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The fire crackled noisily, spitting angrily against the pot that Bakugou was stirring, bubbling the stew that he was making in a reflection of his own anger. The trees were dark, standing tall like pillars of the night, protectors of the forest and what seeks coverage and protection under their strong trunks and large branches. The usually angry blonde was quiet against the cracks of the dancing ribbons and the murmuring of his teammates behind him.
This, unfortunately, made the others who did not know him, weary of the usually loud and explosive blonde. The two seek coverage on a log nearest to the fire and converse about something to do with the quest and what Iida wanted to do when he got back to the castle after it was over. Izuku decided that he shouldn't be involved in such a private matter and resorted to look for something else to do now that the fire was made and the stew was cooking.
The three that weren't worried about the explosive blonde's change in attitude were Kirishima, who was sitting quietly, making his and Bakugou’s tent for the night in camp. His bright scaly tail kicking up the dirt behind him in long sweeping motions.
The others were Midoriya and Todoroki, Midoriya knew Kacchan had a love for cooking and left him to the broth, deciding to not interfere in knowledge that it would end up with him being shouted at by the blonde, Todoroki following suit.
The green haired boy had sat himself down on a log close to the fire, whipped out his notebook and began writing about the adventures of the day. How upon their travels they had encountered Bakugou and kirishima and unfortunately by a result of this they had also found out about Midoriya a shifting abilities.
The diary was soon followed up by a drawing of kirishima in both human and dragon form and details that he had collected already. Making a mental note to ask him about his culture and abilities more in the foreseeable future.
Midoriya did not notice the quiet presence next to him as he continued to mumble, nor the interested but curious stare from the dual haired boy. It was only when he had just finished a sentence in his notebook when a small “midoriya” came from his side.
He turned to find Todoroki seated next to him and gave a small smile.
“Oh hey todoroki, what’s up?”
“Can I…um, see your other side?”
Heat rushed to Midoriya's face and he quickly looked down. Midoriya wasn’t good with questions about his bunny side and With such a bold question it was even harder.
“Um…I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Todoroki,” Midoriya answered quietly. In reality, although he felt free and happy when he was alone or with his mother, unmasking around other people proved a much more difficult challenge.
Kacchan was a childhood friend exception and he’d never met another shifter before kirishima, and even then he wouldn’t feel entirely comfortable having his ears and tail out like that all the time.
Theoretically he knew that it was probably more healthier for him than keeping it all inside but he couldn’t help it.
He had been hiding the fact that he was a bunny hybrid for so long and now it was out to his friends that he had met on this trip he wasn’t sure how to feel.
He felt happy that they knew about him, as though a weight was lifted off his shoulders. But it didn’t mean that he wanted to shift all the time.
Overall it was a bit mean of Kacchan to make him shift without his consent but he knew that not having shifted for a while made things harder for his body and mind, and Kacchan knew this more than anyone. Kacchan had known that something was wrong with him as soon as they had met the following day, and with Izuku’s luck and the boldness of the brave Katsuki Bakugou he had forced Izuku to shift with a pressure point only shifters developed. Located just below their hairline on their neck. It relaxes the entire body’s muscles which unfortunately for izuku, that meant it forced him to shift.
Kacchan explained to him that it was used on young shifters back in the day when they either would be too stubborn or weren't able to shift. Allowing the parent to give them a little push in the right direction in half shifting to help them get used to their human legs, since most shifters live most of their lives as animals.
Sometimes Izuku was glad that he could only half shift, but sometimes he wasn't so glad. It made him feel as though he was sitting on a bridge and he couldn't move from the middle. He couldn't join the shifters since he could only half shift and he couldn't go with the humans because he still had to shift.
Izuku found it very frustrating. When he was younger he used to cry about all of these troubles to his mother.
She would stroke his hair and flatten his ears, only laughing when they painted back again, then she would sing to him, a short lullaby that would make him feel as though all of his troubles had been fixed. And he was the only one there. Everything was warm inside his burrow and he was safe. There were no foxes, no wolves, nothing but him and his mother.
He would fall asleep listening to her voice, and she would fall asleep to his purring.
He was brought back to the spitting fire and the quiet noises of a sleeping forest with an elongated, “please” from the dual haired boy.
He could tell that he was teetering on the edge anyway, and it wouldn't hurt for a minute, right?
“Okay” he finally agreed, allowing his ears to spring up from his head, he could feel his legs shape and resist themselves, swapping his knees and refiguring his feet bones.
