Songs to listen to for this chapter: "Riches and Wonders" by The Mountain Goats and "A Princess without a Voice"
The lights were blindingly bright in the store as you poured through bathing suits, the clack of plastic hangers scraping against metal bars mixing with the pounding of footprints on worn out fluorescent light-bleached tiles. You honestly didn't care about the type or color of swimwear at all; you were just putting off something that you didn't actually want to do.
It was stupid, really, being self-conscious when everyone at the beach wore one easily in front of everyone else...but your circumstance was a bit different. You weren't going to the beach in the middle of the day to bask in the warm sand and laugh with children in slowly-deflating blow up dolphins. No, you were only going to be seen by the one person who sometimes made you feel inadequate due to no fault of his own. Vulnerability was a scary thing, and you had a feeling this would somehow turn into more than just a swimming lesson.
In the end, you grabbed something off the rack without even bothering to try it on and tossed it on the conveyor belt, wanting to put what should be an incredibly mundane event behind you.
You threw the shopping bag on your bed when you got home, groaning at what was supposed to be something stupidly simple. "Why am I freaking out? What's the big deal? He's just going to teach me to swim, it's not- ugh, why am I nervous?!"
Maybe it was the fact that, while you were normally the one teaching him about things, it was his turn to teach you something - and you'd be completely in his element. You weren't scared, exactly. You knew Bakugou wouldn't let anything happen to you...so what was the problem? A heavy sigh left your lips as you contemplated possibilities. Well, whatever sat like a sinking weight in your stomach hopefully wouldn't wreck this whole situation. With Bakugou being such a quick learner you wanted to impress him just a little bit, to show him you weren't some ungraceful flailing fish in the water compared to his silk-like movements.
After giving yourself a pep talk you finally changed clothes - swimming outfit underneath your normal clothes - and stuffed your bag with the familiar essentials you took on your journeys to the pier. "Wish me luck," you muttered to your cat who flicked his tail at you silently. Pearl on the other hand barked excitedly, wanting to go out with you on a walk-turned-adventure no doubt. "No, sorry. You gotta stay here tonight. I'll take you to see Bakugou tomorrow. Be good, don't shit on the floor!" Closing and locking your apartment door you hoped once again that you wouldn't look like a complete moron in the water, knowing he'd bring it up to poke fun at you at every future opportunity.
By the time you made it to the pier nerves hit you once more. "No turning back now…" Bare feet hovered above the water as you watched the intensely saturated orange and yellow glow of the sunset far on the horizon. Occasionally the blurry silhouette of a boat sail might pass by, but otherwise the water was calm and the air smelled of wet sand and salt and fish. As expected, it didn't take long to feel the familiar glide of wet skin across the ball of your foot, asking silently if it was safe to surface. The soft echo of your knuckles against the wood gave Bakugou his answer.
However, rather than jump up to the pier like he normally did, the blonde merman hovered almost expectantly in the water, familiar ruby eyes looking up at you with mischief. "Well?" he asked, calling up to you.
You furrowed your brows, not understanding his game. "Well what?"
"Swimming lesson?" He flicked some water up at you just to make a point. Being patient wasn't exactly one of his strong points.
"Right now?" You assumed he could hear the hesitation in your voice when he rolled his eyes and dove under the water for a moment, reappearing next to you, strong arms keeping him aloft above the sea. He wore the bracelet you made him, like always. You assumed he hadn't taken it off since you gifted it to him.
He seemed less annoyed up close, luckily. "Scared?" he asked, not taking his eyes off you to judge the honesty of your response. You cleared your throat and attempted to look away, but his gaze was as mesmerizing as it was intimidating.
"No, not scared...nervous, I guess. Trying something for the first time makes most people nervous," you answered, hoping that would satisfy him. You watched as his eyes looked you up and down until his brows furrowed.
"Don't humans need swim clothes?" You were, indeed, wearing the clothes you normally wore that you'd explained were not fit for the water. Maybe he was trying to knock out any excuses you may come up with to postpone the lesson.
While you looked away he eyed you suspiciously. "I have swim clothes on under these, I'll have to take these off." Turning back around you noticed a distinct but new tinge of pink on his cheeks, and now it was his turn to look away. He kept his voice even to break the facade of possible embarrassment.
"Then do it," he demanded, though his tone was soft. Looking back out over the ocean you supposed it was best to start sooner rather than later while you still had sunlight. Standing up you grabbed your bag and pulled out a towel that you'd surely need later. While avoiding looking down at Bakugou you mentally said "fuck it" and stripped out of your clothes leaving only your swimwear behind.
Bakugou watched as you did so, eyes glued to newly-revealed skin. He'd observed people from afar on the beach, but you were obviously the only human he'd come in direct contact with and seen up close. Despite the fact that merpeople had different ideas of modesty and clothing was more decorative or optional than expected, he could feel the tightness in his throat and a warm sensation budding up in his face and chest at the sight. Wandering thoughts flitted into his imagination at times, but seeing you now put some assumptions to rest: from the waist up you looked like a merperson aside from the lack of more fish-like traits like gills and webbing. The lower half he needed to, well, not stare at with intense curiosity, honestly. Still...to use a word you'd introduced him to, he thought you looked very handsome.
"Stop gawking you weirdo," you mumbled, stepping out of your pants while looking over at him still hanging off the edge of the pier. Realizing he'd been caught staring Bakugou blinked and attempted to play it off as a moment merely lost in thought. "Wait, how do I get down? And, shit, how do I get back up if there's no ladder out here?" You looked around, wondering how you'd make this work since the pier wasn't exactly a spot meant for casual swimming lessons. The worry of the actual swimming had overshadowed logistical problems. Perfect.
"Just jump," Bakugou answered as if that was the most obvious choice. "Worry about getting up later."
It was easier said than done, honestly. He could help you back to shore and you'd just go back up the pier from the beach, but the last time you were in the water was when he unceremoniously pulled you down without warning. That was the first and only time he'd done something of the sort, though. With a sigh you sat back down, letting your legs dangle over the side of the pier. This time of day the air was starting to feel cool, the soft breeze of the ocean sending goosebumps over your skin. Bakugou watched but remained silent as the hair on your arms stood up, wondering if it was a natural human reaction to removing clothing or something else.
