Chapter Text
"Hey, Deku!"
The muttering was cut off as an explosion ripped through the classroom, leaving a dirty burn on the already not-so-clean desk. Izuku shuddered and cringed, moving away from the table out of habit. Bakugo loomed over him, blocking out the light. If Midoriya wasn't used to it, he might have called Kacchan's dark, horned silhouette intimidating.
Midoriya raises his head and meets Bakugo's blood-red eyes with predatory pupils. Maybe that's why Kacchan hates Izuku so much? The fact that no matter how much Izuku is afraid, he looks Bakugo in the eye? This is so stupid.
"K-kach..."
"Shut your fucking mouth, you shitty nerd!" Bakugo screams and makes another explosion. "We have orientation class tomorrow. And you better use your stupid brain and find a useless school that suits you, Deku."
Katsuki grins menacingly and Midoriya mumbles back:
"I-I'm sorry..."
"I told you to shut up!"
There's the loudest explosion of the day and the classmates around start giggling and whispering when Midoriya jumps back in fright and crashes into the wall by the window. Lessons just ended. The teacher sighs at the other end of the room and gathers up his papers.
Midoriya takes a deep breath, trying to calm his shaking hands. The teachers always found excuses for Bakugo. One minute he's not in control of his incredibly powerful quirk, the next, " he's a little short-tempered because demons are blah-blah-blah." If this is the case historically, it does not mean that demons are now absolutely all inclined to war. Izuku knows that this is just a stereotype. However, Bakugo perfectly fits the description of his mighty ancestors. And, damn it, Midoriya still admires his strength of spirit and determination.
Deku doesn't mind when Bakugo trains his quirk on him. After all, Midoriya's skin is as worthless and fake as Deku himself. An old childhood nickname that Kacchan came up with when they were just four years old or even younger. They were still friends then. Kacchan has always been there... awesome. And the Deku is useless and clumsy.
Midoriya often loses his balance, drops things, accidentally breaks pencils or pens, makes some letters curve, and stumbles out of the blue. In fact, he's pretty good when you think of him in junior high. He's had a lot of practice. But it's still so overwhelming...
Izuku finds it hard to breathe. He paused for a moment, feeling all the tightness that held him. He stirs, trying to get comfortable in the trap of skin, even if he knows it's useless. The boy lets out a stifled breath, starting to ignore the pressure as usual.
He throws his things into his backpack, not paying attention to the mess they were in and doesn't stop himself from running. Go out. Get some air. Break your skin.
He is stopped by a couple of classmates. Izuku doesn't even try to look at them.
"You're always mumbling about heroes, Deku."
They all took it from Kacchan. When he started, they started.
Midoriya tries to slip past him and escape to the roof, but he is roughly grabbed by the shoulder and pushed in the other direction. The boy is surrounded and taken outside. Izuku notices with a little sadness that he hasn't changed his shoes.
He already knows what's going to happen. When he is pushed against a wall and yelled something insulting, Midoriya finally looks around, looking for an escape route. He clutches the straps of his backpack, ready to try. It's not too bad if it doesn't work out, as he's still planning on shedding that skin, but he doesn't want to be beaten up. He's quirkless human. And his new skin becomes whole when he is wrapped in it again. Questions may arise here. Although they all seem to think he's going to the doctor.
No, Midoriya doesn't want to spend his mother's money on something as small as his skin. Although technically it's his father's money. Whatever he does.
The classmates stop their verbal insults and the first blow flies to Izuku.
Midoriya automatically tries to dodge, but only clumsily slams his shoulder into the wall, then feels a blow to his nose. He feels strangled. Izuku freezes in his cramped shelter, momentarily forgetting where he is right now. Midoriya is brought to his senses by another painful blow to the nose. Izuku covers his nose with his hands as he feels the warm blood. He looked up with frightened, watery eyes just in time to see a boot flying at him.
Izuku dodges this time, lowering his head and wrapping his arms around his to prevent blows to his head. He can feel his hands burning as they kick him. The boy falls on his side, still covering his head with his hands.
