*Apologies for the long wait for an update... Working is hard lol Thank you for your continued support!
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Learn To Breathe
Chapter 12
Midoriya leaned into Todoroki as they sat on the sandy shore, careful to keep his tale at least partially submerged to avoid Bakugo's wrath. Just as the blonde had said he would, he'd managed to become proficient at walking by the end of their second 'training session' but he was by no means ready for a confrontation… apparently, he had to learn how to do something called 'running' first.
"Where are you going to take me once I learn how to walk?" Midoriya hummed dreamily, trying to imagine the world above his own.
Todoroki sighed as he thought, wracking his brain to try and come up with an exciting yet safe place to show his boyfriend. "Well, if it was just you and I, I could take you to the market or a festival… but Bakugo has red eyes and would stand out almost immediately."
Midoriya, however, giggled at the statement and nuzzled his nose into Todoroki's shoulder. "I asked Kacchan about that and he's on board with the blindfolding idea; he says he doesn't need to see to fight."
The human prince snorted in amusement as well, so clearly able to see the temperamental Mer saying something so ridiculous with complete confidence in it working out anyway. He turned his attention to where Bakugo and Kirishima were practicing, wondering just how feasible this terrible plan was.
"He's doing really well, isn't he?" Midoriya questioned as he too watched Bakugo attempt to speed up without toppling over. "I mean, I've never seen you or Kirishima do that 'running' thing, but he's moving faster than you all usually do."
"He is," Todoroki confirmed, "but I think you'll both be surprised by the different affect air and water have on your movements. For instance, a human running is nowhere near as fast a Mer swimming… but swinging a weapon will happen much more quickly on land than it will in the water."
"Oh?" Midoriya hummed with intrigue, returning his focus solely to Todoroki.
~0.0~
"Fucking hell!" Bakugo snorted in disbelief as some bitch called 'gravity' caused him to slam face-first into the coarse sand once again. "This shit is so stupid; how the hell did you fucks even learn this to begin with?"
Kirishima kept the intense urge to laugh to himself, knowing that Bakugo was already getting close to having a mini-meltdown for the third time that day. "I mean, at least you guys won't die just from not knowing how to walk and run, right? If a human goes into the water and can't swim, they drown bro."
The blonde rolled his eyes but grunted in acknowledgment; as far as danger went, mobility on land wasn't especially worrisome so long as true humans weren't around to see him struggling. He twisted to his back and stretched out though, needing a moment to let the ache in his thoroughly bruised limbs subside before he got back up.
His eyes wandered to Kirishima as they usually did, admiring the gentle edges of his jaw when the wind would rustle his red hair. He couldn't help but notice the various bruises on his skin though… They stood out against his sun-kissed glow and made rocks form in the blonde's stomach.
"Does that asshole even try to protect you?" he breathed, glowering at the discoloration with disapproval. "You're his best friend or some shit, right?"
Kirishima peered down at the area's Bakugo's eyes were wandering over and sighed, reaching out to take one of the blondes' hands into his own. "He tries, Katsuki… really he does. It's not the same here as it is where you come from, especially in the royal palace. Shoto has to be careful with how frequently he steps in to stop other people from harassing me—if his father even suspected that he considered me something more than a… well, I probably wouldn't live long enough to worry about what I'd suffer through."
Bakugo's blood ran cold at the thought of Kirishima being murdered and he tightened his fingers around his partners. "I won't let that happen."
"It's not like you could stop it, Katsuki…" The redhead hummed in resignation. "It will be years before Shoto and Deku are of age to rule their kingdoms and—"
"You could come to Yuuei with me; Our current ruler, All Might, he wouldn't hesitate to let you stay once he's told what you've been through."
Kirishima pulled the blondes' hand up and kissed his knuckles sweetly, appreciating the offer even if it made less sense than taking his chances as a servant in the Endeavor palace. "I'm not a Mer, Katsu… I can't take care of myself on land much less in the ocean and I wouldn't let you make your life harder by trying to compensate for my inability to fend for myself."
