No Boolie [Jack/Saga]

Jack remembered a time where he always loved dragons, and never really understood what he would eventually become only a short while after his love started to flourish for them. What wasn't to love about them to a small, almost 6-year-old boy? They were big, tough, and were the very definition of a beast of legend. When he had first developed his Quirk, though he was terrified partially, he couldn't help but be in disbelief that he could even remotely be compared to something so...in a word, badass! A real-life dragon and he was it!

Of course, this was before the bullying, the torture...the beatings he received because of it. He didn't want to fight back, he didn't want to hurt anyone. This eventually led him to become more and more secluded, up until he finally enrolled into U.A., where people actually accepted him, for the most part. Suddenly, being a dragon didn't feel so special, in the presence of so many other Quirkers, some of which he considered so much cooler than he was. 

Finally, to top everything off, the revelation of his sister also having a similar Quirk to his own, attacking him, and revealing the existence of more like her...suddenly being a dragon felt terrifying. More expectations, more danger...everything slowly began to pile up on top of the boy, to the point of becoming severely depressed. It took a mighty amount to even remotely begin to help heal his mind from it all...and even then, he had the eerie feeling that a lot more was to come. Because of all of this, he decided it was best to take a step back from everything; reevaluate how he viewed everything.

Surely enough, he began to have more of an open mind of things. Not everything was black and white, there was a reason for everything. That said...where did that put him? Where did that put the surprising amount of people like him?

All of this aside, Jack knew that it was best not to dwell on things like that. He had more important things to worry about. Like...the hot chocolate in his hand! Or...the cold. God, he hated the cold. It was the whole reason that, when he went out to a favorite cafe of his, he would have to literally cover himself from head to toe, even his wings and his tail. It wasn't really a fun time, but...hot chocolate was worth it.

He sipped his heavenly drink gingerly as he walked around the town, admiring the view of the snowy city. He wore a large, purple jacket that went down all the way to his shins, enough so that his wings and tail could be tucked in snugly, and admittedly not really give any really indication of his Quirk, as well as a blue scarf that covered his mouth for the most part. For once, he actually felt a bit safe being out in the open. Diane hadn't tried anything in months, and he was covered up enough to where no one could really recognize him on a first glance. Finally, no more drama on a trip out, for once!

...That is, until he heard a slight voice from a bit farther away. It was soft, but even he could make out the slight alarm in the tone of it. Jack cocked his head a little, deciding to at least make sure that the source of the voice was ok. He jogged to where he could hear the voices, until he turned a corner and saw them. 2 guys...relatively tall, definitely around Jack's age, and a girl, who the boys were clearly harassing.

Even before he could make them all out clearly, Jack felt his blood boil at the sight. He hated bullying, he hated torturing someone for one's own amusement. Even worse, he could tell that the actions being done were of the...inappropriate nature. Jack gritted his sharp teeth under his scarf and was about to begin making his way towards them to stop this madness before one of the ruffians uttered a phrase that made Jack's blood suddenly chill.

"Or what? You're going to fight back? That would be using your quirk, and that's super illegal, especially considering your mutation... Lucky shit, a full-blown dragon hunh? Dragons don't exist in this world, so the least you can do is let us study you."

Another one?

Time felt like it slowed down for a second as Jack glanced back over to the ruffian's captive. Surely enough...large wings, thick tail...and red scales running along all over her body, matching her tan skin well and contrasting with her own stark white hair, not unlike his own. Definitely a dragon Quirker. Reason told Jack that there was a reason for this happening to begin with, why she wasn't fighting back, but...fear crossed Jack's mind for a moment. Could he really risk helping her? What if she turned on him, what if this was all actually a ruse? What if-

The dragon girl's sudden cry of fear and anger snapped the dragon boy out of any more doubtful thoughts he might have had in that moment. His eyes hardened, his witts returning about him. Whether he regretted this later or not, he couldn't just let something like this slide. She wasn't fighting back, so that meant something, right? He had to step in, lest something worse happen from here.

Jack strode towards the three kids, a fire in his bright, violet eyes, filled with rage. "HEY!!" he bellowed, hopefully drawing their attention to him. The stand-off that would likely ensue would...definitely looked ridiculous, to say the least. A regular looking kid in a log jacket standing off against 2 boys that were most definitely taller than him. They'd probably assume he was a little kid looking for trouble, or something.