Jitters hit you once more as you looked down past your feet into the dark water below. A cool wet hand touched your own, making you jump a little at the sudden contact as your attention shifted from the vast ocean ahead of you to Bakugou next to you. Looking to the side intense ruby eyes were steady and determined.
"I catch you, just jump," he emphasized with a confident grin. Of course he'd catch you, it was never a doubt that even entered your mind. All you could do though was nod as he let go of your hand and dropped back down into the water, waiting for you to hopefully do as he asked.
"Dammit…" you said, biting your lip before taking a deep breath. "Fuck it!" Screwing your eyes shut you hopped off the pier and into the jarringly cool water below. Your arms and legs flailed as you felt surrounded by dense and overpowering darkness, encroaching and dangerous behind your closed eyes. Water shot up your nose and you couldn't breathe, panic start to set in. Suddenly something wrapped around your waist and pulled until you felt a gust of air hit your face, surfacing from the water as you gasped for air.
It took a minute for you to relax enough to open your eyes. You looked up to see the underside of the pier, barnacles and seaweed stuck to the bottom like secret pockmarks where human eyes rarely saw. The water was cool but not unbearable as you felt the goosebumps return. The arm around your waist tightened, pulling your back flush against Bakugou's chest as he rested his chin on your shoulder casually as if this was no big deal. His tail shifted under your legs, disturbing the water just enough to keep the two of you afloat easily. The rise and fall of his chest against your back acted as a gentle comfort.
"Told you," he declared, aware of his jaw moving against your skin.
"I didn't doubt you." He lifted one of your arms out of the water, turning it gently one way and then the other.
"What are these bumps?" A webbed thumb stroked across your forearm, feeling the slightly raised skin from the chilled water. His touch was considerate but inquiring.
Something you just now realized but hadn't thought about deeply was that, outside of the hair on his head, Bakugou didn't seem to have any body hair at all. It did make sense that merpeople wouldn't have hair - maybe it was an evolutionary trait - since it would create an obvious drag in the water, considering professional divers and swimmers who wore swimming caps and removed most of their body hair. He still had eyebrows and eyelashes and the hair on his head, though...but it was probably fruitless to deeply examine the logistics of merman anatomy, honestly. Considering this small difference between the two of you, one he hadn't seen before, his curiosity seemed justified.
"Oh, uh, sometimes when people are cold we get these little bumps on our skin-" He interrupted before you finished explaining.
"You're cold? But water is warm."
It most certainly, to you, was not warm. "This is warm? No, it's cold."
He just scoffed. "Cold is deep down, very far away. It warm to me, here." Oh, well shit. That made sense. Surface water that felt the heat of the sun would obviously feel warmer compared to currents flowing far below the gently curling waves plastered on beach postcards. Since Bakugou traveled between the two different depths, he would be able to tell the difference. Still, to you it was cold and nothing he said changed that fact.
"Won't be cold if you swim," he teased, starting to pull away from your back.
"W-wait, wait uh-" Without his immediate support you weren't sure what to do with your arms and legs, already starting to feel yourself lower into the water. But Bakugou was right there behind you still and caught you around the middle before you started to sink.
This...might be more difficult than he thought. Swimming came so naturally to him that he hadn't thought far enough ahead to know how to actually teach you. Since you didn't have a tail he couldn't explain things the same way, either. Although he sometimes watched people from afar he never dared close enough to strangers to actually see how they moved in the water. The only time he'd really seen a human keeping themselves afloat properly was not long after the two of you met, and that other human was pushed over the side by another. Bakugo hid himself quickly under the darkness of the pier to avoid being seen, but remembered watching her legs kick which prevented her from sinking before you helped her back onto dry land. It was a start, at least.
"Kick your feet," he declared against your ear. Putting his arms under your armpits to hold you up, he extended his hands in front of you and mimicked the motion he remembered feet and legs making underwater. "Like this."
You watched his simple display before looking down through the water at your own dangling legs, an orange and black tail disappearing gradually into the low visibility of the water below. You felt like a child being taught something you should already know, honestly, but there was no getting around it.
Hesitantly you moved your feet underwater, alternating between one and then the other, feeling how the density slowed you down more than you were expecting. It was understandable how swimmers looked so muscular and lean if their whole bodies were moving against this kind of constant resistance. You could feel Bakugou peering over your shoulder as if to make sure you were doing as he asked.
"Uh, I guess this is right, but how- wait, hold on!" His arms started to slip out from under your armpits, curious to see if you could at least keep yourself afloat like this; instead you took a page out of his own book and clamped your arms down on his to keep him in place. "Don't you dare leave, Bakugou."
"I won't leave!" You knew he was stronger than you and could probably pull out of your grip without much trouble, but instead he did something you didn't expect: he started to swim backwards, pulling you gradually away from the pier as you felt his tail vibrate the water under you with little effort. As a reaction you gripped onto his arms tighter to make sure you wouldn't slip away.
"Woah, wait, where are we going?" The safety of dry land was almost literally ripped from you as you continued your journey backwards. Luckily after a while he stopped, but not before the coast appeared as a faraway strip that blurred in your vision with the setting sun. There was no turning back, now.
"I not let you go," he said as you felt the water rushing past your sides slowly to the natural current of the waves as they drifted up and down almost simulating the intake and exhale of a living, breathing ocean. It was as calming out here as it was nerve-racking, despite having Bakugou here with you. You were reminded briefly of your dream months ago, of suffocating under a limitless darkness without air or escape or safety, of sinking into a feeling of ineluctable loneliness; and just like then someone reached out to save you, except now the strong hand had a face and voice and smile that sent warmth down your spine like sipping your favorite flavor of tea. You realized in that moment what this meant: he wanted you to trust him far away from your pillar of safety, to let him support you - both literally and figuratively. With that in mind you calmed your racing pulse...or tried to, anyway.