Bakugo merely shook his head in total disagreement. "Yuuei isn't like open waters, dipshit. Our borders are protected from outside dangers like predators so you wouldn't be attacked unless you're an idiot like Deku that goes swimming on his own and we've got a market just like you say humans do so you wouldn't have to try to catch fish or anything."
"And what would I do there, hm?" Kirishima chuckled with a hint of bitterness. "If I can't hunt to get food, can't fight to protect myself or others, and don't have any trade skills on land much less in Yuuei, then what would I spend my days doing?"
The blonde thought hard for a moment, determined to prove to Eijiro that he could belong to Yuuei if it was something that he wanted. Truth be told, Bakugo would feel a considerable amount of relief if he knew that his partner wasn't in perpetual danger just for being alive. "How about teaching? You're good at that."
Kirishima cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion and felt his pessimism ease some. "Teaching?" he laughed, trying to imagine dealing with mini-Bakugo's and mini-Midoriya's every day in a classroom setting. "What in this world could I possibly teach a Mer that stays deep in the ocean?"
"Land shit, of course!" Bakugo grunted. "When those two idiots over there finally become Kings, they're going to try and bring our species together again, right? Well, it's been a long fucking time since a Mer other than Deku and I have tried to go on land and we honestly don't know anything about what goes on up here. You'd be Yuuei's sole expert on humans."
The redhead threw his head back and laughed fully, a mixture of amusement and pride rising in his shaking chest. He'd certainly never considered himself an expert on anything, even when Todoroki had needed his knowledge of Mer language. Still, the idea that maybe, just maybe, Bakugo could be right made his heart soar with hope.
"Alright, Katsu…" he conceded once he calmed some, leaning over the blonde to kiss him sweetly. "If you really think I can do it, then I'll come and live with you at Yuuei when Shoto and Izuku have changed our worlds... But I can't leave Shoto before that; He may seem like he's good on his own, but I think he needs me."
"Tsk, you'd fucking better…" Bakugo hummed in satisfaction. "I've got to show you off to all those extra's Deku makes me hang out with."
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"Are you ready, Izuku?" Todoroki questioned almost nervously, his back turned while he waited for his boyfriend to finish transforming and slip on the clothes he'd brought for him to wear.
Midoriya, in turn, giggled and somewhat tumbled around as he tried his best to slip on the uncooperative attire, finding it incredibly fun despite how hard it was. "Kacchan was right! These things are a nightmare… You really put this stuff on every day?"
The human Prince turned and peaked to see if Midoriya was at least semi-decent. He was in the middle of yanking a shirt down over his head while trying to stay sitting, completely unsure of how to maneuver his lower body now that it had split in two.
"Here…" he offered, moving to kneel beside him. "You put one arm through at a time like this."
Midoriya grinned widely when Todoroki's simple assistance hastened the tedious process and he leaned up for a kiss, wrapping his arms around the larger boy tightly so that he could be pulled up. He squeaked when he was deadlifted from the ground, finding the sensation so different than it had been when Todoroki would hold him in the water.
"Want to try and stand?"
Midoriya nodded fervently with excitement, barely able to contain himself as he was maneuvered onto the flattest part of the area of the beach they'd decided to train at. Just as he'd told Bakugo, Todoroki was plenty strong enough to hold up his smaller frame without too much effort, effectively letting him wobble as much as he needed to without the threat of tumbling to the ground.
"This feels so weird!" he exclaimed, wiggling his toes as they pressed down into the sand. "I thought it was hard to keep my balance when I was just sitting but this is way worse! You really do combat like this?"
Todoroki chuckled and nodded, enjoying the way Midoriya would lean into him every few moments to re-center himself before attempting to hold his own weight again. "Human sword-play is very different than what Mer's use; but I'm hoping that you won't ever have to see that in person."
