"I'll fucking kill you!"
"Katsuki, no!"
Izuku hooked his arms around the merman's shoulders before he lunged and swiped off half of Kirishima's face. The blond snarled, his tail flicking violently as he elbowed Izuku away and pounced once more.
"Katsuki!" Mina shouted and dived in front of her lover.
Katsuki halted in his advances. He doesn't want to harm her.
"Stop!" she screamed at the top of her lungs with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Katsuki stopped, not only because he doesn't want to hurt Mina, but also because he stared at her legs, her pearly, pristine legs. He made a pinched face. They were human legs. He hated them, and though he struggled to accept, she made her choice. She made her sacrifice.
He thought it was odd when Mina wasn't bothering him for days. He assumed she took one of her impromptu trips and traveled around the world. She called it sightseeing, romancing the world and the wonders it had to offer, but he called it lazing around and wasting time. Then she proceeded to call him an old coot for that. Whatever. Katsuki wasn't too concerned about her whereabouts because Mina was a tough cookie. She could handle her own tail.
Then he saw her this morning, hanging onto a redhead by the arm with a bright smile on her face. Maybe he recalled Izuku introducing a human to him, a man with hair as spiky as the sharpest sea urchin in the sea, but Katsuki doesn't care, not even if he was the nicest human being on the planet. He was human, and he took Mina away from her home.
The flames of hatred were alit. His cold-blooded veins ran hot. He rushed to Mina's lover with the intent to kill, or at least wreck his face to the point of no return, adding more damage to the small gash on his eye. He was livid; he was enraged.
When Izuku held him back, they thrashed against each other, with bites and scratches and pulls. Nothing could quell the tumult in his mind. Nothing could save him from this blind fury.
However, he was proven wrong as Izuku took his hand and gripped his wrist until it was stable and locked. He placed it on his neck and allowed his razor-sharp nails to gently rake through the junction between his Adam's apple and sternum.
"Hurt me," he dared him with a tremor in his voice.
Izuku's last resort was this. If Katsuki wanted to kill Kirishima, then he would have to kill everything he loved.
"Do it." He bared his neck to prove to him that he was not joking. "Because you have to go through me to kill him."
Katsuki yanked his hand away, horrified by the prospect of that. Izuku looked behind his shoulder, silently pleading Mina to hand him his coat, which was by the shore near her feet. Understanding his request, the newly turned human fulfilled his request and gently rested it on his shoulder. He doesn't mind its weight, for he would be one with it soon enough.
Really, Mina was such an innocent being, unhesitant of his order to hand him his coat even though that gesture was inadvertently known to be a proposal. He smiled. With a personality like that, no wonder Kirishima was smitten.
The selkie undressed himself slowly and allowed Katsuki to watch him, to help ease his raging heart to taper off. He laid himself bare, unafraid of showing his nudity to his friends. Kirishima and Mina averted their eyes as a form of respect because they knew what came next.
Izuku took Katsuki's lips and drove themselves to the bottom of the ocean as he transformed from a man to a seal. He held him as best as he could while Katsuki shook under his nuzzles, wept out his woes, and cried out his bitterness until he was ready to tell Izuku his short but miserable tale.
Most stories started with "once upon a time".
Therefore, Katsuki's story began like that as well. Most stories also have a conclusion, but lest did he know, Katsuki's story hasn't ended yet.
Once upon a time, Katsuki was a young merman who fell in love. He was not even half a century old, but he was so sure of his first love, so confident that it would last forever, that it never occurred to him to second-guess himself. He was inexperienced with the complications of love, but at the moment, he was in love. He was willing to sacrifice anything for this love.
Shindou was his name, the key to his heart, and Katsuki was attracted to him like a moth to a flame. It was mere coincidence that they met. Katsuki was exploiting his gift, creating wave-inducing explosions to hunt for food. He wanted a dynamic twist to his eating habits.
Shindou was there on his boat, amazed by his sheer power, and Katsuki knew he was special, wearing fine silks and jewels that glittered under the overbearing sun in broad daylight. He must have been a higher-class citizen, a noble of his society, the top brass of the pyramid. His voice was as smooth as slate. His smile was simply earth-shattering.
What intrigued Katsuki most was his reaction, the way he insensitively asked him, "Oh cool, a mermaid. Quick question: How do you guys excrete waste?"