"I know," you answered, slowly loosening the grip on his arms. He took this as affirmation to move, but he did so quickly and always had a hand on you as he quickly appeared at your front, wrapping his hands around your forearms to keep you steady as your feet kicked below you.
Without him to lean back on you felt more unsteady, but at least you weren't sinking. The last remnants of sunlight were disappearing, the water a gradient from dark orange to blue and finally to almost black closest to shore. It was honestly beautiful this far out, your trepidation with unfamiliar territory slowly subsiding as you took in your surroundings of open water. There were no other people around, and you couldn't hear any boats nearby or planes overhead, so it seemed to be just Bakugou and yourself.
"You look like a merperson," he stated, jarring you out of your trance. He was staring at you intently as the water lapped up around your intertwined arms.
"I do?" you asked curiously. He nodded, tilting his head to the side slightly not unlike a perplexed puppy.
"Legs hidden under water. No gills, but...we look the same."
You thought about his words for a moment, processing their meaning and implication. Bakugou was right in a way; out here in liquid obscurity and outside of minor physical differences, he looked more human than ever. That simple idea of connecting to what was visible and what was hidden by water, almost acting as a sort of bridge across the gap of your two worlds and experiences, made your pulse race.
It also made you hyper aware of the bracelet bouncing gently against your forearm, flowing up and down and in and out with the ocean current.
"What you smiling at?" Bakugou followed your gaze to the bracelet, eyes widening a fraction in realization.
"Have you taken it off since I gave it to you?" Curiosity got the better of you, wanting to know if he really did keep it on all the time. He looked almost sheepish, an expression you rarely saw on him.
"No," he answered, crimson eyes glued to the floating jewelry.
You cleared your throat, bringing his attention back to you as a question you'd considered asking multiple times only now seemed appropriate. "When I gave it to you, your friend seemed kind of upset. Is it something bad for merpeople and you just didn't want to tell me?"
Bakugou seemed jarred by the question, brows furrowing and lips forming a thin line before shaking his head from side to side as damp blonde hair swishing across his forehead. "No, not bad. It…" He trailed off, and you got the sense that he was having an inner debate on whether or not to voice whatever ideas were floating around in his head. His non-answer gave you insight into your question, though: it did have some type of meaning, but of what kind you weren't sure.
"You don't have to tell me, I was just curious. If you like it that's all I care about," you muttered, shrugging a bit. You were adjusting to the cool water, but sudden movements splashed droplets onto your skin above the water making you shiver a bit. A warm bath when you got home sounded heavenly.
A webbed thumb glided slowly across your forearm, almost unnoticed if you weren't already hyper-aware of your surroundings and the one person keeping you properly afloat in open water. You watched as he opened and closed his mouth several times, as if he was just on the cusp of letting the words spill out.
"It's alright if-" but he cut you off, apparently deciding to be forward rather than keep you in the dark.
"I do like it!" he all but snapped, which caught you off-guard. Bakugou reeled himself back as you watched the muscles in his neck tense when he swallowed an invisible lump. "Gift like this...for merpeople, it usually given by someone to…" Once again Bakugou trailed off, and even in the dim remnants of sunset you could distinguish what could only be called a faint blush on his cheeks. "...potential mate." The last bit was barely audible, but you caught it.
Your legs promptly stopped working as you started to sink.
"Wh- oh!" Before the water reached your chin Bakugou pulled you forward enough - still an arms length away - to keep you afloat using the momentum of the water until you got a hold of yourself, kicking your feet to bring you back up to the surface proper. "Shit...uh…"
Now the two of you were left in awkward silence as you processed his words: the gift you gave him was apparently something merpeople used as a kind of, what, engagement present?! He'd mentioned mates before when you first discussed the concept of dating, but you hadn't asked about it since then because of his aversion to the subject when he told you he didn't have a mate.
Oh. Oh, fuck. That realization made you feel incredibly warm and flustered despite the bumps still littering your arms from the cool water and sea air. Bakugou stared at you almost worriedly, probably wondering if he should have kept his mouth shut.
"Bakugou...what's your definition of 'mate'? What does it mean for your people?" Managing to gain your voice back you really needed to know what the hell this meant. He'd accepted the bracelet and seemed happy with it, but now you had a partial answer when questioning why his friend Kirishima seemed concerned: you gave Bakugou a gift which now, you assumed, meant you were interested in him being a mate...whatever the hell that meant. Kirishima was just looking out for his friend.
The merman froze at your question, hands stiffening around your forearms as he avoided your own stare. After a moment he seemed to pull back in the determination you saw in him so often. "Mates are bonded. Make promise to help each other, support each other. Bonds can be broken...but rare. It means they together in all ways."
Again you felt the bracelet move against your skin, but you were only focused on Bakugou now. "Is it like a marriage?" you asked with furrowed brows, still needing more clarification that this "bond" he spoke of wasn't just an intense, dedicated friendship.
"What's marriage?" he asked. Oh, now it was your turn for explanations.
"Uh, well...remember a long while back when I told you about dating?" He nodded, prompting you to continue. "Marriage is like dating, except you commit yourself to someone on a more long-term level. It's not just spending time with someone who you care about, it's sort of like a bond, I guess, between people who love each other." You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, chest coming back in towards your spine almost shakily as you finished explaining. Bakugou's fingers shifted against your arm, again.
"Do you give gifts?" he asked a bit hesitantly.
You gave him a nod. "Yeah, but note bracelets like yours. Humans give rings that go on your fingers," you explained, wiggling one of your hands, not wanting to let go of his arm completely. "I don't think you can wear rings, though, because of the skin between your fingers."
At that he looked down at his own hand, stretching one finger and then another, pulling tight the membrane of skin between the joints.
"You said 'a gift like this' so what does that mean? They aren't always bracelets?" you asked among the back and forth of questions.
By now the sun had disappeared leaving you in water that reminded you of ink, the current shifting and gentle breeze urging the surface forwards and backwards as a bright white moon spotlighted the two of you as if on stage for no audience besides the stars.
