Archive of Our Own

Eijirou wakes up to the peaceful sound of birds singing just outside his window. He yawns and stretches. As he does, a beam of sunlight shifts into his eyes.

Eijirou groans and rolls over, hoping to fall back asleep. Instead Benji, his bespeckled toad, hops onto his face. Eijirou sighs and lightly nudges Benji off. The toad goes willingly enough, but he continues croaking insistently.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Eijirou assures.

He's still in bed a few minutes later when he hears a loud thump in the hallway.

Aw, shit , he curses internally, So that's where Benji went . Eijirou rolls himself out of bed- literally- and peels himself up off the floor.

He steps out of his room and— yep there's Benji, sitting on the floor next to a shattered vase.

"Benji!" Eijirou scolds, even as he picks him up. "You need to be more careful."

Benji croaks proudly, as if saying I got you out of bed, didn't I?

Eijirou rolls his eyes and strides into the kitchen. He finds a clean spot on one of the counters and sets Benji down. He rubs his eyes and yawns. "Now that you've woken me up, I suppose it's time to make breakfast," he tells Benji with all the cheer he can muster.

He spends the next half hour practically dancing around his kitchen, gathering supplies and whatnot. "Three pinches of cinnamon, a dash of salt, aaaand done!" Eijirou mumbles to himself. 

He holds his plate up for Benji to inspect, and it's full of scrambled eggs and sugary french toast. Benji croaks appreciatively and he grins.

When he takes his first bite, he thinks on how it's quite possibly the most delicious thing he's ever tasted before. He finishes quickly and sets the dish in the sink.

With a wave of his hand and a murmured spell, the dishes are cleaned and stored. Eijirou sighs at the simplicity of it all, and returns to his room to dress for the day. His outfits are simple and similar enough in style that he doesn't even have to think about it. Gray pants, a distressed cape, and a tactical vest.

He grabs his swords from his dresser, flipping them in his palms and sheaths them across his back. When he looks in the mirror, he grins for a moment, then falters. The swords make him look more intimidating than he really is. A deception in heavily-armoured packaging.

A necessary evil , he supposes, though he at least looks cool.

"Bengi!" Eijirou calls, clicking his tongue three times. Benji croaks once before hopping up and shifting into a vibrant, green hawk. He flies up and loops around Eijirou, then ducks and smoothly lands on his right forearm. Eijirou smiles brightly and heads towards the door, enjoying the sounds his boots make against the hardwood floor.

Once there, he grabs his pack from the hook and swings it over his shoulder. He takes a deep breath and pulls the door open. A gust of wind dishevels Eijirou’s hair and he slams the door shut behind him. The wind dies down a moment later and Benji takes flight.

Ejirou leans back against the door and runs a hand through his hair. He's content watching Benji fly for a few minutes before getting Hanta's delivery ready.

Thankfully, Hanta orders the same herbs every other week, and Eijirou has a corner of the garden separated out solely for his ordered plants. He gathers them into a simple box, before placing a  lily on top for good luck.

He heads back towards the front where Benji‘s still flying around and calls for him. But when he doesn't come down, Eijirou sighs, ignoring him, knowing he’ll come eventually. He turns onto cobblestone road and begins traveling into town.

Sure enough, Benji flies into view just as Ejirou reaches the backdoor of Hanta’s bar. He gives Benji a peck before adjusting the box to give him access to his shoulder.

Eijirou raises his fist to knock, but the door swings open just before he can.

"Buenos días, amigo!" Hanta greets, cheerfully, waving at Benji as well. The corner of Eiirou's mouth quirks up in a grin. A few years ago, Hanta moved from his hometown where they spoke spanish and greets everyone the same. As far as Eijirou knows, he’s the only one fluent in spanish for miles. Eijirou’s glad, Hanta's greetings never fail to make him smile.

"Morning!" Eijirou returns, brightly. He hoists up his box and asks, "Where’d you want these?”

Hanta turns and points towards a corner. “On top of that table would be great, thanks."

Eijirou makes his way over and sets the box down on the table, smirking when Hanta chuckles. He flips the box open and quickly snatches the lily. He whips around and presents the flower dramatically.

"For me?" Hanta asks quietly after a beat of silence.

Eijirou straightens up, nodding sheepishly. "You're a really good friend, and I know lillies are your favorite."

"Aww, thank you!" Hanta smiles. Eijirou opens his arms and Hanta hugs him. Eijirou hugs him back before letting go. "We've got some time before the bar opens, if you want to play a game or something?"

"That sounds great! I can't stay too long though," Eijirou warns. He gets waved off, “No problem, I have to open soon anyways. Lemme show you what we have.”

