"You know Bakugou," Kirishima said. "You didn't have to come with me."
The sounds of city-life bustled around them as the two strolled through the streets. It had been a while since Kirishima had been near proper human civilization. It was refreshing and a reminder that he was indeed human himself, but it was still strange to think that his life had been so normal so recently. And to be walking around so casually with Bakugou was fun too. At first he'd been excited that he'd wanted to come with him, but now Kirishima wanted nothing more than to hurry along because with every other word people were giving them disapproving and strange looks.
"Shut up, Shitty Hair. What the fuck are we here for again?" Bakugou said. Kirishima bowed his head in apology towards a passing parent who was glaring their direction as she covered her child's ears.
"You can't just talk like that in public Bakugou. It's rude! And I told you, I needed more hair-dye and this is the only place nearby with my color." He'd pulled his hair back to hide the dark roots for the day, but it was beginning to grow out to the point where he couldn't easily hide it anymore. It was one of his few points of self-consciousness and the only thing he'd ever allowed himself to set a bit aside for. Dyeing his hair had become something of a lifestyle at this point.
"Who cares about your shitty hair?" Bakugou said, pulling at his pants. "That's why you fucking dragged me down here? It's bad enough I have to look this ridiculous."
"I care." Kirishima protested. "You decided that I couldn't go alone and you don't look ridiculous, you look normal. In case you didn't notice, that's how regular people, a.k.a. humans look. No ears. No tails. And no kimonos in broad daylight."
"I'm not fucking deprived; I've been around. This is Japan— if a human happened to see me, they probably wouldn't look twice." Bakugou snapped, but stubbornly trailed after him.
Touché.
"I just don't want us sticking out anymore than we have to. But you do remember that the hair-dye isn't the only reason we're here, right?" Kirishima said.
"We already discussed this." Bakugou said sharply.
"No, we didn't. You deciding for me isn't discussion. We're finding her! I told Tsuyu that we would. Plus, she even paid us." Kirishima kept catching himself checking for the lump of money in his pocket. His head was on a constant swivel, ready as if his old man were about to jump out and snatch it. Old habits died hard.
"We don't get paid, we receive offerings. Like all followers, if she wanted to do that that's her decision and doesn't give us an obligation."
"Sure but people offer money because they want their prayers answered right? So, it's kind of like a job. And I gave her my word that I'd try my best! This is the only way I know how." Kirishima said. "Plus, we need food. Since I'm a member of the house for now, I need to eat."
"Well fucking obviously. But why buy shit down here? The underworld has the best markets."
"The underworld?" Kirishima squawked. "You've been feeding me stuff from there?"
"It's not like you've fucking noticed. What difference does it make?"
Kirishima's mind whirled over all the meals Bakugou had made over the past couple of days and trying to think if any of them had made him feel funny or what exactly he'd eaten. Except everything had been delicious as he recalled. He didn't know if that was only because he couldn't remember eating half so well before coming to the shrine or if Bakugou was actually a naturally good cook. But the underworld...?
Come to think of it, Bakugou had been doing all the cooking. It was like every time his stomach began to rumble, Bakugou had prepared the perfect meal or snack. And not just the cooking: since Bakugou had come back, nobody had asked him to clean the shrine or pluck the grass; everything was shining and clean by the time he woke up. It hadn't even occurred to him that Bakugou had taken it all upon himself without a word.
He'd been practicing with the charms, but that seemed about the extent of what he'd been doing. He all together felt suddenly a burden.
Kirishima quickly purchased the necessary hair products from his usual shop while managing to keep Bakugou from making too much of a scene despite his complaining of the chemical smell. After leaving the shop, Bakugou seemed to calm down a bit and for a while they walked together in a somewhat amicable silence.
"Say Bakugou," Kirishima startedcarefully as they trudged up the street.
"What?"
"Something's been bother me. I made you my familiar because I didn't want you to feel like I'd chased you out of the house, but I never wanted you to become my slave." Kirishima was slightly taken aback by the snort that followed.
"What's that supposed to mean? As if you could make me do something I didn't want to." Bakugou said. That was technically untrue, but Kirishima thought it safest to avoid that still sensitive subject.
"My point is I feel like I need to do more to pull my weight back at the shrine. I want to help out. Is there anything I can do?"
"Anything you try to do, I could do ten times better."
"Well, I don't doubt that." Kirishima sourly admitted. But though he couldn't argue with his point, it was the principle!
A flash of color caught his eye and he found himself pausing at the entrance to a flower shop. He pointed with a large grin, an idea popping into his head.