...Technically speaking, he was. But that was besides the point. The boy would glare intensely at the two assaulters, of which he would try his best not to beat the crap out of, if he could avoid it. "The hell are you messing with her for? You realize you both could get into major trouble for something like this, right? Buzz off, why don't ya?! Leave her be, she isn't doing anything wrong!" Now, he knew fully well that they wouldn't listen, but at the very least it would take their attention off of her...what she chooses to do with that time other than gape at the ridiculous sight before her was highly up for debate.

In the moment that Jack stood off against the other two kids, the latter making sure no one was around, the boy was quick to sneakily pull out his phone, quick travel to the camera, and began recording the situation. Even if the kids noticed, they were only regular school kids. Jack was probably much faster than them, so he knew there wouldn't be too much of an issue push come to shove. Either way, he'd have to try and find out what school they went to later, since he fully intended on using this if the boys didn't back down.

And, of course, they by no means did. One of them ignored Jack's angered plea, calling him a pipsqueak and saying that they were only studying a mutation with the girl. In that split moment, the boy's hand turned into a blade and quickly slashed into the dragon girl's top before Jack could say anything. His face turned a beet red, and he let out a small squeak like a rubber duck as her chest came into view. At the very least, she was covered with her scales for the most part, and the boys seemed rather disappointed...but Jack felt weird about it. Maybe it was just because they had a similar mutation? He wasn't about to question it, especially right now, as his anger quickly returned.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who's anger reached a peak. The dragon girl's eyes and hair quickly turned a bright red, matching her scales, and she grabbed the boy's sword hand, making herself bleed with the force. "Wh-Hey, wait now!" he cried, now worried for the girl's wellbeing more than ever. He stepped forward as the boys were also freaking out, and promptly shoved her into Jack, claiming that they should just go before they hurt the 'crybabies' any more.

Jack couldn't help but smirk a little, holding the probably struggling dragon girl close to him protectively. He looked at her briefly, whispering briefly "Calm down...it's ok." The last thing he needed right now was an out of control dragon, especially assuming that her Quirk was more similar to his than it appeared. He gave her a bit of a side hug, trying to be comforting, before looking back at the boys, and held up his phone as he stopped recording. "Yeah...you best run home and explain that you're probably gonna be in a LOT of shit tomorrow. Unless you're really wanting to keep this going. I could use the practice~."

Adding to his point, Jack would shrug off his jacket a bit to the side, briefly showing off his own pure white scales to them, grinning devilishly with his sharp teeth. He clearly was by no means afraid of them, nonchalantly putting his phone back in his pocket and waiting to see how they would react.

Not that he would really care, as he would turn around and start walking, keeping the dragon girl close to him. He would stop at the wall of the building that he had turned just before he encountered them, and try to prop the dragon girl against the wall. He would scoop up some cleaner snow, offering it to the dragon girl. "Here, squeeze this with your injured hand. It'll clean it out some and stop the bleeding. I...don't wanna know where that kid's sword hand has been." he said, adding a mild jest to ease the situation.

If the dragon girl complied, Jack would take off his scarf, and rip off some of the cloth. "...You ok, though? No major injuries besides that?" he asked, worry in his eyes. While she would answer, Jack would attempt to lightly tie the wound with his torn scarf, at least until she got home and could get a better bandage. He tried his best to keep on a calm persona, even though he was internally freaking out, especially with the girl's...assets out in the open like that. He'll probably give her his jacket in a moment- he just wanted to make sure she was all calmed down first. If she tore it up, then they'd BOTH just end up being cold.

Jack promptly cackled as the boy with the sword hand told him to screw off as they walked away. Personally, he was a bit disappointed. He hadn't had a really good fight since Meara, so he had been wanting to get in a good amount of practice not using his Quirk for once. "'Kay, bye now! Have fun tomorrow!" he called, clearly highly amused by them backing off. He then exhaled from his nose, untensing just a little as he would lead the dragon girl away from the area.

"I know, I know...sorry," he said in response to her request, letting her go from his grasp. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, also clearly averting his gaze from the dragon girl for a moment as he scooped up a good chunk of snow and handed it to her, instructing her to squeeze it with her injured hand. He then noticed the girl's gaze on him, prompting a slight blush to appear on his face. He wasn't exactly used to people staring at him yet...especially girls with their cleavage out in the open, even if they were partly covered.

The silence for that moment was a bit awkward, but the girl was quick to break it as she took the snow from his hand and asked him what he wanted with her. He made a bit of an odd face as she claimed that she wasn't about to fall for some kid playing hero. At least there was a thank you in there, although clearly a bit reluctant. Ah...dragon's pride. He wasn't really used to having to deal with it from someone else, but it at least gave him a sense of familiarity. Jack let out another breath from his nose, this time it steaming in the cold air.