He shook his head. "No. Gift must be made, not found. Special for...for the other person." Ah, now you understood. You'd crafted the bracelet specifically with Bakugou in mind; honestly it was thoughtful and kind of romantic, making such an important gift for someone compared to buying an expensive and cold ring in jewelry store.
"So now, I have to ask...when you took my gift, what did you expect? Or, I guess, what...what do you want it to mean?" You swallowed hard, wanting almost to sink into the covers of your bed and hide from whatever expectant answer he gave to such a loaded question.
Immediately you could feel him tense against your forearms and avoid your gaze as you stared at him, Bakugou's silhouette almost glowing from the radiating light of the moon in the nearly cloudless sky. You could feel your heart beating against your chest in anticipation as you watched him fidget and gather his thoughts. He rarely left a question unanswered, though this was definitely one of the more emotionally heavier questions you'd thrown his way since meeting him months ago.
Red eyes avoided you still as his mouth moved, voice barely audible against the waves and occasional seagull overhead. "I swam from home, they not want me, say I'm reckless...bring danger…" His breath trailed off, and for a moment you weren't sure if this was his way of changing the subject or if there was a roundabout goal at the end of whatever tunnel of memories he was barreling towards.
He took a trembling breath before continuing. "I train to keep them safe, keep home safe...but instead I hurt-"
"Bakugou, it's not-"
"Who would want me?!" he all but screamed, interrupting your attempt at comfort. If you were on solid ground you might have jumped at the outburst, but instead remained stationary as his hands gripped your forearms as if he would be the one to float away or sink instead of yourself. You stared at his face, contorted between some internalized fear of isolation and rejection coupled with insecurities that bubbled up to the surface like a boiling pot ready to whistle. It made your throat go dry and your spine chill at the idea that Bakugou - normally strong and determined and brutally honest - was still hurting from the idea of rejection from his home and everything he knew, and he now projected that fear into the idea that no one would want him.
His voice now lowered to barely a shudder, but his jaw was clenched tightly and the muscles in his arms and neck bulged from unintended strain. "I not protect them, my home, what I train to do. How could I protect mate?"
You weren't expecting such an outburst, honestly, but it made sense considering the only times he'd let his emotions loose so freely and vehemently were during moments of anger or vulnerability. Despite the water growing colder and your legs growing tired from keeping you afloat in the rise and fall of gentle night waves like star-stained ink, the shiver you felt speed through your veins had nothing to do with the environment. Bakugou, who you cared about so deeply and passionately at this point, felt like no one would want him due to him fleeing his home in favor of his own self-preservation and safety. He'd come a long way with his self-blame, but apparently this specific topic remained an open wound. Aside from Kirishima and yourself...he was alone, and that crippling idea nearly brought tears to the corners of your eyes. However, he had not answered your question properly; did he think you…?
Whispering his name brought Bakugou back from whatever depressive echo of self-inflicted guilt that began weaving its way into his mind as his expression softened. The grip on your forearms remained steady, though.
"Listen to me. If anyone sees you as dangerous, or a threat, or uncaring then they're fucking blind, honestly," you rattled off with as steady a voice you could muster while gripping the muscles underneath his cool wet skin. "Maybe I haven't relayed it to you properly, and for that I'm sorry. Emotions are hard to vocalize, sometimes, when you aren't sure how they'll be received...but I need you to know something."
Attempting to swallow before moving forward proved difficult, your throat a mixture of dry and constricting, as if molasses clung to your airway and stopped halfway down. Bakugou's fixed stare and expression of concentrated attention pushed you forward.
"When I first met you I wasn't sure what to think. It was some weird combination of excited and scared and happy all at the same time. You were a myth, a fantasy, that I didn't think existed...it was hard to believe, honestly." You watched as his brows furrowed, probably wondering what this had to do with the heaviness of the current topic. "Just...lemme talk, all of this has a point I promise."
He nodded and you continued, again focusing on sorting out your words and thoughts while trying not to think about how cold the water had become.
"But I kept coming back, and realized I wasn't dreaming or going crazy. You're very real, there's no denying that. We couldn't even talk properly in the beginning, but I think a lot can be said without words, too."
You thought about all the small and fleeting glances he curved your way when he thought you wouldn't notice, and how Bakugou gradually became more comfortable with close contact and cursory touches. One of his current favorite spots was resting across your lap, his tail dangling lazily over the edge of the pier as you told him stories about faraway places that he'd never have the pleasure of visiting himself while one of your hands lazily wound its way into his damp hair. Those evenings were always calm and enjoyable.
"You've also changed a lot...in a good way, I mean. There was a lot of baggage rolling around in your head about your circumstances for leaving your home, and I know you still feel guilty even though you shouldn't." He tensed against your arms as you brought up the topic of home, even though he'd started the conversation with this very story. "I mean it, Bakugou. You shouldn't feel like it was your fault."
He started to protest. "But-"
You cut him off before any more self-depreciating words came out. "No! Fuck, I'm absolutely serious right now. Do you have any idea how much you've helped me since we met?"
The question caught him unawares, ruby eyes staring at you with his mouth slightly agape, as if the ideas was as unbelievable as the idea that merpeople were real. This was turning into a long-winded display of emotional vomit, but you couldn't stop now; too much remained unsaid.
"I think it started when I got stood up on that stupid date, and I was alone and felt like shit...then you showed up kinda out of nowhere and kept me company and made me laugh, and I think I knew then that I wanted to keep coming back to see you, because it felt good when we were together. Jesus it's cold now," you mumbled, shivering a bit. It was now a distraction that you couldn't really ignore. Bakugou must have either heard or noticed because you were jerked forward by your arms nearly into his chest, close enough now for your fingertips to brush against the sides of his torso if you willed them to. It was difficult to resist.
"I'm used to cold. If you want to go back-" Shaking your head you dismissed his head.
"No, no I'll be fine. This uh, swimming lesson is pretty shit honestly but that's fine. There will be other days to teach me." An almost offended looked look crossed his handsome face. "I can kick my legs but otherwise I'm useless."
