anything by accident.

He turned and approached the dragon's injured foreleg, climbing onto the upper portion of the leg carefully and just managing to reach the trap embedded in its hide. The trap appeared to be old, rust already creeping along the metal of the clamps.

Inwardly, Izuku celebrated, knowing that the rusting would make the trap a lot easier to remove, but also reminded himself to put a heavy-duty antibacterial salve on the wound to prevent infection. Luckily, it seemed that the rusting was centralized on the springs of the trap, not so much the spikes, so there shouldn't be as big of a risk for infection, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Removing the dagger from his belt and feeling the dragon stiffen beneath his perch, Izuku lifted his eyes to lock with the molten orbs of the creature looking down at him. From up close, it was easy to see the shifting shades of his eyes, a blood-orange shifting to a lighter mandarin before settling on a honey-gold. The slit pupils from before had made a comeback from their wider state, wary at the appearance of a knife.

"I'm going to use my dagger to pry this thing off you. Hopefully the age of this contraption should work against it and allow me to break it, but I can't do with my bare hands." Izuku states calmly, sitting still and allowing the dragon a moment.

He could tell this guy was much smarter than most people would probably realize, so he felt no need to dumb down his language nor—heaven forbid—coo at him, like he would for a feral cat or especially skittish animals like rabbits.

The dragon seemed to mull it over for about half a second before deciding to stand by his earlier judgement call and gave the teen a brief nod to proceed.

Izuku smiled at him, inwardly thankful for the easy cooperation and returned to his task, shifting his dagger carefully in his hand to wedge it under the rustiest side of the trap. He didn't have to worry about the blade breaking on him, largely thanks to the defensive runes he'd had engraved in it years ago, so his main concern was to make the removal as quick and painless as possible.

Convinced he had the blade wedged firmly in between the jaws of the device, Izuku began pushing down hard on the handle, trying his best to pry the contraption free.

Nothing.

Seeing as it didn't budge, Izuku resolved himself to put his back into it, trying again. He grit his teeth and could feel the lean muscle in his arms straining to break the metal free of the thick hide. Shifting to a crouch and bracing his feet on the muscled leg beneath him, Izuku let out a strangled yell as one of the springs suddenly snapped under the pressure, causing the trap to fly open and release the scaled leg from its vice-grip.

Izuku flailed a moment, his momentum working against him and sending him crashing to the ground. He let out a grunt as his back connected with the ground, sitting up and rubbing at his sore head.

He heard a concerned croon from above him and looked up to see the dragon's face mere inches from his own, pupils round and searching.

Suddenly, inexplicably embarrassed by his grade-A showing of "how clumsy Izuku can be, exhibit 341," Izuku smiled sheepishly at the red behemoth.

"No, no, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I've been told I'm too hard-headed for my own good—this isn't going to slow me down a bit."

The dragon let out a huff of amusement at that, its eyes gleaming and backed off, allowing the green-haired teen to rise to his feet and walk over to where his satchel and medicine bag lay.

Grabbing his satchel decidedly, he chose to use up his own personal store rather than dip into the festival supply. He and his mother had slaved over that medicine and he fully intended for it to be used only if the last available option.

He quickly found and put aside a roll of bandages, as well as a jar of ointment specially formulated to not only help seal up the wound quickly, but also to prevent infection. The treatment heavily focused on the use of aloe Vera, which in its natural state, was not only super effective for burns but was also great for open wounds. The plants properties allowed it to quickly stop bleeding and help rebuild tissue, as well as reduce inflammation. The ointment also included raw honey and comfrey root, which had strong antibacterial properties. Overall, the salve was a lot messier than others and didn't always smell that great, but it was effective and that was the important part in Izuku's eyes.

Rooting through his bag in search of a rag and his water skin to clean the wound as best as he could before treating it, he chattered over his shoulder to the dragon distractedly.

"Okay, so I think I have what I need to properly treat you. The only problem is—well, I'm kinda unsure if I have enough bandages to fit someone your size…okay, the amount of medicine might also be an issue, but I have other stuff too, so I'm sure we can work around it. Oh! I think I found—ack!" Izuku turned and squeaked at the dragon's sudden closeness, having not heard him sneak behind him to look over his shoulder curiously.

"Oh goodness, you can't just do that to me!" Izuku whined, giving the beast a pitiful look which made the dragon blink and cock his head at him.

