Work Text:
The Dragon Kingdom was enjoying the time of peace that came with the wise and stable rule of the Dragon Queen and her beloved husband. No one dared to attack the borders, bandits were hunted by brave knights, the common folk led peaceful lives of prosperity and building a bright future. Truly, there was nothing too bad going on in the kingdom.
Which was the sign that something terrible would happen real soon. Kirishima cursed himself for not noticing the forewarnings earlier.
The only excuse he had was that he finally got to confess to his beloved Mina and she accepted him, so they were a bit wrapped in each other. Their other friends had their own things going.
Which meant no one noticed that the Dragon Prince, their friend, started acting odd.
Like, the man wasn’t too fond of big crowds and often spent lots of time in his rooms, or training, but those past few weeks he was inside his chambers every afternoon and often in evenings too. There were rumors among the castle staff that people were seeing him smiling. One gardener swore on his life he’d seen the prince one night in the gardens, wearing a flower crown and talking to a stranger, but no one believed him. People spoke of a strange contented air about the prince.
And then, before Kirishima or anyone else could ask about all the oddities, Bakugo vanished.
One day he just didn’t come out of his rooms and the brave guards who entered his chambers found them empty. No signs of struggle, all neat and serene, and empty of one hot headed prince. Nothing was left for the worried castle inhabitants to figure out what happened.
The Dragon Queen, when approached about the disappearance of the crown prince, shrugged and offered a vicious little smile.
zzzz“He’ll get back when he’ll get back,” she said cryptically and ordered the guards to go back to their posts.
It was heartwarming that the monarch had this amount of confidence that her son would come back safe and sound, but Kirishima and the rest were worried still. Their friend was out there, alone, probably trapped in need of a helping hand. Sure, he was the strongest of them, but even the strongest needed some help at times.
So, the squad went to Shinso, the spy master’s apprentice who had a knack for divination. Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari and Sero all pitched in to procure coffee grains from a merchant and with that they entered the lair of the insomniac.
Shinso, hair wild and purple, like his eyebags, took their bribe and stashed it inside his quarters before pouring water into a silver bowl, murmuring what could be spells or swearwords. He peered inside the still water, the watching group holding their breath, the silence heavy and tense.
And then, then the insomniac snickered darkly and poured the water out of the window where a hanging pot housed a mysterious plant of unknown properties.
“Sparky is… oh, well, why not…” Shinso said, as if he was debating something in his head, then he looked at them all with a grin. “Your prince is in the Forest of Might. You can go and collect him from there.”
And so it came to pass that the gang, asking no one for further advice, packed and set out to bring back their friend.
And now Kiri was there, leading the group down a beaten road between villages and fields, nearing the mysterious Forest of Might, where fairies and other magical creatures ran amok. Who and why had kidnapped the prince of the land? What was the purpose of his abduction? How could they save their friend?
Kirishima could only hope that he and the rest of the gang, currently chatting among themselves as they followed his lead, would be enough to help Bakugo escape. They all had their strengths and skills, but one could never know when it came to magical creatures. The Forest of Might was within the borders of the kingdom, but Kirishima doubted its inhabitants paid taxes or swore loyalty to the crown.
It was when the team restocked on drinking water near the well in the last village before the forest that someone approached them.Eijiro, standing up from inspecting his horse’s saddle, blinked at the man walking towards them. It was plain to see he wasn’t one of the villagers, he wore travel clothes and had the air of a worldly man not a person who enjoyed working in fields or gardens.
The man looked at Kirishima and his friends with red eyes from under choppy pale blue hair, his cloak dark gray and his travel bag stuffed with supplies. A short dagger hung from his belt. He had a purple scarf wound around his neck to cover from the crisp autumn breeze.
“I’ve heard you are going into the Forest of Might,” he said when he stopped a few paces away from Mina and her horse. Kiri nodded, there was no hiding that fact, they had asked around about the place and if anyone had seen Bakugo.
“We are,” Sero smiled politely. “What is it to you?”
“I want to join you for a time,” the man shrugged. “There is something I want to pick in there.”
