Chapter Text
“Holy crap man!” a boisterous redhead shouts at his post, shock evident in his tone. Kirishima’s no doubt slacking off now that they’re almost ported, but who can blame him? The whole crew is ready to be home.
An electric blonde quickly jogs over, “What? What is it?” Kaminari joins Kirishima looking over his shoulder at the newspaper Kirishima swiped from their last stop in his hands. The boat is rocky and it bounces with the relentless waves, but after 5 years at sea, Kaminari has earned a sturdy pair of sea legs. He hunches over behind his seated friend, trying to figure out what made him shout.
“Dude dude! Look! Look!” Kirishima crazily waves the Taiwan Times over his shoulder and in Kaminari's face. His eyes are clearly wide with surprise, and, as his observant girlfriend would notice had she been above deck with the pair, a bit of fear too.
Kaminari scoffs at Kirishima's display and rips it from his hands. “Sheesh, calm down dude, I can't read it when you're swinging it around like that,” he says as he straightens his back to better read.
“What’s even the big deal—”
Kaminari’s jaw drops.
“SIRENS?” he shouts, loudly . No doubt the whole ship hears, Captain included.
Kirishima winces slightly, sitting an arms length away from the shrieking man. His own shock subsiding a bit, he stands up and rips the paper back. A few more crewmates gather closer to the pair. Usually Kaminari’s antics were ignored, but at the mention of sirens everyone on deck lent a silent ear to the conversation.
“Well not, sirens . Only two merfolk were spotted at Naha… But still. The… sirens can't have strayed too far from them.” Though talk of sirens is not taboo, many still like to tread lightly on the subject.
Kaminari’s eyes stay wide as he registers what Kirishima said. “Wait, merfolk?”
“Yeah man.” Kirishima leans in while pointing to the paper. “It says here that merfolk are different from sirens. They can’t lure sailors in with their voice or anything, says’ they’re not even dangerous at all!” He finishes reading this new information pleasantly surprised knowing that ‘merfolk’ can’t cause him harm like sirens could.
“Really? But how do they know for sure it’s merfolk? They look the same!” Kaminari emphasizes his point by pointing between the photograph on the page and the gruesome image of a captured siren on the story adjacent to it. The photo features a grainy black and white image of a cliffside and rocky waters, the photo no doubt taken from a fisherman who strayed off course near dusk. One tail juts out of the water, the two fins sticking straight up, as if the merperson dove straight down into the water. A dark shadow lingers underwater next to the first figure, no doubt the merfolks companion.
“Yeah well apparently sirens have more 'translucent’ looking fins with ‘shiny’ scales along its body while regular merfolk have just a ‘blubber’ like tail,” Kirishima quotes the article while looking between the two photographs.
The mangled siren on the left page is hung on a huge meat hook. The end of the hook juts out from her heart, the tip heavily coated in dry blood. Her face is pale with death, a majority of her scales harvested, and wilted fins rest motionless at the base of her tail and forearms. But even with her features stripped away and dissected, there’s no doubt that the siren emulates beauty .
Long silky jet black hair drapes from her head and far past her shoulders, looking ever soft to the touch. Even with sunken cheeks, her soft jawline remains evident. And those eyes . Large, catlike slits with a piercing gaze. Even in death with heavily eyelids, that gaze remains beautifully unsettling.
That’s what makes them so deadly . Even without voices of angels, sirens could still lure in a sailor with looks alone.
“Hmmm.. Interesting..” Kaminari puts his hand on his chin as he studies the images. Though it’s in poor quality, it’s easy to see that the photo captured in Naha showcases merfolk, not sirens.
“Ahem.”
A gruff, annoyed, voice punctuates behind the pair.
A chilling shock creeps up both boys' spine, knowing they’ve just been caught slacking off. They whip around quickly and rush to salute their, clearly annoyed, Captain. Worried smiles paint their faces and sweat creeps on their brows as they’re about to face the wrath of Captain Bakugou Katsuki.
A dangerous scowl sits on his face as sharp red eyes assess the troublemakers up and down with arms crossed firmly at his chest.
“The hell are you two fuckwards doing? We’ll be home in 30 and there’s still shit to be done.” Katsuki states, slow and dangerous and about to explode. The eavesdropping crew now ignores being subtle and fully turns their attention to the scene.
“Sigh, almost a full week without incident,” Sero whispers to Ojiro, who snickers quietly.
“Sirens? Huh…” Koda mutters under his breath.
“Tsk, Tsk, Tsk” Hagakure quietly scolds the troublesome boys to herself.
“W-we were just—” Denki nervously starts before almost instantly getting cut off by Katsuki.
“Just yelling about fucking sirens ?” he all but shouts. Katsuki closes his eyes and heavily breathes out of his nose in a failed attempt to calm himself. The Captain, along with most of the crew, must've only heard the scream of sirens, rather than Kirishima's explanation.
“You’ll start a damn riot with all this siren talk. It’s all conspiracy, idiots.” He rips the paper from Kirishima’s hands. “How the hell would the Taiwan Times know what’s happening all the way in Naha anyways?” Katsuki exclaims while roughly jabbing at the article.
When he glances over the article, he soon realizes that merfolk were spotted in Naha, not sirens.
“Oh, you idiot— MERFOLK?” he shouts towards Kaminari. “It’s just shitty fish Dunce Face, they can’t hurt your scrawny ass. There's no need to be causing a scene over merfolk.” Katsuki's shouting no doubt reassures just Kaminari, but the rest of the crew as well. Kirishima smiles, realizing that this isn't an accident. Katsuki's doing his job as Captain to calm the crew by reprimanding Kaminari so loudly.
“And, you!” Katsuki, seething, turns to Kirishima, whose smile is quickly wiped from his face. ”Think.” Katsuki emphasizes by pointing to his brian. “I’d expect this freakout from Dunce Face, but not from you Shitty Hair.” He scowls at Kirishima who looks away, slightly embarrassed.
Now, though Katsuki would never outwardly admit it, Kirishima is undoubtedly his best friend. He'd been promoted to Katsuki's second in command almost immediately after Katsuki was put in charge. Still, he is not immune to a patented Bakugou Katsuki scolding. Sure, Katsuki would’ve never put Kirishima in this position if he didn’t think he was entirely capable, but he shouldn’t be making a ruckus over sirens . Sirens who weren’t even there to begin with!
Okay, maybe, Katsuki is projecting just a little, though he, nor anybody else, would dare say so aloud. Sirens no doubt elicit fear from any man, even Captain Bakugou Katsuki. If you’d ask Katsuki, he’d say that he was shouting over the lack of work being done on deck, not over the fear of potential sirens.
Katsuki pinches his nose and takes a deep breath. This time it better calms him, though he still wears a bitter scowl. “That damn tabloid is just looking for a cover story to get you to buy the paper. Sirens have never been in Naha and they never will. It’s just merfolk, big ugly fish,” he reassures them, and himself though he’d never admit, as he rolls the newspaper in his hands- much to the boys’ dismay.
“We’re all fucking tired and ready to be home, but we’re not in Naha yet. So get back to work, morons!” He hits Kaminari and Kirishima on their heads with the newspaper, one by one, as he shouts the latter part. The crew snickers at the scene, before Katsuki whips his head around and shoots death glares at his crew. Seemingly staring at Sero the harshest, who had no doubt been laughing the loudest.
“All of you fuckwards get back to work too!” Katsuki shouts, livid. Which the rest of the crew responds by promptly scurrying back to their post quickly.