"You move so quietly! I don't even know how something…your…size…?" Izuku trailed off, staring at the dragon baffled. "Wait, I could've sworn you were bigger?"

Izuku looked intently at the scaly beast who only stared back amusedly, sitting on his haunches and his tail swishing behind him. The dragon had entirely emerged from the cave at this point, his wings tucked at his sides and powerful form on full display. The only difference was that now the dragon looking back at him was no longer the size of a house, instead measuring in size much closer to a horse.

"But how did you…"

Izuku shook his head, deciding that the how was pretty much moot at this point.

I mean, up until now I didn't even think dragons still existed. Who am I to question anything this guy does? He's a fricking magical beast of legend—he can do whatever he wants!

Breaking off his train of thought before he went too far down the rabbit hole, Izuku smiled at the dragon.

"Well, either way, thank you for that."

The dragon tilted his head questioningly.

"I—I mean!" Izuku spluttered, turning red. "I know it's a bit much to assume and all, but you being smaller actually helps me out a whole lot! I mean—I would've tried to help either way, but a smaller size definitely helps when it comes to bandaging a wound and all and I—"

The teen was cut off by the dragon lifting a paw, looking as if he was laughing before giving him a toned down version of the toothy "dragon grin" from before.

Izuku relaxed, taking the response to mean that the dragon got what he was trying to say and turned back to gather up his supplies.

"Alright, um, cool." He finished lamely, settling down at the beast's side and reaching for his foreleg. The dragon moved it over without fuss and waited patiently while Izuku poured the last of the water from his flask onto a clean rag and wiped at the gash delicately, cleaning the area of blood. He then opened up the ointment jar, recoiling from the potent smell of the stuff at almost the same instant the dragon gave an undignified snort, looking at the jar like it insulted him with his snout wrinkled.

Still, the dragon didn't protest when Izuku applied a thick layer of the stuff to the wound and then wrapped it tightly in a bandage, wiping his hands on his pants distractedly when he finished, uncaring of cleanliness with the amount of mud and tree debris caked on them as it stood.

"That should do it then," Izuku commented, gathering up his supplies and placing them back in his satchel, making a note to refill his water skin. He looked down at himself.

Okay, and also make sure to clean myself while I'm at it.

Picking up his bags, he readjusted them on his shoulder before turning to look at the dragon with a big grin on his face.

"I'm really glad I could help you—uh, you know what? I don't really have a name for you do I?" He put a hand on his chin, contemplative. "Well, I can't just keep calling you dragon…not only is that rude, but it's honestly kinda tiring…"

He caught a flash of movement in his peripheral vision and Izuku turned his head to watch, astounded, as the dragon suddenly began scratching at the ground. Looking closer, he could see letters begin to take shape in the dirt under the dragon's claw.

"K—I—R—I—S—H—I—M—A." Izuku muttered under his breath, eyes following the dragon's writing intently. "Kirishima…oh, is that your name then? Kirishima?"

The dragon, now dubbed "Kirishima" nodded eagerly, looking pleased with himself and sending Izuku another toothy grin.

"Okay then Kirishima! It's nice to meet you—well, officially. My name's Izuku Midoriya!" Izuku beamed in return, holding out a hand for a handshake before remembering Kirishima's rather scaly status and pulling it back hastily, cheeks pink.

"Erm—well anyway, I am really glad I could do something to um, help you out and all." Izuku said sheepishly.

Izuku turned away from Kirishima, beginning to walk back the way he came.

"As much as I'd really love to stay and all, I really have to get going." Izuku called over his shoulder and looking apologetically at the baffled Kirishima, who had hastily stood up when the teen began his retreat. "I'm kinda lost now because the storm ruined my map, so I need to try and find a village or something to direct me to the capitol. If nothing else, maybe get far enough to find shelter for the night."

The teen's stomach rumbled suddenly, sounding like a poor imitation of a dying whale.

Izuku placed a hand on his stomach, glaring at it in betrayal. He had a good breakfast, dangit! Eating can wait until he has somewhere safe to stay the night!

"And I guess eat as well." He finished, reaching the tree line and beginning to pick his way through the debris. He decided firmly to ignore the pleading whine behind him.

An abrupt tug on the back of his vest stopped him though, yanking the teen back into the clearing. Izuku looked behind him at the dragon, who had his teeth buried in his vest's cotton fabric and was staring up at the teen with molten eyes.