His expression held childlike wonder, but there was a glint of something more.
Looking back, Katsuki wondered if he smashed his head into the rocky shore when he was just a little squirt. Why else would he be attracted to strange men who approached him with weird questions? After all, Izuku was practically hopping on the balls of his feet to get eaten by the likes of him.
Well, he wouldn't mind eating Izuku, but that's for another time and another place.
Beneath Shindou's sunny personality was a kindred spirit. The darker, corrupted parts of his soul made Katsuki like him even more, for though he was intelligent, open-minded, and easygoing, he was also greedy, selfish, and stubborn. He said it proudly as if he gloated about some ornate handiwork he commissioned last month.
When Shindou dropped the nice act, Katsuki felt special. When Shindou returned and visited him every week without fail, he felt as if they were something more. The man would come back bearing gifts and knowledge of the outside world, and for Katsuki's ever-growing curiosity, the noble satisfied him with more trinkets and stories to share.
One private evening, Shindou confided to Katsuki about his dreams. "I wish to travel the world," he said as they laid their backs against the sand, with the ocean tickling his feet and lapping against Katsuki's tail.
His skin sparkled and shimmered underneath the moonlight, though nothing could compare to Katsuki's iridescent scales.
"It's not much," the merman shrugged. "There are slight differences, such as climate and food, but humans are still humans. The sea is still the sea."
"But you never traveled land. How would you know?"
"I don't need legs to travel the world," Katsuki huffed stubbornly.
Shindou laughed and flicked a speck of sand onto his companion's collarbone.
"You should," he said. "It would be nice," he reached out his arm towards dotted sky, "If we could travel the world together."
They were harmless, careless words, but that was enough to push Katsuki to the edge and struck him to his downfall. Even though they knew each other for months, that was enough time to form a connection. It was enough time to fall in love. Katsuki latched onto that emotion like a symbiotic organism, and immediately he set out to achieve Shindou's dreams.
The sea witch was a creature one would avoid unless they were in dire straits. He traveled far and wide to meet this particular one, for he was known to be the most powerful of them all. Even though wishes came with a hefty price, Aizawa was reliable and direct. He was no trickster, and he would never mislead his clients to doom.
Rumors said he gained that reputation when he had a lover because he wanted to share that happiness. One day his lover vanished, and all that was left of Aizawa was a shell of his former self. Still, he was considered the kindest sea witch out of them all, for only the loneliest people could be so kind.
However, that does not mean any client was invincible or impervious to the magic that sea witches used. Oftentimes it was the wishes demanded upon Aizawa that brought his clients to an early death.
"Make me into a human," Katsuki ordered once he entered the sea witch's cave.
Aizawa was curled in his tentacles and cracked open one eye from his slumber. The long tendrils of his hair covered most of his face and camouflaged well with the backdrop of his gloomy, depressing home. He uncoiled himself from his inky, black tentacles and stretched himself to his full height.
"What brings the young prince of the sea to my humble abode?" he questioned him lethargically.
The cool temperature of the cave brought frost to Katsuki's lips. His hands twitched to spark off the explosions of his gift.
"Make me into a human," Katsuki repeated his request. He paused for a heavy second. "Please."
He needed to be in Aizawa's favor to be successful. He thought of Shindou and his stellar smile. He thought of how happy he would be once he sees Katsuki's legs, how much the merman sacrificed to travel the world and know everything and anything.
"Are you sure about that?"
Though he asked, the sea witch went into work and went to his storage to gather the necessary ingredients.
"Yes," Katsuki swallowed. "I am."
Aizawa sighed tiredly. The sallow bags under his eyes were more pronounced. "I see."
"What is the price?" It was time to get straight to business.
"Nothing, really," Aizawa murmured as he crushed the necessary materials into a dark velvety paste.
"Nothing? Impossible." Katsuki swam closer and hovered over the sea witch's shoulder, watching him work out the finer details of his potion. "There's always a catch."
"You're not wrong."
Aizawa stopped grinding the shells and stared into Katsuki's red, burning irises. He was so young. He doesn't know the pain of lost love.
Then Aizawa stated, "The sea is a part of you, and you are a part of the sea."
The sea witch circled around a rocky structure that was rooted at the center of his cave. It looked ominous, creepy, as if it was made from dead coral, bones, and other stringed organs. There were misshapen pieces protruding out from the edge, and Katsuki made sure to avoid touching it.
