I really should be sleeping right now since I open tomorrow morning, but, oh well lol. I'm trying to get my stories back on track and I'm always tired and stressed anyway XD.

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 5

Bakugo was brilliant, strong, and gifted with everything he did, so he was bound to be arrogant and prideful. When he'd come across a young Mer in need, he'd jumped in without hesitation because he never thought twice about starting a fight, no matter who his opponent was.

He didn't know at the time that Midoriya was going to be the bane of his existence for the rest of his life when he practically dragged him back to Yuuei, but he supposed that's what he got for helping some damn stranger.

For almost a month afterward, the only thing that the green-tailed Mer had done other than hiss in fear and aggression at anyone who came near him was mumbled out his name. Katsuki thought he'd said Deku, laughing about how perfect it was since the young boy was so obviously useless that he couldn't even fight his own battles.

Bakugo, of course, was painfully aware that it wasn't true. Midoriya had been surrounded by multiple sharks and was holding his own, but in a warped sense, that was the only way Katsuki knew how to show his respect for someone he considered an equal. Besides, it was easier on his pride to hound Deku for making him feel like he wasn't the absolute best.

It made it so much worse that Katsuki had never particularly liked anyone, but found that he had a strange sense of companionship with Izuku even if it was based on insults and overly aggressive sparing. He hated that he couldn't simply shove Deku to the back of his mind like all the other extras, and it burned him even more that once Midoriya warmed up to everyone, he quickly became Yuuei's favorite.

When Toshinori had chosen his successor, he'd known in his heart it wouldn't be him. Although it took every ounce of willpower in his strong, fourteen-year-old body, he'd slightly lowered his eyes when Izuku was picked and stood in front of their people as the new heir.

However, Midoriya would often sneak off in the early mornings and not return until sunset when he didn't have training to do. Bakugo had shrugged it off or minimally scolded him for it for years, knowing first hand how hard it was to be cooped up in one place after spending most of your life free to come and go when you pleased.

But, since the boy had turned sixteen, those outings had become more frequent. Everyone noticed, but Deku would laugh off any questions and dodge giving real answers. Because of his good-hearted nature and considerable skill, he was always able to get out of trouble and seemed to be above suspicion, even with the King.

Bakugo, however, was starting to lose patience. His understanding of Izuku's need for what he guessed was solitude was limited, especially now that he would eventually be charged with protecting their entire race. He couldn't just go off on his own and potentially get killed because he was feeling a little stir crazy.

So, a few months ago he'd decided to tail him from a distance, taking it on himself to protect the small Mer if anything should happen. Katsuki had found this task to be incredibly difficult though because Izuku did just about everything in his power to ensure he couldn't be followed.

That fact made Bakugo even more suspicious. If Deku was just going out to swim, then there wasn't any need to hide where he was going.

Today was the first time he'd been able to pick up his trail and mostly keep it, only having to backtrack a couple of times before finding him at a shoreline—somewhere he definitely wasn't supposed to be. Just as he was about to call out for him, he saw a pair of legs moving near the closest thing he had to a friend.

Without thinking about what could possibly be going on, his mind connected a human next to Deku and immediately decided he was about to get killed. He surged forward, whipping his tail towards the teens head to kill or at least stun him long enough to drag Izuku to safety.

But Midoriya had blocked him, tackling him to the ocean floor after pushing the human away from them. He felt the rage that had been simmering in his chest explode, and he violently twisted them, the two devolving into a fight.

"What the fucking hell, Deku!" Bakugo screamed, smacking at him harshly with his tail.

The smaller Mer dodged and countered, managing to swat Katsuki farther away from Shoto, only to be grabbed and thumped on the reef. He could feel the coral biting into his back, cutting the soft skin there. "He's my friend, Kacchan!" Izuku screamed, rearing up so he could headbutt him.

The blonde reeled back, his nose bleeding from the impact. He growled loudly and attacked again, the two twisting around each other and knocking into just about any hard surface that was near while they shouted.

"Have you fucking lost your little nerd mind? He'll kill you!" Bakugo snapped, managing to twist the boy's arm enough to hear a sickening pop and subsequent shriek. But Midoriya still didn't back down.

The smaller Mer flipped their positions and held Katsuki's face into the dirt, his sharp nails cutting into his shoulders while he hit Bakugo's tail with his own, the force discoloring its red scales with an immediate and painful bruise. He did it again for good measure, successfully pinning the blonde even if he still struggled to free himself.

"No, he won't Kacchan! I've known him for years! He's nice and Kirishima is part Mer! Stop it! That's an order!"

Bakugo shook in rage but stilled, his attempts to buck Izuku off of his back ending abruptly. Whether he liked it or not, Midoriya had been chosen as the next heir to Yuuei, and he had to obey a direct order or risk treason.

"You stupid fucking useless Deku. He. Is. HUMAN. Who gives a fuck if the other one is part Mer? He's not able to form a tail and will align himself with that two-colored bastard if it comes down to it." He seethed, his chest heaving in water through his gills.

"I know what he is! But he knows what I am too and he doesn't care… We… You just need to meet them Kacchan! Then you'll see." Midoriya assured, his own lungs on overdrive. "Are you calm enough for me to let go without worrying you'll attack them again?"

"Fuck off, Deku. You know I can't disobey you no matter how fucking stupid you are."

"I shouldn't have used my status like that… I'm sorry. I'm not ordering you now, I'm asking. Please, just meet them for a few minutes…" Izuku begged, releasing his firm grip and backing away.