“An herb?” Sero’s grin widened to something easy and relaxed. The man hummed neither confirmation nor denial.
“I can repay you,” the man glanced at Kiri, who smiled to ease him.
“Sure, no problem,” he said.
“The more the merrier,” Kaminari pointed his index fingers at the man. “If you want to, we can ride together on my mighty steed Bolt,” he patted his horse who was busy drinking from the water basin next to the well.
“Thank you for the generous offer,” the man nodded. “I have my own horse though.” Kirishima was quietly glad for that because this way they could keep the pace and still help the stranger. He supposed he felt anxious going into the forest all alone. It was mainly of him to even try to enter the forest in the first place, most people they had asked about it had warned them not to do it at all.
The man left them for a short while before returning with a tall black stallion named Kuro. Together they rode out of the village, passing lovely gardens and houses, smiling at passerby villagers and playing with kids. In the meantime they introduced themselves to the man, who told them to call him Spinner.
Chatting pleasantly and having a good time, the group approached the forest, the trees standing like an imposing tall wall of greens and browns, mysterious and at the same time not unlike any other big wood. Birds sang in the branches and Kirishima was sure lots of wild critters roamed about in there. The road they had been following, already narrow and obviously rarely used, became more of a path, two horses walking next to each other filled the space between the wild bushes and saplings that flanked the pass. According to rumors the road bisected the area, but it was clear to see that the inhabitants of the forest paid little mind and crossed it wherever.
They entered the Forest of Might with no issues, no one tried to stop them, but as soon as the shadow of the trees fell over Spinner and his horse, they changed their appearance.
It took Kaminari gasping for the rest to turn and witness it, the black stallion now having yellow eyes and a curved horn and his rider no longer having blue hair, instead it was white. Spinner appeared to only then notice the change and patted his hair in confusion.
“Ah, this looks like fairy magic,” he said, his voice contemplative as if he was talking more to himself than explaining this to the others. “Oh well, it’s unimportant.”
Eijiro felt the unease that had filled him at the odd sight bb away at the nonchalant words and he urged his horse onward, eager to find Bakugou and get out of the forest. Not that it felt dangerous or inhospitable, it was just like any other, full of colors and life. Frankly, if not because of the retrieval of their kidnapped friend, this would be a real nice and relaxing adventure, their new friend a nice and talkative fellow that happily chatted with Sero and Kaminari, sharing jokes and riddles.
As they moved slowly they spotted more and more inhabitants of the woods. Once they saw a herd of unicorn, white and tan hides practically glowing in the sunbeams falling through the leafy canopy, grazing in a circle of moss-covered stones. A twin-tailed cat walked across their path, barely paying them any mind. The sense of magic, old but full of potency and life, felt thick in the air, like pollen of the multitude of flowers and scent of dirt and growth.
It was almost an hour after they entered the woods that Kirishima stopped the team. The amulet Shinso had given them, a compass made from carved wood and with a glass needle, that was supposed to show them the way to Bakugou, was pointing away from the path. Luckily the area had much less undergrowth, the trees old and spaced out, so they could still move on horseback. Staying close to each other they left the path, diving into the green and golden haze of the forest.
The group reached the edge of a big meadow filled with sunlight and vibrant flowers of all colors. Birds like small jewels clung to delicate tree limbs that circled the area, the noon sun shining down at the center of the meadow and filling it with warmth and light.
And there were fairies. Hundreds of them, in all colors and shades, glittering with their wings lifting them in the air, chasing each other, sitting on rocks protruding from the tall grass or hanging on swings braided from vines and weeds. The sound of their laughter and happy chatting danced in the air and their bizarre robes matched the explosion of shapes and colors of their wings, hair and magic that sparkled around them. Fairies were hard to come by in the rest of the kingdom, being secretive and preferring to avoid others, but here they just relaxed and seemed to have some kind of celebration, weaving flower crowns and sharing little portions of food. Kirishima smiled a bit when he saw four fairies lazily flying around each other in a circle, wobbly as they turned, their hands occupied with cups not bigger than acorn shells.