"This transformation is your price," Aizawa said. "Taking any more would be overcompensation, for you are already sacrificing who you are."
Katsuki still wore a befuddled look.
"You will find out why it had to be this way soon enough."
His cryptid words sounded like a warning.
Using the structure, he created the potion and made Katsuki consume it. Light engulfed the merman, and he smiled as the sensation tickled him and crept up his spine. The split was made at the middle of his tail, and it was fluid and quick. The transformation was done, but it exhausted him to the point of blacking out. When he woke up, he found himself at the shore, naked and with a new pair of human legs.
The first hour was a struggle because he had to practice how to balance with his two legs, but once he got moving, he gathered some abandoned sails and other material laying around that could substitute for clothes. He remembered Shindou mentioning how humans were prudes and had to cover every inch of their body. Katsuki thought it was a ridiculous rule, but he doesn't want to disappoint Shindou when they meet.
During high tide, they would converge at the sea cliffs. Shindou would typically gather rope and climb down its face, but today, Katsuki would see him at land before he got the chance to climb down. The excitement made him giddy. Katsuki couldn't wait and envisioned Shindou's surprise. A delighted shiver pushed him to move faster. Shindou would be pleased and show a little flash of teeth, the type of smile that Katsuki would like to make over and over again. Katsuki was almost there. It was almost high tide when he left the sand.
Katsuki saw a tuft of black hair at the horizon, and he smiled, ready to wave and shout and let his presence be known. He cupped his lips to do just that, but when he saw Shindou's full figure, he slowed. He stopped. He froze.
The world felt like it tipped over. The sun no longer felt warm and comforting. It felt harsh and cruel.
There he was, the object of his affections, having a picnic with a woman he never saw. Her hair, which she held up in a simple bun, was not a beautiful gold color like his. Her teeth, which she kept flashing to Shindou from laughing at all his jokes, were all crooked and exposed her overbite. Her voice was high-pitched and annoying, which was levels upon levels beneath Katsuki's sweet and melodious tune. Yet, while Shindou looked at him as if he was a special creature, someone worth knowing, Shindou looked at this woman as if she stole his heart, nourished it with love, and owned it for all to see. Katsuki was included as the audience.
He couldn't bare the pain, to stare at the love-filled exchanges they shared like some exhibitionist. Katsuki turned to leave. Now that he thinks of it, they were never exclusive, and he never bothered to ask the human if he had someone waiting for him at home.
He was stupid. He was stupid for giving up everything to have a chance with a man who would never love him.
He felt ugly. He felt ugly as he ran through the streets in tattered rags and knobby legs.
He felt foolish. He felt foolish for shedding tears for a love that never blossomed, that immediately withered and died once he saw Shindou kiss that woman. He felt even more foolish for wanting to replace that woman instead.
"He will pay," Uraraka hissed with a thunderous smack against the planes of the ocean. "That human will regret tricking you."
Katsuki was unresponsive to her venomous words. Instead, he dipped his toes into the shallow pool of water next to him and pondered over what would be his next course of action. He missed home. He missed racing with the other mermaids, hunting with his kin for food until their bellies were stuffed and stretched. He missed singing with them, enchanting any creature lucky enough to listen to their songs. He never knew how much he lost until he gave it up.
Tears pricked his eyes. He was miserable, but he was not shameless. He would never beg Shindou for help. He wouldn't. He shouldn't.
The mermaid sheathed a dagger out of nowhere. Depictions of serpents slithered around the metal hilt, covering it from head to toe. The blade gleamed beneath the sunlight.
"You can fix this," Uraraka said as she handed him the answer to all his problems. "I went to the sea witch for advice," she explained with fervor. "He told me that all you had to do was plunge this into the human's heart."
An electrifying spark ignited in her crazed eyes. "Kill him," she told him. "It would be a necessary sacrifice for you to return home."
Katsuki fancied that thought for a hot second, to erase the light of life from the human's eyes. He would get rid of the problem altogether. Even better, he would gouge out the woman's eyes and feed them to the fishes, cackling in the background while she defended herself pitifully against the horrors of a merman's wrath.
His frustration emanated in waves, crashing into his battered heart without respite. Despite the jealousy flaring within him, he couldn't. Not like this. He knew he couldn't.
