Chapter Text
“It’s a lizard. It’s a fuckin’ gigantic lizard, holy shit.”
Katsuki had a wide smirk as he stood in front of the large, gray creature that Tenya and Izuku had brought back from the mountains. It was oddly tame and stared back at him with its beady green eyes as its narrow tongue hung from the side of its mouth.
The group couldn’t tell what exactly it was, but the creature resembled a gecko, and it was surprisingly docile to being around humans. It had rough, shiny scales over its body. It spanned about twenty-five meters from its nose to its tail, and made no other noise aside from clicking its tongue.
Tenya and Izuku had found it snoozing in the mountains, and after they gave it some of their cooked deer--it followed them everywhere. It slithered after them, as if the fact that they had given it a meal meant they wanted it. Upon closer inspection, they found that it had tattered saddles on its back and on its neck.
(Izuku mused that it was clearly previously owned by riders. Where the riders were now, they couldn’t tell. All they knew was that the creature had somehow adopted them as their new masters.
It followed them all the way back to the camp where the rest of the group was waiting. Ochako, Shouto, Katsuki, and Eijirou jumped when the creature suddenly slithered through the trees and started devouring the cooked fish that they had sprawled out on a bearskin cloth.)
“Isn't it a dragon?” Izuku asked, confused.
“How’s it a dragon?” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Do you see any wings? Does it look like it can breathe fire?”
Out of any one of them, Katsuki knew the most about dragons. Well, other than Eijirou, of course. However, Eijirou was quiet up until this point, sitting with his back against a tree and frowning.
“It’s a gigantic lizard,” Katsuki repeated.
“Fine,” Izuku conceded under his breath. “It’s a gigantic lizard.”
“Is it, uhm…” Ochako was running her hands against the creature’s neck. It closed its eyes and made a strange, rumbling sound as if it enjoyed it. “Is it coming with us?”
They were travelling to a town that was about two days away, and Ochako was curious about what would happen to the creature. Was it coming with them? Wouldn’t it shock the townspeople?
“I mean…” Izuku was was fidgeting. “We can’t just leave it here, can we? I think its riders may have abandoned it, or worse, they could have been killed.”
“We should ask,” Shouto turned to glance at Eijirou, who was still sitting silently. “Can you speak to it?”
Eijirou looked back at him in disbelief, and before he could respond, Katsuki yelled, “What the fuck kinda question is that? Ei can’t speak lizard, asshole.”
With that, Katsuki moved away from them and to the other side of the creature, examining its length. His figure disappeared behind the creature’s large frame, and Eijirou sunk back against his tree, thankful that he didn’t need to say anything.
Tenya scratched his chin. “I guess we can let it follow us? See what happens?”
The creature suddenly raised its head and turned to look at Katsuki, who was pulling on its reins. The reins extended from its mouth and all the way to the saddle that was on its back. It blinked widely at Katsuki, who laughed loudly.
“Did you idiots even try ridin’ it?” Katsuki yelled in question.
“Why-- why do you need to curse all the time!” huffed Ochako. She turned to Tenya and Izuku, who shook their heads in response. No, they didn’t try to ride it. They didn’t really have any idea how.
“You just gotta sit here and tug on its reins, lead it where you want to go,” Katsuki was rambling. “Any idiot can do it. See, then you put your feet up on these goddamn stirrups and kick it when you want it to go faster. It’s like riding a horse, don’t tell me none of you have done that?”
“None of us have ridden a lizard before,” Izuki said, exasperated.
“I want to try,” Tenya announced.
When Tenya approached it, it looked at him questionably, then it actually leaned, as if allowing him to ride it. Tenya smiled smugly and figured out how to climb its back, placing his boots in the stirrups that Katsuki had previously pointed out.
“Kick!” Katsuki told him.
He kicked, but it was stronger than expected (he really, really had no experience in this), and the creature suddenly lunged forward. It sped right out of the clearing, in-between trees, and Tenya was yelling in fascination.