Pleased with this, Katsuki smirks and walks back to his own post below deck, but not before shouting over his shoulder. “And Dunce Face, mop the deck. Spotless. ”
When Katsuki hears Kaminari’s dejected groan, his grin, almost evil, widens.
༄༄༄
In his office below deck, Katsuki sits at his desk, the Taiwan Times resting atop his crossed legs. His space is meticulously organized. Logs of all the goods transported and sea creatures caught and sold on the boat over the past 5 years are perfectly put away into cabinets and files, not a thing out of place. The boat creaks with the waves as Katsuki creases his brow in thought.
Katsuki is known to not be afraid of anything. Instead, Katsuki is known for his fearlessness; it's what got him nominated for a Captain's position to begin with. The now retired Captain Hakamada chose him just 6 years ago when he was 19, and his first solo voyage is now coming to a close. His handpicked crew has had its ups and downs over these past few years, but that is not to say that their expedition hadn’t been widely successful.
They’d traveled all across Southeast Asia, going as far as India, and were now returning for a much needed 6 month break. The crew's stops at various ports only lasted as long as the job took, which was quick given Katsuki’s effective order and systems, so this rest is much deserved. The busy crew is returning to their hometown Naha, Okinawa, and though he won’t outwardly verbalize it, Katsuki is desperate to be home . As much as his parents annoy him, Katsuki can’t wait to see his is stupid dad’s face and his mom’s ugly scowl.
However, this ‘siren’ talk is a bit threatening.
Now, Katsuki would never—NEVER—admit he’s scared. That’s not who he is. He’s too prideful, and fear is not what got him to his position: the youngest Captain in the prefecture with the most profitable ship. No, that was bravery, determination, and hard work. Not fear .
He’s not scared of stupid Sirens or merfolk or whatever. He’s just… er… worried! Yes, he’s worried for his stupid crewmates, because lord knows Kaminari would dive headfirst into the sea if he just so much as laid eyes on a siren. What kind of a Captain would he be if he didn’t worry for his crew! Like just look at this mangled corpse of a siren! She still radiates beauty even if she's all bloody and gross like that, and Kaminari would for sure be all over that , even if she’s basically an evil fish.
But, while Katsuki knows sirens are inherently evil, they kill and eat humans for crying out loud, he can’t help but feel a little dirty as he stares at the picture. Her face, her body, aside from the tail, just look so human . It’s uncanny.
But Katsuki would never voice these sympathies. Nobody feels sympathy for sirens, it’s unheard of. Katsuki doesn’t either, it’s just his subconscious that’s doing the sympathizing for him.
Katsuki shakes his head, frustrated. There’s no need to worry about sirens. They’re not a concern. It’s only merfolk that have been spotted.
Harmless merfolk that are more like pesky fish than anything.
Though, one can’t think of merfolk without thinking of All Might, the merman that could supposedly transform to a human. Katsuki scoffs. Myths and propaganda. Probably just some merfolk obsessed nut that wanted other people to share his obsession by telling stories of holding hands and peace at sea.
Katsuki doesn’t dislike merfolk, but he doesn’t like them either. Because where merfolk live, sirens usually don’t stray too far. Maybe that’s why Katsuki is worried to begin with— worried for his crew, that is.
All Might… more of a fairytale than anything.
Hold on, don’t I—
Katsuki stands up and fully assesses the bookshelf that's adjacent to his desk. Usually a bookshelf at sea seems like a horrible idea, you can imagine why, but the young prodigy Bakugou Katsuki makes it work. A thin, but sturdy wooden stick from each end of the shelf over every row prevents the books from falling out with the turbulence of the sea.
Katsuki felt pretty genius when he came up with that one, and why shouldn’t he? A guys gotta find a way to read if he’s gonna be at sea for 5 years.
The first 2 rows of books are all informational. Boat stuff, business strategies, blah blah blah. The bottom 3 rows are what Katsuki has his eyes set on. He skims the old spines of his extensive fiction collection.
Katsuki has read these books cover to cover countless times, having not much else to do in his freetime. Most of these books are action packed, featuring powerful superheroes and brave heroines, a fascination that’s stuck with Katsuki since childhood. First it was comic books, but as he matured, so did his taste in literature. Though the talent of the main characters, the action packed scenes, and the defeat of villains remained consistent in his readings.
But Katsuki isn’t concerned with the epic stories he’s grown to love, he’s looking for something far more fascinating.
All Might: The Symbol of Peace
He pulls the old novel, almost hidden by its small size, from the bottom row of his bookshelf. Assessing the red, worn fabric of the book, Katsuki smiles fondly at the memories of his younger self reading this book for the first time. What an idiot, stupid kid for believing that this guy existed.
'Discriminated merman seeks peace between humans and merfolk.' Not a bad concept, Katsuki supposes. A good story to kids about acceptance or whatever. But every kid, especially ones that grew up in coastal cities, knows that sirens roll with merfolk, and sirens are dangerous.
Though All Might is clearly a myth, strange discrepancies have occurred. Like how during All Might’s supposed time, the distinction between ‘merfolk’ and ‘sirens’ was established, though for many the line is still blurry. And the many eyewitness accounts of All Might both as a human and merman.
Perhaps that’s why young Katsuki was so enthralled with the tale of All Might. Because of its believability. And maybe his fascination with All Might is what causes him to have slight— very slight—sympathy towards the merfolk, though of course he’d never make that known.
Regardless, ‘All Might’ is just a myth, nothing more, nothing less. Just a fairytale that a young and naive Kastuki believed. However, even now, the story still does captivate Katsuki. Maybe because of All Might’s ideals and vision. It really is noble and heroic, but just entirely unattainable. If All Might did exist–
“Uh, Cap’?”
Katsuki jumps at the intrusion and his thoughts come to an abrupt halt as a curious, sneaky , pest enters his study.
“ What? ” Katsuki bites as he snaps his head towards Mina for interrupting his thoughts, and, quite honestly, for scaring him.
“Y’know for just yelling at Kaminari for not doing work—being so close to porting and all—then going back to your study to read one of your stories—”
Katsuki swiftly slips the book away, back into its spot on the shelf. “Shut it, Racoon Eyes!" he barks. "I’ll have your nosy ass know that I finished logging last night while you and Shitty Hair were drinking your lives away." He rolls his eyes at the memory.”
Not threatened by Katsuki's tone, Mina merely shrugs. “It was our last night on Ol’ Dynamight, can you blame us?” she jokingly reminisces while dramatically patting the wooden door frame of Katsuki’s office all nostalgic like.
Katsuki rolls his eyes at Mina’s display. “Whatever, was there anything you needed?” he begrudgingly asks with a frightening glare.
“Woow grouchy! Just wanted to let you know that land is spotted! Thought you might wanna see it—being the Captain and all—but if you’re just reading one of your books then go right—”
“Oh my god, shut up! ” Katsuki snaps as he stomps over to the door. “How d’you even know about me scolding Dunce Face anyway, huh!? Raccoon Eyes is supposed’ to be down here packing up the sleeping quarters!”
Katsuki motions to the crude writing on the whiteboard mounted to the wall next to him that depicts the crew's duties for the day. It clearly showcases his rough handwriting of ‘Racoon Eyes’ on ‘pack up shit in sleeping quarters’ duty.
“Don’t tell me you’re slacking off too.” He points an accusatory finger at Mina’s chest.
Maybe Katsuki’s in a pissy mood ‘cause no work is being done, maybe it’s ‘cause he’s tired, maybe it’s ‘cause sirens are still on the mind, or maybe it’s because Mina is the one of the few people who never cower under his scowl. Yeah, that’s it.