"No," he shook his head. "This was my mistake," he flung the dagger away and watched it skipped a couple steps before it sunk into the ocean.
A series of explosions erupted from his palms, causing a ruckus that would surely attract attention sooner or later. Even so, he felt a bit better.
"I'm not so pathetic," he laughed darkly, "That I would kill him when it was entirely my fault."
Uraraka wore a pensive look, for she was concerned for her friend's well-being. "What now?" she asked him.
Katsuki stared at his reflection. His haggard, ugly reflection. Being human ruined his complexion. He saw his legs, the ones he gained while trading the sea away. Shame engulfed him and swallowed him whole.
He loathed himself.
Turning into seafoam would be a kinder death than this, the death of human with no ambition, no goal at the end of this journey. He wanted to disappear, to vanish. He cannot think of a life worse than this. Away from the sea. Away from who he was meant to be.
"So, you're back."
Though the sea witch does not like making house calls, he would make this exception. He groggily trekked his way to Katsuki, who was perched atop another boulder, legs held to his chest with red-rimmed eyes.
"Did you know this would happen?" the blond whispered.
He looked sickly and yellow, as if a gust of wind would blow him away.
"No," he told him. "I had an inkling, but no, I didn't."
Katsuki's solution was Aizawa, but the man was no longer the naïve idiot who would whisk away his tail and fins. He had grown into a heartbroken fool who wished to bargain for his identity back, and with it, a heavy price was given.
"I'm sorry," the sea witch apologized.
The price was to sacrifice his gift. Once he uttered those sacrilegious words, Katsuki went silent. His wind-swept hair covered his eyes, but Aizawa doesn't need to see him to know he was crying.
"No, please," his voice cracked. "Anything but that."
Arms outstretched, he stared at his hands. They shook uncontrollably. He cannot fathom a day without his gift. He cannot grasp the idea of losing the ability to make explosions.
"Without it, I'm-"
"Nothing?" The sea witch finished for him.
The young man nodded.
"It's your choice," Aizawa said forebodingly. "I'm sorry."
Shindou was not the main reason why Katsuki hated humans with a passion, but he was the start of a list of humans who wronged and took, who corrupted and ruin. There were too many stories, too many instances of the damages humans caused. There were stories of mermaids who made the same fatal mistake as Katsuki, who were thrown into the wolves and raped from the ones they trusted. There were stories of kappas who were forgotten and displaced, who had to watch their homes be destroyed in front of their eyes. There were also stories of sirens who were experimented and probed, who were violated to the point that their vocal cords could no longer work due to the trauma.
They polluted and brought the destruction of wildlife. They caused wars and grief and sadness. There were so many stories. There were more stories than the number of scales Katsuki had on his tail. He doesn't know if he has the capacity to forgive humans. He doesn't know if that day would come.
He can tolerate a select few, but that was the best he could do.
Izuku held him as he finished, even when the seal himself was beginning to deplete his oxygen reserves.
"Thank you for telling me everything," Izuku transferred those thoughts to Katsuki in his seal form.
If he was in his human form, he would have shed emotional tears, for nobody deserved to make that choice. Sacrifice was never an easy deed.
Yet, Izuku still doesn't know the full story, the finer details of Katsuki's torment. Someday he will tell him. Someday he will know.
Someday he will tell him the other reason why he wasted his first hour as a human, how walking through the coarse sand felt like walking on knives, how it felt like blades were cutting through his skin with each painstaking step. Someday he will tell him how the anticipation of seeing Shindou lessened the sting, how that pain was amplified tenfold after he gave up on the human. Someday he will tell him how close he was to turning into seafoam, how the wind felt promising as he stood at the peak of a cliff, ready to dive and fall and accept his fate.
He knew what it was like to swim in the ocean and walk on land; he might as well learn how to fly in the sky.
Humans were laughable creatures. When it came to matters of love, they hesitate and wait before they professed their love, as if they were the species that could live for centuries instead. For Katsuki and Izuku, they knew better. They knew what forever felt like, and forever doesn't exist. Forever could just end with a snap. They learned that the hard way. They learned that through hardship.
That was why they openly loved, for love was better said than never said at all.
"I love you."
Katsuki flickered his eyes to where Izuku stood, surrounded by precious gems and other rare treasures, but they seemed lackluster compared to him. Here was where the merman stored his jewels and other remarkable findings. Here was where he felt most safe, for even though he can never regain his gift, these materials filled in the cruddy gaps.