Bakugo floated up some and turned to glare at Izuku. He couldn't help but feel a little bit bad about attacking Midoriya. It certainly wasn't the first time, but usually, it was quick, without serious injury, and someone was around to intervene effectively.

Izuku winced as he moved, but gestured for Katsuki to follow him, heading towards the shallows once more. He popped up out of the water with a worried smile, finding Todoroki nearly paralyzed in fear and worry on the beach.

"Shoto! It's okay now… will you… uhh… please?" he asked, his voice shaking. He wouldn't blame the human if he said no after witnessing what had probably looked like a death match between creatures he knew Shoto had been taught to fear.

Todoroki took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was still firmly held in Kirishima's arms but felt the redhead relax some at the sight of Midoriya's worried face bobbing above the water.

Shoto trusted Izuku and knew that he'd protected him from the other Mer that had attacked. But he couldn't help but feel that old fear and hatred of their kind bubbling in the back of his mind. Midoriya had promised that Merfolk were generally gentle creatures that didn't start trouble without it being warranted, but this incident said otherwise.

"Let me go in first…" the redhead offered, "just in case that other one is still angry…"

Todoroki bit his lip as he weighed the options. Kirishima was his friend, so he didn't want to send him into the water knowing that it could still be unsafe even if Deku said it was all okay. He didn't want to give the impression that he didn't trust the Mer either…

Deciding to follow his heart rather than the fearful logic his brain was spewing, he weakly struggled out of Kirishima's hold and dared to step back into the water, moving far slower than was necessary, but faster than his jelly-legs wanted to go.

He was grateful that Kirishima had followed him in, wading beside him and examining the clear water with dedicated attention. Just as Shoto was about to try and reach for Deku to check over his obvious injuries, the redhead's hand flew up in front of him, holding him back.

Blonde hair and angry red eyes rose from the water's surface, eyeing them with clear intent to kill if they so much as dared do something he didn't like. Todoroki suppressed the urge to gulp and turned his own eyes to Midoriya, finding the teen almost as apprehensive, though still holding onto a wobbly smile.

"Uh… hey bro… how's it going?" Kirishima started carefully, his nervous grin mirroring Izuku's own.

"You taught them Mer!" Bakugo hissed accusingly, raising up so that he could smack the back of Izuku's head for emphasis.

Midoriya whined in pain, unable to block it since his injured arm was on the same side as Katsuki. "Kacchan… don't be like that… I told you Kirishima isn't all human and he taught Shoto… I barely had anything to do with it."

"Kacchan?" Kirishima mimicked, his worry slipping some at the nickname.

"Fuck off! It's Bakugo to you and scarface!" Katsuki snapped back. But he couldn't help the slight tint that touched his cheeks when the redhead gave a toothy grin. It was like he wasn't even scared that he could be killed anymore.

Midoriya almost yelped in embarrassment and disbelief, "Kacchan! That's rude. You can't say that kind of stuff to people. The only part of that sentence that was okay was your name!"

"It's fine, Deku… I'm aware of my scar, but what did the first whistle mean?" Todoroki asked, his face back to its unreadable expression.

Izuku flushed and rubbed the back of his head with his good hand, being careful to avoid the bumps and cuts there. "Uh… it's not really a polite word…" he explained. Luckily, Shoto just nodded in understanding and went back to standing silently in the water.

"Let's fucking go, Deku. I talked to them just like you asked and I'm not impressed. They both look like weak humans with shitty hair and bad attitudes." Bakugo grunted, though his eyes lingered on Kirishima for a moment longer than was necessary.

Midoriya puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "They have bad attitudes…?"

But he knew Bakugo had a good point even if it was for the wrong reasons. They were both bleeding into the water and it would probably attract sharks soon. Besides, although Kirishima seemed to be adjusting to the blondes explosive nature, Todoroki looked like he would rather drown than spend another minute in their staring contest.

"Okay… uh… You go on ahead. I'll follow you in a minute and catch up." Midoriya conceded.

Bakugo eyed the two he considered strangers carefully once more before nodding and dipping below the surface, keeping how badly his tail was aching to himself so that he didn't seem weak.

"I'm sorry about him… He… he probably did intend to kill you but it wasn't just because he wanted to I swear! He saw me swimming around out here— where I'm not supposed to be— and thought you were going to hurt me. I know it seems extreme, but he… he has his reasons for being so suspicious…" Midoriya explained, shifting so that he was closer to Shoto.

Kirishima cleared his throat quietly and backed away to give them space. As Todoroki's closest confidant he was aware of his masters growing feelings for Izuku and suspected they were returned even if neither had the courage to act on them yet.

Once Eijiro was far enough away, Todoroki responded. "I'm alright, but it looks like he really injured you… Will you… will you come back now that he knows or is this…" his voice started breaking towards the end, a lump forming in his throat at the idea of not seeing Izuku even one more time.

Midoriya pulled him forward in a crushing one-armed hug, nuzzling his nose under Todoroki's chin lovingly. He'd been worried about the exact same thing and was relieved to know that they both wanted to see each other again.

"I'll come back during our usual time… I swear! Kacchan will cool off and let me be eventually… He isn't one to tattle anyway. I…um… until next time?" he whispered, his big green eyes gazing up at Todoroki carefully.

Shoto nodded and leaned down so their foreheads could touch. He was so tempted to move just a hair more to press their lips together but held back as he always did. "Until next time…"

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