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When Izuku is four, he encounters a dragon in the forest; he's the size of a lion, which means he's way bigger than the green haired kid, but he then remembers what the people in the village have told him about those creatures; they're the size of castles, and even mountains in their prime, which means he's probably young.
Having no sense of self preservation, Izuku approaches him and tries to pet him; the deep red dragon snarls at him so the kid takes a few steps back, but he doesn't run.
He stares at him to absorb as much information about the creature as possible, however, when the dragon snarls again, Izuku growls in response.
He's heard adults that's how you deal with a bear, although it probably doesn't work on dragons.
Suddenly, the dragon makes a sound like a snort, for a moment Izuku has the feeling that he's laughing at him.
The kid stomps his little foot on the ground; his mother often says he looks like an angry bunny when he does that, but Izuku shakes those memories away.
"I can be scary too!" He protests, but the only thing the dragon does is to snort again and get even closer to the kid.
Izuku considers leaving but when the creature nuzzles against his cheek, he decides to forgive him because it's obvious that he wants to be his friend.
The two of them play for a while, despite being young, the dragon is careful around Izuku and often lets him win when he's trying to catch the creature.
"I'm Izuku!" He chuckles, he always introduces himself to every creature he comes across, no matter how many times his mother tells him that they can't understand him. "And you are Kacchan!"
The dragon seems displeased with the nickname at first, but after a while he shakes his head and pushes the kid playfully.
After a while, Izuku notices that it's getting a bit dark, so he decides to go back home. He tells this to the dragon, who doesn't seem happy about it, and starts pulling him by the shirt with his muzzle.
"No, Kacchan! I need to go back! Mom's waiting for me!"
When it looks like the dragon is about to toss him on to his back, two people Izuku has never seen in the village emerge from the forest. They seem to be dressed like barbarians.
It's a young couple.
"What are you doing, brat?" The woman hisses, looking a bit irritated.
For a moment, Izuku believes she's pissed at him, and he thinks about uttering an apology, but then the dragon growls.
"We've been looking for you for hours! You had us really worried!" The blond woman narrows her eyes as she grabs the dragon by the tail.
"Are you lost?" Kindly, the man approaches Izuku, looking a bit embarrassed by the display next to them. "Do you want me to help you find your way back home?"
"No, thank you!" Izuku shakes his head, feeling better. He smiles at the man. "I'll be fine. I know the way back!"
Then, the dragon manages to escape from the woman, he immediately reaches for Izuku and wraps his tail around the kid's middle.
"No, you can't keep him! His family is probably waiting for him!" The woman growls, before his expression changes into something more warm and gentle: "Is he causing you trouble, sweetie?"
"Not at all," Izuku assures her. "Kacchan and I have been playing together!"
"Kacchan?" The man arches an brow at the kid.
"That's how I named him!" Izuku chuckles, feeling a bit bad. "But he probably has another name since he's yours!"
The woman smirks at the kid and the dragon like she's amused, and when her eyes meet the creature's, he huffs, letting her know how annoyed he is.
Izuku finds it very fascinating because they both seem to understand each other.
When the dragon finally lets him go, Izuku gives him a couple of headpats.
"Don't worry, Kacchan! We'll see each other tomorrow!"
"We're leaving today," The man corrects Izuku. "Our people like to travel a lot."
"Oh," Izuku feels sad, and he notices that the dragon is too because he tries to escape from the woman's grip again; she's now carrying him, which is impressive.
"We'll come back next season," the blond woman promises them both. "We like to buy our supplies from here. So don't worry, you'll see each other soon."
Izuku nods, hopeful, and he's back he tells his parents everything and although his mothers listens patiently, she doesn't seem to beelive everything that happen, and his father rolls his eyes at him, disappointed.
When Inko leaves the room to make dinner, his father calls him an useless idiot. That's enough for Izuku to lose his appetite and go back to his room.
However, recalling his happy moments with his new friend help him smile to himself before falling asleep.
He now has something to look forward to.
Every year they meet in the woods and they play for a while, until the couple comes to get the dragon away before they leave the land; the creature is always displeased to part ways with Izuku and often tries to make him follow him.
Dragons seem to grow faster than the green haired boy anticipated, and one of those days the woman, Mitsuki, tells the creature he can't be in "that form" anymore because someone with bad intentions could spot him.
Izuku is old enough now, and he's become such a nerd when it comes to magical creatures that he has an idea of what the woman is talking about. Beaming, he turns to the dragon, and notices that he looks a bit flustered.
"You can shape-shift, Kacchan? That's awesome!"
The dragon looks pleased with the compliment, but at the same time, he seems a bit hesitant. Shy, almost.
"What is it?"
Masaru smiles at Izuku's question, and Mitsuki chuckles, prompting the dragon to huff and hit the ground with his tail in annoyance.
"I think he's worried about-"
The dragon growls interrupting the man, as Mitsuki starts scolding him.
However, he calms down significantly when Izuku puts a hand on his muzzle.
"I'd like to see your other form, Kacchan," he says quietly. "Maybe next year?"