He discovered this place by accident. Some would call it a cenote due to its sinkhole-like appearance. The roof was open and clear, and moonlight washed over his features, giving him a heavenly glow. To Izuku, he seemed more like an angel than a merman with a hot temper.
Izuku crouched down until his head hovered above Katsuki's.
"I love you," he repeated.
"I know," Katsuki replied in earnest.
Izuku lowered his head.
"I love you," he mouthed over and over again, peppering soft kisses on his forehead, his cheeks, his neck, and wherever his lips guided him.
"I know," Katsuki shuddered as Izuku's hands rubbed his sides, teasing against the seam between his skin and his scales. "I love you, too," he said quietly, for those words were only meant for Izuku to hear.
"Truce?"
Katsuki met stupid humans before. For example, he witnessed this one human who got capsized and denied every form of rescue because he was waiting for some holy deliverer to help.
The poor sucker died of course.
This, however, this human was insanely stupid. Kirishima, Mina's raison d'etre, knelt by the shore and offered the merman his hand to shake. He listened to half of what he said. Something about wiping the slate clean or shit like that.
His pudgy fingers were centimeters away from his mouth, so logically, Katsuki attempted to chomp them off and snapped his mouth shut.
Kirishima yelped as he retracted his hand. Katsuki's teeth clacked together.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue.
The human was fast. He would give him that.
"Hurt her," he hissed, "And I will feed you to the fishes."
He sunk and lowered his head into the water until the top half of his face was visible. Izuku was a strange one, befriending dumbbells like this one.
"Ha, Ashido always mentioned that you had a sense of humor," he smiled widely.
Katsuki bristled when he used her first name.
"Don't worry," he pounded his chest as if he was a deranged ape, "I won't hurt her."
Then he added, "Besides, it would probably be more accurate to say that she would hurt me first."
"What?"
At first, Katsuki was confused because Mina was too loyal to throw this human away like a used shellfish. She was head over heels for him, heart eyes and all. Yesterday she gushed over her beau for over an hour, destroying his ears as she went over intimate details of her love life and the extraordinary opportunities human life provided her. Katsuki was not jealous, but he was not overly happy either.
It was a weird limbo to be in.
Katsuki was no longer confused when the redhead turned around and flashed the nape of his neck. Due to the low cut of his collar, scratch marks, the ones that dig deep and draw out blood, were scattered all over.
The merman turned a shade of pink and snarled as he hauled his body out of the water. He wanted to get another swipe against this infuriating, happy-go-lucky human.
He hated this. Mina was so happy.
They were perfect for each other.
One night, Izuku invited Katsuki to stargazing. It was odd, considering that there were no fireworks scheduled today, but Katsuki agreed regardless. There was no other occasion to watch the stars, but seeing Izuku, kissing him, having him close, was open for any occasion.
When they reunited, Katsuki flicked his nose. "Stupid seal, you took too long. You always swim so slow," he said.
Izuku gave him a gentle smile. He floated on his surfboard, laid his back against the surface, and lifted his head to the stars.
"Let me tell you my story," he began in a hushed voice.
There was no outside activity in the ocean. There was only Katsuki and Izuku.
The merman followed his lead and floated beside him, gripping his hand tight as Izuku unraveled the events that happened before their encounter. Before he could, Katsuki caressed his arms, his webbed fingers tracing the scars that damaged his arms.
"Will you tell me what happened to them, too?" he asked.
"Yes," Izuku answered him, "But it's not what you assume."
There, he told him a truncated version of his tale.
His story was a classic selkie one, though it happened far too often of his kind. He was careless, like any other selkie, and was caught by a human. As usual, he attempted to steal the heart of a widow and make her his. He succeeded in capturing his latest prey, but when she saw his true form, the tables have turned. She snatched his coat when he removed it and forced him to marry her.
Izuku had to be complacent to her terms. If she damaged or burned his coat, he would die, so with his limited options, he chose the safest route and married her. He pleased her to get in her good graces. He made an offspring with her in hopes to placate her needs. He doesn't hate her, but at the same time, he never truly loved her. Rather, he was detached to the whole arrangement. Hell, he loved his son more than the mother, but no matter. He would simply wait for her to waste away and die like any other human. Then he would return to the sea, for it calls him. It always calls him.