It took a while for Eijiro to realize that their horses merely stood there, out of the way of the fairies, and they just sat in their saddles, mesmerized by the display of so many mysterious creatures. All three of his friends had these adoring smiles on their lips as they watched the fairies dance in the air and party, chase each other and make merry. Here and there groups of fairies played music on tiny instruments, the sweet melodies entwining in the air like scents of different flowers to create an otherworldly harmony.
But then the spell was broken when they heard a distinct, familiar booming laughter. Kirishima slid off of his horse and his friends followed, all of them remembering their reasoning for being there. It was Bakugo’s laughter. It sounded happy and easy, lacking the usual bite, but it was his, so they followed.
Soon the grasses parted, the fairies barely paying them any mind, merely flying over and around them. And there, next to a bubbling spring, Bakugo was sitting, his red cape spilling over muscular shoulders, blonde hair almost yellow in the bright light. A fairy with golden hair and blue, yellow and red wings sat on a carved chair made from a white stone next to him, smiling beneficially. And another fairy, this one in shades of green, with black swirling on his wings, fluttered in front of the prince, trying to lift a normal sized cup to his face. Bakugo pointed a finger at the green fairy and the entity dropped the cup, which was fished out of the air by the deft hand of the man. Bakugo said something Kirishima couldn’t hear with how far he still was, but the way he grinned was easy to see. The green fairy lit up with pale lightning and in a flash he crashed into the man’s chest, sending him sprawled on the ground, spilling the contents of the cup and causing the blonde fairy to laugh behind his thin hand.
“Fuck, Deku, you kick like a mule!” Bakugo exclaimed and cackled in glee. That sound seeped all the alarm from Kirishima’s body at seeing his friend being attacked by a tiny person.
The green fairy, standing now on Bakugo’s chest, stomped a foot like an irate rabbit, wings fluttering in aggravation.
“Look what you did, you spilled all the honey,” he scolded in a tone that betrayed he tried to hide his fond amusement.
And Bakugo, the ferocious Dragon Prince, he just smiled down at the little dude, eyes wide and unguarded, full of admiration. Eijiroa felt his heart squeeze, for this was surely the sign that his friend was bewitched by fairy magic, spelled so he didn’t try to escape whatever ploy the fairies were weaving here.
“Hey,” Kirishima called out, stepping forward, as the first from the group that shook off the shock of seeing their prince among all those ethereal creatures. “Let Bakubro go, it’s not manly to steal peopl3.”
As soon as he spoke the atmosphere in the glen changed, the whimsical merriment halting as all the fairies paused and focused on the four humans in their midst. The Green one that had kicked Bakugou flew up and landed next to the one seated on the throne, standing protectively over him while Bakugo himself jumped to his feet.
“Are those not guests of your guest, Ninth?” a fairy with dragonfly wings of translucent blue whizzed by and almost crashed into the Dragonprince's arm, stopping his impressive momentum just in time. Behind him, a bunch more fairies, all armed with tiny bows and arrows, hurried to surround the immediate area. The fairy with moss and darkness colored wings shook his head, then looked at Bakugou.
“I didn’t invite them,” the blonde growled, glaring at the foursome. “What was the big idea, coming here?”
“You were gone, Blasty,” Mina shifted to be closer to Kirishima because the apparently fairy guards flew circles around them, the points of their arrows directed at them. She looked back to Bakugo. “Blink twice if you need us to get you home,.”
“Yeah, we can get you back, no worries,” Kaminari added cheerfully and way too loudly. The guard fairies and the party goers all gave him alert glances and Kirishima mentally lamented the fact that now they couldn’t hope to sneak Bakugou away from the magical folk without them noticing.
“Go home,” Katsuki commanded and glanced at the dragon and fairy. “Can your lot escort the dubmasses out so they don’t get lost?”
“Certainly,” it was when the little man reached up to his face that Kirishima noticed that he had tiny spectacles perched on his nose. He pushed them back with a finger and seemed to straighten his back as he turned to look towards the leader of the creatures, probably to confirm the request.