"Um, I'm really sorry Kirishima, but I need to leave. It has to be nearly mid-afternoon at this point and I shouldn't risk getting lost—well, getting more lost," Izuku said, gently trying to pry his vest free.

Kirishima growled at him then, Izuku freezing in shock and the slightest hint of confusion, considering how amiable the dragon had been thus far. Honestly, a miracle in and of itself if the stories he had read as a child were any indication of a dragon's temper. From what the green-haired teen could tell, Kirishima was the exact opposite of everything he knew about dragons, not being hot-headed, greedy, or vicious. Instead, Kirishima, aside from his initial suspicion (which Izuku considered completely understandable, especially when injured), had been pretty friendly overall and stayed calm during treatment despite Izuku knowing that it was painful.

So why was he upset now?

Izuku let go of his vest and lifted a brow questioningly at the dragon, letting his gloved hands hang by his sides.

At the teen's perceived submission, the red dragon released his death grip on the garment and marched around to stand before Izuku, head raised challengingly. His gleaming eyes bored holes into the boy before lowering to the ground as he used his uninjured foreleg to scratch a sloppy "I help" into the dirt.

Izuku examined the phrase in confusion, before looking back up.

"Pardon me Kirishima, but help with what?"

The dragon seemed to snort, rolling his eyes playfully before adding "capitol." After that, Kirishima sat back on his haunches and looked at the boy as if he laid out his plan as clear as crystal.

"Capitol?" Izuku hummed, mind buzzing. "I help…capitol…wait!"

It clicked.

"You mean, you'll help me get to the capitol?!" Izuku exclaimed, looking to Kirishima for confirmation.

The dragon nodded enthusiastically, bouncing up and grinning at the boy.

"Wow—thank you! That would be wonderful!" Izuku shouted, lunging forward to wrap his arms around Kirishima's scaly neck in his exuberance. To be honest, he knew that finding a village nearby was likely a slim to none chance, especially when he wasn't sure where he was. He hadn't exactly marked which direction he came from during his mad dash into the woods earlier and he was originally just going to start walking and hoping he'd get back on the trail eventually. But with Kirishima's help—wait.

Izuku pulled back suddenly, looking at up at Kirishima worriedly. Kirishima's face was awed, eyes wide as he stared down at the boy hanging from his neck. Izuku flushed, jumping back from the dragon as his as if he had been burned.

"I'm so sorry Kirishima! I really should have asked first..." Izuku rubbed at his arm worriedly, his cheeks pink.

Kirishima hurried to reassure the teen, lowering his head to look Izuku in the face and give him a small grin.

At the dragon's reassurance, Izuku smiles softly.

"Ah well, I really do appreciate it Kirishima." He mumbles, looking off to the side awkwardly. He stares for a minute before his eyes go wide and snap back to the dragon so suddenly that Kirishima flinches a little bit, his own eyes a splendid gold and pupils mere pinpricks.

"Ah! Kirishima! If you're going to help me to the capitol, what about your, uh, appearance? I'm kind of unsure how people will take a huge dragon appearing out of nowhere...I mean, no offense, but we haven't exactly been thinking that dragons were...around? I mean—I'm super glad that you're around! …I'm not making this any better am I?" Izuku groans, his hands rising to cover his face again and he hangs his head miserably, only lifting it when he hears Kirishima let out an amused growl, looking for all the world like he is laughing at him, but trying to be discreet for the sake of his dignity.

Good grief, Izuku thought idly. I can't even manage to keep my composure around a magical creature...

Izuku is startled out of his (rapidly self-deprecating) line of thought when he's suddenly nudged by the red dragon playfully. Kirishima is grinning at him in his toothy, dragon-y way again, beginning to trot deeper into the woods, Izuku trailing behind him.

"But seriously though Kirishima," Izuku starts, eyes wide and worried. "What will we do about the capitol? I know we've only been friends for a little while, but I really don't want anything to happen to you on my account."

Izuku paused thoughtfully.

"Though, to be honest, it kinda looks like you already have had an encounter with humans? Considering the trap and all."

Izuku watched as the dragon paused, stiffening, before seeming to shake the question off, instead looking back at the teen with a warm…something swimming behind his orbs, as if telling him not to worry.

To be honest, Izuku wasn't quite sure if he could identify everything the look was trying to convey, but could make out honesty, a bit of affection (to his surprise), and humor, as if he knew something that Izuku didn't.

