If there was one thing Izuku was nervous about tonight, is what his mother might think. 'Be careful when you're coming home!' She said, 'Keep track of yourself'. His mother worried far too much about him, especially once he turned twenty. That magic age where he was finally allowed to go to the Spring Welcome Festival with his peers. Not that he particularly wanted to go to the festival, but he was good at peer pressuring himself into doing things he didn't want to. With a final wiggle of his foot into his sandal, he set off to the community worship temple for extra luck.
Perhaps not luck, but for something.
He stepped out of his home he shared with his mother and started down the small alley road that created the pathway to his home. Dry dirt and dust kicked up with every step as he slowly made his way to the main road.
Main Street was always busy, especially with spring finally coming in full swing. Taking a right turn he headed off towards the worship temple, then to run some errands afterwards. Giving out a huff of a sigh, he continued on, passing through the bazaar. Stalls selling makeup, jewelry and food lined the sides of the bazaar, along with right down the middle.
"Hey, Izuku!" A manly voice called to him, and he turned his head to see his friend Eijiro hustling towards him, a basket handle resting on his shoulders. "Hello, Eijiro. Morning shopping?" Izuku greeted him as Eijiro drew in closer. "You know it, man. You excited about tonight?" Eijiro said, cutting right to the chase as he grinned at Izuku.
"Ehh, I guess? You know I'm not really good with… crowds." Izuku said sheepishly. "What? We're in a crowd right now, you're doing fine! You'll do fine! We'll drink, have a blast, and wake up feeling miserable! It's gonna be great, man, just you wait." Eijiro encouraged, his arms pumping up and down excitedly. 'Eijiro has always been like this,' Izuku mused. "Always ready for something new, huh, Eijiro?" He commented, starting to shuffle towards the temple again, with Eijiro keeping pace.
"Hey, I'm just a simple man, with simple needs. And I need to go to this festival. We're twenty now! Finally adults! And this festival is made for us, dude, so you know I'm going." Eijiro said, eyebrows furrowed in determination and pointing a finger at Izuku's chest.
"And you can't stay meek forever, man! Chicks don't like that weak attitude, you gotta man-up! You gotta say, I'mma man now, and I'm gonna get my freak on, yeah?"
"I am a man now, and I am going to get my freak on."
"That's more like it!" Eijiro yelled out, and thumped Izuku on the back hard enough to sting. "Anyways, where you headed off to? The bazaar's back," Eijiro pointed his thumb over his shoulder back towards the bazaar. "That way."
"You know, it was you who kept following me. I'm just headed to the temple." Izuku said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Man, you and your constant praying. The gods have to be so fed up with you… No, wait! I bet your gonna pray for some action tonight, huh? Gonna pray to Bakugou for some special fun, huh!" Said Eijiro, his left arm wrapping around Izuku's shoulder and drawing him in close enough that their shoulder's bumped against each other.
"Ugh, no. I am not. I never pray to Bakugou, what would I even want from him? Okay, I lied, I pray to him when my mother's garden isn't doing well, and I go with her to stress-pray." Izuku said, brushing Eijiro's hand off of his shoulder. "You're mom's funny like that." Eijiro mused, nodding his head in sarcasm.
"Whatever, Eijiro. You can pray to Bakugou to get your dick wet for all I care. I just want to make it through this night without making any horrible decisions. Like, smash a merchant's cart, or break into a shop or something…" He explained, but he also assumed a fun seeking person like Eijiro wouldn't understand his perspective much anyway.
"Well, you gotta do what you gotta do man. Anyways, have fun sucking the toes off those statues, I gotta get back to my shopping. Stocking up for food tomorrow so I won't have to leave my house when I'm hungover!" Eijiro exclaimed, clapping Izuku on the back once more before jogging off back towards the bazaar. Izuku smiled as he rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior, waving him off.
It was only a few more minutes' walk to the temple from where Eijiro had left him. There were already some people out front of the temple milling about, and a few washing their hands and feet off at the fountain in front of the entrance. Izuku approached the fountain and, slipping his sandals off, stepped into the fountain. Water spewing from the top cascaded down into the main fountain where people washed their feet and hands, then flowed over the edge and into the gates that surrounded the fountain, then into the sewer below.
Izuku dunked his arms up until his elbows in the water, the cold biting his skin, far too chilly for the mild warm of spring. He ran his hands up and down his arms with the water first before lifting each foot one at a time and scrubbing them with vigor.
Once done, he stepped out and shook his arms and feet of most of the water and wiping his hands on his dark blue chiton. He leaned over and picked up his sandals before walking towards the entrance. He plopped his sandals down at the edge of the step that led into the temple, keeping his shoes outside of the sacred area.
He scanned the large, crystal white room and the people inside. There were the regulars: an assortment of farmers and fishermen praying at the statues of the gods Iide, Todoroki, and Kaminari. One girl was praying at the statue of Uraraka, the girl nervously rubbing her hands together as she bowed her head low. She must have a crush on someone, or some other emotional ailment. A farmer was placing a few eggs at the feet of Koda, then bowed his head and pressed the palms of his hands together in prayer.
Izuku looked towards the far right corner of the room. 'Good gracious, every year…' Izuku thought to himself. Bakugou's statue usually had at least a few items up for offerings throughout the year, but around spring it was just ridiculous. Copious amounts of shiny stones, seashells, flowers, and a three bottles of corked wine lay at the large feet of the statue. "Must be from my 'party peers' this year. Have these people no shame?" He muttered to himself as he made his way to Uraraka's statue before kneeling down before her.
Kneeling down, he planted his palms to the floor and then leaned forward to press his forehead to the floor. In dire matters such as this, only the utmost respect was demanded for the goddess he prayed to, should she take pity on his weak heart and hear his prayer.