The dragon nods, and Izuku is sure he just made a promise to him; he leaves with the couple like each year, but this time, as a goodbye, the dragon nuzzles against Izuku's cheeks affectionately.
"I'll see you soon, Kacchan!"
***
Except that now he knows he won't be able to see the dragon again.
When his mother dies of an illness, Izuku's father kicks him out of the village, he doesn't give him time to mourn, and he certainly doesn't give him much of an explanation other than: you're too weak to be my son, I don't want to see you ever again.
Despite knowing his father didn't love him for a while now, Izuku still feels his heart shatter when the man kicks him out; his heart is already grieving for his mother, which is why the rejection hurt a bit more than it should.
He knows he has to find a place far away from the village to live now, because the villagers trust his father too much not to obey his orders.
He also mourns the loss of his friendship with the dragon, because he's aware that there's not much of a chance that their paths will ever cross again.
The journey is not kind to him, Izuku has to get his own food, he doesn't have any money so he has to hunt and collect berries and fruits in order to survive; it's a good thing that he's read a lot of books, and knows which plants and berries are poisonous, and which aren't.
After weeks of traveling, he finds a cottage in the woods, he knocks at the door in order to ask for refugee for a couple of days, and that's exactly how he meets Uraraka, a young witch who sells potions and creates specific spells for people in need.
Her heart is kind, so instead of letting him stay for a few days, she offers him a job at her shop as her assistant, something Izuku agrees to do immediately.
He learns a lot about magic in a few weeks, not only that, he makes a very good friend too; Uraraka is an amazing witch and a great person, she helps a lot of travelers and doesn't give up until she finds a solution for them.
After a year, Izuku's health improves a lot; he eats more and trains on his free time in the forest to keep himself in good shape. He knows his father wouldn't recognize him if he saw him, but at the same time he doesn't care what his father thinks anymore, he's no longer part of his life, and he's grateful for it.
One day, as he's looking for more ingredients for Uraraka's potions, he finds a yellow tulip and collects it because his mother used to love those.
"I see," the witch smiles, after he explains to her the meaning of the flower. She takes a pot, puts a bit of dirt and a drop of a purple potion she keeps hidden in her room. That's how Izuku knows it belongs to her private collection and is not meant to be sold. "As long as it stays here, this tulip will live forever."
Izuku tries not to tear up, but they both know that's almost impossible so he decides to let his emotions take control for once and he immediately hugs Uraraka in response.
"Thank you!"
"That's what friends are for."
She's right, and Izuku is so grateful to have her as his best friend now.
***
As he explores the woods for the second time that day, Izuku hears a noise behind him when he's approaching a cave; before he can turn around, the person close to him speaks in a deep, unfamiliar voice.
"I found you."
When he turns around, he has to look up because the young man (around his age) is taller than the average traveler; Izuku is not really intimidating, and in terms of height, he's closer to his mother than his father, but it doesn't bother him.
However, that makes him more aware of very tall people, like the blond in front of him. Besides, even though Izuku doesn't consider himself weak anymore, he's aware that the barbarian's built means he's been trained as a warrior for years.
"I think you're mistaken me for-"
The blond takes a step closer, and even though he doesn't look hostile, there's an intensity in his red eyes that makes Izuku a bit tense.
"There's no mistake," the barbarian assures him; there's something about him that seems almost familiar now, but Izuku is still sure he hasn't seen him before. "You know me, Izuku. I'm your Kacchan."
As he says this, horns emerge from his skull, and despite the time that has passed, Izuku recognizes them. Then, he remembers something...
"You can shape-shift into a man!" Izuku blurts out, although the blond doesn't seem to transform completely, but the human manages to see as part of his arms get covered with red scales.
"That's right. I'm Bakugo Katsuki and I'm a dragon hybrid."
"Kacchan!" Izuku beams, and without thinking he jumps into Katsuki's arms, still find it difficult to believe this is his dragon.
Just like he used to do in his dragon form, Katsuki purrs as he nuzzles against Izuku's cheek. However, when the shock and surprise in the green haired human vanishes, Izuku realizes that this feels a bit different than before, mostly because Katsuki's human self is very attractive.
He tries to move away, but Katsuki huffs and pulls him even closer to his broad chest, stubbornly nuzzling against Izuku again.
"I've missed you so damn much, Izuku," the blond confesses, staring into the human's eyes for longer than necessary. "I've been looking for you this whole time!"
"You have?" Izuku grabs his own shirt, feeling his heart warm and fuzzy at the confession.
"Yeah," Katsuki smirks, pressing his lips against the top of Izuku's head, surprising the human and making him feel flustered for a moment. "I also punched your Dad in the face when he told me what he did."
Izuku can't help but chuckle, not even noticing the dragon's hands grabbing his waist a bit possessively. He's too happy imagining his father getting what he deserves for once.
"Wait. You didn't get in trouble? He's the leader of the village and-"
"No, he's a coward. Besides, I don't think it'll be beneficial for him to get in trouble with the barbarian King."
"You're a king now?" Izuku blurts out before stopping himself; it's too much new information for him to handle. "That's awesome!"
Just like the human remembers, Katsuki puffs his chest out, looking very pleased with any compliments coming from Izuku.