Which, to be fair, was entirely likely, considering that he was a dragon and all—he could even be hundreds of years old for all Izuku knew. He had never really looked into how dragons aged considering that information either: a) wasn't laying around for any old peasant to read or b) wasn't something Izuku would've looked into, since he didn't know dragons were alive (until now at least).

The teen was tempted to ask Kirishima his age, considering he was able to write answers before and could clearly understand human speech, but he didn't know if it would be considered rude or not. He decided to keep that thought to himself; instead content to go wherever the dragon was leading the hapless traveler.

Izuku looked around himself in wonder.

Kirishima had led him into a denser part of the forest, far beyond any point the teen would've allowed himself back at home. The trees were becoming taller and growing much closer together, the canopy overhead blocking out most of the sunlight from touching the forest floor and allowing only faint shreds of light to reflect off of the dragon's red scales, illuminating them and causing them to sparkle like rubies.

From Izuku's angle behind the magical being, he could see the various scars marring Kirishima's hide. The sheer amount of them, from small nicks to jagged scars painted the image of him as a warrior. He had obviously been in a lot of tough battles if the larger ones were anything to go by, such as the rather prominent one on the membrane of the dragon's right wing.

It's such an old wound…I wonder how he got it.

A sudden thought struck the teen and chilled him to the bone.

And at what age?

He was broken out of his musings by the sudden return of Kirishima to his side, crooning in a worried fashion and appearing somewhat put off by his lingering silence.

"No, it's nothing Kirishima," Izuku reassured the dragon, who pressed himself against the teen when the path narrowed. "I'm fine."

Kirishima looked a bit dubious, obviously seeing through the quick rebuttal to his concern, but didn't push it. He instead shrugged a bit, then nudged Izuku to the left, steering him into a more lush part of the forest, where the air hung heavy and humid.

Izuku gasped when the two broke the through the bushes to see a massive waterfall, perfectly crystalline and blue. The falls were surrounded and nearly sheltered by the trees lining the area, massive weeping willows leaning to cover the area lovingly, boughs swaying in the whispering spring breeze. The rocks below the surface of the pool at the base of the wall of water were easily visible, glimmering in the sun at points where they emerged from the surface like they were attempting to touch the sky. From the two's vantage point at the shore, little fish were darting about in the water, their scales flashing in shades of blue, orange, and green. The mist drifting through the air brushed gently against the green-haired boy's cheeks, blessedly cool and kissing at his freckles reverently.

In that moment, Izuku could almost feel as if he had magic of his own, at peace with the glimpse into the raw, natural beauty of the moment.

"Kirishima, this is amazing!" Izuku whispered, awestruck.

He approached the edge of the pool as if in a daze, peering into the depths curiously.

He had never seen water this clean! Even when foraging for herbs, Izuku had to be careful when refilling his water skin, watching for algae growing in the stream before risking drinking any war from the source.

Izuku's face whipped around to lock eyes with Kirishima who was lingering behind him, sending him a sunny smile that had the dragon ducking his head bashfully.

"This is perfect! I needed to refill my water skin as it was—thank you Kirishima!" Izuku said humbly, his sparkling grin morphing into a soft, grateful smile. He turned his emerald gaze away as he removed the bags from his shoulder and set them down, a safe distance from the water's edge. Izuku opened his satchel to fish out his water skin and took off a glove before unscrewing the cap and dipping his hand into the water to refill it.

Izuku failed to see the sudden impish look on Kirishima's face as he got over his uncharacteristic bout of shyness, creeping forward carefully to loom behind the freckled teen.

He could see the surprise in Izuku's wide eyes in their reflection, but before the boy could so much as yell, Kirishima nudged him forward.

Izuku's arms pin-wheeled comically for a moment before he landed in the water with a splash, spluttering as he popped back up to the surface, his face incredulous.

"Did—did you just push me?!" Izuku exclaimed, shock turning to righteous indignation when he heard Kirishima literally roaring with laughter.

His wet bangs hung in his face messily, forcing Izuku to irritably comb a hand through the curly locks in a useless bid to clear his vision. He only succeeding in looking like an angry, wet kitten to the dragon cackling on the shore, making him laugh harder.

"Ha ha, just laugh it up over there why don't you?" Izuku groused, bobbing at the water's surface with fish flitting by him curiously, like tiny streaks of colored light. The teen began paddling towards the shore, already feeling the water seep into his woolen socks.

