As Deep As The Ocean || •Mermaid AU• || KiriBaku

19

The look on her face was as if she had seen heaven itself, the embodiment of happiness at her reminiscing. Her eyes were soft and the corners of her lips upturned ever so slightly, and for a moment, the brunette saw Bakugou in her face. 

“What was your son like?” He asked before thinking, keeping his eye out as they walked through the streets, shiny objects and carefully placed artworks catching his eyes, but he held back the compulsion to buy anything and everything. He had nowhere to put them, after all, and even though he could buy them for his new, blonde friend, he didn’t want to overstep any boundary. Or spend too long up here.

“He was so loud. And angry, all the time. But I love him so much.” Kirishima laughed at her description, remembering his own loud and angry blonde. “I worry that he doesn’t realise that; his father and I love him so much, he’s the light of our life, but he left us thinking he was a burden. When he was a kid, he used to run after his dad. He would always tell us how excited he was to grow up and be in the guard, just like his dad. And his friend would run along with him, and they’d ‘practise’ with sticks they found in the bush. He always wanted to be like his dad.” She laughed softly at the memory, a slight pink tinging her cheeks and her painted red lips upturned at the edges. She walked with her back straight and her dress skirts shuffling around her legs, the epitome of regality as she floated down the streets, and Kirishima couldn’t help but draw on the similarities between her and Bakugou; their hair, their eyes, their noses, even just the way they held themselves matched. 

“He left a few years ago, nearly 3 by now I think. He was offered a position on a ship with a friend. He’s a navigator, and his father and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He is doing so well, better than either of us could have hoped.” She led him over to a small store with various materials, all different colours and shapes and cuts, and Kirishima was enamoured. He ran his fingers up and down the fibres, feeling the small divots and patterns within the materials against his more sensitive fingertips that were no longer covered by impenetrable scales, one specific, woollen overshirt having caught his eye, the fluffy fibres and copper coloured buttons seemingly drawing him in. 

The deep red colour of the covering reminded him of Bakugou, for some reason, and it took an abundance of self restraint (read: self restraint he didn’t normally have) to put the shirt back down and look instead at the other material surrounding it, his chest feeling abnormally tight at the thought of abandoning the aspect of clothing. 

“What are these called?” He asked the blonde woman next to him when he composed himself enough to speak correctly, the smile on her face unfaltering as she picked up a deep green silk, running the material through her fingers before her nails seem to get caught on a mistitch, her face contorting at the change in texture. 

“Cloth. Is this what you need?” She looked at him through the corner of her eyes, feeling the make of the various materials beneath her fingers as she skipped them over the abundance of variety at the stall, once again becoming focused on another dark green piece. Kirishima hummed, the word seeming familiar to him enough that he was confident it was something the blonde at home wanted, and the woman smiled. 

“I think so. He didn’t say what kind he wanted, though.” Kirishima’s red eyes scanned over all the cloth sitting on the wooden bench beneath, his eyes catching on the numerous bright and textured kinds, and he resisted the urge to just reach out and touch. The new sensitivity in his hands was exhilarating, but he had to physically hold back from just touching every tiny little thing just to feel the texture. She hummed from beside the red-head, her voice barely reaching his ears over the quiet but constant chatter of the street around them. 

“That’s ok. Do you know what it’s meant to be for?” She asked, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder and ushering him over to one end of the stall, the bright, coloured materials shifting to neutral tans, grey and whites. Kirishima hummed as he looked at the different feeling cloth folded on the stall, and smiled. 

“Uh, he said it was for…” he trailed off, momentarily distracted by an extra-fuzzy sheet of blue-grey, before dragging himself back to the conversation. “I actually have no idea.” The blonde woman next to him chuckled lightly. 

“Ok, well, I think some plain cotton would be best. It’s the most versatile fabric, so it can be used for many things, so if you don’t know what your friend wants it for, this is probably the best. Is there a specific colour you or your friend want?” She asked, manoeuvring the pair over to the half of the stall that held only cotton cloth. 

“Well, he didn’t say he needed a specific colour or anything…” His deep red eyes scanned over the entirety of the area, momentarily catching on a specific colour of cloth or some other vaguely interesting thing before skitting away, before his eyes settled on an orange piece, folded up and sitting on the very corner of the wood, tucked away. The blonde seemed to have caught where his gaze had settled, eyeing off the light orange, almost peach coloured, strip of cotton. She smiled, reaching and picking it up before quickly handing it off to Kirishima to hold. 

“This one? It’s a pretty colour.” She said, watching as his hands, slightly scarred from what she assumed to be years of manual labour, padded over the soft weavings of the material, a small and gentle smile settling on his face as his eyes glazed over slightly in remembrance. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I like this colour. It reminds me of the sunset.” He muttered, and she hummed. 

“It does, doesn’t it? It’s a very pretty colour.” He smiled down at the woven cotton, nodding and looking into the red eyes of the blonde in front of him and beaming even wider at the woman. 

“It reminds me of my friend.” He almost whispered, and his face felt slightly hot at the confession, but she chuckled and rubbed his shoulder happily, smiling gently down at him. He felt safe, comfortable, around her, the way she spoke and treated him was so motherly he felt warmth fill him from inside. 

“Ok, let’s buy it then.” She said, ushering him with a gentle hand on her back towards the person manning the stall, and handing the cloth over to her, watching as the store clerk folded it neatly and wrapped it in a small, grey ribbon. 

“I’ve been waiting for someone to buy this, it’s a very pretty colour. 23 coins, please.” She smiled at the duo, though it clearly didn’t reach her eyes, exposing her disinterest in her position running the business. Kirishima frowned, looking down at himself, the cloth, then back at the woman, who’s smile seemed to be growing more and more strained as the interaction continued. 

“Um, this may be a silly question, but what is a coin?” He asked sheepishly, and while he couldn’t see his face, it was hot enough to start a fire without friction due to the heavy blush littered across his cheeks. The smile dropped off the seller's face, and she just glared at him. 

“Is this a joke?” Kirishima felt immediately guilty, lowering his head slightly and dropping his gaze as he shook his head. The cashier tutted, glaring at him over the bench, reaching for the cloth that the shark half held in his hands, his grip slack and the store clerk easily grabbed the material from his clutches. 

“Oh, it’s ok. I’ll just pay for it.” The blonde next to him said, gently manoeuvring him over so she could hand over the golden plates to the woman, 23 exactly. The cashier sighed, abandoning her attempts at retrieving the orange fibres from the shark, thanking the blonde and tutting at Eijirou once more, before turning her attention to other customers.

The redhead (though technically he was brunette at the moment) wanted to turn back and apologise, try to explain that he was new to this area and he wasn’t sure what was what yet, but a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder kept him from doing just that. He looked to his right, red eyes meeting another pair of red eyes, and she shook her head, still smiling despite the embarrassing exchange that just occurred. 

“It’s alright. When that stuff happens, it’s usually better to just leave it be. I covered it, don’t worry.”

*****

I actually got this completed in 7 days! I prommised a week and I actually delivered, haha! I ended up going camping with my family, so if this feels rushed it's because i pumped most of this out on the drive up there.

Kirishima's adventures on land are, unfortunately, coming to an end. He has another chapter, maybe (if i really stretch it) 2 if i decide, of time on land left.

Again, i thank everyone for their patience with this upload. Next one should be out in a couple days, a week at MOST.