He had found a book about shifting anatomy when he was younger in the library. But had promptly closed the book when there were too many graphic pictures of said anatomy, so unfortunately he never got to fully understand how shifter bodies re-figure themselves. He blames it on magic.
His ears immediately droop back down towards his head as the transformation completes itself. His slightly darker nose twitched as he tried to smell any fear coming from Todoroki, any anger, any disgust.
Nothing but curiosity?
He perked out of one eye up at the Prince. Only to see, what looked to be, astonishment, wonder? Upon his features.
“My father never liked shifters, he thought they were ugly creatures, only intent on harming and destroying kingdoms” he paused and reached out a hand “but you are so beautiful”
Midoriya felt a light blush across his cheeks, before his brain registered what todoroki said and his face became an even darker shade of red.
“Don’t kill the nerd!” Bakugou yelled from across the camp “and quit being so sappy! It’s making me lose my appetite!” He paused for a bit before a devilish smirk came over him and Midoriya felt scared for a split second as Katsuki yelled out “oh and icy hot, he likes it behind the ears!” Then he was terrified.
Kirishima came up and swung an arm around the blonde “aw but you love it when I’m sappy”.
The blonde clicked his tongue but didn't say anything other than that. Midoriya would have been asking too many personal questions towards the blonde if he wasn't already occupied with his own problem.
It took a few moments of the two sitting in silence, Midoriya in a frozen fear and Todoroki in thought before he suddenly perked up…well, as much as Todoroki could perk up.
“Oh does that mean you like to be scratched behind the ear?” it sounded like a genuine question, and to Todoroki, it probably was. However, Midoriya shrunk in on himself, placing his head between his knees and his hands wrapped around his newly formed legs.
They sat in silence for a moment longer before Todoroki carefully got up the courage to ask, “may I pet your ears”
A squeak of embarrassment came from Midoriya before a careful nod and Todoroki shuffled closer to where Midoriya was sitting.
He carefully raised his right hand and began stroking the upside of Midoriya's ears with the back of his hand. He quietly marvelled at how soft they were, carefully moving from the top of his ears to the base.
Meanwhile, midoriya was having a crisis, a gay crisis, a midlife crisis, you name it he was having it. With each heated touch he felt as though his entire body was on fire. Melting through his blood like hot honey, deliciously sweet yet searingly dangerous.
“Does hair grow all over your body when you shift?” Midoriya was taken aback by such a normal(ish) question.
“What do you mean?” Midoriya lifted his head slightly to regard Todoroki, however he let his head drop slowly down as a warm hand was placed between the bases of each ear.
“Your legs have thicker hair on them, and they changed shape, does it grow everywhere?”
“OH! Uh no, i-it doesn't, my legs are the only part of my body that seems to become more hybrid like than the rest of my body does. I'm not too sure why but it might be to do with genetics and natural selection if I'm going to be honest…”
Shouto listened intently as Midoriya continued to ramble about stuff he did not understand, but he nodded anyway and put in his own input if he could.
He noticed how midoriya stuttered when Todoroki’s thumb brushed a section behind his ear. Purely out of curiosity, Todoroki started to card his hands through midoriya’s curly hair, marvelling once again at the softness before moving down towards the previous spot and scratching slightly. Midoriya’s mumbling stuttered before cutting off completely, his ears drooped forwards and his eyes fluttered closed but before Todoroki could get his bearings about how cute that was, a chattering purr started up around the two and it was only when Midoriya started leaning on him that he noticed the log had been shaking. Midoriya was thumping.
Shouto didn't think his heart could take any more cuteness, but then he squealed! And grunted! Granted it was because Todoroki had accidently lit himself on fire and Midoriya was now putting out a small flame on his clothes.
“I apologise, my flames are not easy to control when I am flustered, however that is not often, so I usually do not have such trouble.”
Midoriya started, dumbfounded at the sheer boldness of the young man before him, it was quite impressive if he did say so himself.
“God damn it!! Get a room you two you're making me sick” Kacchan screams from the other side of the camp, making fake vomiting sounds as midoriya curls up in embarrassment. Todoroki managed to drag Midoriya towards their tent and eventually they both fell asleep, promising that they were going to talk about it tomorrow.
However that night, Midoriya fell asleep a little warmer both outside and inside, and todoroki felt a little warmer inside, that wasn't just his magic.