"Are not!" he protested, but you just laughed at his literal interpretation of your words.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I just meant with swimming and keeping my priorities straight now. So let me continue my ranting. Remember when you practically yelled at how I was better than all other humans, and that everyone else was stupid?" you asked with a slight grin.
Rather than look embarrassed he seemed proud at the memory. "It true, they are stupid. You not," he emphasized once more, voice close and confident.
You hummed before continuing once more. "That stuck with me, you know. A lot of things you said have. In a way it's...kept me safe, just like you wanted."
In the quiet of the night you heard his breath hitch in his throat and felt his fingers tighten around your upper arms and saw the sparkling of stars reflected in his eyes the color of shimmering rubies. His silence spurred you forward. "I care about you, Bakugou, I need you to know that...which is why I'm going to ask again: what do you want the bracelet to mean? Because the idea that no one would want you is fuckin' absurd, honestly."
The words fell from your lips before you could stop them, but you couldn't take them back as realization hit. It was about time he knew how you felt, and it hurt too much seeing him talk shit about himself thinking of potential rejection.
Still in the cool water you sensed his strong tail swishing beneath your feet, occasionally feeling the brush of fins against your soles like whispers of the deep. Bakugou looked away, off in a direction that stretched into nothing but dark, open water. Afraid he might not answer, your fingertips skimmed the cool skin of his torso, a minuscule something to bring his attention back to you; it worked as he slowly turned back to you, expression unreadable outside of furrowed brows beneath pale blonde hair.
His mouth opened as if to speak, but nothing came out if his voice had drifted off into the current swaying the two of you from side to side. Maybe he didn't understand the full meaning of your words, but you wanted to hear his response before elaborating. "I...I not have legs, I can't go where you go."
Maybe he did understand, but something - a threadbare rope, fraying and weak and ready to snap - still held him back as he avoided a direct answer.
"Do you give a shit that I don't have a tail?"
The look he gave you made laughter bubbled up in your chest, something close to a sneer as if your question was ludicrous; it was a small break in the heavy conversation. "Hell no! Legs weird but I still like 'em," he said with a slight blush coating his face.
"You're weird."
"No, you," he spat back, familiar smirk returning.
"I know where we meet is kind of limited, but that little photo exchange we did a while back helped a bit. And I mean, I'm out here, aren't I? It's small, but it's a step. You even said earlier I looked like a merperson."
"I can never look human…" Dejection littered his tone as he aired out the one-sidedness of this exchange. But you shook your head to dismiss his unfounded concerns.
"That's not true; and what makes someone human isn't how they look. There are humans with no legs, some have no arms, and others might not be able to talk or see. Appearance isn't what makes a person human, Bakugou."
He seemed genuinely taken aback by that information, apparently under the assumption that all humans must have two arms and two legs. "No legs…? How they walk?"
"Some sit in chairs with wheels to get around, like wheels that are on cars. Some have fake legs they can put on to get around," you answered with a shrug. "The point is...humans all look different, and a lack of something doesn't make someone less human."
"Then...what make someone human?" Low and almost breathless he asked the question you knew he needed explained.
Slowly you brought a hand up out of the water and resisted a twitch at the sudden wave of cool air that hit your damp skin as you poked a single finger at his chest, right where you assumed his heart would be. "In here, what you feel makes you human. And you have a tail, and gills, and fins for ears, but who cares? If those details didn't make me pull away when we met, why would I pull away now?"
Placing your palm flat against his muscled chest you met his stare; he really was beautiful, and no amount of scars or emotional baggage would change that fact. You swore you could feel his pulse accelerate underneath your skin.
One of his hands - the one with the bracelet - came up to hesitantly touch your own chest, fingertips pressing into your skin like a mimic. Just that small gesture sent shivers down your spine that had nothing to do with the cold water. A plane few far overhead, lights blinking and moving like a slow-moving shooting star, but you didn't even notice.
"We both bleed, and we both breathe, and we both have beating hearts. We're alive and can communicate and spend time together...do you understand?" He'd remained silent for too long, and you needed something, small as it may be, to make you feel like this wasn't in vain.
After an eternity that passed by in no more than thirty seconds he nodded, eyes never leaving yours. "What you feel...make you human?" Keeping your hand on his chest you smiled.
"Yeah. And I mean, I'm no merperson...but maybe it's something similar? Unless I suck at swimming so much I look like a flailing fish," you said in an attempt to break the seriousness of the conversation. That did force the corners of his lips up as he rolled his eyes at your antics.
"You definitely not fish...too clumsy." At that jab you took your hand away from his chest and splashed him in the face, but of course he was unaffected by the spray of water, smiling at you with familiar mischief.
"Asshole…" you mumbled, just low enough for him not to hear. "But anyway, what I'm trying to say is, uh...if you want the bracelet to hold your meaning then…" trailing off you could see him watching you intently, still close enough for your fingertips to lightly graze his body where his more human half transitioned into fish scales of orange and black and gold. No holding back, now. "...then I accept, Bakugou."
Immediately he stilled, not that he was moving around much to begin with, but his webbed hand around your upper arm tensed and the corners of his mouth twitched and his pretty red eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed against his pale skin nearly glowing in the darkness. His breath was a shudder in the night.
"You...you want to...with…?" Words failed him as Bakugou processed your answer. On reflex you laughed seeing his normal confidence had disappeared for a majority of this conversation.
"I feel like I've talked a lot, so why don't you let me know what you think of all this? You still haven't given me a real answer, by the way. I've just been going off assumptions, really. Don't hold back." You grabbed the hand sporting the bracelet and ran your now pruney fingers along the weave; it looked no worse for wear compared to when you gifted it to him weeks ago, so your choice of materials proved appropriate.