“Young Bakugou, , ” this was the first time the one seated on the throne spoke, his voice strong despite how frail he looked. “Those are your friends and it appears that they are concerned for you.
Eijiro nodded, surprised at the gentle words and the assessment.
“Alright,” the green fairy flew up and perched on Bakugo’s shoulder, the prince wincing still at the words of the lord, but not yelling denials for once. “If those four are Kac-chan’s friends, they are welcome to stay.”
“Deku!” Bakugo finally yelled like he was prone to doo. The fairy didn't even flinch. Which Kirishima found very manly of him, because the screams Bakugo was capable of were no joke, especially if one was as close to the source as the tiny man.
“Kac-chan?” Kaminari repeated, snickering. Both Bakugo and the little one on his shoulder glowered at him. Kiri would have been concerned, if not for the fact that the guards lowered their weapons and eased their postures. Some of the gathered folk decided that the humans in their midst were no longer entertaining and returned to what they were doing, but enough of them still lingered near, watching the events unfold.
This is my name,” the little green fairy, apparently named Deku,. informed the foursome. Sero raised a brow, but was mutely standing back, Mina tried to not giggle and Kaminari was staring, petrified at the edge of possessiveness in the little man’s voice.
“Territorial shit,” Bakugo smirked fondly and poked the boy on the side with a finger, pushing him off his shoulder. The fairy easily hovered beyond his immediate reach.
Kirishima remembered that stories had it that fairies were really touchy with names, never sharing their true ones and often exchanging nicknames, sort of like Bakugo refused to call his friends by name. He was still not sure if his friend wasn’t under an enchantment, but at least the tiny folk seemed pleasant enough and willing to let them stay. Especially after Kaminari averted his eyes and lifted his hands in defeat and mumbled an apology for using the nickname the fairy gave their prince. He tried to stay alert and not lower his guard, but he found the task impossible.
Soon enough Kiri found himself sitting next to Bakugo, both holding mugs of honey, talking to the legendary fairy lord AllMight and the one called Deku while the rest of the squad was fooling around with some of the fair folk, Kaminari cackling and sending tiny sparks at the hairstyles of some of the fairies to make their hair stand on end, Mina floating on a wreath of grass magicked by a sweet fairy lady in rose petal dress and with pink cheeks that sat in her lap and chatted with her pleasantly, Sero playing a game with a bunch of people nearby.
Reluctantly, Bakugo admitted that he had been invited by Deku to this afternoon celebration and Kiri smiled fondly when he saw his best friend starting to bicker with the green fairy. There was ease and affection in their teasing and no malice even if they promised to beat each other up. Okay, so Bakugo promised to beat the fairy up and the fairy giggled and promised to trick the hell out of him.
The fairy lord, a character from many fables from Kirishima’s childhood, sat there next to him, nursing a cup of alcohol, smiling benevolently at the merry-making going on all around them. He looked like a tiny, frail person, not the legendary entity of untold power and overflowing magic, but Kiri wouldn’t be fooled to think that this man had no power. His wings shone just like those of any other fairy, full of vibrant colors and patterns. He was revered by his people, who tried not to cause too much havoc near where he rested.
Truly, he had their respect and admiration, being their ruler, but Kiri noticed easily that the one called Deku by his friend was clearly his successor, not yet a king, but maybe a prince, if fairies had those. It was hard to tell since all they used were nicknames, not titles. Many called Deku Ninth, but it confused Kirishima, especially since the current lord was referred to as AllMight. Still, Deku was the one many called out to for directions, he also expressed the authority of a leader with far more grace than the Dragon Prince himself. He definitely had the strength to defend the fair folk.
And best of all, he managed to make Bakugou blush and lash out in clear embarrassment, teasing and bickering with the blonde prince with no deference or fear, but with honest affection. Kirishima was so happy for his friend that he finally found someone who could take him on and not be bothered by his shit personality. Or scared by his status and attitude. And, judging by the occasional glances Mina cast towards them, the ease with which Denki and Hanta settled among the fairies, it was clear to see that their friends were picking on it all too, seeing what Kiri was seeing. Somehow they found themselves deep within the legendary Forest of Might, interacting with mythical people, but the greatest miracle was seeing Katsuki cackling like a mad man and allowing Deku to put a crown of flowers on his hair and a kiss on his cheek.