A sudden idea struck the teen upon nearing the shoreline and he smiled innocently up at the dragon peering down at him with his head cocked.

Before sending a wave of water flying towards Kirishima's face, nailing him between the eyes.

As you do.

Izuku couldn't help but start giggling hysterically at the stunned look on Kirishima's face, the water dripping off his scales sluggishly. The dragon stood there blinking for a few long moments before letting out a snarl that had the boy squealing and backpedaling in the water as the dragon immediately took up the challenge and literally launched himself into the pool, sending up a huge wall of water in his wake.

Izuku was caught up in the undertow of the wave, being swept unwillingly towards the rambunctious dragon.

"I yield I yield!" The boy laughed, letting out a short shriek when Kirishima playfully batted a clawed paw at him and dunked him under the surface of the pool.

The two took to flailing about like children, splashing each other while laughing giddily. Kirishima used his superior size to his advantage, using his wings and tail to send waves of water Izuku's way, while the teen tried to retaliate with strategic sneak attacks, taking to hiding behind the occasional rock jutting out of the pool and sending controlled splatters to obscure the dragon's vision.

A particularly successful venture had Kirishima snorting, water streaming from his nostrils and causing him to let out a challenging bellow before swooping forward to seize the freckled boy by the vest and fling him a short distance into the air, giving the dragon the opportunity to surge upwards after him, unfurling his impressive wingspan. He took the freckled teen gently between his talons and deposited him on shore, the both of them soaked and still chuckling.

"What was that for Kirishima?" Izuku laughed breathlessly, looking up at the dragon through sopping wet bangs.

Kirishima only snorted at him, before meandering closer and gesturing up at the slivers of sky visible in their hideaway which shone a soft pink, tinged with purple and the ripples of night sky.

Izuku's mouth form a surprised "o."

"It got that late already? Well, in that case, it seems that our best bet for the night would be to set up camp." He commented offhandedly, already beginning to shiver a little from his impromptu dip in the frigid falls.

Kirishima made a humming sound deep in his throat, seeming to agree with him before casually leaning over and licking a long stripe from the bridge of Izuku's freckled nose to his forehead, causing his bangs to stick up stiffly and at awkward angles.

The dragon stared at the teen evenly as he sat stock still for a moment, eyes round and uncomprehending before his nose wrinkled.

"Ewww—" Izuku groaned, lifting a hand to his hair only for it to come away coated in dragon slobber. "Kirishima, why would you do that?"

The dragon didn't give any indication of hearing the question, just letting out something that sounded suspiciously like a purr, before trotting away and disappearing into the tree line a moment, then returning with a mouthful of tree limbs. He carefully deposited his load in front of the teen who lit up with a grateful smile.

"Oh—thank you! That'll work well for a fire." The teen decided to ignore the dragon's behavior for the time being, chalking it up as another oddity that he'd likely never get an answer to. He instead leant forward to grab the branches and haul them further from the shore to a relatively dry area in the clearing.

Setting them down, he began to dig at the loose soil to form a fire pit, Kirishima looking on for a moment before striding forward to help, ignoring his injury despite Izuku's protests.

It didn't take the pair long to hollow out a decent-sized hole, deep enough to not risk starting a forest fire unintentionally. Izuku threw a couple large branches into the fire pit, before ripping up some dry grass and throwing it in as makeshift kindling.

The teen stood to retrieve his satchel from its spot by the little lake to look for his matches, but before he could so much as take a step, Kirishima had opened his maw at let out a small jet of flame, the fire leaping onto the wood with vigor and setting the whole pit ablaze with heat and light.

"You can breathe fire too?!" Izuku gushed, stars in his eyes and nearly vibrating in his excitement. Yet another piece of the stories he had heard as a child coming true before his eyes set the teen ablaze with intrigue. He rushed to his bags, snatching them up to hurriedly return to Kirishima's side, digging through his bag to find a small journal he generally used to record sales and document new herbs. Pushing aside the purple bottle and his now-full water skin, he also grabbed a bit of charcoal he used as a makeshift pen.

Kirishima watched on in fond amusement as the boy began scribbling furiously in the notebook, his entire face tinted gold in the fire's glow and gaze focused as he filled the pages with scribbled words and sketches. The light reflected off the teen's dark curls, water droplets shimmering like tiny diamonds in the strands before slowly evaporating in the face of the fire's warmth.