"I...wouldn't really expect you to?" he said, confused. He never really understood that trope in stories. Why can't someone just do something nice and help a person out without it meaning anything other than that? Jack was just a nice person, simple as that. "I mean, I wasn't really about to let a couple of jackasses have their way with someone like that. It didn't seem like you were about to fight back, sooooo...here I am."

He waved his hand dismissively, making a bit of a disgusted face. "Hate people like that as it is. Bullying another person just because of their Quirk...it's disgusting. That aside, it wouldn't have ended well, either way," he said, gesturing to her injured hand from her angered attack.

His coat then rustled around his waist for a second as he uncurled his tail, it appearing from under him as he used it to help unzip his jacket. "Plus, ah...what's the old saying? 'Birds of a feather fight together?'" he asked, as he removed his coat, showing off his sleeveless jacket, and, more importantly, his glimmering white scales on his upper body and rather large wings that had no business being as well hidden as they were in his coat. He rolled his shoulders a bit, then handed the jacket to the dragon girl.

"You'd probably wanna cover up, yeah? I've got a few more anyway," he said, once again averting his gaze from her chest, which wasn't the easiest thing to do, as the slight height difference practically put it in his face. "So, ah...got a name? I'm Jack. Jack Orion. It's nice to meet you!" he chirped, also watching to see if the name would hold any significance to her. If she WAS with those other dragons, she would probably show some form of recognition. It was probably the best way to determine if he made the right choice or not, but he played it off as his normal, quirky and nice self. Hopefully he doesn't get clawed in the process.

Jack couldn't up but feel a non-existant sweatdrop form on his neck as the dragon girl continued to stare at him, actually even grinning for a split second as his long, fluffy fur-rimmed-and-tipped tail showed itself. She looked almost mesmerized by him, making Jack wonder what exactly was going through her head at the moment. It did make him slightly on edge, making him wonder if she was fantasizing about this moment, waiting for the moment that she could strike. 

That fear, however, quickly turned into confusion as the girl murmured about Jack's wings as they appeared from his jacket. He blinked for a moment, then realized that she was genuinely in a state of wonder as she took in the fact that there was another dragon in front of her. He smiled lightly, chuckling a little. "Yyyyyep. I swear, they can be a total pain in the ass when I need to put on a jacket. Even when I find a way, they always end up getting cramped, I'll tell ya," he said, humoring her just a little by stretching his wings out to their full length, which was easily more than doubled the total height of the small dragon child. He did a small stretch along with them, his scales glimmering lightly like a rainbow as he did, before offering the jacket over to her.

He stood patiently as the dragon girl snapped out of her trance, giving Jack a thanks filled with a clearly faked tsundere attitude. He didn't chuckle at that, nor did he make a face with her attitude. He did, however, give a small giggle when she struggled to put it on over her wings. Jack himself did it by abusing the flexible muscles and bones within his wings, making the ginormous bone-and-skin flaps practically nonexistant when he put on a coat. "Maybe I'll tell ya how I do it, if you don't get annoyed with me for a bit," he said with a light smirk, at the least giving her a small incentive not to claw him, but he was feeling more and more like that most likely wouldn't be the case.

The moment of truth then came as Jack promptly introduced himself to the dragon girl. He felt tense for just a moment, but quickly relaxed as the dragon girl actually seemed more amused by his name than anything else. "I know, I know. A name like Jason or Nathan probably isn't as cliche as Jack, but at least it rolls of the tongue, yeah?" he quipped, as the dragon girl then introduced herself as Nakiya Lacerta. He smirked a bit at that, noting that her own name rolled off the tongue a little. Hey, at least it wouldn't be the weirdest thing for him to say.

Nakiya then went on to ask Jack about where he came from, considering she hadn't seen Jack in her school at all.  He quickly noticed how her mood was quickly becoming more docile, her hair returning to the same color as Jack's and her eyes...well, still red, but in a much warmer and non-fiery sense. Jack found himself almost staring with his own bright violet eyes before he snapped out of it. "I actually go to U.A., believe it or not. Granted, with the word 'GAIJIN' practically written all over me, probably a dead giveaway, heh. I was just coming from a cafe I like a lot when I heard you and those other punks. They always give you trouble like that?" he asked, crossing his arms a little, not seeming too bother by the cold, at least for the moment. He could handle himself well for a good few minutes before he started shivering, so hopefully they could be on the move soon so that it wouldn't be as much of an issue.