Stupid Racoon Eyes always pushes his buttons— how the hell does Kirishima put up with this crap?
“I’ll have your nosy ass know I finished my job 10 minutes ago, thank you very much.” She parrots Katsuki’s words right back at him in defiance. “And your ‘scolding’ was quite loud, I’d be surprised if I didn’t hear it! You don’t exactly have a smooth voice, y’know.”
He growls as he shoves past her in his quest to return above deck. “My voice is damn PERFECT, thank you,” he roughly barks, to prove his point. It… doesn’t work.
Mina chuckles in response, quickly catching herself from tumbling over. Their banter is something Katsuki has gotten used to. He wouldn't keep her around if he didn't like her at least a little bit. Mina’s always been quick to greatly annoy Katsuki, but knows when to back off before he explodes. And she’s dating his best friend; if he didn’t like her, he wouldn’t have approved of their relationship in the first place.
Not that Katsuki has any real say in who his friends can date, but if he truly didn’t like Mina and thought she was a bad match for Kirishima, then he would have told him just that. He’ll never plainly show it—he’s got a stoic, badass image to uphold here—but he does want the best for his close ones.
Not that he’s super close with Kirishima or anything, he’s just his first officer and sorta friend. Katsuki merely wants the best for his crew, that's all a good Captain should be doing.
“Okay, Okay,” Mina folds, “You’re right, you have a perfect voice, but seriously come up! We’ll be home soon!” she finishes, ecstatic— though no one can blame her. Mina jokingly motions for Katsuki to get a move on.
“I’m coming, I’m coming…” he growls as he swats her urging hands away. Mina snickers quietly, but after a moment of silence she decides to speak up again.
“Oh…and…um…Bakugou?” Her voice sounds nervous as opposed to the taunting from just moments before.
“Uh… yeah..?” Katsuki responds, a bit apprehensive at Mina’s changed tone. He slowly turns to meet her eyes, which are pointedly looking down at her feet.
“Could you… uh… maybe— no, please not call me Raccoon Eyes in front of my parents?” Mina practically begs with pleading eyes that are now searching Katsuki’s soul for some scrap of mercy.
“Ehhh?!”
“ Pleeeease??” Mina clasps her hands together, desperate.
“Really? That’s what the dramatics were for?” Katsuki scoffs. “Why the hell shouldn’t I?” he asks with an amused grin, remembering why he started calling her ‘Raccoon Eyes’ to begin with.
Mina sighs heavily. “It's just… ugggh, please ?” she begs some more.
Katsukis snickers at Mina’s display, glad to have the upper hand in one of their little quarrels. “It’s just— what ?”
“It's just that it happened once before when I was fishing with my parents and they already tease me for that and they don't need more fuel for that fire on that front—” she hurriedly explains, breathless, “So please don’t call me ‘Raccoon Eyes’ in front of them ‘cause it'll only force me to explain it all to them!”
Katsuki stares at Mina for a second, in awe that she seems truly desperate to not let her parents find out the backstory behind her nickname, before he promptly bursts out laughing. He clutches his stomach and yells out between loud, uncontrollable, belts, “Lemme get this straight— a squid sprayed ink in your eyes— not once, but TWICE?”
At Katsukis loud mocking and hysterical laughing, Mina's shoulders slump defeatedly. So her parents will be finding out, then.
It really is a funny story. Not even a month into the crew's departure 5 years ago, Mina was helping Sato prepare dinner for the crew. Normally she’s a deckhand, but Kota wasn’t feeling too good so the Captain made the executive order to assign Mina as acting sous-chef. Boy, was that a mistake.
That day the crew must've hit a squid hotspot in the South China Sea, cause instead of catching the desired tuna, the crew caught a surplus of squid. So, that’s what was on the menu for dinner that night. After Sato demonstrated how to cut and prepare a squid, Mina was given the reins, or in this case, the sharp knife.
One thing led to another, and Mina’s inexperience led her to cut right into the poor squids’ ink sack that coincidentally sprayed right into both of her bright yellow eyes. The stark black ink stained them for weeks. Weeks . And there wasn’t much she could do to get it out. Her vision was perfectly fine, but her looks weren’t.
The result of her misstep with the knife? Raccoon Eyes. Raccoon Eyes were the result. Katsuki was quick to voice the nickname and it’s stuck ever since. He actually found the whole situation quite comical. Katsuki had doubled over with laughter every time the two crossed paths on deck, much to Mina’s embarrassment. Safe to say she was never allowed back in the kitchen.
Katsuki chuckles recounting the story and makes his way above deck. He’s thinking of how he’ll slyly bring up the nickname to Mina’s parents when he’s ambushed by the view.
A calm, salty wind gently brushes his hair as he gazes upon Naha, his pupils blown wide at the sight. The skyline of towering buildings, the iconic outline of mountains behind it, and a hint of smog in the air. Gross. But it’s home, and Katsuki is damn happy to be back.
“Awww is ‘Cap happy to be home?” Mina taunts when she sees the small smirk on Katsukis lips.
A scowl instantly replaces his smile, “Feeling brave today Raccoon Eyes ?!” He spits the nickname with venom.
“Nope!” Mina quickly responds and scurries over to Kirishima who, thankfully, is at the other side of the boat.
Katsuki rolls his eyes and continues to stare at the vast island before him. His first, long expedition as Captain has come to a close. Katsuki’s finally home.
༄༄༄
“GET OVER HERE BRAT!” Mitsuki lovingly shouts from across the dock. Sigh, home. Masaru nervously chuckles next to her.
“Shh honey, he’s coming! He just came back, you’ll scare him away!”
“You think she scares me, old man?!” Katsuki barks as he takes his sweet time making his way off the ship, much to his mother’s annoyance.
On this summer day the mood is happy. Sparse clouds paint the blue sky and the classic humid Naha air is annoyingly present. The busy port makes a chaotic atmosphere as hugs and cries are exchanged between the crew and their families. The not so distant honking, smell of street food, and loud tourists are ever present in the bustling city, and the picture perfect beaches are plainly evident a mile away from the port.
The midday heat is beating down on the crew which only makes them more sweaty as they hug their family tight. But it’s not like any of them care. Well, except maybe Katsuki. He loves his parents, sure. Of course . Katsuki missed his mothers cooking and his dad’s shitty jokes, but he’s never been one for hugs . Especially sweaty, prolonged hugs, which just so happens to be what he was swept up in when he made his way over to his parents.
Katsuki doesn’t know what it is, but he’s never been one for physical touch. Even from his own family. Maybe it has something to do with appearing tough and strong, or maybe he was just born like this. Katsuki may just inherently not like physical contact and that’s perfectly normal. Ever since he was little he hated his aunts pinches on the cheeks and encouraging pats on the back from his dad. He either just shrugged away from the touches or blew up on the instigator.
Though he doesn’t mind the slaps his mother constantly gave him for being a twerp as a kid. Katsuki can admit he was a crazy kid and deserved a bit of a punishment. Mitsuki would never beat the boy– but a playful slap over his head is one of the only things Katsuki doesn’t seem to mind. Not that Katsuki enjoys getting slapped up the head– but he tolerates it because he knows that's just how his mother shows love.
Mitsuki doesn’t playfully hit Masaru though, she actually gets really lovey dovey and gross with him. Katsuki has never understood why his father is the exception– everyone else in Mitsukis life is met with a loving shove from the strong and explosive woman. That’s just how Mitsuki is. And this is how Katsuki is. And he likes it that way; he's got being the youngest Captain in the prefecture and carving his way to the top, he can’t afford to be distracted by some girl.