"I know! How about we plant a small garden behind the shrine? We could grow our own food and I could take care of it for us. That way we can have a sustainable food source that doesn't come from the underworld."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Bakugou said, but Kirishima had already darted into the store. By the time Bakugou made it in after him, he already had picked out some seed packets from a little shelf and was already pulling money out of his pockets at the register.
"Oi Shitty Hair. Don't just fucking ignore me!" Bakugou said and grabbed his shoulder to pull him towards the door.
"But it's a good idea." Kirishima protested, twisting out of the grip. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I just want to feel like I'm contributing."
The girl at the register squeaked as the two men began to stare each other down. "Um… um, excuse me?" She said, hands waving uncertainly.
"And I'm saying that you don't fucking have to! I already take care of it." Bakugou said.
"Just let me help!" Kirishima scowled.
"Excuse me?" She tried again.
"I said no for fuck's sake!"
"I don't care!"
"EXCUSE ME!"
The bickering duo's heads snapped sharply to stare. The girl's cheeks flushed bright pink, mousy brown hair framing her face. "Um, I'm sorry." She stuttered for a moment but said firmly. "But please don't fight here. We don't want any trouble."
Quickly coming to his senses, Kirishima felt a wave of heat creep up his neck. So much for not causing a scene in public. He bowed low, mortified, much to Bakugou's very vocal protest.
"What did I say about bowing to others Shitty Hair!?"
"I'm so sorry. We'll leave right away miss—" Kirishima squinted at the nametag pinned to the girl's apron. "—UraRAKA?" Everything else forgotten, he sprang up like a child, eyes glittering wildly with excitement. "Uraraka as in Ochako Uraraka?"
"Y-yes?" Uraraka said, drawing back uncertainly. "Do I know you?"
"Oh, no." Kirishima said, oblivious to the complete disbelief and rage that had begun to pain his familiar's face. "But I've been looking for you."
"You have?" She said.
"Yes! I need to ask you something very important." He said.
"You've got to be shitting me."
~.~.~.~.~
"I managed to convince her to meet with you, but the rest is up to you Tsuyu." Kirishima said to the closed screen door. He'd entrusted the goddess in Mina's care and the sprite had happily dragged her away.
"Yeah, convince her." Bakugou grumbled, recalling the round-face girl's flustered countenance. "She just agreed to get you out of her face. What did you expect after talking about talking about stuff she wouldn't remember."
"Just because she didn't remember doesn't mean it can't work." Kirishima said. "She seemed curious at least. She did agree."
Iida drummed his fingers restlessly on the ground to Bakugou's annoyance. The damn guy hadn't stopped since he'd been here. In a fit, he shot to his feet.
"Lady Asui has been with your sprite for too long. If she's not out in the next minute, I'll—"
"Just sit back down and shut the fuck up," Bakugou said.
"How dare you—"
"Now now," Kirishima sighed. He really didn't want another fish fiasco. But luck was on his side, and the two stopped as the door to his room slid open. Mina floated into view, smiling giddily.
"All done! May I present the Lady Asui." Mina cheered and Sero sent a scatter of lily petals over them.
"Wow, you look like a human Tsuyu." Kirishima scrambled to his feet, examining her in awe. "You look the same... but not. That's awesome! Bakugou, you're amazing."
Her hair, previously green, had settled into a jet black that had been bundled atop her head. Her wide eyes had softened into a more human-like appearance though her expression remained unchanging, the tip of her tongue resting between her lips. Gone were her kimono and flowers, exchanged for a simple green smock that Mina had fashioned. Kirishima wasn't exactly one for fashion, but she really looked like a sweet, human girl.
"Ribbit. Thank you Kirishima." She said.
"Well, I didn't do this." He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "After all, it's Bakugou's illusion magic that changed you."
"Yes, thank you Master familiar." Tsuyu bowed her head with a smile. Bakugou crossed his arms.
"I still think this is a bad idea. But while you're in that form, you can't use any of your divine powers or it'll break the spell, got it frog face?"
"FROG FACE?!" Iida screamed in rage as Kirishima's felt the horror make him go pale. Iida was going to kill him for sure.
Except, Tsuyu barely flinched and only held out a hand.
"Yes, I understand. Ribbit." She said and even smiled a little. "You haven't changed at all Master familiar."
"And no ribbitting." Bakugou added.
"Okay. Ri—" She put a hand over her mouth.
"My lady, are you certain you'd not like to just go back home? This is surely ridiculous. Or at least let me stay by your side! If something were to happen—" It was very obvious that Iida could barely contain himself. He was nearly trembling with indignation. Kirishima didn't want to think about what would happen if Tsuyu wasn't there.