Roughtly 30 minutes later, Eijirou’s on his way home. Thankfully, he doesn’t run into anyone on his way out of town, and soon enough he’s back home.

Eijirou isn’t there for long before he grabs two buckets and heads back out. This time in the direction of a nearby river. He dips each bucket in, and fills it before pulling it back out, placing them down. He dips his hands in the cold water, feeling refreshed.

Autumn hasn’t arrived just yet, so Eijirou takes any chance he can get to cool down in this hot, summer air.

He knows he can’t stay at the river forever, so he rises, picking up the buckets. The walk home is significantly slower, since he isn’t interested in spilling the water and having to return before the day is through. 

Benji greets Eijirou when he returns, making sure to avoid startling the man. Eijirou leaves the buckets at the door and heads to the kitchen, eager to grab a drink.

(Even with having sink water, he tends to fetch some from the river to save on money.)

After a few cups, Eijirou heads out to the garden he keeps at the side of the house. His plants don’t need too much water; having magical properties and all, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely self-sustaining. He lightly sprinkles water over each plant. Luckily with so many, they only need one cup.

He’s always grown plants and herbs, whether natural or magical, he thought would be helpful. His neighbor, Ochako, had given him almost all of the plants he currently has when she decided to study veterinary medicine. She had been a herbalist as well, but suddenly felt it wasn’t her calling anymore. It wasn’t too often someone suddenly changed careers.

A few people still thought it was frowned upon, switching professions, but Eijirou remained friends with the brunette. He admired her for having the courage to do something new; he wasn't too sure he‘d have the courage to do it, much less be the first in a generation to do so.

He sighs, returning his focus to the plants.

Eijirou frowns when he notices a set of lavender roses drooping. Making his way over, he crouches down in the dirt, inspecting the flowers. They were fine yesterday, something must have happened.

Unable to find the culprit, he figures a little more water couldn’t hurt. Hopefully by the evening they’re looking better.

He stays in the garden a bit longer, scanning and watering any other plants that need extra care. A cool breeze blows through at one point, and looks up, noting how high the sun has gotten. He stands, dusting himself off, and heads inside. 

It’s time for lunch.

He removes his shoes and heads into the kitchen to make a simple meal; noodles and toast.

He had had Hanta over for lunch once, and he’d laughed about it, but Eijirou didn’t see anything odd about it. Delicious is delicious, right?

Eijirou normally eats inside, but he remembers the breeze he’d felt earlier and decides to eat outside instead. Grabbing his house shoes, he moves towards the wooden bench in front of his cabin.

He remembers helping Yamada build the cabin before he left town to pursue his career.

Eijirou smiles a bit at the memory; Yamada was always kind.

The noodles tasted even better in the cool air, and he closes his eyes blissfully.

That’s why he doesn’t see the dragon coming.

Suddenly the soft breeze turns into a strong gust, knocking over his bowl and startling him. A bright, golden dragon heading straight for Eijirou. He only realizes what’s happening moments before the dragon crashes, ducking down in a hurry. 

Thankfully, it lands in the middle of a clearing— one that Ochako had helped him clear some months ago- and skids across the ground, stopping in front of Eijirou.

“Oh, shit,” he murmurs to himself. He looks up from where the dragon's enormous snout nearly pokes him to see an unconscious rider further back. Louder, he repeats, “Oh, shit !”

Eijirou walks around the dragon, careful to avoid stepping on any of its stray limbs, and maneuvers around its wings until he’s reached the passenger.

He’s a small little thing, with leaf-green hair and a star-speckled face. Eijirou couldn’t help but think that this stranger was beautiful.

He quickly shoves the thought away, that’s not important right now. He needs to focus on getting the pretty traveler to safety. 

He carefully reaches around the man to get to his safety harness. Both his hair and outfit were dyed green, earning him the nickname Midori. Luckily he had some sense to strap in safely, even if it made Eijirou’s job a little harder.

His harness had the different buckles spread about, making it difficult to maneuver Midori without harming him. Once free, Eijirou tries to lift him, struggling with his dead weight. Twice his back pops from the strain, but he manages.

He puts Midori across his shoulders to bring him into the house. Eijirou places him onto the couch. It made for a somewhat good bed for the nights Eijirou couldn’t bother going to his actual bed. It may have added to his back problems, but who’s asking.

Once Midori is adjusted so he isn’t halfway off the couch, Eijirou fetches the softest blanket he owns from his closet; it’s bright blue with some cute embroidery. He removes the heavy armor Midoi’s wearing before tucking him in, admiring his handy work for a moment. He almost looked at peace, given the few scratches on his face. Sighing, Eijirou moves into the kitchen to reflect over everything that’s happened in the last hour.. 