Katsuki shakes his head. Why is he thinking about this disgusting stuff? Oh right, ‘cause of all this physical touch he so vehemently—and so rightfully—hates. So it’s not weird at all that Katsuki strongly dislikes rough pats on the back from Kirishima, or this death grip his mother currently has him in.
He’d be far more aggressive and adamant about escaping this hell of a hug if not for his mothers sake. Mitsuki’s actions reign supreme in the Bakugou household, even if Katsuki is a successful Captain. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t an ass about it. “Geez, let go of your old hag! It’s not like I'm going anywhere!” Katsuki more squeaks out then barks which makes his demand real threatening.
“Oh hush brat!” Mitsuki quickly quips back before squeezing him tighter- as if just to push Katsuki’s buttons. Katsuki was about to say something he’d quickly regret if Mitsuki didn’t release him then, seemingly having enough of tormenting her beloved son. Instead Katsuki settles for a death glare which has no effect on his mothers beaming smile.
“Son,” Masaru smiles at Katsuki. He reaches out his arm for a handshake, seeming to get the memo that he wouldn’t be up to another hug. Even if Masaru did give the best hugs— at least according to Mitsuki, who was entirely fucking biased.
Katsuki happily accepts the handshake and smiles at his dad, genuinely happy to see the man. Maybe he’ll be happy to see his mom when he stops being pissed off about that long and sweaty hug. “Dad,” he responds plainly with a barely noticeable smirk.
Mitsuki smiles at the scene before being startled by a piercing screech. “What the hell?” Both Katsuki and Mitsuki yell.
Across the dock, Kaminari is violently sobbing tears…of joy? Yeah, he definitely has a ginormous grin on his face as tears stain his cheeks and snot drips down his nose. “MY PHONEEEE!” Kaminari wails. “My beloved phone, I missed you so much dearie,” he kisses the screen and pets the device.
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” Katsuki pinches his eye brows in annoyance.
“His phone?” Masaru comments on Kaminari's dramatic scene.
“Yeah. We had no internet on the ship besides the navigation system, it was like living in the fucking 1800s,” Katsuki explains.
“That is an old boat, isn’t it?” Mitsuki chimes in.
“Don’t disrespect Dynamight you hag!” Katsuki barks, still bitter of his moms prolonged hug, despite just complaining about the old ship. “She's held up just great these past 5 years!”
Mitsuki slaps him up the head, “ Don’t disrespect your mother you brat!” she parrots back to Katsuki. “I was making conversation Kat, seems like half a decade away didn’t fix that damn attitude of yours.”
Katsuki snickers at her slap, clearly lacking its regular effect due to Mitsuki missing her son. Her swing will come back in full force once she gets fed up with Katsuki— it’s only a matter of time. Katsuki rolls his eyes at her comment, “Yeah yeah whatever, this was the only ship I could afford at the time. S’not like dumb Hakamada would give me any starting funds.”
Masaru chuckles, “Yeah he was a bit harsh on you huh?”
To which Katsuki boredly replies, “Yep,” really popping the P. Katsuki subconsciously begins to look around the area, perhaps looking for his old Captain.
Though Katsuki would never admit it, a trend common with the man, he holds his old Captain in high regard. Captain Hakamada’s strict regime on deck helped shape Katsuki into the sailor he is today. Even when forced to endure rigorous and downright disgusting chores. Hakamada also made a big stink about Katsukis attitude. The seasoned Captain really honed in on that. He constantly made a fuss about being a gentleman and such, which Katsuki widely ignored, but he failed to notice that his time spent under Hakamada really did make Katsuki more noble and moralized.
Despite Hakamadas seemingly harsh treatment, Katsuki respected the man because he was among the few who saw his potential. Hakamada actually gave Katsuki the opportunity to grow and gave him a chance to prove himself, to which Katsuki is forever grateful.
So it's no wonder that Katsuki wants to find the man and shove in his face that his first voyage as the youngest captain in the prefecture, with a shitty boat nonetheless, matched Hakamdas most profitable endeavor.
Heh. That'll show ‘em.
“He’s not here, brat,” Mitsuki rolls her eyes after watching Katsuki glance around.
He quickly whips his head around. As if he'd care about what the old bastard thinks. Katsuki starts, defensive, “I wasn’t—”
Mitsuki cuts him off. “Oh hush, Hakamada runs a clothing store now and he said it’s always extremely busy on Fridays, so he told us he couldn’t come today.” Katsuki absorbs this new information with a blank face. Clothing store?
Masaru chuckles at Katsukis stunned face, “Yep! The store is, uh, very denim heavy— many of the tourists call him Best Jeanist . He’s made quite a name for himself these past few years— outside of the fishing industry of course!”
“ Best Jeanist? ” Katsuki grimaces. “ Best Jeanist? Really?” Masaru nods. “Oh that pretentious fuck! I bet he eats that shit up!” he scoffs.
“Oh stop the act Kat, I’m sure he’ll give his favorite first officer a discount when you go and visit.” Mitsuki rolls her eyes at Katsukis theatrics.
“What makes you think I’m gonna see that fucker in his stupid ass denim store?” Katsuki all but shouts.
“Would you rather me invite him over for dinner?” she threatens.
“Hell, NO!” Katsuki shouts, which earns a few curious eyes on the two thunderous blondes.
“Then go visit him sometime this week.” Katsuki just scoffs in agreement at this ridiculous situation. Although it’s not entirely out of character for Hakamada. Based on Katsuki’s memory Hakamada did always care greatly about how well groomed he and his crew was, and his outfits were quite lavish to say the least. Now that Katsuki really thinks about it, he can’t help being curious over Hakamada’s store.
A girly gasp interrupts Katsuki’s thoughts. Oh no . “Are you Bakugou’s parents?” Mina asks excitedly. Like a flipped switch, Bakugou Mitsuki is now the friendliest person on planet Earth. “Yes we are! You must be Mina right? How are you, dear? We’ve only seen you in a few photos here and there but I’m glad to finally meet you!” Mitsuki excitingly takes Mina’s hand and vigorously shakes it.
Instead of being appalled by her far too cheery behavior, Mina perfectly matches Mitsuki’s energy. “Yes ma’am that’s me! I’m great, thank you— excited to be home! I’m so glad to meet you too! Grouchy over here keeps his lips sealed as if he’s had some grizzled past!” At that, Katsuki just looks at her incredulously. Just who the hell does she think she is, talking down on him to his own mother?
Mitsuki bursts out laughing, “Grouchy, huh? HAH! You’re 100% right on that one! I was just telling him that 5 years at sea should’ve fixed that damn attitude of his, oh, especially with such a fun girl like yourself on deck! I honestly don’t know where he gets it from— Masaru here is as timid as a mouse!” To which Masaru blushes slightly and Mina laughs.
“Stop blushing like a damn school girl, old man,” Katsuki mumbles in annoyance and embarrassment. Sure Katsuki is home now, but can he please go home now?
Hearing her son's snarky words that switch is flipped right back on. “Don’t you dare talk to your father like that you damn brat,” Mitsuki snaps, turning all of her attention right back to Katsuki, leaving Mina stunned next to her. Though she may not understand where Katsuki got his grouchiness from, Mina now clearly understands where he gets his hotheaded nature from.