"Goddess Uraraka, please hear my prayer. I offer this to you in hopes that you will hear me and offer me strength." He whispered to the soft, womanly feet of the statue before sitting up and removing a small, ocean smoothed stone from his pocket and placing it at her feet. He pressed his palms together in prayer and bowed his head.
"Please, O Goddess Uraraka, help me find the strength for tonight. I understand I am meek and not as outspoken as I should be, and I know my peers will want me to have fun in their way tonight, but I beg that I am able to resist their pressure and have fun in my own way. I do not wish to be taken under by drink and do something I regret." He prayed, feeling only a little foolish. Uraraka was Goddess of The Pull. It was the connection people had with each other, affection drawing each other together, or pushing away like a magnet. Legends of Goddess Uraraka say that The Pull she commands is so strong, that it is the very thing tethering humanity to this earth.
She could sway people's affiliations with each other, making someone you used to dislike into someone you could now tolerate. Many young girls come to her to pray for their young crushes to bear fruit. But in Izuku's case, he wished that she would use her Pull to keep his friends at a bit of a distance for tonight, just enough to get them to respect his wishes.
Most others his age await impatiently for this night, a night where they are allowed to drink sweet wine and begin their journey on finding a romantic partner for life. And it all starts with the Spring Welcome Festival. Although he was excited to finally be able to court women without scrutiny from his mother or his community, he wasn't too excited for the wine. He had seen what it can do to people who drink too much, and those who got carried away.
And he knew Eijiro and Minoru would be pestering him to drink. Maybe not so much Tsuyu, but no doubt she would be drinking too.
He stood up once he completed his prayer and scanned the room. He decided, since he was already there, to pray to the others as well. Making his way around the room, he stopped at Todoroki's statue, kneeling and praying for warm weather tonight. He prayed to Iida for gentle breezes tonight, Kaminari for no rain for the sake of his friends, Koda for a bountiful summer for his mother's garden, and finally Yagi's for another peaceful year with the neighboring countries.
He stood from kneeling at Yagi's statue and eyed Bakugou's from across the room. Izuku supposed that stopping to pray to every other god besides his, it would offend the temperamental god. Legends say his wrath was not one to trifle with, and he thought it best to at least pay his respects.
He walked over to Bakugou's statue, already two women and one man were kneeling praying at his feet. He stopped in front of the statue, looking up at its' face. You weren't really supposed to look a god's statue in the eye out of respect, but the most punishment would you get is some social repercussions. Mostly just old men and women shaking their heads at you slowly.
The statue was about eight feet tall, its' legs speed shoulder width apart, one hand held up to his head level in a fist, showing off one of the two large gauntlets the god was known to wear, and the other hand in the pocket of its' chiton. The statue was scowling, its' face permanently displeased and unimpressed. Although God Bakugou was the God of The Passion, more people should be praying to him to not detonate the volcanos that sprinkled across the countryside, and not pray in hopes to get laid. Shrugging, Izuku supposed that was what he could pray for.
He knelt down, pressing his forehead to the floor as he did with all the other statues before shuffling forward to plant a kiss on the top of the stoned foot for good measure; he never usually prayed to Bakugou.
"O God Bakugou, please keep the volcanos in this land calm and quiet, to keep the peace of my people. Please offer us a bountiful harvest this year, please bless this land with fertility to feed our families." Izuku whispered to feet of the statue until stepping up and walking towards the entrance of the temple. Turning to face the statues again, he gave one last respectful bow before spinning around to slip his sandals back on and leave the temple.
Walking back towards the bazaar, he stopped to pick a few items for his mother: A sack of potatoes and a few large slices of some cheese. Paying with some change his mother gave him, he headed back off towards home. The crowd began to thin the farther he got from the market, and he began to notice more people walking in his direction, but headed to the edge of the forest that pressed up against the boarder of the city. They were carrying firewood for the bonfire that would be the centerpiece for the festival.
Taking one last glance of a few carts being dragged off for the festival, he turned down the small street that led to his house. More people were milling about the small street, either heading to the market, back home, or to a friend's house. Finally approaching his home, he lifted the latch on the small gate to the front garden, he walked through before turning the rickety handle of the door knob before stepping in the house.
His mother was in the small kitchen next to the front door cooking fresh eggs that their three hens had laid. Izuku rested the sack of potatoes and cheese on the counter before going to sit on the floor at their tiny kitchen table. "Good morning, Mother." Izuku greeted as he sat down. "Ah, Izuku, good morning! You're up early, aren't you? You might not be able to stay up so late for the festival this way!" She said cheerily.
Sighing, Izuku rested his head on the table. "I guess, I'm nervous. I've never been much of a party person, you know?" He said, restlessly. His mother sighed at him, then smiled. She plated the eggs and brought them to table for her and her son to share. Izuku grabbed a fork that she handed him and he began to poke lifelessly at an egg yolk. "I know you've never been one for crowds, Izuku," She began, "But try to have fun! And you know, I did meet your father at that festival when I was younger, so maybe you'll be lucky and find the love of your life as well." She said as she cut a piece of egg and fed it into her mouth.
"Right…" Izuku muttered, as he slipped a piece of egg into his mouth. His mother rarely spoke of his father, so it was odd that she mentioned it. But from years of knowing his mother, he knew not to push the subject. Any pestering questions would be met with dismissive words or a snarky attitude from his mother. "Well, I'll let you bum around the house today until you're off for the night, okay? But be back by sunrise, alright? Promise me?" She said, a worried look in her eyes as she put her fork down to grasp Izuku's hand.
"I promise."