What does he do now?

Eijirou has a fair bit of healing knowledge, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s well equipped to help the poor guy. Yet for some inexplicable reason, some tug of fate, Eijirou doesn’t want to take Midori into town, and his weight wasn’t the issue. 

Eijirou doesn’t want to bring anyone here, either, which could be a problem. He’d just have to figure this out himself. He can always ask Ochako if she has knowledge healing anyone, maybe even bring up the dragon, too. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea.

Eijirou heads to the front door, tugging on his work boots before pausing. What if she doesn’t believe him? What if she thinks he’s crazy and stops being his friend? Eijirou knows that it’s just his anxiety talking, but that doesn’t make it any easier to push the thought away. What to do, what to do?

After calming himself down, he figures shrinking the dragon down in size and bringing it with him is a reasonable plan. Only problem of not being a strong mage means doing so would deplete almost all of his magic. Which in turn means he wouldn’t be able to restore the dragon to full size later. 

Eijirou debates with himself for another minute, but he can’t think of anything better. 

He’s certain that at the very least, Ochako would be willing to help restore the dragon to its proper size, if not it’s proper health, so it really isn’t that big of a deal.

Eijirou finishes getting ready to go and steps outside, nearly tripping on the dragon in his haste. He forgot how close to the door it was. 

Eijirou shakes his head, trying to dispel his nerves, before crouching near the dragon’s midsection. He takes a deep breath, then slowly exhales, clearing his mind. 

“I’ve got this,” Eijirou whispers to himself. “I’ve got this.”

He presses his palms together, letting his magic warm up before placing them on the dragon's large body. It glows bright red for one long, burning moment, before shrinking to the size of a teacup before his eyes. 

His hands crash to the ground in the absence of the dragon, and Eijirou nearly faceplants. He catches himself, though, and rises shakily to a crouch. Eijirou’s eyes scour the dirt for the dragon and eventually he spots it again. 

Eijirou scoops it up into his palms, then sticks it in his pack gently, it wasn’t conscious enough anyways to make a fuss, right?

Ochako’s house is closer than he remembers, and he reaches her house before the sun dips lower in the sky than it already was. 

Eijirou raises a fist to knock but she opens it just before he hits the wood. What is up with people doing that lately?

“Eijirou? What are you doing around here, come on in! What brings you to my corner of the woods?” she asks, sizing him up.

“Wanted to see ya,” Eijirou shrugs. Ochako squints, telling him she could see right through him. He sighs, before admitting, “And I need your help.”

“There it is,” she sighs. “What is it? Are my plants too much trouble? Is Hanta having lizard problems again?”

“No and uh, I guess you could say Hanta’s not the one with lizard problems,” Eijirou says, tense. “It’s a bit… well… It’s better if I show you.”

“Alright,” Ochako says hesitantly.

Eijirou opens his pack and dumps its contents out onto her round log table. She jumps back and exclaims, “There’s a dragon in there!”

“I know,” Eijirou states.

“Why is there a dragon in there?” she asks, a tinge of desperation to her voice.

“Oh, it crash-landed in my garden,” Eijirou explains nonchalantly.

Ochako stares at him, then sighs. “Alright, sure. But why is it so small? Newborn dragons ain’t that tiny!”

“I shrunk it so that I could carry it,” Eijirou shrugs, “It covered half of the clearing in front of my house.

“Oh shit,” Ochako murmurs, surely picturing the size of the clearing she helped build. “It was that big?”

“Mhm,” Ejirou confirms, then ducks his head. “I was hoping you could nurse it back to health?”

“What, by myself?” Ochako asks, disbelieving. Then she sees the pleading look on Eijirou’s face and sighs, “Alright fine, I’ll see what I can do.”

She gently scoops up the dragon. “If it’s as big as you say it is, I don’t think I want it to grow back to size inside.”

“Absolutely not,” Eijirou agrees. He closes the door behind them and follows Ochako towards the backside of her house.

“I’ve got this space all set up for big creatures,” she explains as she pulls out an enormous tarp, “But I didn’t think I’d have to use it so soon!”

“He, my bad?” Eijirou says, ducking his head.

Ochako rolls her eyes. “Don’t apologize, Eijirou. This dragon clearly needs help, now that I’m looking at it, and I need the practice! Although…” she squints. “It looks like his wing is twisted. Eijirou, surely you noticed that! Why’d you carelessly toss him into your bag like that?”

“How’d you know it’s a him?” Eijirou asks, then rubs the back of his neck when Ochako glares at him and he realizes . “And I didn’t think about how it’d damage him, sorry. I just wanted to get him to you as soon as possible.”