Katsuki just rolls his eyes at his mom, but doesnt leave Mina’s stature unnoticed. “You okay there Raccoon Eyes ?” He says her nickname especially loud as Mina’s parents luckily approach right behind the pink haired girl. Mina’s eyes blow wide as she begins to regret approaching the Bakugous.
“Raccoon Eyes?” Mina’s father says, confused.
Switch . “Oh! Don’t take it personally! Katsuki here is an asshole and has mean nicknames for all his closest friends!” Mitsuki hurriedly explains.
Ignoring the ‘ closest friends’ comment, Katsuki just snickers. “Oh but they don’t come out of nowhere! Do you want to tell the story or should I?” He maliciously grins to which Mina awkwardly chuckles.
“Oh? Do tell, Mina!” the girl's mother asks with the same curious eyes as her daughter, so Katsuki knows that this story is getting out. That’s what Mina gets for trying to be all buddy buddy with his mom.
༄༄༄
Literally 30 minutes later Katsuki is finally on his way home. Before Mina could begin the story, Katsuki was swept up into a conversation with Kirishima and his family, who’d started chatting it up with his own parents, so that saved Mina from telling the story for now. She’ll probably get to tell it in the comfort of her own home, which is unfortunate. Katuski was really hoping to see her dejected face when she told them.
After Kirishima took off, Kaminari had to get back on Dynamight because he forgot his duffel bag in his room. Due to the crew's exhaustion, Katsuki so generously informed his crew that once they dock, they could go straight home and they’d unpack all their personal belongings the next day. But stupid fucking Dunce Face ran right out the ship to hug his dumb parents and get on his phone and totally forgot his overnight duffel. So Katsuki had to go with him to unlock shit because he had the master key, and it's not like he’s gonna trust Kaminari with it.
When he was back on the Dynamight and Kaminari was getting his things, curiosity got the best of Katsuki, so he sneakily went back into his office and swiped All Might: Symbol of Peace to read later that night, uninterrupted and in the comfort of his own room. He stashed the small novel in his tan cargo pants and parted with the Dynamight until the next day.
Now he sits in the backseat of his parents black Audi, staring out the window with a generic pop song playing from the radio. He can feel his parents' excited energy bouncing off of them, but they know better to ask Katsuki all sorts of questions about his journey until after he’s had a proper rest.
Leaning his head on the cold window, Katsuki sees all the classic sights of Naha and takes them all in. This city is always busy, but certain things stay the same. The tourists, the tourist traps, the street food, that glistening sea spotted between the highrises, and— Oh. That’s new.
Though the Bakugous technically live in Naha, they reside more in the quiet suburbs, nearly an hour from the port. The inner city was never a place Mitsuki and Masaru wanted to raise a kid, but that didn’t mean that the family didn’t frequent the more urban Naha. Katsuki has every aspect of this city memorized like the back of his hand. From family outings to running dumb errands for Hakamada— he knows this place. So when he lays his eyes on that as the car is stopped at a red light, not only is he surprised but his stomach fucking flips.
An old clothing shop has been turned into a “bait store,” with the dead carcasses of merfolk adorning the windows. The display cases have the big fish hanging upside down by a chain piercing through their tail. If that wound wasn’t fatal enough to capture the merfolk, then the hundreds of lacerations to their bodies—their necks especially—would be.
Three merfolk are featured in the display windows. In the middle, a mermaid with wavy rosy hair. Her tail matches the auburn color of hair. Her sunken cheeks, pale face, and half lidded eyes exemplify the tell-tale signs of death. Her glazed over eyes seem to be pleading with Katsuki, begging to be saved. But she can’t be. She’s dead and those eyes will never show life again. The thought sends a shiver up his spine. Her look of absolute horror permanently set on her face is ignored by those who pass the shop.
And it’s not like the two mermen next to her look any better. With the signature, life ending, spear wound to the heart, they also have lacerations all across their tails— a common strategy used to slow merfolk and sirens alike in order to be captured quicker.
Though the merman on the left seems like he has more wounds then the other. His freckled face suffers 2 gruesome black eyes and his neck features— choking marks? And, Oh God, are his fingers cut off? It’s not like Katsuki cares a lot for the lives of merfolk, but that just looks downright inhumane. You wouldn’t ignore a beaten puppy on the street right? So why would he ignore a tortured fish who looks so much like a human?
Katsuki whips his head around to stare intently at his lap, having enough of the sight, and swallows guiltily. There’s not much he can do in this situation except turn a blind eye. It makes him sick, but what can he do?
Katsuki hates feeling helpless. But, it’s a feeling he’s gotten quite used to in his life. If Katsuki knows he has a real chance at doing something, he'll do it. And he’ll do it perfectly. But when he knows that no matter what he does, and he’d do everything, and no results would follow, Katsuki doesn’t even bother trying.
In this instance— how is Katsuki supposed to help? What can he do to save those merpeople from such a cruel ending? Katsuki knows why they’re hunted in the first place: merfolk attract sirens. And for sirens Katsuki has no sympathy for. Merfolk are innocent enough, but it’s what follows them that’s frightening. If you cut down what draws in the sirens, then the sirens will be gone. Plain and simple. But most humans want livestock to be killed humanely, or at least they claim to, so why can’t they all give merfolk the same dignity?
“It’s just fucking sick,” Mitsuki quietly spits from the front seat, as if voicing Katsuki’s thoughts. Masaru sadly hums in agreement and quickly accelerates when the light turns green.
Katsuki knows he gets a lot from his mother, including his sympathy for merfolk. Now, Katsuki doesn’t quite know where his mother gets it from— her own parents show no remorse for the slaughtered merpeople, but it’s part of who she is nonetheless. Mitsuki doesn’t outwardly defend merfolk—like the crazy over-sympathizers—but when someone grossly mistreats them, she'll prove their innocence.
And that mindset is how Katsuki was raised. However, many in the fishing industry don’t share that ideology. Ideas of ‘humane’ treatment of merfolk who attract and look awfully similar to sirens—who murder sailors in cold blood—aren't exactly… popular. Especially in the boating end, where sirens sink their teeth the most. So Katsuki had to adapt.
Spending the past five years with a crew who vehemently hate all things sirens, which includes merfolk by association, was bound to alter his point of view a little. Well, not just a little. Hearing his crew's stories of their grandfathers’ close encounters or even them falling victim to a damn siren greatly pisses Katsuki off. What right do these fucking sirens have to kill Kirishimas grandfather? He was just out fishing to catch dinner for his family! Kirishima didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye, dammit! It’s just not fucking right. Merfolk may not deserve to suffer, but sirens damn well should.
As the Bakugous car reaches the outskirts of Naha, the city noises drown out and the road evens out for a smoother ride. Katsuki’s swirling thoughts of sympathy and hate—well mostly hate–soon lull the man to sleep.
༄༄༄
“Son,” Masaru gently shakes Katsuki's shoulder. “Son, we're home!” he nearly sings with a large smile plastered on his face. His father is ecstatic his son is finally home. Though Masaru knew the day would come where his boy would leave the nest, he didn’t think that meant leaving the country for 5 years. Having his son leave his house as a 20 year old to return 25 is definitely a shock.
Sure, Katsuki sent out letters every time he ported per his mothers request, but nothing beats the real thing. Before Masaru, as gently as he can, wakes Katsuki up, the father takes a moment to admire his son's face. No doubt, he’s aged. His tanned skin and prominent eyebrow crease are most evident. He can’t help but smile bittersweetly.
Even when kids leave the house, you still at least see or hear them when they’re not living at home, but the elder Bakugous didn’t even get that. So it’s no surprise they’re ecstatic that Katsuki is home for 6 months!