Kirishima had no idea what face he was making, but Bakugo suddenly glared at him and pointed a finger towards his chest.
“No word to anyone about this,” he growled in warning.
“Aww, man, but you look so manly,” he complained, not at all intimidated by his friend’s glare. Deku landed lightly at Kirishima’s knee, looking up at him with a small grin.
“‘I’m courting Kac-chan,” he proclaimed and Bakugo scowled at him fondly. Kirishima nodded, an eager smile pulling at his lips. But before he could answer, a new voice drifted across the glade.
“Obey, Kirishima Eijiro,” whispered a smooth voice that sounded like it slipped across his soul. “Restraint the Ninth.”
“Obey, Ashidou Mina, rain your acid on the guards so they can’t approach,” came the next command and Kiri heard Mina’s startled gasp, followed by cries of surprise and pain, and the distinct sound of acid sizzling on the grass.
He barely noticed, because he was too busy panicking. His hands somehow found themselves clutching around the slender body of the fairy with the green hair, his skin stone and his grip almost crushing his wings. Big, shocked eyes stared up at him and Kirishima wanted to immediately let go, disengaging his magic, but he had no power over his body. Panicked, he looked around, his confusion deepening when he noticed Kaminari standing in the middle of acid rain, somehow unaffected, but sparking as if about to discharge a blast of electricity. Sero had his magic ropes secured around the form of AllMight, the rest of the fairies scattering to get away from Mina’s aerial attack from where she still hovered on the wreath high overhead. Some ran towards Kaminari, where the painful rain wasn’t reaching.
“No, go away,” Denki wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut.
“What the fuck?” Katsuki glared at him. “Stop that.”
“I… can’t…” Eijiromanaged to breathe out and looked between Katsuki and Deku, the former all but breathing fire, the latter wiggling one arm free from Kiri’s hold. It was not enough to break his hold, but the fairy was more focused on scanning the treeline. Whatever was going on the tiny person looked far less afraid than Eijiro despite being trapped by him. And whatever he did to stop his unbreakable magic, he was unable to do so.
“Young Bakugo, can you subdue your friends?” The fairy lord’s voice rose over the din of the other voices, Mina’s frantic apologies and Denki’s pleas for everyone to take cover. Most fairies were already fleeing from him but Kiri knew that if he went for the biggest of his spells, they were still well in blast radius.
“Tch,” with a few blasts Bakugo launched himself at where Mina was, probably to knock her out of the sky, but Kiri couldn't see them from how he was curled up to hold onto the green fairy, his body stiff and unbreakable. Deku patted his fingers as if they weren’t almost crushing him, then pointed his hand towards a particular tree and flicked a finger.
To Kirishima’s shock this little motion created a gust of wind so strong that the tree broke and fell in a sharp crash. From its shadow a figure jumped out just in the nick of time to avoid being squeezed under the splintered trunk. Kiri blinked in surprise as he saw the man in dark clothes, pale hair swaying on the wind and red eyes glaring hotly.
“Shigaraki,” Deku hissed like an irate cat.
“Runt,” the man sneered. Kirishima had a vague memory of meeting this person and traveling along with him earlier that day but somehow he couldn’t have remembered him just a minute earlier. “You let your guard down so easily around humans, it’s impressive how clueless you can be.”
“You’re not welcome here,” Deku replied coldly, glaring at the newcomer.
“I don’t plan to stay long,” the man waved a hand at where Hanta held the fairy lord. “I just need the sword.”
“I don’t have it anymore, young Shimura,” AllMight started with the same calm, warm voice Kirishima had heard him using since they first met. The pale man sneered and glared around at the fairies frozen in fear and humans groaning in a pile somewhere behind Kirishima’s back. Then those baleful red eyes landed back on Deku.