However, his plans were quashed that one evening. The woman was out on a grocery run, so Izuku was left in charge of their home and their child.
Izumi was the sweetest child. Izuku loved him ever since he laid his eyes on the baby and held his bundled form right after the birth. He gained his mother's hair and eyes, but his smile and good-natured personality was his. He was a selkie through and through, and Izuku was giddy with excitement, ready to teach his son the language of the ocean, the laws and rites of his birthplace once he was of age.
Since his wife was out, he played the role of a good husband and lessened her workload. Even though he was out here against his will, the woman was cooperative and kind. He knew she would come home bedraggled from her 9-5 job, and he appreciated the effort. He was dutiful as he cleaned the house spotless, so he never guessed that he would come across his coat again. He never guessed that this would be his last night with his son.
The boxes were tempting. They recently moved into this house, so his curiosity got the best of him. He rummaged through them, thinking that they held photos and other frames he could hang up against the walls.
He froze when he saw his coat, his beautiful spotted coat.
Though he never stopped looking for it, his campaign to search for it weakened after the birth of his son. He wanted to concentrate on parenting, on nurturing and nourishing his son until he was old enough to understand his heritage.
He knew what came next. He braced for it. Usually he wouldn't. The process was much simpler if he accepted his fate, but this time he had to fight. This time he had to resist.
The call of the sea rang in his ears, and it moaned in his heart. The call overwhelmed him, seized him, and punched him in the gut. It was so powerful, so strong to the point where he collapsed on the ground and keened out of shock.
Go home, it told him. Leave at once, it commanded.
"No," he whimpered against his instincts. "No," he said again with a firmer voice.
He helplessly clawed the ground and thought of his son to tether him here, but it was pointless. This, he knew.
No selkie was strong enough to power through the call, to resist the urge to return home, but he had to stay. He had to stay for Izumi. He refused to leave his son. Then another surge of pain crashed into him, rocking his ribs from the inside and splitting the crevices of his soul.
The sea, it calls him. It roars in his heart and punishes him, whipping him until he had to muffle his screams into his sleeve. He does not want to startle his son awake. He had to fight back until he could recompose himself in time. This battle kept going until he was tense and high-strung like a rubber band, daring to snap at a moment's notice. Izuku's psyche was stretched thin.
"I am the sea, and the sea is with me," he shuddered and clutched onto the side of the dresser.
Words held power. He only hoped that these words were enough. A few minutes, he told himself. All he needed was a few minutes.
"I am the sea, and the sea is with me," he picked himself back up and held onto the wall for purchase.
Tears streamed his reddened cheeks and dripped from his jaw. He overexerted himself until he was at his limit. He kept going until the regret blurred his eyesight.
"I am the sea," his voice wavered as he took heavy steps toward Izumi's sleeping form. He paused and took this moment to breathe. "The sea is with me," he strained out and let out a crippled cry.
The frequency of the noise in his head increased into a high-pitched, continuous screech. The impending migraine was inevitable, but he latched onto the pain and pursued after his goal. He was finally at Izumi's bedside, and he watched his son resting peacefully with a faint smile on his lips. The noise dimmed down, as if the sea could sense what he was going to do. It was a brief moment of privacy, but it gave Izuku the freedom to speak.
There was so much he wanted to do. There was so much he wanted to say.
He gripped the bars of the crib and lowered his head until he could see the soft puffs of air that escaped Izumi's mouth and the light rise and fall of his chest.
It was unfair. All of this was too cruel to bare.
"I'm sorry," he half-whispered and sobbed.
He pressed a watery kiss on Izumi's unwrinkled forehead. The short tufts of hair brushed against his lips.
"I'm sorry," he broke down, his shoulders shaking along with his frame.
With the last ounce of his control, he wiped away the tears and proclaimed, "I'll come find you."
Another kiss. Another regret.
"I promise," he said. "I promise…"
After that, he stiffened and let go.
The change was automatic, and his movements were robotic. A false sense of security was injected into him, but he was powerless against the ocean. He felt betrayed and wrong by his home. He felt like the lowest scum of the sea.
His finger pads caressed the fur of his coat, and the skin thrummed beneath his fingers, anticipating for the moment when they would become one. He walked out and never looked back. He abandoned his son and his wife.