Maybe he took it as a challenge seeing you be so open and honest during this failure of a swimming lesson. Suddenly you felt him dip and sink below the water, nearly pulling you down with him in as his head disappeared underneath the surface briefly before coming back up, easing your brief panic. He shook his hair from side to side, spraying you with cool salt water like he always did. When he looked up you noted his change in demeanor, a new vigor and determination in his eyes. A splash of cool water can do wonders to clear the mind, sometimes.
"I not as good with words as you, but you teach me a lot. You not scared of me, you not run away or think I'm bad. Give me food, teach me words, show me pictures...say I'm important, and handsome," he divulged, practically puffing out his chest at the word "handsome" like the smug motherfucker he was. "You listen, and patient, and helpful...help me like I help you."
His hand, cool and wet and strong, twisted just enough to line his fingers up with yours, fingertips pressing against the near-invisible swirls imbedded into your skin. Eventually he continued, eyes trained on your own.
"You teach me to not blame myself, for bad things…" A wash of warmth spread over you like fresh apple cider on a winter evening as the words left his mouth in something barely above a whisper, but he held you close enough for it to register. "Scars on tail aren't bad, you say I look strong," he added a bit more forcefully.
"You are strong, and smart, and whole lot of other things, too. You're better than most people I know." The confidence that drew you in like fish to a baited lure started to peek through with every compliment you tossed his way.
"You...important. Even dumb Kirishima saw. That why he was upset...he know I care. Don't want to be alone."
Again you were reminded of the drunken evening on the pier after your failed date, wallowing briefly in self-loathing and imagining a future alone, absent of the warmth and comfort and company of another. Things had drastically changed for the better since meeting Bakugou and you wouldn't exchange your evenings with him for, well, anything honestly. You knew how you felt - you'd known for a while even through nights of denial - but as the water around you grew colder the compulsion to blurt it out multiplied with each passing minute.
With fingers still pressed against his you held back a shiver. "Bakugou. You're an amazing person - and yeah, I do think of you as a person with a tail, basically. We went over that bit earlier," you declared while trying not to shiver in the water. "It means a lot that I'm important to you...because you're important to me too. And if you're alright with what we have now then that's what I want going forward. Look, what I'm trying to say is...uh.."
With furrowed brows the merman with piercing red eyes stared right at you and said "Spit it out," impatient for your honesty despite his own hesitancy in revealing emotional vulnerability.
"I love you," you blurted out. Well, there it was, out in the open. As soon as the words left your mouth your ears and face felt noticeably warm as a blush flooded your skin with the open-air confession. Immediately Bakugou stilled - even his tail moving steadily underneath your feet all this time came to a distinct halt for a moment - and you swore a shooting star reflected across his eyes like firelight in a wooded campground: a spark of warmth and life in the darkness.
His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out, and honestly this was about as close to a fish he'd ever looked with wide eyes and stunned almost blank expression.
"Fuck it, yeah, I love you, Bakugou. Like, I'm in love with you and I can't not hold that in anymore." You spoke and as long as the words flowed from your heart you didn't plan on stopping, because if you did the fear of being totally defenseless in his element surrounded by open water in the silent aftermath of an incredibly blunt love confession scared the shit out of you. "Along with all the other stuff I've blabbered on about all night and past nights and everything up to this point, I think about you before I go to sleep, and sometimes you even show up in my dreams. But you aren't always a merman, sometimes you're just a feeling or a color or a sensation and I still know it's you because there's no one else it could be, and I wake up feeling happy even though I wake up alone and you aren't there. I like the way you sorta purr like a cat when I run my hand through your hair, or when you look flustered when I catch you staring and you think I don't know, or how nice it feels to just sit in silence with you on the pier and enjoy your company, and-"
"Shut up," Bakugou interrupted. He seemed almost breathless despite being silent while you spilled your emotionally vulnerable guts to him.
"Wh..what? I'm not-"
"Stop talking." Your eyes seemed unfocused and blurry on everything outside of his smoldering stare. Bakugou reached forward to cup your face under your jaw, cool fingers experimental on your skin before his expression changed to the dogged determination of someone about to jump off a cliff into the abyss of weightless uncertainty. In one swift motion he pulled you forward, water splashing up between the two of you, and smashed his mouth against yours.
He'd never kissed before, that much was obvious. It was lopsided and messy and rough and your noses brushed awkwardly, but you didn't care. His lips were surprisingly warm in comparison to his hands, which held your face like a gravitational pull, his fingers tickling the space behind your earlobes and feeling the muscles tense in your neck. Your nose was filled with the familiar smell of salt and smoldering campfires, his breath alighting gently across the peach fuzz of your cheek.
Bakugou pulled away and opened his eyes - you were close enough to see the endless spectrum of flaming stars in his pupils, the gold flecks in his tail mirrored like glitter in faceted rubies - an unasked question lingering in his stare.
"Why'd you stop?" you asked. Before he could react you grabbed his shoulders and brought him back to you, unable to resist his magnetic pull. He tensed for a moment before sinking back into your lips, his hands curving up the back of your neck and winding into your wet hair.
Your legs kicked distractedly to keep you afloat, but Bakugou held the both of you up easily - his tail disturbing the dark water below with slow rhythmic movement - as one arm snaked to the small of your back so you were now flush with his chest, the bracelet brushing against the bare skin of your spine. One hand shifted over his shoulder to dig your fingertips into his strong back muscles. Time seemed to stand still as months of emotional buildup ruptured in a single point of requited contact, your chest filling up with the taste and touch and smell of him to erase a hollow ache that had been slowly fading for months.
He was eager, and you obliged without complaint. Small gasps and the sound of slippery skin filling your ears like a symphony of sensation. You moved faster and he matched the pace, adjusting to this new affection with the energy and fervor Bakugou poured into everything he did in his pursuit of being the best he could at whatever was thrown his way.
…Until he accidentally bit your lip, causing you to pull away. "Ow, shit…watch the teeth." You tasted the brief tang of iron on your tongue, opening your eyes for the first time in minutes to see him staring back at you with an apologetic look. "It's ok, don't worry about it," you said, but he leaned forward with slowed movements to softly kiss away the sting of blood before touching your foreheads together - one arm still wrapped securely around the small of your back - and looked at you with unwavering acceptance.