"No Iida." Was all she said. "It'll be fine."
"Don't worry." Kirishima said quickly, patting his shoulder. "We'll be nearby. Now, it's close to the time I asked Uraraka to be at the park. Let's go!" It wasn't a lie, but he certainly wanted to get Bakugou out of the space.
"If she even shows up," Bakugou muttered. Kirishima elbowed him sharply and herded them outside.
"We'll be back guys." Kirishima waved to the sprites who waved happily back. Behind them, Iida was glaring daggers. Only until they were out of sight and making their way down the shrine steps did Kirishima feel comfortable enough to turn back around.
"Have you thought about what you want to talk about with Uraraka? Are you nervous to see her?" He asked Tsuyu curiously. She put a finger to her lips, thoughtful.
"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. Anything will be okay though if it's with her." She touched her chest with a small smile. "But knowing that I'll get to see her soon… it kind of feels like when I eat too many flies at once. A fluttery mess in my chest. Ribbit."
"Normal humans don't talk about eating flies, frog face." Bakugou said.
"Bakugou!" Kirishima barked.
"This is what I mean. You may look human, but you're not. I'm just saying you should be careful to remember that."
Kirishima watched nervously as Tsuyu turned to quietly regard Bakugou who stared unflinchingly back.
"… I understand. Thank you for your concern. But I'm going to meet her." And she started back down the steps.
And that was the end of that. It didn't take them long to arrive at the park Kirishima had managed to get her to agree to. They could already see Uraraka sitting on a bench in the distance, smoothing out her skirt over and over, head on an anxious swivel.
Kirishima pat Tsuyu's shoulders encouragingly.
"I'm sure it'll go great, Tsuyu. I'm rooting for you." He said and gave her a thumbs up.
"Thanks. Ribbit." Before they could correct her, she had already left them, smiling widely.
"Well that'll go just great." Bakugou said. "Now let's go."
"Go? Go where?" Kirishima blinked. "We're not going anywhere. I told Iida we would be nearby."
"You've got to be fucking kidding—" Bakugou cut off as Kirishima yanked him off the path and into the brush. With a grin, he pressed his finger against his lips.
"We're going to make sure everything goes smoothly for them okay? Look how happy Tsuyu is." He pointed. Together, they watched as the disguised goddess walked straight up to the fidgeting Uraraka. When she reached her, she bent straight down into her face and even from here, they could see Uraraka's face light on fire as she jumped away in surprise. Bakugou only scowled.
For the next ten minutes they sat in silence, watching, but… nothing seemed to be happening. Uraraka had scoot over on the bench and seemed to be trying some kind of nervous small talk, but Tsuyu only kept smiling and occasionally replying.
"Is she even trying?" Bakugou complained.
"I wish we could hear them." Kirishima said. "But how about that Bakugou! I was able to answer someone's prayers after all."
Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't celebrate quite yet."
"At least you could've been nicer about it. Tsuyu really loves that girl." Kirishima muttered. Bakugou narrowed his eyes.
"I was just saying the god damn truth. Relationships between humans and spirits are taboo."
"But why is that? Have any actually tried?" Kirishima asked.
"Don't be naïve. We come from different worlds— there's a barrier between them for a reason. It's just not meant to be. Besides, human are weak, fragile beings. Why should we care about them at all?" He said it without inflection, as if it were fact.
Kirishima's chest tightened. The way Bakugou talked about humans so coldly... had he always thought this way?
"Bakugou, what are—"
"Well, that's interesting." Bakugou smirked, gesturing beyond the brush. Kirishima whirled around to look.
Uraraka's face was still red and her hand was over her mouth, but Kirishima could've sworn she looked a little happy. Except the next moment, she said sputtered something and jogged the other way. Kirishima's heart began to sink but jumped a little with hope: Tsuyu was still smiling. She was even clutching her cheeks.
"But don't you think that looks like a good thing—" He spoke too soon. A shadow covered Tsuyu. A couple of boys had approached from an opposite direction and neither of them had noticed. But Tsuyu stared at them blankly despite them talking to her and Kirishima felt proud when she turned her head with a dainty flick.
"Yeah, tell them off!" Kirishima cheered quietly. Bakugou knocked his head.
"She is a goddess you know. A couple of human boys couldn't do anything. If they tried, she could probably vaporize them." He said simply and Kirishima paled. Well, hopefully she wouldn't do that. There was the soft crunching of gravel to the side, catching his attention. Turning, Kirishima smiled wide and tugged at Bakugou's sleeve.