The laws of the selkie folk were strict and precise. Whenever a selkie finds their stolen coat, they cannot return to land until seven years passed.
So he waited. And waited. For six, terrible drawn-out years.
While telling this to Katsuki, there was one minor section left unspoken. He would eventually tell him, but he was not ready to say it yet. After his failure to hold onto what was dear, he swam to Aizawa and attempted to negotiate the terms. Rumors said the sea witch fell in love with a siren, but due to their status, the siren was stripped of his powers and the lovers were separated for eternity.
Aizawa was well acquainted with lost love. Izuku wondered if the sea witch would sympathize with his cause. He immediately pleaded his case.
"Please," he begged and groveled. "Help me override these instincts. Please let me return to my son."
"You don't want this," Aizawa admonished him for such a careless wish. "The cost is too great. Don't make me do this."
"Anything," Izuku fought back. "I'll give up anything!"
The sea witch then replied, "Even your arms, the ones that couldn't hold your son?"
Izuku went tight-lipped. For a serious second, he contemplated that sacrifice. Desperation clouded his judgment but for good reason.
Selkies first present themselves when they are seven years of age, which meant that Izumi's coat would appear before him, urging him to initiate the rites and merge with his coat. Afterwards, he must dive into the sea to complete the passage. If he ignored the call of the sea or prolonged the wait, he would become sick and die.
After hearing the stakes, Aizawa advised him, "Come back after six years."
Izuku opened his mouth to protest.
"I cannot haggle the price to my own interests," the sea witch continued, "But you need to keep your arms."
He slumped into his seat. Izuku saw a sliver of the full extent of his exhaustion and pitied him.
"I have seen it all," Aizawa said with a melancholic smile. "You need to be mindful of the losses before you set your eyes on the gains."
It was irrational to shield one's eyes from the bigger picture. Izuku realized that, but it was a hard pill to swallow.
"Indeed, you are too kind for this job," Izuku said solemnly.
"It's a job I agreed to do."
Then he went into Aizawa's space and squeezed him with closed eyes and an overbearing heart. "I wish for you happiness," he said last and swam away.
"Me too," he replied and went back to sleep.
What Katsuki knew was this.
When Izuku returned, he set out to find his son. He bargained his arms and accepted the price as invisible claws slashed them until it cut deep to the bone. He bit the bullet and gritted his teeth throughout the process, for his tear ducts had already ran dry. This was the price, and he welcomed it with his now damaged arms. They would be slightly paralyzed for the rest of his life. His swimming speed would be slower; his strength would be downgraded. This was the price, but this was nothing. Nothing was more important than his son.
"You'll find him," the merman reached over and held Izuku close. He petted his hair and murmured words of support. "You will."
Yes, he would. He must.
They held onto each other like that, uninterrupted, as they licked away the wounds of their past.
Precious time was ticking away, and though Izuku assured Katsuki that his presence comforted him, motivated him to continue his journey, Katsuki encouraged him to spend more time to search for his son. There was always a sort of restlessness from the selkie, so now with the knowledge of Izuku's son, the pieces clicked into place.
He missed Izuku and longed for his seaweed hair and ridiculous laughs, but he would never forgive himself if he held Izuku back from a matter as crucial as this. At least the man visited the sea shore during his free time, albeit less frequently, but when he does, he would contact him with Katsuki's mark. The bond would tickle Katsuki and direct him to the source.
Today was just like that.
"What are you doing here?" Katsuki queried and noticed Izuku's jittery steps, the way he twiddled his thumbs when his thoughts were in disarray. His coat was at his feet, which indicated that they were going for a swim.
Izuku bent his knees until he was on all-fours. He leaned forward, eyes wide and lips parted. "I missed you," he confessed.
He looked so vulnerable and lost. Katsuki was lost in those bewitching eyes.
Three simple words, but they made Katsuki's heart lurch.
"Stupid seal," he croaked. Dammit. He missed him, too, but if he said it aloud, Izuku would never leave.
His body, however, betrayed him. His hand went to his cheek, and Izuku reacted to it and nuzzled against it with half-mast eyes.
"Take me to the cenote," he said breathily.
He wore a mint green short-sleeved hoodie and a terrible looking pair of swim shorts. Despite his horrid attire, Katsuki was drawn to him regardless. Izuku's arms wrapped around his neck and coiled around it like a prized necklace. He pressed his front against Katsuki's chest and slotted their bodies perfectly together.