“Well, it’s urgent, yes, but not life-threatening,” Ochako scolds. “Why didn’t you take him into town, where someone more experienced could help?”

“Because I trust you,” Eijirou says, “And I didn’t want someone untrustworthy asking questions.”

Ochako whirls around. “Does that mean I get to ask questions?”

“Technically, you have been,” Eijirou points out, then cowers when Ochako whacks him on the arm. “Yes, yes, you get questions!” 

“Excellent,” she grins. “Now, sit back while I tend to this dragon. I don’t want you distracting me. Feel free to make me a sandwich.”

Eijirou sighs and nods and slips around Ochako’s house and inside the front door. It’s a rather small cottage, all things considered, but it’s perfect for Ochako. Given how small it was, finding the kitchen only took him a few seconds.  

Then it's a matter of finding everything he needs. Eijirou finds the bread first, in a cabinet above the stove, then finds the cheese and ham in the fridge.

He makes the sandwich the way his moms taught him; he lays two slices of bread out on the counter and puts cheese on one half and ham on the other. He smooshes them together and cuts it into quarters, then sets about finding the plates and neatly arranging the sandwich halves. 

When he brings it out to Ochako, she’s still hard at work with the now full sized dragon. 

“Thanks,” she mutters, focused on fixing his wing when Eijirou presents the plate. “Just set it down on that table over there for now, please.”

“Alright,” Eijirou agrees, making his way over to the other side of the room and deciding to sit on the floor, his own sandwich in hand. He feels bad for taking Ochako’s food like this but she should’ve expected this. She had him make her a sandwich; so of course he’ll want one of his own. Who wouldn’t? 

Eijirou enjoys each bite, a perfect blend of wheat, dairy and meat. Delicious.

Instead of watching Ochako work, Eijirou busies himself by reading the book he kept in his pack at all times; it changes, yes, but Eijirou always has a book handy for situations like this, where there’s nothing to do but read. 

This time around, he’s reading a fantasy novel about a young man who meets a mysterious stranger that changes his life.

To Eijirou, it doesn’t quite seem like fantasy anymore.

But that’s a matter to ponder another time, when he’s not so focused on finishing this book and distracting himself from whatever Ochako’s doing over there now.

It works, or at least seems to, because Ochako’s coming over, grim-faced, before he knows it.

“Ochako!” he exclaims, but he can’t bring himself to sound happy. Not when she looks so sad.

“Hey, Eijirou,”she says. “Come inside with me. We need to talk.”

“Alright,” Eijirou nods, because he knew this was coming, and follows Ochako around the cottage and inside. “What’s up?”

“Who was riding that dragon?” Ochako asks, point blank.

“Huh? What?” Eijirou asks, chuckling nervously. “A dragon rider? Why would someone be riding it?”

“Cut the crap, Ejirou,” Ochako holds up a hand. “There are markings in the shape of a harness on it’s back”

“Ah,” Eijirou nods as if he knew this. “But I’m not sure who was riding it,” he says, half-truthfully.

Ochako frowns. “Sure. But if you have a way to find whoever this is, I’d suggest you do that. The kind of damage his wing had… that kind of damage is only caused by a person looking to take down or even kill a dragon. If whatever hit him had been a little to the left, the dragon would have died , Eijirou.”

He freezes. “Oh shit.”

“Yeah, oh shit,” Ochako agrees. She sighs, “Look, Eijirou, I know you’re doing what you think is right, but you should consider talking to someone about this. Someone other than me,” she adds, as if she knew that Eijirou was going to defend himself.

“There’s no reason to,” Eijirou protests, despite the fact that he knows Ochako will argue.

And argue she does. “Eijirou, someone tried to kill this dragon. Probably to get to the rider, in all honesty. They were either trying to hit the rider and miss, kill them indirectly, or attack them by attacking their dragon.

“Please, Eijirou. Tell someone about this,” Ochako pleads. “Someone who can actually help.”

“I’ve got this under control,” Eijirou assures her, hoping he sounds more confident than he feels. She narrows her eyes, no doubt ready to refute him, but he answers before she can, “Anyways, gotta go! Urgent business at home to attend to!”

“Sure,” she says skeptically, but Eijirou is already on the move. He runs around the table and pulls her into a quick hug, then whirls back around and jogs out the door and down the beaten path.

He’s got to get back to Midori, especially if there’s someone after him. It wouldn't be manly for Eijirou to abandon him like that!

He reaches home in a matter of minutes, and Benji meets him at the doorstep, croaking loudly.