"Bakugou! Uraraka came back." He said. His worries vanished when he spotted what was in her hand too. She was clutching a lily flower behind her back. But she had frozen in place at the sight of the boys surrounding her.
"She probably thinks she's in trouble." Kirishima stood up. "We should go help." But before he could even take a step, Bakugou had snatched him sharply from behind.
"Not so fast Hair-for-brains. That isn't your job. We shouldn't interfere anymore."
"But why not? We could help." Kirishima protested, anxiously glancing over. Uraraka would take a step forward and then pause, clearly hesitant.
"Yes, but that would defeat the purpose. You can't just interfere as you feel like it. Your duty now as a god is to offer your strength to those that need it, and that's it. If you really want to help, encourage her using the strength of your divine power— if the fire is inside her, you only need to help light it."
"But I," Kirishima trailed off, thinking. If he couldn't meddle directly… then… "Okay. I have an idea."
Determined, he pulled out a blank sutra from his pocket and scribbled on it.
"Bakugou, stay still for a second." He said and stuck the sutra onto Bakugou's face. Utterly shocked, Bakugou couldn't even find words, the fire that usually burned inside him actually recoiling in surprise. And then Kirishima was leaning into his face and anything he'd been working to say died in his throat.
"You can do it! You won't know what can be unless you try. Don't be afraid." Kirishima shouted at him, fired up. Bakugou blinked, bewildered, and remained stunned until Kirishima ducked back down, peering at Uraraka. She had clenched her hands around the flower and her eyes had steeled in resolve.
Then she took off in a run.
"Think she heard me? I hope it worked." Kirishima said and smiled as they watched the girl run forwards. Bakugou ripped the sutra off his face and flipped it over, deadpanning.
"You're a fucking moron, Shitty Hair." In scraggly lettering, the name 'Uraraka' was written across the paper. He drove a fist down onto his head, twisting. Kirishima cried out in protest.
"What the hell Bakugou?!"
"Don't go slapping things on my face!"
"HYA!"
The loud cry made them both whirl towards the gathered group just in time to watch Uraraka sailing towards the boys with a wide kick. Kirishima watched in horror. Bakugou actually barked out a laugh.
"I take it back. I think it might've just been enough."
~.~.~.~.~
"I didn't exactly expect that to happen." Kirishima stretched tiredly.
"Isn't it what you wanted? Frog face seems more in love than ever because of that stupid round-face's moves." Bakugou was still chuckling at the image of her drop-kicking one of the boys. After rounding on the other, they'd scuttled away without another word. Tsuyu had tackled her on the spot and Kirishima had finally allowed himself to be dragged away, convinced she was in good hands.
"Bakugou, didn't you say that Tsuyu could probably vaporize someone? Maybe you should stop calling her frog face." Kirishima frowned at him.
"I'd like to see her try." Bakugou smirked wickedly.
"I'm beginning to think you're a lost cause." Kirishima sighed, but didn't try suppressing his smile. The sunset had washed the area in a golden-red light and Bakugou's red eyes only glowed like fire.
"I have to say," Bakugou said. "That you surprised me today."
"Oh yeah?" Kirishima said, walking beside him.
"I didn't actually think you'd manage to pull that off. Seems like you're getting what you wanted. For now."
"It's not just what I wanted. I just wanted to help." Kirishima said.
"Just accept the fucking compliment."
"What kind of compliment is that? Just say good job or something normal."
"What the fuck is wrong with how I said it? You want praise or not?"
"I don't want praise, I want—" Kirishima felt a hand on his head and stared at Bakugou. A grimace twisted his mouth, but his hand was gentle. Just like before.
"You did good work today, Hair-for-brains. You may become a decent land god yet. Now come on, it's getting dark."
It took a moment for Kirishima to get his gears turning. Somewhere in his chest, there was a slight flutter. Only he was dumb enough to become worked up over a couple words of praise.
"Say Bakugou." Kirishima said after a few minutes of silence.
"What?"
"About what you were saying earlier." Kirishima said. "About the human stuff... You know I'm human. Do you hate me?"
"Are you a moron?" Bakugou scoffed loudly. "You're obviously different."
Well, it wasn't that obvious, but it was nice to hear. That would do for now. Feeling lighter, Kirishima patted his hair.
"Hey, when we get home, mind helping me with my hair? I can do it by myself, but it's easier with another pair of hands." He grinned cheekily at Bakugou who rolled his eyes.
"How the fuck did you ever manage without me?"
"No clue."