"I don't know…" Midoriya stated thoughtfully, gazing up at Todoroki with awe. "I think I'd really enjoy seeing you train; you already move so gracefully whether you're in the water or not—I bet it's something special when you fight."
The elder blushed heavily at the comment but shook his head, twisting Midoriya around until they were face to face. "I've got something far better to show you…" He lifted his partner higher until his toes just barely touched the ground, wrapping his arms around his torso firmly. "Put your feet on top of mine."
"What are we doing?" Midoriya asked, though he did as instructed and curiously peered up at Todoroki while he clasped his hands around the boy's neck. The prince simply smiled at him though and pecked at his lips before he began swaying slightly, gently lifting each foot off of the ground and shifting it until they were swirling in a circular pattern.
"We're having our first dance, Izuku…" Todoroki explained lovingly, pressing their foreheads together as he peered into Midoriya's eyes. "It's one of the ways my people signify their commitment and affection for one another."
It was Midoriya's turn to blush heavily. Though the movements were different, many creatures of the sea behaved similarly, twirling around each other in delicate patterns as the world faded away around them; he couldn't believe he was getting to experience something so innocently intimate with the person he cared for most.
"I'm so in love with you…" he whispered, losing himself in Todoroki's mismatched eyes. "I want to be yours forever."
"Not nearly as much as I'm in love with you." The prince responded, equally as mesmerized. "And one day, I promise to make you the happiest Mer in the world."
Midoriya swallowed some and bit his lip, tilting his head as he stared up at the young man that he truly intended to spend the rest of his life with. "Would you be willing… in the future, it doesn't have to be now, but… I mean I know it's different from what humans do… It's just that I…"
"What is it, Izuku?" Todoroki questioned, his heart skipping a beat from how nervous yet hopeful Midoriya looked as he stumbled over his words. "Tell me what you want and it's yours."
The younger prince swallowed thickly and turned his eyes to Shoto's fair neck, his canines seeming to glisten as he opened his mouth to speak once more. "Merfolk… We mate for life; it's more than just a promise to us." He explained slowly. "When we chose our partner and are intimate the first time… we uh… m-mark each other…"
"Mark?" Todoroki repeated, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he stopped swaying.
"A bite on the neck…" Midoriya explained, thumbing the area he so badly wanted to latch on to. "It binds us to one another permanently… We can only ever have one true mate and through that connection, we can feel everything they feel; our life becomes theirs and vice versa."
Todoroki lost his breath as the Mer spoke, almost unable to comprehend the depth of what being together meant for one of his kind. "But I'm a human…" he breathed shakily. "Can we even—is it possible for us to do this?"
"I don't know…" Midoriya admitted sadly. "B-but if there's even a chance that I could have that with you, I want to try. But I know how big of a step it is! A commitment like this…"
His voice trailed off as his head dropped low with anxiety and sadness. It wasn't that he was concerned about it not working; he'd be just as content living his life with Todoroki in the way humans did without mating marks. What worried him was that Shoto may not want to try it because it could work.
Midoriya saw Todoroki swallow and open his mouth to respond, quickly forcing his voice to work again so that he could make sure that the teen understood the gravity of what he'd be agreeing to. "If it works, there isn't any going back, Shoto. The bond goes so deep that if it's broken for any reason, like if one of the two dies, the other soon follows. We've only known each other for a couple of years at this point and even though I'm sure that you're who I want to belong to I don't want you to feel like you have to—"
"Yes." Todoroki interrupted, his voice confident despite how hushed it was.
"But Shoto—"
"It doesn't matter whether it works or not, Izuku." The elder Prince assured as he pulled his love impossibly close. "I've belonged to you since the moment you first touched your forehead to mine; the only thing that will change is that what we already feel will finally be official."
"Sh-Shoto…" Midoriya whimpered, unable to express just how relieved he was to hear those words. Everything he'd been dreaming about was going to come true.
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:) Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment if you want!