The dragon pricked his fins as a steady string of half-formed theories began filling the air, snippets of phrases like "magic" and questioning the source of "such raw energy" and "did dragons need a spark to ignite their flames or were they just inherently present?"

Kirishima didn't interrupt his ramblings, instead content to sit and watch for a while, eyes wide as page after page was marked up with his ramblings and observations made over his period around the dragon. The dragon settled down next to the fire contentedly, stretching like a cat and basking in the warmth rolling in waves off the flames.

Izuku glanced up a few times, amused to see what had initially seemed a terrifying force of nature become nothing but a content loaf in front of the fire, head lolling in a light doze as he wrote. Taking the opportunity for what it was worth, Izuku hurriedly noted this behavior as well, fascinated and somehow fond of the magical creature that had decided to not only help him, but maybe even consider him a friend?

He mentally shook his head at the thought. No, maybe friend was too strong a word. While he certainly considered the dragon a friend, he really couldn't be sure of what the dragon thought of the arrangement. It was probably just his own hopes bubbling over and clouding his view of their situation. They had only known each other for approximately a day, for All Might's sake! For all he knew, Kirishima's increasingly tactile behavior may simply be a cultural quirk, maybe a normal part of dragon society—though the teen had to admit that the contact was welcomed. It reminded him a lot of his friends and mom, all three of them huggers (though Iida would never admit it, claiming that a proper knight needed to remain professional at all times, but he couldn't fool Izuku) and regularly patting Izuku on the head, even pinching his freckled cheeks on occasion (to Izuku's dismay).

He knew he still had a bit of a baby face for goodness sake!

He also knew that it frequently caused others to underestimate him, which was a double-edged sword, on one hand it gave him the advantage of surprise, on the other, some people would try to walk all over him. It all depended on the person, really.

Izuku was startled from his reverie when a flash of red in his peripherals caught his attention and his head rose from the journal to watch Kirishima stretch and then walk briskly into the woods, not looking back.

"Kirishima? Wait, where are you going?!" Izuku yelled after the dragon, beginning to rise to his feet before deciding against it.

Regardless of what Kirishima was doing, Izuku leaving the clearing now was certainly not a good idea at night. Not only was he hopelessly lost, but he was still damp and with the rapidly dropping temperatures at night in Yuuei, it wasn't in his best interest to leave the only source of warmth and light he had, now that the sun had set.

Really, he just had to wait and see what the dragon did at this point.

His stomach rumbled again with a vengeance, the sound ripping through the air and reminding the teen that he had forgotten to eat since breakfast.

And eat apparently.

Izuku had just polished off the last of his impromptu dinner, having retrieved an apple and some of his mother's homemade bread to stave off the worst of his hunger for the night, when a fierce rustling shook the bushes behind the teen.

Izuku froze at the noise before spinning around to watch the undergrowth warily, only to let out a sigh of relief when a familiar scaled head emerged from the foliage. The rest of the dragon quickly followed, wings tucked in carefully at his sides and the spikes on his back cutting through the denser vegetation surrounding his form.

"Kirishima, you scared the crap out of me!" Izuku exclaimed, clutching a hand to his chest and sending the dragon a wobbly smile.

Kirishima made what Izuku assumed was his best attempt at an apology, dipping his head and letting out a short croon before dropping a pile of silver lumps in front of the teen. The dragon sat down and gave the teen an expectant stare when he failed to move immediately.

Taking the hint, Izuku crept forward to look at the offering warily, not sure what to make of the situation. Upon closer inspection, Izuku realized that the lumps were actually fish, rather large ones at that and most likely salmon, if the pattern was a good indication.

"Kirishima…did you catch these?" Izuku questioned, awed.

At the dragon's nod and accompanying grin, Izuku smiled gratefully back at the dragon.

"That was awfully nice of you Kirishima! You do know that you didn't have to do that, right?" The teen said, both thankful for the chance to eat something a little more sustaining than just bread and fruit after the craziness of the day, but also genuinely worried that the dragon was somehow taking his help earlier as a debt to be repaid.

On his part, Kirishima only seemed confused before nodding enthusiastically. He lifted his uninjured foreleg to gesture between the fire, fish, and Izuku pointedly and then sat back on his haunches, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Alright, alright, I'll get onto that then," Izuku huffed good-naturedly. "But I'll have you know that you're getting some too! Have you even eaten today Kirishima?"