"I need you, Katsuki," he gave him a chaste kiss, seducing him and breaking down his walls. He tilted his head and asked him, "Won't you heed my call?"
Izuku, he calls him. He calls him to take him and love him with every fiber of his being. There was no way he could ever deny him.
Katsuki peeled off his clothes in a rushed and hurried frenzy. Izuku was already there and connected his lips, humping into his tail as if he was possessed.
"Transform," Katsuki parted their mouths. "So then we can go."
Izuku nodded and took his coat. Newly transformed, Katsuki took his seal and swam as quick as he could to the cenote. Fortunately, their destination was close and safe.
The seal padded his way to the surface, and Katsuki observed, mesmerized, as Izuku transformed from a seal into a human. He could watch this a hundred times, and he would never get bored of it.
The reflection of the water made him beautiful, desirable. Katsuki felt inclined to devour him. There was no need for a strip tease or a show. All Izuku had to do was to sit at the edge and spread his legs.
Unashamed, Izuku pumped his cock and moved his hand to long, heady strokes. His thumb rubbed against the slit, and he let out a filthy moan, calling for Katsuki to hurry up and pleasure him. Katsuki caught his wrist and stopped him. His other hand sidled up his thighs, caressing the smooth planes of skin with a tenderness that made Izuku want to destroy it. Wreck it. To rip open and reveal the predator inside him.
"Katsuki, please," he whined. His inner thighs trembled as the blond blew the tip and grinned as the reddened head twitched.
"Patience, my love," he said in a playful manner and abided his time.
He sucked onto patches of skin until they blossomed into bright, purpling bruises. His nails teased the selkie and left pinpricks of blood, which he lapped with his tongue until Izuku began to rock his hips. With strong, trembling thighs, he maneuvered his legs and slipped them over Katsuki's shoulders. Without warning, he used his heels and pulled him closer until his face was right near his dripping cock.
Izuku was greedy. He just doesn't show that side often.
His fingers were fierce as they tugged his hair. He jutted out his lips, unhappy to not have that mouth on him yet. He waited too long. He pulled until Katsuki's head was snapped back, and the merman held his breath as he watched those radiant eyes demand him compensation.
"Suck," he growled with eyes ablaze.
Heat flushed the merman's face. He smiled like a minx to cover it up. He licked one stripe to calm his seal down, and then, just like Izuku kindly asked, Katsuki took in as much as he could.
It was a good call.
"Ah!" Izuku gasped and folded into himself.
Katsuki bobbed his head in a breakneck pace, sinking deeper and deeper into Izuku's cock until the tip reached the back of his throat. Katsuki shuddered and enjoyed the ride as Izuku held Katsuki's head and fucked into his pretty merman mouth. He thrusted into it, crying out in pleasure as Katsuki followed his rhythm to the best of his ability. His limbs clutched onto Katsuki like a lifesaver. Slick, squelching sounds filled the air. Izuku felt the arousal burn him until he was molten hot.
Katsuki hummed in delight and savored Izuku's taste. He took in more, mindful of his fangs, and relished in his lover's screams, cherished them as they echoed where they were. The vibrations from his throat was too much, and Izuku cried out as he orgasmed and spilled into his mouth. Katsuki was not finished. He was very thorough in his job. He gripped Izuku's pliant ass and milked him dry. He swallowed his cum and came off with a pop. Then he peppered everywhere with kisses and licked every bit he missed.
Izuku was sensitive, but he thanked Katsuki with stars in his eyes and fondness pouring from his lips. Katsuki hauled himself up and met Izuku in a kiss. He always enjoyed blowjobs. He liked the taste of salt.
They stayed like that for hours, making out and exploring each other's bodies until the sun rose and spoke of a new day.
Izuku loved Katsuki. He loved him so much. He doesn't know what it would feel like to live a day not loving him. He doesn't want to be a burden. There were too many stories of their kind being taken advantage of, of being expected to choose unfair choices for the sake of love. Katsuki was the sea, and the sea needs him. Even though Izuku yearned to be held, or to hold Katsuki in return, he will never ask Katsuki of this, to turn into a human and turn away from who he is. He understood his suffering. He understood how much choice meant to him.
Izuku loved Katsuki. He loved him so much. The sea, it no longer calls him, for Izuku was already there.