Midoriya doesn't know how much time has passed, but they leave after hurling a few more insults at him, which he ignores.
It was... not a good day.
The boy hugs his legs and rests his chin on his knees. His clothes are so dusty now. My nose is bleeding. He closed his eyes for a moment.
Izuku was having a dream...
Midoriya wasn't surprised to find a pile of wet, crumpled paper in the shoe cabinet. Of course, his shoes were wet, too. It all smelled like eau de toilette. Izuku doesn't bite his lip or look down like the first time.
Wet things don't burn well.
Izuku doesn't go straight home. He stares blankly at the phone screen for a while, then writes to his mother that he's going for a walk. It doesn't try to add something like "with friends". His mom knows perfectly well that Izuku doesn't have any friends, even if he never told her. His lies are so stupid.
Izuku gets on the train and looks out the window at the flashing silhouettes of houses and people. He thinks about how he would feel if he were outside the car right now. Midoriya takes another deep breath, smelling someone else's skin. He keeps his thoughts under control. He just needs to relax a little.
The forest meets it with dampness and a fragrant smell of foliage. Nature is beautiful, especially at this time of year. The sun is not so high anymore, but there is plenty of greenery around. Izuku smiles to himself as he walks deeper into the forest. He and his father used to go for a walk in the mountains a long time ago. That's why Izuku isn't afraid to walk alone in the woods right now. He walks along a well-known path and stops at a large dry tree.
It can't be called a clearing, just a small dry place. Once there was a lightning strike. This tree has been burning from the inside for a long time and is now completely dead. It looks lonely among the lush greenery and the life of its fellow bright green crowns.
Sometimes Izuku's biology could be disgusting, he knew that. His human form is complex and structured. He doesn't quite understand how he puts his real body in such a small shell. This is not even fully understood by real scientists. He holds the theory that his true body is capable of such metamorphosis. The large body shrinks, becoming a dense framework for the false flesh that grows on top and takes the form of a person, partly reflecting his true image. At least that's how Midoriya feels. Twisted. Tight.
Dragons still retain some of their true form in human form. And Izuku thanks the gods and the geneticists that these aren't just strips. Even his symmetrical, not quite natural-looking, symmetrically arranged dark spots on his cheeks can easily be mistaken for freckles. They do not know that exactly the same symmetrical spots are found on the shoulders, back and thighs, which is completely beyond even the strange appearance of freckles, these are clearly pigmented spots that, as we know, people do not appear. And his parents are officially human. Let only the mother be a real human.
Midoriya puts his rucksack in a small hole near the dead roots of a dry tree. He sighs and lets his real snake-like tongue escape. He tastes the air and again hides his tongue inside his throat to analyze the smells. Its tongue is almost identical to a snake's, except that it has a stronger sensitivity. Izuku thinks that this is compensation for the dragons ' poor hearing or nose.
The particles floating in the air are not always pleasant, but for Midoriya it is just information. He determines that the neighborhood doesn't smell like locals. Just the foliage, the wood, his skin.
The boy begins to undo the buttons of his dirty school uniform and notices that one is missing. His clothes are in a terrible state and he doesn't know what to say to his mother about it. He's ashamed. Of course, Izuku could have just burned it and said he did it by accident if he had had the sense to go home. Okay, he'll try to do something about it. He really doesn't want to worry mother.
Midoriya was left completely naked in the middle of the forest. He can feel the chill and throbbing pain of the cuts and bruises he received at school today on his fake skin. He closes his eyes for a second.
This happens quickly. A wave of heat sweeps through his body, and for just a second he smells like burnt leather, and Izuku finally feels real freedom. His muscles are straining against his bones and aching from standing in a twisted position for so long. Midoriya stretches luxuriously, stretching her back. Almost all the pain is gone and he no longer wants to cry out of frustration. His classmates almost didn't reach his real body. Izuku feels only a bruise in the area of his nose and makes a funny snort.
The dragon lowers its head and looks down at its paws. Its scales are dark, almost black, and shine in the light with various shades of green, as does its hair in human form. Izuku lowers his aching wings. Its claws are smooth, black, and sharp as ever.