“Shush,” Eijirou whispers, not unkindly. He crouches to pick up Benji and explains quietly, “I’m not sure if Midori is in a coma or not, but if he isn’t, I don’t want to wake him.” 

Judging from the bags under his eyes, he could certainly use the rest. Midori was still pretty, unconscious or barely awake, but he’s certain that the comatose boy would be prettier without the dark circles underlining his face.

Eijirou isn’t completely sure that Benji understands him, but it's pretty darn likely, in his opinion, so he ‘wastes’ his time on it anyways.

Eijirou takes some time to clean up around his house; sweeping and dusting and all that. He does it by hand, still tired from shrinking the dragon. Once he’s finished, Eijirou stores the cleaning supplies and glances outside. It’s fairly dark now, and Midori still isn’t showing any signs of waking up.

Eijirou heads back to the living room and sighs. Midori is still on the couch, but since Eijirou is fairly certain he’s comatose at this point, doesn’t he deserve to rest somewhere more comfortable?

He does, Eijirou decides, and sighs. He maneuvers Midori so that Eijirou can toss him up in a fireman’s carry, but jeez does it take a lot of strength to lift him. At least this is one area his weak magic can help him out.

Eijirou carries Midori to his bedroom and flops him down on the decent sized bed. Then he races to the living room and back and returns with the same blanket from earlier. He tucks Midori in again, taking extra special care since he’s in Eijirou’s room. It’s always cool, due to the perpetually open window.

Eijirou leans back on the dresser and sighs when he’s done. Hopefully Midori gets a good enough rest that he wakes up tomorrow. Then he realizes that Midori would probably heal faster if he actually brought him some medicine.

Eijirou is more thankful for Ochako’s extra herb supply than ever before. She heckles him a bit but hands over the herbs for free, admonishing, “You just take care of that poor boy, ya hear?”

“Loud and clear,” he shoots over his shoulder as he jogs into the forest.

And so he does. 

Even though he is asleep, Midori is rather easy to care for. He drinks easily enough, and Eijirou makes broth; as everyone knows, it’s both nutritious and delicious! It’s been harmless enough for him to sleep on the couch these past two nights as well!! The only true downside is that Eijirou has to change the bedpan out every so often, but needs must be met.

The main concern he has is that Midori might be in a coma. It’s been two days and he still hasn’t woken up. If he’s asleep much longer Eijirou doesn’t know what he’ll do.

Thankfully, the problem resolves itself.

Clang! Rattle. Crash!

Eijirou abruptly turns and darts into the bedroom. Midori crouches on the bed, looking around wildly.

“Woah, woah,” Eijirou says, hands up. “Calm down.” Midori shakes his head disbelievingly, then abruptly grabs the decorative axe that hung above Eijirou’s bed. He swings it at Eijirou. He inhales sharply.

“ Who are you ?” Midori asks. His voice shakes, and it’s rough with disuse.

“I’m Kirishima Eijirou,” he says, opting for blunt honesty. “After you crash landed here, I’ve been taking care of you. My friend is taking care of your dragon,” he adds, seeing Midori’s question before he asks.

“Is he okay?” Midori asks.

“Yeah,” Eijirou answers easily. He approaches, hands up, and pries the axe from Midori’s shaky hands. “One of my friends is taking care of him for you. We can go see him later?”

“Please,” Midori says. He’s clearly trying to sound strong, but it instead comes out as a relieved sigh. 

Ejirio smiles. “Later. You’ve been out for quite a while, Midori. Lay back down and I’ll bring you some soup.”

“Okay,” Midori agrees easily. Then he pauses. “...how do you know my name?”

“Midori?” Eijirou says again, just to make sure. He flinches, and Eijirou raises his hands. “Sorry, dude! I didn’t know it was your actual name, it just seemed fitting since, well,” he gestured towards Midori’s, well, everything .

Midori glances down at his green clothes, then twirls a strand of his green hair around his finger, then furiously looks to his shoes, which are also green. “I guess I can see your point,” he admits reluctantly. “But still, I- wait a minute ,” he hisses, furiously patting himself down. “Where’s my gem?”

“Your what?” Eijirou asks, baffled.

Midori shoots him a scathing look. “My gem , you- look, it’s really important to me. I need it. Did you store it somewhere or..?”

“I didn’t see anything of the sort when I took your armor off,” Eijirou promises, frowning. “I’ll keep an eye out though.”

“That’s not good enough,” Midori snaps, then inhales sharply. Eijirou takes a step back, and all at once Midori seems to sag . “I’m sorry, Kir- Kirishima, right? I’m sorry for snapping.”