They all watched as Tenya somehow figured out how to pull the reins to make it turn, how to pull to make it go slower. Their entire noon was occupied with watching Tenya and the creature slither around trees. The creature, clearly, was used to it, as it didn’t wait for Tenya’s instruction to not crash right into a huge boulder or a tree.
“Izuku!” Iida called out. He had a huge grin. “Take the saddle upfront.”
Izuku nodded, and the lizard seemed to understand, it lowered its head and allowed Izuku to climb.
“You fuckin’ idiot!” Katsuki yelled when Izuku fell right off and on his bottom as soon as the lizard lunged forward at Tenya’s kick. “You’re supposed to hold on tight to the saddle!”
Ochako was laughing hysterically at Izuku’s mortified face, and even Shouto couldn’t help but smile.
Behind them, Eijirou was still uncharacteristically quiet. He sat, staring at the group, and fiddling with his scarf.
About half an hour later, Tenya and Iida returned to the clearing, sweating and pumped up on adrenaline. It was getting dark, and Ochako was roasting more fish over a fire that Shouto had conjured.
“Are you going to ride it, Katsuki?” Tenya asked as he hopped off the lizard’s back. He held out the reins towards Katsuki. Izuku jumped down as well and approached them. The lizard clicked its tongue in anticipation, staring at Katsuki.
Katsuki bared his teeth into a wide grin. He was just about to answer the question when Izuku shook his head. With a sheepish smile, Izuku told him in a low voice, “That might not be the best idea.”
“Why not?” Katsuki scrunched his nose, annoyed.
Izuku pointed his chin to the other side of the clearing.
Eijirou was staring at the ground and frowning. He hadn’t even offered his help to Ochako, a gesture which he cheerfully did each meal time.
“Oh… shit,” Katsuki mumbled in realization.
The group sat around the campfire and ate their meal. On one side of the clearing, the large lizard had curled up into a ball and wasn’t making any noise. They figured it was asleep. To pass the time, Tenya was talking about a group of goblins that was terrorizing the forest, wondering if they would encounter it.
As they spoke, Eijirou ate his fish quietly, his sharp teeth digging through meat and bones. He sat away from the group, and if the rest of them noticed his odd silence, they didn’t say anything.
Katsuki wasn’t saying anything either, which the rest of the group found slightly strange. However, they didn’t make a comment. The group had found out by now that the duo had their own language, one that they knew not to meddle in.
The fire dwindled down as the evening passed, and Tenya had first watch. He sat near the lizard, as if keeping it company. Around the dying fire, the group started to arrange their sleeping spaces. Ochako, Midoriya, and Shouto took a spot near a very large tree where the ground was particularly soft.
On the other side of the clearing, Katsuki was kicking away stones and twigs, looking for a good place to rest. They didn’t bring cots with them when they travelled, didn’t really have the logistics for it. Usually, they just used the capes on their backs and gathered leaves for comfort.
He looked back at the flickering fire and saw that Eijirou was still sitting near it, staring at the embers. His shoulders were hunched forward as if deep in thought.
“Ei,” Katsuki called out.
Eijirou turned around at the sound of his name.
“C’mere,” Katsuki gestured with his hand, beckoning the dragon to approach. Eijirou looked reluctant to do it, he was frowning when he stood up and slowly walked to Katsuki. The shadows danced against his fiery red hair, causing Katsuki to stare for a few seconds.
Katsuki sat down, cross-legged and against a tree, and Eijirou looked confused--he thought it was time to turn in for the night. Instead, Katsuki impatiently gestured at the empty space beside him.
WIth a pout, Eijirou walked over and plopped down next to him. He made a small sound when Katsuki put an arm around him and pulled him close, and he nuzzled his face against the crook of Katsuki’s neck.
“What’s going on with you, Ei?” Katsuki muttered against his unruly hair.
“Nothing.”
A big, blatant lie.
“You’re upset with me,” Katsuki stated.
