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Even if no one else in the village liked him, the one thing that Izuku could count on were the cats. They loved him and followed him wherever he went.
And the dragons as well, but they weren’t actually allowed in the border of the village. The church had made an agreement with them that they were only allowed in the village when Izuku was in danger, which Izuku did not like to dwell on. They had been very fierce in their arguing about that fact.
It probably didn’t help with the rumours that he and his mother were witches, especially when that large black cat draped itself over Izuku’s shoulders and refused to get off. The magical effect of Bakugou’s protection couldn’t stop people from gossiping after that one.
“Deku, I swear to fuck that if you don’t get cats to stop following you around like a fucking witch and their familiar, I am going to blow your ass into the sun.”
“Kacchan! Thank you, that’s so romantic! But I actually don’t like you in that way! Sorry!”
If Kacchan had the magical ability to kill Izuku on sight, then Izuku would have been dead. Unfortunately, he has the ability to make Izuku’s life harder than it already is by butting in on everything he does and explosive sweat.
As well as the fact that he and his family were the witches that everyone accused Izuku and Inko of being. Especially when they retaliate against the people who make fun of the Midoriya's, insult them, or accuse them of witchcraft – with witchcraft. The timing and vicious retaliation getting more and more suspicious.
However, even worse than the Bakugou’s were the copious number of Dragons that would arrive at their village and drop gifts for them. That was harder to explain and had led to Izuku being tied to a stake to be burnt alive thirteen separate times before some sort of intervention which meant he was saved.
The first time it was a dragon eating the instigator of the execution. The rest of the village didn’t want to be eaten and left him alone. The second time was more confusing: the pyre had been lit, the smoke was thick, and Izuku just walked unharmed off of the pyre. Luckily, the clouds - otherwise would have defiantly been beheaded, had opened, and the sun had shone down onto a living, unburnt Izuku.
The third time was a rather half-hearted attempt, considering the fact that the church now believed Izuku had been turned fire-proof by God, ignoring desperately the dragons who flocked to the edge of the town boundaries. The village just wanted the spectacle and loved watching Izuku being carried to the pyre and tied on. Katsuki didn’t even need to be held back by the village guards. He just kind of watched on with the rest of the villagers for Izuku to walk away unharmed.
Izuku felt a sick pleasure when he saw the vein in his forehead bulge when the villagers groaned in disappointment. He knew he wanted to blow them to kingdom come. But if he did that, King Endeavour would have definitely come and killed him.
Only king hypocrite can have magic, King Hypocrite and his children, and to his chagrin, the All-Mighty head of the church.
As well as the dragons, but only the king is stupid enough to try and attack them, so they are left to their own devices—especially the great white giant, All for One.
Izuku was counting down the days for his fourteenth ‘execution’ the looks he was getting from the villagers as an army of cats trailed him had gone past the usual suspicious and were getting dangerously close to ‘blasphemous’. They had been descending on him like vultures recently, trying desperately to get him to do something for their bi-monthly entertainment.
Izuku was also counting the days until the king heard of his magical ability to survive the pyre. Even if Izuku is sure, he wasn’t even close to the fire most of the time, despite what those busybodies were saying. There was no way he was magical; there was no way he would be fire-proof. That would mean he was dragon-kin!
Izuku remains stubborn in his belief that the closest he had been to burning to death was when that giant white dragon tried to pick him up in his jaws after the villagers' first execution/assassination attempt.
His mouth had been very warm, and the glow from his throat was almost lovely if Izuku wasn’t panicking about being eaten after nearly being burnt at the stake. But then his mum started screaming at the dragon, and he had been let down gently, and the dragon had flown away.
Izuku swore he had seen it again, in the distance, and the little gifts he was left in the forests – large dead animals, nothing like the nice jewels and gold he gets from the others – almost felt parental. His mother told him not to think about it when she told him, and by then, it had already been going on for months, and he had quickly left to go on a small trip ‘to gather some herbs,’ she said.
She came back without herbs, a ton of gold and diamond necklaces, and a smug smile on her face. The white dragon had stopped visiting after that. Not even one little mouse was found dead by Izuku after that.
But that was also when all the other dragons and the cats came because what were cats other than tiny, fluffy little dragons with no wings and who can't breathe fire but love leaving bloody little gifts like a parent giving a child some food.
It happened on the fifth day of summer, not a particularly auspicious date – unless you talk to Masaru’s oldest cousin, who is sure that the fifth day of every season is when kings of the apocalypse are born – and it happened to be the date when the king came to visit their little village on the way to the next door kingdom with his youngest son.
“Entertain me,” he had demanded, “execute Izuku again.” The village had heard.
Since he was the king and held no schedule but his own, the village had taken it upon themselves to ensure that Izuku did not leave and so threw him into the local prison cells in preparation. Just outside the village proper and overlooking a lovely, lush field.
A lovely, lush field now with the most enormous pyre that Izuku has ever seen built upon it.
The red and white-haired prince was staring up at it from beside his father, the evidence of confusion and disgust in both of their features as the village elders ushered them to the best tavern in town—promising entertainment for days the next day.
Izuku waved shyly at the prince when he caught his eye through the barred window. Before following the tall man, the prince returned the shy wave in an even shyer response.
His head whipped around to him after a few words to the elder. Expression shocked as Izuku waved back to him again. The prince's face morphed into confusion, turning back again to his father.
The next day, he was taken and tied to the pyre.
The king, looking confused but also intrigued, lit the pyre himself, ignoring all attempts of Izuku trying to talk to him, looking disgusted when Izuku asked cheerfully how he was. The All-mighty church leader was watching on in horror. He was frantically trying to change the king's mind.
He didn’t manage it. Izuku’s blase attitude has seemed to have caught his attention. Izuku’s smile, which he attempted to make it look reassuring, did absolutely nothing to reassure the church leader.
“Your highness, I really don’t think that sacrificing a boy is a credible source of entertainment. What would the people think.”
“The townspeople said that he would be fine. They’ve done this before, apparently.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you properly. They’ve burned people for entertainment before?”
“No, no, only that boy. I would like to see whether they exaggerate what they said was 20 times surviving the pyre.”
All-Mighty sighed, looking to the boy, “this is why the people like me more.”
“Yes, well, at least I didn’t nearly get killed by a dragon.”
“Yes, only dragon-kin don’t get burnt by fire, so at least I can say I survived a dragon attack without any inherent magical ability that negates their biggest weapon. Oh, mighty king.” The king glared at the churchman while the churchman glared back.
The pyre had started to burn higher now. The ropes were still tight around his body. The fire licking his skin was comforting, warm and fatherly. It was like being enveloped in a hug. Like when that dragon had held him gently in his mouth. However, there was a feeling of itchiness on his face, underneath his whole skin, like something was starting to push through.
The ropes on his wrists helped make the itch lessen while the ropes bit into his skin.
Then the giant white dragon swooped down and took him into his mouth again. Flying away quickly on the wind, Izuku felt the skin on his back stretch