"Is it true?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper against your skin.
"Is what true?" you replied almost breathless.
"What you said." You could feel the beating of his heart against your chest, slightly off-tempo from your own. Maybe his heart was bigger or smaller than yours; maybe it was hooked up differently to accommodate dense low depths far below the water's surface; maybe it was a different color than yours, but none of that mattered. His blood was still red, pumping into the muscle that vibrated against your skin like a drum with no sound.
"Yeah, I meant it. I don't take back a single word." A light laugh bubbled up like spun cotton candy, sweet and full of air. "You know how long I've been wanting to say all that?"
He smiled and rolled his eyes before bringing you close once more, but instead rested his chin in the crook of your neck and nuzzled against you; at this point he was basically a catfish with how many shared traits he displayed with your own cat at home. Breathe warm on your ear he asked "Too long?"
This moment felt like a lucid dream, an event so nearly unbelievable but you still controlled most of the situation as you nodded against his shoulder and hummed in quiet answer.
"As much as I'd like to stay out here with you, can we uh...go back to the pier? Because I'm gonna freeze at this point," you mumbled. Hours spent in the cold water wasn't exactly planned and your toes were starting to go numb in addition to knowing you'd come out looking like a wrinkled prune.
However, your thoughts were interrupted as your vision captured something a bit odd...a shape in the water? It moved against the direction of the waves so it didn't appear like floating trash or- oh...oh, no.
"Bakugou," you urgently whispered next to his fin-like ear. "L-look, there's a, uh-" Panic started to set in as you pushed him away by his shoulders, seeing the confusion in his face. "Look!" you exclaimed, taking his face in your palms and turning him to stare at what caught your attention.
A sharp intake of breath cut through the salty air as you felt his fingers dig into your skin, ruby eyes fixated pointedly on a moving triangular silhouette, black and solid and highlighted at the top by minimal moonlight, separating it from the backdrop of night.
A vicious and low growl echoed in your ears as anger radiated from Bakugou like flames licking up from a torch; you'd never seen him so livid and it was almost frightening, but you knew the spike in temper wasn't directed towards you. The silhouette sliced through the water like a dagger through flesh as it started to circle around. Luckily Bakugou and yourself hovered between the shore and what you assumed now was a dorsal fin, so it wasn't blocking your exit...yet.
"We go now," he hissed, eyes still fixated on the gliding shape in the water as he watched and waited for any sudden movements or reactions. You felt an arm wrap around your midsection while also noticing you were slowly being pulled against the current, Bakugou dragging you back towards shore. Although the fin moved at an odd pace back and forth it still seemed just a bit slower than Bakugou's own rate of speed. Eyes of fire remained focused behind you knowing it was a straight shot back to shore as your heart rate accelerated behind your cold skin.
His powerful tail beat below your useless feet, propelling him forward as the fin - you still had no idea what the shape belonged to but you had no desire to find out - suddenly dove under the water and disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. A seen enemy was no doubt less dangerous than invisible one, and Bakugou must have read your mind as his speed increased drastically, the pier finally closing in and the near-endless oceanic expanse stretched once more into darkness. The fin did not reappear.
Rather than stopping at the pier he kept going, no doubt remembering you needed a route to walk back up to your familiar spot. Only when the water was shallow enough for your feet to feel sand and shells and rocks did he finally stop, a strong arm still wrapped around your torso protectively and eyes scanning around for any sign of movement in the water as if on autopilot.
"Bakugou," you whispered against his temple. He didn't react. "Hey, it's alright, we're OK." Again he remained still, a living statue in the water. Finally you brought your pruney hands up to cup his face and force him to face you, jumping a bit at your touch. Now that you could look into your eyes his expression - one of definite fear as his anger softened and dissipated - it broke your heart, reminding you of the look he gave when first describing the shark that ultimately drove him from home.
"You safe…" he finally mumbled, eyes seeing you truly for the first time since he started swimming back to shore. Lurching forward he wrapped his arms around you tightly, head buried between your neck and shoulder as the fins of his tail ghosted across the shallow water. Your own hands come up to rest on his back as you held each other in comfort.
"We're safe, we're fine," you said in some attempt to console him despite your own pulse still racing from the fact you'd been literally chased by something in the water. He held you as if afraid you might sink and disappear from his arms like sand through open fingers. As much as you wanted to stay here your body was about at it's limit from the cold water so postponing a retreat was no longer an option. "Hey, I need to get out of the water and back onto the pier. Can you meet me over in our spot?"
Reluctantly Bakugou loosened his hold on you though he didn't meet your eyes as he nodded and began backing away...but instead you kissed his cheek softly, lips brushing against his cool smooth skin. That seemed to rouse him a bit from his trance, finally letting go so you could walk up to shore, looking back over your shoulder as he watched you intently as if to make sure you were still safe.
Now out of the water the breeze felt especially cold on your skin as you shivered while trying to keep your teeth from comically clacking together. Scanning the area to make sure no one was neither on the pier nor watching you the flickering old lamps overhead highlighted your path down to the end of the long familiar walkway as you feft damp footprints in the wood grain like the ghost in the night retracing old and forgotten steps towards a watery demise.
Bakugou already sat on the edge of the pier, no doubt wanting to get out of the water for the time being. Luckily all of your things seemed in order so no one had come by and stolen or messed with anything while you'd been wholly distracted by a swimming lesson turned love confession. That idea sent butterflies fluttering through your chest as you quickly grabbed up your towel and wrapped it around your shoulders before sitting down next to the merman who had, despite any and all fantastical and unexpected circumstances, captured your heart.
"Hey," you said, nudging him in the shoulder. "You saved me, you know. So you can forget about your worries with keeping me or anyone else safe. ."
"Say it again," he muttered, barely audible even in the silent echo of the evening as it grew colder and later. You knew what he referred to.
"I love you, Bakugou."
"Again."
"I love you."