“Give me the sword or I’ll order the humans to slaughter your useless pretty party,” he threatened.
Deku didn’t have time to answer, nor did Kirishima, or to worry about the stranger enacting the threat, because that was the second the Dragon Prince rose from behind him like a vengeful spirit and roared his anger.
“Die!” he yelled and his magic of fire and explosion blasted from his outstretched hands, heating the air in front of Kirishima in an instant into a hot haze, singing some of the trees and setting fire to the already broken and splintered trunk. The pale man barely managed to dodge out of the way and had to continue dodging between the trees because Bakugo was still firing after him, stepping around Kirishima to have a better angle.
Kirishima breathed out when the fairy in his grasp wiggled and he realized that the magic holding him motionless weakened. He still remained unbreakable, but managed to loosen his grip enough so Deku could climb out of the well of his fingers. He flashed him a big grin and in a flash was gone, green sparks trailing after him towards where Bakugo was yelling insults on the edge of the meadow.
Clouds of dark miasma started to spill from the pale man’s hands and towards the Dragon Prince, but before they could wrap around him and do him any damage a short man in green appeared next to the proud blonde, holding an old looking sword in hand. He lifted the blade and as he swished it in front of them the miasma got blown away. The pale man screamed at the pair, but then had to continue running, climbing on top of a black horse and galloping in the shadow of the trees, followed closely by the Dragon Prince and his companion. Kirishima stared after them and flashes of green and orange that seemed to lit up the forest long after they left their sight.
The meadow remained eerily still and quiet after the recent events.
“Well,” AllMight said oddly calmly in the stillness. “I believe our new friends need protective charms against the winter court’s magic. And I would appreciate being set loose, young man. Your magic is quite restrictive.”
With that statement everyone burst into activity again. Hanta and some of the fairies untied the blonde lord, others went to check up on Mina and Kaminari, both bound with magic nullifying cuffs Bakugo probably had put on them earlier. The dragonfly winged fairy landed on Kirishima’s knee, next to where he still held his hands in a cup.
“Are you alright, Kirishima?” he asked, peering at him through his glasses. Eijironodded mutely, then looked back after the duo that had chased away the pale man. The sharp gaze of the fairy softened. “Do not worry, you four got involved in our dealings with the winter folk, but it is not as dire as it may seem. The Ninth and his chosen are a truly formidable team and they will make sure Shigaraki is beyond the forest borders in a short time.”
“We’re so sorry,” Mina lowered her head, her eyes darkened with regret. Kirishima wished to go to her and embrace her to assure her that it wasn’t her fault, that her dangerous powers had been abused by someone else who had put a spell on them all Carefully, as to not aggravate anyone, he did just that, wrapping an arm around her and whispering in her hair when she leaned against his side.. Kaminari looked anxiously around, worrying his hands in his sleeves as if to prevent any stray sparks. Hanta sighed and lowered his head in a silent apology as well.
“Don’t worry, no one got seriously hurt,” the fairy in a pink dress alighted on Mina’s shoulder and patted her cheek gently. It was so manly. “Lord Explosion stopped you in time.” Kirishima smiled at her in gratitude while Mina’s smile once more appeared on her sweet face. It was so nice to see that the fairies weren’t angry at them and acted so calmly about this sudden attack, it sure helped his frantic heart to settle. The pink dressed fairy flew too and offered Denki some of her reassurances and others chorused her words, some adding that the winter court often tried to disrupt their lives in similar fashion.
“It’s unfortunate you gave your names to Shimura,” AllMight stood up, straightening his posture and fluttering his wings before slowly rising from the stone to look at everyone, probably to make sure for himself his people were not in immediate danger. A few fairies were gathered near a small bubbling stream, pouring clean water on some minor burns and casting spells to heal them. Others used magic to repair any damage done to the foliage. Some were bringing in food and drink to replace what was spilled or dropped in the havoc. Survey finished, AlllMight turned his attention to the big folk in the fairy midst. “You will need new ones or he might try to use you again.”
