war of hearts | bakugou katsuki

chapter five

It was another half hour before the camp was packed up, and the entire fleet was itching to leave. You saw it in the way they shuffled about, mirroring that of your little brother when he was desperate to play but didn't necessarily want to ask you to play. You could understand why no one was speaking up. Who in their right mind would ask Bakugou if they could hop to it and get a move on?

Trained in the skill of patience from a young age, you found little things to occupy your time. You chose to marvel the nets casted over Kirishima's sides as you waited. They were filled to the brim with various equipment, the majority of it crates of weapons or perhaps rations, you weren't sure. 

When Bakugou made himself known again, he didn't pay you a lick of attention. Instead, he chose to bark orders at Sero who had taken to sunbathing by Kirishima. How he laid atop frozen soil comfortably, you'd never know. 

"Get their asses in the air!" Bakugou jabbed a finger towards the warriors before waving the hand into the air. "We're taking off!"

"Aye aye, Captain." Sero saluted up at his superior, rolling back onto his hands and catapulting to his feet in one fluid motion. Your eyes widened as his limbs extended with the movement, legs growing and growing until he was high in the air.

Ashinaga-tenaga. You'd read about them briefly, having always feared the art that depicted them in the shadows of arachnids. The stories had done him no favors as Sero was nothing of the sort and only as his title described: long legs, long arms. There was nothing spider-esque about him besides the color of his hair.

You had seen one too many black insects in the rare warm season every few years. They always found their way into the castle before the frost took over again, attempting to survive in the dark crevices where only the sharpest eyes fixated. Your wintry kingdom had very few upsides, but the lack of insects was the best of them.

"Time to set off, guys! Find your group and get ready to fly!" the third in command shouted far above.

Everyone scattered, the tension among them broken as cheers escaped among the crowd. One would think it a celebration, but you all were merely moving on. Maybe they miss their home as much as I do.

You felt a heat at your side, the smell of burnt something tickling your nostrils. It was definitely a type of booze, something your father or brother drank. You couldn't pinpoint the name.

"Move it, princess," said Bakugou, waving at Kirishima to draw your attention to him. "We're going up."

You tilted your head back at the handsome beast towering over you. There was no stepping ladder, though you doubt they made ones that tall.  You observed the bare back, finding neither a saddle nor stirrups, but that would be discourteous now that you thought about it. Kirishima was not some prized steed to mount; nonetheless, he was still a conveyor.

"Do we—do we just climb onto him?" Just scrambling up his side seemed awfully rude. You wanted to respect him at the very least when you rode him. What if your heels dug into him the wrong way? You didn't want to hurt him.

Bakugou rolled his eyes when you looked to him for an answer, puzzles by his silence. Before you could ask again he was seizing the wrist of your good arm and pulling you into his flank. You grunted at the impact, tensing as he wrapped his arm around your waist. It was about as constricting as that mud monster's hold on your ankle.

Before you could complain about his rough handling again, the ground fell out from underneath you. Belting out a short shout, you wrapped your legs and arms around him out of reflex, holding tight as he jumped onto Kirishima in one fell swoop. It seemed not only did half-yokai have supernatural powers, but a physical prowess far beyond that of a normal man.