"More," he said almost urgently, turning towards you with eyes no longer scared but instead asking a silent question of reassurance: to make sure this wasn't a dream, to make sure you were safe, to make sure he could see the honest passion and vulnerability behind your own eyes.
"I love you," you said once more before he reached forward and wrapped his arms around your neck, pulling you in for a searing kiss as if it was the last one he might ever taste...but it wasn't, and it wouldn't be.
The air sang with soft words and a safeguard of protection under the moon, a glowing audience in a sky full of eyes: witnesses to warm blood vibrating against cold skin and beating hearts echoing like a chorus in chests no longer empty with loneliness.
After a while he'd finally calmed down from fearing for your safety, but was no less affectionate as he lay across your lap, tail wrapped loosely around one of your legs as it dangled over the edge towards the water, your arms wrapped around his waist and your chin resting atop his damp hair. One webbed hand lazily but carefully toyed with the strands in his bracelet. It was extremely late at this point, and treading water for long had left you exhausted, but leaving now felt premature. He seemed tired as well - both physically and emotionally - but neither of you were ready to let go of the other quite yet. There was one last thing you needed to ask of him before you went back home.
"Bakugou...I need to ask something of you."
"What?" he inquired, craning his head up to look you in the eyes. He was absolutely not going to like this.
"Don't get mad...well, you might, but just hear me out before you start yelling." At that he furrowed his brows with a bit of concern, but kept silent as you continued. "I want you here with me, to keep visiting you everyday."
At your words he grinned. "You better," he said although he was well aware your words rang true.
Taking a deep breath to steel yourself you said "I need you to go back home...back to your home. You only have to go once but-"
"Why?!" he immediately spat, obviously not expecting such a demand from you. "I not want to go back! They not want me, so why should I?"
You predicted this type of response, but he needed to understand why you'd ask something of him that he was obviously opposed to after what he'd experienced.
"Bakugou, just listen for a second," you protested, taking your hands away from his waist to sit on his scaled shoulders. "I know you don't want to go back, and I would never ask you to do this unless I thought it was fucking important for you to move forward from your past. I think you need the closure of knowing they all don't hate you, or are mad at you, and none of it was your fault; despite what you assume I don't think it'll be nearly as bad as you think."
"I know they hate me," he insisted, still clearly upset at your request. "I just want to be here with you, not there."
A heavy sigh escaped through your nose knowing this would be an uphill battle. "I won't make you go if you really don't want to...but I think it would be good for you, believe it or not. I know you miss your home at least sometimes. And who knows, if things go well that means you can visit again, see your friends and family. I'll be right here waiting for you, I'm not going to leave and I'm not asking you to leave, either. All I'm saying is take a chance...like you took a chance on me, I guess."
His eyes softened a bit as he held onto the edge of the towel wrapped around your shoulders, the gears turning in his head as he processed everything. After a minute his head dropped to your shoulder, nuzzling in close under your chin once more.
"I need to think...before I answer," he finally consented, which was as good an answer as you could ask for from such a dense question.
The two of you remained on the pier for a while longer, your fingers running through his hair while one of his arms wrapped around the back of your waist to keep you close. It had been an exhaustingly long evening, so you weren't too surprised at seeing Bakugou very nearly asleep on top of you, a look of calm serenity covering him for the first time that night. As cute as the sight was, you nudged him awake and earned a bit of a growl in response.
"Bakugou, wake up. I need to go back home," you whispered against his hair before he pulled away and yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Come back tomorrow?" he asked drowsily, despite already knowing your answer.
"Always," you answered. "I'm yours, after all."
That declaration woke him up a bit as he pulled you in by the towel around your neck. "Damn right," he said without hesitation and that confident smirk of his before kissing you again. Suddenly, though, his eyes shot open and he pulled back, nearly yanking your bottom lip with him.
"What's-"
"I love you!" he blurted out, his cheeks flushed and eyes now filled with a wordless apology. "I not say it before...but I do. You my mate now, you mine."
Every ounce of cold etched in your bones immediately fled off into the night air like snow pitched away from a covered driveaway and replaced seamlessly with a flood of fiery warmth. You couldn't keep the goofy smile from your face and he couldn't help but mirror the smile. "I know, Bakugou."
"Katsuki," he stated, uncharastically shy.
"Hm? What's 'katsuki'?"
He shifty a bit but didn't take his eyes off you. "My name...but Bakugou also my name. 'Katsuki' is for mate and family only." That bit of information sent another spark of affection through you; a name only reserved for those closest to him, a name only for you. One more secret to hold dear.
"Katsuki…" you said, the syllables experimental on your lips. A tired but satisfied expression reached from his tail to his hairline as if hearing his newly-learned name equated in importance to your earlier outpouring confession. "I like it. Katsuki is a good name."
"I love you, (y/n)," he breathed, and hearing your own name in his raspy voice urged you forward to kiss him again, never wanting to forget this evening or series of moments or treasured memories.
All good things must come to an end, however temporary. You were dry enough to slip back into your clothes, and this time Katsuki's eyes glued to your movements unabashedly until you were fully clothed.
"Time for me to head home. I'll be back tomorrow, same time same place," you said, bending down to wish him a good night. The promise of returned meetings for future days to come took some sting away from the goodbye, but it was still hard. Katsuki nodded, leaning up for one last brush of lips on your own; this kiss was softer and more chaste than the rest as he learned quickly, not unlike with everything else he did.
"Tomorrow," he muttered, letting go of your intertwined fingers as you sluggishly walked to the opposite side of the pier. This would undoubtedly be a difficult road ahead, but you'd work through the obstacles together as you figured out how all of this would work. You turned around to see if Katsuki had disappeared yet, but his silhouette remained watching your retreating steps. You waved in a "see you later" gesture and saw him mimic the movement before you spun on your heel, unable to keep the grin off your face. It reminded you of the very first time you met him, a small delicate brush of exploratory fingers before you were dragged away by prying security and a subtle wave of "until we meet again" that you suspected he returned without your knowledge.
Real life for you now was far more interesting than some fairy tale, and you wouldn't have it any other way.