He gulped, feeling a cold shiver slip down his spine at the far too recent memory of the oppressive feeling that had overtaken him. He still could feel on his skin the sensation of forced activation of his magic, the way his body had obeyed the dark fairy, the dread that had filled his mind when his friends had taken to attacking the kind folk. He still could remember the way he had been clutching the willowy form of the green man and the zap of his magic against the stone of his skin.
“Can’t we do something to prevent that?” he asked, searching the pale blue eyes of the fairy lord. He smiled at him reassuringly and the sense of calm washed over him like summer sunlight.
“Certainly,” the lord nodded and paused to focus on landing carefully, coughing a little when he stood on the ground again. “It may take a while though to perform the renaming ritual.”
“We can stay a few hours,” Hanta offered, glancing at the sun high overhead.
“It may take days,” the blonde warned, putting his hand to his chin, thinking. “It’d be best if you could return here to perform it at a more convenient time, but it may be dangerous to let you out of the forest with Shimura lurking in there…”
“My lord, may I disrupt your Ninth’s impersonation with an idea?” sang a blonde fairy with neon yellow sparks painting his blue green wings. “We can give them protection amulets,” he continued when the lord nodded.
“That may work,” AllMight nodded, watching Kirishima and his friends carefully. “It may require a bit of time, but if we work together we could be done before my boy and his chosen one are back.”
“Hey, yeah!” The fairy cheered in a loud cry and flew off, probably to rally his friends to work on the said amulets. Kirishima just sighed in relief that it seemed that a temporary solution was found.
“Thank you for all the help,” he said, hoping it wasn’t too much of a burden on the friendly entities.
“You are friends of young Bakugo,” AllMight smiled warmly. “And he is important to us, so we will take care of you too.”
“In return we can keep you safe when you visit the capitol,” Mina grinned and AllMight’s smile turned a bit mischievous.
“Oh, this offer is most certainly one I shall take you upon, young Ashidou. I have longed to visit my boy in his house away from the forest for a while now, but he is quite secretive about it,” he informed them.
“Oh, we can definitely smuggle you and some more of your people inside the castle,” Hanta offered easily. “And together we can figure out where he’s living.”
“You know, guys….” Denki started, oddly thoughtful. “I may have an idea.”
“Sure, dude, we will check there too,” Hanta nodded and the group focused on a bunch of fairies who approached them to work on creating their amulets.
So, it came to pass that when Bakugo came back the whole gang had their talismans finished. Eijiro ran his fingertips over a small round rock with a hole that hung as a pendant from his neck, its surface warm and smooth, tingling a bit with magic.
They heard the returning couple before they saw them, voices echoing between the trees, breeze bringing forward snippets of bickering and laughter. The fairies in the glen seemed to relax at the sound of their future leader approaching and obviously not concerned, so they resumed their party, but Kirishima and the rest of the squad waited to see Bakugou to truly relax.
And see him they did in a few minutes, when he emerged from the shadow of the forest, carrying on his back a smiling man with green curls and a big smile on his freckled face. Both looked unharmed, even if their clothes were fraying and dirty in places.
As Kirishima looked at the approaching pair, Bakugo loudly complained that he had to carry his partner’s lazy ass, while the others just laughed fondly and smushed their cheeks together. Kirishima realized that their Dragon prince had not been stolen.
He had been charmed.
In the most not malevolent way possible, by a manly fairy man who somehow saw beyond the prickly exterior of his explosive friend and managed to soften some of his edges.
The future, Kiri knew, held many new experiences for everyone, an opportunity to learn new things and hopefully forge new bonds. He hoped to get answers to many of the questions today’s events created, but for now he just lifted his hand and waved energetically at his friends. Deku, still smushing his cheek into Bakugo
u's, waved back, then mumbled something to Bakugou that made the prince flush like a spring blossom. Then, predictably, he dropped his cargo, who disappeared in a flash of lime light before fluttering upwards on translucent wings, laughter like silver bells trailing after him as he dodged Bakugo’s grabby hands.
Eijiro snickered at the heartwarming sight and grinned wide when Mina wrapped her arms around him to stand with him and wait for the duo to join the party.