"Yes, and now I've found my Consort."
Izuku tries to be happy for him, because he certainly seems pleased, almost triumphant after saying those words, so much that he takes the human in his arms and lifts him from the ground as he rubs their noses together.
Where is this Consort of his? Did he leave them in his tent? Will he eventually introduce them to the human?
Izuku finally smiles back, although he's not as happy with the news as he should. He's not sure why.
***
Katsuki says they're going to stay in the area for a month, as he follows the human to the cottage in the woods; they also talk about his parents (it's a bit amusing to Izuku that the couple he thought were his owners are actually the dragon's parents).
"They're traveling all over the country since I took my mother's place," Katsuki comments, rolling his eyes as he adds: "They told me they wanted to spend a few weeks together to take a break from everything. But I'm sure they'll come as soon as I send one of our crows to inform them I finally found you. They'll be happy to see you."
"Can't wait, Kacchan!"
As soon as they walk inside the cottage, and Izuku spots Uraraka, the human makes the introductions.
Katsuki doesn't look very happy about the situation, while the young witch finds it very funny and entertaining, judging by the grin on her face.
"Calm down, dragon boy. Midoriya and I are just very good friends," she says after a while, prompting the blond to significantly relax in her presence.
Since they got there he hasn't released his tight grip on the human's waist.
After a while, Katsuki goes back to the forest, where his people are camping, but he comes back every single day after that; he brings all kinds of gifts for Izuku, but mostly necklaces with painted teeth from dragons the blond has defeated in battle; he's very proud of those.
After a few days, three young barbarians come into the cottage and spend some time with them; they're Katsuki's friends: Ashido, Kaminari and Kirishima, only the barbarian girl is a hybrid like the blond. It seems only certain people are born like that.
Izuku is so fascinated with all the new information that his enthusiasm and curiosity surpass his embarrassment, and he decides to grab his journal to take note of every single extra detail he can gather about dragon hybrids.
"He was so right, you're so cute!" Ashido says, after noticing him mumble random facts about magical creatures. She ruffles her green curls. "I get it now."
"Get what?" Katsuki walks in, looking a bit irritated with his own friends. Ashido rolls her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't be like that, Bakubro!" Kirishima smiles while Kaminari starts asking Uraraka the prices of some potions. "You can't blame us for wanting to meet your mate!"
"Now that I think about it," the green haired human says carefully, knowing he'll feel uncomfortable and sad when it happens: "You haven't introduced me to your Consort."
"You have to be joking, Izuku!" Katsuki narrows his eyes, planting himself in front of the human.
"Unfortunately, he's not," Uraraka cuts in, confusing Izuku even more. "He's very oblivious. I've been trying to tell him your true intentions, but nothing has worked so far."
Katsuki pinches the bridge of his nose, and growls in frustration; as he gets closer to the human, Uraraka leads the others to the kitchen.
"What am I going to do with you, nerd?" He huffs, but there's unmistakable fondness in his voice. Carefully, he pulls the very confused and tiny human into his arms. "It's you! You are my future Consort! I've been looking for you and only you for a long time!"
"But-"
"Did you like the gifts so far?"
Still flustered, with red cheeks looking like apples, Izuku nods as his heart beats so fast inside him, like it's trying to tell him something.
Katsuki is the one; it's always been his dragon.
"Great, because those were courting gifts." The blond informs him, as worry vanishes from his red eyes, only to be replaced by triumph when he notices Izuku blushing to the tip of his ears.
"Kacchan..."
"It's always been you, my emerald."
This time, it's Izuku the one who starts nuzzling against him, after grabbing one of the barbarian's necklaces and pulling him down to his level; why does he have to be so tall?
"So when you said you were leaving in a month... did that include me?"
Katsuki rolls his eyes, chuckling before pressing the human against his warm body. He leans even more to place kisses all over Izuku's face.
"I won't go anywhere without you," he promises in a whisper. "So what do you say? Will you be my Consort?"
Izuku doesn't hesitate.
"Yes!"
They kiss, but they get interrupted by a couple of cheers and enthusiastic voices a few seconds later.
"Were you listening the whole time?" The dragon hybrid huffs, glaring accusingly at his friends.
"Not ALL the time," Kaminari chuckles nervously before hiding behind Ashido.
While Katsuki scolds them, Izuku takes the opportunity to talk to his own friend about what happened. He suddenly feels bad about leaving her.
The witch rolls her eyes, before pulling him into a hug.
"Don't be silly! I know how to deal with this myself," she assures him. "We're friends! I want you to be happy. Of course I'll miss you dearly, but I know you'll make that dragon of yours bring you here often, right?"
"I will!"
"Oi, who says I'll do whatever you-"
Izuku turns around quickly, rushes towards him before he can finish his sentence and gives him a kiss on the lips.
When it's getting too heated, Izuku pulls away, enjoying how the dragon hybrid protests with a groan before trying to chase his lips.
Everyone in that room knows Katsuki will do anything his human asks him to.
After a month they leave; Izuku can't stop grinning, his life has turned upside down again, but this time, the gods have chosen to bless the path ahead.
He has a family now.