“Katsuki!” Masaru further urges. Katsuki slowly blinks, coming to his senses. Once he registers his fathers gentle hand on his shoulder he shrugs him off, to which Masaru hardly bats an eye.
Katsuki sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “I’ve got your bag, you go ahead inside,” Masaru smiles warmly with the duffel bag already on his shoulder. Katsuki grumbles a thanks.
Katsuki slowly gets out of the car, trying to wake up his exhausted muscles. “I’m gonna take a real fucking shower,” he mumbles.
Masaru chuckles at this, “Alright then.”
Katsuki walks the path he’s tread thousands of times. A smooth, stone walkway headed for the front door on a curved path. Even in his tired state, Katsuki takes a moment just to stare at his childhood home while approaching it. It’s the only home he’s ever known, besides the shaky walls of a ship.
The quaint two story house, excluding the attic, is exactly how he remembers it. A simple, manicured garden of flowers and greenery rests in the front lawn. An antique fountain sits in the center of the garden where many small birds take refuge. Katsuki looks up at the stone chimney jutting out of the roof. He then looks at the window of his bedroom.
The black curtains are drawn, but he can still make out a figurine of a superhero sitting in the window seal. Embarrassing . Katsuki, cringing, picks up his pace and heads straight for the front door. Gonna shove that in my closet as soon as I get up there.
Mitsuki, waiting for Katsuki at the entrance of the home, smiles to herself. Seeing her son coming back home after years is such a relief. She knows that this boy is more than capable of taking care of himself, but she wouldn’t be a good mother if she didn’t think having him under her care was where he was safest.
“What’re you smiling about, hag?” Katsuki asks with an eye roll as he enters his home.
Mitsuki slaps him on his head half heartedly as he passes her and makes a break for his bathroom. “Oh hush, brat! Go shower, you reek of fish.”
“That’s literally what I’m about to do,” Katuski sneers.
“Don’t you sass me, Bakugou Katsuki!” Mitsuki shouts as her son disappears up the stairs. Masaru joins Mitsuki at the door, holding Katsuki’s bag.
“That kid…” he chuckles.
“Tell me about it.” Mitsuki exaggerates an eye roll with a smirk on her face.
Masaru laughs some more as they enter further into the home, “I’ll start dinner and we can wash the clothes in here while—”
“It’s 2:30, you old man! ‘ Start dinner— ’ that boy probably didn’t even eat lunch!” Misuki scoffs, and Masaru laughs nervously.
“Dear, well, he’s probably gonna take a long shower, and I want the mapu tofu to be perfect, and he probably won't want to wait for dinner ‘cause he’ll just go right to sleep after a shower, but he needs to eat!” Masaru hurriedly explains. Mitsuki just looks at Masaru lovingly, the scowl lines in her face disappearing with every word that leaves the man's mouth.
Mitsuki warmly smiles at Masaru. “Okay sweetie, I’ll go start his laundry,” she says before pecking his cheek and taking Katsuki’s duffle bag out of Masarus hands. Mitsuki doesn’t really know why, Masaru doesn’t know why, and lord knows Katsuki has no clue why, but there is just something about Bakugou Masaru that pulls Mitsuki in. She can’t put it into any other word than love— much to Katsuki’s disgust.
It really was love at first sight for the pair. Mitsuki thought the whole concept of soulmates and an instant attraction was baloney until it happened to her. In fact, the very first time the couple met, Mitsuki had come onto Masaru so hard, the shy boy was coerced into asking her out. And thankfully he did, not that Mitsuki would have let him go, because the life that they’ve built together is something irreplaceable.
Now when Katsuki hears the story of how his parents first met, all he can think is: Gross . First off, his dad? Really? His dad? That man is not some spectacular looking guy, so how was Mitsuki so drawn to him when they first met? And as much as Katsuki hates to think about it, he knows that his mother could have any man she wants, she really is beautiful. So why would Mitsuki ever choose Masaru? The question eludes him.
But it's not like Katsuki thinks about that all that often, because he wouldn’t be the youngest and to-be most successful Captain in Okinawa if his mother hadn’t fallen head over heels for his father. Just the concept of it, all that romance, is crazy to him.
Because— why would anybody want to concern themselves with such useless and meaningless endeavors? Holding hands and being romantic ? Hell no. The thought seriously makes him gag. Kissing scenes in movies earn a long eyeroll and touchy couples on the street yield a cringing face. Katsuki doesn’t even have the mental capability of visualling himself in a similar situation- the thought is far too crazy for the man to imagine.
Even if he was somehow okay with the whole prospect of dating without being entirely ludacris to Katsuki, where would there be time for romance? It’s worked out for his parents, but Katsuki’s parents aren’t trying to be the next best Captain in the prefecture. As he thought about earlier, he can’t be sidetracked by any damn romance. Sailing takes time, hard work, and a drive like no other. Distraction is a quick stop to failure, and Katsuki doesn’t fucking fail.
And so, anything romantic just confuses and pisses Katsuki off. However, every so often when he finds his brain drifting towards the subject, he remembers one major thing that his parents’ relationship did teach him. And that he actually bothered to keep in mind, since it applied to far more than just romance.
A relationship, romantic or platonic, must be built on mutual respect and trust. It’s not like after his parents started going out that Masaru was forced to be stuck in a relationship, despite how he and Mistuki can sometimes come off. She just tends to be the leading force while Masaru is more the voice of reason. Without Masaru, Mitsuki wouldn’t be the woman she is today. He’s shown her how to love like no other and how to be open in communication. They compliment each other well and that’s why they're so good together. The more time they spent together the more they realized this about each other. However, that doesn’t disregard the fact that the guy practically worships Mitsuki.
The relationships he’s formed with his crew are a great example of this respect. Katsuki hand picked his crew for crying out loud, he wouldn’t have chosen any of them for this expedition if he didn’t value their skillset. And as for the crew, they knew going into the journey that Katsuki is extremely capable and talented as a leader— despite his personality .
And as the trip proceeded, the crew developed a mutual trust. Both the crew and Katsuki saw the other's skills at work, and the result of them. But the culmination of that trust takes time, time Katsuki doesn’t have to spend on some dumb girl purely for the sake of partaking in romantic endeavors. So he doesn’t even bother.
Sure, a few girls hit on Katsuki in his teen years, but he paid no mind to them. They only saw him for his looks and confidence, not his talents or drive. And Katsuki doesn’t want to waste time developing a relationship with someone to get them to understand these things about him, when they’d only be in it for the romantic aspects of a relationship. Why would he waste all his time getting these girls to understand him? So they could love him right? What about Katsuki? What does he get out of it? A mediocre looking girl with an okay personality with no real ambition in life? No thank you. Katsuki’s just fine by himself. That’s how it's always been, and always will be.
“Okay love, I’ll get started on dinner then.” Masaru kisses Mitsuki on the head and she giggles like a teenager.
Katsuki holds back a gag from the top of the stairs where he was eavesdropping and heads to his bedroom.
༄༄༄
Bliss. Pure Bliss. Pure stupefying bliss. Katsuki’s experiencing the pure stupefying bliss that is a real shower. The steaming hot water burning his skin. Each droplet is like lava sticking to his body. The intense water pressure beats into him and the tile floor, causing loud splashes which distract the man from any and all thoughts. Katsuki closes his eyes and leans his head back to let the water pound on his face. Nice .