Eijirou takes a deep breath, then smiles. “It’s alright dude, I get it. Look, why don’t you just rest here while I make soup, alright? Take a moment to breathe.”

“I- yeah, alright,” Midori gives in. Eijirou nods, then walks off to the kitchen to take a moment and cool down. He gets why Midori reacted like that, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to be yelled at.

Making soup is a simple, calming task, though, and it’s easy for Eijirou to lose himself in it. Not long has passed before he’s got two steaming bowls of soup. He heads back to his– well, currently Midori’s room– with everything on a tray.

“Knock knock,” he sing-songs. Not that Midori’s actually awake, he just thinks that barging in would be a bit awkward.

“Come in!” Midori’s voice floats through the door. Eijirou has to kick it a bit, but he manages to open the door without spilling either bowl so that’s something. Midori blinks up at him from the bed. “Do you.. Do you need help?”

“I’m good!” Eijirou grins. “I’m not that clumsy!”

Midori chuckles and nods. Eijirou passes him a bowl and takes a seat on the bed, across from him. The soup’s a bit hot, and more than a bit watery, but it tastes fine enough to Eijirou and if Midori thinks anything different he doesn’t say. For a moment, all too brief, the room is peaceful save for the clink of spoon against bowl. And then they finish, and it’s time to discuss everything.

“So.”

“So.” Eijirou sighs, placing his bowl down. “First things first, I guess. What is your name?”

Midori chuckles nervously, “You really didn’t know?” When Eijirou shakes his head, he smiles. “Well, I’m Izuku Midoryia, nice to meet you then!”

Eijirou blinks. “Really?” That seems a bit too on the nose, even considering Midori(ya?)’s reaction earlier.

“Really,” he nods. “I honestly thought you knew. Sorry. But- can I ask a question?”

“Of course,” Eijirou says easily.

Midori (even if Eijirou knows his actual name now, he’s attached to the nickname, sue him) nods. “Well, how long has it been? Has anything… odd been happening?”

“Beyond you crash-landing in my front yard?” Eijirou raises an eyebrow; Midori blushes. “It’s been a little over two days, and honestly? Not much has happened. Well, actually…” he trails off.

Midori leans forward, his startlingly green eyes intent on Eijirou. “What? What happened?”

Eijirou leans back. “Nothing too serious, honest! It’s just- well, Ochako says the old witches have been stirring up some sort of trouble. Talking about “dangerous seas ahead,” or whatever. We don’t even have seas here!” Eijirou exclaims.

Midori frowns and glances down. “Is… is there any chance they could be correct?”

Eijirou scrunches up his nose and thinks. “I guess so,” he admits, “But it’s like one in a dozen that actually happen so no one ever takes them seriously. Why? You can’t really be worried.”

“Of course I can!” he exclaims. “You know nothing about me! And I barely know anything about you! For all you know, I could have a hell bent group of assassins on my tail!!”

“But you don’t, right?” Eijirou chuckles nervously, looking at Midoryia tense up.

“Well…”

“Midori,” Eijirou says sharply, then sighs. “You know what, it’s fine. I think- I hope you’re joking, and if you aren’t we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“But Kiri-”

“No,” Eijirou cuts him off. “I’m sorry, but this is stressing me out and I’m sure it’s got to be stressing you, and you’re still injured. Let’s talk about something else.”

“But-”

“Nope!” Ejirou cuts off cheerfully. “Why don’t we talk about... Hm, what to discuss? Oh, do you want to know anything about me? We haven’t gotten to talking much and you've gotta be curious!!”

Midori’s eyes light up. “You’re right, I have been wondering about a couple of things... Especially how my dragon, Kacchan, is doing-- Wait, you were trying to distract me!” he exclaims indignantly. “Kirishima, I really need to-“

“Relax,” he interrupts. “You’re really high strung, and that’s not good for you right now. Relax. Take a deep breath.” 

Midori complies, then sighs. “I guess you’re right, I just. I don’t want us to be caught off guard when All- he finds us,” he admits.

What kind of name is All?

Eijirou takes Midori’s hands in his. “Look, Midori, I get that you’re scared, but I put up protective wards! We’re safe here. I promise.”

“If you say so,” Midori says, an eyebrow raised. Eijirou’s prepared to defend himself (although if he’s being honest he has the same doubts daily) but it seems Midoriya decided to trust him. “You said you’d tell me about you?”

“Yeah,” Eijirou says, relieved to leave this topic behind. “What do you want to know?
As it turns out, he wants to know a lot.  

What’s his job, does he have any pets, how many friends does he have, has he seen Kacchan, what’s his magic? They’re all easy answers. 