Izuku watched, hands on his hips, as Kirishima's proud look slid of his face to be replaced by one of shock and then tears, appearing extremely moved for some reason.

"Uh, Kirishima?"

The teen had little to know warning when the dragon surged forward to wrap his forelegs around his shoulders in a surprisingly accurate imitation of a hug, squeezing the air out of Izuku's lungs in the process. A sharp wheeze fell from his lips at the pressure and feeling of hard scales digging into his stomach and chest at the contact, eyes wide as he tried to figure out what exactly he had said wrong.

"Ah—um, Kiri-Kirishima, you're—ah—kind of crushing me right now," Izuku gasped out, patting frantically at the dragon's…shoulder? "I'm really s-sorry if I accidentally hit a nerve or something, but air is p-pretty essential right about now!"

The dragon's grip loosened instantly, the dragon pulling back and lowering his head to croon apologetically, the sound reverberating deep in his throat and sending faint vibrations through the teen still in his grasp. Small tear tracks ran in slow lines down Kirishima's face though he was grinning toothily.

Just as Izuku opened his mouth to apologize again, a loud growl erupted from the dragon's stomach and made Kirishima's grin turn sheepish, his fins drooping to lie flat against his head, scales coloring just the slightest hint pink.

"Well," Izuku mused. "I suppose that answers that question. Grilled fish for the both of us then."

Midnight found Eijirou lying awake, staring into the dying embers of the fire with a full belly and unfocused eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had had a properly cooked meal instead of something charred—courtesy of either his brother or his own carelessness.

Fire was harder than it looked to control, okay?

His fins pricked as he heard a soft sigh off to his left, prompting the dragon to lift his head to stare down at Midoriya as he shifted against his side, tilting his head to burrow deeper into the solid warmth beside him. Eijirou smiled down at the small teen, wrapping his tail around his body and shielding the teen from the darkness surrounding the two. The new source of warmth seemed to pacify the human, who relaxed and slipped deeper into his slumber, his body lax against the dragon's scales.

Eijirou's smile softened.

He had taken the liberty to literally wrap himself around the green-haired teen as soon as the two had finished scarfing down the fish he had caught in a nearby mountain stream. Having lived in the area as long as he had, he knew the best places to hunt and had dashed to the closest one to the hidden cove in order to return as soon as possible.

He knew the dangers that lurked in this part of the forest well (he felt his scars twinge at the thought) and wasn't willing to allow his new friend any harm, especially considering how he had helped him out with the bear trap earlier.

Despite Midoriya's initial protests and cherry-red face at the gesture, Eijirou stubbornly refused to move from his post, even going as far as to drag the hard-headed human back by the back of his vest when he managed to worm his way out of his hold. The green-haired boy spluttered at the treatment, seeming both mortified and sufficiently scolded by Eijirou treating him like a disobedient hatchling, even lifting a brow challengingly with a toothy smirk when the teen looked tempted to try again.

After two more (failed) escape attempts, Midoriya seemed to give up and accept his position, still pink in the face and refusing to make eye contact with the amused Eijirou.

His pouting face, while admittedly far cuter than it really should've been for someone so obviously a young adult, didn't make Eijirou budge from his self-appointed duty.

The memory made the dragon snort, eyes drifting back to linger on the odd human once again.

Midoriya's expression was soft and open in his sleep, the round cheeks and smattering of freckles across them like stardust made the teen appear young; almost dangerously so, in Eijirou's opinion.

If not for the medical prowess, wit, and Midoriya's rather manly display of strength earlier when freeing Eijirou (not to mention the chiseled physique the dragon could feel through the soft cotton of the teen's clothing), he'd swear the teen was absolutely defenseless.

Of course, that is obviously not the case.

He's strong…but not aggressive, Eijirou thought, eying the dagger strapped to Midoriya's belt contemplatively.

Honestly, Eijirou hadn't been sure what to make of the green-haired teen when he suddenly crashed through the underbrush. He had watched, wary and curious as the teen examined the area as if searching for something, rain pouring down and flattening his dark green curls to his head.

The human had obviously been through an ordeal or something, if his appearance was any indication. The green-haired teen was wearing an earthy green vest atop a white, long-sleeved tunic, both soaked through and streaked with mud, sticking to his skin. His pants were actually worse off, looking like he had decided to traipse through a swamp on the way there, the fabric from the knees down having not only noticeable patches of mud, but also various plant debris sticking to it—leaves decorating his boots like a poor attempt at camouflage.