This time, Midoriya lets out a full sigh, letting his sides rise. Finally, he shakes his head, dropping small pieces of ash. The dragon folds its wings behind its back and heads towards the thrown objects. He carefully places his neatly folded clothes in the same hole at the roots of the dead tree and covers it with a thick branch.
Now... He's free. But you still need to be careful. You must not fly.
Izuku starts running, jumping over some particularly prominent snags and dodging low branches. With the latter, he does not cope very well, sometimes just knocking down branches with his horns.
At the end of his race, Midoriya finds himself at a small but fast river. He looks at his reflection and sees a familiar face. Red eyes meet his gaze. Izuku suggests that in his true form, he is more like his father, but when he takes the form of a human, he becomes like his mother. It's like... A tribute to the genes? On the other hand, Midoriya doesn't remember enough about his father to compare. This privilege goes to his mother.
Izuku looks at his reflection again. He stands sideways and raises his wing.
So far, Midoriya isn't very big by dragon standards. Probably long, thanks to its tail, but not large. Dragons grow all their lives. That means it will get bigger someday. In fact, this can be a problem. It would be bad if he got so big that he couldn't fit in his room. He just can't sleep in his human skin.
According to Izuku's fragmentary memories, his father was very big. Or maybe it was just that he was so small.
The boy lowers his wings and looks up at the sky. It might be a good thing if it doesn't actually grow very large. He's going to be a hero. In the city, it will be convenient for him to be small.
On the way back, Midoriya doesn't run and the air no longer tickles his legs. He thinks. Thinking, as always. Admittedly, he can do this even too often.
Japan's first and only dragon hero is Ryuko. Hero number 9. The only hero on the twelve dragon villains in Japan. Izuku will be the second. He's sure...
Ryuko. Izuku had previously wondered why she didn't rise higher in the rankings. He wanted to think it had nothing to do with her race. She could have beaten Best Jeans. Among the others, Izuku wasn't so sure. And, of course, the All Might. He alone could handle the most violent dragon. On the other hand, Ryuko ranked high enough as it was. She had already proved that people like him could be heroes. Therefore... He will become a hero. Even if his confidence is so shaky.
Fear. Deep inside Izuku, there was an incredible fear that had been constant since he was a child. The way the other kids discussed dragons. The way they were portrayed in fairy tales and documentaries. What his parents had told him... The others won't understand. Mother loves him... And that is all.
Dragons are strong and treacherous. Izuku will help so many civilians that they will forget about it! He wants to help everyone with a smile, like his idol - the All Might!
Sometimes Midoriya forgets that the All Might officially killed the dragon because "he was too dangerous to send him to prison. "Or doesn't want to believe it.
He knows that if he wants to be a hero, he has to give everything he can. All his power. This is the true body. It can be quite strong! But many people will find it dangerous. Sometimes... He's afraid of society.
The house greets Izuku with the delicious smell of home-cooked food, the soft voice of his mother, and the density of human skin once again stretched over his real body. He forces himself to smile.
Everything goes as usual. Lying to mother. Dressing up in simple home clothes. A little conversation. Supper. His room. Watching the video of the All Might every day is like praying. News. The analysis of compatibility.
Izuku realizes that he needs another notebook when he accidentally starts writing on the table. He remembers that he had one somewhere, almost clean, and starts looking for it in the closet.
Midoriya accidentally touched a small box with his elbow. Papers were scattered all over the floor. Izuku was collecting them when he came across an old postcard. He picked it up and examined the small image of the dragon that had split the sword in half. He immediately remembered the card. His father gave it to him when he was eight years old. He painted the picture himself. Hisashi has always had a peculiar sense of humor, as his mother says.
This was the third postcard that Hisashi Midoriya had sent from abroad. It was the last card he and his mother had received from him.
"Izuku, you will always be my ray of light in the dark. I hug and kiss you. DAD. " - It was written in a neat hand.
Izuku couldn't smile.