He’s a jack of all trades with as many friends as he can hold onto, he’s got his shapeshifter companion Benji, and he’s gone to visit the dragon once daily to check up on him (and to make sure that Ochako doesn’t tear her hair out of frustration). But his magic… 

They’re all easy answers, except for the last question.

What’s your magic?

It’s always been something of a sore subject for Eijirou. He’s not a powerhouse like Yagi-san down the road, nor is he a master of gravity like Ochako. All he can do is cast minor protective spells and slightly strengthen himself, along with the small things everyone can do such as dishes and laundry and such. Even these small spells drain him more than he’d like. He’s no master wizard. He’s no one especially talented. Eijirou might as well not have magic, honestly.

But Midori’s looking at him expectantly, and Eijirou can’t leave him hanging forever.

“My magic… it isn’t very strong,” Eijirou admits. He holds out a hand and wills his magic forward, to little visible effect. “I can barely muster enough power to pack a real punch. I’m sure your magic is much more interesting, much cooler, much more-”

“Your magic is plenty cool,” Midori cuts in. “In fact, I think it’s much cooler than mine!” He then slaps his hands over his mouth, like he didn’t mean to say that.

“Really?” Eijirou asks skeptically. “What do you have, then?”

“Well, I, uh, it’s a bit hard to explain,” he hesitates.

“Midori, I get that you’re trying to be kind, but you really don’t have to-”

“Kirishima!” Midori exclaimed suddenly, pointing at the window. “Behind you- there’s!”

Whatever else he tries to say is suddenly cut off by the loudest explosion Eijirou’s ever heard.

The bed shakes so hard that Eijirou falls to the floor, Midori collapsing on top of him and half the roof following.

There’s only one thing Eijirou can say.

“What the fuck?!” His yell is drowned out by a massive, infuriated roar. Eijirou can’t even begin to imagine how big the creature that made it must be.

Midori rolls off him as best he can, and Eijirou channels a bit of his magic to help him push to his feet and move enough debris to have some room to move.

“Shit,” Midori hisses. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Eijirou runs his hands through his hair. “Midori, do you know what’s happening? I’ve got no clue.”

“It’s All for One,” Midori explains tensely, taking Eijirou by the wrist. “We’ve gotta go; he obviously knows we’re here and without my gem I’m worse than useless.”

Eijirou shakes his arm free. “I can’t just leave! This is my home! What about Benji? What about Ochako?”

“If we stay, they’ll share the same fate I’m bound to,” he answers darkly.

Eijirou grabs his shoulders. “What if we just find your gem? It’s gotta be around here somewhere!”

Midori sighs. “It won’t be that easy. Without the gem-”

Another roar, accompanied by a sudden blast of heat, throws them to the ground. Midori curses. It doesn't deter Eijirou from his point, though. “I get it won’t be easy,” he insists, “but shouldn’t we at least try to look for your gem before we abandon everything?”

Midori looks positively haunted , and it makes Eijirou wonder what he’s had to see, but he nods and Eijirou dives for the door. If the gem was in his pocket then it mostly likely fell out while Eijirou was transporting him, so that means it’s probably-

“Here!” Eijirou exclaims, triumphantly standing up. It only took him a minute to search through the debris and find it, and if he had more time he might question it. As is, he fixes it into the small clasp on Ochako’s necklace, then places it around Midori’s neck. “There. Now, let's go fight this bastard.”

“Oh no, you stay here,” Midori shakes his head. “For once, I’d like to leave less trouble in my wake.

Eijirou frowns and argues, “My house is already destroyed and I’ve been housing you for days. I don’t think I’ll be left unscathed regardless.”

Midori glances down. “Still. It’s best if you stay put.” He darts out a hole in the wall with a battle cry before Eijirou can refute or agree (not that he would agree, but still, the option would’ve been there!). But even so he doesn’t hesitate to follow close behind. Eijirou doesn’t need Midori to protect him. 

He emerges into a world on fire. His garden, the nearby trees, hell even parts of his house! This is why the villain- All for One- wasn’t immediately attacking. Shit!

If All for One’s hurt Benji... If he hurts Midori...

Eijirou ducks down behind a fallen tree and tries to think of a plan. He could sneak around back and fetch his swords, except there’s fire in the way and Eijirou isn't exactly fireproof. He could do as Midori suggested and run away, but that’s never really been an option.

Another roar jolts him back into the present. Eijirou grimaces and peeks up from his hiding place. Eijirou spots Midori rather easily, a burst of green in the sea of fire. He’s staring down a faceless man, presumably All for One, which wouldn’t terrify Eijirou nearly as much if that aforementioned villain wasn’t sitting on a goddamned dragon . Just. Why?