Eijirou had actually felt bad for the guy, he looked pretty miserable out there in the rain, but the thing that really gave him pause was the human's face. His tan skin hadn't been spared from the mud either it seemed, though the amount was trace and did little to cover up the freckles that bloomed across his face like tiny flower buds. There was a small scar decorating one freckled cheek, a thin white line that made the dragon wonder what had happened to cause it. And his eyes—the human's eyes were a dazzling emerald shade that peeked out through the bangs hanging in his face like a veil, sparking with life and a relentless determination.

It was mainly the look in the those green eyes that prompted Eijirou to reveal his location, partly to see how the guy would react and also in a semi-desperate bid to see if someone with smaller hands and more nimble fingers might, just might be able to do something about the bear trap he had foolishly wandered into while hunting.

Really, if he had stayed in his general range, he probably wouldn't even have had to deal with the injury for this long, as his brother would've helped him out—loudly complaining about doing so and cursing at Eijirou for being an idiot, but helping him nonetheless.

Either way, Eijirou watched the human with cautious eyes as he poked his head out from the cave he had hid himself in as a makeshift nest, well aware of his monstrous size as the other stared up at him, gaping.

The teen was obviously wary, tense and standing with a hand on the hilt of his sheathed dagger, but he made no move to attack the dragon before him. Instead he stood still as Eijirou lowered his head to make direct eye contact with the human and matched his gaze, seeming to examine Eijirou in the same intense and vaguely curious way the dragon was him.

Eijirou had to admit he was impressed with the teen's guts. Most people would have either run away or attacked him at this point, but the human did neither. His gaze held nothing but honesty and bravery, and curiously, traces of concern and compassion swirling in the emerald depths like rapids in a river.

And when the teen spoke up to not only ask if Eijirou was okay, if he was the one who had let out the pained cry earlier, but also to offer help with a boldness that came from a sincere need to be there for anyone that needed it, even as he shook under the huge dragon's scrutiny.

How. Frickin'. Manly.

Eijirou decided there and then that he liked this guy; that he would not only be a friend worth having, but also someone worth protecting as the teen stammered over his own words with a red face, but steady hands as he forced open the trap and treated his wound.

The dragon let out a contented sigh as he settled into a more comfortable sleeping position, laying more heavily on his side to reduce the strain on his wrapped foreleg and lifting a careful claw to drag the sleeping teen with him.

Surprisingly, Midoriya didn't so much as make a peep at the movement, but Eijirou was still as quiet as possible as he made sure the human lay against the softer patch of scales towards the dip between his long neck and his shoulder, tail sweeping up to lay across the dragon's snout and consequently better hiding the human from sight.

The cool, night air was still a bit of a concern to Eijirou, who knew that it took Midoriya the better part of two hours to dry off from their mock water battle, so he also lowered a wing protectively to shield the both of them. The leathery hide offered a shelter from the cool winds of night, as well as a potential protection against any rain, should the clouds decide to dump another river on their heads.

Finally satisfied, Eijirou closed his eyes and allowed sleep to creep over him like a soft blanket, enticing in its comfort as it swept him away in a warm embrace.

A/N: Hey! So, explanation time...basically, life happened. I was intending to get a bunch of chapters done at once to have a steady update schedule, but then all of July was taken up preparing for my transition into college, as well as some family stuff. Fast forward to August and I'm actually moving into a college and trying to get established all on my own since I'm 12 hours away from home.

Not the easiest transition ever, but I'm working on it. It's severely set back both my art and writing schedule, so TBH the next update may take a while. Chapter 4 is planned and a WIP, but a slow WIP. Thank you all so much for the support and kindness despite the wait! I really appreciate it!

Review Time!

Mia: I'm glad that you like the changes! I honestly feel it represents the story better too. And I appreciate your kind words and patience! Haha, don't worry. They will, oh they will...

forbidenangel2311: Why thank you! I'm happy to hear it!

bow-and-arrow-lover: Aw, thank you! I really appreciate that. I actually look up information about the time period, as well as the medicinal herbs in order to try and get some sense of realism (as much as can be expected for BnHA of course). I appreciate your support!

Please feel free to drop me a review if you have anything you'd like to say! Each one motivates me to keep writing for you lovely people!

Til next time,

~ Strange-Charms