As Nakiya became more and more docile by the second, Jack couldn't help but feel a tang of sympathy. It was clear that she had her own demons to deal with, a problem that Jack himself still had to deal with often, even if he had a stronger hold on it. Dragons are often said to not have the greatest of tempers, and at the least Jack's own Quirk had it's effects on his emotions. His gaze softened, his shoulders unslouching a bit as Nakiya suddenly approached him.

She then began using her good hand to feel up Jack's wings a little. The dragon boy's face quickly flushed, the touch feeling comforting with her warmness. She apologized for her rudeness from earlier, blaming it on 'Dark Nakiya'. Considering it was a practical form change when it happened earlier, Jack could understand why she said it like it was an alter-ego of sorts. "It's alright...just be aware of what kind of trouble it can get you in if you're not careful. A dragon's anger can be their greatest weakness...or their greatest strength, if you know how to control it," he said, shedding some light wisdom from what he himself has learned over the last year. 

The conversation would then start to shift into where Jack came from, Nakiya taking the opportunity to feel up the more leathery parts of his wings. He didn't mind the touching too much; he himself was rather cuddly as it was. Plus, she was more curious than anything else, so he let the interactions with his wings slide. However, when he mentioned that he went to U.A., the dragon girl was quick to back up a little, the two back to looking eye-to-eye. Which, granted, was a lot easier now, since she was covered up.

She then asked if he really was a hero wannabe, as she put it. Jack let out a light chuckle, shrugging it off. "I...guess you could say that, yeah. Granted, even then it's not exactly easy, with how some of the Quirk laws are..." he said, frowning just a little as he thought about how much the current Quirk laws affected his training, and even some of his daily life. They were really way too strict...one would think that so long as it was passive usage of a Quirk, it would be fine...but he supposed that people were just too picky about the matter. Thus was humanity in a nutshell. 

Nakiya then went on to say how she could probably understand why Jack went to U.A., as he would need help to control his power. When she said that, Jack couldn't help but give her a look that said "oh, you have NO idea". Especially when it came to stress and his Quirk rapidly mutating when he first started at U.A., his power was a bit...much, to say the least. The fact alone that he could even control it as well as he could was a point of pride for the young dragonling. 

However, this look quickly vanished as Nakiya was about to request something of Jack, before quickly changing her mind. She then quickly changed the subject, thanking Jack more properly for saving her, and how they did give her a lot of trouble, calling her a weapon of sorts. Jack frowned at that, especially as Nakiya asked if U.A. was like that as well. She wasn't necessarily wrong...he knows fully well how the government and the world viewed Quirkers like them. He hated it, as he knew that he was much more than a weapon...fuck, he was at the least a martial pacifist when it came to the matter. He just knew how to intimidate most people if push came to shove, so that he wouldn't have to fight. 

"...I'll be honest with ya, Nakiya. You're gonna find that everywhere. Even some other Quirkers are going to look at you like you're a monster, you're nothing more than a weapon. The key is recoginzing that you're still only human, at the end of the day. There's no shame in having pride in who you are, inside and out." Jack gave a light smile, like he was about to tell a joke. "You could say that pride goes double for people like us, being dragons and all." 

With that, he would look from side to side. "Here, you mind if I walked home with ya? I don't trust those kids, especially if they somehow see if you're alone again." he asked, starting to shiver just a bit from the cold. It was probably a bit clear that was the other reason he wanted to get moving again, but he wasn't about to say anything about it. 

If she accepted his proposal, he would promptly let her take the lead, walking next to her as she'd lead him along. "...It's not all bad, though. I've learned a lot about myself and how I should view things. It helps when you just take a minute everyday to reflect, y'know?" he would say, continuing the conversation as they would walk. He made it a point to just advise, rather than try to dig deeper into whatever was troubling her. There was no point in trying to push. If she wanted to talk more, whether it be now or later on as they learned more about each other, it was up to her. He wasn't pushy, like a lot of people can tend to be sometimes.

Jack frowned slightly when Nakiya simply said that she knew full well about the power her anger can have. So...this probably wasn't even close to the only time her anger has gotten out of check, then? And yet...when those boys were bugging her, it was under the assumption that she wouldn't have fought back. Jack just happened to walk in on the breaking point, it seemed. The question remained, then...how long has she been bottling up her emotions like that? It had to have been for a while, given the fact that she treated her anger like it was almost a different person. Jack knew too well about that kind of experience...Though he said nothing, for now.