“I-- I’m not,” answered Eijirou, and Katsuki could feel the frown against his neck. “I’m just a bit annoyed is all.”
“At me?”
“No.”
Katsuki grasped the back of Eijirou’s head and pulled him back, forcing him to look at him. Blinking, Eijirou stared.
“I’m not a fuckin’ mindreader,” Katsuki told him, straight to the point.
There were a few moments of silence as Eijirou had an internal fight with himself. Finally, he said, “I thought being large and noisy was a distraction? Then why does the fuckin’ lizard get to stay?”
“...Huh?”
Katsuki blinked rapidly at Eijirou’s question. He didn’t curse all that often. When he did, Katsuki knew he was truly upset.
When they had met the group, Eijirou had been in his dragon form. The group had made a comment about how he was too distracting, how he grabbed too much attention. Basically, he was good to have in a battle--otherwise, he was a liability. Eijirou had decided to shift back to his human form and stay that way, only to convince them that his presence wasn’t an issue. And while he was all bright smiles and pleasantries, he was a bit frustrated at it. Especially when the group started buying him armor and new clothes, as if they expected him to stay a human all the time.
He was always itching to shift, he wanted to fly freely in the skies without having to take an eternity taking off the dumb armor and human clothes that stuck uncomfortably to his skin. And if they were too close to a town, he wasn’t even allowed to fly higher than the trees. What kind of dragon couldn’t fly higher than the trees?
Eijirou stared as Katsuki covered his face with his hand. He leaned forward and his shoulders started to shake.
He was being laughed at.
“No, no, wait!” Katsuki choked between laughter when Eijirou pushed him away and made a move to get up. He tugged Eijirou back, wrapped his arms tightly around his shoulders, and ignored the way he struggled to escape. Involuntarily, Eijirou fell against his chest.
Eijirou growled at him.
“I just--” Katsuki coughed. “You’re jealous of a fuckin’ toad.”
“It’s a lizard, Katsuki! You called it that yourself.”
Katsuki’s shoulders continued to shake as he struggled to compose himself. His chest rumbled against Eijirou’s cheek, causing Eijirou to sulk even further.
“Shit, shit, okay. Sorry,” Katsuki coughed a bit more to hide his amusement. Finally, he calmed down, and he was pulling Eijirou up. He shifted their weight around and tugged Eijirou until the other boy was sitting on his lap, facing him.
“The others will see…” Eijirou mumbled. He glanced behind and saw that Midoriya, Ochako, and Shouto were already asleep. Tenya had his back to them. They were a good distance away that he knew that they couldn’t be heard, but still...
“I don’t give a fuck,” Katsuki answered. He put a hand on the back of Eijirou’s neck and pulled him down, pressing their lips together. A pair of hands came up to clutch the front of Katsuki’s vest, and Eijirou hummed against him. Katsuki pulled away, but Eijirou felt his breath on his lips as he spoke. “You’re being ridiculous, Ei. That lizard is insignificant. It’s practically an insect compared to you. Nobody will give a fuck about it. Well, maybe some, but anyone stupid enough to pick a fight over it is just a pebble in our path.”
“Lizard, toad, insect. What is it, Katsuki?” asked Eijirou, clearly annoyed.
Katsuki ignored him and sucked on his lower lip, effectively pacifying him. “You’re a dragon. A fuckin’ dragon. Humans are idiots, if they found out about you, it’d be a goddamn nightmare. Each day would be one fight after another. You remember what that was like, right?”
“...Thought you liked fights.”
“I do,” Katsuki said quickly, tugging his hair and biting his chin. It wasn’t the first time that Eijirou had gotten upset. Over the years, Katsuki had learned how to calm him back down, how to distract him. “But now we’re travelling with these dumbass weaklings, so we gotta stoop down to their level. They can’t handle you. They’re idiots.”
“...Katsuki,” Eijirou’s voice was a warning. He didn’t like it when Katsuki talked badly about their new companions.
