Chapter Text
This day was supposed to be fun and special. This day he was meant to be the bride to the prince of his kind, the merfolk.
The ceremony had been laid out, everyone near their kingdom had been invited. Izuku had been decked out in some beautiful pearls and gems they had found, dotting his hair and making him looking shimmering and special.
Everything had been perfect.
Until the pirates had attacked.
Now he was swimming for his life, tears leaking into the water behind him and mixing well as he desperately tried to make his escape with his family and friends.
The ceremony was ruined. Everyone had swam off into hiding. They all knew what pirates were like. They were villainous, tortured their kind for the one thing that merfolk could give them. The one thing they were only good for apparently according to these humans.
A kiss of breath. A kiss that granted the humans the ability to breathe underwater just like they would be able to.
Pepople used to fear them used to cower when they heard a siren's song. But ever since the current King had taken over all those years ago things had changed.
He deemed pulling humans down itno the depths like that to end their lives was just barbaric and they were a civilized culture.
Izuku had been a boy but then and things had been different from then on.
His lungs burned with how fast he was going and the amount of water rushing through his lungs and out his gills.
He was getting tired and he didn't know where else to go. He lost the others and one pirate was hot on his tail.
He swam to the surface, poking his head out at first. He was near the shore now which was dangerous to be. Now that he thought of it the one that had been chasing him wasn't anywhere in sight. He could get away.
He just had to swim through those small rocks and get out.
He dipped his head back in to head that way, a smile of victory on his face until he felt it. The hot stinging pain of something stabbing into the end of his tail.
He let out a cry, tugging on whatever had pierced him but he couldn't budge. It just caused more blood to spill into the water.
His head broke the surface again, more tears collecting in his eyes as he turned to look at what had caused it.
A blade had pierced his tail to the rock near him, keeping him placed there and unable to move unless he wanted to cause dire damage to his fin.
A man held the blade, breathing heavily from the chase. His clothes were soaked through, dark reds and black hanging off of him. His hair was the biggest contrast of a pale blonde.
“You're a slippery one aren't you?” the man asked with a teasing laugh, lifting his head up. “Finally caught you.”
Izuku whimpered and their eyes locked.
Red meeting green.
Izuku's heart raced in his chest, lightly tugging at his tail to try to get it to come free without hurting too much.
The blonde stared at him, a look of shock on his face.
He looked so innocent...and scared. Terrified for his life.
Without even a second thought the human pulled the blade from his tail, a look of regret crossing his face.
“Go,” he whispered to Izuku.
Green eyes widened. He was letting him go? But why? Why was he letting him go? That didn't make sense. All humans, especially pirates, all wanted to catch a merman or mermaid for their magical air giving kiss.
So why was he letting him go?!
But in his moment of hesitation Izuku knew he had made a mistake. A net was thrown over him, pinning him to the rocks nearby.
He thrashed his body, letting out a cry for help only to have a piece of cloth wrapped around his mouth once the net was pulled from his head.
“No!” the blonde yelled out but the other men were already hauling Izuku out of the water and onto the shore near them, awaiting orders.
“Well done Katsuki,” came a gravely voice. A man with long white hair, a large hat on his head with a pointed blue feather stepped towards the group. “I thought we were going to come up empty handed after our position was given away. Now we can get what we came for.”
“That's not-” but the blonde was cut off by the man.
“There's a reason why you're my first mate,” the man said, casting him a sickening smile of cracked skin.
Katsuki sighed, hanging his head as he sheathed his sword.
“Yes Captain Shigaraki,” he said.
Izuku whimpered against the cloth, trying to struggle as best as he could but out of the water he felt like he had nothing to work with.
Even the small puddle they had dipped his tail in barely helped him.
“My, my. Aren't you a pretty one,” Shigaraki said, tilting Izuku's head towards him, grabbing his chin to make him look at him. “I think I might keep you as a prize after I get what I want out of you. Would be a shame to kill something so pretty.”
Thick tears dripped down his cheeks, shaking his head hard. He would not kiss this man. He would not give him what he sought!