The small dragon boy then went on to show a slight distaste for how the Quirk laws were enforced, which Nakiya seemed to share as well, given the slight huff she gave in response. Jack pursed his lips a little, sighing a bit through his nose. "I'd imagine it's probably even harder for you. At least...maybe down the line, they'll be a bit more lenient about the matter, but..." he started, then trailed off. The words sounded hollow, even to him. With the new Quirk tax taking effect and even U.A.'s funding getting cut a little, the idea that they may chill out with Quirk laws seemed like a far off dream...almost like fiction. But...he still tried to have hope in the matter. Everyone deserved a chance to use their powers in constructive ways. If they just realized that...!

Jack then tried to change the subject himself, telling Nakiya that there was no shame in trying to have pride in herself as she was. The dragon girl said nothing, and it didn't seem like it did anything for her. Jack felt a small twang in his heart, knowing full well himself what she was feeling. It wasn't easy, being the way they were. Physical incarnations of beasts known for terrorizing people and their unrivaled ferocity... He already had experience with people who took that power and tried to use it to hurt. So...what about them?

Jack quickly snapped out his thoughts as Nakiya tried to return his coat to him, giving the excuse that she was a fire dragon, so she could keep warm. He raised an eyebrow at her, his face flushing into a deep red as she started to unzip it, the small bits of flesh peeking through. "H-hun, it's fine. That's not why I gave you it. N-no offense, but I don't feel like this is the best place to flash a guy," he stammered, looking away lightly, steam quickly being exhaled from his nose. At least the embarrassment made him feel a bit warmer.

After that, the moment Nakiya would zip the coat back up, Jack would quickly change the subject to much less embarrassing matters. "What was that you said, though? You're a fire dragon? That's really cool! What all can you do? Do you transform, or are you more of a regular mutation? Can you make shapes with the fire?" he asked, suddenly sounding really excited, his tail swaying and thumping on the ground. The sudden thought that she might try to touch that crossed his mind, so he did at least ready himself just in case. Worst case, he could just have a small bit of fun with it.

Jack pursed his lips and sighed a little as Nakiya promptly shared some of his doubts in the Quirk laws easing up a bit. It was already something that he knew was becoming more and more of a problem, with the rise of crime quickening and the threat of oppression looming more and more by the month. It was because of this that it was vital for at least the Second Years to get the most out of the next school year so that they can head into the Pro Hero world as best as they can. He had hope that maybe as more and more students graduate, maybe things could change, but...

It was only a matter of time before the camel's back broke.

That aside, pushing away some of the darker thoughts, Nakiya then attempted to return Jack's coat to him. Of course, the reason he even gave her the jacket quickly showed itself, and the dragon boy was quick to look away, his face as red as a tomato. He quickly explained why he had actually given her it, to begin with. The dragon girl finally put the pieces together, realizing that out of anyone, Jack would probably be the one person who wouldn't really see the scales as covering anything up. She promptly stammered an apology and quickly zipped the coat back up.

Jack exhaled a sigh of relief, at least able to look at her again. He gave a bit of an embarrassed smile, his face still a bit red. Honestly, the more he looked at her, he felt an odd feeling in his chest. It wasn't really like anything he had felt before...He promptly decided that it was probably just the feeling of meeting a friendly dragon, for once. Yeah, that was probably it. Probably had nothing to do with her otherwise good looks. Totally.

Jack then was quick to change the subject, asking Nakiya about her Quirk a bit, getting a bit excited with anything related to how Quirks worked. He'd always been a bit of a nerd when it came to more complicated Quirks, and you can't really get more complicated than an elemental dragon of any kind. Hell, even Jack was a bit of an enigma to himself. Not that he was about to explore any more than he really needed to, for many, many, many reasons.

Nakiya explained that she could actually transform as well, though, due to the lack of the ability to train, couldn't really test anything else that she may be able to do. "I mean, I think there are some gyms that allow Quirk usage in the area. Maybe we can go there sometime...?" he offered, not really thinking much of the offer other than using it as an opportunity to help her out. After all, a good dragon who knew what she was doing was much better than an evil one that was related to him and was also in an evil dragon gang. Or something. He didn't even know what that's all about at this point.

Afterward, Nakiya then would invite Jack inside to warm up. He blinked in surprise, not really knowing how to feel about the invitation. He seriously WAS a nerd...he'd never really been invited into ANYONE'S house before, much less a girl's. Granted, he did spend a lot of time with Haruuhi, but that was about it. His face flushed for a split second, but then he calmed down, knowing that she was just being polite and probably wanting to continue the conversation more herself.

"Eh, sure. Wouldn't hurt," he said simply, acting like none of his previous embarrassment even happened. He would promptly follow her inside, and take his shoes off, as per Japanese culture, and let her lead him around for a bit. The idea that her folks would either be like her or even just be freaked out by him didn't even cross his mind, but that would be a different experience all in itself.