Katsuki just stands in the shower for a while like that, letting the top layer of grim wash off from water alone and enjoying the sensation. Water drips into his spikey blonde hair and completely soaks it. On the ship it got damp at best, and at the cities they ported the water was not nearly as hot or as pressurized as what Katsuki is experiencing right now.
He doesn’t know how long he stays there. A few seconds, minutes— hell, it could’ve been a whole hour.. But eventually the Captain begins to scrub his hair with his signature shampoo that he ran out of 4 months into his voyage and isn’t sold anywhere but Okinawa. The scent of sweet burnt caramel fills his nose and it smells like home. This is a damn shower alright.
After massaging his scalp, shampooing twice and applying conditioner generously, he scrubs his body clean of fish and sweat. Finished, he gets out, dries himself, and puts on some of the only clean clothes that were in his room. A spare pair of soft black sweatpants and a long sleeve black top with a skull in the middle of it. He opted not to bring the clothes with him on the principle of appearing professional. The best Captain in the goddamn prefecture shouldn’t be seen in childish lounge wear on his own ship.
When Katsuki heads downstairs, he’s instantly hit with the smell of spicy food. The stoic man nearly tears up at the smell. Not because the spice was too much, no, it’s because he's missed it so damn much. Aboard Dynamight, Katsuki had to suppress his love for absurdly high levels of spice to meet the needs of his crew mates. Not everyone wants a pound of cayenne pepper and cumin in their fish like Katsuki does.
Sure the Captain added a few spices on top of his meal, but it was never cooked into it. But now that he’s home, it is.
The tiredness in Katsuki's body disappears when he realizes he's about to be eating good , and he flies down the stairs and to the dining room .
“Oh good, you're out just in time!” Masaru exclaims as he places food in the middle of the table.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Not even registering his words, all Katsuki can see is what the man is wearing. Masaru is strutting a nearly 20 year old apron that Katsuki made him as a child. The white apron was the young Katsuki’s canvas. Crude, child-like writing of the words “I love you daddy” are written over the chest of the garment in orange paint. A couple dozen handprints of his puny hands adorn the apron front and back in a variety of colors that’re all smudged together which create a brownish palette. Regardless of the craftsman's ship, his parents love the garment dearly.
His parents continuously tease him about ever making something so sweet. Needless to say, he never made anything of the sort again.
Ignoring the choice of clothing, Katsuki just makes his way over to his seat at the table. “Looks good,” he mumbles, choosing only to say so much after seeing the fucking travesty of an apron.
Mitsuki rolls her eyes at her son’s dramatic display, “So~ feeling better? Tell us all about your trip! That Mina sure is cute!” Mitsuki teases.
All hell breaks loose for Katsuki. “FUCKING GROSS! RACOON EYES? REALLY, HAG?”
“Geez, touchy subject…” Mitsuki merely shrugs, dropping it quickly after realizing that ‘Racoon Eyes’ elicits that big of a response from Katsuki, and Masaru awkwardly chuckles.
In an attempt to change the subject, Masaru prompts, “Your trip? Tell us about it!”
Katsuki, seething, silently finally tears his blazing glare away from his mother, “It was fine,” he bites out. She should know by now to not mess with a tired Katsuki. It’s her own damn fault if he doesn’t talk to her for a week because of the awful joke, even if Katsuki’s just now seeing her after half a decade. So maybe he’s just petty like that– but let's not forget the hug Mitsuki trapped him in! Katsuki proceeds to take a huge bite of his mapu tofu to keep his mouth occupied from speaking.
In accordance with his pettiness, Katsuki silently vows to not let the delectable taste of this warm home cooked meal show on his face. Even if it tastes like heaven in his mouth, with the spicy intensity reminding him why life is worth living to begin with and juicy meat blessing his taste buds. Katsuki doesn’t know if it tastes so good because it's something other than fish or if Masaru just knows how to make food . It's probably a combination of both.
But Katsuki isn’t a complete asshole, so he shows his thanks through simple words while skillfully avoiding eye contact with Masaru. “‘S good,” is all he manages to say through bites– which is quite a feat because Katsuki is literally shoveling the dish down his throat.
“Mhmm.” Mitsuki chews with her eyes closed, seeming to take in every little detail from each bite. “The brat’s right, this is amazing, Masaru!” Mitsuki says with disgustingly audible sappiness. Katsuki just rolls his eyes and continues eating.
“Thank you, my dear wife and son,” Masaru jokingly gloats, “But don’t think you’re off the hook so easily young man— I want to hear all about your trip!” Before Katsuki can rudely shut his father up, Masaru notices the intense irritation beginning to show on his face. “ —But , I know you’ve had a long day—well, long days— so we’ll chat about this another time, okay?”
“...‘Kay,” is all Katsuki manages to grumble in reply.
After eating for a few minutes in comfortable silence, Katsuki decides to ask something that’s been gnawing at his mind for a few hours now. “Do you guys think there are sirens in Naha?” he bravely asks in between bites, eyeing his parents.
Masaru’s fork clatters with his plate and Mitsuki whips her head towards Katsuki. “What kind of question is that, brat? We were having a nice meal for crying out loud!” Mitsuki shouts, now tense.
“Well, do you?” Katsuki yells back, “There’re merfolk sightings here, aren’t there?”
Mitsuki takes a deep breath to compose herself and pinches her nose while continuing in a forced low tone. “Katsuki. There is no evidence of sirens here, okay? And you know merfolk are harmless— they’ve never done a damn thing to nobody. So shut up and eat your food, you’re making your father worry.” Though with that wobbly tone from the usually confident Bakugou Mitsuki, she was obviously worried too.
Mitsuki grips Masaru’s slightly trembling hand next to her. At her touch, his trembling stops almost instantaneously, and he picks up his fork and continues eating.
Katsuki looks down at his food, slightly embarrassed for bringing up a touchy subject. Idiot . It’s common knowledge that sirens linger near merfolk, it’s only natural for him to be scared, but Katsuki didn’t realize how much this scared his own parents as well.
After that idiotic decision to bring up sirens of all things, the rest of the meal is tense. After some forced small talk, a much needed second serving, and an “I need a fucking nap” from Katsuki, the Captain heads off to bed.
As soon as Katsuki trudges up the damn near endless stairs, turns the corner, and lays eyes on his bed— he’s done for. Katsuki collapses onto the bed rather ungracefully. It’s like a fucking cloud; Katsuki didn’t realize how much a thin cot really fucked up his back. His body sinks into the memory foam making every single thought and worry drift away, and near immediately, sleep takes over his exhausted brain.
༄༄༄
Katsuki jolts awake in a cold sweat.
Shit.
SHIT.
He jumps out of bed panicked. Holy FUCK, why didn’t my fucking alarm— oh. He frantically looks around. An old wooden dresser, a mirror hung above it, drawn black curtains, an embarrassing shelf of comic books. Katsuki’s not on the boat anymore. He’s home.
Katsuki quickly looks at his digital clock. 12:08 am . He crashed at around 3 after his early dinner, and 9 solid, interrupted hours of sleep was more than he ever got in one night on the boat, so Katsuki is pretty well rested. Though that still doesn’t explain why his body reacted so violently.
Embarrassed by the extreme overreaction and stupidity, Katsuki angrily shoves his comforter back on his bed, having been thrown nearly across his room in his initial panic. He sits on the edge of the bed, trying to get his heartbeat under control. The fuck? Why is it beating so goddamn fast? It’s nearly jumping out of his damn chest. It’s not like he has any responsibilities now. It’s probably just the instinctive Captain in him thinking Kaminari was about to set something on fire, again, and he didn’t want his whole crew sinking in a tragic, fiery death.