“Take him to the ship. We're setting off for home,” Shigaraki stated. The other men didn't argue and instead just had mumblings of “yes captain” before picking Izuku up and carrying him further onto land to head towards the ship.
Izuku's green eyes locked with red again, the one called Katsuki following behind them and walking with the captain but seemed to not even be paying attention to the man that was in charge of him. Instead he looked...regretful.
*
Izuku had lost conciousness only to wake up in a tank of water. It was barely big enough for him. He couldn't stretch out his tail and the water felt old. He could see all around him through the walls of the tank, and only a small fraction up top was not surrounded by water.
A heavy glass lid covered the top of the tank so he wasn't able to push out to get even some oxygen. He didn't need a lot to survive but he needed some. Espeically in stagnant water.
He pounded against the lid, letting out a cry, bubbles popping over his head as he tried to get the lid to crack or move or something!
He had to get out of here. He had to find home. He had to find Shoto and just get out of here before it was too late.
But the thing wouldn't budge.
“Help me...pelase,” Izuku sobbed as he pounded it.
Heavy footsteps headed his way and he shrunk back from the lid and into the corner, curling his tail close to himself.
The blonde haired man was right there and kneeling next to the tank.
“Hey, don't pound on the glass. You don't want to bring any more attention on yourself than you already have,” Katsuki growled at him.
Izuku let out another whimper and hugged his tail, letting out a sob.
The blonde went silent as he watched him, his expression unreadable. This was messed up. This whole thing was just wrong.
Katsuki was a ruthless pirate. He had taken many lives just to gain some fortune for his own benefit. How do you think he rose to the second best spot on the crew?
Getting captain was his next dream but he never voiced that out loud. If people thought Katsuki was ruthless, Shigaraki was worse.
Katsuki didn't like this plan. He had thought they would just be grabbing a mermaid, having them kiss Shigaraki and then letting them go.
He never thought they would be taking one with them. This poor merman was now Shigaraki's play thing for the rest of his life. That was no way to live.
Normally he wouldn't care at all. He had heard the stories of what merfolk had done. They had taken his parents from him when he was little.
But this one, he didn't know what it was. Just as soon as those eyes locked onto him all he wanted to do was to let him go.
And now because of him he was kept in a tank of water like a fish.
“Look, if you do what you're told, your life won't be that bad,” Katsuki finally stated to the merman. But the young man didn't listen and kept crying those giant tears that mixed into the water. Of course hearing that wouldn't make him feel better.
Maybe there was a way he could get him out but he had to think long and hard about this whole process. He had to cover his tracks.
They could just get another mermaid or merman to replace this one. Maybe then he wouldn't be feeling so bad about this.
“What's your name?” Katsuki asked. Maybe that would be a good way to start up gaining trust from him. He had to have his operation if he was getting out.
Though the merman wouldn't be allowed to know that for a while.He didn't care about this stupid kiss in the first place.
It had been a long journey to even find a merfolk pod and then a long drawn out plan to get the pod to skatter to catch one of them.
Unnecessary blood had been spilt and yet they still walked away with their prize. One that wouldn't stop crying.
“Would you stop that blubbering?” Katsuki said with a roll of his eyes.
Izuku glared up at him and let out a hiss, sharp fangs showing that had a cold chill running through Katsuki's spine.
It was too early to do this. Too early to try to immediately gain trust.
Without another word Katsuki left the quarters where the merman was being held, heading back up to deck for his next duty.
Alone in the dark again Izuku closed his eyes and buried his face into his arms as he tried to make himself as small as possible.
He wanted to wake up from this nightmare. He wanted to wake up in his little cave on his kelp bed, getting ready next to swim down that aisle to Shoto to be married.
He would escape if it was the last thing he did. He would not let them take that kiss from him. He would not give them that power.
He would also not give up his first kiss to a terrible pirate. That was meant for someone very special his mother had told him. And he wanted it to be his future husband.
“Someone...help me...” Izuku mumbled, laying himself down on the bottom of the tank and shut his eyes tightly.
He badly wanted this to be just a nightmare.