He doesn’t have much time to reflect on it, though, because in that very same moment All for One reveals his staff and levels it towards Eijirou, clearly casting some sort of spell. 

One moment All for One is chanting an unfamiliar spell. The next, Midori is darting out in front of Eijirou to take the hit. Eijirou darts from his shoddy hiding spot with an exclaimed curse to check on him. He’s breathing, thankfully, albeit only slightly. 

All for One just made a big mistake. 

Eijirou looks up. Meets the villain's eyes. 

All for One is smiling. 

Eijirou’s vision goes red. 

—

Eijirou wakes up in a panic, gaze darting around the room through bleary eyes. Nothing looks familiar until a flash of green catches his eyes.

“Kirishima? Kirishima, are you-”

“Midori?” Eijirou croaks.

“That’s me,” Midori says softly, leaning over Eijirou now, hand on his shoulder. “I thought- we thought you were dead.”

“What happened? Last I remember, you’d…” Eijirou trails off as he recalls. All for One striking Midori- just thinking about it makes Eijirou furious.

“All for One got me?” Midori guesses.

Eijirou nods shortly. “What happened after that?”

“Well, no one really knows. I was unconscious, you don’t seem to remember, and All for One, well, he’s- he’s dead,” Midori says hesitantly.

“Good ,” Eijirou spits out impulsively, then blinks. He doesn’t take it back.

Midori nods. “Yeah. If it were anyone else… but All for One and I have a long history. He deserved what he got.” Eijirou is too tired to ask right now, but he will be getting that story out of Midori eventually.

For now though, he really just wants to go back to sleep. Whatever he’d done, it took a lot out of him. Midori must see something in Eijirou’s face because he smiles gently then steps back. “Sleep well, Kirishima.”

“Eijirou,” he corrects.

“Huh?”

“Call me Eijirou. You did save my life,” Eijirou says softly.

“Only if you call me Izuku, then,” he shoots back.

“You’ve got a deal.” Eijirou catches a glimpse of Izuku’s smile as he steps backwards out of the room, and falls asleep with the image fresh on his mind.

~2 months later…

Eijirou tightens his grip around Midori’s waist.

“You’re sure this is safe?” he asks again, nervously glancing down.

The other boy chuckles. “Sure as can be. If my mom can manage this, so can you!”

“I guess,” Eijirou pouts. Kacchan rears his head, and he yelps. 

Midori lightly hits the dragon, “Down, Kacchan, down! Totally safe,” he reassures.

Midori had accompanied Eijirou into town, dragon flying overhead, but before they left Hanta’s bar he’d convinced Eijirou they should ride the dragon back, a decision Eijirou immensely regrets agreeing to. To think they haven’t even taken flight!!

And yet… once Kacchan finds his stride, it’s surprisingly enjoyable. Even when he’s gone out with Ochako, Eijirou has never been this high up before. He’s never been able to see this far, see this much.

Almost subconsciously, he leans out with a hand outstretched. The clouds are so close he can nearly grasp them; as is, his fingers curl and wisp in the fog.

A grin tugs at Eijirou’s lips, and he leans closer to Midori. “Look at all the clouds! Aren’t they pretty?”

Midori fondly glances back at him. “Yeah, they are.” Eijirou beams at him.

They’re only up for a few minutes more before their cottage comes into view. Eijirou and Midori rebuilt it together, after what had happened in the clearing, and expanded it a fair bit. His garden thrives now, and Midori has his own section full of cacti and other low-management flowers (since, by his own admonishment, Midori can’t keep anything else alive).

Kacchan lands heavily, and Midori soon disembarks and helps Eijirou slide off.

“That wasn’t so bad, right?”

“That was amazing ,” Eijirou whispers reverently. As if on cue, Kacchan pridefully lashes his tail. Eijirou chuckles a bit, then wraps his arm around Midori. “Shall I make lunch?”

Midori rests his head against Eijirou’s shoulder. “Sure, love. I’ll help.”

Eijirou nods, and, still wrapped around each other, they head inside. At this point they’re so accustomed to one another's presence that they dance around each other with ease, the cooking process a rehearsed routine.

Some time later, they find themselves on the porch; they had rebuilt that, too, after everything was all said and done. Some days, Eijirou can hardly bring himself to do anything but breathe and avoid dwelling on nightmares long gone. Some days, Eijirou can’t even look at Kacchan, or the garden, or the forest, without seeing destruction all around.

But today is a good day.

Eijirou holds Midori’s hand, and rocks in his chair, and finds shapes in the clouds.

In the end, everything was worth it.

Eijirou wouldn’t change a thing.