But nothing is wrong. So why is he still sweating and why won’t his fucking heart calm the fuck down? He needs to clear his head. Katsuki angrily gets on his feet and searches for an old jacket from his dresser. A simple orange zip up works. He roughly shoves his arms through the sleeves as he leaves the room.
Not that he cares or anything— but Katuski subconsciously tiptoes down the stairs so as not to alarm his parents. Not that Katsuki would even let his parents, well, his mom scold him for leaving at this hour, he’s just learned not to wake up someone like Sero in the middle of the night or else he’d just be a zombie on deck the entire day, getting no shit done.
But Katsuki is not on the boat anymore, and Sero is probably asleep at his place right now. Still, Katsuki tiptoes around his house until he exits through the front door.
Anytime Katsuki needed to clear his head or just have some time to himself, he’d walk a trail he still knows like the back of his hand. It consists of a bunch of different paths that lead to his spot where he best thinks, relaxes, decompresses, and everything else. It’s about a 15 minute walk, but he doesn’t mind it. Especially after all these years– it's pretty much just a part of the decompression process now. Maybe he’ll even take the scenic route this time.
As Katsuki walks, he takes in everything. How the end of his driveway slowly fades to pebbles and dirt, how his rusted gate still creaks loudly as he opens it, and how the entrance to the forest adjacent to his family home is calling his name. How on nights like this, the moonlight seems to be illuminating the whole forest. The grass seems to grow taller as he heads into the forest and it tickles his legs. Katsuki instantly feels nostalgic at the odd yet comforting touch. Maybe it's comforting because its been so long since he’s had some time to his fucking self.
The desire path he’s made for himself seems to be encroached with greenery from his absence and the golden pothos around him seem more out of control than ever, even the hibiscus in bloom is far larger than it was the last time he saw it. Everything seems to be the same as he left it and yet so different at the same time. The thought makes him a little sad, though he wouldn't be able to articulate why if he tried.
Katsuski approaches a clearing with a fork in the path. To his left, the path is clearly more traveled, the dirt more worn and the greenery less apparent. But Katsuki takes the right, where the pothos pet his arms as he makes his way though. He begins a gradual decline down the trail. The night is calm, no birds chirping and all the animals seem to be asleep. The trail at night is the best.
At the next clearing Katsuki heads over to the little stream between a few trees. He squats down next to it and watches the water trickle past a few rocks. It can hardly be called a stream because of how little water there is, but it fascinates Katsuki nonetheless.
After carefully observing the stream, and calming his nerves, Katsuki gets up and continues along the trail. Another few minutes or so and he hears waves crash. Getting close. Katuski looks up between the trees and sees a cliffside through branches. From here, he can see where the path he's on and another one link up.
Curiosity piques him, so he approaches the path that he'd neglected to take earlier. Two large trees adorn the opening, and Katsuki peeks between them. The steps that Katsuki used years ago are still in peak condition. And why wouldn’t they be? Katsuki made them himself after all, and Katsuki only produces the best. Admiring his handy work, he continues.
The sound of waves is louder here, and Katsuki nearly gets giddy as he gets closer to his spot. Untouched by others, and enjoyed by him alone.
The dirt path mixes with sand as Katsuki nears the shoreline. The trees begin to get more sparse and Katsuki can see the blue waves through the spiky bushes. He pushes through the bushes, skillfully avoiding getting thorned, and sees the cliffside to his left in full, with waves crashing against it violently. The cliff never looked so grand.
He steps forward to closely examine the waves. It’s not like he never saw the ocean on the boat—he was on a goddamn boat, the ocean was fucking everywhere—but there’s something different about the waves at his spot. It's just the way they crash against the black rocks that shoot out from the jagged cliffside, the texture of the sand, the—
Wait.
Who’s that?
Who the fuck is sitting on one of those rocks out there? It’s not super far out but it’s fucking weird, and not to mention — how the fuck did they find this place? This is Bakugou Katsuki's spot for crying out loud. There isn’t another house by his for miles, so this dumbass had to make a fucking journey just to invade Katsukis privacy.
Katsuki marches further up the shoreline, about to release hell upon the invasive bastard, whoever they are, but the words get caught in his throat when he realizes—
It’s a siren.
It faces the sea, sitting with its knees—well, where its knees would be—up to its chest. The moonlight bounces off shiny green scales, the very light appearing to dance upon its tail. The end of it lays off the edge of the rock, blowing gently in the soft wind. It looks silky but strong. The fins that decorate its forearms and the large one that paints its spine are of the same complexion. Similar fins stick out from between thick, dark curls where the ears would be on a human. The ends of its hair barely brush against pale shoulders, being gently caressed by the salty wind. The lightness with which the hair moves implies that it's dry— which means the thing has been sitting here for a while."
Katsuki’s breath hitches. I’m gonna die. He’s going to die. The moment that the siren notices him and starts singing, it’ll be lights out.
That's strange . Aside from the deadly situation Katsuki finds himself in, he can’t help but notice the only cloth– as it seems to be— on the siren is wrapped around its upper right arm. As opposed to its chest, where a modest siren might find herself clothed.
Frozen with fear, Katsuki struggles to take appropriate action. Move, dammit! Are the siren’s powers already in effect? They can lure with their voices, but can they kill with other methods unbeknownst to mankind? Maybe just being in the shear proximity of the damned fish would seal your fate.
Finally, Katsuki makes his body take a step back.
A twig snaps.
Fuck.
The siren whips its head around at the noise, alert. Time seems to slow. This is it, this is how I die. Their eyes meet. Wide green stares back at Katsuki’s crimson. Its eyes nearly take up its whole face. It’s shocked, alarmed, and… is it scared? Katsuki can’t tell from this distance. Freckles garnish its entire face, and Katsuki sees how they paint its entire body too. He also notices that the siren seems to have an unusually flat chest. Is it not a female? So, a merman? But no, those scales, those fins, that's gotta be a siren—
The moonlight reflects tear stained cheeks and large glassy eyes. Is it…. crying?
The siren blinks and another tear falls down its rounded face.
This breaks Katsuki out of a trance and adrenaline kicks in. He instantly covers his ears and sprints back into the forest. Katsuki runs fast . Fuck the scenic route, he’s taking the stairs. Katsuki practically flies up them, taking two at a time. He’s panting, fully taken over by fear and running with the only goal of getting as far away as possible from the siren.
What was a 15 minute walk there turned into a 3 minute sprint back. When Katsuki gets home, he all but slams the door behind him and juts up the stairs, this time not even caring if he wakes his parents up. He stumbles to his room, quickly coming down from the adrenaline.
Katsuki finds his dresser for support. He grabs his chest, trying to slow his heartbeat. His ‘relaxing walk’ did very little to relieve the already stressed man. Sweat drips from his forehead to the hardwood floor, making a small sound that could only be audible in the eerily quiet room. He’s out of breath, but Katsuki knows it's not just from sprinting.
He just survived a fucking siren.
Katsuki looks at himself in the mirror. His disheveled appearance—the tousled hair, red cheeks, and body shining with sweat—would usually make him cringe, but Katsuki understands the severity of the situation. That excessively green fucker could’ve killed him if it just opened its damn mouth, but it didn’t.
A million fucking questions run through his head. But one sticks out among the rest: Was that siren scared of me?
Katsuki wipes his face with the collar of his shirt and walks over to his bed. He gets beneath the covers and stares at his ceiling.
Katsuki doesn’t get a wink of sleep the rest of the night.