Katsuki pulled back to get a good look at Eijirou. He raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to go another path? Leave these fuckers? It can be just the two of us again, you can fuckin’ shift any time you want.”
“No!” Eijirou hissed, almost too quickly. “That’s--that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you want?” Katsuki smirked up at him. “Tell me, Ei.”
Eijirou rubbed his nose and, with a blush, leaned down to bury his face in Katsuki’s neck. He whispered, “I like ‘em. I wanna keep travelling with them. But I also want to shift when I want to.”
“Well then,” Katsuki kissed his ear and Eijirou shivered. “We can’t have both worlds, can we?”
Katsuki said it like Eijirou had no choice, but in his mind, he was already thinking of a game plan on how to deal with this in the morning.
There was a pause. Then, Eijirou sighed. “You’re right. But they aren’t weaklings, Katsuki. They just don’t want every damn second to be a fight, unlike you.”
“Now you’re just confusing me,” Katsuki smirked. “Do you like my style of travelling, or do you like theirs?”
“...Both.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Katsuki nudged Eijirou to sit up, and then pulled him down for another kiss. Eijirou hummed against him. When Katsuki ran his tongue against Eijirou’s lower lip, Eijirou growled, his hold on Katsuki’s vest getting tighter. “Don’t worry about it, Ei. Leave it to me.”
“Please don’t do anything rash, Katsuki,” Eijirou mumbled, pressing their foreheads together.
Grinning, Katsuki placed his hands on either side of Eijirou’s face, forced him into another mind-numbing kiss. “Me? Never.”
The next morning, Midoriya woke up to the sound of rustling leaves. The sun was just beginning to rise, and a shadow loomed over them, only to disappear almost instantly. Looking up, he saw that Eijirou was in his dragon form, flying circles in the sky.
The large lizard that they had adopted was barely a third of Eijirou’s size when he was in this form. It looked up curiously at Eijirou, making a rumbling noise that sounded like fascination. Shouto was standing beside the lizard, a hint of amusement on his face.
“Oh… he’s going to attract attention,” Izuku said softly.
“Drop it, fucker!” Katsuki yelled from across the clearing. He kicked the dirt and bared his teeth at Izuku. From beside Izuku, Ochako and Tenya sat up, rubbing their eyes. “If you’re going to bring along a fuckin’ oversized toad, then Ei can shift any time he wants.”
Tenya raised his eyebrows and mouthed, “Toad?”
Ochako giggled.
“Of course, Kacchan,” Izuku said, biting back a smile.
Katsuki blinked. That had been easier than he thought. He had been expecting a fight. He had told Eijirou that he would take care of it, that he would somehow convince them to let him shift when he wanted--and then he told Eijirou that morning to scramble off just because he knew that the dragon-shifter would be pissed at how he was going to go about this conversation.
“Katsuki,” Ochako smiled at him. “Of course Eijirou can shift any time he wishes.”
“Then--” Katsuki spluttered. “What was all that shit from a few weeks back about him needing to stay a human? You morons made him feel like a liability.”
“You never realized?” Shouto asked, deadpanned. “That was before we knew how much he could hold his ground. If you can fight back the hordes on your own, then it’s not a problem, is it? It’s only a problem if you two are weak. Are you weak?”
Katsuki glared at him.
“What Shouto is trying to say,” Izuku coughed. “Is that Eijirou can clearly hold his own. And if he can’t, which is unlikely, then we’re right here to protect him. We're sorry if we made it seem like he was liability. It wasn't our intention. We didn't realize that our words had been affecting him.”
Pausing, Katsuki kicked another rock. He muttered under his breath, “Ei would never need your fuckin’ help.”
Izuku smiled at him as Katsuki turned around, his ears red. A shadow loomed over them once more as Eijirou flew by, his magnificent wings blocking away the light for a few seconds. Katsuki looked up at the huge dragon, grinning, because he could tell that Eijirou was enjoying himself. Katsuki didn’t really care much about anything else, but he definitely cared about that damn dragon.